@solspectre drew THE HERMIT depicted here with Caine; inner reflection, looking for answers from within.
There was a very short list of friends John had. And even shorter was the list of friends he'd trust close to his heart. Caine was one of them. It had been a long time since they'd seen each other, but last he heard, Caine took a deal with someone. The High Table, likely, just as John had not too long ago ( to shed a former life, was it, or to keep it alive? ). John looked across as the waves of the beach crashed upon the shore, his dog yawning beside him. Some part of himself regretted, making that trip all the way to see The Elder only to lose his ring ( and his finger too, but that didn't matter nearly half as much ), offered a gun to kill the man he'd considered his father.
The High Table loves to play cruel jokes.
By now the sun was beginning to set, and he really should get home. His dog seemed eager to, even if he had excitedly been running into the water earlier. And it wasn't like there was anything here for him, other than the chance to reminisce. John has made a lot of mistakes in his life, some of them too big for Helen's ears, but perhaps the biggest one was loving her too much to let her go. Even in death, did she tug at his heartstrings, playing it like a harp. Now here he is, alone, watching the waves on the beach. How long has it been since he'd seen her grave? ( Almost a month now, but the ache in his chest is still fresh and it stings every morning when he realizes all the photos she's taken are gone ).
John takes a deep breath, turns away from the sunset, and waves at the blue pit bull to follow beside him. "Come on, lets go home."