"Hm?" Shadow blinked and then suddenly seemed to notice just how close he was to Hebs. "...Ah. Europe, mostly. The French are fond of being very close to people when they speak to them, and I did live in France for a while," he explained, looking a tad bit sheepish. "Europeans in general don't have any sense of personal space. It is not the same for this country..."

"It isn't," Hebs said with a nod before he'd laughed lightly at the other looking sheepish. "But, that just makes culture all the more interesting." If he were human, he might've had considered traveling around the world. It'd be really nice if they could travel.

Shadow, as usual, was inadvertently listening to the other male's thoughts. "...It would indeed be nice if we could travel. Everyone here would like to travel...except for Léan. We will have to wait until Léan changes his mind..." He hoped Kratos would be able to bring him around...but he probably wouldn't dwell on the subject unless he was asked to.

He watched Hebs cook, occasionally tossing in a bit of a spice from the cabinet.

Hebs, still, wasn't used to Shadow poking around his head and he was stunned for a moment before he reminded himself to breathe. "Yeah," he replied, a little disappointed that he had to agree with Shadow. He had unconsciously leaned a little at the man, his eyes downcast for a second before he stood back straight up and resumed cooking. By the time they were finished, he turned off the fire, separated the meal into the plates and turned to look at Shadow after he'd put the empty pan back onto the stove. "I'll call the merman and Kratos. Do you want to take care of Alfie and Gian?"

Shadow rested one of his hands on Hebs' arm, his touch feather-light, while he watched him finish cooking and separate the food onto plates. When he mentioned fetching the others for dinner, a smile made its way across the man's face. "I will wake them up. Creatively..."

He already had a million different ideas running through his brain, but one seemed better than the others. It all depended on if Gian kept his door locked or not.

Gian had actually left the door open. He had left Alfie if he had locked it or not. If he hadn't, then the door was open and he and Alfie were vulnerable. Snuggling closer to Alfie and quite liking the second blanket of the sorts over him, he let out a deep breath and relaxed further into Alfie's arms, his defenses going down.

Hebs laughed again when he'd heard that last word and he nodded at him. "I'll leave that creativity to you then." Patting Shadow's back, he brushed past him to pass by the dining table and moving to wake Kratos up if he was still asleep, that is. He was sure he was, though. The moment he stood by the man's door, he knocked on it and called out for the man's name. "Kratos? It's time to eat." His knock was rather rhythmic too.

Kratos had stirred awake from the knocking and he grunted. He was just about to roll to his other side when he realized he was still holding the merman. "Ah," he started as he loosened his hold on Léan and his cheeks tinted just a tad pink. "Sorry." He hadn't meant to hold Léan like that for long. "Do you want to go back to your tank?"

((Really tired...I'm heading to bed. Night!))

Alfie had not bothered to lock the door behind him. He'd closed it...but he hadn't locked it. He rarely locked his own door back home, so he hadn't remembered to lock Gian's door. He was deeply asleep. It would take a lot to rouse him from his slumber...

Shadow chuckled softly. "All right, then...give me a moment to think..." While Hebs left to fetch the other two members of their family, Shadow stayed put, running through all of the plausible ideas he'd had to wake them up in his mind. Some of them were quite mean while others were just playful...it took him a while to finally decide on something.

Léan jumped when Hebs knocked on the door, blinking sleepily. His head dropped down again stubbornly, like he wanted to go back to sleep. "...Has the storm passed?" He was still dead tired.

[[ Sleep tight! ]]

Kratos shook his head. "There's still rain," he said before he'd brushed off some strands from Léan's face. When Hebs had opened the door, Kratos pulled his head up to meet him. "I'll not eat." The moment Hebs had given him a nod and had shut the door, Kratos turned to look again at the merman.

"I need a shower."

Hebs had returned back to the kitchen to put the plates on the dining table and he prepared glasses of water, too, for everyone - at least those who'll eat. He also put out Kratos' plate just in case anyone was up for seconds.

Shadow had left by the time Hebs returned. He had crept down the hall and into Gian's bedroom, where he and Alfie were sleeping. He had paused, assessing their positions carefully, and then he decided on what to do. He knew Alfie didn't react well when he was scared out of sleep, so he didn't want to be close to them.

He opened Gian's door all the way and then slammed it shut, making a deafeningly loud sound.

Alfie shot straight up out of bed, his teeth bared in a loud hiss, and he glanced around wildly for danger.

Léan was unintentionally startled by the loud slam from down the hall, and he jumped up, blinking. He wrote it off as one of the other freaks doing something stupid, though, and didn't question it. His face fell a bit when Kratos said he had to take a shower...that meant he would be alone here.

"...Oh. All right." He curled up a little more, hoping to get some rest while Kratos was in the shower.

Gian's eyes snapped opn at the door slamming shut rather loud and he brought his head up to see who it was. Shadow. Groaning, he laid on his back and looked over at Alfie before he'd snickered slightly in amusement. He reached out to pull at Alfie's arm and he pulled him down again to nuzzle his head in his arms. "Go 'way, Shadow," he mumbled sleepily as he gave a little glare at the much older man, "Unless you're calling us for dinner."

Kratos' own heart had leaped off of the empire state building. "What the hell?" he snarled under his breath before he'd brushed his fingers through the merman's hair and gave his shoulder a little pat. "I'll be back quick."

Hebs stumbled, too, at that and he groaned. Shadow. Of course. His creativity really does work wonders. It worked on all the freaks. He shook his head before he'd laughed lightly and seated himself on the chair, waiting up for the others so he could start digging in. He was rather hungry from all that walking. Plus, that hot bath after that walk made him realize his hunger all the more.

"It's time for dinner. Get up. Before I pull you out of bed and onto the floor," Shadow threatened, his voice taking on a playful sort of tone. He was childlike in his own manner. It was hard to believe with how naughty he was he had once been a heavenly being. Perhaps humans had had more of an effect on him than he actually realized...

Alfie wrapped his arms heavily around Gian, a low hiss still pouring out from his throat as he glowered sleepily at Shadow. He didn't even react when he was told that dinner was ready, he was still on-edge. When he was violently startled out of sleep, he would usually bite at the offending hand shaking or hitting him. His bites, when they were panicked ones, could seep poison into the bitten's veins.

"...Very well..." Léan stared after Kratos pointedly, not saying anything else. He didn't like being alone when he was out of water. But he would wait.

Hoping to soothe Alfie, Gian ran his fingers through the other's hair and up and down his back. "We'll be there in a bit," he told Shadow now realizing just how ferocious Alfie was like this. Motioning for Shadow to leave, he waited 'til he was gone before he'd looked at Alfie and kissed his forehead. "If you don't stop hissing like that, I'm going to kiss you." It wasn't exactly a threat but it would, at least, keep Alfie's head out of what had just happened.

Kratos was quick bathing and he was back in his bed. He laid down on his back, now in his boxers and white t-shirt. Looking over at the merman, he motioned for him to come closer and left him to snuggle him if he wanted. He was going back to sleep.

Shadow gave a small nod and turned to leave, joining Hebs at the table. "They will be here soon. You know how Alfie reacts when I wake him up in a rude manner..." he hummed, somewhat regretfully.

Alfie's hissing continued. The very tip of his long tail was flicking back and forth very quickly--like the tail of a rattlesnake would if it was irritated. He was still half-asleep and not fully aware of what was going on around him. His eyelids fluttered closed when Gian kissed his forehead, but they were open immediately afterwards.

Léan hesitated. They were only about two inches or so apart, but he still hesitated. He eventually settled for just laying where he was, watching Kratos curiously to see if he would make any move to close the distance.

Hebs shook his head and sighed. "How's he taking it?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows a little, "Will Gian be fine?"

Gian looked down at Alfie's tail and he slid his hand from the other's hair to stroke Alfie's cheek. "You should wake up," he mumbled tiredly as he rested his forehead against Alfie's own. Leaning in, he kissed the top of Alfie's lip and slid his hand down to rest on the side of Alfie's neck.

Kratos didn't make a move to the merman. He just stayed where he was, even fallin asleep and defenseless.

"Gian will be fine. Alfie just needs to wake up and cool it..." Shadow assured him, grinning. "It's funny when he gets like that. He acts quite reptilian when he does..."

Alfie's hiss slowly died down at Gian's kiss and the close contact he was offering him. His tail stilled after another moment or so, and he finally calmed down. He rested comfortably against Gian, that hiss turning into a little purr instead. "I'm awake, I'm awake..." he muttered, unwillingly. "Is it time to eat?"

Léan kept his distance for a while, but then shifted closer so that they were only a few centimeters apart...just barely touching. He then settled down to sleep, content for now.

Hebs chuckled lightly. "You don't act much like an angel, do you?" he asked, rather amused as he rubbed his hands on his pants and took the utensils. "Well, we better start eating if we don't want it going cold."

Gian was definitely amused at Alfie's hiss turning to a purr. It had him laughing as he pressed another light kiss on the other's lips. "It is," he said before he'd grinned, "Do you want to go now?"

Shadow scooped up his fork at once, looking like he hadn't eaten in days. "I guess I don't. That is why the 'fallen' is there. And let's...I'm really quite hungry..." He dug into the stir fry first, knowing if Alfie were in his shoes, he wouldn't have waited to eat.

Alfie wrapped his arms up around Gian again, giving him another kiss when he pulled away from the first one. "When do I ever say no to the offer of free food, eh? Let's get going."

Hebs supposed that was true. He chuckled lightly before he'd nodded and started eating. There really was no point in waiting for the others, specifically Alfie and Gian, if they're taking their time. He was hungry.

Gian let out a little pleased sound at that kiss and he smiled in amusement. "That's true," he started before he'd shaken his head, "Though, it'd be nice if you could try not to think about food once in a while." Patting the naga's arm, he shifted to hover atop him, leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips and grinned against those said lips.

"You think food's good today?"

Shadow listened idly to what was going on between Gian and Alfie, and then he checked Léan and Kratos, as well. Kratos was sleeping peacefully, as usual. Léan could still hear the rain outside, even though he was asleep. It was bringing on the itching beginnings of a nightmare. He frowned.

"...I will have to keep an eye on Léan while he sleeps," he murmured, after swallowing a mouthful of food. "I can feel the start of a nightmare trying to crop up."

Alfie cuddled against Gian immediately and gave a soft, satisfied sigh. "Mm...I hope the food's good. I'm dying for some good meat..." With an unwilling shove against the bed, the naga managed to sit up, with Gian now halfway in his lap. "Want to head out there, now? We can ask Hebs about our idea after supper."

Kratos wasn't sure why but he woke up just a few minutes after he'd had taken his shower and was looking at Léan as he slept. Without as much of a hesitation, the male took the beautiful creature in his arms and held him tight as he returned back to sleep. He did nothing more than that except utter the words: "I'll keep you safe." Should Kratos be aware of what he'd just said, he'd just thrown himself out there over the responsibility of taking care of the merman.

He'd also mentally slap himself if he knew he'd said that.

Gian shifted to sit up and he moved over the naga's lap to get up on his feet. "Sure," he said as he nodded, "We might as well talk it over with Shadow, too, and see what he thinks about it." Stretching out his limbs and feeling a few bones crack up in the process, he let out a rather delicious groan before he'd walked to the door. "Come on." He gave Alfie a last look and left the door open for him as he headed out to the hallway towards the dining table where he took his seat and shut his eyes at the delicious smell that wafted through the room.

"Sweet and sour chicken and stir-fried vegetables. Eat up. There's an extra plate if any of you three are hungry." Hebs smiled at the sight of Gian and gave Shadow an understanding smile. He really is responsible. He'd have to give him that.

Léan stirred uncomfortably when he was moved, but he remained fast asleep nonetheless. He did shift a little so he could lay his head against Kratos' neck, right below his chin. His tail made him longer than the human beside him when they were laying beside each other...but he was laying so that his head was almost in line with the other male's chest. His tailfins were twitching...curling and uncurling even as he dozed on.

Alfie felt a few of the muscles in his tail tense up at the sound of that groan from Gian, but he paid it no mind as he slid out of bed and slithered after the human towards the kitchen. He smelled the food even before Gian did...he was practically salivating by the time he reached the table. He dug into his food at once, not even caring that there were veggies on the plate. He was just hungry for anything...anything at all.

Shadow ate slowly, gradually. He kept himself silent. He was not happy about what Gian and Alfie were planning. He knew how much pain Damon had been in before he had died...especially in the last few days. He was unsure if reviving him would mean he would be in such pain again. For that, he would have to consult Kratos.

He was also suspicious that they might try to revive other freaks that were buried there. By request, some of the freaks were buried elsewhere, with family members of friends to constantly tend to their graves. But most of them--mostly the more mutated or peculiar ones--were still buried at his Austrian villa...one of those freaks in particular, the one who could bend reality, was best left underground.

Gian finished just after Alfie had and he excused himself as he gave a little burp. Waiting up for Hebs and Shadow to finish, he decided to star the conversation. "Alfie and I were thinking about going to that villa in Austria. Shadow's villa." Hebs turned to look up at Gian and he raised his eyebrows a bit. His white hair was still damp from the shower.

"What do you think about coming with us?" Hebs look of surprise turned to a frown. "Why are you doing that?"

"...Well...we kinda wanna see it. I've always dreamed of having a big house in Europe...filled with lots of food...and hot European men..." Alfie trailed off, a big, goofy grin plastered on his face. "...But..." He cast a glance at Shadow, knowingly. He was aware that Shadow knew what was going on. The man could read minds, after all.

Shadow shifted in his chair, a frown on his face. If they decided to go...Shadow himself would want to go. Which meant that everyone would be going...unless, of course, there were protests from their dear merman. If there were, Shadow would stay behind with Léan while the others went. Kratos' absence, especially after what had happened between them, might spur the merman into action even though he abhorred traveling.

"Er..." Seeing the way Shadow twitched and scowled, Alfie suddenly looked sheepish. "Maybe we can...talk about this later, in private?" He didn't like unnerving Shadow.

The twitching and the scowling from their ringleader didn't escape Gian's eyes. He saw him do it and he saw Alfie's reaction to it. Hebs only sighed deeply. This was troublesome, wasn't it? "You two are wanting me to converse with Shadow's ex-lover." Hebs didn't ask that. It was a statement. Crossing his arms over his chest, he frowned, his slit-like yellow eyes still watching the two through the wavy strands of white hair. "I don't mind where you two are going with this but you have to consider Shadow's history with him and the choice of who will be staying with Léan."

Gian was surprised. Hebs suddenly looked... controlling. It was strange to see him like this. Could Alfie had been right? Could Hebs really be interested in Shadow? He doesn't seem like he is to him, though. "I... then, what do we have to know?"

Hebs turned to look at Shadow and he reached out to put a warm hand on Shadow's back. "Tell them what you told me. I'll start keeping the dishes." With that said, he retrieved his hand and stood up to start keeping the dishes.

Alfie didn't say anything else. He was still a little gun-shy. He'd witnessed Shadow's anger before. At least once every few months, Shadow and Léan would get into it, violently. Though Léan had pretense to behave badly sometimes, his attitude and his childishness was sometimes too much for Shadow, and they would spiral off into terrifying arguments...and then they wouldn't speak to each other for two or three days. After that, they would be fine.

Shadow's anger...Alfie couldn't explain it in words. It was like experiencing a tsunami, or a volcanic eruption. A natural disaster, of sorts.

Shadow waited until Hebs had collected all the plates and headed out to the kitchen before clearing his throat.

"Damon died of terminal brain cancer. He was in pain before he died...terrible, terrible pain," he muttered, firmly. "I do not want you going anywhere near that villa until you consult Kratos. I don't want him being brought back if he's going to start feeling pain all over again. Ask Kratos about it, and maybe then you will get the green light from me."