Archie quietly slipped back off into the rocks. He looked up to Léan as his guiding star, his elder, his protector. When he was upset, it hit him hard.

Glory was having a hard time paying attention in class. It was probably the first time that she honestly, truly didn't want to be around other people much at all. She would have been much happier at home, even if she wasn't able to be on the beach.

Archie spent the rest of the day consoling his brother. He, Léan, and Damon played with and spent time with Eden. Archie's mission of calming Léan down was slowly succeeding.

By the end of the day, Glory was more than ready to go home. It was just her luck that she had tons of homework, and she was scheduled for a work shift as well, so her day wasn't even over yet. She grabbed her bag once she'd parked her car and went inside. She just kind of wanted to bang her head against a wall until her evening looked better, but she knew it wouldn't work.

Archie had finally managed to calm Léan down. Everyone was out in the shallows, relaxing.

Léan, to help distract himself from his issues, was helping Damon teach Eden how to properly swim.

Glory was sitting on her bed doing her homework, rather than sitting out in the living room. When she found herself getting distracted for the third time, she finally sighed and put her things away. She wasn't going to be able to focus enough to finish her work right now. Turning, she watched out her window for a while. She could see some movement under the water, but she couldn't see anything very clearly.

Léan was curled up in the extreme shallows, tightly, and frowning. He was much better than he had been before, but the tired look he'd gained from his freaking out was still there, and strong. He had left Eden to Damon, and the two were playing a few feet away.

Glory saw him in the shallows, and was a bit confused when he didn't try to get her attention. Maybe he hadn't noticed that she was home... That didn't make sense, though, because he knew when she was supposed to get home.

Léan looked up at the window--he'd constantly been checking it. When he saw her, his tail flicked back and forth absently, almost sadly, and then he hefted himself up onto the sand more, so they could better see each other.

Almost immediately, Glory could tell something was bothering him. She opened her window, ignoring the cold.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"I'm all right." Léan craftily avoided her question. He laid down, his head on his arms, and visibly looked like he deflated. He didn't want to press the issue, and he would probably act this way until it was brought up and dealt with.

"You're a terrible liar," Glory said. "I'll be right out, let me get my coat." Getting up off her bed, she slipped her shoes on and grabbed her coat as she went outside.

Léan recoiled, and looked around for help. If he was going to bring the issue up, he would need back-up. He wasn't happy about having to have back-up for this, but it seemed like it was going to be necessary.

Glory saw him recoil and stopped.

"Do you not want me out here?" she asked. The thought that he might not want her around hurt. "I can go back inside and do my homework until I have to leave for my work shift."

"I do want you out here..." Léan replied, quickly. "...I just...I had a bit of a breakdown earlier. And there is something on my mind. I'm ashamed to say that I just can't admit what it is..."

"Then do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" Glory asked. "I really can't focus on my homework..." Maybe she'd be able to figure out what was bothering him, if she could get him talking, even if it was just a little.

Léan sat up, shaking the sand off of him, and smiled. "I don't mind..." he admitted, softly. He seemed like he was all right...for now, anyway. He just...he just couldn't bring himself to speak about it.

Glory settled herself on the sand, making sure not to touch the water. It was far too cold to get wet.

"School was miserable today..." she said. "I missed you too much, I couldn't concentrate."

"I still think we should try my idea...but I would need a lot more schooling here...you would have to try to teach me how to read, at least the most basic things..." Léan murmured, glad to be with her again. He'd missed her. Far too much.

"And I still don't think it's a good idea," Glory replied. "Going out to a movie or something is one thing. Going to school is a whole other issue. There's only half the year left, if that, and then I'm done. It's not like I have more high school, I graduate in the spring."

Léan sighed, bowing his head in defeat. "All right...fine..." He closed his eyes, sighing again. "I feel so tired for some reason...I don't like breakdowns..."

Moving a bit closer, Glory laid her head on his shoulder.

"You haven't had a breakdown in a while," she commented. "Not since the beginning of the summer, at least. What caused this one?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps I just needed it," Léan sighed, quietly. "I was bottling things up. I will feel better once I take a nap...right now, I'm simply very tired."

"You don't have breakdowns for no reason," Glory pointed out. She sighed. "I just wish you trusted me enough to talk to me."

"It isn't that I don't trust you. I have issues talking about my feelings and anything related to it...I suppose you could say I have fears, more so than issues. It's me..." Léan explained, softly...gently.