Basil shrugged, merely flipping to another page instead of looking at him as he said, "Jace, you're drunk, so I'd suggest that you just go to bed before you say or do something that you'll regret." Finally, he closed the notebook and looked up at Jace. "If you still want to come with me, I'm leaving in the morning. I thought that I'd at least ask before I did. Of course, I understand if you don't want to, but whether you believe it or not, I still view you as my closest friend. So I wouldn't just leave you behind, not even after...after what nearly happened." He moved off the bed, slipping his book back into his bag. Without facing Jace, he said, "If you want to give up on this, then there will be no hard feelings left behind. After all, you said so yourself that you only ever came because you wanted to protect Basil. And well, I'm not exactly him. Therefore, you have no reason left to stay, to risk your life over a...a machine. One needs motivation if they're going to accomplish anything. And unless you've suddenly had a change of heart, you're no longer going to find such motivation in me."