Cassius' Shop of Jeweled Wonders

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius joined him but didn't put his feet into the water and motioned for Kota to pull his out as well, "You don't want one of the jellyfish to accidentally touch you with one of their tentacles. They're very painful and carry a variety of paralytics in their venom," he advised him softly, putting one arm around his waist so that they could watch the underwater dance taking place.

It was all the more beautiful with its silence only broken by the sound of the water lapping at the stone beach they sat on and the occasional dripping sound from behind them. The squid moved fearlessly through the jellyfishes tentacles, the fish doing the same. It lasted about forty minutes or so then the larger creatures followed the fish back out through the tunnel.

Cass didn't say anything for now, simply held Kota next to him, closing his eyes and enjoying the peace around him. He hated that he'd come so close to losing him. It had been a very near thing and taken quite a bit of his abilities to heal him. It was also something he didn't want to relive any time soon.

He placed a light kiss on the Kota's temple, keeping his eyes closed as he enjoyed the moment. But he knew the moment would have to end soon. They had to get back to Orthius soon...  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

When Kota looked at him like that, it was hard for Cass to resist him. He leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips, "Come... We should get back before your little friend starts to get worried about us," he said softly as he got up and retrieved the pouch, handing it to Kota before shedding his shorts and diving into the water before the man could get much of a look at him.

This shift took only a brief moment and he broke the surface, coming up as high as his waist before dripping down to his shoulders into the water. He held a hand out for the pouch then gestured for Kota to join him in the water.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius pulled the long cord of the pouch over his head and one shoulder then wrapped his arms around Kota's waist and took them underwater, finally showing him some of the speed he was capable of as they sped through the tunnel and past the school of jellyfish now actively hunting for food.

He pushed them towards the surface but held back from going all the way up just yet and pointed to the sky where the sunset was showing. He hadn't wanted Kota to miss this, part of why he'd moved them so fast through the water. Seeing the sunset from under here was not something to be missed...  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cass was surprised by the kiss but returned it enthusiastically as he moved them up to the surface, his arms holding Kota close as their hair floated around them both. He finally had to break the kiss to look into those beautiful eyes with a tender smile, knowing that no words were needed right now. After another moment, he finally swam them both to the beach where he let Kota go to head up onto the sand while he pulled himself up to begin the slow process of shifting to his human form.

It was slow and painful for him, as it always was, and left him sitting in the sand for a long quiet moment as he waited for the pain to pass enough for him to be able to move. When it did, he reached for the shorts he'd left up here earlier and slid them on before getting to his feet. He was a bit unsteady on his legs but moved as if it was the sand keeping him unsteady out of long habit.

He carried the pouch of stones into the house, knowing that Kota would follow this time, and made sure the shielding spells on the onyx in the building were still intact. That done, he headed for the shower upstairs, laying out two sets of clothes on the bed on the way. One for himself and one for Kota.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius paused before heading into the luxurious bathroom at the question and gave a small sigh as he headed over to wrap his arms around Kota's waist, one hand rising to cup his face gently as he looked into his eyes, "Of course I am, Kota. My invitation to stay with me remains open. I will still be here when you're ready for that. But on a more practical note, I know how much salt water can leave the skin itching after swimming in it. So for both of our comfort, I'm recommending either a bath or a shower, whichever you prefer," he told him simply, smiling a bit at the humor of the last part.

Then he placed a tender kiss on his lips and headed back towards the shower. He was a bit steadier but knew it would still be a while before he was fully steady again, just one of the things he had to deal with. He started the water in the shower and took off his shorts then laid out towels and robes while he waited for the water to get warm, only then stepping under the spray to wash the ocean water from his hair and skin.

He didn't stay under the water for long, not wanting to shift again, just long enough to get clean and rinsed, then got out leaving the water running for Kota since showers did make cleaning long hair easier. He dried off quickly and wrapped himself in one of the robes to dry and brush his hair out, keeping his back to Kota in case he was body-shy.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius turned and nodded at the question, gesturing casually to one of the shelves against the wall by the bathroom door, "I take it that you want to cut your hair? It's a shame with as beautiful as it is, but if you want it done, I'll do it for you..." he offered in a light tone as he finished combing out his own long hair, "Just let me get mine braided down," he added as he started on doing just that, keeping the braid simple.

It usually took him a while to braid it as long as it was, but he couldn't imagine ever cutting it. Cass was more than a little vain, after all, and knew how beautiful his hair was.

He still had to rub a special oil into his skin but it could wait until after he'd helped Kota, if it was needed. If not... Well, he was still debating how to get the oil rubbed into his skin without embarrassing Kota. He didn't want him to think he was moving too fast for him, didn't want to do anything to ruin their friendship and budding relationship.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cass noted the yawn and gave a soft chuckle, "You're tired... Why don't you go ahead and lay down. I still have to rub some oil into my skin then maybe do some work. I won't do anything you're not ready for so you can go to sleep in peace," he offered softly as he tied off his braid and dropped it behind him.

He knew he'd like nothing more than to simply lay down with him and hold him for the night, but he knew Kota wasn't ready for that yet.

So, for now, he concentrated on rubbing the oil into his legs without taking his robe off yet. He had to use the oil every time he cleaned up after shifting to keep his skin from drying out too much. If it dried out too much, it only made shifting even more painful for him. This was the only thing that kept him from screaming when he returned to his human form. He wished he could sing his own pain away as he'd done for Kota when he'd been hurt, but it just didn't work that way. Sirens weren't affected by their own powers...