Shadow perked up at once, the game forgotten, when Kratos returned and declared that. He seemed eager, at first, but then he shrank back rather timidly. Elysium had been a constant presence back home in Shadow's home world of Babylon. He didn't know if he remembered him or not, but...he never felt comfortable being around someone who might have known him from his past.

"I don't like going out there. But, you can see it. Just...have someone else take you out." He shifted uncomfortably. He really didn't like having Elysium there. But he hoped he wouldn't be here for too long. He wasn't going to be able to avoid this forever. Really, he wasn't. It would probably be better for him to go out with everyone else. But...would he be able to? Or would it be too much for him?

Alfie sat very still, as did Léan. Léan didn't want to get involved at all, but...Alfie did. Alfie was so, so curious. But...would having more people there make things worse?

Elysium had noticed Shadow but he didn't say anything at all. Hades seemed to have noticed the way the fallen angel was acting and he teased Elysium as the two made their way out. Kratos gave Léan a kiss on the cheek before he'd gotten up as well. If they wanted to fully revive Damon, he was going to need a lot of help from Hades, mostly. Elysium was going to handle the brain problem but it was the attaching of the soul to the body that was going to be hard. Even for a human like him, he still had limits.

"I've never seen those two with Kratos. Who're they?" Gian asked as he blinked and turned to look at Alfie who looked awfully enticed to follow them. Idly, he wondered if it's all right to do so - follow them, that is. Hebs patted Shadow's back and pulled him close for a half hug. "You knew Elysium?" he asked, in a quiet voice. He didn't want Alfie, Gian or Léan to overhear him after all.

"I have no idea..." the naga admitted, brow furrowed. "Never seen them before." Alfie wanted to see what was going on, for sure. But when he saw that only Kratos was going with him, he lost his hope of getting up. He instead snuggled with Gian at once, closing his eyes. He wasn't about to interrupt anything that was really important--if Kratos needed to concentrate, he would leave him alone. He also wanted Shadow to feel better, too--he didn't like seeing him so upset and angry.

Shadow turned so he could wrap his arms around Hebs, accepting the affectionate and somewhat reassuring gesture. "I did," he muttered, also in a very quiet voice. "A long time ago. I didn't want him recognizing me, but I saw that he did..."

Gian gave a little hum and accepted the snuggle. In fact, he'd even nuzzled the other's cheek and toyed with his wings. "They look pretty cool, though, especially that guy in white." Elysium was busy working on Damon as the other two talked about what they should do. Kratos wouldn't obviously be able to handle the revival and that was where Hades was going to step in. "You sure owe us a lot," he told the human as he grunted and squinted at the bright light that was coming from Elysium's hands. He really hated that. It was one of the reasons why he hated anything holy.

"Sure do. But hey, at least you're able to talk to Elysium again." Hades made a face and whacked the back of Kratos head before he'd put his index finger against his lips. "He can hear us from even this far distance." As if to answer them, a strong gust of wind passed by, which made Hades grasp onto Kratos' arm. He made another face and sighed. "I hate that about him." Kratos snickered and bickered a little more with Hades before they took their turn in. Now that Elysium had done his job, he left the two to work on Damon.

It was another two hours when the sewing of the soul to the body was done. Kratos was exhausted and Hades smirked in amusement. "Weak ass." Kratos only grunted as he motioned for him to go call someone to help them. Damon was going to wake in a few seconds. Surely, all better now.

Hades stepped back into the villa and went off in search for Hebs and Shadow. When he'd spotted them, he raised a thumbs-up. "Done," he told them as he nodded, "Damon might not be able to walk for a while though but he'll get to it. Treat him like a baby the first few weeks. He's fragile." Hebs nodded in understanding and turned to look at Shadow. "Do you want to go talk to him? I can help Kratos out there to give him back to Lean." Their siren was surely worried. After all, this was no easy feat.

Léan had perked up at once when he saw someone returning, as he was getting tired of chit-chat between his family members and the ongoing game, but relaxed almost just as quickly when he realized it wasn't Kratos. He grunted, staring moodily at the wall. Alfie, who was directly in line with the wall, moved a little to avoid feeling those arctic blue eyes burning through his skin. "Yeah, I guess he was pretty cool, but...Shadow fidgeted when he came in here..." The naga's voice had dropped slightly. "Do they know each other or something?"

Shadow's hands tightened into fists. His nails seemed to be digging into his palms. The fallen angel didn't look too eager about having to face all of this--he was trying to avoid it even though he knew it was inevitable. He had to do this. He just needed someone to push him in the right direction before he chickened out for good. He turned his head away, chewing his lip. He didn't want to go out there. He was afraid.

Gian was curious now. Didn't Shadow say he was a fallen angel? Then, did that mean he knew that guy wearing white? Shrugging the thought off, he snickered when he'd seen Alfie move away from Léan and tackled the naga onto the couch before he'd snuggled against him. He was silent as he watched Shadow and Hebs interact with Hades but didn't pay them much attention. The boy, apparently, was intent on taking a short nap.

Hebs saw Shadow's reaction and he sighed quietly before giving Hades a smile of gratitude. "Shadow," the snake man started as he made the fallen angel face him, "The more you avoid this, the more you'll only hurt yourself." As much as Hebs didn't want Shadow to go meet Damon, he knew he couldn't keep him in the dark for long. After all, his heart was in stake here. Though he's already prepared himself for the worst. "Come on. I'll come with you to him." Hebs still needed to pick Kratos off from the ground. He could only guess the man was in the same state as he was before the first time he'd revived Damon.

Taking Shadow's hand in his own, he led the way out to the backyard where Damon, Kratos and, well, all the graves were waiting for them. Upon arriving at the said spot, Hebs gave Shadow's hand a little squeeze before he'd smiled the softest smile he could his way. Hebs finally let go, though, when Kratos called out to him and he motioned for him to wait. Crouching down by Damon's coffin, he took his handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the few drops of water that had fallen onto his face. It had rained the night before so it's not surprising that a few drops of water from the leaves of the trees above them had fallen.

Alfie was certainly up for a short nap. He was so, so curious, but he knew that his presence would only make things worse. So, a distraction such as a nap was certainly welcome for him. He squealed when Gian attacked him, cuddling against him and then settling down to rest. He figured that they would all just wait here until Shadow and Hebs had finished with their business...Alfie, after all, wanted to know what happened in the end.

Shadow reached up and grabbed Hebs' wrists, intending to rip them off of his face. But his hands stayed put, just firmly gripping the younger male's wrists. They started to shake. As much as he wanted to deny what Hebs was saying, he knew that he was right. He glanced away, biting on his bottom lip. But he didn't try to get away. Instead, he let Hebs lead him outside. He held onto his hand as tightly as he possibly could and lagged behind as far as he could.

He seemed very uncomfortable in the graveyard, and it wasn't just because he knew what was waiting for him. The way he was looking around the graves--so sadly, so mournfully--showed that he was just very uncomfortable being among all the graves in the first place.

When Hebs let him go, Shadow took two steps backwards, his eyes glued to the coffin and the still corpse inside. The look on his face was not very promising--he looked like he wanted to run away. Damon, in the coffin, was not moving yet, but he was breathing very slowly and starting to get warm. He would probably stir in a moment...but would Shadow try to run away before then?

Hebs put his handkerchief back into his pocket and turned to look at Shadow. He could see the fear in the other's face and he knew very well that the other might just run away if he could. Getting up to his feet, he walked back to where the fallen angel was situated at and held his face in his hands. He stroked the other's cheeks with his thumbs before he'd clapped them against his cheeks. "This is no time for you to think even running away." The snake man moved his hands to Shadow's shoulders and nodded once. "Get through this like a man, which you are now."

Kratos grunted and snorted. "That's a wuss," was all the life man had said before he'd chuckled and turned to look at the coffin. Was Damon already awake?

Shadow hesitated when Hebs approached, but he let him grab his face and stroke his cheeks--he made the mistake of relaxing and closing his eyes. When he felt a sharp, slightly stinging pain in his cheeks, though, he reached his hands up and tried to swat Hebs away. "Ouch," he grumbled, scowling. "Fine. I'm not going to run. But I'm not going to say anything, either." It was obvious that Shadow felt awkward being here.

When he heard Kratos' words, he rounded on him and glowered. He'd just opened his mouth to possibly retort in a childish way when he was halted, frozen in place by a quiet voice.

"Stop acting like a child, please. It's not helping..." Damon's eyes were still closed and he was laying rather still in the coffin. He felt like he weighed ten tons and he didn't know if he could move without help. He did open his eyes, though, and he peered in the direction of Shadow and Hebs. Shadow would not turn to face him--he looked shocked and...scared, maybe.

Hebs was just about to say something else when Damon had decided to say that. It surely stopped Shadow but Shadow was still acting rather rudely to the man. Not that he could blame him. After all, Shadow and he had shared intimate times when Damon was still alive. The snake man leaned in to pull Shadow close so he could whisper a few words into his ear: "I will be waiting. For you." Kissing the other's ear, he finally pulled back and smiled softly before he'd let go of him and turned to look at Damon.

"I need to bring Kratos back. Léan's not very happy." Taking Kratos' wrist, he helped him up and put his arm around his shoulders. "'course he isn't." Kratos turned to look back at Shadow and snorted. "Wuss." Knowing quite well that he was probably not helping Shadow relax and was riling him up, it was all he could do to take his mind away - even for a split second - from something the fallen angel didn't want to, well, dwell on. Hebs finally brought Kratos back into the villa and put him beside Léan. The life man was quick to pull Léan into a tight hug and nuzzled his siren before he'd relaxed. Tired. He was damn tired.

Shadow and Damon had a silent standoff the moment Hebs was gone with Kratos. Damon's eyes burned holes into Shadow's back. Shadow seemed frozen in place--he wasn't even blinking. They said not one single word to each other. Damon was waiting for Shadow to speak first. Until he did, he couldn't be sure that the fallen angel was even listening to him. Maybe he needed another slap in the face. Damon would have pulled his ear if he could, but...he couldn't move.

Inside the villa, Léan immediately welcomed Kratos back and hugged him close, purring and nuzzling against the human's neck as he settled down. He wanted to nap, just like Alfie and Gian did. But he paused, listening very closely for a moment since everyone was quiet. He then arched a pale blonde eyebrow at Hebs. "I don't hear them talking." ...That's right. Léan had incredible hearing. He could tell that Shadow and Damon--mostly Shadow, but still--were having problems.

Hebs frowned at that. He didn't like what he was hearing from Léan at all. "I've already said it. He's a wuss." The snake man sighed and made a face before he'd given Léan a look. "Please beat some sense into him," he said, motioning to Kratos who was happily snuggling up to his partner. Running his fingers through his white hair, he finally left the villa the second time that day and came to where Shadow and Damon was. They were definitely quiet. It was like the both of them was giving each other the cold shoulder.

"Sorry. Let me smack some sense into him." Grabbing ahold of Shadow's ear, he gave Damon a small smile as he brought the fallen angel off to the side. About five to six meters away from where Damon was. "If you don't start talking to him, I might as well rebuke my promise to you and just not care at all." Hebs put his hands on Shadow's shoulders and shook him a little. "Maybe even give up loving you. Do you... want that?"

"Don't talk about Shadow like that," Léan snapped firmly at Kratos despite the affection he was giving him. Insulting Shadow around the siren when he was in a good mood was not a good thing to do. Shadow was the one who saved the merman from a terrible life, after all--Léan usually respected him like he was the most powerful authority figure in existence. He was very close to him, too.

Damon smiled despite himself, knowing that Shadow would need to have some sense smacked into him. He knew how stubborn Shadow was--he too was also very stubborn. Shadow grunted in pain, willingly following Hebs after a second so that the strain on his poor ear wasn't as bad. When he was shaken and threatened, Shadow flinched backward, like he expected Hebs to lash out and possibly hit him. He popped open one eye and then scowled. "And what the hell am I supposed to say?" he demanded, his voice a little shaky, nervous, and...overly emotional? He'd been building up his bad feelings about this for so long that it was affecting his desire to embrace Damon again and welcome him back to the world of the living.

When that thought rolled through his mind, he sniffed slightly and reached up to try and pry Hebs' hands off of his shoulder. "This is painfully awkward," he stated, quite simply.

Kratos grunted. "If you saw him, you'd think differently." The life man loosened his hold on the siren and shifted to lean against the wall. He was pouting with his arms crossed over his chest. "He was really a wuss, letting all those emotional stuffs get to him."

Hebs stepped closer to bring Shadow into a tight hug. "Welcome him back," he started before he'd buried half of his face on the other's shoulder, "Talk to him. About your issues. I can't be holding onto this hope of loving you forever when he's around now." Clutching onto Shadow's shirt, he had to keep himself from breaking down as he let out a shaky sigh. "I know it's awkward but please, at least, have the decency to tell me off if you're still in love with him and want him back in your life." The snake man knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much further so he let go and put his hands on Shadow's shoulders.

It was pretty hard to keep up a straight face but Hebs somehow managed to do so. "You can't love the both of us the same." Giving Shadow's shoulders a few more taps, he took his hands back and slid it into the confines of his pockets. Overly emotional wouldn't even start to describe what Hebs was feeling right now. "I'll go take a walk out. You take your time talking to him. When I come back... I'd like an answer from you."

Hebs could already feel his smile slowly losing its genuinity. He had to quickly step back and walk on back to the villa to get out to the front doors and take that said walk. Now that he was alone, it was a whole lot easier to just let everything... go.

"He's had too much time to let it build up," Léan reminded him pointedly, also folding his arms across his chest. "What if you...felt the same about another person as you did about me? And you had to choose? What would you be feeling?" He was defending Shadow. He had to--he didn't let anyone, even Kratos, talk down about him unless he agreed with what the other person was saying. And he most definitely did not agree with Shadow being a wuss.

Shadow's arm had stretched out after Hebs once he started walking away of its own accord. He stood there again for a moment, looking lost, before he cleared his throat and slowly turned around. Damon had managed to grip onto the side of the coffin with one of his weak hands and was in the middle of trying to raise himself up into a sitting position. Shadow hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. He reached down and slid his hands beneath Damon's body, slowly lifting him up and pulling him into a very gentle, warm hug.

Damon thanked him with a quiet hum and then closed his eyes, exhausted from trying to pull himself up like that. He was just now realizing that he wouldn't be able to do too much of anything for the next week, at least. The thought of being vulnerable again like he had when he'd been so ill with cancer scared him a little. He reached out, though, with a shaky hand and patted Shadow's back. "Come. We need to talk...and for that, we need to face each other."

Shadow reluctantly let him go and kept his hands behind him to support him as he continued to sit up. Once again the pair fell silent as they stared at each other for the first time in years. Shadow glanced away after a long while, and Damon took this as his cue to start. "Look back at me, please. ...Thank you." His expression grew blank, as he didn't want Shadow to try and read his intentions. The fallen angel was far too uneasy to use his powers to their full extent right now.

"He loves you. And you love him." Damon smiled, making sure he still had Shadow's full attention on him. "I died long ago. And...I know you never recovered. You grew miserable without me. It was not directly my fault, but...I caused you so much pain. You've started to move on. And...so have I." He reached out again with his shaky arm to rest his hand on the side of Shadow's neck.

"You and I don't belong with each other anymore. You belong with him. And you know it. And you know what you have to do now, don't you?"

It was easy to see that Shadow's heart was debating whether it should rise or sink with happiness or agony. When he realized, after remembering to use his power, that Damon was serious, he jumped up from where he was sitting, looking confused again. He stood there for a solid minute before Damon spoke again as he started laying back down. Moving was really knocking the wind out of him.

"What could you possibly be waiting for? Go and get him..."

As if he'd been slapped in the face (yet another time), Shadow turned and bolted in the direction that Hebs had gone, not really knowing where he could find him. He headed out of the open gates and waited there for him to double back around.

Kratos continued to pout. His pout even seemed to have worsen at that question. "That's unfair, letting me choose." Without thinking, the life man reached out to take Léan's wrist and pull him close to him for a tight hug. "I'll choose you over any one... even your look-alikes."

Hebs was out. Walking. As he'd said he would. The male found himself crouching down so suddenly though as he leaned against the tree, just a couple of blocks away from the villa. It was painful. Really, really painful. Just the very thought that he was going to lose Shadow was already searing through his heart and tearing it to those little pieces. He could already picture it and it wasn't a pleasant sight at all for him to see. Running his fingers through his hair and tugging at the ends of his strands, he buried his face in his arm and let his eyes slide shut.

I want him, was the mantra-like thoughts that was crossing his mind as he recalled the conversation he'd had with Damon weeks ago. He couldn't believe it was almost a month since then. It sure was a long wait; he just hoped it was a wait that was in Shadow's favor. I really do. As his grasp on his hair tightened, he frowned as he continued this self-pity play of his. "The hell am I doing staying here like an idiot, wanting a walk and silence?" he asked to no one in particular. The snake man looked up, rested his chin on his forearm and gave a little sigh. Hebs honestly wanted to cry but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to. The tears just wouldn't come. Oh, but his shoulders shook. And, he'd almost lost his composure with Shadow back then.

Did that count?

Hebs let go of his hair and watched as his vision was slightly blocked off by the strands of hair that fell over his eyes. His slit-like eyes stared off in the distance for a second or two before he'd heaved out a heavy breath. Clapping his hands on his knees, he pushed himself up to his feet and nodded to himself. There was that determination on his face, the slight fear in his eyes, and the feeling of anxiety running all over his nervous system. Might as well accept the fact that I'm no match to such a cute guy like Damon... Hebs was just about to turn around when he'd stopped at the sight of the cafeteria just across the road. There was an unusually pretty boy cleaning the tables and he raised his eyebrows a little in surprise when he'd glanced his way and then resumed cleaning. It was like he hadn't seen anything like a snake man before him.

"Strange kid..." Frowning a bit, he made a mental note to visit the place one of these days as he slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. His feet finally led him back to the gates of the villa and he was surprised - very much surprised - to see Shadow there. "What are you doing out?" he started, blinking for a bit, while he jogged a bit to get to the position to stand in front of him, "Aren't you supposed to be at the back?" Although Hebs wouldn't admit it, he was afraid. He was afraid to hear what Shadow had to say. But, all too determined to know who it is that Shadow had finally settled on for.

Somehow, a part of his inner self was thinking it wasn't him.

"...Look-alikes?" Léan suddenly made a face, gingerly resting his head on Kratos' shoulder. "I don't mean looks. I mean personality." The siren hated it when people were judged solely on their looks. It probably had to do with all the abuse he had suffered, but he felt strongly about it. For example, he really did hate modeling and stripping--two occupations which were based almost solely on looks. He found them disgusting professions.

Shadow had to convince himself several times to stay where he was and not run back to confront Damon again. It was obvious that while Damon loved Shadow, it was not a romantic love anymore for him. Damon had moved on. It hurt Shadow to know that Damon had moved on while he himself hadn't. But then again, he'd started, hadn't he? New feelings had been coming to light. The fallen angel realized at this point that he needed to stop questioning it and try to let Damon go for good. He wasn't going to get him back--even if he might have wanted it, Damon certainly didn't seem to want it.

When he saw Hebs across the street, he froze up again for a moment as he approached. Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but it caught in his throat. He slowly closed his mouth, eyes fixed on Hebs. He tried again to speak, but he couldn't find his voice. He bit on his bottom lip. For a moment, the fallen angel did nothing.

Then, he took a quick step forward and practically fell into a tight hug with the younger male, holding him very tightly. He finally regained his voice. "...Damon...doesn't feel the same way I do anymore," he revealed, quite softly.

Kratos grumbled under his breath. Aren't those the same? Well, to him they're the same. Everyone was the same. Tightening his hold on the siren, he nuzzled him a little and sighed quietly. "Sleep," he'd suddenly said as he relaxed against the wall. Though he knew he was going to get a back ache as soon as he'd wake up, he didn't really care. More like, he didn't mind.

Hebs wanted to shut his eyes and ears when he'd seen Shadow open that mouth of his speak. It was honestly making him want to just tell the other to 'forget it; let's talk about this another day'. But, he stayed where he was and kept quiet. When the other had suddenly hugged him tightly, it had him raising his eyebrows a little in surprise. The tight feeling in his chest had returned and he pulled his hand out from his pocket. "I'm sure he must've been mistaken." Apparently, Hebs had taken that wrongly.

Patting Shadow on the back, he rested his hand on his shoulder and tilted his head a little, "You sure he'd said that?" Hebs didn't want to force Shadow. Honestly, it was the last thing he wanted to do. Recalling, too, that Damon was still at the backyard, he supposed he should clear things up both for himself and Shadow. "Come with me back to him." The snake man kissed the side of the fallen angel's head and patted his back again. "Let's hear him out together."

Léan was suddenly not looking too happy. He was very sensitive about the clear difference between looks and personality. Of course, he typically kept this under wraps until he ranted about something. Like strippers or models, for example--he did go off on them every once in a while when he caught some bits of conversation about them or saw something on TV about them. He huffed defiantly, turning his head away so he could focus on something else. He was starting to feel a very painful jab at his self-esteem.

Was that all he was good for? His looks?

"Yes...I'm sure..." Shadow seemed confused by Hebs' behavior. He was inexperienced when it came to feelings of love, and he didn't understand why Hebs hadn't caught on to what he was saying. But he saw that the other looked determined to clear things up with Damon, so...he simply nodded and then turned, holding onto Hebs as he started making his way back to where Damon's coffin was.

Damon was still laying down, having dozed off. He was exhausted already--his body was going to be weak, of course, for quite a while. When he heard footsteps approaching, though, he was jolted out of his uneasy sleep. He blinked, using his stronger arm to hoist himself up into a sitting position while they approached. "Mm...what is it?" he asked, seeming puzzled.

As if having read Léan's mind, Kratos reached up to have his hand rest on the back of the siren's head. "I don't care whether you're ugly or pretty," he mumbled as he nuzzled the other's cheek. "I've liked you for you. You remind me a lot of myself." Unsociable. Easy to rile up. These were just a few he found was similar between them. Looks or personalities doesn't matter to him. "Léan, you, matter to me." He'd unconsciously voiced out the last words, his body finally relaxing as he entered slumber.

Kratos looked really tired and it was no surprise he fell asleep pretty easily.

Hebs looked a little embarrassed. "Shadow just told me you didn't feel the same way he did." The snake man brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Are you sure about that even if Shadow feels strongly about you?" He still couldn't believe it. Did Damon really not love Shadow the way Shadow loves him? What was it that the two had talked about? "I know I've said that I want him and I really do but..." As Hebs trailed off, he turned to look at Shadow and then glanced back at Damon.

"He... loves you. A lot." At least, that was what he was getting from what Shadow had told him a while ago. Seeing as Shadow's his first love, it's not surprising that Hebs was new at this. So he was pretty much struggling with this bouncing back of love and unrequited ones. "Do you, also, not want to rest in your room? I can bring you there." Or Shadow. They were both strong, anyway. Surely, they can bring Damon in.

Léan was instantly cheered and reassured by Kratos' words, though he was now going to have an issue with insecurity for a little bit. He immediately snuggled up against him, closing his eyes and purring gently while the other slept. He knew Kratos was tired...and he would probably be better off in their bed. But Léan couldn't exactly carry him. And he didn't want to wake him either. At a loss, he simply decided a short nap on the couch was what was best right now. Thus, he settled down to nap alongside his dear human.

Damon raised a single eyebrow and then glanced at Shadow, who was looking sheepish. He then chuckled softly, realizing what had happened. He should have known that Shadow might word things incorrectly. "If Shadow still loved me unconditionally the way he used to...then he wouldn't have feelings for you," was his simple, gentle response. "He has started to move on, without even realizing it. And thus, so have I. We do not belong with each other anymore. I have no plans to pursue him anymore. I hope you treat him well."

Hearing it a second time seemed to hammer and solidify Damon's decision in Shadow's mind. He was very, very sad, of course--his love for Damon had lasted a very long time even after the other had died. But now he knew he had to move on, too, or he would just be miserable for the rest of his life.

Hebs turned to look at Shadow. His expression was simply killing him. "I will," he said as he moved his gaze back to Damon and smiled softly, "I will treat him more than well." A part of him just wanted to tease Shadow but he thought otherwise. It wasn't the place to do so. "I do love him, after all." Hebs didn't look at Shadow as he'd said that. He didn't want the fallen angel to see his flushed cheeks.

Putting his hand under Damon's back, he nodded once his way. "I'll help you to your room," he started, "I've cleaned it up yesterday. Will you... trust me as I carry you to your room?"

Damon smiled at Hebs, now feeling very certain that he'd made the right choice. His stronger hand latched gently onto Hebs' arm. "I will trust you. Just...please move me slowly. I don't know just how fragile I am, yet." After all, his legs were completely still. He hadn't even tried moving them, yet. It was possible that they would break very easily--that all of his bones could break easily--until he was situated in his revived body again.

Shadow moved forward, too. For the first time in a month, there was a smile on the fallen angel's face. There was a new road ahead of him and he was actually eager to get going on it. He placed a hand on Hebs' back and patted it gently, assuring him that he was just fine with Damon's choice. It had all been up to Damon, after all--Shadow had a feeling that he just couldn't choose himself, being a little selfish deep down...Damon had to step in as the judge and jury this time.

Hebs smiled at Damon's words and blinked for a second or two when he'd heard the last ones. His eyes immediately moved to Damon's legs as he pursed his lips. He was silently thinking about how to carry the man without his coffin when Shadow had patted his back. It had him turning to look up at him. Surprise was adamant on staying on the snake man's features when he'd seen that smile. Somehow, he was unable to look away for a moment as his cheeks flamed red. "Help me out here. Could you carry Damon's legs for me?"

Managing to tear his gaze away from Shadow, he tried to check Damon's legs. They were pretty frozen, he'd noticed. Damon was more than fragile. It was going to be hard to bring him in. "Or should we bring in the coffin?" Hebs didn't think it was a good idea moving Damon so suddenly. It just might break bones and he didn't want that happening at all.

Shadow's smile widened into a grin when he noticed Hebs' blush. He patted his back a couple more times before nodding slowly. "We can bring the coffin inside. I can put it with the others in the basement. I had a freak who used to collect fancy coffins, so...there's quite a collection of them down there." Damon's coffin had been one of these fancy coffins--a beautiful black-stained wooden coffin that had kept its shininess all these years from being frozen in ice.

He moved to the back end of the coffin and placed his hands firmly on it. "On the count of three, all right? It's made of heavy wood, so it'll be hard to carry. We should try to move as quickly and smoothly as possible. All right...one...two...three!" Shadow lifted with all of his might, hoping Hebs and his combined strength would be enough. If not, they would need to find help.