Gian was rather quick in retrieving his trunks. He was even wearing it already when he'd come out. Pulling at his shirt from the back, he motioned for Alfie to hurry as he went on ahead.

Kratos blinked at the word 'fun'. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't mean it in that way, did he? The freak was silent as everyone left the kitchen. It was only then that he asked the question that was lingering in front of his mind. "What... was that?" he asked as he looked at Léan in curiosity.

Alfie snaked along behind him, eager to get into the water. He wanted to have a nice, relaxing day, and since all Shadow really wanted to do was sleep, he was intent on spending it with Gian.

Léan would not look at him. He was totally, wholly embarrassed by the situation, and internally torn because he had rather enjoyed that touch and a part of his desperately wanted it back, while another part of him was violently scolding him and warning him about bad past events...

"...Wha...what was what?" he managed, finally, glancing at him for a moment before looking away. His eyes were slightly wider than they normally were.

Gian splashed some water at Alfie and laughed as he dove into the water. The water, unlike this morning, was warmer and he smiled at its temperature. It was just right. Swimming to where Alfie was when he was in the water, he hopped up over on his back and clutched onto him with a bright grin on his lips. "Gotcha!"

Kratos gave Léan a strange look before it turned one resembling worry. "I didn't hurt you touching you there, did I?" He was afraid he might've opened up old wounds of the sorts.

((Your avatar cracks me up. XD))

Alfie squealed when Gian leaped up on his back. He twirled around in a few lazy circles in the water, snickering and playfully trying to buck the human off of him. "Graaaaah, you're like some kind of sticky leech!" he teased, pleasantly.

Léan shook his head at once, allowing his hands to clasp together tightly as he peered down at the floor. "No...n-no, I'm fine," he replied, his voice a little more firm. He still wasn't able to look Kratos in the face for an extended period of time, but he did glance up to meet his eyes, with a splash of wavering confidence, for a few long seconds before he looked back down.

...Normally the siren would react violently, unhappily, to affectionate gestures...

[[ :rofl: Sometimes, the random ones are the best ones. XD ]]


Gian laughed as he continued to hang onto Alfie. He only let go when his arms had started to go numb. Rising up to the surface, he ran his fingers through his hair and grinned up at Alfie before he'd splashed him some water again.

Kratos looked at Léan for a few seconds before he frowned. "Am I... supposed to know something?" What exactly did he do wrong?

((I think it's the eyes staring right at me that make me laugh the hardest. X3))

Alfie sputtered when more water was splashed at him, and he proceeded to pout and whine. He tensed his muscles, and then he leaped forward, landing square on Gian and driving them both underwater. He was particularly feisty today.

Léan seemed to understand what he was thinking, and he shook his head again, biting his lip. "...Nothing's wrong," he replied, calmly. Nothing was wrong, per se...but that didn't mean something was up. It looked like the merman was feeling a little conflicted.

[[ Ah! Haha! XD Yeah. I get that same feeling too. ]]

Gian let out a, "Whoa!" when he was tackled under water. He was lucky he got some air into his lunch and he grinned at Alfie before he'd pulled him close for another kiss. The teen wasn't sure why but kissing Alfie felt good. Seemed to be a normal thing for him now.

Kratos was still confused. "What's wrong if I touch you there?" he asked as he reached down again to put his hand on it. What would happen?

Alfie was just a bit surprised by the kiss, and he accepted it eagerly, not minding at all that there probably wasn't any emotion behind it...for now. If emotions were going to come into play, they would come into play on their own. No sense trying to rush it...besides, he didn't want to scare the human away so readily...

Kratos' hand, where it had been before, was resting partially on the top front part of his tail, which was, of course, where the most sensitive scales on his tail were. The moment he dared to touch him again, Léan went rigid and his blush darkened slightly. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Gian only broke the kiss when the need for air arose. He quickly swam up to the surface and gasped. All right. So maybe kissing underwater wasn't a good idea. Panting for breath and grunting, he looked around and saw that there weren't any people in the beach. Strange. What was it today?

Kratos blinked when he'd seen the other blush so... dark like that. He'd also noticed the other going rigid. What was going on? "Are you sure... you're all right?" he asked as he frowned worriedly at the merman.

((Heading to bed, school soon. Night!))

Alfie seemed glad for the lack of people on the beach. It meant he didn't have to be all that careful with his tail. He cuddled up against Gian while he glanced around the beach, completely content.

"...I'm...I'm fine," Léan assured him, his voice a little strained and shaky. "I, ah...I'm...really...sensitive there," he muttered, totally embarrassed. Having to admit that, his blush darkened and he tried not to move at all, not wanting to create any kind of friction...

Gian smiled at the other cuddling up against him. He brought up his hand to have him brush the others' hair back. Honestly, he enjoyed spending his time with Alfie more than the other freaks. It had him cuddling back and leaving a gentle kiss on the naga's forehead.

"Alfie... how do you swim with a tail?"

Kratos let his thumb stroke over the others' scales once. "How much sensitive?" he asked curiously as he continued to hold him close. Somehow, someway, seeing Léan blushing like this made him inwardly smile. It made his day to see the merman looking embarrassed.

"Oh?" Alfie trained his eyes on Gian's face. "I guess you could say I swim a little like Léan, but I don't have big fins to propel me in deep water...you've heard of sea snakes, right? Their tails are just a little different from the tails of land snakes. Land snakes like anacondas can swim, too."

Léan jumped a little, unintentionally arching up towards the other's hand. He seemed very watchful, but showed no signs of getting violent or frightened yet. "Ah...very..." he muttered, uncomfortably.

Gian let out a short, "Ah," of realization as he nodded and grinned. "Come on, let's swim deeper." Splashing some water again at Alfie, the teen quickly dove into the water and glided through. He wasn't as quick as Kratos was but he swam pretty well despite himself.

Kratos looked surprised when the other had jumped a little. Hell, he'd even seen him arching up towards his hand. Was that a good thing? When he saw no violent reaction from Léan, he could only guess he had enjoyed it. "Do you... want me to stroke you here?" he asked, his thumb doing another stroke once on that very same spot.

Alfie eagerly dove in after Gian, determined to get him back after that last splash. He could not hold his breath for very long, though, and was up for air in less than twenty seconds. His tail acted like a primitive fin and was able to propel him through the water with general ease...he looked almost like an eel when he swam.

Léan fixed him with a strange look...apprehension mixed with curiosity and...perhaps excitement. His next words betrayed the promising look he was giving Kratos, which suggested he was attempting to mask what he really felt and wanted, possibly out of mild fear.

"W-what, do you think I'm some...some common house whore?" he demanded, though his words were not very steady and he could not help shifting a little, more towards the human's hand.

Gian saw Alfie swimming up and he blinked for a moment before he'd swam up himself, too. The moment he reached the surface, he raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "You okay, Alfie?" he asked as he moved close to him and reached out to pat the others' back. That was some mad swimming skills he saw him do, though, that much he could say.

Kratos immediately pulled back when he'd heard that question and he shook his head. "Not at all." The man pulled Léan up into his arms and walked out of the kitchen to head back into his room. Hebs had just come out and smiled their way before he went on to continue cleaning the last room: Shadow's. Kratos set Léan down on the bed. "You've never been some common house whore in my eyes."

"Yep, I'm fine..." Alfie stretched himself out, shaking his hair out vigorously. "I can't hold my breath for very long, see. I never went swimming as a kid and I only got to after my mother died and Shadow brought me into the show..." Apparently, the naga had lived a very sheltered life because of his looks. Understandable...people would be terrified of him if they saw him in everyday life.

Shadow had not been able to get to sleep just yet. He was instead seated on his bed, wearing some old black sweatpants and a white tank top and playing what looked like solitaire with cards at the end of his bed. When he wore simple clothes like that, it was probably going to be an easy day for him...he didn't want to do much.

Léan clung to Kratos tightly when he picked him up, flashing a cranky 'the-hell-you-smiling-at' look at Hebs when they passed each other in the hallway. When he grew embarrassed and flustered like this, he was often hostile towards every freak in the family save for Shadow and Kratos. He shifted uncertainly once the human laid him down the bed and sat up partially, watching him with apprehensive eyes.

Gian tilted his head away to keep those water off of his eyes when Alfie had shook that hair of his vigorously. "Oh? What was it like the first time you swam?" he asked as he swam a little to pull at Alfie's tail teasingly.

Hebs knocked on the door and peered in to blink at Shadow who was playing cards at the end of his bed. "Mind me cleaning in here?" he asked as he looked around. There really wasn't much to clean compared to Alfie's room where his console and games were laying around. But, he could vacuum the floor for any dust.

Kratos saw the apprehension in the merman's eyes and grunted. "I'm not a pervert like Alfie or Shadow is."

"...Well. I kind of sank--ack!" Alfie swung around to playfully swat at Gian to get him off of his tail. "I totally sank. I was terrible, and I was frightened, too. It was kind of like trying to toss a cat into the water..."

Shadow glanced up, flashing him a brief smile and then looking back down to continue his card game. "I don't. Just don't destroy anything." He looked frustrated for some reason. Probably because he hadn't been able to get to sleep yet and inwardly wanted to. It was times like this when he craved having a cuddle buddy. It was a shame his most willing one was out swimming with Gian.

Léan grunted in response. "I'm under the impression that all you humans are, at least a little bit," he retorted, laying back down and backing away towards the other side of the bed, a sign that he welcomed the other's presence next to him.

Gian laughed when he was playfully swatted at to get off Alfie's tail. Instead of hanging there, he moved to wrap his arms around Alfie's shoulders again from the back, he played a little with the others' strands of hair and tilted his head a little. "So... how'd you learn?"

Hebs noticed the look of frustration on Shadow's face and he raised his eyebrows a little as he started vacuuming the others' floor. "Something bothering you?" he asked as he blinked. He fixed what needed to be fixed along the way and by the time he was done, a proud look crossed his face. Now, he just needed a quick shower.

Kratos made a face at that. "I'm half dead," he corrected him before he'd laid down on the bed next to Léan and let out a quiet sigh of relaxation.

Alfie purred softly when he was embraced, leaning back against the human happily. "...Mm. Shadow taught me. Used the aquarium...made Léan stay in his little tank so I could learn a few hours a day. He said he didn't want to lose me if I fell in the toilet," he muttered, grinning sheepishly.

Shadow sighed, successfully winning his game of solitaire. "Mm. I can't sleep and I'd quite like to. My cuddle buddy is out in the ocean." When Shadow couldn't sleep, Alfie would often offer to cuddle up with him and rest...and vice versa, too. Just for the sake of having a friendly, warm body to curl up against...

Léan rolled his eyes. "I don't think that changes things," he declared, simply. "You still happen to be of human descent..." He curled up slightly against the other once he settled on the bed, seeming to have no qualms about getting close. He was still anxious and antsy from having been touched so pointedly in a sensitive place.

"...Then again, I can't say much about my own species in general, either," he admitted, somewhat regretfully. "Around this time is when our mating season is in full swing. And we tend to get rowdy about it..."

...Perhaps that was why he acted so frisky and reacted so powerfully to little touches?

Gian continued to keep himself up on the surface with the other and laughed. "So that was how you learned to swim," he started before he'd grinned in amusement at the sight of that sheepish grin. "Was that also the time Shadow made you have my job now?"

Hebs knew very well about Shadow and Alfie's relationship. He couldn't help but find himself chuckling lightly at that. "If you'll give me a few minutes to shower, I'll come back to cuddle with you." He really didn't want to sleep covered in sweat. Plus, he'd be ashamed to cuddle with Shadow if he didn't shower first. Without really waiting for a reply from the man, he went out again.

Only to reapper about a few minutes later as he'd promised. "I'd like rest myself, too." Yawning a little, the snake man moved to flop down onto Shadow's bed like it was his own and motioned for the other to come on over. "With Gian around, I don't think you'd be able to get Alfie to cuddle with you any more. The boy. He seems attached to him."

Kratos let Léan do what he wanted and looked at him as he frowned. "At least you aren't rowdy," he started before he'd let out a quiet sigh and relaxed. Letting his eyes slide shut, he put his free hand down on his stomach. He seemed to appear like he was sleeping. "And, what is it like... the mating between your kin?"

To Kratos, he never though inter-specie mating would be possible. He had a thing for Léan, true, but he didn't think that far to sleep with him. He didn't think it was possible for a human and a merman to be together.

Alfie groaned, bad memories spurring up. "I hated taking care of Sir Fish," he complained. "Don't even bring it up. He bit me so many times that he made me feel like his own personal chew toy. But yeah, I was in charge of taking care of 'im while I was learning how to swim. That was also around the time he let me try to clean the tank, and I got attacked."

Shadow looked elated at Hebs' offer and he moved quickly to neatly put away the cards he had been playing with. It didn't take him very long, and by the time he had set them back in his nightstand drawer and pushed the door closed, Hebs had returned. He turned and laid down next to the snake man, resting lightly against him and yawning.

"...Mm. That's a shame. Alfie loves to cuddle with everyone who won't bite or attempt to kill him if he does so..." Shadow replied, mournfully, as he rested.

Léan cleared his throat, the hints of a light blush starting to creep up his neck and back onto his face. "...I, ah...it...well..." He paused, going silent for a moment while he thought about how to properly describe it. "...All of the...parts, and...entry points that are on a human...are present," he muttered, looking totally embarrassed. He hated talking about sex, or anything that was even mildly sexual. He often balked and snapped at Alfie and Shadow for doing so. "They're just...hidden under scales."

...Hidden under scales. So, when Kratos had been touching him earlier...had that been why he reacted in such a way?

Gian wasn't able to stop himself from laughing. His hold on the naga, though, didn't falter. "You must really hate being put in charge of Léan," he said as he grinned in amusement. Though, he had to disagree with Alfie there. Léan wouldn't bite anyone not unless you rubbed him the wrong way, right? Plus, the merman had been pretty lenient with him just as long as he made sure he didn't make him angry.

Hell, he reminded him much of his uncle when he was drunk. He had to make sure he appeased him.

If Hebs had seen Shadow looking elated, he would've had smiled or chuckled. As the other settled against him, he pulled the fallen angel closer and threaded his hands, his pads, along those soft strands. Honestly, he really liked Shadow's long hair. It added to the mysterious aura he had. And, with the man up-close to him like this, he really couldn't help but be smitten by his beauty. As Hebs had thought, he still hated that part of Shadow being a fallen angel.

Kratos saw the reaction Léan gave and he blinked a little. "Ah," was all he was able to say after a few minutes of silence. As if what Léan had said hadn't affected him, he let his eyes slide shut after he'd moved his head back to face the ceiling. "Well, wake me if you want to go back to your tank." With that, the man fell asleep. Like always, his chest didn't rise and fall like any humans would. He almost appeared... dead in a way or two.

Alfie was sure that Léan just hated him. The way he reacted to everything Alfie did was just...just magnified...compared to how he reacted to everyone else. Alfie cuddled up close against Gian insistently, letting out a long sigh and just relaxing in the water. "Mm...I think we should all go scuba-diving sometime. That way, we can all do something together..." he piped up, suddenly.

Shadow laid against Hebs comfortably, enjoying having his hair petted as such. He appeared to be relaxing more and more now that he had Hebs to cuddle with him. The fallen angel tended to sleep much better when he had someone with him--hell, he enjoyed most things more when he had someone with him. He wasn't fond of being lonely...it was a fatal flaw of his. He needed people around him to function properly.

Léan still had a blush creeping up his face as he settled down to rest next to Kratos. Whenever he had to talk about anything sexual, well...he just got skittish. Some of his bad experiences in the past had to be similar to sexual abuse. Considering the way he reacted to how Shadow and Alfie constantly tossed inappropriate innuendos and blunt sexual comments around, it was certainly possible that he'd been terribly sexually abused, perhaps by one of his past owners...or perhaps by all of them.

He rested his head tentatively against Kratos' chest and closed his eyes, letting loose a soft, contented sigh as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.


((Feel free to time-skip at any point, if you want, to their walk-through show. Should take place within the next two days or so.))

Two days had passed by then after Shadow's talk of having a walk-through show. Gian had gotten them a place near the beach. In fact, they were even lucky to have platforms put up for the people to cross on. Léan was put in the ocean while all the others were put on one other platform that was about a foot away from the said platform. Kratos, of course, was put beside the merman.

"We're all set," Hebs said as he turned to look at Shadow. Gian, on the other hand, nodded. "Should I go out and stay there to guide the people where to go?" The teen asked this as he looked at Shadow, too.