Re: lakeside mansion; hugh c./dietre a.
Hugh stood and kept a smile on his face, not wanting to dive much deeper. In terms of things he was ashamed of, the rather rough patch he'd had wasn't at the top of the list. The reason the rough patch had come to be sat higher, but all of that bordered on things he'd rather not talk about on a first meeting with anyone.
"You're always welcome to bring her here," he said in response to Dietre's statement. "Obviously the two get along, and I think Heart has enjoyed the company as well." He watched Sieglinde with the stick, and smiled bemusedly at the dog. He'd done the same thing for Heart so many times, really. He knew he spoiled her, but how could he not when she was one of the few living beings in his life so steadily the past year.
He turned his gaze back to Dietre. "Were you from Germany originally?" He stopped short of asking about family. That could be complicated and for all Hugh was interested in a general sort of way, he didn't want to ask something Dietre didn't want to talk about either.