“I can provide you with many recipes, Mister Yhet. I will think on all the wonderful things we made in Tuloa, and hopefully they will be fun for you to prepare. It is too bad Master won't enjoy them.” Ezra liked this big man and the way his manner of speaking differed greatly from any of the other men he had interacted with since arriving in Belmir. Ezra had been given a very basic education in regards to geography—his keepers had preferred to drill into him how to be a perfect servant and sexual toy—so he knew that there were lands other than Tuloa and Belmir, but not much other than that. Yhet must have been from one of these lands. He wondered if his master would take him along on some trip to one of these foreign places, perhaps to wherever Yhet was from, as Ezra was curious to see the world outside of Tuloa and Reis' regal home.<br/><br/>When Reis instructed Ezra to grab a small snack, the Asha slid back over to the box and dug through it momentarily, eventually pulling out a small, round, bright green piece of fruit that sat comfortably in the palm of the Asha's hand. “Jura,” he said simply, holding out the shiny fruit for both Yhet and Reis to see before bringing it up to his full lips and biting into it. The fruit was soft and made only the smallest noise as Ezra's teeth broke the skin and bit deep into the flesh, sweet pink juices flowing down the corners of his mouth. “It's sweet. You make juice.” He nodded toward Yhet and smiled before eagerly returning to his master's side.<br/><br/>Reis quickly pointed out the servants' quarters, then took the naked Asha into the library, where hundreds upon hundreds if not thousands of books decorated the walls and almost every table and piece of furniture. Ezra continued to bite into his fruit as he looked around quizzically. “Mother taught me to read and write Belmiran,” he said softly, analyzing the various colored leather spines of all the books he could. His gaze shifted when Reis pointed out the section on Asha, and his eyes lit up. “Yes, I would very much enjoy helping you, Master! I can tell you many things. More than what I told you about Tuloa. Much more. I will answer any question you have.” He was pleased to know that Master was interested in him, even if it was on just an academic level. Perhaps that was how Reis wanted to be wooed and encouraged, with questions and answers. It was strange, certainly, but Ezra was beginning to see that his new master was an odd man, certainly not the typical Asha owner whose portrait Mother had painted in his mind.<br/><br/>The next room was perhaps Ezra's favorite, as the Asha couldn't help but gasp and rush up to the pool's edge as soon as they entered. “This is a tiny ocean!” he cried, kneeling down to dip his fingers into the water, watching as the ripples sprung from his touch and radiated outwards. The water was warm to the touch and reminded him of how it felt when he entered the Tuloan ocean.<br/><br/>Ezra listened to Reis' prattle on about the eels, only mildly interested in the content of his words. He was far more fascinated with Reis' voice itself, and he found that he didn't much care what his master was saying as long as he continued talking. Reis had a very lovely voice, Ezra thought, it was soft yet firm, with a stern quality to it that suggested that Master was a very serious man. Ezra was not so serious, but he could be, if that was what Reis wanted.<br/><br/>“Can I swim?” the Asha replied, smiling up at Reis from his kneeling position at the edge of the pool. “Master, you ask silly questions,” he said, licking his lips as he slowly stood, stretching out his toned body as he did so. “It is deep, you say? This is good. I show you.” With a quick grin and a mild mischievousness that danced in Ezra's pupils, the Asha walked away from Reis, across to the far side of the pool room until he was stopped by the wall and could go no further. He turned, inhaling deeply and staring intently at the crystal waters for a short moment before he took off in a sprint, his lean form rushing past Reis in olive blur, his leg muscles powerful and strong beneath his skin. He was fast, much faster than the average human, and when he reached the edge of the pool he lept, his body curving into an elegant dive as he cut through the air and slipped into the water, quickly descending down, down, down into the depths of the water.<br/><br/>Reis hadn't been lying, the pool was very deep, but Ezra was used to venturing out into an ocean where the bottom was seemingly nonexistent, and his ability to hold his breath far surpassed that of any human. Asha were known to hold their breath for upwards of twenty minutes, but Tuloan Asha far surpassed that, their tropical origins and deep connection to the water allowing them to slow their bodies down significantly while still maintaining full use of their faculties. On a good day, Ezra could hold his breath forty-five to fifty minutes, but rarely was such a feat necessary. If Master wanted him to showcase that skill, he was more than willing to, but right now all he wished to do was show Master that he was not afraid of the depths of some miniature manmade ocean.<br/><br/>Ezra dove until he reached the very bottom of the pool. He sat there for a small moment, letting the water quietly envelope him and whisper. This water felt strange to him; there were small hints of the ocean there, but it was as if the water's voice was being smothered by something. Ezra wasn't sure if it was because of the pool itself, or perhaps there was an imbalance the water was trying to convey. Reis had mentioned something about salt. The water certainly needed more. Ezra pushed up from the bottom of the pool and began swimming up, his body gliding through the water effortlessly. As graceful as the Asha was on land, it was apparent from his dance underneath the water's surface that it was there, in the depths, where he shined.<br/><br/>When his head breached the surface, the Asha let out a deep breath and looked along the edge of the pool for his Master. “It is weaker than the ocean,” he called out, swimming toward him. “Can you make it like the ocean, so I can hear it better? It doesn't sound or taste quite right. Just needs help. You can help, can't you, Master?” There were no stairs or ladders that would assist one in exiting the pool, but Ezra did not need any help. He gripped the edge and pulled himself up without much strain, his body dripping water onto the floor as he grunted from the mild effort.<br/><br/>“I like being wet,” Ezra mused lightly. He looked down at his own body and let his fingers pirouette down his chiseled abdomen, watching as the water ran down his skin in long, unbroken trails. “Do you like me wet, Master?”