Shadow hummed softly as he walked, seeming completely uninterested, for once, in the thoughts of the others. He stopped near the back of their home. The nearest room was one near the merman's aquarium, which was empty at the moment of course. It was out of sight, so the fact that Kenichi was frightened of marine creatures--something he'd picked up on after scanning his thoughts--wouldn't be a problem. After all, the merman couldn't exactly get up and walk out of his tank.

"Here we are." The fallen angel turned back toward Kenichi, looking thoughtful. "For now, I would stay out of this room here..." He motioned to the large entryway that led into the aquarium. "The resident who lives here is not fond of strangers. Have a nice rest." With that, he turned and started heading back toward his room. A nap sounded nice.

Alfie snickered, nudging Gian back. "I wouldn't mind a bath. And if you want a back rub, you need to give me one, too." An eye for an eye. Alfie seemed like he was pushing his limits with how affectionate he could get with Gian before the other sort of shied away...

Gian seemed to notice where Alfie was getting to this and his cheeks colored, mostly in embarrassment. "Hey, it's just a bath." Messing up the naga's already messy hair, he brushed past him to head on ahead to his room and leave the door open. Stripping off of his shirt and getting into the bathroom, the boy turned on the faucet and put the plug before he'd undone his pants. "Though if you want relaxation, I hear I'm pretty good with my hands." Grinning at the other once he'd joined him, he raised his hands a little and wiggled his fingers.

What he meant was, he was good at giving a massage. He was often praised at at school.

Kenichi stopped the moment the fallen angel had announced that. "Eh?" Blinking, his gaze followed the other motioning to the large entryway and nodded. "I'll remember that but... I think I'll be sleeping here until you call me." He was full and a couple hours sleep sounded really good. The male bowed deeply to Shadow, as is Japanese tradition. "Thank you very much."

"Yeah, yeah, I know it's just a massage. I just don't want to do all the work," Alfie teased, leaning forward and patting Gian on the back while they walked along. The naga, being completely nude, just slid into the tub beside Gian, looking pleased and shifting a little to get completely comfortable. "Oh, I'm sure you are," he retorted smoothly, arching a clay red eyebrow before a big grin made its way across his face.

"...So...shall I start, or do you want to start?"

"It's no trouble. Just heed my warning," he added as he strolled delicately away, to further emphasize that messing around with the siren, even if he wasn't in his tank, was not a good idea. Even the scent of a stranger near his tank would drive the blonde male absolutely nuts and cause him paranoia for days on end.

When Shadow reached his room, he didn't bother locking the door. He just collapsed in bed, snuggling around one of his pillows and yawning widely.

Gian frowned a little at that and splashed the naga's face with water. "The hell you mean by that?" he asked before he'd gotten rid of his pants to leave himself with his boxers. Moving to sit on the edge of the tub and put his knees on either sides of the naga, he took the soap and the body scrubber. "And I'll start, maybe even service you to show you I'm really good with my hands." Grinning, the boy started to rub the naga's back, neck and lower back at a rather slow and thorough pace.

"'til you turn red."

Kenichi didn't need to be told twice. He was going to remember that. As long these marine creatures stay away from him, he'll be fine. It's when they get close where he loses his cool. Undoing the tie that was holding his hair and the apron around him, he tossed this first into the bin and crashed onto the bed. He yawned, stretched out and was quick to fall asleep. Hebs, on the other hand, came to Shadow's room just as he'd finished. The snake man was peeking in. "You got him to his room?" he asked him in a low voice. He wasn't sure if Shadow was asleep or awake thus that.

"Probably exactly what you think I meant," Alfie snickered, attempting to dodge the water but instead getting an eyeful. Balefully, he started wiping thoroughly at this eyes. "Mm..." The naga leaned forward ever so slightly as Gian began his work, eyes disappearing behind pale eyelids. "Whatever you want to do, do it. I mean...I don't have many limits..."

The comment about him turning red seemed to rile Alfie up, because he scowled and started grumbling under his breath. "It's hard to make me blush, in case you've forgotten..."

"Mm-hm..." Shadow was very still in bed, curled up underneath all of his blankets. He released the grip he had on the pillow when he heard Hebs' voice, knowing that he would be getting a potential cuddle-buddy for his pre-show nap. "It's the room right by the aquarium...I just hope he doesn't get curious and sneak in when our dear siren is in there...you know how he gets around strangers. And we haven't told him about the new boy, yet..."

Gian blinked. "Heh," he started before he'd chuckled, "By red, I meant have your skin as red as your hair." Nudging the other's head a little, the boy took his lips for a light kiss and smiled. He finally finished rubbing the naga's back and put the sponge aside to run his hands over the other's soapy back. A massage was in place. There were some tense muscles and the boy was intent on getting them loose.

Hebs smiled at that. Shadow, somehow, with that pillow told him what he was looking for. Hebs was more than pleased to satisfy that cuddle-buddy need of his. Getting in and quietly shutting the door behind him, he shut the curtains and moved to slide under the covers. He pulled Shadow close and let his fingers thread through his hair until the tips of his fingers were resting on the other's scalp. "What time were we going to meet Rousel? And... the show. Do you think we'd be able to get an audience?" Those who lived near them would surely come. They always did. But, what about those from the other cities? It was a sudden show, after all, and was pretty much unannounced.

Alfie's cheeks colored a little bit at that--success on Gian's part. The naga merely huffed, though, and settled in for a nice, long, relaxing wash and massage. He, like Shadow, liked to be babied on occasion...though, Shadow was much more need than he could ever be. He was tense, for some reason...maybe the stress from the new and sudden introduction to their family...but under Gian's skillful touches, he was soon utterly relaxed.

"Later at night after the show ends. We'll rent a hotel and stay there for the night...and then we'll return in the morning," Shadow replied, wrapping his arms tightly around Hebs. He wanted to cuddle so badly...cuddling always made naps more satisfying and restful. "As for the show...for now, we can deal with the regulars coming in. They usually come in great numbers, so...we should be all right." He paused, glancing off to the side. "I hope Rousel is on his best behavior. I told him that I wouldn't have the patience for his antics...after all, we have business to attend to."

Gian grinned in accomplishment when he'd seen Alfie's cheeks color just a bit. Even if the blushing was just a bit, it meant a lot to him. That, and he knew that Alfie can still be embarrassed further. How, though, was a mystery to him. Yet. "Don't fall asleep on me," he whispered into the other's ear as he moved his arms to give the other a hug from behind, "You still need to rub my back."

"I see. All right." Nodding at that, the male relaxed and smiled at the way Shadow was holding him. He sure was cute like this. His smile, though, disappeared when he'd heard what Shadow had to say about Rousel. "What exactly do I have to watch out for with him?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a bit. He idly hoped he wouldn't be giving Shadow and himself trouble. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was getting into useless banters.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Alfie huffed playfully, sitting up a little straighter and arching his back ever so slightly. He leaned back into Gian's embrace, a big smile on his face. The blush on his face was gone, now. It had disappeared as quickly as it had darkened his cheeks. It was rare to get any kind of blush out of Alfie unless, well, it was during a time of intense passion. Shadow was the same way. There were certain things, though, that could get Alfie going...

"Rousel is very physically strong. He likes to push his weight around. Because he's so strong, he's used to getting pretty much whatever he wants whenever he wants it. He has no sense of self-control..." The way Shadow spoke...it sounded as if Rousel had given him a lot of trouble before in the past and was prone to starting more trouble. He was a really big, heavy lunk...it wasn't easy to overpower him without using violence.

Gian stayed in that position for a while before he'd patted Alfie's chest and pushed his shoulders to have the naga sit up. Moving off to get his boxers off so he'd be bare naked, he shivered at the cold air brushing against his skin. Gian quickly got into the tub and sat on Alfie's lap while he soaked himself into the hot water with a refreshing and delicious sigh. "Give me a sec; I need to get my temperature down... been out and half-naked for a while." The boy stuck his tongue out a bit and then grinned.

"That doesn't sound like a guy to be dealt with," he said with a frown before he'd sighed and made a face. "Sometimes, I forget you're a masochist and that you enjoy such sadists."

Alfie snickered, moving in close to wrap his body around Gian. Hopefully, this would give the human more warmth--his big tail, when it was warm, acted as a heated blanket. "It's all right. Just tell me when you're ready, yeah? I'll get started." Playfully, the naga started cracking his fingers as if in preparation...was he deliberately teasing Gian? It certainly appeared that was what he was doing...and he was having fun with it.

"He's not so much of a sadist...he just likes being in control," Shadow corrected pointedly, reaching up to cup the side of Hebs' face in one of his hands. "I don't want you to get too close to him. I don't think I could bear it if he hurt you in any way. He really needs to learn some limits...this is another reason why I'm not so keen on having him join the family..."

Gian leaned further against Alfie and blinked for a moment when the other had cracked those fingers of his. "You're having fun, aren't you?" he asked, his cheeks coloring out of embarrassment. Reaching back, he tugged a little at Alfie's hair and tilted his head so he could catch the other's lips for a light kiss. "Your tail's warm." Smiling a little against the naga's lips, he let go of his hair to dip his hand into the water and put it on Alfie's hip.

Hebs was rather surprised when Shadow had rested that hand of his on his cheek. He hadn't expected that to happen at all. "As I said, you worry too much," he said as he put his hand over Shadow's own and turned his head to kiss his palm, "But, I will worry about you as well if he tries to harm you or touch you. After all, I am a jealous man." The last tidbit was just added to make things a little lighter. He was teasing Shadow, he thought?

Alfie chuckled softly, a smile on his face after Gian tugged away from their kiss. "Of course it's warm. The water's warm..." he reminded the other amusedly. He began to shift his position, though, to try and get behind Gian in the tub so he could start his massage. "Come on, budge up a bit. That is, if you want my massage. Maybe you don't want it after all," the naga teased as he stated to back away. He seemed so perfectly comfortable all cuddled up with Gian in this tub. He could lay here for hours...

Shadow made a face before moving his other hand to rest on Hebs' hip. "Just don't make calamari out of him, hmm? It wouldn't serve me well to have my only means of communicating with the underwater world gone...as well, there wouldn't be a definitive way for me to find out if Arcturus is still free in the ocean." That's right...Arcturus was the name of Léan's brother. "I like to know what's going on in the world of sirens. I have a few friends underwater, but...Rousel is the only one willing to come up to the surface so readily."

Gian made a face at the other's teasing remark and did as he was told. He budged up at his request and moved to have Alfie behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he raised his eyebrows a little as his hands held himself up a bit by holding onto the edges of the tub. "Is this far enough?"

Hebs chuckled lightly. "It'll be nice if Arcturus was found. I think Kratos wouldn't mind taking care of both him and Léan." There was a slight frown that touched his face, though, upon hearing the last words. "Isn't that because he's fascinated by you?" Letting his eyes slide shut so the look of jealousy won't be too obvious, he rested his forehead against the other's collarbone and relaxed into the bed.

Alfie grinned, looking wickedly amused for some reason. Maybe it was the way Gian had moved, or the way he was looking at him, but...for some reason, he was finding this whole scene incredibly hot. Snickering, the naga leaned forward, using his hands to begin work on the human's back. "That's enough..." Alfie gave wonderful massages. He had skilled hands from having to give his poor ill mother gentle massages when she was in pain. In her final days, his mother had always wanted him by her side...

Shadow caught the look of jealousy even though Hebs was trying his hardest to hide it. "That, and he's used to coming up to the surface to avoid other merpeople. His kind aren't accepted by the rest of underwater society...they're shunned, feared, ridiculed. Even though he doesn't mind it and is used to it, he prefers to hang around land and the shallows rather than try to associate with others of his kind. He's a rare breed, and a bit of a loner. But...he's very flirtatious, for some reason." The fallen angel chuckled and then closed his eyes. "Perhaps we should get to sleep."

If Gian could read minds like Shadow and had known what Alfie was thinking, he would've had probably already whacked the naga with the shampoo bottle. Making a face at that snicker he'd just heard, he turned his attention to the wall before him and slowly relaxed as those skilled hands worked on him. "Mm... okay." A couple of delicious and quiet groans rumbled from the back of his throat once the knots had been worked out from his body. He'd remembered Alfie talking about his mother the first time he'd had his bath with him. No shame, no nothing when he was bare naked.

"You're going to give me a different problem all together in my crotch if you continue doing that."

Hebs listened and he'd somehow felt pity for Rousel. That pity, though, didn't last long when he'd heard the words 'very flirtatious'. Well, he'll be. That's just dandy. "We should," he mumbled, letting his eyes open to see Shadow's face and those closed eyes of his. He was unable to keep himself from smiling softly as he wrapped his arms tightly around the fallen angel. He may not have him after that talk with Damon but every moment now can be relished just as much.

Alfie paused all of a sudden in his massaging, arching an eyebrow at Gian's words. "Well, sheesh...I knew I was good, but I didn't know I was that good," he declared, sounding sheepish. He stopped his massage altogether and then veered around to face Gian, looking cheerful. "...But, I guess the real question here is..." he leaned a little closer, seeming hopeful, "...do you want me to strop?"

Shadow nodded absently when Hebs spoke, no such stressful thoughts running through his head. He was deliberately trying to ignore the fact that a life-changing event would be happening for him within the next five days. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to come to terms with the fact that he was going to lose either Damon or Hebs for good. Shadow hated having to choose between two overly-favorable options. He didn't want to disappoint anyone or leave anyone behind. It was going to be hard for him.

Gian blinked. He blinked again. And, then again. "Wipe off that hopeful face of yours," he started, reaching up to pinch Alfie's cheeks, "And..." Steam could be seen coming out from Gian's ears as he looked elsewhere but to Alfie's face. Letting his hands drops to the water, too, he mumbled a short, "No," as he tried to cover his face by looking down. His cheeks were a bright red. Alfie's massage was too good to have to ask him to stop; plus, he liked Alfie's hands.

Alfie liked Gian's reaction. No, he really liked Gian's reaction. He moved forward, an almost predatory look on his face, as he draped his tail around the human again. "Oh. All right, then," he purred, pulling his hands back and then placing them on his back again, starting up with his gentle massage. He knew all the right points to hit--all the pleasure points in his back and sides. And boy, was he putting that knowledge of his on the matter to good use. He didn't know what he was hoping for...but he was hoping for something.

Gian found his hands resting on Alfie's tail while he shuddered every time Alfie hit certain pleasure points in his back. "Ngh..." His eye shut and his cheeks continued to stay red while he mumbled his next words. "Are you purposely trying to get me up?" he asked with a face as he turned to look over his shoulder. His body, though, seemed to relax further into Alfie's touches and his defenses were gone. Honestly, he wasn't sure how far Alfie was wanting to go with him.

"Well, ah..." Alfie finally blushed, from the tips of his ears down to the bottom curve of his jaw. "...Okay, lemme be blunt. Do you want to do something, or should I stop?" His hands stilled, resting on the human's shoulder blades. He was waiting ever so patiently for a response. Truth be told, the naga didn't know how far he wanted to go...just that he would definitely want to try more if Gian was up for it.

Gian blinked when he'd seen Alfie blushing like that. His own red cheeks had turned to a normal color now and he'd grinned brightly. "Now there's the Alfie I know." Patting the naga's hip, he turned to look again at the wall before him. "And it's 'do something'. With you." As for what that something is, it could be anything. He really didn't mind at all. It just made his heart ram rather noisily against his chest though somewhat anxiously.

(( *tugs 'em both out* ))

[[ -tugs 'em back both- ]]

"Oh?" Gian looked up at Alfie. How come he didn't know about that? "Maybe he'd be suggesting that later on when he sees your situation. Probably after a little scolding too..." Mumbling this, the boy yawned again and let out a little grunt. His eyes slid shut and he rested his forehead against the other's chin. His arms were tight around Alfie's neck while his leg slung over the naga's tail. Before knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

(( SKIPPING FORWARD A BIT. ))


"We're almost there," Shadow piped up, the first words he'd said for nearly ten minutes. "Just make a left here and then park on the side of the road. We'll have to hop the guardrail and head far down toward the rocks. He should be there. I should warn you...he likes sneaking up on people. He's big, but he's quiet. Don't get too close to the water's edge. Keep at least...the distance of the height of an average male between you and the water."

Shadow was very worried about how Rousel was going to behave. He was known for being mischievous and very controlling. But...would he honestly...try and pull a stranger under? He didn't know Hebs, but he did know Shadow...

Shadow hadn't told him he was bringing a friend along. Rousel was sketchy around people he didn't know. He wasn't shy, but...he was certainly very wary and jumpy. It was surprising how such a big lunk like himself could move so quickly when the situation demanded it.

The water beyond the rocks was very, very dark...and it looked like it was a chilly temperature. The waves were small, barely waves at all as they lapped against the rocks. The water was so dark that it would easily hide Rousel beneath the surface...