[IC] Who Will Break? ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

[PopeAlessandros]

~A light gasp escapes his lips. The sight of the wounds spreading from beneath his fingers stabbing strait to his heart. The sun begins to fade as the boy speaks, a dark cloud passing across it's face. His hand draws back but a few seconds later the wounds vanish once more.

“I wish. . .”

His voice echoes lightly, a shiver running across his back. The wind has changed. The once warm flow becomes a cool trickle of air across the hill.

“I wish. . .”

He can not find the words. Reaching up he gently pulls the hat from Zach's head, the strengthening breeze catching it and tossing it out over the rooftops. He moves in slowly before wrapping his arms around the smaller male. A hand come up to wrap around the back of Zach's head as he holds the boy close. All around then, storm is breaking.

“Sometimes, I wish, I could just make them all go away. All the ones who cause pain to others. It's so hard to forgive them every time. Sometimes. . .The pain feels almost too much.”

His hold tightens as a bolt of lightning strikes out over head. The ground beneath them shifts. The once soft grass is now cold stone. The world around them like a cheap apocalypse movie set, but somehow, far more realistic looking. The fires burn even under the torrential rains. And Still, he clings to the young man, trying to shield him.~

[Merule]

~Zach plays along as the scenery around them changes, his arms coming up to cling to the priest as the air and world darken. The scene is vivid and rich in detail-he can feel individual drops of water trailing over his back as the rain pours down on them. For the most part, dreams are made up of impressions and sensations rather than detail, but Kiel didn't do anything by halves, it seemed.

Zach had always been a small demon with small ambitions. He does what he is good at, but has no illusions about changing the world one way or another. even this 'promotion' he's angling for will only involve doing more of the same. Kiel, though...

As the priest's words ring in his air, he can feel the conviction behind them and he briefly wonders what the man could do if he had some real power in his hands. Perhaps this assignment is not so much about proving he could tempt a priest, as making sure this soul will be ready for whatever the top has planned for him next...

whatever it is, it has little beating on his task. So Zach carefully pulls back a little as the world rages around him to look Kiel in the eye. He's not smiling, but there is warmth in his gaze regardless.

"I trust you, " he simply says, no room in his tone for even a hint of doubt whether the priest will keep him safe. ~

[PopeAlessandros]

~The warm hands on his back draws a sigh from the trembling priest. Something so comforting about the young man accepting his protection, or so it would seem. The rain continues to fall, the lightning still flashing through the sky, but somehow the sound is muted. All around, somehow, it all feels so familiar. However such thoughts fade as Zach pulls back and looks into his eyes.

The feelings there, as he speaks those words, settle a part of the man, and once again the scenery around them changes. This time however the change is more subtle. The rain, it lessens, the the lightning stops, replaced by the occasional roll of thunder only. It is still dark, the over cast sky letting little light through.

He smiles down warmly as the young man in his arms, the lightening in his mood evident on his face as he leans down, pressing his forehead to Zach's.

“Thank you, Zach. Thank you. . .”

He lets the boy go and begins looking around the area. His fingers drag along crumbling cement torn off of nearby buildings. Great long gouges in the stone looking almost like claw marks. He shivers as he looks at them.

“I think. . .This is a bad place. We shouldn't be here.”

He backs away, digging it's way to the surface. He moves away, the darkness deepening as he tries to escape. He reaches out for Zach, trying to get him to realize how dangerous it is. His memories, his dream, they begin to shift. Fear threatens to draw him away completely, crawling up his spine like a scorpion, just waiting to strike.

[Merule]

~From the way the priest is looking around, Zach finds it hard to believe that this landscape comes solely out of the human's imagination. It seems. .. too real somehow. Not that it matters any to his plans, he supposes, so he gets his head back in the game and focuses on his plan. There is a darkness clawing at the edges of the dream, the kind that has little to do with threats of any kind, and more with primal, distilled fear. The only thing it can do is turn the priest further inwards, and that's useless to Zach.

He watches for a while, following the priest as the darkness curls around his ankles. There are a few things in the dream realm that can harm him, but nameless fear is not one of them. When the priest reaches out for him, he sees his chance to try and snap him out of it. He lets the man catch his hand and focuses on making the sensation as vivid as possible- making the skin-to-skin contact feel more real than the dark closing in on them. When he feels the priest's attention on him, he carefully adds a little dog to their surroundings, hoping the man's mind will go with it and give them a new locale. ~

[PopeAlessandros]

~The hand in his own feels warm. So warm. Not like the cold world around them. He shivers slightly, just now realizing how cold it's become. The rain turns to mist as a sound echoes out in the dull light. He looks to Zach, the young man so strong and solid before his eyes.

The sound rings out again, and he looks. A movement, he stares, a little dog trotting up. Not letting go of Zach's hand he scoops up the little fluffy beast.

“We should not be here.”

He looks around the area, the mist obliterating the sight of the destroyed building s and torn up streets.

“We should go somewhere nicer.”

He holds tight to the two other figures with him as he begins walking, and moments later the arrive at a doorway. This doorway has very colorful glass doors in it, the light from above becoming brighter until at last a rainbow seems to stream out from behind it. The man's grip becomes tighter on Zach's fingers as he walks through the door without opening it.

On the other side is a beautiful park, with flowers growing in bunches all over the place. Setting the dog down and releasing Zach the priest rushes forward, his clothes ripple off into a casual pair of cargo shorts and a very loos fitting white t-shirt. He laughs light, the fear from before now completely gone as he runs across the plush grass before collapsing happily against it. He lays on his back, the sun above somehow dimmed as to not be bright in his eyes while still lighting up the entire area warmly. He looks over to Zach with a smile and motions for him to join in the fun.~

[Merule]

~Zach carefully kept back as the priest's subconsciousness reformed the dream around them. The dog was a bit of a gamble, but in the past he'd found that it was easier to snap people out of it through having them take care of something else- especially something cute. With the preist's apparent predilection of collecting strays, it seemed a perfect match.

He smiles to himself as the colours gradually become brighter, the ravaged wasteland fading away as the priest leads the way. All fear seems forgotten when they finally come into the park. Zach mirrors the priest's smile even as he looks around to take in the choice of environment. This was the second time the human conjured up some idyllic garden in a search for safety, plus there was the tree at the beginning of the dream. Kiel obviously has a thing for nature, and Zach files it away for later use.

Zach lets out a bright laugh as he follows the priest's example, running through the grass before letting himself flop to the ground unceremoniously. He lies at an angle to the priest, their heads close together so he only has to turn a little to look at him. He decides to let the priest lead the conversation, lest he bring up something that can disturb the peace.~

[PopeAlessandros]

~There is a bright look in the young priest's eyes as he watches Zach run. The sight of him moving without pain, his face split in a wide smile rather than shadowed and full of fear or shame. The Zach of this place is how the priest wishes all children could be. His eyes follow the young man as he falls next to him on the grass.

He chuckles lightly and turns his head to look at Zach, only to find the boy looking right back at him. He feels no shame here as he admires the young man's hansom face. He can certainly see the attractive man he will one day grow into and the priest has no problem letting such thoughts drift freely through his mind. Here, there is no church, there is no law, there is only the beauty and peace the young priest seeks so fervently in the waking world.

He sighs softly, his hand siding along the grass until it is even with Zach's face. Reaching out ever so gently he strokes the backs of his fingers along one smooth cheek and lets out a light noise.

“What happened to you, Zach. What drove you on to the streets. . .Why are you in this world alone. . .”

His fingers brush once more over Zach's cheek before he hand falls to rest on the grass between them. His eyes never leave the boy however as in his mind he runs through all the scenarios revealed to him over the years by all the little ones he's rescued. Even as they pass though him however, the peace of the park around them keeps him calm.~

[Merule]

~Zach closes his eyes and leans into the touch with a small sigh. He doesn't need to act in that regard, of course, as it had been quite some time since someone'd touched him without any motives behind it. There was a reason his kind were drawn to pure people rather than sinners, after all. The greatest power was found where affections were freely given, even if people were not aware of what they were offering. If power could simply be taken, why would demons be known as tempters rather than conquerors? No, taking was what humans did, be it to their own kind or Zach's.

When the priest's hand falls away, Zach slowly lets his eyes blink open again, catching the other man's gaze. He can see the anguish behind them, as he can always see the minds of mortals in the dream world. There is no answer he could give that would satisfy the human, of course. All he can offer is what he already knows, as he has no intention of revealing this to be anything other than a dream.

"I'm not alone," he says instead, shyly bringing his hand up until he can lay it over the priest's. While there can be merit to delving into the darker parts of the mind, for now Zach just wants the priest to feel good about him. He spends enough time obsessing about whatever happened to the 'little one' that washed up on his doorstep in his waking hours.~

[PopeAlessandros]

~A warm feeling races through the older male as Zach speaks. His words are few, and simple, but they fill the priest with enough hope that his gaze brightens and he lets out a long sigh. As the smaller hand comes up to rest in his own the priest closes his fingers gently and hums softly. The world around them seems to pass by, figure in the distance fading until they look almost like old time motion capture figures made from oil paint on a backdrop of clouds and grass. His mind relaxes, his eyes falling closed. Here he can be content. The boy is unharmed and happy, and he can see the day around him fading as the light grows pleasantly brighter. . .and brighter. . . .~

Kiel wakes slowly, the light of the day coming through the window still dull and dark. The rain from the days before seems to be ready to make another appearance, the sky overcast and gray. The young priest stretches, his body feeling very relaxed and refreshed. “I must have had a good dream last night.” He murmurs to his empty room, and he can not help but smile at the warm feeling in his chest. It is not often that he wakes in such a good mood. Normally he is content with his life, and his sleep reflects that. But something about his dream, or so he's sure, has left him with this pleasant him across his skin. He says a quick morning prayer before hopping out of bed, stretching once more with a “Hup!” of enthusiasm.

Pulling on his clothes quickly he peeks out into the main room. Not seeing Zach there yet he slips out, scoops up the trays from the night before, and heads out. Taking in the cool morning air with several deep breaths Kiel makes his way over to the church, dropping off the platters as quietly as possible so that the staff isn't interrupted by his presence and can go about their morning duties. Once back outside he heads strait for his house, but pauses as he catches movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head eh spots a hand waving at him from the front gate. He cocks an eyebrow curiously, adjusting his course in a U-turn motion so he can check it out.

As he approaches the hand vanishes. Once under the arch he looks around the corner and spots one of his east side street kids hiding beneath their usual bright red hoodie. Looking around to make sure no one else is about he walks over slowly and slips an arm around the smaller figure. It twitches slightly, but doesn't pull away. “I heard you was lookin' for who it was roughed up some newbie few days ago.” The voice issuing from beneath the hood is rough, gender neutral, and Kiel knows that even by the church the child does not feel safe. He squeezes the shoulder beneath his hand gently to confirm what they said.

“I don' know much, but I heared that some team a guys took down some loud mouth who din' know what's good for 'im after he talked some serious smack. I don' know if it's yo boy in there, but, I ain't seen no newbies with fresh ass handed to 'im face, so, who knows.” The figure shrugs, turning to leave.

“Thanks. Get yourself inside somewhere, okay? I think it's going to rain today. . .” The figure pauses, nodding without looking back at Kiel. A moment later that red hoodie vanish around a corner and Kiel lets out a long sigh. “Poor Daniel. . .” The only time he hides like that is after a bad trick and the soft hearted priest can not help his sympathy going out tot he young one. After a few quiet moments of prayer, he heads back on to the church grounds and into his house.

[Merule]

Zach decides not to push his luck this time, and it isn't long before the dream started to fade. He makes sure to get out in time, leaving a shade of himself behind so he won't disturb the priest by disappearing. Outside the sky is slowly starting to brighten and he makes his way back to 'his' room before checking that all the bruises are still in place. He waits quietly until he could hear the priest leave, and then makes his way to the kitchen, an idea forming in his mind.

It only takes a bit of searching before he manages to scrounge up some eggs and bacon, which he sets out on the counter so he can look for a frying pan. The gas is easy enough to figure out, and after a while he iss well on his way to making some breakfast for him and the priest. Or was at least making an attempt to do so. The bacon is simple enough, if a little crispy in the end, but the eggs keep sticking to the pan. By the time he realises that he should have used butter or something, he had already scraped and mixed several blackened bits into the scrambled eggs. Ah well, it probably helps his disguise that he was a bad cook, even if it did mean he wouldn't enjoy his own breakfast as much as yesterday...

By the time the priest comes back in, he's laying out the results of his cookery on two plates. He looks up with a startled expression on his face, but it morphs into a small smile when he sees the priest.

"Morning! I made breakfast," he says, letting a bit of vulnerable eagerness seep into his voice. "or uh... Tried to is more like it," he continues sheepishly. "I hope I didn't ruin anything..."

[PopeAlessandros]

Kiel looks at the food presented to him on the plate and simply chuckles and takes it gratefully before sitting down at the table with s smile. Looking up at the young man he chuckles softly. “Thank you very much, Zach. It looks fine, and it smells divine.” He is telling the truth, much of his first cooking experiences ending as the boy's has, and in the end the food was always eatable, and with the predominant smell properly prepared bacon, the smell is enough to cover up any other scent that may hang in the air. Motioning tot he empty spot across from him Kiel stands only long enough to serve the drinks, then with a soft sigh, retakes his spot and begins consuming the carefully prepared meal.

~~~~*~~~~

The days pass in relative peace, Kiel learning very little about his guest, but being a patient and kind man, he takes solace in the young man's speedy recovery and praises the lord that he does not seem apt to run right back out on to the streets to get revenge or some such silliness. As they pass near a week and Zach is now able to walk more easily, Kiel makes plans to take him away from the church on an outing. Perhaps somewhere with something the boy may wish to draw. He sits down in his spare moments alone away from his duties and while Zach is otherwise occupied, to look over brochures and the newspaper, trying to find a suitable place.

It isn't until he comes across an announcement in the paper about the opening of a new cafe in the local aquarium which allows the diners to be almost completely surrounded by fish while they eat that he decides that that is the place for them. 'We can go for a meal, maybe catch a show, pet some animals, which helps in the recovery of the soul, and there are plenty of lovely things for him to sketch should he want to sit and rest at any time' Looking out the back window to where once more the young man sits peacefully in the priest's small garden Kiel lets out a happy sigh. 'I can not wait to tell him'

He twirls around, heading towards the door with long strides. His mind goes to preparations, it being only a few hours into the morning they can go this very day. 'I should pull out bag for him to carry his papers in. I do not want him to have to carry them in hand the entire time. I really think this will be good for him' Chuckling at the thought of watching one of the many animal shows with the young man filling him with a delight he does not recognize. Having mostly given up his own childhood to preserve those of others, this simple childish happiness is quite foreign to him. As he comes around the house he stands still until he is sure the young man is no longer in need of great focus before making himself known.

With a light cough he steps out and waits for Zach to meet his eye. His eyes sparkle with delight not only at the news he has to deliver, but also for the sight of undamaged flesh on the young man. 'He recovered quickly. I am so glad he is this resilient. It gives me hope for other parts in his life' He has not pressed for information from the young man, sensing that to not be the right track for Zach's type, but it does not stop him from being curious. Brushing that aside however he smiles brightly. “I have planned a trip for us, if you are up for it. I would like to go today, unless you would rather wait. I assure you, it's away from any trouble I can think of. You will be safe there. You can even bring your drawing materials! I am sure you can find something there it spark your creative genius!” Having only seen his drawings at a distance, Kiel can still say with confidence that the young man is talented.

[Merule]

Zach spends his days biding time and buttering the priest up for a further approach. So far he hasn't tried to push anything, but focusses mainly on making sure the priest is as comfortable as possible with him, while making it seem like it is due to his own efforts. He's stopped jumping at the man's approaches, even when he seemingly isn't expecting him, and makes sure to always greet him with a smile. He laughs more freely and sometimes lets himself 'fall asleep' in random places in the house. When the priest is around, he slowly starts to initiate more touches- simple things like a hand on the elbow to catch his attention.

It's harder to keep himself amused when the priest is gone. He's been snooping in some of the books, but nothing manages to catch his interest for long. In the end he usually ends up drawing. It feels a little weird to do something solely for his own benefit while he's technically on a job, but the priest seems interested in it as well, so he supposes it all works out. Everything is quite comfortable, which pretty much means he should probably be moving into the next phase soon enough. How to do that, of course, was a far more difficult question...

He's absent-mindedly sketching flowers again when Kiel approaches him, and he looks up with a bright smile, shuffling his drawings away. He liked keeping the priest curious about them, but still gave him plenty of opportunity to catch glances of them. At the priest's words he summoned up a small blush while looking down shyly.

"I'm not a genius," he muttered, before looking back with real curiosity. "What kind of trip?" He asked, scooting away a little to make space for the priest on the bench. There was a note of eagerness in his voice that he didn't have to fake. While Kiel had a lovely place here, it was starting to get old after a while and he relished the chance to get out for a bit. He still had to keep up an image, though, so he followed with a tentative question.

"Is it... in the city?" Layering emotions was second nature to him, so it was simple enough to project an air of covered-up anxiety.

[PopeAlessandros]

With a light chuckle Kiel tries to keep the mood light. Motioning for Zach to follow him he begins walking back around the building towards the front door, completely oblivious to the subtle offer for him to take a seat beside the young man. “No, it's on the edge however, but we will hop a bus not a block from here and be dropped off right at the front door, so you do not have to worry about walking the city streets.” The worry and faint fear in the boy's voice tugs at the priest's innards, however he refuses to let it show on his face. Over the past several days Kiel's learned more and more how the young man does not appreciate the open pity the priest often has on his face and has instead taken to expressing his joy or satisfaction in any given situation, keeping his sadness to himself to better win the young man's trust.

“The destination itself I would like to be a surprise, however I am quite sure you will enjoy yourself. I know I'm looking forward to it greatly.” As they walk back in through the front door Kiel walks over to a closet and begins rummaging through it for a bag of some sort for Zach to put his stuff in, maybe even a few souvenirs should they find something cheap that he likes. The priest, quite obviously isn't rich, however he likes the idea of bringing something back with them to remind the young man of the fun they had there. He harrumphs softly as he has difficulty finding what he's looking for. 'I know it's in here. Even if we do not go today, it would be good to have this thing at the ready. . .'

From his place half buried under thing he calls back, “There is a special event running today and tomorrow, so if you'd rather go tomorrow, that will be just fine.” He smiles in victory as he finds what he's looking for. Sitting back he looks over the leather messenger bag carefully to make sure it us undamaged. “That being said, if you'd rather wait, the place will always be there. We can go when you're ready, Zach.” standing up with a warm smile he hands the bag to the teen. “Here, you can put your drawing supplies in there. Even if it rains, the stuff will be safe!.” He chuckles as he recalls the boy's humility about his drawing skills and reaches out, ruffling his hair gently. “Can't have them getting ruined. You may be famous some day and those things will sell for big buck you know.”

[Merule]

Zach gathers up his drawing supplies before following the priest inside. There's no way he was going to wait until tomorrow to get out of the house, but he plays the part of hesitating anyway.

"Well, if it's not any trouble," he says slowly as he tries to think of the place Kiel could be taking him. He was quite familiar with the city centre, but there hadn't really been a reason for him to look into the rest of the city. It's hard to come up with a place that has 'special actions' and also has something to do with creativity. Perhaps some kind of museum? In the course of his travels to the human world there never really is the occasion for him to go sightseeing, but he enjoys learning about the world of humans.

"I guess it would be good to get out for a bit, and it's not like I had planned anything," he finally agrees, accepting the messenger bag and tucking his pencils and papers away.

"Should I bring anything else to this ~mystery location~ of yours?" he asks with a small grin. He was looking forward to the rest of the day, and perhaps the change in scenery would even give him a chance to shake things up a bit between them

[PopeAlessandros]

Kiel smiles warmly as Zach jokes about 'having plans' or the lack of having them in this case. He wanders towards his room, glad he was able to convince the youth out of the house for the afternoon. 'It is not good for a young man like him to spend so much time alone, his only company someone older than him. I may not be much older physically, but I am most definitely more mature due to my profession'['/i] “I can't think of anything you will really need other than your drawing supplies.” he calls over his shoulder just before vanishing into his room.

Closing the door he digs into his wardrobe, setting a few stacks of clothes aside only to reveal what looks to be the wooden bottom of the structure. Making sure Zach isn't peeking in or anything he pulls on a little loos string laying along the bottom and with a little scraping noise the wood bottom pops out from it's place revealing a little compartment beneath. Setting the wood side the priest removes his strong ox and begins dialing in the combination.

Kiel trusts his kids, but after all is said and done, he knows that he can only trust them so far. While he would have no trouble helping them financially, like helping them get some classes or training for a job, only a complete fool would leave their money where a street kid could easily get a hold of it. He always keeps a few bills in his wallet, and every so often they go missing, but his little trove he always keeps hidden away unless he needs it. [i]'I only need enough to pay for the ticket and a meal, but I'm going to take a few extra bucks for those souvenirs. . .'

Popping the lid he pulls out what he needs before putting the whole thing back, checking once more to make sure no one is looking before covering it all with his pants and closing his wardrobe. Slipping back out into the main room he smiles once more at the young man before making his way over to the front door and opening it wide. “After you, Zach.” he says cheerfully, motioning the teen forward. Once he is through Kiel closes his door. He never locks it, just in case one of his street kids need to get in for a nap or a meal while he's away. 'I am glad, in part, than none have needed to stop by while I was away and had to leave Zach alone. I am not sure he's ready to be confronted by one of my little ones wondering what he's doing in my house. . .Most of my kids get along, but they also know what each other look like' He sighs softly making his way towards the archway leading to the sidewalk that will take them to the bus stop.

[Merule]

Zach just nods, busy with gathering up his drawing supplies. As soon as the priest closes the door, though, he stills and tilts his head as he tries to figure out what the man is doing. Usually he would make an effort to allow Zach to keep him in sight, probably something he learned to make the street kids he works with more comfortable in his presence. He hears the scrape of wood on wood, followed after a while by the distinctive sound of a keypad being operated. For a moment Zach was intrigued, but he can't hear anything big. If pressed, he might just hear some rustling, so his guess is that the priest keeps a safe with his money hidden in his bedroom. Money, of course, is of no interest to him, but it still pays to know about some kind of secret compartment. He probably won't have the luck of finding a diary with his deepest and darkest secrets, but it won't hurt to check it out if he gets the chance.

By the time the priest come out of the room, he is bent over his backpack again, carefully arranging his drawing supplies in a way that won't have them rattling against each other when they walk. As they leave the house, there is a spring in his step that he doesn't bother to try and hide. This trip is a welcome surprise, especially since he'd been roughing it for the past few weeks. Life at the priest's house is considerably easier, but it also gets boring when the man is out. It's not in his job description to enjoy what he's doing, but he's not going to deny himself the opportunity to do so either.

For most of the trip he manages to keep from asking questions, but he does try to figure it out from the list of stops the bus makes. He's not familiar enough with the area to recognise anything, so in the end he ends up looking intently out of the window, trying to see a sign pointing to a possible attraction, his bag hugged to his chests as he sits in the bus seat.

[PopeAlessandros]

Zach remains silent as they walk to the bus stop and Kiel becomes a little curious. 'It's not that he's a really talkative boy, but normally he at least tries to squeeze out extra bits of information when he can. . .Well, I suppose, this is the first time he's left the grounds since he came to me. I can see how this may be a little scary for him' When the reach the bus stop the priest stands close to the youth. Not so close as to make him uncomfortable, but close enough so that he can reach out for comfort should he need it. 'Zach is such a strong willed one however, I do not see him seeking comfort from me, at least not the physical type'

Indeed, since those first couple days, save for treating the boy's wounds, Kiel has not really laid a hand on the teen. Part is because he knows Zach does not want to be coddled, but the bigger part of it has to do with the young man's jumpiness. Kiel has had a lot of experience with the kind of abuses he believes the boy may have suffered, and with the jumping and flinching, he does not want to make him more uncomfortable than absolutely necessary. 'Or on the other hand, making him too comfortable and running the risk of having him attach himself to me. I have had a few fall for me, and that has got to be one of the hardest things for me to deal with'

Humming softly he looks down the street, smiling at his timing as he spots the bus they need not two stops away. 'Perfect, we can get right on the road. I think the less time he spends on the street itself the safer he'll feel' He let's Zach get on first and pick the seats, paying for two adult fairs since he can not prove Zach is not a student or anything. Sighing at the greed the human animal seems to innately have, he takes a seat and relaxes a bit. He can not help smiling as the boy fires him a question every so often, back to his habit of picking around for tidbits of information to aid his inquiring mind. He manages to avoid giving away the big secret, simply smiling and humming softly, looking out the window as he pretends not to hear the inquiries.

When at last the aquarium comes into view he falls silent and pulls the yellow cord to signal the stop. He presses his lips together, smiling wide as he leads the way off the bus. He clasps his hands gently firmly behind his back as he begins walking towards the entrance silently. He gives Zach a smile before paying admission and opening the door for the younger male. Just inside the doors are huge salt water tanks running parallel through the middle of the room, the walls made of glass as well with larger, more dangerous looking fish swimming in among all the brightly colored schools of salt water fish. With an awed sigh of his own Kiel steps in front of Zach and waves his arm, his smile as wide and as bright as can be. “Well, what do you think?” he asks softly, tilting his head to the side as a huge manta ray swims past the wall in the distance behind him.

[Merule]

Zach can tell that the priest enjoys dangling the secret in frontof him, so he tries to not-so-subtly enquire as to their destination. Predictably, the priest lets nothing slip, but he doesn't really mind. It's nice to get out of the house for a bit, but he doesn't expect to much of the outing. It will be through no fault of the priest, of course, but it's not easy to surprise a being like himself. He's seduced humans in many countries and in all walks of life. It's not like you can get anything impressive from a priest's wages after all.

Still, Zach had fun playing along with the excitement. He's been behaving less and less skittishly and it will be good for the priest to see him at unburdened for a bit. He shpuld probably start coaching the human his way in dreams pretty soon, and it will help if his mind has somehing to work with. Zach is pretty sure that Kiel is the type to behave all 'honourable' when presented with the affections of someone in his care, so it will be important to plant some seeds of longing in his mind before making a move for real. Of course he also isn't above u ding the mans compassion to his advantage, but one can't make longing out of pity alone.

It isn't long before they reach their destination, and Zach puts up an excited front as they reach the building, even though he has to admit it's not what he had expected. The letters above the entrance spell out 'aquarium', which only brings to mind some overpriced fish swimming in a small tank that a previous mark of his had been far too proud of. Still, the priest had presumably thought hard about this outing, so he is going to at least pretend he was-

His train of thought grins to a halt the moment they enter the main hall. Blue light throws flickering shadows on the walls and people as the visitors are dwarfed by the sheet size of the tranks. Tanks that contain a greater variety of fish than Zach had ever thought to imagine. His jaw all but dropped when a giant sheet of a fish gently flew through the water, scattering a small school of colourful, iridescent smaller ones. The incubus might have been all over the world, but he'd never had any reason to look below the surface of the water.

He is torn from his wonderings by a question of the priest, and it takes him a few moments to drag his gaze away from the majestic creatures moving behind the glass. He should probably be worried that he'd forgotten to keep up a mask for a few moments, but seeing as amazement is a pretty appropriate reaction, he lets it slide.

"It's. ... amazing, "he saus quietly, but honestly, not wanting to embellish needlessly when he is so impressed. He has to hand it to the priest:it's quite an accomplishment to impress a70-year old demon whose lives work it is to experience as many worldly pleasures as he possibly can. " I love it, " he continues, aiming his most brilliant smile Kiel's way, "it's perfect! " He impulsively moves in for a quick hug, before darting away again and pulling the priest with him. "I want to see everything!"

He knows the priest will enjoy seeing him enthused about something, so he doesn't hold back as he moves from once aquarium to the next. underwater life is more alien than he'd thought, and Zach delights with every strange and wonderful new creature he sees. Of course he always keeps his goal in mind, and it takes no effort at all to Mold his enthusiasm in a shape he knows will light his face up in the most attractive manner. He keeps touching Kiel in little ways, dragging him to a next exhibit and putting a hand on his arm to alert him to a particularly bright specimen. He laughs often and freely, and in the excitement the time flies by.

Eventually even Zach agrees they need to take a rest, and they sit down on a bench next to the water-themed food stand. He his still smiling ear-to-ear, chatting happily about the critters he'd seen that day.

"And the wavy ones were great as well! I didn't know fish could look like really weird plants. Turns out, there's a lot of things about fish I didn't know, actually."

[PopeAlessandros]

The look on the youth's face is priceless, and the priest takes a mental snapshot of the moment to treasure. 'He looks so taken aback, it's adorable! I wonder if he was expecting something different. I have to admit, for this part of town, this is rather impressive. I wonder who forked out the cash to give the youth of the area access to something so amazing. . . .' He thinks on this for a moment before Zach catches his attention. He smiles warmly at the boy, his tone indicating he's not just saying he likes it for the priest's benefit. He accepts the hug graciously and laughs aloud as the boy drags him down the stairs and into the building proper. He feel elated that his little lost sheep is so excited by his gift and allows Zach to direct them across the area.

Kiel too enjoys the sights around them, the aquariums lining the walls having larger fish while the ones running through the middle house mostly shoals of bright colorful fish. After a while however the priest realizes something a bit out of character from his experience. 'I have had many youth cling to me after trauma, but their touches are always for reassurance and the like. He on the other hand. . .The touches are different, as if he's trying to express how happy he is. I suppose it's understandable, but I don't know enough to. . .' Zach grabs his arm, looking up at him brightly before pointing out some fish or another. Kiel smiles back, nodding happily and patting the boy's hand. 'I don't know what it is, but it just feels different that usual' Many eyes follow the two of them around the room, the sight of an excited teenage boy leading a priest around by the hand not something they see every day.

Ignoring the stares however Kiel places all the focus he can muster on the fish, and of course, his ward. He notices after a time that Zach seems to be tiring out and suggests they take a seat at the food court. When the youth complies and they head into the decent sized area, Kiel is delighted to see that a slightly smaller strip of glass runs across the ceiling, allowing for the occasional school to wander overhead moving from one side of the tank to the other. E listens intently to the boy, nodding in agreement every so often. When he spots an opening he says, “Yes, the underwater world is an amazing and relatively unexplored place. I have heard that we know more about the moon than we do the ocean depths. Isn't that funny?” A server walks up a moment later and offers them menus. Kiel takes one with a nod. “Feel free to order something, just try and keep it under ten dollars.” he murmurs, opening his menu to find something to snack on.

[Merule]

Now that he's sitting down. Zach is somewhat surprised to find he is actually feeling tired. It made sense of course. He'd spend pretty much all his time either laying low or working on the priest, and hadn't taken the time to go looking for something that would actually provide him with any lasting sustenance. He smiles and nods absent-mindedly at what the priest is saying, before taking the menu and staring at the letters without actually paying attention to any of it.

In the weeks before he'd come to the priest the pickings had been plentiful, but not particularly... satisfactory. It will take quite a bit more time for him to weaken to a significant degree, of course, but if he wanted to to be at his best, he would need to figure something out. It shouldn't be too difficult. After all, with all the sexually repressed priests and such around, there are bound to be a couple that don't have Kiel's integrity and will be easy enough to coax over in a dream. It's not ideal, but he's not going to risk physically running off when he's just starting to gain a bit of trust from the priest.

When the time comes to order, he just goes for the cheapest item on the menu, not really feeling like putting an effort into his choice. Now that he is aware of the urge in the back of his mind, it is hard not to notice the press of humans around him. Usually he enjoys the company of humans, playing tricks on them not so much a job as a way of life. But now the crowd just felt as a distraction.

"So how did you learn of this place?" he asks Kiel after ordering, in an attempt to distract himself.