Reis hated the sound of Ezra begging and pleading. He hated the way he called him master, in some sort of appeasement behavior. He hated that he calmed at his touch. There was no good reason for that other than Ezra was obligated to do so. He'd not earned it, or even treated Ezra very well since he'd been on his estate. He was hardly listening to what the asha was saying. It didn't matter.<br/><br/>“Part of this is my fault,” he admitted. “I know what you think you want, Ezra.” His words were cold and distant, still holding some notes of disapproval but it was no lesson the asha would learn overnight. It wasn't even something Reis knew if he would ever understand. He guided him along, into the long hallway, but instead of making any attempt to drag him downstairs, Reis simply turned him in the direction of his bedroom.<br/><br/>“Goodnight, Andras. I will try to keep my household silent, so that you might sleep. My apologies over the disturbance,” he said, much to Andras' surprise. Reis had twisted it in a way he wasn't expecting, taking the asha towards his private chambers instead. Andras had always imagined that was the one place most people simply were not allowed, especially someone beneath them like a pet or a slave. It was Reis' safe haven that he always had to himself.<br/><br/>His plan had backfired.<br/><br/><br/>–<br/><br/><br/>“Calm down, Ezra, please,” Reis urged, “And stop calling me master, will you? At least when others are not around. It does not please me to hear you say it.” He opened his bedroom to let Ezra inside. It was a wide room, cluttered and dusty. Servants hardly ever dared to try cleaning. Reis liked the disordered chaos despite the order in every other part of his estate. It was a chaos carefully laid, and he understood it. Books were scattered in piles, letters strewn. Some of it he would actually return to the library one day, but for now, he was happy to have it where it was.<br/><br/>An ornate rug lay in the center of the room, and the fireplace was going, though it was chillier than it had been in Ezra's smaller room. More area to heat, but Reis compensated with more blankets. His canopied bed was disturbed as Reis had just climbed into it before having to figure out what the issue was down the hall. He let out another heavy sigh, turning Ezra to look at him now.<br/><br/>“I should have never set you up to fail in the first place. I just don't know what to do with you,” he explained, shaking his head. More so he didn't really want to be bothered to do it. Leaving Ezra alone wasn't an option. He couldn't selfishly contain him downstairs so that he wouldn't hurt himself. He couldn't leave him to his staff to deal with either and like hell he'd leave him to Andras.<br/><br/>“I'm not selling you to Andras, no matter his hope or offers,” Reis told him. “He has nothing that I don't already have.” It didn't mean he wouldn't consider selling Ezra in the future. He did need to think what was best for the asha, but also finding that fit would be no easy task. For now, he'd have to suck it up or Ezra was going to continue to be self-destructive. Or at least that was the way it seemed.<br/><br/>“I think the salve Hildy mixed should work okay for your back. Go lay down on your stomach,” Reis instructed as he went in search of it. He didn't specify where. There were plenty of furniture options, of course. One of the couches or the fur rug in front of the fire. His bed was the farthest away, not the obvious choice to him.