“We are not?” Ezra replied, a questioning tone to his voice. Master continued to speak, pointing back to the charming bed that Ezra had no desire to sleep in by himself. Ezra looked to it warily, but only for a moment, as he much preferred to keep his eyes on his master's unblemished face. “Why have a bed that only you can fit in? That doesn't make very much sense, Master,” Ezra commented confidently, sure that Master Reis had gotten this whole sleeping business incorrect. Master Reis was intelligent, but he got many things wrong. Sleeping alone was dangerous, and Ezra didn't want Master to suffer from the midnight shadows' sinister machinations.<br/><br/>“That is not something I want to get used to,” Ezra replied sadly, his shoulders sagging. The food suddenly didn't seem so appetizing anymore when the Asha realized that he was intended to eat it alone, away from his master's presence. Mother and the rest of the keepers had always assured him that he was never meant to be on his own. “Why would anyone want to be separated from a beauty like you?” Mother had said with the big smile on her face that always showed off all her teeth, some crooked and tilted, but Ezra never minded.<br/><br/>Master said some parting words and left Ezra alone. He hadn't closed the bedroom door, but Ezra was fairly sure by the tone of his master's voice that he didn't want Ezra to follow him. The Asha made the noise in his throat that sounded like heavy rain and returned to the bed, placing the plate of food Yhet had made for him down on the chest and picking at it rather disinterestedly. The food tasted good, there was no doubting that; Yhet had done a good job, especially for using food he was unfamiliar with. It spoke to the man's innate skill that he could bring out the taste of something he had never tasted before. But without Master near, there was no reason for Ezra to indulge.<br/><br/>He could only stand to be in the bedroom for a few minutes before the loneliness started to bite at his flesh. He stripped himself of the robe Reis had dressed him in now that his body was dry, though his curly hair still dripped and left small trails swaying down the length of his torso and back, and stepped out naked into the long empty hallway.<br/><br/>The house was remarkably, astoundingly quiet. Ezra had seen a number of servants during his short tour with Reis, but no one was here now. If they were all downstairs, or perhaps in the servants' quarters, they must have been sleeping or speaking in hushed tones because Ezra could not sense them at all. He stepped out into the hallway and slowly closed the bedroom door behind him. He had no intention of staying there that night, or any night, although it was what Master had wanted. Or was it? Master hadn't specifically told Ezra to stay in the room. He hadn't specifically said that Ezra was<i>required</i>to sleep there. Any suggestions or indirect orders could be broken or bent, and Ezra was free to interpret Reis' words however he chose. Mother would be appalled at finding out Ezra was acting in such a willed, determined manner. Even suggestions were supposed to be taken as orders, as many purchasers of Tuloan Asha were quiet, passive, even submissive types, not known for being particularly aggressive with communicating their wants or needs. That was what Ezra had been trained for: to service the unserviceable, to please those who couldn't please themselves. He was supposed to listen. But Ezra was much smarter than most Tuloan Asha, perhaps all of them, and he had wants that needed to be satiated. He wanted to be with Master. He wanted to touch Master and be close at all times, for the rest of his days. Master just didn't know how good it would be to stay together. He was dimwitted in that way. Ezra would have to show him.<br/><br/>The Asha turned on his heel and walked down to the very end of the hallway where a large door sat, leading the way into Master's bedroom. The door was closed, and when Ezra went to turn the door's handle, he found it locked as well. He couldn't be sure that Reis was even in the room, as he hadn't seen the man enter it, but he was eager to find Reis and stand beside him once more. Being alone felt dark and unpleasant.<br/><br/>“Master?” Ezra asked loudly, rapping his knuckles against the bedroom door in a quick, abrupt pattern. “Master, it is Ezra. I am alone. I do not like the empty room, and though I am a bit sleepy, I do not want to make myself easy prey for the shadows to come. They will gnaw at my mind without someone to keep them away. I do not wish for the shadows to eat at you either, Master.” He knocked again, this time faster. “Master, are you in there? Please, we need each other.”