<i>Only for a season.</i><br/><br/>That made sense, for Alaras' health. Basren made a mental note to allow for rest days in between whatever schedule he was planning. There was a gap in his knowledge where Alaras' tolerances for his health should be, and all he had to go on was that Alaras thought he could tolerate an entire season based on Basren's own judgement.<br/><br/>Then again, if he had a vigorous (but not too vigorous) plan, it might leave Alaras intermittently ill. What better way was there to become more intimate with someone than to spend the day at their bedside, quietly, alone together--except for the servants, as proper decorum went.<br/><br/>He would take Alaras at his word, then. Two weeks of intial invitations would start them out, and he'd make adjustments as necessary.<br/><br/>Somewhere in there, the three of them might have dinner with Sovele. Basren tried not to let his gaze flicker up in the sudden mental cringe that washed over him. Not happy about the time he'd spent with Anis indeed. It was bound to come up in conversation, leadingly, that Sovele felt cheated, even if he saw Alaras as his best chance to cheat in return. In the middle of it all, Basren would have to keep a careful balance and hope Alaras' initial disgust with him didn't grow the way he was sure Sovele's anger would.<br/><br/>The boating party was far safer. With the groups switching, Basren didn't think he'd have time to offend anybody himself, and if Alaras was awkward and quiet, they had the excuse of his health to fall back on. Alaras might tire by the end of the night of being cooed at for being ill, but it would, by then, be a change of pace from questions about their courtship.<br/><br/>"I'll send out an acceptance right away," Basren said, "and tentatively pencil in a dinner with Sovele here, on this date."<br/><br/>Sat catty-corner to Alaras, bent over the calendar dates Basren had neatly printed, Basren's heart pattered suddenly faster against his ribs. Alaras smelled like herbs. Something he took for his illnesses? The scent wasn't unpleasant, just foreign, and green. Basren quite liked it.<br/><br/>His voice softened, so close, while he sorted through a few more cards. He penciled in an acceptance to a brunch late in the schedule, a tea earlier, and a late night moon viewing party somewhere in the middle, after the boating party. That was the first week and a half.<br/><br/>"With," he said, slowly, "some time we might claim for ourselves, here and here..." He chanced a hopeful glance at Alaras over the rim of his teacup, as he sat back.<br/><br/>There was no stunning agreement--a warm smile or some such--but the allowance of agreement on Alaras' part was enough. Alaras was just not a smiling man, and Basren could live with that, if he fed him these tiny agreements.<br/><br/>Even more, Alaras wanted to see his work. No one had been close enough to ever ask after Basren's interests, but that Alaras was genuinely interested was more flattery than he thought he could bear. His chest was tight, a bright little feeling welling up in him, as he collected the folio together and stood.<br/><br/><i>What happened?</i><br/><br/>Basren froze, panic squeezing his ribs suddenly instead. What had he done? A quick flicker of a glance saw that Alaras was looking pointedly at his cheek. Basren nearly lifted his hand in response to it, but he dropped it quickly to the folio and gathered it to his chest as he stood up fully.<br/><br/>"Oh," he said, and fumbled for a story. Why hadn't he thought of some excuse earlier? Surely he'd known he couldn't hide the redness from Alaras all day. It would have been most odd to keep to one side of him the whole time. "Nothing," he said. What to say? "I was reaching. For a book, in the library. I should have got a stepstool, but I could brush it with my fingertips, and it sort of... fell on my face, when I brought it down."<br/><br/>He gave Alaras a sheepish smile. Not nervous. Sheepish. What did it matter? He was already bumbling, and it was only his health that Alaras was interested in for his family line.<br/><br/>"It's stupid, I know. Rather unflattering to admit."<br/><br/>He swallowed, clutched the folio to his chest, and then gestured out to the path.<br/><br/>"Shall we? The red charossium are already budding, and I've had to prune them so they aren't wilted by the time of the reveal. You might tell me if the arrangement is as handsome as I thought..."