Archie waded up behind the rock, listening in eagerly. It seemed he was going to push this, no matter how irritated his brother got and no matter how embarrassed Glory got.

Léan watched her, seeming amused. He shifted a bit to give her more room, tail flicking back and forth. "I see. I hope Arcturus didn't annoy you too much. He can be very...overly excitable, at times."

He seemed relaxed...of course, from what Archie had said, this was extremely weird for him around a human, especially a human female.

"No, he didn't annoy me at all," Glory said. "Then again, he's not my brother. I'm not the one who has to live with him." Reaching up, she twisted the water out of her hair as best she could, wishing she had a comb. "I think it would be nice to have a sibling. I'm an only child, so... Then again, any sibling I would have had would have been passed around the family just like I was, so maybe it's for the best."

Léan arched an eyebrow.

"You can have Arcturus," he offered, playfully. "I would give him away in a heartbeat..."

An annoyed chitter came from behind them. "Heeeyyy!" Archie huffed. "You're such an unkind person!"

Léan rolled his eyes, chucking a small pebble back at the loud disturbance. "You are very loud," he noted, unnecessarily. "Do you want to attract a throng of humans here?"

Strangely enough, he sounded scathing when he mentioned other humans.

"This beach is too small for anyone to consider it a good spot," Glory said. "Everyone wants to go to the big, white-sand beaches." She laughed lightly. "If only they knew where that white sand came from." She knew, since she had to do a report on coral reefs once, and she thought it was funny that all of her female classmates would lay out on those beaches, but wouldn't touch a paper towel in the kitchen. "It's the height of summer. If anyone was going to come to this beach, they would have already. So I doubt anyone else is around."

"Still, no reason to be overly loud..." Léan quipped idly, watching as Archie swam out in front of them to play with Damon, who had been looking bored. "It amazes me how much of a child Arcturus is at heart..."

He shifted a bit more, laying himself out in the sun. The warmth felt heavenly on his cuts...

Glory watched as he stretched out on the rock.

"You seem different," she said finally. "More relaxed. Not as tense as before." It was true. He seemed almost peaceful, if not flat-out happy. "Your cuts look a lot better."

Léan's tail flicked back and forth with interest, mulling that over.

"As I've said a few times before, I am not fond of your kind," he mused. "You have not given me a reason to distrust you, at all. So, naturally, I am more relaxed than I would be, say, around a stranger. Plus, you've treated my wounds--I would have expected a human to simply brush me off and let me bleed to death on the sand..."

Glory sighed softly. What a standard answer.

"You may not distrust me," she said softly, "but you're not letting me in, either. It's hard to be the friend of a brick wall, you know. I'm not asking you to spill your life-story, but a little friendliness would be nice." Small steps. She wanted him to open up, just a little. That's all. She steadfastly ignored the little voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Archie that whispered that it was a bit more than friendship that she wanted.

Léan watched her as she spoke, detecting no hint of malice in her voice.

He hummed, brow furrowing a bit. He had always been a very private person, and he wasn't used to socializing with anyone other than his brother and his family, before he and Archie had run away.

"I am not a very social person, but I can try," he muttered after a moment of contemplation. "I am not sure I understand what you mean by friendliness...but if you have questions about my life story or whatnot, feel free to ask...I will answer what I can..."

"I won't pry, if that's what you're thinking I'll do," Glory said, though she still remembered the story that Archie had told her. "I figure it's your business, not mine. I'm just saying you don't need to be so cold, that's all." Shifting her position a little, she laid herself out next to him and winced a little when the rocks scraped her shoulders. Darn her fair skin... She was already starting to fry.

Léan raised an eyebrow.

"I said I would answer some questions, so I don't mind if you pry, for the moment. I will answer what I can. And...cold? I am like this to everyone..."

"I've met ice cubes warmer than you," Glory teased lightly, rubbing her shoulders a little and moving her hair to cover them. Her skin was already getting sensitive from the sun, it wouldn't be long before she started to really burn. "So why? Why are you so cold to everyone? Doesn't it get lonely?"

"I'm partially cold-blooded, anyway," he retorted offhandedly, cracking a grin. He noticed that she was starting to burn and motioned to a small shaded area under the rocks. The water would go up to right below her chest.

"There is a nice shaded area under there," he offered. "And as for your question...no, not really. I have always been content as a loner..."

"Really?" Glory asked when he said he was cold-blooded. "That's kind of neat." Carefully, she tucked herself into the shaded spot, sighing when her shoulders felt cooler. Looking out over the water, she sighed. "I should probably enjoy the summer while it lasts... Once the fall rolls around I have to go back to school, and look for a job so I can help Nana with the heating bills this winter."

Léan nearly swan-dived off the rocks, over by her side in less than three seconds.

"Would you believe me if I told you there is school in my world?" He sounded amused. "Arcturus and I attended until we were both fourteen. We ran away from home."

At the mention of her enjoying summer and her disdain for the fall, he flicked his tail a bit. "It stays somewhat mild around here, even if it snows," he amended absently. "Heating costs should not be too high."

"Why did you run away?" Glory asked, before she could stop herself. Well, if that wasn't a hypocritical question. "Not that I should ask... I ran away three times before they decided to just let me stay with Nana. And it's not just heating costs that I have to consider... Gas prices, groceries, winter clothes... Nana is only able to pay for the cottage with what she gets."

Léan swished his tail back and forth, solemnly.

"We did not have a very kind home life," he mused, attempting to be as honest as possible. It was difficult to talk about his experiences with even Archie--the one he trusted the most. "Our mother was an angel. But she died when we were very young. Our father was a terrible man. He would beat us. Starve us. Chase Arcturus' friends away when they tried to come over."

It was obvious that he was uncomfortable, by now. However, he attempted to continue talking. "He loathed us both. But he was more partial to going after me, because I would put up a fight."

He paused for a moment, definitely not wanting to talk about the other sorts of injustices his father had committed. The ones that only applied to Léan, and not Archie. So, he decided on a safe route, idly wondering if she would catch on.

"It was worse for me painw-ise--Arcturus has terrible emotional scars, for the most part. Our father...did things to me that he would never do to Arcturus. I never could figure out why he had stronger dislike for me. I still don't know to this day. I don't intend to return, however, and ask him. I never want to see him again. If I do, I fear I will kill him right then and there."

Reaching over, Glory even surprised herself by hugging him.

"Well, you're not there anymore, and that's what matters," she said. Realizing that she was still hugging him, she let go quickly, trying not to blush too badly. She had no idea why she'd done it, either...

"My extended family just didn't want to be saddled with me after the courts declared my mother to be an unfit parent," she said. "Not that I blame them, though. The courts, I mean. My mom WAS an unfit parent. The aunt that I got sent to made me act like a guest, but made me work like family, so I constantly had to be on by best behavior. So I ran off, and went to Nana. The third time I ran off, the judge figured something must be up, and just sent me to live with Nana. We moved here because Nana and I couldn't both live in her tiny apartment."

Léan seemed just as surprised, but it seemed more like utter shock on his part. He had only ever been hugged by his mother--bless her--and by Archie, when it really meant something. Why would she want to hug him, let alone touch him--when it wasn't absolutely necessary? He wouldn't have been worrying about it too much...had she not quickly let go and turned a light shade of pink.

Blushing? Was she ashamed of her action?

"True," he hummed, not having a chance to even consider returning the hug before she pulled away. "I wanted to go to authorities with evidence. When I was small, that is. I even tried. I told them what had been happening...had Arcturus tell them his stories, too. My father was a prominent, well-known, wealthy man who often threw large parties and galas to entertain many guests. He was well-liked...we were brushed off as lying, good-for-nothing children..."

"I have no idea who my father is," Glory admitted. "For all I know, he doesn't even know I exist. Nana was the one who brought up my case for the judge. The only reason they placed me with my aunt was because my cousins are about my age. I'm only with Nana now because they figure I can take care of myself, for the most part." She shrugged. "And I can. I can drive, I can cook, and I'm old enough to find decent work if I need to."

Léan nodded idly, resting against the cool rock, his eyes closing.

Truth be told, he did look very peaceful, and content...

Glory watched him. He looked so comfortable, lounging in the sun...

"You look like you're about to fall asleep," she said. "You know, not that you can drown or anything if you do."

"I'll be all right," he assured her, smiling slightly. "You don't have to worry.

His smile left as quickly as it came.

Leaning back against the rocks, Glory let the water support her weight. She'd resigned herself to the fact that she was probably going to get sunburn. She'd just run out and pick up some aloe or something later. The cool water just felt so nice on a hot day...

Léan's tail flicked back and forth lazily. He felt like he could lay there all day!

"Mm...we should probably move a little more..." he noted. "Lest we fall asleep."