((Shadow would know the absolute best questions to ask. X3 *evil face* He's going to pick apart his answers until he gets all the correct information...))


Shadow saw Léan hesitate to Kratos' question and Hebs' suggestion, and once again, his posture straightened and he suddenly looked bigger than he really was...he was looming over Léan even more than he usually did, and the siren did not like that. Léan bared his teeth at Shadow and let a low, barely audible hiss pass through his teeth. "How about you start, Léan, with your childhood?" The fallen angel suggested--well...more so demanded. It certainly didn't sound like a question.

Grudgingly, Léan obliged him.

"I was born to a noble family," he muttered, sounding as miserable as he possibly could sound. "I had an identical twin brother, a bit younger than me. We had a good life, up until we turned four years of age..." He paused, and then he rested his head on Kratos' chest. "...A few days after our fourth birthday...my mother went out with some friends for a swim around the city limits. They returned, but she never did. She was entangled in a human net. Her friends tried to help free her, but the struggling alerted the humans, and they pulled up the net. The boat...drove away. We never saw her again."

There was clear grief on Léan's face. His mother must have been important to him.

"Our father...he didn't take it well. He lost his mind, more like. He blamed it on us. He abused us...verbally, physically--in any way you could possibly think of. We ran from home when we turned thirteen. Traveled together for many, many years, just the two of us. We didn't go to any cities. We were frightened that he would find us."

Abruptly, the merman stopped talking. Shadow had suggested that he talk about his childhood. And he had. Anything else would require yet more pressing...

[[ Lolol. That's Shadow for you. 8D ]]

Kratos listened intently. He was surprised to hear Léan being born to a noble family. But, he'd expected as much. Léan was too beautiful compared to some of the mermans and mermaids he'd seen back when he was a kid. Of course, he'd seen the black market one time, much thanks to that one night where he had gone home late from the market. The life man continued to caress Léan's hand to silently assure him that he wasn't going to go anywhere.

And, he indeed wasn't. Whatever he'd be hearing today.

"If you two traveled together for many years... what happened after? How come you're here and your twin's not? Is he still alive?" Gian was curious and he wasn't able to stop himself from asking something he'd noticed and labeled as 'odd' in his mind. Obviously, the boy was very interested and very curious. "I mean, based from what you've said... he should've still been with you. Unless you were captured and then sold off separately..." Gian found himself frowning here as he mumbled the last few words. He honestly didn't like what he was saying either.

Hebs found himself smiling slightly in amusement at Gian's expression and he hadn't realized he'd drank half of his hot chocolate until he'd looked back down at his mug. Putting down the mug, he leaned back again in his seat and turned to look at Shadow to see his posture. Somehow, with him doing that, he made himself look bigger. Oddly bigger, that is.

He sure knows how to make someone speak. Bringing up a hand, he rubbed the back of his scaly neck and licked his lips as he listened to the conversation.

Léan was holding onto Kratos' hand like it was the only thing keeping him from losing his temper. He still looked as miserable as could be...talking about his past was something he hated doing. It was fine with Shadow, as Shadow could read minds and knew every detail of his past anyway...but for someone who didn't know, he was unhappy talking about it. He didn't like explaining everything in detail...

"He was asleep. I went out to hunt and gather food. I was pulled up while I was hunting. He's still out there somewhere--and if he's not, he's dead. I don't know what happened to him." Léan's tone grew darker and seemingly angrier with each passing word. When he stopped speaking, he glanced at Shadow and noticed the fallen angel giving him a stone-cold stare, and the siren's shoulders raised up to his chin in an unhappy manner.

He once again fell silent. He didn't want to speak if no one was going to ask about the rest of his past. After that, Léan was sold to one of his abusive owners--that much was known. And he was passed from abusive owner to abusive owner...and everyone already knew about how Shadow had won him off of his last owner in a rigged game of poker...

[[ Is there more to Léan's story? o.o ]]


Kratos disliked the way the questions were thrown at Léan but he wasn't complaining. Not when the merman's hand was holding onto his hand like it was his only lifeline. At least, this was how he was seeing it. Hell, Kratos was pleased the merman was using him as a pillar, as someone to lean onto. It had him pulling the merman even closer and possessively against him while he rested his cheek against Léan's forehead. Of course, he listened. Attentively.

"Aw man," Gian started as he turned to look at Shadow. "Is there any way for us to locate his brother? He might still be alive." Suddenly, Johnny came up into his mind. Will the lawyer be able to help them? He had connections. Surely, he knew someone from the underground, maybe who could help them find out about Léan's brother.

Hebs reached out to put his hand over Shadow's hand to lean in and whisper his next words: "There's no need to force him. He'll tell us eventually."

((He certainly hasn't talked about the root of all his major problems--all the terrible things he was put through. But it's doubtful he'll talk about any of that with anyone but Kratos or Shadow.))


Léan didn't look to be pleased with the way Shadow was looking at him, but he relaxed when the fallen angel turned to focus his attention on Hebs. "I don't think we solved anything," he muttered, looking displeased with how unwilling the siren was to speak freely about his problems. "The reason he acts the way he does...it's not because of his childhood."

He didn't elaborate. He was fairly sure that Hebs understood what he meant.

"...Perhaps we can have Kratos talk to him about it alone, later...he doesn't need to talk to all of us, but...he needs to talk to someone. Otherwise, he will never change for the better. He's too prideful..."

Once he was sure he said enough to Hebs, the man turned in Gian's direction. "...We don't know if his brother was captured or not. Like he said, they weren't captured together. He may very well still be out in the ocean, alone. The only way to locate him in the ocean would be for me to get in contact with Rousel. Rousel is the only other siren I know. Well...he's technically not a siren...he's a cecaelian...but that's beside the point. I can talk to Rousel and see if he's heard anything about Léan's brother, Arcturus. You can talk to Johnny if you'd like. Maybe he has been captured."

[[ Kratos it is. Ahahaha. Kratos feels so proud he had gotten through Léan. The guy really likes the merman. =D ]]

Hebs understood Shadow's and Léan's parts. It may or may not be because of Léan's childhood but certain things shouldn't be forced onto someone who isn't clearly ready to step on his own pride. And, being born a noble, it's pretty understandable that Léan didn't want to share anything else with them, on how he was treated and such. He was royalty. Royalty was meant to be respected. "That's better," he told him as he smiled softly and turned to look at Léan and then at Kratos.

Kratos only gave the snake man a thankful nod as he turned to look back down at the merman. "We'll go on ahead," the life man said and he got up to his feet, "Good night." With that, he hoisted Léan back up into his arms and held him close as he walked back to Léan's place so he could put him into his tank. Before that, though, he sat by the edge of the said tank and wasn't at all bothered when he'd dipped his feet, a little past his ankles, into the water.

The life man was silent for a few minutes before he'd tilted his head a little and turned to look down at the merman. "Do you want to see your brother again?" Not that he was trying to make him hopeful but he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about Léan.

Gian blinked. It was only then that he remembered Shadow read minds. "Arcturus. I'll talk to Johnny later." It was late at night but the man might be busy. "Do you have any cellular phones I could borrow?"

((By the by, if we ever decide to add Léan's brother to the family, Kratos can have him, too. XD Sharing is caring!))


Léan slowly wrapped his arms up around Kratos' neck for support when the other male hoisted him up and started walking. He looked like he felt quite vulnerable after that talk. Knowing that he was born of noble blood made him even less willing to talk about all of the negative things that he and his twin had gone through...such terrible things shouldn't happen to those of noble blood...

He looked up at Kratos when they reached his aquarium, and he settled down comfortably once the human sat down by the side of the water, dipping his legs in. The siren slid the big split fins at the end of his tail into the water to join Kratos' feet and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily to relax. When Kratos spoke, he opened those eyes and peered up at him.

"I would, if it's possible. Though if he's still out in the ocean, it will be difficult to find him. ...Off-topic, but...I don't like the idea of Shadow going to visit this Rousel...not alone, anyway." He frowned, looking wary. "...Do you know what a cecaelian is?"

Shadow, once Kratos left with his merman in tow, wrapped an arm around Hebs and turned to look at Gian. "Ask Alfie. He has one that he never uses..."

Alfie, who had forced himself to be quiet while Léan was speaking, perked up. "Yup, I've got one that works!"

[[ Tsk. Ahahaha. I think Kratos would enjoy that very much. :rofl: Imagine, twins who look very much the same... Kratos would probably be in heaven. ]]

"Are they dangerous creatures?" he asked. It piqued his interest but not so much as the merman who was currently hanging onto him. He liked it. Very much so. "And, Shadow'll be fine." At least, Shadow showed much of that when he'd handled the situation with Léan's previous owner and Johnny. He showed authority.

Gian's heart jumped out of his throat when Alfie had suddenly spoken up. He'd been too quiet and it didn't help at all that Alfie was seated beside him. "Cool," he said with a grin, "We'll try contacting him later when he's not busy." If anything, he wouldn't want to be scolded or told off.

Hebs patted Shadow's thigh again and turned to look at the two. "Since we're done here, I think it's best if you two get some rest too." He still needed to clean up the mugs. "And, maybe tomorrow early morning I can accompany Shadow should he want to visit the cecaelian."

"They are merpeople, but a rare breed that's born with the bottom halves of octopi rather than fish. They tend to be cunning and aggressive , and they have a bad reputation among sirens for a number of different things..." Léan closed his eyes, resting his cheek against Kratos' chest. He didn't say anything else. He was far too relaxed to want to talk at the moment...

Alfie nodded, grinning widely. He peered over at Shadow with a curious sort of look on his face. "Maybe we can all go together to see this friend of yours. I've heard you mention him more than once, but...you've never told me about him..." The naga slid out of his chair, yawning. "I could go for some rest."

Shadow chuckled quietly and began to rise up out of his chair. "As could I. I think it would be better if fewer people went along with me. Rousel tends to get nervous around land creatures."

Kratos frowned a little. How did Shadow meet a cecaelian? He wouldn't be surprised if he's met the other sea creature once in his life. Shadow had, after all, lived long. "Ah," was all the life man said. He honestly didn't want to ruin the scene nor did he want Léan to go away from him. He was thoroughly enjoying the merman's presence, especially the close proximity between them. Unable to hold himself back, he pressed his lips against the top of the other's head and rested his cheek onto that said spot. Of course, he'd also tightened his hold on him and stroked his back a little.

"I can stay," Gian offered Shadow. Three should be enough to satisfy the 'few', right? But, he was curious. "And, you have?" he asked Alfie as he turned to look at him. He moved his gaze back to Shadow and raised his eyebrows a little. "How'd you meet him?"

Hebs gave a little chuckle at Gian's question. The human sure didn't know how to hold himself back from asking such kind of questions. Pushing his chair back and rising to his feet as well, he started keeping the mugs and rinse them off before he headed back to his room. Much as he wanted to accompany Shadow, he wasn't sure if he should be interfering all the time. It wasn't in his place to do so after all.

Léan tensed a little when Kratos' hold on him tightened, but he relaxed into the embrace just a few moments later and leaned back against him. The tip of his tail was flicking back and forth in the water. The movement appeared to be a relaxed, content one. His eyes were closed again, and there weren't any signs of discomfort on his face. The strokes dealt to his back did not faze him in the least--if anything, they served to relax him even more.

"I met him many years ago, when I was much younger. I was taking a vacation from the show, and had decided to go on a personal cruise by myself. I woke during the night, hearing shuffling around. He'd made his way up onto the boat and was raiding the food in my kitchen. I threatened him with a speargun, but he simply chuckled and slapped it away, stating it wouldn't do him any harm. But he did stop eating all of my food, as he could sense something was off about me. We got to talking...I offered him a place in my show, but he declined--he was much happier in the sea. He's been my underwater ambassador for a while, now..."

Shadow trailed off, glancing away slightly. He rose up from his seat, then. "I'm going to head to bed..." Quietly, the tall fallen angel made his way back towards his room, looking tired. He would talk to Rousel tomorrow.

Alfie patted Gian on the shoulder. "See, if Léan wanted news about any major things going on underwater, Shadow could ask Rousel for him...that's why I've heard his name mentioned more than once."

Kratos was just about to loosen his hold on Léan when he'd felt him tense. But, he didn't. At least, he didn't want to. Not yet anyway. "You've been out the water long..." he trailed off for a few seconds before he'd continued on, "You'll be okay?"

"Good night, Shadow, Alfie and Gian."

Gian hummed as he turned to look at Alfie just after he'd nodded at Shadow's last and parting words. Hebs had disappeared into the kitchen and he took the hand on his shoulder to clasp their fingers together as he led the way out the kitchen. "Then, I'll take care of talking to Johnny tomorrow and see if I could help him come across Léan's twin," he said with a grin. That grin, though, disappeared the moment a loud thunder boomed loudly from the skies. "Looks like tonight's going to be cold again."

Hebs almost lost his grasp on the mugs. Good thing he was just about to set them down in the cupboard. That prevented him from losing any more mugs. Sighing in relief, mostly, he turned to grab the towel and wipe his hands. The snake man made a face when a few of his scales was caught by the towel. It looked like he'll be needing to have a hot bath today while he skinned. It's these days I wish I was human. Then, he'd have to not worry about his skin all the time and how people would look at him strangely should they see him for the first time in groceries or convenient stores nearby the area.

"I can take a quick dip in the water..." Léan suggested, his voice a little quieter than usual. "A few minutes of being in water should be enough for me." Which it would be. He wasn't feeling bad, but the scales on his tail were starting to peel, and he really didn't need that right now. Not in a situation like this.

When the siren heard the thunder cracking outside, he jumped slightly and only clung more to Kratos. He hated being in the water during a thunderstorm...maybe...a bath tub would be different than his aquarium?

Shadow was feeling so unusually tired...and he knew why the moment he heard thunder cracking through the sky. Immediately, his mood dampened, and he spent a few minutes just standing outside of his door and looking unhappy before he opened it and headed into his room. He hated rain and thunderstorms. They reminded him of bad times...

Alfie held onto Gian's hand tightly, like he really didn't want to let go. Alfie loved to hold hands with people. It made him feel like he had a connection to people, even when he didn't. Plus, peoples' hands were usually warmer than his own colder ones, and he liked the warmth. "All right!" He then looked up at the sky, frowning a little. "Shadow's not going to have a good time tonight. Neither is Léan, come to think of it. He doesn't like thunderstorms. ...Heh...maybe this'll be a good time for Kratos to comfort him, eh?" He nudged Gian in the side and then sped up, racing down the hall and practically daring the human to chase him.

[[ o.o The bath tub idea gave me a bad thought. A very bad thought that Kratos and Léan wouldn't like. :rofl: Ohohoho. How're you? o = ]]


Kratos was just about to open his mouth when the thunder stopped him. That, and the way the other clung onto him made him think that Léan wouldn't be able to get into the aquarium for a dip. The aquarium was too big for him to float onto, he couldn't breathe underwater and he didn't want to leave Léan alone either. Only one solution came up into his head: a dip in the tub.

The life man hoisted the siren back up into his arms as he got up to his feet and he walked out of the tent to head back to his place. The bath tub would be small and cramped but it'd give him more excuse to have Léan close to him. With that idea in mind, he started filling up his tub with water and sat on the edge before setting the merman onto his lap again. "Tell me, about your race." What was it like being a merman? How did they produce offsprings? It made Kratos curious. That, and it was a way to keep Léan's mind away from the thunderstorm.

Gian smiled at Alfie holding tightly onto his hand. It felt good to be needed for some odd reason and it felt even better to know that Alfie returned his feelings. At least, he knew he felt something for the naga. "Yeah," he said as he sighed, "But I think Hebs'll go to Shadow. The mother hen he is, he'll worry about him." The nudge made him blink and he grinned at Alfie speeding up and racing down the hall.

"Wait up!" he started, moving to sprint after him. Once he got close, he made sure to tackle after him. That is, if he could get close.

And, indeed, Hebs had followed after Shadow to his room. It was already half past an hour before midnight when he had finished fixing everything in the kitchen and had put all the things away. He'd even prepared the ingredients and had set them aside in the fridge. Knocking on the door, the snake man tried for the knob to see if it was locked or not. If it was, he wasn't going to go in and disturb the fallen angel. It was possible he'd already fallen asleep even with such a weather.

((I think it might end up being a good thought in the end...*shifty eyes* X3 I'm all right...just really sleep-deprived and exhausted. I'm leaving on vacation starting tomorrow and my replies will be limited. I won't be able to do any html stuff, so my text won't be colored or formatted in any way. And Léan's name might not have the little thingy above it. D: ))


Léan didn't protest as he suddenly felt Kratos hoist him up more into his arms and start walking off, but he did open his eyes, looking curious. When his arctic blue eyes took in the slowly-filling bathtub, the siren found himself feeling rather alarmed at first. But he beat that down with furious, stubborn intent. He had to trust Kratos, or none of this would ever work out between them. He had to try to accept that the other wouldn't do anything to him without his consent.

At the life man's question, he blinked and tilted his head slightly. "...What about my kind do you want to know? We're a typically pack-based society...traveling in small groups. If we aren't in small groups, we're in large, sedentary groups that live in cities or towns--much like humans. Some travel alone or with a single other merperson, like I did. We tend to be very violent and aggressive over food and territory..."

He really didn't know what else to say.

Alfie was quick, but he was slipping and sliding around a little bit because the rain had slicked up his tail. He lost speed as a result, and that made it easy for Gian to tackle him. Squeaking, the naga rolled over onto his side and grinned, poking Gian. "Come, come. We should head to bed right away."

Shadow mumbled something that sounded like a sleepy beckoning call, and it appeared that the door was open. The fallen angel was all curled up in his bed, the blankets pulled up over his head. He was obviously not in the best of moods, as he looked tense under his soft blankets. Maybe cuddling was a good remedy for this.

[[ It might but will Léan be ready? o =
And, I'll be. o.o! Hope you get all the rest you need now on that vacation of yours. ]]

Kratos, indeed, wasn't going to do anything Léan didn't want him to do. He was afraid of losing the merman, especially when he'd already garnered enough of his trust and attention. The life man listened intently at Léan's reply to his question and he gave a little hum. "I want to know everything there is to know about you and your kind," he asked, looking quite interested as he used his free hand to test the water. "Is the water warm enough or do you want it cold?"

Gian twitched at the poke and grinned back at the naga. "We should," he replied as he slowly got up to his feet and noticed how wet the other's scales were. "And get those scales dry."

Hebs took the fallen angel's mumbling with a smile on his lips. He came over to stand by the bedside and put a hand on the bed before reaching out with his free hand. It was then that he'd noticed his skin skinning. Apparently, he'd forgotten about the hot bath he was supposed to get himself. "I'll be right back," he told him as he pulled the covers back a little to look down at the other, "I just need to get myself a hot bath." He wouldn't want to hurt the other, especially with his scales - even if he healed quicker than humans or not.

((I think he'll be all right, just a little skittish at first. He'll get better as the time passes. And I will try to get sleep.))

Lean fixed the life man with a curious, yet somewhat unenthusiastic look. Everything? How was he supposed to explain every single little thing about his species? It wasn't exactly the easiest of topics to explain...it wasn't like he was an automated machine that could spit out all the information that Kratos wanted from him. "Well...you're going to have to be more specific than that..." the siren murmured, frowning profusely. "I can't explain everything at once, and I have no idea where to start." When he was asked about the temperature of the water, the merman bent his slender body over so he could dip his long fingers into the water. "...I think it's fine right now," he declared simply.

"I think I need a nice towel-drying," the naga purred, grinning. He hooked one of his arms tightly around Gian's and started to hurry back in the direction of his room. "Shall we snuggle for a while afterwards, then?"

Shadow whined pathetically when Hebs tugged the blankets off of him. He was clad in nothing but a pair of thin black boxers, so his chest was bared for the world to see. With his eyes half-closed and his hair all disheveled, he resembled a small child who had just woken in the morning. He also seemed alittle grumpy...because of the rain, most likely.


((By the by, should we keep the fact that Lean can have babies a secret from Kratos?))

[[ Whoa. You should. o.o! And, that oddly sounds good to me. I can imagine Kratos smiling should Lean tell him that he's pregnant with his babies. Will Lean be afraid to tell Kratos maybe at first? ]]

Kratos felt his cheeks color a little in embarrassment at Lean's reply to what he'd just said. The frown he'd seen on the merman's face made him smile a little and he leaned in to kiss forehead. "What do you eat? What do you do for fun?" Lifting the merman a few minutes after he'd thrown him those questions, he slowly set the other down into the tub and crouched down to rest his forearms on the edge of the tub.

"How was your family like when your mother was still alive?"

Gian chuckled at that purr and grin. "Just don't give me too much to work on," he told him before he'd nodded at that thought. Snuggling sounded good. Perfect, even, for such a cold weather even if his companion was, well, a little colder than his own body temperature.

Hebs smiled in amusement and leaned down to kiss the tip of Shadow's nose. "Wait up for me." Tucking the man in and brushing a few strands of hair away from his face, he smiled softly and pulled himself back to go and get himself that needed bath. It was about thirty minutes later when he'd returned. His skin was a darker color than it usually was and was a lot smoother compared to the week when he was about to scale. Clad in nothing but thin pants and a white shirt, he locked the door behind him before slipping under the covers with Shadow. The snake man was quick to pull the other into a tight hug - a snuggle - as he gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Sleep." He mumbled this quietly as he played with Shadow's hair and stroked the other's back, hoping that what he was doing would ease that grumpiness out of him.

((Yeah, he'll be afraid at first. The first person he'll confide in is Shadow, and Shadow might end up helping him in the end to break the news to Kratos. But Lean will try to hide it at first, for sure, out of fear. He's not fond of children.))


As he was lowered into the bath tub, Lean out a soft, content sigh and allowed the very end of his tail, with its split fins, to dangle out of the other end of the tub. He sniffed slightly and leaned his head to the side, resting his cheek on one of Kratos' forearms. He seemed perfectly content with the life man...

"We eat fish, mostly. But we can eat just about anything and everything. Our diet consists of fish, sea plants, crustaceans, sea birds, and the occasional land fruits we find floating in the water..." he murmured quietly. "For fun, merpeople typically play games. Pack games, if they're in a pack. We have sports...just underwater sports that resemble yours, I suppose. My family before my mother died...I was veey young, so my memory is botched. But it was a happy life."

Alfie, once he and Gian reached his room, shot immediately to the bathroom to grab towels for both of them. He was already drying his slick scales off as he slithered out into his bedroom again. "Here. Let's dry off, and then we can snuggle a little."

Shadow grumbled a little when Hebs kissed his forehead and brushed his hair out of his face. He drifted in and out of sleep while Hebs was taking his bath. He didn't stir at all until Hebs returned and disturbed the blankets. He sighed quietly and reached back to wrap hisleft hand around one of his new bedmate's hands, accepting his kiss. "I will..." His voice was husky with sleep.

[[ Plot twist. Cool. 8D Were you able to get some sleep? o = ]]

Kratos wasn't at all bothered by the fact that his face and Lean's were close. In fact, he was quite tempted to lean in to press a chast kiss onto the merman's lips but he held himself back. If there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was make the merman scared of him. The life man listened intently on the other's reply and he hummed a little before he'd smiled slightly. Somehow, he could imagine just what kind of sports mermen do. It must be fun. It looked fun in his mind.

"The union of two people... how is it done?" Kratos wanted to know more. "Are there any traditions done that's different from humans?"

Gian took the towel from Alfie and started to dry himself. It was mostly his shirt that was wet so he had to take his top off and wipe whatever wet spot was on his skin. Even his shorts were a little damp. Pursing his lips a little, he was too lazy to go out and change. That, and he was very tempted to take off his shorts to leave himself in his underwear. Flopping down onto Alfie's nest of a bed, he stretched out and tossed the towel and his shirt uncremoniously onto the floor. "Come on," he told Alfie with a sly grin, "Hurry up and join me here." Gian held out his arms toward the naga.

Hebs smiled again before he'd let out a quiet sigh and relaxed further into the bed. He enjoyed the fallen angel's warmth. It was a lot different than his own. Like Alfie, his temperature was a little colder than the norm. His fingers continued to play with the strands while he let his eyelids flutter shut to slowly succumb into sleep.

((Yeah, I've been sleeping pretty nicely down here. :D))

"The...union? As in...the relationship between mates or the...or the actual mating process?" Lean seemed completely embarrassed at the latter, as if he honestly didn't want to have to go into detail about mating. But he would do so if Kratos was looking for a thorough explanation. He nuzzled the human's arm, closing his eyes. It almost seemed like the siren was a hundred percent comfortable around Kratos...but was he really? Had it actually been that easy to earn the merman's trust?

"Well..." Lean appeared to be bracing himself for a detailed response. "The institution of marriage doesn't exist among merpeople. We have no husbands or wives...just mates, and we mate for life unless death or disagreements occur. Mates are always together, for the rest of their lives. Typically, mates will, before the first, ah...sexual consummation of their relationship, perform a Rhianne Symphony for each other. As in...singing. Our world is heavily concentrated around song. We sing all our lives. A Rhianne Symphony is a mating song, and is typically considered the most beautiful song that a merperson can sing..."

Alfie slunk over toward Gian and plopped down next to him in his nest, curling his long tail around the human boy. He didn't seem to mind that his bedmate's shorts were a bit damp, but he did notice, because he spoke up. "You know, I don't mind you going commando, here. I mean, I'm naked all the time, so it's not that big of a deal."

Shadow was not as fortunate as Hebs, as he lay awake for quite a while longer before he started to drift off into sleep. Rainy weather made him nervous and unhappy, and it always took a long time for his body to calm down enough to sleep.

[[ Nice. o.o! Wow. You sleeping without any worries? o = ]]


Kratos wasn't exactly sure. Should he ask about the actual mating process? Kratos didn't feel like thinking and it didn't help at all that the nuzzling to his arm made him smile. It looked like Lean was a lot comfortable with him. That was all he'd asked for since he'd done that thing and kissed him. Honestly, he wasn't sure what had pushed him to do such a thing since he wasn't, well, normally that bold. Listening to him speak as he raised his eyebrows a little in surprise, he tilted his head a little.

Of course, the life man knew about mermen singing all their lives. Lean had proven that over the years he's met him in this small family Shadow had built. "The Rhianne Symphony... can I hear it?"

Gian moved closer to Alfie and blinked at his next words. "You sure?" he asked, pausing for a second or two before he'd stripped himself off to his underwear. The other may be naked all the time but it was different for them humans, at least. Being naked felt bare and Gian isn't used to being naked like Alfie was.

((I totally exhaust myself during the day, so I have no choice really but to sleep at night. It's working well--I feel better. :) By the way, I totally hacked into someone's protected wireless network, so I can reply through my laptop now and do all my coding. :boogie:))


Léan stared at Kratos when he asked if he could hear a Rhianne Symphony from him--stared at him as if he was trying to tell the human something important. Didn't he understand what he was insinuating? The siren shifted uncomfortably and then cleared his throat.

"Ah...the Rhianne Symphony is, ah...didn't you hear what I said?" he asked, incredulously. Did Kratos understand how bold he sounded? "The Symphony is only performed before, ah...before...before we first...um...before we first...mate...and no other time..." The merman went beet red in the face and curled his arms around his torso, glancing down at the tiled bathroom floor awkwardly. The Rhianne Symphony was a rare and beautiful song...if Kratos so wanted, he could have Shadow record it for him to listen to again and again, but Léan by instinct would try to do everything in his power not to sing the song again, without even realizing it.

"Totally sure. I'm cool with it, I promise." Alfie's smile didn't seem to want to fade away. His eyes were fixed on Gian and didn't wander even once...his attention was totally focused on him. If it wasn't clear by now...the look on Alfie's face hinted at the feelings blossoming inside of the naga.

[[ Wooooo. Lol. That's great to hear and definitely a relief! X3 ]]

Kratos had but he didn't think it'd be that bad to ask. It had him blushing in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh," was all he could bring himself to say before he'd looked down to his hand and then turned to look back at the merman. He reached out to put his hand on Léan's own and moved in to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Sorry. I won't ask again." There was a reassuring look on his face, serious; he meant every word he said.

But, he was going to remember that. If he wanted, too, he could ask Shadow to record it for him so he could listen to it. "But I'm sure it's beautiful." Kratos withdrew and sat by the tub to lean onto it with his arm.

Gian felt a little, well, concious with the way Alfie was looking at him but instead of covering himself, he had moved closer so he could snuggle up tightly against the naga. Of course, he'd seen the look on his face and his heart went aflutter just watching him. How could Alfie look so cute doing what he was, well, normally doing? "You can go to sleep," he mumbled, "Night." Pulling his head back a bit, he pulled the other's head down so he could take those lips for a light, lingering and soft kiss.

Léan almost pulled back, but he instead leaned forward to accept Kratos' offered kiss. His hand curled around Kratos' hand when he put them together. When Kratos retreated backward, there was almost a look of longing and regret on the siren's face...but only for a split second before it turned to one of mild curiosity mixed with embarrassment.

"...Why did you ask?" he murmured, all of a sudden. "Is it because you...you want to...?" He didn't finish his statement, thinking that Kratos probably understood what he was asking anyway. He glanced off to the side, his expression unreadable. Was he happy, was he sad, was he disgusted, or frightened, maybe? The look on his face didn't tell any kind of story. He was deliberately hiding his emotions...was that a good sign, or a bad sign?

Alfie reacted at once when Gian kissed him, reaching his arms up to snake them behind the other boy's neck and hold on while they kissed. He was equally as gentle, but lingered as much, too. He wasn't going to pull back until Gian did...and if he didn't, well...the naga figured he'd be perfectly fine with a nice, long kissing session. They were both tired, though...so he doubted anything major would happen tonight.