Alfie squinted at the slightly faded writing. "...Says his name is Damon Barrow," he concluded, soundly. "Had power over all forms of music...doesn't elaborate on it, though." He studied the picture a little more closely. "Some of the other pictures are faded...this one's been carefully preserved," he added, puzzled. "Maybe he was important?"

Shadow glanced upwards. "...It might. I hope it doesn't start to storm. Kratos should have our merman home by then...you know how skittish he gets when it starts to rain thunder and lighting down upon us..." His expression darkened for just a moment before he continued walking alongside Hebs. He wanted to hurry home, for some reason. Something was eating away at the back of his mind.

Gian hummed thoughtfully. "Damon Barrow. His power sounds cool. Did Shadow mention he had any lovers in the past?" he asked as he turned to look up from the book and thought for a second or two. It was the only conclusion he can come up with. He won't be the least bit surprised why Shadow fell in love with him. "We can always ask Shadow when he reaches home. Speaking of... shouldn't we be going? They might be heading home right about now."

Hebs turned to look at Shadow and he noticed the look he had. Worry took over his features but he dared not express it as he walked quietly alongside him. By the time they got home, it had started raining. There was no thunder and lightning thankfully. Taking off the hoodie and revealing the white tank top he had underneath, he hung the hoodie over his shoulder and went to the table to put the plastic bag of the stuffs he'd bought down.

Kratos looked up at the rain and he watched as the humans ran off for shelter. He turned to look at the merman and tilted his head a little. "Let's swim?" he asked him as he started to undo his shirt to reveal quite a toned body underneath full of old scars lashed none-too-nicely all over his skin.

"He probably did, but he doesn't talk about his past often unless you beg him to," Alfie reminded Gian, smiling sheepishly. "I'll put the book back...go check if they're back yet or not. If they are back, can you distract 'em for me so I have time to make sure everything's where it's supposed to be?"

"...Everything had better be where it's supposed to be." The moment they had returned home, Shadow had made a beeline for his room. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the wooden door-frame and regarding them with calm, curious eyes. "I hope you did not damage anything of mine by being careless. Please put everything back where you found it, hmm?"

Léan stared for just a moment when Kratos began to shed his shirt. The scars...where did he get them? He didn't ask, even though he wanted to. Just as he didn't want to talk about his past, he didn't like to pester other people about their pasts, either. It was a touchy subject for some people. "Of course." He was watching the weather closely.

Gian was just about to reply to Alfie when he'd frozen on the spot at Shadow's voice. He grinned sheepishly as he turned to look at Shadow. "Oh, you're back," he said, nodding a little before he'd turned to look at Alfie, "And, everything is where it is... except for this book." The teen nudged Alfie a little at the side, a silent indication for him to put it back. When he remembered the picture, he looked back up at Shadow. "Hey, I don't mean to pry but... who's Damon Barrow? We just noticed that his picture's different compared to the others."

Hebs had followed after Shadow after he'd put his things in his room. He smiled in amusement Gian's reply, only to have his smile disappear at the name Damon Barrow. His brows raised just a bit and he looked at Shadow. Was that who he thought it was? And, when have Shadow been keeping a book of records of the freaks?

Kratos didn't bother pushing the wheelchair. He, instead, took the wet blanket off of the merman and started to untie his fins. He carried him in his arms, put him by the shore and then moved back for a moment to take off his pants to leave himself in his boxers. The scars continued down to his legs. "I don't think it's going to thunder or have any lightning." He assured the other with a small smile. "I'll be here." Walking into the water, the male dove in flawlessly and swam a few meters away from where he was. Kratos was a swimmer, it seemed. He swam rather quick.

The smile Shadow had on his face faded at the sight of the book and the mention of the name Damon Barrow, and was replaced with a mournful, sad expression for a few seconds. Then, abruptly, the smile returned. "I see you've found my record book...while I live on, my comrades do not. I keep records of them to preserve their memories in sketchbooks, you see. That is one of three in my possession."

He cleared his throat. "...Damon was another member of my family, from many years ago. I found him when he was just an infant, abandoned on the street, and I took him in. He died of terminal brain cancer at the age of sixteen, right before his seventeenth birthday. We...were in love with each other."

Léan allowed his tail to stretch out in the shallow water for a moment before he followed Kratos into the water, rolling over a few times until he was in deep enough water to properly swim in. He didn't swim quickly...instead, he drifted along at a pleasant pace after Kratos. When the rain began to fall harder he didn't even notice now because he was safely in the water. He dipped underwater, washing the sea-salt smell into his hair.

Gian had thought so. Hebs, too. Hebs didn't know why but he did feel pity for Shadow. Pity and at the same time some sort of glee for the other being so... human. "I thought so," Gian said with a nod as he let out a thoughtful hum, "You lived on generation after generation with new faces. Isn't it hard? I mean, I do get what everyone here is except for you. What are you, exactly, Shadow?"

Hebs seemed to have frozen on the spot. He was just as curious as the others were and he found himself tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants. Gian didn't seem to have noticed this at all. He was just standing there, thumbs tucked into his back pockets, waiting and watching for Shadow's answer.

Kratos wait for Léan as he floated underwater. Strangely, too, his lungs seemed to be bigger than a normal human's because he had stayed under the water for long. The moment they were in deeper waters, he had to rise back up to the surface to get some air before he dipped back in to follow after the merman.

Shadow ran a hand through his hair and then walked more into the room, sitting down on the bed. Alfie sat down beside him, cuddling up to him on one side and earning a pat on the head from Shadow. Alfie cuddled with anyone who would cuddle with him, really.

"If you must know, I'm not human, obviously," he said, simply. "I'm not from this world. This dimension, anyway. My name, long ago before I turned eighteen human years of age, used to be Shadel...but not anymore. What I am is what you humans refer to as...a fallen angel, I believe?"

He didn't seem to have a problem admitting this. "I used to be an angel. I gave up that way of life. I may not be evil, but I'm not a pushover like all angels are expected to be..."

Léan eventually caught up with Kratos, swimming beside him with ease. It was so much of a difference, seeing him in and out of the water. His entire mood changed...

Gian was surprised. He thought fallen angels only appeared in the Bible! But... "Wait. Does that explain why you can read our minds, too?" he asked, bluntly. This actually had Hebs laughing as he leaned against the door frame, his hands still in his pockets. That does explain a lot. He only pushed himself off of the door frame when Gian had looked over at him and he'd uttered, "I'll be preparing dinner," at them and smiled at Shadow.

Thanks for today. I had fun. Deciding to take a long, hot shower before cooking, he disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Gian blinked and he frowned a little. "What did you guys do today?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a tad, "Hebs' a little... different."

Kratos did notice the change and he liked that change. Maybe... he should convince Léan to a traveling show. That way, they could often visit the ocean together and swim like this to the merman's satisfaction. It was an idea and he did plan to bring it up to the merman some time later on. Just... not now.

"It does. Mind-reading was a special talent of mine that I was born with...it is intrinsic to me and not to the angelic race. That is why when I left, I was able to keep this power," Shadow explained, softly. He smiled in Hebs' direction as he left, reminding himself to practice more with his power. He was trying to develop the skill to chat telepathically with people...so that when he read someone's mind, he could have a private conversation with them.

"We went out on a walk after the cooking lessons. That reminds me..." Shadow dug around in his pockets and pulled out an orange and a green pair of sticky hands. "I bought these for everyone."

Alfie squealed, taking the orange one at once. "Sticky hands! I love these things!"

Léan ducked underwater suddenly, having spotted something. He resurfaced a moment later with a freshly-killed crab in his hands and began to crack away at the shell.

Gian blinked at the squealing from Alfie and he chuckled as he took the green one. "These were famous way back," he started before he'd grinned at Shadow. "Thanks." Moving to sit beside the man, he pointed again at his closet. "How many 'freaks' had joined you?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows again, "Was it fun? Was it sad? What was it like?"

Kratos had resurfaced after Léan and he smiled at the sight of him cracking away at the shell. "Are you going to eat that?" he asked as he continued to float using his feet, "Or keeps its shell?" He did notice the shell. It was a beautiful kind of orange.

"...I'm not quite sure of the number. You are welcome to look through all of the books," Shadow offered, kindly. "No matter how or where they died, I always took their bodies to bury them in the same place. I own land in Austria...a very secluded villa. Most of it is taken up by a graveyard where my lost companions rest."

"I'm going to eat it...I suppose the shell is nice, but crab shells tend to smell after a few days...it's probably not worth it," he murmured, cracking the shell open completely and nibbling on the soft crab meat inside.

He was just about done siphoning all of the meat out of the shell when the rumbling sounds of thunder started up in the distance. He finished up the rest of the meat slowly, looking up at the sky and seeming upset. Some bad memories were coming back to him...

Gian nodded at that. "I will," he said with a smile before he'd looked surprised. "You have a villa in Austria?!" Just how rich is Shadow?

Kratos was just about to speak when the sounds of thunder from the distance caught his attention. He shut his lips, pursed them and frowned a tad. It had only been raining and it had been raining harder, now that he'd paid much attention. "I don't think we expected the thunder at all," he said as he heard it come close rather fast. "Maybe we should get out of the water."

"I do. One I rarely use, though. It...brings back too many memories." Shadow glanced downwards, his eyes looking suddenly dull. All of his past friends and someone he loved and missed terribly...their memories were preserved in that place. It was a sad but nostalgic place for him.

Léan unconsciously drifted closer to Kratos, resting up against his side. He didn't like thunderstorms. It had been storming the day he'd been capture out at sea and first forced into captivity...

Gian watched Shadow for a second or two before he'd reached out to pat him lightly on the back. "Sorry," he started before he'd rested his hand on his back and hoping to soothe him, ran it up and down. "It must be really hard to be immortal, isn't it?"

Immortality was what Hebs had been thinking as he soaked in the tub. He was just blankly staring at the shower head at the top and had rested the back of his head on one edge of the tub. Shadow was immortal. He'd loved like a human, felt the pleasure humans did and showed quite a cute side of him today. Hebs wasn't sure about what to think of it all but if he were to think about it simply, Shadow was an interesting fallen angel despite his perverted side. "I must be out of my mind thinking about Shadow like that," he mumbled to himself before he'd brought up his hand to cover the upper right side of his face and blushed darkly, "The hell."

Kratos blinked at Léan moving closer to him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smiled a little at him. "Come on. Let's swim back." He continued to hold the other close to him as he swam back, intent on getting them safely to at least a ground he could touch below them to hold the merman closer to himself and keep him safe.

Alfie joined in Gian's comforting the much older man, resting his head on Shadow's shoulder and purring softly, affectionately. Shadow sighed, welcoming the comforting touches and words of both of them. "...It is not easy watching people you care about die, one after another, and not being able to stop it," he murmured, golden eyes fixed on the floor. Technically, he was not an evil angel as most fallen angels were. He had simply given up his status as one to pursue other dreams...

Léan swam back with Kratos, keeping up with him closely and even surpassing his speed a few times. As they neared shore and land grew closer and closer, he relaxed. He was not going to be hurt during this thunderstorm...

Gian smiled sadly at that. "It isn't." He nodded. He knew a little about that but he hadn't completely lost all of the people he cared about yet. They just... moved away from him. Sliding his hands down to rest on the bed and while he leaned back just a bit, he tilted his head to the side. "You know, I've been meaning to ask... Alfie's a snake right? How come he can purr?"

A flash of lightning made Kratos' head turn and he quickly grabbed ahold of Léan's wrist to pull him out of the water. Lightning and water definitely wasn't a good combination. By the time he'd gotten Léan out of the water and had pulled him close by pulling his tail towards him and out the water, he watched with slightly wide eyes as the lightning struck down on the water and he grunted. "There wasn't supposed to be any lightning and thunder with this rain."

Shadow chuckled, instantly cheered. "Alfie can make a variety of strange noises. I'm not quite sure where all of them come from," he admitted, amused.

Alfie sat up straight, his tail coiling around himself quickly. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded jokingly, amused. "Heh...I guess I do make some weird sounds. I mean, I hiss, I purr, I growl, I making yipping sounds, I squeal...sheesh."

Léan clung tightly to Kratos the moment he saw the flash of lighting, burying his face in the man's shoulder. He did not loosen his tight grip on the human as he felt himself being rushed and hauled out of the water just before another crack of lighting snapped across the sky. His tail wrapped tightly around Kratos' body, as well. He wasn't aware yet of how compromising their current position was. He just wanted to get home.

Gian pointed at Shadow. "Exactly what I was thinking!" he said, laughing as he saw Alfie's reaction. When he'd mentioned all the sounds he could make, he fell back onto the bed, laughing really hard while he curled up against Shadow. He had his face buried in the man's back, his shoulders inevitably shaking from the muffled laughter.

Kratos put his hand at the back of Léan's head and he protectively wrapped his arm around his waist to keep him close. He was also unaware of their compromising position, just quite intent on bringing the merman out from there. "Hold on tight," he mumbled under his breath as he got up to his feet and hurried off into the house. Still dripping wet, he got onto the porch and let out a sight of relief as he sat back down on the floor. His fingers, hoping to soothe the other, had run through those wet waves of the merman's hair while he continued to hold him tight. "It's okay now. You're safe with us."

Shadow twisted around slightly to pat Gian on the back, hoping to ease the laughter out of him. "Calm down...my goodness." He paused suddenly. "...Oh. It's storming outside...Kratos and Léan are back. You know how Léan gets when it storms outside...well, Alfie does, at least..."

Alfie frowned. "Aww. Let's...let's leave them alone for a while," he said, firmly, a grin forming on his face. "Maybe they can get some cuddle-time in."

Léan made an unintentional, soft purring sound when Kratos petted his hair. He liked having his hair petted, no matter how much he would deny it when Shadow petted his hair. He didn't seem to mind that they were curled up very close together, or soaking wet. He was just glad he wasn't near open water right now. When it stormed, it was the only time the merman was more comfortable out of water than in water.

Gian did calm down after a few pats and he shifted to put his weight up with his hand. "It is?" The teen looked out the window and blinked before he'd let out a short, "Oh," and turned to look at Alfie's grin and heard those words. "They're cuddling?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he frowned. It seemed odd. Kratos didn't seem to be like the cuddly type of person.

Kratos was surprised at the soft purring sound the merman maid. He wasn't complaining, though, about their compromising position. In fact, he was relishing in the feel of Léan's body against his own. He smiled slightly and he continued running his fingers through those locks while he looked out into the ocean. The lighting and the thunder were really coming on strong.

"I bet they are. I know they are. They have to be...come on..." Alfie shot a pointed look at Shadow, almost demanding him to confirm it. Shadow didn't say anything--he only flashed them a small, knowing smile. Obviously, this was confirmation that they were indeed cuddling...

Léan's tail began to flick back and forth absently as he calmed down more and more. When he was finally completely calm, he still didn't move from his place in Kratos' arms. In fact, he closed his eyes and settled down even more with a soft sigh, content to stay where he was for quite a while.

Gian turned to look at Shadow's smile and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Somehow... that's an odd thought." The male stood up and walked back to Shadow's closet to carefully take the leather bound book again to surf gently through the pages. He made sure not to make a tear or a fold.

Hebs had finished with his bath and was rubbing his hair clean as he headed out in some pants and the tank top he had been wearing a while ago. He passed by Shadow's room and, for a second stopped when he'd seen Gian surfing through the leather bound book. Putting the towel around his shoulders, he crouched beside the teen and watched, looking at the drawings and looking rather surprised at the detailedness of it.

Kratos didn't move either. He just continued to run his fingers through his hair and hold him tight. Of course, he was pleased that he was abel to hold Léan this close. Somehow, he had to thank nature for it.

"If you have questions about any of them, feel free to ask me." Some of the past freaks, Shadow knew, were very, very unique. It was a shame that he was not able to save them from their human demise...if he had been able to, he would have a very large family full of loving people...

Alfie peered over at the book as well, watching Gian turn the pages as gently as he possibly could. Some of the freaks, he had to admit, were amazing. There was a pint-sized boy who had powers similar to Kratos' powers, even. There were so many...he would have loved to meet them all.

Léan eventually shifted his head away from Kratos' neck, but he settled instead for reluctantly resting his head on the man's chest and closing his eyes. It was an affectionate gesture--a blatantly affectionate one. ...Could that, perhaps, mean...?

"They all look interesting," Hebs commented as he turned to look back up at Shadow and raised his eyebrows a little. His white hair still stuck to his face since they were wet seconds ago. "Which was the strangest freak you've met and had?"

Gian whistled at a rather pretty woman he saw. "She's got the big front. What's her power?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in curiosity as he squinted his eyes and tried to read it. The words were really hard to read. "How come your handwriting's so small here, Shadow?"

Kratos looked evidently surprised, stunned even, when he'd felt Léan shift to rest his head on his chest. He could feel his heart turn up a notch as his cheeks tinted just a tad. Looks like Kratos wasn't so inhuman after all.

"The strangest? What do you mean by strangest? Physically? Power-wise? Personality-wise?" Shadow pressed, insistently. "There is a different answer for each of those categories..."

He peered over at the particular freak that Gian was looking at. "That is Kain. Kain could morph her arms and legs into strange weapons. She could also use telekinesis...and she could speak to plants."



Léan opened his eyes again, staring at the ground for a moment before lifting his eyes and glancing up hesitantly at the human holding him. He looked childlike...frightened. It wasn't clear what he was afraid of.