((I'm off to bed, I'm falling asleep as I type. See ya!))

Alfie usually didn't wear clothes--his wing-like mutations got in the way. So, he was waiting for Gian by his door when he walked out, nude as usual. "Lead the way, oh normal one," he teased, slithering up behind him. He was starving. Then again he usually pigged out all day. He was always hungry.

Shadow was busy helping Hebs set the table. He didn't look up when the others came back. He still had his glasses on, so he wouldn't distract everyone as much.

Léan clung slightly to Kratos when he picked him up, his tailfin twitching like it normally did. He appeared to be comfortable with the other man holding him. A big step, when he was usually uncomfortable.

[[ Sleep tight! X3 ]]

"You're as normal as I am," he commented as he turned to look at Kratos when they'd joined him. It was strange how the merman seemed to be attached to him without complaint. Did something happen? Though, he was glad to see the merman in good shape now compared to how he was a while ago.

Hebs gave a grin to the four who'd decided to join them and then turned to look at Shadow. "So, then. While you guys eat, I'll go get Léan's food." He could see Gian trying to stop him but he gave him a look.

Kratos set Léan down on his lap. He was unsure if setting him down on the chair would be a good idea. Keeping a protective arm about the merman's waist, he smelled the food and smiled softly. "This smells delicious." He looked up at Shadow and gave him a nod of thanks. He could always tell whose dish was whose. After all, he did often taste test for Hebs and his dishes.

Shadow sat down the moment the table was set, but he didn't take anything to eat just yet. He would wait for Hebs to get back with the merman's food before digging into anything. He adjusted his sunglasses slightly and then glanced back, waiting for the boy to return.

Alfie did not seem thrilled by the fact that Léan was joining them. The merman had shifted to sit in a position where it would be easy for both himself and Kratos to eat. Sitting in a chair would probably not be good for him. He didn't take up too much space, considering Kratos was much bigger than him bodily. Alfie sat on the other side of the table. Anyone who touched Léan at the moment, besides Kratos and Shadow, was sure to get some serious attitude or even a fair-sized bleeding bite on their arm...

Hebs returned with Léan's food and he grinned at the sight of the merman on Kratos' lap. Knowing quite well that Léan didn't want anybody else touching him but Shadow and Kratos, he patted Shadow's back lightly. "You should go sit beside Kratos," he told him as he'd motioned for Gian to sit in between Alfie and him.

Neither he nor Gian, either, wanted a bite on their arm. "This looks good," Gian commented as he smiled and took the utensils needed to eat the food, "Hebs surely didn't make this."

Hebs gave Gian a look and he uttered a quick, "Hey!" before nudging the boy's side and digging into his food first. Gian only laughed lightly.

Shadow only smiled and shifted his chair a few feet over to sit next to Kratos and the still-nervous merman. Léan had taken his food the moment Hebs returned with it and was chomping away at it contently. He would need to go back in his tank sometime in the next four hours. If he was out for too long, he would often get sick. On top of his usually already irritable attitude towards most of the other members of his family, adding on more annoyance due to being sick was never a good thing.

Shadow ate rather politely, delicately. He always did. Alfie was another story--he immediately began to dig into his food. He only paused to glance up at Shadow, grin, and state, "I wonder where in the world you learned to cook like this. Do you add some secret, odd ingredient or something? If so, maybe you should slip some of that to Hebs," he added on, just to tease the other scaled boy. He reached behind Gian and patted Hebs on the back before he continued eating.

Hebs made a face at the helpless face at the two and sighed as he looked back up at Shadow. "But what they say is true," he said as he grinned, "I've said it before but now I'm serious. You should teach me." Gian watched Léan chomping on his food and he, in the process, saw Kratos smiling slightly at the sight of it. It was strange, so to speak but he was nonetheless happy he was able to see something on Kratos' face other than the grumpy, cranky or emotionless look he usually had.

Turning to look at Shadow, too, eat politely and delicately made Gian stop for a second as he slowed down his eating and chewed silently. Not only was the man good-looking, he ate like a gentleman. Definitely fitting for a tall ringleader like him. He'd already seen Hebs and Alfie eat and he found himself chuckling lightly, though, at the mutated naga's eating habits.

This was an interesting freak family and he definitely wanted to stay with them for as long as he could. Like Alfie, he was starting to grow fond of them all.

"I can teach you, if you'd like," Shadow replied, quietly, once he had swallowed his mouthful of food. "I will warn you now however that I am not a patient teacher...I tend to get irritated fairly quickly. But, at the very least, I will know what you're doing wrong, due to my, ah... omniscient tendencies."

Shadow acted and dressed, most of the time, like an old soul. His past was a near-complete mystery, but he often humored his family with answers to a few of their questions. The way he acted made him seem like there was a possibility he was...immortal, perhaps...and had lived a long time. He seemed to be knowledgeable whenever he was consulted for help on something--anything. Perhaps there was some merit to that theory.

Alfie rarely worried about Shadow and his mystery of a past. He was a relaxed person. He wasn't relaxed when he ate, though--he shoved food in his face and chewed rather powerfully. A messy eater...

Léan and Alfie alike were both glad they were not sitting near each other. The merman did not approve of Alfie's rude manner of eating. Léan bit large, uneven chunks out of his fish but he made sure to chew silently and keep his food in his mouth. As he ate, his tail slowly swished back and forth beneath the table, indicating that he was happy.

Hebs nodded at that. "Works for me," he said with a bright smile before he'd turned to look at Gian who'd patted him on the shoulder and then resumed eating.

It didn't take long for Gian and Kratos to finish. When they did, Gian stood up first to excuse himself and put his dishes into the kitchen. "Need to soak," was all he'd said before he'd blinked at his wrist being pulled at by Hebs. Luckily for him, it was his good arm. "Take the medicine kit from my room and have Alfie put it on you. I need to do the dishes after this."

Gian smiled. "Thanks. I'll go on ahead. Thank you for the food again, Hebs, Shadow." And, with that, the teen went off ahead.


[[ Hope you don't mind me fastforwarding. =D ]]

((Not at all!))

Shadow made a soft humming noise and then stood up, absently rubbing at his eyes under his sunglasses. "I think I'm going to go and rest for a while," he announced, sounding quite tired. He had, after all, driven for four straight hours and hadn't rested yet. "If I don't wake up until morning, good night, everyone." Wordlessly, he headed back towards the room he had picked for himself.

Alfie went along after Gian. He still wanted to spend time with him, of course, and he had promised him a back massage. He knew damn well how to use a first-aid kit. He'd been bitten, scratched, and hit so many times by Léan while trying to take care of his needs that he'd taught himself how to use one...

Léan took just a few more moments to finish with his final fish. Once its fins had disappeared, finally, he leaned back and sighed, appearing to be quite content now that he was full.

Kratos nodded towards Shadow's way and Hebs called out after him, "Have a good night's sleep, Shadow!" before he'd went to start cleaning up everyone's dishes. He gave Kratos a smile who returned it with a grunt and he watched him pick Léan up. Holding him close and almost too protectively, Hebs idly wondered if Kratos' control was starting to wane.

Léan was, after all, a rather charming and beautiful creature. "I'll bring you back to your tank. Get a good night's sleep there."

Gian prepared the bath first after he'd set the kit aside and he stripped again. This time, he put the clean clothes on the bed before he'd turned to look at Alfie. "Please shut the bedroom door," he started and went into the bathroom to soak himself into the hot tub. Yes. That was perfect. Now, he didn't have to worry. His wound, though, stung and he made sure to put his arm over the tub's edge so it wouldn't color the water.

"I can have that back massage now, can't I?" he asked with a small grin as he shifted a bit and put his hand on the edge of the tub. The male rested his chin on it and watched the mutated naga.

Léan almost fell into the offered hold when Kratos picked him up. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be far too relaxed--it was not super-normal behavior for him, unless it was Shadow holding him. When Kratos spoke, though, he recalled something. "...Before you do so, however..." he hummed, trying to remember exactly what Shadow had said to him during their trip to get Gian's knife, "...Shadow suggested that my tank should be moved into another preferably darker room, out of the sight of a window."

Understandable. The tank itself, right now, was smack-dab in front of a window. Shadow did not want anyone else to see the merman from outside and start asking questions. Shadow had purposely chosen the biggest bedroom in the condominium...the master bedroom was full of windows, despite its size.

Alfie shut the door at once, slithering over to meet the other male. "Of course you can. After you get out, I'll pop open the kit," the naga offered, pleasantly. He made his way over to the tub and chuckled, resting one of his elbows on the side of it.

"I would ask you to turn my way and bend over, but I think you'd take it the wrong way, y'know?"

Kratos took note of that and he nodded. "My room's dark enough," he said as he walked down the hallway to return back to his bedroom. "Or I can move the tank to the Ringleader's room."

"I just did, actually," Gian played along as he laughed. Shifting to sit on the edge of the tub, he put his elbows on his knees and raised his eyebrows a tad at the mutated naga. "This good enough?" He had his back exposed, at least, and his ass wasn't high up in the air. He looked pretty... decent if one were to come in from the bathroom.

"Either or..." Léan's words played it safe. He wouldn't mind sharing a room with either of them. Now it all just depended on whose room was more suitable. "...I suppose we should check to see what Shadow's room looks like, then?" he suggested, curiously. They would have to compare rooms. Shadow surely wasn't asleep just yet...it was probably safe for them to check.

"Perfect, hun." Alfie cracked his fingers and then paused for just a moment before starting his back massage. He gave good massages--his mother had been very weak and sickly and he would often offer, back home, to give her back massages to relax her. Alfie and his mother had been very close.

Kratos stopped walking for a moment to try and remember where Shadow's room was. Gian's shut door definitely meant it was his and his room had its door slightly ajar. Hebs' had his clothes neatly arranged on his bed and he could only guess which one's the master's bedroom. It was huge. Idly, he wondered why Shadow didn't take this room. "You knock," was all he'd said as he stood in front of Shadow's room and adjusted his hold on Léan.

Honestly, he was just as curious as Léan as to how the ringleader's room looked like.

Gian felt himself straightening his back out when Alfie had started to massage him and he let his eyes slide shut. That felt good on his strained muscles. Remembering not to put too much of his weight on his wounded arm, he took his good arm to straighten it out and hold onto the edge of the tub. "Where'd you learn to give such a good massage?" he asked as he opened his eyes to look over his shoulder and glance at Alfie.

"Very well. If he's asleep, however, you're going to be the one shouting for him." Léan reached his hand up and knocked profusely on the door to Shadow's room, five times. There was nothing for a moment, and then the door was slowly pulled open. Shadow had just been getting ready to settle into bed--he had close the blinds on all of the windows--there were quite a lot of them--in his room and had flicked the TV on. He was also in his thin silk pajamas.

"Yes?" he asked, looking between the two curiously. He was still trying not to read minds any more than he had to--it was invasive to some people.

"Hm? Oh...I used to give massages to my mother when she was sick. She often couldn't sleep because she was sore all over, so I helped her out." Alfie reached up slightly to start on Gian's shoulders.

"Léan wanted to see your room," was Kratos quick reply before the ringleader started probing into their heads. It was strange having to see the ringleader in his silk pajamas. More... disturbing than strange, though, now that Kratos took a second glance at the beautiful man. Why, again, were there lots of beauties in their freak family?

Gian let out a thoughtful hum as he looked forward again - at the wall and let his eyes slide shut. He felt himself loosening up with the other's massaging on his shoulders. "I might have to ask more of these back massage from you," he said with a light chuckle as his head rolled down and a quiet, pleased moan left his lips.

"...To see if the tank would do well in here?" Shadow continued, apologetically. He often didn't mean to pry into the thoughts of others. Even after so much practice, the power was hard for him to control. "I do not think my room is the best place for the tank. There are a lot of windows...even though the blinds are shut now, I have them open all day..." He bowed his head slightly. "Perhaps it can fit in your room?"

"Heh, anytime. I don't mind at all--I enjoy giving them." Alfie grinned somewhat mischievously at Gian's rather satisfied reaction to his massaging skills.

Kratos frowned a little at that. "You won't be staying in your room all day anyway," he grumbled as he looked off to the side. He didn't mind the merman in his room but... was the ringleader even aware of his fascination with the merman currently in his arms? "Why do you keep those blinds open all day?"

Gian was more than satisfied. After all, he never got a massage like this often. That, and Alfie's hands working on the knots made it all the better. Far better than when he was used as a bag to vent out all her anger on. "Then I will ask boldly," he said as he felt his back straighten up a little more when a certain muscle near his shoulder blade was loosened. That also made him produce another pleased moan.

"Though I'm not sure if either of them will have a clean mind if they hear me moaning and groaning like this with you in here." Gian chuckled again.

Shadow was very aware. It seemed that he'd deemed this moment a fitting time to talk about it, as well, seeing as Kratos was beginning to get a little squirrelly about having the tank in his room. He noticed that Léan seemed to be falling asleep, almost, in the other man's arms. "Why don't we talk about this in private?" he asked, his tone very pointed. "Take him to your room for now and let him rest. He seems to be falling asleep, anyway..."

"Aha--what does it matter, really? Sheesh, your mind always seems to be in the gutter when you're with me," Alfie added, slyly, as he worked out an almost visible kink in-between Gian's shoulders. "Trying to tell me something, hmm, oh normal one? Let them think what they want, really. Doesn't bother me any..."

The pointed tone had Kratos turning to look back at the ringleader and he utered a short, "I'll be back," as he walked back to his room. He carefully set the merman down onto his bed and brushed off a few strands of hair from his face. Kratos did it again. He quickly retrieved his hand and walked out of the room to head back to the ringleader's room.

Gian blinked a little at that and he laughed. "Your rubbing off on me," he said as he let out a deep sigh of relaxation. His face had contorted to pain not very long ago when that visible kink in between his shoulders was worked on but it had relaxed as soon as it had been undone. "And I'm just getting too comfortable with you. It's nothing big." The teen smiled, mostly to himself.

"So... how many times have you been wounded at by Léan?"

Léan did not want to be left alone, obviously...but he was tired and nearly half-asleep by now, so he did not mind. He opened his eyes when Kratos brushed a few strands of hair out from in front of his face, but his eyelids immediately began to droop shut again. Why did he keep doing that, honestly? It confused the hell out of the merman...

Shadow was waiting for Kratos to return. When he did so, he quietly asked him to shut the door behind him. He didn't say anything. He would give Kratos a chance to star the conversation--surely he knew that Shadow was aware of his issue, by now? If he had something to say about it, well...Shadow wanted to hear it.

"I hope you don't pick up on my bad habits," Alfie teased, partially referring to his table manners, or lack thereof. "How many times, eh...well, Léan and I were the first freaks our dear Ringleader picked up, so I've known him for a while. I was also in charge of taking care of him, or at least trying to. I can't count the number of times I've been bitten, pushed, scratched at...he took a chunk out of my skin, once. Had to take some time off to let it heal."

Kratos did as he was told but he stood by the door, even leaned on it with his hands moving to automatically cross over his arms. He wasn't sure why he was called here and he, either, didn't know what Shadow wanted. But, surely, this has something to do with the ringleader trying to push Léan to him, isn't it?

"How long have you known?" was his simple question as he gave the ringleader a wary gaze. He trusted the man but he never really liked having to share his issues with anyone at all. Even to the one closest to the one he fascinated.

"I hope that doesn't happen too," he told the other with a short laugh as he listened to him speak about his past with Léan. "Damn. That's wild." he asked as he turned to look back at Alfie and raised his eyebrows a tad, "What'd you do to piss him off?"

"Known about your...fascination with him?" Shadow asked, sounding somewhat awkward. "I have known for a while, even though I have tried not to poke in your minds. Have you noticed the strange things that happen between the two of you? How about the odd way he treats you, in fact? The uncanny fact that the two of you get along when you get along with nearly no one else? The way he accepts you without a hitch even though Alfie has been here much longer than you have? The way he argues and complains about every single person in this family, and the way you do, too...but you never complain about each other?"

Shadow shifted where he was standing, also folding his arms over his chest. "I do not mind if you want to pursue your feelings with him," he informed him, tonelessly. "However, I will warn you that it will not be easy, or painless. Though he accepts you without question, I doubt he's opened up about all that's happened to him in the past..."

Léan had a dark past. Out of all of the freaks here, he was perhaps the one that had suffered through the most in his life. Being what he was, there was little he could do to escape being hurt...he was confined to tanks and aquariums, and he couldn't travel by himself on land. He could not have run away, like Gian had fled from his bad home situation.

"Heh...well, you know he doesn't like new people around him to start," Alfie reminded him, patting his shoulderblades a few times before moving on to his arms. "The way I act, all perverted and carefree and teasin'...that only fueled his dislike for me. We've never really gotten along all that well. I think I cracked a really mean joke--I didn't mean it to be nasty or anything, but he took it that way--and he lashed out."

Kratos silently listened to him and realized a few things along the way. It was strange how he hadn't noticed such a thing at all and even stranger now that he was being told what to do. He grunted at the warning and tightened his arms about himself. "Which is why I don't want to pursue him just yet," he said as he looked off to the side again, "I don't want to end up like those bastards who kept him confined and had hurt him."

That was, perhaps, the most Kratos had said that night and he let his eyes slide shut as he rubbed the center of his brows a little with his head ducked down. "In case you've forgotten, I'm also just human with an extraordinary power. I can make mistakes and I don't want to take his life."

The pat on his shoulder made Gian turn to look back at the wall while he listened to him speak. "You do have a problem with keeping quiet," he said thoughtfully as he turned to look back at Alfie and grinned teasingly. Moving his gaze down to Alfie's hands working on his arm, he reached out to pull at the plug to get the water out from the tub. The water was getting cold. He'd rather not soak into that.

Shadow shrugged and flashed him a smile--he looked a little older than he actually was for once. "Start slow," he suggested, his tone somewhat soft and kind. "There is little you can do to erase the pain of what happened in his past, but that does not mean you should give up entirely...if you truly do have feelings for him, then you should pursue them."

He paused, suddenly realizing something. Starting out small usually meant dates. But considering that Kratos' love interest was a merman, dates were a little...impossible. "...I would suggest taking him out on some sort of date," he said, finally. "But to do that, we will need to get our hands on a wheelchair. Covering up his legs and binding his tail will make him look like a helpless invalid in a wheelchair...people will not ask questions. If you don't want to go through the trouble, though, I can rent you a movie. You two could spend the whole day together tomorrow."

Alfie snickered. "Yeah, I guess I do, huh? I can't help it--I'm a natural-born comedian. I like to joke around and have fun. I try not to be mean when I do so, but he's much more sensitive than your average guy, see..."