Whatever will we do?

Thaddeus could not recall ever having been looked at in quite the way Alfarinn was looking at him now. He was transfixed by that gaze, held by it, utterly vulnerable to the other man's eyes.

He couldn't believe he'd even questioned Alfarinn wanting him.

It was odd, Thaddeus thought, that he would feel suddenly cold when the other man pulled away. He found it slightly difficult to let go; in spite of knowing the practical necessity of it, the momentary absence of the Evenhet's weight filled his whole body with yearning to have Alfarinn back in his arms.

But Alfarinn returned to him, sweet and slow and perfect, and now he was holding him close, tangling his hands in that long blonde hair, trembling but sure.

Thaddeus could accept some amount of pain as an ungrudging payment for the pleasure to follow, and trusted Alfarinn would be as gentle as he possibly could. The part of him that was just slightly afraid, not of being hurt but of reacting in some way that might upset his companion, melted away as Alfarinn took him at last. There was, rather than the pain he was at least on a subconscious level expecting, a deep but gentle ache, a filling pressure that grew increasingly more pleasurable as they lay there entwined, clinging to one another tightly.

He realized, then, that he was not the only one trembling, and so he ran his fingertips through Alfarinn's hair and lightly down his back in an effort to be reassuring. It was not long, though, before desire was coursing through him, the need for movement growing greater and greater, and so he lifted Alfarinn's chin with one hand to kiss him warmly, letting the other hand move to the small of his back, and pulled his hips down and back, slowly. He moaned when he pushed back, but did not break the kiss. Instead, he wrapped arms and legs more tightly around the other man, impossibly close, letting Alfarinn sink into him.

Alfarinn tightened his grip as Thaddeus pushed against him, his eyes widening in surprise. No doubt, he'd have made a sound if he weren't being thoroughly kissed at the same time. Alfarinn was aware enough to have a fleeting thought of the irony of being the one who needed to be reassured but was comforted by it just the same.

He moved back and thrust forward, sighing in relief at no longer holding still. The concern gone once Thaddeus had pushed against him, wanting more. Alfarinn was more than willing to comply and moved inside his companion at a steady pace. Sighing against Thaddeus's neck, he kissed it gently, his lips exploring that warm inviting skin. There was security and bliss in the tangle of arms and legs wrapped around him, Alfarinn moved up long enough to murmur softly.

"Don't let go... Please, don't let go."

He wasn't sure why it mattered so much to him that he was held so tightly, he just knew that it was. Perhaps it was the difference in the feelings that came from Thaddeus, the caring along with the desire. It was overwhelming and soothing at the same time, There was a fierce want for this night to never end. It was almost frightening that they'd have to go their separate ways in the morning and so he clung desperately to Thaddeus.

Thaddeus gasped and tilted his head back into the pillow as Alfarinn thrust into him. He lifted his chin to allow Alfarinn free reign over his neck, relishing the feel of his lips along that sensitive skin as the two men moved against each other. For a moment he simply enjoyed the delight of giving himself up completely to Alfarinn, this man he could trust with both body and soul.

He felt something in his heart tug when Alfarinn spoke; a longing to reassure, an overpowering desire to remove all doubts. Thaddeus had absolutely no intention of relinquishing his grip on Alfarinn; he in fact found the idea of doing so difficult to conceive. Wanting to make that thought perfectly clear, he tightened his hold, fingertips denting skin, bodies crushed together with impossible closeness, and whispered softly against Alfarinn's skin.

I have you, I'm not letting you go.

He moved his hips at the rhythm Alfarinn had set, relaxing into his comfortable pace. He let one hand wind up in the other man's hair as the other drew a path along the other man's back, no longer trembling now, moving with the confidence of mutual desire and pleasure.

The comforting words and the reassuring touch made everything so much better in Alfarinn's mind. It is one thing to guess that someone is with you only for a shallow moment of pleasure, not interested in you as a person, it was something else to know for certain. Alfarinn always knew, plenty of his love interests played the loving part, holding hands, fawning over him when they thought it was necessary but most of it was an act for money or power or just for a good time. He couldn't complain about it, he had picked them because they didn't feel anything for him. It was his defense so that he didn't get too close, where Thaddeus was aloof and distant, Alfarinn's approach had been the numb his feelings and his abilities with a constant group of people who didn't care about him at all.

It almost made him believe unquestionably in fate, as he moved entwined with Thaddeus, an impossible tangle of arms and legs, the soothing touch of his companion's hand in his hair, his lips against smooth skin. They had both tried very hard over the years to not become close to anyone and yet they were brought together, seemingly an impossible match, two loners from two different clans, with the great potential to be put at odds against one another. If this was the work of fate, she was not to be underestimated.

"Thank you." Alfarinn whispered, thanking Thaddeus for not letting him go and perhaps fate for bringing them together.

The sweet sensations both physical and emotional were carrying them both along and he was no longer in any way fearful of the outcome. Leaning his head back up, he smiled down at Thaddeus before kissing him deeply, tasting those lips with his tongue,coaxing them to part for him so that he might further entwine himself with his companion.

Even now this man was thanking -him-. That fact might have unnerved him if not for the blissfully content look in Alfarinn's eyes as he smiled down at him. As it was, Thaddeus understood, and in fact shared the sentiment. He was further grateful when Alfarinn leaned forward to share something else with him as well.

Thaddeus shivered and parted his lips, letting just the tip of his tongue slide teasingly against Alfarinn's before tilting his head to one side, fitting his mouth to the other man's as the kiss deepened. He wondered at how very present that kiss made him feel, how Alfarinn's cool touch could bring him such a sense of astonishing possibility. Alfarinn moving into him filled him with such vivid life, visceral and shockingly intense, as though everything before him had been an out of focus dream he was only now waking up from. He had grown so accustomed to feeling both touch and emotion through filters like the leather of his gloves, but now nothing stood between them and he could feel everything, bright and sharp.

He had never known his body could feel this -much-, and the sheer quantity of senses nearly overwhelmed him to the point where he thought he could not possibly take any more, only to be brought higher and higher with every motion. There was a part of him that felt compelled to explain just exactly the effect Alfarinn had on him, but he wished to disturb neither the peace nor that intoxicating kiss, and so he simply gripped more tightly, kissed more firmly, and hoped the other man understood.

Alfarinn realized that he wasn't going to last much longer at the rate they were going. There was Thaddeus to consider as well and so as much as he hated moving away from the warm comfort of his companion, Alfarinn pulled back enough to slid his hand between them.

He smiled at Thaddeus as he ran the hand slowing down his chest, pausing long enough to play with one nipple as he continued to slid his hand downward. Eventually the trail ended and he wrapped his hand around his companion's erection, leaning back down to continue kissing Thaddeus as he began stroking him in time with his movements.

Alfarinn concentrated on the feeling of Thaddeus beneath him and around him and sighed with the pleasure of it. Knowing that his companion would not be left wanting allowed him the freedom to be overcome, and he was rapidly losing himself to the experience. The urge to move more quickly was almost unbearable but he'd hold himself in check a bit longer letting Thaddeus adjust to the added stimulus before pushing them further.

When the kiss was broken Thaddeus whimpered at the sudden absence, but Alfarinn held him with his eyes, smiling gently at him, confirming a connection Thaddeus believed neither man could break even if he wanted to. His own eyes wanted to flicker closed and allow these feelings to overtake him, but he held onto that gaze like a lifeline to keep from drowning in the sensations. Those cool hands ran over his smoldering skin, quenching that heat and marking him with invisible trails of Alfarinn's touch. Which, he could not help but notice, was going in a direction that made him shiver with anticipation.

His eyes finally did slide closed of their own accord when Alfarinn gripped him, stroking him with the same rhythm as the movement of his hips, and the pleasure was almost too much for him then, but even this close to the edge Alfarinn was holding him with his kiss. He arched against that touch, kissing Alfarinn desperately, knowing only that he did not want to go over the edge alone. He pulled back, lingering only a little on Alfarinn's lips before moving down his jaw, up to his ear, which he nibbled gently before whispering with what little voice he had left.

Not without you. Please, not without you.

He growled softly at the gentle tugs on his ear. The man was doing his best to break the last ounce of control Alfarinn had. However, there wasn't any malice in the sentiment, far from it, He enjoyed every delirious second of it.

"Thaddeus..." Alfarinn had planned to say that there was very little chance of that happening but couldn't quite manage to get that much out, it seemed like a horrible waste of words for what would be obvious shortly anyway, that being that there was little to no way Thaddeus was going to be alone in going over this particular edge.

He held on to Thaddeus tightly with his free hand, moving more forcefully, feeling the pressure inside him build with each thrust. It didn't take long for him to go beyond the point of no return, and as the waves of pleasure coursed through him, he continued to stroke Thaddeus in hopes that he would not be alone either.

Thaddeus opened his eyes at the sound of his own name, spoken in a voice jagged with passion. It was more than a little gratifying to hear such enjoyment in the other man's voice; that combined with the slightly more urgent pace of Alfarinn's movements were quite enough to assure him that, at this moment, they both walked the same path. Indeed, they approached inevitability together, and it was mere seconds after Thaddeus felt Alfarinn's release within him that he, too, was overcome by shuddering orgasmic pleasure.

He stroked Alfarinn's hair gently as he returned from that white crashing ecstasy, passion cooling into perfect peace and contentment. He let himself sink into the pillows and sighed blissfully as his fingers slipped through Alfarinn's hair and traced patterns along the other man's skin.

Not wanting to break the comfortable quiet of this moment, Thaddeus spoke his gratitude with every touch and tender stroke.

Alfarinn rested his cheek on Thaddeus's shoulder, his face nestled against the warm curve of his companion's neck. Calm overtook him and he sighed peacefully, content to rest here a moment more before having to move.

The hands in his hair and along his back felt so wonderfully soothing that his eyes slid shut and he wanted nothing more than to lay here and feel that tender touch as he drifted off, mindlessly relaxed.

Of course that would soon become uncomfortable for them both, so with another sigh, Alfarinn leaned up and kissed Thaddeus once before pulling away.

"Don't go anywhere." He smiled, echoing the words the Anantya had told him in this very room the first night they had stayed together. Alfarinn walked to the bathroom and quickly cleaned himself up, returning with a towel in hand to the bed.

Sitting on the edge, he leaned over and began to slowly brush the cloth over Thaddeus as he gently cleaned his companion with one end that he had wet with warm water. Once done, he used the other end to dry him.

Brushing a hand along Thaddeus's cheek and through the short blonde hair, Alfarinn got back up to put the towel in the laundry basket before returning once more to the bed, this time stretching out next to Thaddeus and laying his head on his chest.

"Don't go anywhere."Â?

Thaddeus reflected that he was not feeling particularly inclined to move. A part of him protested the lack of contact, but it was a weak objection. He was tired, and the bed was quite comfortable in spite of not being the four poster canopy in his quarters at the Manor. He heard the water running in the bathroom and distantly thought that he would need to get up as well. In a moment.

This is different.

The thought came before he even realized what he was remembering, a ghost from his past that he had buried long ago. Lying in bed, for once not wishing to race for the shower, listening to the water run. Turning his head to the nightstand, and Thaddeus did not even remember any longer why he had done that, it wasn't even his room, what did -he- care what was on the nightstand. But he had looked, had seen the wedding band, picked it up, dropped it, and stumbled out of the near stranger's bedroom before his shirt was totally buttoned. Though he came back the next night. And the next. Enough times to see the look in that other man's eyes when he left, though he couldn't seem to bring himself to feel anything, to even register anything other than all too temporary sedation.

He shook off the memory from another lifetime, from another Thaddeus. At least, he certainly hoped he wasn't the sort of man who would hurt another person with such a deliberate unfeeling numbness. Anymore, at any rate. The thought of being so easily capable of causing others pain frightened him, and he was determined not to let himself become that again. He reminded himself again that this was different. He had no intention of running away from this, and he could think of any number of darker things he would suffer rather than hurt Alfarinn. That, too, was something he would prefer not to think about.

It was greatly preferable, in this peaceful moment, to reflect on this wonderful evening. To think of how amazing being with Alfarinn was, how much he trusted him, how he could feel so safe and uninhibited and free with this man.

He smiled when said man returned, pushing himself up on his elbows to look at his lover, because he could do that, he had no reason to avoid meeting his eyes.

My lover.

The words brought a mix of emotions to the surface, all seeming to rise to his throat, and so his voice sounded somewhat small in his ears when he spoke.

Still here.

He was somewhat surprised to see a towel in Alfarinn's hands, and considered insisting that he was about to get up any minute, but it was a touching and considerate thing for the other man to do, and certainly wasn't doing Thaddeus any harm. Besides, not moving from the bed seemed a pleasant idea.

He closed his eyes when the other man caressed his cheek, and sighed contentedly when Alfarinn rested his head on his chest, pleased to have that comfortable weight on him once again. He stroked the long hair that lay across his chest, sated and content and secure. His eyes still closed, though very much awake, he spoke, softly but more evenly now.

Thank you, Alfarinn.

"Hmmm" He murmured softly by way of comment, too lazy and complacent to speak just yet. Alfarinn nestled closer to Thaddeus's neck, enjoying the warm comforting scent of him.

"You're welcome." He sighed contentedly, not bothering to open his eyes. Alfarinn couldn't resist adding, at least in his own thoughts, "any time". He certainly couldn't think of there being a situation in which he'd feel it an imposition to do something so minor for Thaddeus's comfort.

Leaning up on one elbow, Alfarinn smiled down at Thaddeus. His senses told him they were both relaxed and at ease but not everyone was an empath, and it was reassuring to know that your feelings were cared about even if on some level you are aware that they can be sensed.

So, running a hand lightly down his companion's chest, Alfarinn asked softly

"Happy? No regrets?"

In the aftermath of pleasure are when the doubts, if there were some to be had, started setting in, he just hoped there weren't any for Thaddeus. Putting a hand gently on the blonde's lips before he could answer, Alfarinn smiled faintly.

"Before you worry, I am very happy. I don't even think the word is adequate to describe my feelings and, no, I have no regrets. I just want to be sure that you are content."

He took his hand away from that inviting mouth, resolving not lean forward for a kiss while he was waiting for an answer. That's right, ask the man a question and then don't let him speak...He did find Thaddeus so very tempting though and wondered again how he was going to keep from embarrassing the blonde with public displays of affection when they were out.

A flicker of concern passed through Thaddeus at the mention of regrets, but Alfarinn was quick to clarify his meaning.

No regrets. You are incredible, and I am happy. This is more amazing than I could have imagined.

With anyone else, the mention of 'no regrets' would have felt like something said in closure. An obligatory statement to free both parties of any responsibility and set the past behind them. Thaddeus believed Alfarinn's query held more sincerity than that. It was a relief to know his companion was content as well; he had entertained vague worries that his lack of experience would render him tedious to Alfarinn, who exuded such confidence at every turn. With those fingertips running over his chest, he felt assured that there would be many more opportunities to learn every single act that might give the other man pleasure.

Looking up at Alfarinn, a mischievous thought occurred to him, one that he was feeling cheerful enough in this moment to entertain. He smiled, completely unable to even play at solemnity.

Well...there may be one regret. He leaned up and kissed Alfarinn, not on the lips, but on the tip of his nose. I missed a spot. Easily amended though.

Alfarinn had long enough to frown in puzzlement before the kiss landed on his nose. He chuckled and held onto Thaddeus before he could lean back, stealing a kiss of his own now that those lips weren't occupied.

Alfarinn laid down on his back and pulled Thaddeus to him with a content smile.

"So long as those are the only kind of regrets, then I think we're ok."

Remembering their earlier conversation, Alfarinn mused.

"So my lovely Anantya, now that you've been a excellent influence. We've conserved water, gotten clean, had some exercise..." He couldn't help but smile at the whole line of reasoning. "I've been a very good little Evenhet today. How are you going to keep me out of trouble tomorrow, hmm?"

He wanted nothing more than to continue running his hands along Thaddeus's side and pretend that tomorrow and the days to come didn't hold anything more serious than the activities they'd done today.

I must admit; I suspect my water conservation efforts were not as effective as I had believed them to be. May the little fish in the oceans forgive us our frivolities.

Thaddeus couldn't help but chuckle at Alfarinn's description of himself. Little indeed; the other man's feet reached the foot of the bed for heaven's sake.

However, the Evenhet's next words were enough to give him pause. He supposed it was past time to get back to their business, though he very much wanted to simply stay in bed and enjoy the intimacy this moment brought. It was comforting, though, to be able to consider such important matters with his head on Alfarinn's bare shoulder.

There are preparations to make before we try the apartments; the cameras, the floor plans. I suppose getting those out of the way would be ideal for tomorrow. Perhaps another visit to the club is in order as well.

He looked up at Alfarinn apologetically.

At the very least, it can be argued that we are finding trouble rather than trouble finding us.

"That has always been my favorite way of handling things. Strike trouble first."

One might argue it would be better to avoid trouble but sometimes the best way to avoid the majority of the difficulties a situation could cause is going straight to the heart of the matter, dealing with that first instead of dealing with side issues and symptoms of a greater problem.

Alfarinn hugged Thaddeus closer, enjoying this moment of free time while they had it. There were plenty of things to worry about and he'd best start paying attention to them, despite the comforts of just being here. A lack of preparation could mean something going seriously wrong, and he'd never forgive himself if lack of thinking on his part caused Thaddeus any harm.

"I've spoken with Zone about some cameras small enough to be carried by birds. He assumes its for one of my crows, of course, but as quick as he had them ready, makes me think he already had them made. Sneaky.." Alfarinn caught himself before he finished that sentence. His playing around and name calling with Artemis Bellezone probably wouldn't be understood so well if you've never seen the two of them together. "Anyway...I have the city plans on the uploaded on the laptop. So all we need to do is pick up the cameras. We can try the club one more time first if you'd like. Is there anything else you want to get or do before we begin surveillance?"

Thaddeus smiled, impressed that Alfarinn was a step ahead of him.

We will want a way to interface with the cameras, which may prove complicated; I would prefer not to use either of our Clan facilities. I suppose since the third bedroom is not getting as much use as I had anticipated he gave the other man's arm a squeeze we could set up some dedicated resources there. If we do not have delays in getting established, I would just as soon set up surveillance first, then continue our prior investigations while we wait for results.

He very much wished he were more up to date with modern technology; he had only just figured out how to save phone numbers on his mobile, and was beginning to understand just how woefully far behind he was. He simply disliked not knowing what he was dealing with, and while he believed he and Alfarinn made an excellent team, being in the dark about things the Evenhet seemed to take for granted was somewhat of a frustration. Now this 'Zone' person was involved as well, and Thaddeus could only hope the quick development of the cameras was coincidence.

Thaddeus suddenly felt uncomfortable with the idea of being led by coincidence. Already there was too much of that; someone -wanted- him to see the ring, after all. He couldn't help but question anything that came along too easily.

Convenient of Zone to have just what we need available so quickly.He looked up at Alfarinn, concern marking his features. He is someone you trust?

Alfarinn smiled at Thaddeus and placed a hand on his cheek. He should have known that this would worry him, he hadn't given it much thought, Zone had been a friend for so long.

"Yes, I trust Bellezone, he's a good guy." Most of the time, his mind muttered, thinking of the last prank, Artemis had played on him.

"You've probably heard of him by that name. Zone is what we call him. Artemis Bellezone is Morrigan's child. I believe they still speak to one another. Its just that Zone felt more in tune with Evenhet's goals and so he came with us when Evenhet was formed. He's a scientist more than anything else. More concerned with the relentless pursuit of a better design than he is with clan politics. I think he'd have been just as happy in anywhere really, mostly he wants a place to work and the tools to work with. The rest of our petty affairs do not overly concern him."

Alfarinn slid out of the bed and went to the window opening it a few inches. Seeming lost in thought until a crow appeared at the sill. He held out his hand for the bird and then turned around to speak to Thaddeus.

"This is Natt."

He murmured to the bird in his hand, making soft soothing sounds. Natt hadn't seen anything lately that Alfarinn would find of interest, not that the bird had a good idea of what that was. He just showed Alfarinn what he'd seen from various roof tops on the way here. He thanked Natt for coming and made a mental note to get some extra food for him before letting him back out the window and shutting it again.

"No one would think it odd that I'd want a camera for birds. I talk to them quite often. Zone likely made them in a fit of inspiration and then set them aside figuring, and rightly so, that I'd come to him one day wanting them for some project or another. They are bright, far smarter than people give them credit for but the camera would pick up things they wouldn't"

Coming to lay down next to Thaddeus again, he felt the need to reach out and touch him, even that short time away from the Anantya was too much for him. Wrapping his arms around Thaddeus,He leaned his head on one shoulder. "The thing that worries me more, is the Tacharan that saw you, Simon isn't slow and no doubt he assumes you to be shape shifter, there's very little reason for a dove to be in the sewers otherwise. Most likely he assumes you to be Evenhet but still.. he looked suspicious and there was no helping that. I can be sure he's taken the information to Ellis, who saw Mai with the ring. Those two events look in no way related but both seemed to have stood out to the orphans. They'll be trying to make sense of it, snooping around to see what we're up to. So we've got to be careful."

Thinking back on Thaddeus's idea for the 'spare' bedroom, Alfarinn could agree that it made the most sense. "I worry about you here, Thaddeus. I don't want you to be alone in the apartment but I'm sure that's going to happen from time to time. If this killer ever finds out we're looking for him..." His arms tightened possessively around his companion. "If you'd permit it, I'd suggest cameras in here also. Perhaps ones that could be checked from a laptop. Which is definitely something we need to get for you. I'd like us to be able to check them before coming in just in case we've been found out and someone were to lay in wait for us inside the apartment."

The conversation had taken a necessary serious turn but it caused worries to form in his mind again and no doubt Thaddeus's as well. Alfarinn smiled to relieve some of the tension and said.

"Plus that would give us those naughty videos we were discussing earlier."

Thaddeus's eyebrows raised in recognition at mention of the scientist's full name. While he was not certain of the full story behind Artemis Bellezone, he had the distinct impression that Anantya was more saddened by the loss of an excellent clansman than resentful over some bitter dispute.

He was somewhat concerned when his companion left their embrace and headed to the window. Perhaps he had been tactless in his suspicions; the man Alfarinn called Zone was, apparently, a friend, and Thaddeus certainly had not intended to insult. Alfarinn seemed to be a million miles away, and he could only guess at what might be going through his mind. He was about to gently inquire, concerned that he had caused offense, when a crow appeared seemingly out of nowhere to land on the window sill.

Thaddeus smiled in realization, warmed at the sight of the Evenhet's interactions with the bird. He inclined his chin with all the solemnity of meeting a person of great importance when Alfarinn introduced his 'friend,' though he was really not in the proper state of dress for such formalities.

Well met.

He continued to watch as Alfarinn 'spoke' to the crow, torn between amusement and affection. The ability to communicate with such creatures only made this man more fascinating to Thaddeus, but actually witnessing it was something of a sight. He watched quietly as the other man released the bird, smiling to himself as the Evenhet returned to the bed.

He nodded at Alfarinn's explanation for the cameras' swift production; he supposed what had seemed like a coincidence was simply the result of more information. While caution was certainly needed in this situation, jumping at shadows was not. Snuggling gratefully into the other man's embrace, he listened to the next matter of concern. The Orphans.

His ability to change form was something he would greatly prefer to keep to himself. It was an extremely useful ability when kept secret, and very obvious tactic if not. It was not a little disconcerting to think that a potential enemy knew his advantages. The possibility of being followed was a further disturbance.

I would agree. The orphans already know more than I feel at ease with.

As for putting cameras in here...

Thaddeus bit his lip, debating with himself. The idea of being watched by a faceless mechanical entity disturbed him; in fact, the idea of hidden eyes spying his every move was downright creepy. The thought just went against his nerves like feathers rumpled the wrong way. The mention of 'naughty' videos did precious little to ease his mind in this regard. He pulled the corner of the blanket up around them absently, as though the devices were already in place. Even the spark of interest in having his own laptop was not enough to assuage his fears.

...I must admit the idea is unsettling to me. Suppose the information recorded fell into the wrong hands? However, I suppose I cannot argue with more security.

We can turn them off when we are both here, though.

He did not honestly know if that would make things any easier to bear; the knowledge that there were cameras in the room, even if turned off, was still quite bad enough. He couldn't even stand to have portrait paintings hanging in his quarters in the Manor, and his logical mind knew perfectly well that there was no possible way -they- were watching him.

Reckless behavior, however, would give them nothing but trouble. He would simply have to force himself to see reason.

He wondered, though, what exactly they would do with the knowledge cameras would bring. If they should find an enemy in waiting for them, what exactly would they do about it? Thaddeus wasn't quite sure, and the uncertainty worried him. While he was determined to see this mission out to its just conclusion, the more violent aspects of the task were, until now, a blurry future. They needed to be better prepared for a potential confrontation.

He spoke in the midst of his thoughts, not consciously recognizing that Alfarinn didn't have the full thread.

Weapons. We need weapons. My Command has its limits and cannot be fully relied on in a confrontation. If we intend to make the apartment more secure, there is no reason we should not be armed as well.

He shivered in spite of the blanket wrapped around him, disturbed in spite of knowing the necessity of such defensive measures.

Yet another idea I am less than fond of. I do not make a habit of carrying, even on duty; it is my belief that arms tend to escalate a situation out of both party's control rather than providing a solution. In this case, though, it is likely reckless -not- to have a method of defense.

He smiled self depreciatingly.

Other than Mai, that is. As adept as she is at coming to the rescue, I would just as soon spare her the trouble.

Alfarinn watched Thaddeus pull the covers higher about himself and could feel his unease where the idea of cameras were concerned. His teasing seemed to have the opposite affect than what he had intended. He ran a hand reassuringly up and down the Anantya's back, as he spoke.

"I only worry about your safety. If they make you uneasy then we can place them elsewhere or not at all. I don't think most people would wait in the bedroom for someone to enter. The logical place would be somewhere near the entrance, so perhaps we could forego this room and watch the rest. Or not at all if it bothers you."

He kissed Thaddeus gently, enjoying the warm comforting weight of him. Alfarinn knew that he'd worry every minute the blonde was not in his arms. "I assure you I was teasing about the naughty videos. I may be audacious from time to time but I don't think I want videos of me in all my naked glory recorded for anyone to see." He pretended to contemplate his companion a moment. "You though... I could watch those. Personally, I prefer the real thing. Its hard to kiss a monitor without looking like a complete fool."

Alfarinn frowned at the thought of weapons but knew that they were needed. He didn't like the thought of Thaddeus with one and he didn't like the thought of him without one either. His companion wasn't a killer and he knew that though Thaddeus wanted revenge this task was going to be hard for him in ways the man couldn't yet know. Even without empathy there was knowing that you were taking a life and he dreaded how that knowledge was going to affect this man he'd come to care so much about. For his own part he hated the idea because of his empathy but he'd rather see the man dead than know Thaddeus was in danger and if there was any possible way, he'd do the killing himself to save his companion the horrible experience.

"I am trained with a sword and spear among other things, as archaic as that sounds. I still practice, I can bring my own over. Would you like to get something more modern? Ranged or up close? I don't like the idea either but it would be reckless not to have them. Normally I believe that violence is a failure but this killer is past the communication stage, besides I don't think it is an option any one was entertaining." He watched Thaddeus a bit sadly, it had to be done, whenever this man is found, he'd be made to pay for his crimes. Alfarinn just knew it wasn't going to be easy on anyone.