"I can pull them off at any time," he noted, smoothing out the rest of the scales that were still dry and flaky. "I shed three times a month. Unfortunately, it doesn't all come off in one smooth coat...they peel. And I end up having to pick at them."

He wrinkled his nose in disgust, starting to pick at the rest of the peeling scales. It was obviously something that annoyed him.

"Hm...what to tell him? His name is Arcturus, so you could try calling that. He will definitely not approach you, at first, so calling his name and telling him about me would be a good start...I suppose you could try offering the scale, then. My brother is very timid. He should surrender if you do all of this, though...as long as you don't scare him off."

He paused. "I am sorry for making you do this. I should be doing it. But I shouldn't be anywhere near the ocean right now." He stared down at the bath water, which, despite his injuries being covered and slightly scabbed over, was tinted pink. "I will attract predators."

"Interesting... The snakes I worked with in school shed once a month, if that..." Gloru mused. "They were young, though. They were still growing really fast. The oldest were down to once every three months or so." She shrugged. "Whatever. I'll head outside and keep and eye out for your brother. You can refresh the water in the tub as often as you need to, you know. Just drain it, and draw fresh water." She grinned. "Indoor plumbing is good that way. You don't need to worry about Nana coming in, since she has her own bathroom attached to her room."

She headed into the kitchen, putting the plates in the sink. Then she slipped on the light jacket she left by the door, and went outside onto the beach. There was a cool breeze off of the ocean, but the air was warm and the sun was bright. she headed straight for the smooth, flat rocks where she met Léan, and sat down to wait.

Léan nodded, fumbling around to drain the soiled water. He hoped Arcturus would not cause her any problems--he could be a real spazz at times.

The water outside seemed calm. But, if one was really looking...they would have seen those tiny, quick ripples of water, signaling something had quickly fled under the rocks, as soon as Glory stepped onto the beach. Almost as if something was trying to hide...in the same spot Léan had hidden in.

The little ripples in the water caught Glory's eye and she raised an eyebrow. That was fast. Settling herself on the flat rocks, she glanced out around the water.

"I did see you, you know," she said clearly, trying to sound non-threatening. "I'm not going to hurt you. Léandre sent me to talk to you. You're Arcturus, right?" She didn't move from the rock as she spoke, making sure not to make any sudden movements. The way she figured it, it was like trying to get close to a scared cat. Calm, soothing tone and slow movements so as not to startle it. Maybe the same thing would work here. "He gave me one of his scales to show you as proof."

There was nothing for a while. Then, more ripples broke the smooth surface of the water, and a pale arm reached out slowly, fingers outstretched, as if they were expecting something.

It was clear that Arcturus was the owner of said arm, and that he didn't feel like coming out at all. However, it did seem like he was reaching out for the scale.

Obediently, Glory took the scale out of her pocket and placed it in the pale hand, making sure not to touch the skin. No sense in getting too close before he was ready... The water was clear enough that Glory could see him. Léan had been right, they looked exactly alike, as far as Glory could see. Both had the pale skin and light hair, although Glory couldn't tell the color of his eyes through the refraction of the water. Once she had given him the scale, she sat and waited for his response.

Underneath the water, it looked like Arcturus was sniffing the scale and comparing it to his own, brow furrowed and eyes innocently wide.

Carefully, after a moment or so, he lifted his head out of the water, still looking suspicious. "Fine. So you have a scale of his." He sounded half-fearful and half-wary. "Where is he? What happened?"

"So you do talk," Glory couldn't help but say jokingly, "I was starting to wonder." She didn't move, not wanting to scare him off before she got the chance to say anything else. "He got caught in some fishing line, I managed to patch him up. He said you'd be looking for him. Right now, he's in my bath tub. I live in that beach house a little ways up the beach." Glory kept straight to the point, trying to get information across as quickly and clearly as she could.

"My brother taught me English. It's the only human language I know," Arcturus offered feebly, sounding worried. Tentatively, he reached his hand out to shake hers, remembering it was a human custom. "I'm Arcturus. Archie, for short..." He wiggled his tail under the rocks a little, signaling.

After a moment, another figure swam out from under the rocks--another merman, smaller than Archie or his brother,with an emerald-colored tail.

Archie motioned to the boy. "This is Damon..." he began warily, keeping the boy safe behind him. "He is my mate."

"It's nice to meet you both," Glory replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Gloriana, but everyone calls me Glory. I live in the beach house with my grandmother." Glory couldn't help but notice how cute a couple the two made. They looked almost like opposites, but it worked in an odd way. The two were adorable together, and Glory had to try not to squeal and coo over them. "Your brother is safe and resting, right now. The fishing line got him good, I've never seen anything like it before."

Archie exhaled, letting out a big breath. "Oh...that's good...I thought...I thought a shark killed him or something..." He frowned. "I was worried. Usually, it's him worrying about me. I'm younger, after all, and a coward, and ditzy...and he's older...strong...confident. Yeah, so that's a bit of a role reversal."

Seeing that the boy behind him looked puzzled, Archie turned and started whispering to him in a strange, squeaky, chittery language. After a moment, Damon seemed to understand, settling down.

Archie turned back to her, scratching his head a bit. "Sorry...he only knows really simple English, so I have to act as a translator for him when it comes to humans..."

Damon rested his head on Archie's shoulder, seeming desperate to say something to her, at least. Seeing Archie extend his hand, he slowly reached his out, as well. "Hello," he greeted, a strange, squeaky accent to his voice. "Name is Damon."

"Hello," Glory greeted in return, shaking his hand, "my name is Glory." She couldn't help but think that their language sounded vaguely like squirrels, or chipmunks, but the accented English was strangely attractive. Damon's English was clear enough, if a little broken, so Glory didn't have any trouble understanding him.

Damon seemed pleased that she could understand him, but he didn't get extremely hyper or anything--instead, he closed his eyes contently, nuzzling Archie's shoulder.

Archie sighed, stroking his hair a bit. "I suppose that means Damon and I are going to be camping out in these rocks until he's better..." he mused. "I'm worried, so I'm not leaving until he feels better..."

"I'm sorry I can't offer anything better, but I only have the one bath tub," Glory replied. "Though I can ask your brother if he feels up to seeing you... I figure it's up to him. He's been the one calling the shots."

((sorry it's so short~ shaaaaame~))

"Oh, no, I don't want to rush him!" Archie replied quickly, chewing his lip. "I've gotten tangled in fishing line nets before, too. It's not fun. I almost died the one time...and I can still smell traces of blood in the water here, so it must have been pretty bad. We're okay out here. I just have to go get some food for Damon and I to share."

Archie thought of something, then. "If I manage to catch his favorite fish, would you take it in to him? I'm sure that will make him feel better. I'm going to go out hunting in a minute or so, after we settle in."

Glory nodded.

"Of course," she said. "Just be careful... If you can smell blood in the water, I'm sure other things can too. And Léan will probably have my head if anything happens to you." She settled herself on the rocks, dangling her feet in the cool water. It was clear enough that she'd be able to see anything close enough to touch her feet, so she figured it was safe enough.

"I'll be fine. Er...being timid has made my escaping skills rather top-notch," he admitted sheepishly. "I can't say the same for Damon, though..."

He rested his head against the top of Damon's head, watching him carefully. "I took him out of a little village where everyone was isolated...he didn't even know there was anything outside of it, let alone anything dangerous outside of it. So, I have to sort of guard him. He's never seen a shark in his life, for instance...someone has to step up to the plate, here."

Archie smiled a bit. "Yeah...Léan's even more protective of me than I am of Damon...I can take care of myself, but...I am really a coward, so...heh...well, that's self-explanatory. Now, then!"

Archie carefully ushered Damon--who waved politely at Glory as a goodbye gesture--back under the rocks and into the little alcove. He popped back up again. "I'm going to go hunt. If I find the fish he likes, I'll call for you. He'll probably have a bunch of questions about me, but...yeah, just tell him I'm worried about him and that I'm staying here until he's better. See you later!" With that, he dove underwater and, with incredible speed, headed back into the deeper water.

Glory waved back to Damon as he was nudged under the rocks, and then watched as Archie sped off. Once he was out of sight, Glory stood up carefully, making sure not to fall into the water, and made her way back to the cottage.

Brushing the sand off of her feet, she went inside and headed for the bathroom.

"Léan?" she called softly. "I'm back."

Léan had succeeded in draining and refilling the tub--he looked quite triumphant about that--when she walked in. He looked up, eagerly.

"You saw my brother? Was he all right? Was he panicking about me? Is he angry with me for not showing up? He didn't give you too much trouble, did he?" Indeed, he did sound frantic, just as Archie had said.

"Léan, calm down," Glory said as she sat down by the tub. "He's fine. He was worried, but I think I set him at ease at least a bit. He says he and his mate are going to camp out in your little cave until you're feeling better." Here, she grinned. "They are so cute together. Absolutely the most adorable couple I've ever seen."

Léan relaxed a bit, closing his eyes. "That's a relief. I thought he would have been...freaking out. He's very unstable..."

At the mention of Archie's mate, Léan flicked his tail in interest. "So he did bring his mate with him..." he mused. "How is he? Is he kind-hearted? It takes a special sort of person to put up with Archie..." he added, playfully.

Glory noticed how Léan had assumed his brother's mate was male, but didn't say anything. Maybe it was perfectly normal for them.

"He seemed a little shy, but not too bad. The language barrier is a bit of an issue, though," she said. "They're just so cute. In an odd way, they make me want to take care of them. That's kind of bizarre, now that I think about it."

Léan nodded idly, chewing his lip. "Well...I'm glad he's found someone that makes him happy," he commented, somewhat gruffly, as he rested his head against the side of the bathtub. He didn't seem to like the subject of mates for some reason...

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((I'll be right back--I have to go eat.))

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((Okay, I'm back.))

"What's wrong?" Glory asked when he cut the subject short. It bothered him for some reason... But she didn't know how to make him feel better if she didn't know what was bothering him. "I thought you'd be glad that he's happy."

((alright. sorry it's so short))

Léan curled up a bit more, opening his eyes and fixing them on the other side of the tub. Oh, yes--he seemed terribly uncomfortable on this subject. "I am happy for him. Very happy," he amended calmly, trying to dodge the first question.