Reis didn't mind showing Ezra the various creatures he kept contained, and it seemed he was curious about them and willing to tell him of Tuloa. Reis liked to hear about faraway places that he'd never been, and especially of their wildlife. Ezra knew his previous home well and was intelligent enough to reflect upon it.<br/><br/>“They do not sound pleasant,” Reis commented, though he still wouldn't mind seeing<i>yongos</i>in person. Perhaps he'd refrain from trying to bring one into his country. He didn't imagine they would make good pets but he did wonder where they came from. He was growing more curious about the asha as well, and how Ezra seemed so much more perceptive than others.<br/><br/><br/>“Why is it you think that Tuloan asha have evolved to be smarter than the mainland asha?” Reis asked curiously. “It's not education based. Belmirans try to teach them, trust me, but they speak no better than my parrot here, and only when it suits them. Simple words.” It was clear by now that Ezra wasn't just repeating things but he was capable of his own thought processes. “Tuloan asha are all like you? I suspect if that's the case that is why your kind aren't allowed to be imported into our country. You pose a threat to pet laws with how smart you are.” Pet and slave laws were different. Pets were treated better, generally, but there was no room for them to rise above their stations, not that it was easy for a slave. They would always be pets. They could never buy their freedom. Reis was tidying things, moving the parrot to another perch so that he could clean up beneath it.<br/><br/>“He's very old. Older than me even. I gift from my father to my mother, and something that helped inspire my love of exotic creatures. I did find him intriguing, especially the first time I saw him fly. He did not know how to at first. Raised by humans with too much interference, flight feathers cut to prevent it. No longer the case anymore. It is what is wrong with the human mentality. We too often expect creatures to accommodate us for our own selfishness. It is the same thing your trainers did with you.” The thing Reis had taken an issue with. The parrot moved slow and easy and Reis handed Ezra dried fruit to keep it distracted while his home was dismantled for cleaning. Ezra might not fully comprehend what he was talking about but perhaps with time he'd see it.<br/><br/>“It's been a long day,” Reis said with a sigh. He was ready to be done with it and to recharge alone. “I won't put you back in the cage but you need to stay put within my home. Sleep by the window in your bedroom if you must.” It was a clear dismissal. Despite them getting along a little better and Reis spending time with the asha he would not invite him to his bedroom. He wasn't thinking much beyond his own selfish need for solitude. He'd already warned Andras and he didn't think much beyond that.<br/><br/>Reis took Ezra to his assigned bedroom and bid him good night, locking him out once again. He wanted a bath and to slip into his bed relaxed and unbothered.<br/><br/>Andras, on the other hand, wasn't ready to settle down. He'd gone back inside to sip his wine but that soon grew boring. Reis had told him good night and for a while, he'd assumed he'd taken Ezra with him. The big kitchen servant had gone to check on the creature though, bringing him a late snack, and when Andras inquired he'd said as much. Ezra was down the hall from Reis, far away as to not be a bother, he assumed. He waited until the older man had gone before knocking at the door once, then letting himself him.<br/><br/>“Ezra, you are not sleeping, are you?” Andras asked, not that it mattered. “I am not tired and Reis' home is so<i>boring</i>at night. Come out with me,” he motioned. “We will drink more wine and find a way to make the evening more entertaining.” He had a few ideas but he'd prefer to get the asha downstairs again, where neither of them would be heard. He knew full well Reis wouldn't approve but his silly cousin had no business telling him how he should deal with an asha, even if the asha wasn't his own.<br/><br/>“Reis is better off sticking to the pets he knows about. He really has no clue when it comes to you, but I understand perfectly.”