Shadow flashed Aaron an apologetic smile. "A leash, yes. I...will not force you to let me mark you as mine. However...you cannot leave my side. Not even to use the restroom. And if someone does something you do not want or like...call for me and I will assist you." He had had a slave of his nearly assaulted before. He had nearly killed the demon that tried to harm him...

He cleared his throat, slowly. "The theme tonight is a simple one. Guests must wear a mask of some sort and all black, Renaissance-style clothing."

Aaron stared at Shadow for a while after the demon had finished speaking. He had two options. On the one hand he could say that he didn't want to go and avoid the demon population for as long as possible. On the other hand it was most likely that they would find him anyway so stalling would be pointless. That brought him to his second option. He could go to the party that Shadow had arranged for that night, swollow his pride and wear the stupid thing. There really wasn't much of a choice. At least the theme wasn't too embarrassing. He thought he'd be able to handle it. He should be able to handle it.

"I'll go," he told Shadow, looking anywhere except at the incubus. "What's the point in delaying it right? Just...no marking. I'll wear the...the leash if it means that they'll stay away from me." He didn't add 'for the most part' but he thought it. He hoped that, if some demons were a little too interested, he or Shadow would handle them. He didn't doubt that he'd ben next to useless at defending himself against a demon so he knew he'd be relying on Shadow quite heavily for protection. That rankled but he forced himself to swollow his pride and accept it.

Shadow smiled at him, in an apologetic manner. "...Even if you do wear the leash, that doesn't mean you won't be harassed. You most likely will, just a bit. Partying demons tend to like playing grabass with human slaves, even if they don't hold any sort of ownership over them. The more of a reaction they get, additionally, the more often they're going to try it...the only real solution to problems other demons pose is marking. If you don't want that, not yet anyway, you are going to have to deal with just a bit of abuse."

He would try to chase away as many demons as possible. But he also wanted to enjoy himself at the party...so he wasn't going to be watching Aaron a hundred percent of the time, either.

"I have a wardrobe of clothing you can pick from. You will need a mask to wear from there, as well...I have a leash you can wear. Whenever you want, we can pick out your outfit."

Aaron frowned slightly at Shadow's words, his mind focusing on the "yet" part of Shadow's statement. The demon expected him to want to be marked, maybe not now but certainly later. He tried not to show his embarrassment or anger at the fact that the incubus just asumed taht he would be marked. Then again Shadow did technically own him since he saved Aaron's life and he had promised to do what ever Shadow said...so in the end he was screwed. He sighed before finally looking at the incubus.

"Can we do it now?" he asked, then added quickly. "Choosing the outfit I mean." If he could get that out of the way then he'd have more time to choose and that way wouldn't have Shadow just find something that fit at the last minute. He'd rather choose something he felt comfortable with rather than throwsomething together like that. He wasn't looking forward to this, not at all, but it was better than putting it off. he'd just get more and more nervous and soon, if he wasn't careful, he'd become agoraphobic and that was definitely not something he planned to let happen.

A flicker of something similar to morbid amusement passed over Shadow's face at the human's words and his quick addition to what he'd said. He found embarrassment, blushing, and anything like it attractive in more submissive males. He liked to make people blush...it was a habit of his.

"...We can choose an outfit now, if you'd like. You will have the rest of the day to yourself afterwards...if you'd like, you may introduce yourself to the other two demons living here. Be careful with the merman, though...I will warn you again. He doesn't like humans..."

Humans in particular were a source of irritation for the merman...sirens, after all, lived in human oceans, too...

He turned and began to make his way out of the library, beckoning to Aaron. "Come. We'll go back to my room."

Aaron quickly followed Shadow as the demon becked him to follow. He was deep in thought as he walked. He could choose and outfit and then come back to the library. He was sure that he'd be able to find his way from the library back to his room, it wasn't that far after all, so he should be alright. Introducing himself to the other teo demons should maybe wait for tomorrow though...one thing at a time. jUST ONE THING AT A TIME.

"Am I allowed to take some of the books from the library back to my own room if I return them later?" Aaron asked as they reached the blue corridor. "Just to make a few notes for my coursework and maybe some to read at night?" He thought it was probaby best to ask first before taking a book from the library. He didn't think that it would be an issue but he had only known Shadow for less than twenty four hours so taking chances right now probably wasn't a good idea...yet. Once he'd learnt how things worked properly then he'd begin to push a little.

"You need to register what books you are taking out on that computer, where all the library's information is catalogued," Shadow replied as they walked. He was hoping the winding hallways would not prove to be a nuisance for Aaron. Although he himself knew the way around, he was sure the human walking with him was going to get lost. Quite a lot.

Though he was a generally kind master, Shadow grew touchy when it came to his personal effects, such as the books in his library or the many treasures lying about his house. He did not want anything damaged or taken. He wouldn't tolerate such inconsiderate behavior from another demon...so he certainly wouldn't tolerate it from a human servant. For now, he was treating Aaron ultra-kindly. He would continue to do so unless the human gave him reason not to.

Once he reached his room, he held the door open for Aaron, sniffing slightly. "After you. Please, don't mind the mess." Shadow's room was large, sleek, elegant. It was also packed with a whole lot of different stuff--everything ranging from genuine ninja swords to a large potted plant that looked like it might be carnivorous.

"I'll keep that in mind," Aaron replied. "And I'll be as careful as I can with the books." As Shadow held the door open for him Aaron couldn't help but be amazed at the missmatch of things in the room. There were so many different objects. He didn't even know what some of these things were. He glanced around again, noting that the room was much larger than his own. No surprise there. He was in a guest room after all so it was expected that Shadow would have the biggest room in the whole house.

He inhaled slightly before turning to face Shadow. He made sure to cast his gaze just a little to the right to avoid staring at the demon full on like he had earlier. "Should we get started then?" he asked. He didn't want to admit how nervous being in Shadow's personal room made him. Who wouldn't be nervous after entering the room of an incubus? He wouldn't show it though. Not a chance.

"The closet is over here..." Shadow drifted lazily in the direction of his walk-in closet. It was huge, considering he was an apt fan of fashion with deep pockets. When he opened the door, it was clear that there was, at the other end of the closet, another door that probably led into a different hallway. It was a gigantic closet, filled to the brim with all sorts of clothing. He had several closets around his home. This was where he kept his favorite clothing.

He strode promptly to the end of the closet and paused there. "Go ahead and search these last two racks of clothing. You should be able to find Renaissance-style clothing here. It has to be mostly black, mind you. There are masks on the top shelf, as well."

As they entered the large walk in closet Aaron's eyes drifted over all the clothes in awe. Were all these things really necessary? How on earth could anyone ever wear so many different clothes? Then again Shadow was a demon and he had no way of knowing how long their life spans were....He put the thought from his mind as he began to search through the racks that Shadow had indecated. He didn't want anything extremely fancy or eye catching. That was the last thing he wanted, to be noticed, so he looked for something that he thought would fit and not be too noticable.

He finally settled on a pair of lose fitting leggings, the type that men used to wear when they were horse riding, and a black almost tunic styled top that was a little more close fitting. On top of that a black jacket with silver detail and a pair of black boots. He looked at the masks available and chose a simple one with silver edging around the eyes and lower portion of the face. The mask came down to cover his nose but flared out just above the eyes, giving the impression almost of wings. He looked to Shadow for approval.

"Is this alright?" he asked, holding up the outfit taht he had selected.

Shadow watched Aaron search through the clothes closely. He had been hoping the human wouldn't pick out anything too flashy--human slaves were not supposed to wear flashy clothes most of the time. To his relief, the clothing Aaron chose was modest...simple. The mask looked rather beautiful on Aaron. But he wouldn't say that out loud...he didn't think he'd really appreciate that, considering he wanted nothing romantic at all to do with him...yet. That might change in time.

"It looks fine to me," he decided, simply. The Incubus held out his arms to take the chosen clothing. He would lay it out on his bed for now, and Aaron could come and fetch it later. Shadow's outfit had already been chosen...he had chosen it last night already, late at night.

Aaron walked towards Shadow, removed the mask from his head and carefully set the bundle of clothes in Shadow's waiting arms. Now that that was out of the way he was free to enjoy the rest of his day - at least until the party in the evening. He planned on going back to the library. He'd bring some research material with him so he could finisht aht report he had due in a few weeks.

"If it's alright with you," he said. "I'd like to grab some things and then head back to the library. I think I can find my way back there easily enough from my room." He couldn't resist having another quick glance around at the differnet clothing. What was Shadow going to wear tonight? He thought about asking but then dismissed the thought. He would see later on so there wasn't any point in asking for a preview now.

"That is fine with me. But be careful, I entreat you..." Shadow warned, quietly. "You may still run into one of the other demons in the house. Momo, the Imp, will probably not be a problem for you. But make sure you have your guard up in case my dear merman finds you. Sirens are blessed, or cursed in a way, with enchanting beauty...it is part of their advantage against people, along with their seductive singing..."

Shadow leaned against the racks of clothing, flashing Aaron a smile, and simply held the clothing he'd chosen in his arms. "Go on ahead. Be careful with my books."

Aaron bowed his head in understanding, still making sure not to look at Shadow directly. He somehow doubted that the siren would have quite the effect that the incubus had on him. When he looked directly at Shadow he was almost unable to tear his eyes away after all. He pushed the thought from his mind and turned, thanking Shadow one last time before exiting the closet and then Shadow's room before turning and finding his way back to the library. He stopped off at his room and rifled through his bag containing the work he'd managed to bring and quickly grabbed his text books, some sheets of paper, the work book containing his asignment list and some pencils and pens to write with before exiting his room, closing the door and making his way towards the library again.

It took him a little longer than he'd originally thought be he found the large room of books without too much trouble and soon he was looking through the database for anything that could possibly be useful. He searched the psychology files and quickly set the search perametres to only show human books for the moment before he typed in the name "Rossi" into the search engine and pressed search. A list of books came up and he clicked on the one he wanted. A map of the library then appeared on the screen with a blinking green dot where he asumed the book was located. Quickly memorising the way from where he was to the green dot he picked up his things again and made his way towards the book case in question. It was a fair distance away, located near the back of the library close the one of the larger aquarium like structures.

"Now where are you..." Aaron muttereda to himself, running a finger down the spines of the books before finding the one he wanted. He picked it up and walked to the nearest table before settling down to begin his work.

Shadow waved to the human as he left, calmly. When Aaron finally did leave, the Incubus made his way around to the left side of his bed and set his alarm clock to an hour before the party started. Momo, the Imp, would start making preparations earlier...he would start decorating. Momo's powers made it easy for him to decorate--he had the mild powers that a Poltergeist would have...

When he finished doing that, Shadow laid down to rest a while longer. He was going to need to be in top condition at this party. A crowded party and an unmarked servant to guard was going to be a terribly tiring night for him.

While Aaron searched for his book and finally sat down to start paging through it, there were very quiet, barely audible sounds of something pushing through the water in the structures snaking around the library. The largest structure, which was a full-wall tank near the back of the room where Aaron's current table was, suddenly had a guest in it.

Inside of the aquarium was the merman Shadow had been talking about. He was pale, slender, and enchantingly beautiful...oddly enough, the way he looked was reminiscent of the way someone would feel when staring out at the wide-open ocean. His hair was a whitish blonde color and billowed out in the water. His eyes were a very light blue, like the eyes of a husky...the scales on his tail were a similar color. He had three sets of fins--one at the end of his tail like normal, one halfway down his body at his waist, and two little ear-fins at the sides of his head.

He was studying Aaron with wary, unfriendly eyes.

Aaron continued to work through the books, alternating between making notes, flipping through pages and re-reading passages to get everything he needed. Finally, after what felt like ages he paused to rub his eyes. He yawned slightly before removing his hand from his face and closing his eyes for a moment. A strange, spashing noise reached his ears and his eyes opened of their own accord. That was strange.

Aaron began to look around him warily, an image of a little imp of some sort hovering over him with a water balon appearing in his mind. To be safe he glanced upwards and gave an internal sigh of relief when he saw no water baloon holding imp. As his gaze drifted downwards though he caught sight of what had made the wattery sound. His eyes zeroed in on the now occupied tank set into the wall. Against the darker blue of the water the white-blonde hair and the light blue scales stood out remarkably. He wasn't quite close enough to see the other's face but he knew that this was the merman that Shadow had mentioned earlier. This instantly put him on guard but there was something almost...ethereal about the being in the tank. He couldn't take his eyes off the unclear figure. Water rippled, distorting the features slightly so taht they were unclear to Aaron's untrained eye.

The merman did not speak. He didn't even move from where he was, save for his fins billowing out of their own accord in the water. The way he looked at Aaron suggested he was not very fond of humans at all. And he wasn't. The poor thing had had quite a bit of misfortune in his life because of the human race.

...Then again, he was never friendly to anybody that wasn't Shadow.

The merman finally moved, moving farther up the tank so that he was more in line with Aaron's face. He was small-bodied, but had a bit of muscle in his arms.

Aaron watched curiously as the merman seemed to ripple as he moved so that they were now eye level. Aaron stepped close to the glass with about an arms length of distance separating him from the transparent sheet between him and the marman. He wondered what he should do. This was rather awkward with him just staring at the merman and the merman practically glaring at him. He knew that Shadow had told him not to go near the siren if he saw it but that wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks. He'd underestimated the siren and he knew it. Too late now though.

"Hello,2 he said after a moment of thought and barely managed not to slap himself for the idiotic opening. He should just turn and walk away, just walk away. His feet didn't seem to be listening to his mind though as they stayed firmly rooted in place. Internally Aaron sighed before deciding that he would just have to go with whatever happened. "Shadow told me about you," he continued. "My name is Aaron, it's nice to meet you." He hoped he sounded respectful, or at least he hoped he didn't sound like an idiot or a fish out of water.

The merman recoiled when Aaron approached, pressing himself against the very back of the tank. The tank was narrow, so it didn't make much of a difference. Up-close, it was clear to see that the merman was indeed very beautiful...the water distorted his features only slightly.

When the human before him spoke, he did not say anything for a while. When he finally did speak, his words were curt and trust-less.

"...Léandre. Léan for short. Stay out of my way, and I will stay out of yours." He had a soft, musical tenor...it was an attractive sound. Sirens, after all, enchanted people with their looks all the time. Even when speaking it almost sounded like he was singing...

The sound of the merman's voice carried through the water and glass despite the low volume. Even though Aaron knew that the merman was merely talking it didn't change the fact that it still sounded like he was singing. He was definitely an enchanting creature and Aaron knew that, given the chance, he would stare at the merman all day. Shadow's warning was still in his mind though. He shook himself out of the spell he'd been under before nodding his head to the merman.

"That is fair enough," he said. "I don't want any trouble while I'm here. Or at the very least I'd like to avoid the more deadly sources of trouble. I'll leave you alone, Leandre. I'll just b e studying here-" he jerked his right hand in the direction of the table where all his books and papers were still opened "- so I won't bother you."

Léan made a soft humming noise in the back of his throat, a sound of mere acknowledgement. He swam down towards the bottom part of that large, wall-size tank and settled down on the soft sand there, digging himself a small, oval-shaped nest there and curling up to rest. He wrapped his tail up around his body and used it as a pillow, his eyelids drifting closed.

He could not fully relax while Aaron was nearby. He did not sleep for quite a while...and when he finally did fall asleep, his sleep was fitful and he twitched and made soft sounds while he dozed.

He laid like that the whole time Aaron studied. The library was a favorite haunt of his when the ballroom was off-limits. He didn't want to be in the room while the Imp, Momo, was decorating...he and Momo did not get along.

As he continued to study Aaron could not help but cast the occasional glance at the sleeping merman. Who would be able to resist looking at the merman after all? Well...except those that hadn't seen or couldn't see him but that was besides the point. Curled up the way he was Aaron privately thought that the merman looked like a child. He would never say that to the merman's face though. He didn't think that would go over too well.

He glanced at the small watch he kept on his wrist and wondered exactly when it would be time for this party to start. They'd need to get ready as well so...he guessed it could be any time now. He sighed in annoyance before turning back to his books. He'd stay here until Shadow came to get him. That was probably safer for two reasons. The first was that he'd rather not get lost and the second was that he didn't think he wanted to run into the imp just yet.

Shadow returned just ten minutes after those very thoughts passed through the human's head. He was dressed in some simple white, light clothing--it was what he would wear underneath his more decorative, dressy clothing. He took notice of the slumbering merman at once and reached out, to offer Aaron his hand. He didn't want to talk here and risk waking Léan up. The siren was cranky when disturbed.

They would have about an hour to get ready for the party. Guests would start to arrive a little earlier, but Momo, the Imp, would welcome them inside without Shadow's direction.

Not long after Aaron thought about Shadow the demon came in wearing light clothing. Aaron raised an eyebrow when Shadow offered him a hand but then his eyes flicked to the merman and understanding flashed through his green eyes. He quickly packed up his papers and returned the books to their correct place before returning to Shadow's side. He wondered why he'd done it so quickly and mentally frowned at himself? He was beginning to act like a lost pup who followed his master around and obeyed comands without thought. This did not sit well with him, not at all.

"Let's go then," he said aloud, quietly so as not to wake the merman who was still sleeping in the tank. Hesitating for a moment he reached out a hand and grasped Shadow's outstretched one, ready to be led back to Shadow's room and to change into his outfit for the night.

Shadow gave Aaron's hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at him, somewhat affectionately, before he slowly took off down the hallway. Once they were far enough away from the library, he cleared his throat, softly.

"...Are you sure you're going to be all right tonight?" he asked, warily. "Because you are not marked, people will be all over you even while I'm watching...it is not going to be a pleasant night for you until I make it clear that you aren't on the market." Shadow would have to work extra hard to ensure Aaron's safety, he inadvertently meant. As they spoke, his room came into sight at the end of the hallway.