Would Atem want to know how the man made him feel in the first place?

It felt awkward to be conversing on a near personal level with the shorter man. It wasn't everyday you met a noble who wanted to get treated this way. Unless they wanted to mess with your head and watch even laugh at how you fell for it---finding delight in the destruction of the psyche and frame of others.

Though the pharaoh didn't feel that way. No, the Egyptian -according to Jono's gut feel- was very warm and kind. Like he could trust him.

There was even the tell tale 'If only we weren't tied down to our social classes' feel to the whole scenario.

The blond gave the pharaoh an uneasy smile but a smile nonetheless. Realizing they weren't alone as the area was littered with several stone faced and muscular guards who were armed with sharpened tools of war, he whipped his head to several directions and then asked, "Even they won't tell him? I don't know---but your cousin's really creepy. At least Moku's fine. I don't mind being with him for a day and more. He reminds me of my sister..."

Jono sighed wistfully and gave a different smile at the memory of the younger brunet and then turned to the noble, "Do you have siblings...? Relatives I know you do. I met two of them already..."

He would trust this man.

His instincts had never failed him and he was quite a gambler anyway.

So why not?

"No, if they hear me say that I will not tell, which they all did, then none of them will tell. I only let my most trusted of guards in this chamber. I know they will keep silent." Atem did this sort of thing all the time, acting way too friendly to be a proper Pharaoh. It drove the advisers mad, but that only amused the powerful man.

"I have no siblings, unfortunately. Moku is like a little brother to me, though. Tell me about your sister, Jono. How did you get separated?"

A sigh of relief escaped the youth's mouth as he started to laugh a little, gradually getting louder as he grabbed at his chest and then turned to Atem, grinning. "Thank goodness... I wouldn't want to see him on a bad day. If this is how he is on a good day I don't know what the heck he's like otherwise."

Jono then grabbed the Pharaoh's hand and began shaking it profusely, "You know it's been such a long while I've been treated so nicely I can't help be so happy and so blessed to meet you. Thanks a lot. Like a whole big bunch of thanks for you, really. I really can't help but---yeah... I hope I don't anything stupid to make you feel pissed or what---but if I do please do tell me so I won't do it again. I can also be brash and quick to action without thinking and stuff. So yeah. And I'm also a mouthful."

As if his earlier string of statements wasn't evidence enough to his tendencies of being able to ramble on for quite a while about himself.

Loosening the grip on the young man's hand, he took a deep breath and then gave a blank expression. What? Atem threw a question at him? Waaait...

Jono blinked and then looked at him as if something miraculous had just happened on the noble's person.

"My sister? Uhh... Well... You see..."

The blond was suddenly at a loss for words all of a sudden. He raised a hand to his mouth, toying with his lower lip as he tried to think of something to say about her... Oh dear, what a time---what a topic. Honestly, the boy was still not comfortable about it having run about the idea for quite some time and even lied about having a sister. An indirect way to protect her?

"Uhh...You see when our parents filed a divorce and stuff. Properties... Then bankruptcy. A whole bunch of crap that the grown ups couldn't fix and we ended up losing our citizenship. We got sold and got separated. I don't know where is now... But last I heard... She's in Rome or something. Or that Mom found her. I don't know..."

Jono let out a sigh and then scratched at his head, feeling a little betrayed knowing his younger sibling and mother were reunited. What about him then?

"That aside... My sister---she's a few years younger than me. Really pretty and cheerful too. But her eyes are really bad though. I don't know what happened but we need a lot of gold to be able to get them fixed. We were saving up...doing well then crap happened. I hope Mom got her to a doctor already... She wasn't too hard to buy back since the slave traders found her pretty yeah but useless since she was blind. So she went off cheap. I... Well. Mom couldn't afford anymore..."

...Why was the story always turning out for something sad? Think of happy thoughts---like something from your childhood, damn it, he told himself.

Atem laughed with Jono, amused by the blonde's excitability and energy. Though as his story went on, Atem found himself more and more concerned. A sympathetic expression crossed his features and he gave Jono a reassuring smile.

"Well, you will always have a home here. I don't plan on allowing Seth to let you go any time soon." The Pharaoh grinned, ruffling the blonde's hair playfully, though he had to stand on his toes to reach that high.

((I love making fun of Yami's height. xD ))

"Thank you again..."

Jono gave him a sheepish smile, bowing his head slightly and then made a small sound of surprise when he felt fingers through his hair. All the more, the blond felt shy and even blushed a wee bit, smiling still.

He would never tire of being treated kindly and he would give himself a chance to indulge and enjoy so in the presence and company of this man. How blessed he felt being with Atem right now.

"Yeah...A home. Sometimes, you see, I feel that I've never really had a home. It's more like a house. A stone and marble structure that's sure pretty and cool but when you look at it inside, it's really sad. Mom and Dad---the only time I'd catch them doing stuff with one another was they'd be screaming. Other than that, they're distant. Mom wasn't a conventional house wife. She was educated and Dad hated it when she came off smarter than him. It sucked though... Only me and her. Garden... Yeah, hide and seek. We played house but we were never Mommy and Daddy kind. Just us as us."

He sighed at the memory then shook his head, as if to also shake off the sad memories. "So yeah... I really look forward to being able to live inside a home. I think it would be really cool to actually have a family right?"

The blond's expression turned for the happiest as he gave a sound of awe and said, "No way! That would be really awesome! Oh gee---Wait. Oh yeah... He he he."

Jono grinned at him again. "Thanks... I have no idea how I'm supposed to---Damn, I owe you so much already and I only have my friendship to give." He took a deep breath and then smacked his first into the palm of his free hand and gave a determined look.

"Don't worry. I'll be the bestest ever friend you can get. You won't find anyone else like me as far as your eye can see!"

((I noticed. TT o TT And look. I can see the start of a bee-yoo-tee-full friendship. Do you? XDDD))

The longer the blonde ranted on, the more amused Atem became, until he was nearly doubled over in laughter.

It was a beautiful thing, since the Pharaoh hadn't had much time to relax lately, despite his cheerful attitude. In fact, he hadn't truly laughed in a few weeks, not including amused chortles and diplomatic chuckles.

It was when he was laughing that one could see his young age, could tell that he was not as old as he tried to make you believe.

"I have no doubt that you can accomplish that, Jono." Atem managed to get out between laughs. "You certainly are amusing... I'm very glad to have met you."