Consider it a trial-period - Basile

He closed his eyes as he felt the kiss, but what should have been wonderful, soon turned sour, as he heard the words. They cut like a knife into him, as he looked at him. The silver grey eyes clearly locked on his gaze, as he heard the deep breath. He listened carefully to him, as he took each hit to himself. He didn´t remove his gaze not even once. It wasnt fair.. Nathaniel had been JUST as cruel!. He didnt think why he did it, and he wasnt about to tell him. If he really wanted to hate him so much, then fine.. he would let him, it wasnt the first time people misunderstood him, and some of it was true. " It´s not true. You act out right now. it´s NOT fair that you put everything on ME. You teased me, you kept coming on to ME. I only said it, to see if you were sure. I dont know how you feel for Noelle, and i dont know if.. im just a pawn, that´s what i will be for the rest of my life, i know that... i didnt want to dominate you N... your highness.. i.. i´m not trying to defend myself. Hate me if you want, i´m used to that. I´m terrible at feelings, terrible at my job, terrible at everything.. apparently. ". He looked down for a moment.

He felt a tear glide from his eye, as he looked up at Nathaniel before saying " I understand.. your highness. It wont ever happen again. I will follow orders from now on, and i am truely and deeply sorry for my behavior. It wont happen again. If you want me to resign, say so.. and i will do it, if not, i will continue to stay.. for whatever task you may put me up to.. ". He waited for Nathaniel to command him to leave once more, as he removed the tear just as fast as he felt it.. waiting to hear him say that he should go into his own room and lock the doors once more. If he did, he would turn and then walk in. He had not yelled, nor had he raised his voice.. no, he had stayed calm, listened and then told his story, there was nothing more he could do now. He felt disgusted by himself, ashamed.. horrible.. like everything had been ripped out of his chest. He was right.. he was nothing.. he shouldnt even have this job, he didnt deserve anything, he never had, all his life, they had been right.. he was nothing.

Nathaniel knew he wasn’t being fair towards him, but what else could he do!? He had tried to tell Basile to stop, he had tried to show him that it wasn’t going to work… Had he not? Had he been leading the advisor on, making him think and hope for a possibility for more than the terms stated in the contract?
He felt horrible, as Basile scolded him in a monotone and cold voice. ‘’If you only said it to see if I was sure, why would you leave then? Why go back to France, if it wasn’t because I had overstepped? Basile, you are sending me confusing signals all the time! What am I to do, when you’re hot and then cold? What am I to think?’’ he asked, baffled by the fact that Basile seemed to have taken great offense to Nathaniel’s words. the tear on his cheek only made it even clearer, that Nathaniel had gone too far.
‘’Look at me,’’ he then said, waiting for Basile to look back at him. If he didn’t, Nathaniel would simply repeat those three words once more, repeating that cycle until Basile looked at him.
‘’I am a crippled man, Basile. I can’t use my arm; I can’t write, draw, play music. I can’t do anything anymore. I don’t want a lover; I want a friend that I can trust to help me, because I am nothing but helpless right now.’’ He said, clearly not pleased to say those things out loud. ‘’I you can be that - my friend - then I won’t ask any more of you. If not, I can’t see how we could continue working together…’’ Nathaniel sighed. ‘’I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m a mess, and that is no excuse. Please forgive me,’’ he then said, still looking at Basile, waiting for his response.

Basile looked at him, feeling a chill run down his back. Why was he suddenly so sweet towards him?. He didnt understand it at all. He looked at him, not knowing what to say, as he just said " I work for you. Nothing more ". He then looked a little away, as he said " Whatever you want me to be, i will be. Your highness ". His words had burned it into him.. he was nothing more than an employee. There could never be friendship between them, but he could act like one, a loyal dog, but he would be nothing more than it. His words.. there was so much he wanted to say. * I am looking at you Nathaniel.. each day. I see a strong man, a man with many troubled thoughts.. but still you are there for Noelle, for Troy, for Kenna even.. i see you.. and i see someone who loves with all of his heart, who takes tough decisions.. i dont see someone who is crippled.. but a fighter *.

He sighed shortly, as he said " You deserve to know. I wanted you and i still do. You intrigue me, and i´m drawn to you. I dont love you, but i definitely feel.. something. I wont ever say those words again and i wont act on them anymore your highness. I will help with whatever you wish me to help with, and i wont come on to you anymore. I took a trip to France for two things. For my father, because he needed me, but mostly because i think the kiss triggered something inside of me. I would advice you, to not touch me, as i cannot control that part yet.. i never left.. because of you. But enough talk about that, i will go back to my room. Goodnight my king ". He turned, as he walked over to the door, before opening it and walk in, as he closed it and locked it, unless Nathaniel stopped him, if not, he would just go to bed.

Nathaniel knew he had been unfair, which was clear from the way Basile reacted - very professionally. ‘’Fine, work for me. First requirement; call me by my name, not my title. You know this.’’ He said, slightly frustrated about the ‘highness’’-bullshit. They didn’t talk about their relationship further. Instead, Basile explained to Nathaniel what was on his mind, making Nathaniel uncomfortable once more. ‘’Whatever you feel, Basile, is up to you to handle. You can always come to me, but I can’t guarantee that I will understand.’’ He said. He didn’t want to fight more with Basile, and honestly, he couldn’t be bothered to explain further why he didn’t wish any romantic relation to him. ‘’Saying I triggered something that made you leave, just to say I didn’t make you leave, makes no sense, Basile.’’ Nathaniel sighed at the advisor, just as Basile turned away and began walking back to his own room.
‘’I am leaving for Italy in two days. I expect you to join me. If not, let me know tomorrow, so I can find a replacement…’’ Nathaniel sighed before he turned on the faucet once more to get ready to clean his stitches, as he heard Basile’s door open, close and lock.

Basile sighed, as he heard Nathaniel once again ask him to call him by his name. He would normally say that he felt it was too personal, but he had promised to follow his orders. " As you wish Nathaniel.. ". Basile just sighed inside, as he had to keep it all inside of him. He only said how he felt, what he really thought.. because Nathaniel had said that he was CONFUSED. He would have NEVER said those feelings out loud, if Nathaniel was thinking, that he would just put all the more pressure on him. He was NOT in love with the man, so how.. * Ugh!, nevermind.. this is SO frustrating. Why cant i.. form a single sentence.. without it being misunderstood, am i THAT bad of a person to talk to?.. am i dense or something?.. is there something i dont understand here.. *.
He had heard the words, and responded just in time with. " I will be available to you ". Nothing more, as he tried to keep the wall up, that they had smashed down. Proper and professionel. He hated that he had to call him Nathaniel. Couldn´t they just go on their last names.. it would be so much more soothing for him, as he sighed.

- The next morning -

He got up as early as he could, before he took his daily morning run, but this time, he had a long sleeved jacket on, something he never had on, as he came back to the room, took his clothing off, before he took a cold shower, before moving over to the tub, as he made some bubbles for himself. He requestet his food to be brough to him, and that he wouldnt be dining at the dinner table anymore, as he saw that fit for only the royal family, to come but also as it were. He was over the mountains that he was to be available later on the day, and that he had all the morning for himself, as he just laid in the tub, while looking at his legs, as he held the transformation back... he looked down his arms for a second, as he sighed, before he hit them underneath the water, as he just laid there, relaxing.. closed his eyes. The words kept echoing inside of his head from the night before.. so much, as he just let himself glide underneath the surface of water, as he let the silence take over.

Life was just easier with no strings attached. He had to remind himself of that a lot - especially since it had become more apparent to him that not everyone lived seemingly forever. As he had cleaned his stitches and wrapped another bandage around them to secure them, he moved back to the bedroom. His head ached from all that had just happened, making him sit at the edge of his bed, wishing that he could just pick up his acoustic guitar and play something to sooth his blasted mind. Instead, he had to settle on a hum, which did little to mask his troubled soul.
He went quiet for about two hours, before he was disturbed by a stout woman which mostly could be described as a ebony-skinned Molly Weasley, with black curly hair collected under a massive scarf. ’’Now, are you still waddling in self-pity!?’’ she asked, loud enough for it to be heard four or five rooms down the hall, through closed doors. Nathaniel looked at her, and the troubled look on his face melted away. ‘’Mámá,’’ he sighed, relieved. She chuckled and closed the door behind her, leaving them alone for a moment. ’’How’s the wing?’’ she asked; her voice calm and caring - which was her usual demeanor whenever Nathaniel had not made too much of a mess. ‘’Useless, unfortunately,’’ he sighed, rubbing his face. ‘’it burns constantly, mámá… I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t-‘’ ’’You can do whatever you set your mind to, young man! Now stop that nonsense this very minute, or I’ll have to fetch Nerobel to whoop your ass!’’ the woman warned him; still some caring tones in her voice, but also a sternness that only few knew her for. ‘’Funny, he uses the same threat about you all the time… Have you not agreed who will serve the aforementioned ass-whooping?’’ Nathaniel chuckled, making the woman sputter for a moment, before she demanded he unwrapped his bandages to let her see the damage.
’’Have you eaten breakfast yet?’’ she asked, making him close his eyes for a moment. She sighed at him, before she walked over to the door to the hallway and with a loud and powerful voice exclaimed that the king wanted porridge, now. She then closed the door, leaving them alone once more. ’’Nerobel tells me that you’ve hired a new advisor. How’s he? Or, Lord forbid it, how is SHE?’’ the woman asked with a teasing tone in her voice, only leading Nathaniel to groan frustrated. ‘’HE seems to be very vexed with me, unfortunately. I might had led him on and then rejected him. You know, the usual piece of me being a massive dick and asshole.’’ He answered, before he looked over at the locked door between them for a moment. Why had he reacted that harshly to Basile’s words? He liked the guy - no doubt, it was just… Complicated.

Basiel got up from his bath, as he sighed, overhearing some of it, but intentionally dropping a book inside his room, as to say he was awake and inside there, as he looked over towards the closed door, before he got into some sweats as he just laid down in his bed, feeling restless, and not in the mood to overhear any conversations about himself. He got some bandages on his arm´s, before he took on a shirt, as he pulled the pants on, and then his shoes, before he walked out of the room, as he walked over to the kings door, but stopped, before he just sighed, as he said " I will take the day free.. to go look for a piano.. call me if anything is needed ". He then turned, as he walked out to the parking lot. He stopped as he took his phone forward, before he called a cap, as he looked around, waiting for it to come.. as he didnt want to borrow one of the cars. Maybe he should also look to buy a car now that he was here, or maybe a motorcycle was easier?. He sighed, as he took forward his phone, before he started to write down what he needed for the day.. Piano.. motorcycle.. what more?.. some new clothing.. perhaps a trip to the bar.. just to take the edge off?.

The woman - Vivil was her name - looked so confused at Nathaniel, as she heard the voice saying that he took the day off. Nathaniel didn’t bother to go talk to Basile about it all, as he knew Basile had heard at least a part of their conversation. Instead, he continued to converse with Vivil, as she took a look at his arm.
Vivil left after a couple of hours, before Nathaniel began packing for the trip. It was mostly business related, leaving Nathaniel no need to pack anything regarding a pleasure-holiday. No, the most pleasurable item in his bag was a couple of packets of cigarettes, used to take off the edge whenever he felt overwhelmed. He sat back down on the bed, sighing to himself. Then he pulled out his phone, somewhat hesitant. ‘Can we please talk about what happened last night?’. He deleted it all, before writing another one; ’I’m sorry for being such a dickhead… Can we talk?’. Deleted. Then he typed the third message, slowly as if he savored every little word; ‘I’ve never been good at feelings. Always stuck in a gear that makes me go into either overdrive or reverse. I am truly sorry for being such a dickhead last night. I would like to talk to you face-to-face before we leave for Italy.. I can’t stand you being vexed with me…’.
The message got sent, leaving Nathaniel to fall onto his bed, landing on his back with the phone on his chest, waiting for a reply that might never come. What a torment…

Basile looked at his phone for a moment, as he sighed, before he simply wrote back.

[ Dont think about it. You werent a dick. You are my king, and i am your employee, you were right. Let´s not mix business with pleasure. I´m not vexed at you Nathaniel, not at all. I just need time to get into my role, so dont worry about it. Thanks for reaching out to me, but i would rather not talk anymore about this topic, as you said yourself yesterday ]

He then sent the message, as he sighed, before putting his phone down into his pocket on silence, before he got into the cap as it drove off. He looked at a piano and bought it, before he called the estate and talked it over with them. It would be delivered to them, while they were in Italy. The Piano was beautiful and white, not enormous, but a good decent size. He then went and bought some clothing, before he went to buy a motorcycle, as he took it all the way home, after he got it filled up with fuel. He parked it amongst the other cars, but to the side, so it wasnt in the way, before he walked inside, as he walked up to his room, stopping a little from it, before he walked over to the kings room, as he knocked softly as he said " It´s Lé Montt. You wanted to talk to me. Can i come in ". He was still holding the helmet underneath his arm, but he wasnt about to unlock the door between them. If he was allowed in, he would simply stand with a neutral expression on his face, as he would say " You wanted to talk to me? ".

It was a subjective opinion that he couldn’t quite decipher. Last night, he had been a complete dickhead to the guy, and now he acted like it didn’t happen and that the only thing he had taken away from the argument had been not to mix business and pleasure. He was more confused than he cared to admit, but to be completely honest, that might be for the best.
He decided not to answer the text, as Basile clearly didn’t care much to discuss the matter further. Going against his wishes was not acceptable, Nathaniel thought to himself, as he finished packing his bag. Just to be safe, he decided to ask Nerobel if he would be available if Basile decided he didn’t want to join Nathaniel on his way to Italy - which Nerobel of course was, on the condition that he wasn’t treated as ‘just an advisor’. Nathaniel knew what it meant, and he agreed to the extent that wouldn’t cross paths with Noelle in any way - an agreement Nerobel was clearly content with.
He bags were packed, his chambers scrubbed clean from the spilled ink from the night before and everything seemed ready. Nathaniel had returned to the same position as last night; sitting at his desk, trying to force a pencil into his limp hand to try to write his own name. it still wouldn’t happen. He grinded his teeth in sheer frustration, before he gave up. The pencil landed with a hollow sound on the desk, just as Basile knocked. ‘’Enter,’’ he simply answered; his voice husky and slightly uncomfortable to pass in his throat, as a lump grew with the realization that he wouldn’t be able to regain feeling, movement and control over his hand and arm…
‘’I wanted to talk to the individual and not the advisor. If that isn’t possible, then please leave me be. I need no advice regarding neither politics nor business at this time,’’ he sighed, before he rubbed his face and turned around to look at Basile for a moment.
‘’Vivil stated the obvious. My arm won’t heal. I will never be able to use it again.’’ He said; his breath quickening as he had to force himself to remain somewhat calm to Basile wouldn’t think that Nathaniel played games with him. ‘’Of all the things that could fall upon me, it had to be a crazy ex with sharp teeth!’’ he sighed, trying to make fun of it as to not have a breakdown in front of the advisor.

Basile looked at Nathaniel, still with the neutral expression on his face, as he said " You are talking to me. So talk.. ". He listened to the words, before he walked over to him and sat down, as he sighed, before saying " Okay so.. listen. Maybe not all hope is lost. Maybe we could find a witch, i know one.. a powerful one at that, through my father, he would be able to fix it, of course for a prise.. but think about it ". He then looked at him with a little smile, as he got up and was about to take the door between their rooms, as he stopped himself, before walking over to the door to the hallway, as he stopped before saying " I bought a piano.. they are bringing it while we are in italy.. so.. you dont have to buy one just find room for it ".

Basile acted so harshly… It was hard for Nathaniel not to collapse in tears, but he managed to keep that to himself. He didn’t want Basile to have to think about such things as Nathaniel actually having any feelings besides those he had already shown.
As Basile sat down next to Nath, Nathaniel simply looked at him whilst the advisor explained that his father had connections to a powerful witch. Magic comes with a price; it always had. Right from the curse, to his brother’s death. The little smile made Nathaniel nod, as Basile had asked him to think about it. ‘’I will… Thanks,’’ he said, trying to replicate Basile’s smile, but it was hard when all he really felt like was bawling his eyes out. Suddenly the loneliness he felt with his brother gone hit him again, making him look down at his wedding ring on his limp hand as Basile got up and walked over to the locked door that joined their rooms. Then, he walked to the hallway door instead; stopping as he mentioned he had bought a piano. ‘’I’ll have my mother’s office cleared out,’’ he said. Elaine had not been happy about that decision, but she needed no office any longer. Noelle had hers, Nathaniel had his. He would arrange for Elaine’s office to de furnished to Basile; for him to use as office and a place to seek solitude when things got too much for him.
‘’I saw you’ve bought a motorcycle. I suggest we take a ride sometimes. Better test out your skills on two wheels,’’ he said, smiling that same replicated smile. Nathaniel had been riding motorcycles for decades, which both Kenna and Spencer had known after the night at the cemetery.

Nathaniel looked rather surprised at Nathaniel when he mentioned he would have his mothers office cleared out. " Ah.. thanks. That means alot to me ".
He was just about to go, when he heard him say, that thry should take a ride sometimes. He chuckled softly, as he said " But your arm, then you would have to sit in the front.. with my arms around you. Sure you would like that? ". He looked at him, before he said " Or.. we could tape your arm to the handle of one ". He chuckled a little, before he said " Sorry i.. shouldnt joke about it. Forgive me.. ".
He walked over towards him, as he said " We could.. ride tonight, if you want?.. ". He smiled a little, as he looked at him, before saying " But then again.. i promised a date, before leaving Italy.. ". He looked at his phone shortly.

‘’Just don’t be scared when Elaine shows up, huffing and puffing at you for taking her office. She might look terrifying, but she can’t do you anything.’’ He said. It was slightly untrue as Elaine was a deadly woman, but she couldn’t - or rather wouldn’t - do anything to piss off Nathaniel, as he had threatened to exile her once before.
Basile seemed to have an idea that Nathaniel would ride on the same bike at him, making Nathaniel smile a soft and overbearing smile. he had not given Basile reason to think otherwise yet.
‘’Actually, I have my own,’’ he said, winking at Basile. ‘’I was thinking we could wait until after Italy? I would like the arm to heal as much as possible before going for a ride,’’ he said, with a calm smile. then, he realized he had not addressed the question at hand. Would he like Basile’s arms around him?
‘’Why wouldn’t I like your arms around me? Do you really think I dislike you that much, Basile?’’ he looked at the advisor, slightly worried. He had been a jerk last night, so the thought of Basile disliking him after that - or being scared that Nathaniel disliked him - was there…

He gave a short nod, as he said " Ah... yes, we could definitely do it ". He looked at him a little, as he said " I dont know, and i actually dont care. I just have to do my job, so as long as you can stand me being near you, then its fine ".

He looked down a little as he said " besides it as long as it does not effect this then its fine, but i would say, looking at your body language and how you act, that you dont dislike me " he smiled softly, as he said " But i will go ind and get into something other than this. Lets.. not talk about this anymore.. none of us dislikes each other, thats good enough for me ". He felt awkward talking about it, as he walked to the door once more and then walked out the door, as he walked into his room and changed his clothing and started to pack.

He wanted to say something - anything - to make Basile understand, but he couldn’t. Basile had already stated he didn’t want to talk anymore about it, which meant that Nathaniel had to respect that. He couldn’t expect respect from Basile without doing something himself to earn it.

(jump to the plane)

As they were seated in the 1st class area of the plane, Nathaniel sat with a book; holding it in an awkward manner to keep the pages open. His limp arm rested on his lap, looking nothing like it had a few days prior. No bandages kept it hidden. It had healed nicely, which meant that there was hope for the arm to heal somewhat as well. He had already gotten some sensation back in the arm; being able to feel someone touching him and stuff like that. He still couldn’t move it though.
The book, which was centuries old by the looks of it, was a handwritten memories. The handwriting was beautiful, perfectly mastered, but the words were so faded that it demanded a lot of the eyes to actually read it. Nathaniel didn’t care about what was written - it was that fact that the person had written it down that made a difference to him.
Next to Nathaniel was Basile seated. There was a slight gap between them, allowing Basile his own personal space, as Nathaniel had requested. He didn’t want to intrude further on the advisor.
‘’We will be staying at a hotel in Florence,’’ he said, without moving his eyes from the book. ‘’I’ve arranged for you to have your own suite. We are expected at the consort for dinner, so I would have to ask of you to assist me in finding a suitable attire. Or else I would have to go in this,’’ Nathaniel said, with a crooked smile on his lips, still not looking at Basile. He was wearing dark grey sweatpants, a thick hoodie and some off-brand sneakers. Not the most flattering attire, but comfortable and snug.

Basile was sitting with one of the in ear headphones, in the ear over towards the other side, away from Nathaniel, so he could hear if he said something. He was reading a book on his tablet, while writing things down at his side.
" Sounds great ". He looked shortly over towards him, as he said " yes lets do that ". He gave a short sigh from him, as he felt the nervousness grow inside of him, as they came closer and closer to Italy. His mother was from here.. and her parents belonged to a royal side of another siren family, some that had cut his mother off long ago, before she had joined the circle and met her father. He looked over towards Nathaniel before he stretched himself a little, as he closed his eyes, as he just slept most of the trip in the plane. When they finally landed, he looked around before he said " Would you do me a favor. Call me Basile here, dont say my last name... ". He didnt know if there was anyone actually listening in where ever they were going.

He took his suitcase and then Nathaniels, before walking side by side with him, as he said " Should we just drop off the baggage and then.. go out and get you a suit? ". He looked over towards him, waiting to hear whatever he wanted.

Nerobel had been good with the information he had shared about Basile. Nathaniel had no intentions of telling Basile that he knew about his heritage, since Basile had not shared the information himself - which made it rather tough to bring Basile on such a trip. The consort they were meeting with was directly related to Basile by blood, although there were a few links between them in the genetic line; a woman by the name Marietta D’Sense. Nathaniel had chosen not to tell Basile who they were meeting, since he feared Basile rejecting the trip altogether. Basile then decided to take a nap, which was the most sensible thing to do. Instead, Nathaniel continued reading those immaculate words in the book, stating feelings he had known to exist for so long, but the author tried to keep out of the picture. The only person to ever really love Nathaniel had written that book, giving it to Nathaniel as a parting gift when Nathaniel left The Circle centuries ago…
‘’Of course not. You’re Basile to me. Always will be.’’ he said, calmly, when Basile asked to only be called by his first name. He closed his eyes for a moment, before he closed the book shut; looking over at Basile, as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t. He then got up and left the plane with Basile. Their baggage was already waiting for them, as a short and stout man stood with a card, indicating that they were to follow him. ‘’Let’s go to the hotel and check in. Then, let’s get some lunch. Shopping on an empty stomach tends to make me more bitchy than usual… Oh, wait. That’s my wife, not me!’’ he chuckled with a crooked grin. None the less, he wanted to go out to eat with Basile alone for a change. ‘’What o you say? Do you fancy anything special for lunch?’’ he asked, looking at Basile with that same calm smile as always.

Basile looked a little paranoid around, as he said " Dinner sounds fine. Just.. find something you would like ". His mother had ALWAYS held him back from Italy, and changed her name, even not spoken Italien near him and forbid him from learning any also, as she did not want him to even think about being part of that family. Not that something was wrong with them, cause there werent any. They were a good family, stable and rich, business people by heart but very opinionated, some fiery souls. He looked at Nathaniel for a moment, as he walked with him to the car before he got in. He noticed someone looking a little towards him. He was almost an exact copy of the royal king.. his grandfather, just more buff and younger looking, like the young version of the king. He looked over towards him, as he asked " Is it the first time you are in Italy? ". He smiled.

Nathaniel noticed the paranoid expression on the advisor’s face, but he didn’t want to intrude. Instead, he simply allowed Basile to go to the car; Nathaniel following him. ‘’I suggested lunch, Basile. Not dinner. Dinner is with the consort,’’ Nathaniel stated with a chuckle.
As they entered the car, Nathaniel locked the doors. He too had noticed the persons looking straight at Basile. Had he more affairs here that Nathaniel didn’t know about? Probably…
‘’No, actually… I’ve been her quite a few times, with Nerobel.’’ He said, smiling calmly. He already missed that skinny elven man, but he did not mention that to Basile. It was hard enough to deal with the fact that he had left Nerobel at home…
‘’Are you okay, Basile?’’ Nathaniel asked, as he looked over at him. The car then set off to their hotel, a good hour’s drive from the airport - right next to the domo.

He sighed, as he said " Sorry i.. got distracted. I meant lunch, obviously ". He smiled softly, as he started to bite down onto his lowerlip, but only a little, as he looked out the window, feeling like he had just walked into enemy territory. He glided a little down the seat, as he looked at his phone, before saying " sounds lovely. Maybe you should bring Noelle one day. Its quite a lovely place ". He scratched his neck, as he looked over towards Nathaniel whwn asked if he was okay. He sat more straight up, as he looked at him, before saying with a little smile " Sure.. im okay. There really is nothing to worry about.. its just.. ". He looked at Nathaniel, before he looked away, as he said. " My mom grew up in Italy.. but.. she's dead so.. yeah.. so i just thought about something regarding her.. but no worry ". He was bot going to tell him that she was or had bwen crown princess.. on the run more or less.. rejecting the crown, but his grandfather had never accepted it.. even to he point that they came to France.. several times.
" how is your arm? ".

‘’I know what you meant,’’ he simply said, with a crooked smile. He was worried about Basile, to the point where he considered cancelling the dinner with the consort, to make sure Basile wasn’t getting uncomfortable.
‘’I would bring her, but leaving the Circle without a regent present isn’t optimal.’’ He said, smiling calmly at Basile, right until Basile told him about his mother.
‘’Oh, I… My condolences,’’ he said, looking down for a moment. He had fucked up big time by asking such a thing, hadn’t he?
‘’My arm? It’s the same as the other times you’ve asked, my friend. Useless,’’ he sighed, using his healthy hand to lift up the limp one, only to let it drop with a loud smack onto his own thigh. ‘’I am starting to look at ways to train my other hand tho… To write, you know? Just so that I can start writing and drawing again.’’ He said, smiling softly to Basile.

He looked shortly over towards Nathaniel with his silver grey eyes, as he softly smiled by his kind words, but was quick to say " Dont. It happened when i was young. So no need. Its years ago.. i have moved on ". He hadnt really.. seeing ones mother take her own life in front of one.. would scar anyone. He sighed, before looking at the limp arm, as he listened to him, before saying " Sounds like a great idea. Maybe if you want.. i could help you. I can write with both of mine. Its something i learned as a child. I could make papers with some small tricks on, so your hand and brain would work alot quicker, and pick up. Its just hard work, but everyone can learn it.. and maybe.. play with a ball with someone?. You know.. catch, or with a wall. It also helps you, with learning the brain that this is now the dominant one ". He smiled, as he looked out, as he saw the hotel.

Nathaniel said no more about the passed mother. He couldn’t get himself to ask about it, since it was none of his business. One thing he did know however, was that you never really moved on from a passed loved one..
He listened as Basile came with ideas to how he could train his other hand, before he gave a simple nod. ‘’I’ll look into those ideas when we return home,’’ he said, with a calm smile. then, the hotel appeared. It was a lot smaller, and far lesser than what someone expected royalty to live at - but Nathaniel loved it. It had been there for almost two hundred years, which was clear to see as it was in the same style as the newest additions to the domo which was only about a hundred meters from the hotel itself.
The stout man helped them with the baggage, as Nathaniel entered the small yet cozy lobby. A lady, young and beautiful, walked over to Nathaniel with no words, and kissed him on the cheek. she spoke some words in Italian, only for Nathaniel to reply fluently. She looked shortly at Basile, gave him a charming smile and proceeded to hand Nathaniel the key to his room. Nathaniel looked confused for a moment, before he asked the woman something in Italian. She looked at Basile, slightly apologetic, before she turned to Nathaniel once again - answering him. She then left them - with no key for Basile. Nathaniel sighed rather frustrated.
‘’The suite we booked for you is closed off due to some idiot smoking in there and setting the bed on fire…’’ he sighed, before he placed the key in his pocket to have the hand free, as he pulled out his phone to find another place to stay.
‘’I’ll see if there’s anything available nearby,’’ he said, scrolling through some app with clear frustration in his voice.

Basile rose his eyebrow shortly, as he heard Nathaniels words, while looking back and forth. He understood some of it, as his mother had spoken many times but not in front of him, in her mothers tongue.
He looked at the single key, before sighing, as he said " If its fine with you, its fine with me. Nothing will happen. I can just take the floor or.. we are grown men, we just share the bed then, with pillows in between, and then maybe a new room tomorrow ". He took his stuff as he walked to thr room, as he looked at Nathaniel before going in, as he didnt even let him decide. When he saw the room, he just put his suitcase to the side, as he said " No matter. We will just put pillows between ". He looked neutral in his expression it didnt matter to him.. only if his power activated but they would just have it to take it at that time.