<i>I've no need of you tonight.</i><br/><br/>Basren hid the sting at that as best he could, too. The rejection always felt worse. At least if he stayed and Sovele was rough with him, he could be confident that Sovele had forgiven him or at least didn't feel so sharply about his trespasses. Basren didn't stay to tempt him, though, always afraid of how far Sovele might go, and shook his head, made his obeisances, and slunk out.<br/><br/>The clothes arrived, and the roll of cloth. Basren summoned the royal tailor, who already had his measurements, and gave him his usual orders: to make something that would please Sovele. He himself hadn't been summoned by the king. The gifts left Basren hopeful but otherwise wary. He saw the Queen moving about near Sovele's suite more than once as he'd come into or out of the hall from his own rooms. Perhaps Sovele's ignoring him at the moment was for the best, but whenever he did have to go to him, he was not at all sure what mood to expect.<br/><br/>Sovele hadn't forbid him from entertaining Langlais, but Basren didn't follow up with anything more than a thank you letter for his advice in regards to the garden. Every time he thought of Alaras, he thought of Sovele's answers, the bruise on his hip still fading and the pressure of his finger traveling up his stomach.<br/><br/>When he saw the card in its silver dish asking him to dinner, he assumed at first glance it was Sovele. Closer inspection, though, revealed the Queen's elegant script. Basren stared down at the card in his hands, dumbfounded, heart racing.<br/><br/>He would go, of course. He had always treated her with respect, though he was cautious of what it looked like--like he was snubbing her nose in his wake while he quietly fucked her husband. It<i>wasn't</i>like that, but what use convincing anyone of that? No one would believe him, least of all the slighted Queen.<br/><br/>Even more to his surprise, there was Alaras, being introduced to the rest of the royal family. He expected the children, who often dined with their mother rather than their father. Sovele was nowhere to be seen.<br/><br/>Basren smiled at everyone, but he was quiet, tense. Alaras gave him a questioning look, but Basren could only look blankly back at him.<br/><br/><i>I hear you were unwell upon arrival.</i><br/><br/>Basren looked at his wine. That would be his own report, reaching Anis' ears. He plucked up the glass and took a cautious sip, trying to gauge Alaras' reaction to being<i>gossiped</i>about among the royal family courtesy of Basren. He couldn't hide behind feigning sips forever, so he set the glass down and fidgeted with his napkin instead.<br/><br/><i>I'm glad you would consider such a pairing, </i>the Queen went on. Basren's fingers stopped picking, and he dragged his gaze from Anis to Alaras. The last he'd heard, Sovele had been<i>amused</i>at the thought of Alaras making an offer. Perhaps he'd had a glimpse of him since then? With Alaras adding his dark hair and sun-kissed complexion to their party, the rest of the royal family--the legitimate of them--looked like wispy ghosts in comparison. Basren could see the argument in favor of Alaras, even given his health.<br/><br/>But then Anis went on.<br/><br/><i>Given his.. undesirable qualities, you can imagine it's been difficult to find a suitor, but this year at court, we're determined to.</i><br/><br/>And she looked right at him.<br/><br/>To his credit, Basren's stunned pause lasted a bare second. His gaze flitted from Alaras to Anis, then back again. At least Alaras seemed as baffled as he was. To his left, Wendal snickered, barely audible to anyone but Basren, as Alaras and Anis continued to talk about him as though he wasn't there. Alaras looked at him, and Basren could only give him the same blank stare as before, though this one was a little more wide-eyed.<br/><br/>Basren couldn't stop thinking about Sovele.<i>I can only imagine that fat, wheezing man trying to put a child in you, </i>and Sovele's finger, slicing.<br/><br/>But then, hadn't he asked how Alaras had received him? And clearly the King and Queen had been speaking to one another about Alaras... and about him. Again. Perhaps Sovele's lack of summoning had a different reason than he expected.<br/><br/>He had been very silent so far, until Alaras had turned to his plate and Anis could give Basren a<i>look</i>. Clearly, she wanted this to go well. Basren sitting there like he'd recently cracked his head into the wall, too stunned and confused to speak, wasn't adding to any of his meager<i>desirable</i>qualities.<br/><br/>"Have you," he started, rallying himself against his hesitation and turning to Alaras, "have you been able to settle in your suite? There is a pre-season gala next week. I would be happy to escort you--" Across the table, Labelle cleared her throat delicately, oddly encouraging. "--or if you'd like to escort me," he corrected, faltering only a little, "if you're feeling up to it?"