Three's company

[strikingtwice]

It had started as curiosity, testing the waters really. Meallan cared very deeply for Evan, nothing would shake that, but he'd also noticed with interest the younger man's focus on Laedo. It threw him at first, but after a little thought he realised it wasn't terribly surprising; Laedo was attractive, no question there, and Meallan himself had made a few playful passes at the askan (old habits died hard really). But they were the kind that could have easily gone further if not for a dedication to someone else, and so the idea that Evan might be interested was... Something that opened a whole new set of previously unconsidered ideas for him.

So they'd talked about it, and talked about Laedo, and that had led to other activities that distracted the both of them, and the next morning Meallan had suggested an idea to Evan that he could see sparked an interest in the other man's eyes.

From there they'd both starting making more comments to Laedo, and while Meallan knew his own overt invitations tended to be overlooked as a continuation of the same playful advances he'd made before, Evan's overtures were both incredibly arousing to watch as a third party for a change and sincere enough that he could see what he hoped was consideration in Laedo's gaze. They'd both teased as much as they could, everything short of outright asking him, and then Meallan had an idea.

Which led to the sparring session he and Laedo enjoyed now, good exercise for them both and he knew Evan was rather enjoying the show too. The arm the askan had granted him caught the sun as Laedo's own skin did as they ducked and clashed against each other, and as they finished Meallan's grin was wide and pleased even as his heart raced in his chest and he heaved for breath.

"I almost had you that time," he teased, flashing a wider smile as Evan joined them both. "But since we're all here... how do you feel about unwinding in the hotspring for a time? It would help to relax everything after that workout."

Comments

[asscan]

The flirting had not been entirely unappreciated, these past few months. There had been a point where Evan had slipped from being a pupil (and that isn't intended to be an eyeball pun for once) to being an equal, and the shift from there to his and Mel's playful advances... well... it helped Laedo by more leaps and bounds than he was willing to admit. There would always be a part of him that missed home and his own kind, but he didn't feel quite so out of place when he felt wanted, and he'd long since grown acclimated enough to humans, humanoids, and all their ilk that being everything short of propositioned by two of them was an ego stroke.

He wouldn't have minded if the stroking took a different form, but realistically he would never come between either of them for the other. In any case, he could do for himself whatever fantasies came to mind at their behest and never say a word of it.

That didn't mean that the sparring session hadn't been entirely fraught with the kind of tension that had Laedo's pulse up. If anything, this much flirtation had built a powerful basis of want that coloured his cheeks and made it hard to stay focused. "You could have had me," he snapped at the teasing, savvy to Meallan's suggestive tone but playing the straight man in hopes of keeping himself restrained. He didn't mean for that to come out quite like it did, especially when Evan joined them. Laedo flicked his eyes down, flushing harder still. His hand grasped more tightly to the pommel at his belt as he attempted to still his heart. Looking first to Meallan, then Evan, he spotted some spark that he wasn't sure was all joke, this time. "Somehow I feel like joining you down there is less likely to be relaxing than it ought to be."

[evantuality]

Evan has been watching, and throughout watching, Evan has been red. Of course, he's been red-cheeked with a grin to go with, so the embarrassment he still suffers at learning to flirt does not actually keep him from doing so. It has helped, over time, to realize that with Meallan and him both on the task, they can make the asandus blush too.

And what a fascinating blush it is. The color shift on Laedo's cheeks is always a treat to witness.

He's leaning against a post at the edge of the sparring square, one of the bits that can be decked out with rope to turn it into a closed ring. "Well, ah," he offers, delicate and pleased, knowing what he and Mel have planned for the invitation. "That really depends. I do give very good shoulder rubs." He raises his hands and twiddles his fingers.

[strikingtwice]

"He does," Meallan agrees readily, "and the warmth is good for sore muscles, just like the spring itself."

He catches the flustered, frustrated note in Laedo's voice as well and wonders if perhaps they might be pushing the asandus a little too far, though he reminds himself that the payoff will certainly make up for any frustration Laedo might feel.

"If it makes you feel better," he offers after a moment, "We can both promise not to get up to anything untoward with each other while you're around? So you don't have to worry that we're going to make you feel unwelcome or anything."

Quite the opposite really, if it all went well anyway, and it's a promise Meallan has no qualms with making. He's fairly certain his hands are going to be elsewhere entirely.

[asscan]

The focused attention from both of them is a little new; at least in this kind of cajoling way. Laedo's mind picks it up and runs with it and he's forced to stand a little straighter, square his shoulders, set his jaw. He looks more imperious if anything, but his thoughts are nowhere near as squeaky clean as he'd like to let on.

"Far be it for me to intercede on your bonding rituals," he concedes, tone lofty and congenial to cover the absolutely filthy expectations that go with it. He knows they know he's a master healer at this point, but he slips a hand to his tight neck regardless, enjoying the pantomime probably more than he should. It's a nod to Evan's suggestion, even if he doesn't agree in words. "If this endless cycle of missions to woe-begotten places has taught me anything, it's that I should be more accepting of the cultures I am steeped in--especially when they make such tempting offers."

Alright, so his facade is slipping a little. His gaze slips back to Meallan, who he of course suspects to be the ringleader. Ever since the two of them had gotten together, the elf has opened Evan up in ways that has had Laedo's approval--and that hasn't just been for this ridiculous coquetry. "Let me then do my part."

By this point, seeing Laedo turn on his heel to jog off to a safe distance in a relatively open field should be fairly common. Same, too, the flash of light expended on replacing the man with a dragon. (Less easy a mark, here, unless they want to be terribly creative... but Laedo has never really let his fantasies roam that wild.) Sheerly considering convenience at this point, he rumbles, "come up. No need to march tired legs down the track all the way to the forest."

[evantuality]

If people do tend to look at Mel first, the way that Laedo just did, it neither surprises nor offends Evan. The elf is good with people, gregarious, he has presence. His grin shifts smile-wards as Laedo gives in, amused a little even amongst the heart-pattering flutter of nerves that was going to be inevitable here. As the iridescent man moves off, Evan's gaze shifts to Mel and his smile widens. He's still not past the point of being pretty twitterpaited by their dalliance, now that he's more or less put the existential crisis of it behind him. He beams for a moment before looking back to their... their mark, he supposes mirthfully.

Watching Laedo shift back into the great creature that he naturally is, is always a treat, and the offer of a flight...

"I'll never turn down a ride," he tells the dragon, his tone delighted and still carrying a low backnote of suggestion. He isn't totally certain about a ride per se, but the word is always so delightfully suggestive. Very appropriate for the purposes of the day. The very unusual purposes of the day.

He trots to walk beside Mel on approach to Laedo, shooting the elf another little smile. His pinky finger brushes Mel's, an invitation for a little flirt of a handhold.

[strikingtwice]

It's still wonderfully entertaining to here Evan making suggestive comments now, the air of innocent fluster that had drawn Meallan to him initially still there and making the implications rather more heady for the elf. He's fairly certain it's something that will always send a thrill through him, hearing Evan give voice to anything suggestive, and he can't help but feel a bit pleased with himself for encouraging him to open to that side of himself.

The brush of Evan's finger against his own gets an immediate smile as well, his hand turning to catch Evan's and lace their fingers together, something else that still delights him to have and be able to share now, especially considering all it had taken for them to reach this point. He'd like very much to kiss Evan now as well, but it risks distracting them from their other, rather attractive and iridescent goal and he'd rather not make Laedo feel so uncomfortable that he leaves. So he simply keeps a hold of Evan's hand until they're close, only letting go to trail his fingers admiringly over the asandus' skin (and wondering a little how sensitive it is in turn).

"I think I have to agree with Evan," he murmurs, and while the younger man's voice had carried a note of suggestion, Meallan's practically purrs with something that's so suggestive it's all but an outright proposition.

"I'd never consider turning down a chance like this either." Grinning a bit wolfishly, he turns and bends, offering a foothold for Evan. "After you, ma'lath."

[asscan]

This, coming from the same man who had on initially meeting Laedo had hoped to put a ball of lightning between his eyes... is a nice change of pace. The asandus' ego is thoroughly stroked. He has a way of managing to pose no matter what form he takes, though fluffing up with pride and not a little bit of sauciness probably isn't being extremely helpful in allowing the human to climb aboard.

Remembering himself and dropping one shoulder, Laedo snakes his head around to watch the pair slip aboard. Far from feeling excluded, he enjoys their bonding for what it's worth; there's a sense of belonging between two people disparate in many ways that--like other people among the Audentes team, and for different reasons--he espouses as revealing the best of their situation. To find not only community but romance is... well, romantic. He's definitely got a soft spot for that kind of star-crossed fate.

It's all a little bit heady, in its own way. Laedo saunters along the edge of the field once they're aboard, getting his head together before he takes off. No long, spiralling flights this time, however: within a few minutes he's covered the distance between the training grounds and the edge of the forest, sweeping by once overhead to see if the pools are free. One or two are occupied, but the more secluded--at least from ground level--seems to be free. Laedo lands them all by the entrance to the forest closest, stretching luxuriantly once they climb down again.

"You're entirely certain you wouldn't like some time alone, first?" he asks, tail flicking. It's an out, and one he'd be disappointed that they accepted, at least a little bit... but it's only polite.

[evantuality]

Evan had started out his romance with Mel being unused to the kind of physical contact that comes with being so close to someone day in and day out, but he has adapted and, with flying colors, grown to love it. He'd settled in front of the taller man when they'd mounted up on Laedo's shoulder, leaned back into his grip with real and evident pleasure, gasped with delight upon takeoff. Flight is another thing he's gotten well used to in that it no longer makes him so nervous, but instead leaves him suffused with a kind of giddy delight.

Of course, their plans for the evening might be helping with that giddiness. When he slides down from Laedo's back, he offers a hand to Mel -- the elf in no way needs it but Evan likes being able to make the gesture -- and shoots him a delighted grin when Laedo tries the polite thing.

"We wouldn't have offered if we didn't mean it," he tells Laedo, leaning back on his heels to look up at the great spry form the dragon carries himself in. "You're not getting out of this that easily."

[strikingtwice]

The flight is fast and straightforward, brief really, but still Meallan whoops with delighted laughter as they take to the air, the rush of it through his hair almost a distraction from their true goal.

Almost, but not enough; as much as he does enjoy the flight, Evan is a warm reminder in his arms as is the feeling of Laedo moving beneath them, and Meallan can't say he's not pleased to see the springs coming into view. Once they land he takes Evan's offer and drops lightly down beside the other man, his cheeks flushed with delight and no small amount of arousal. He nods in echo to Evan's words, giving the dragon a wide smile of his own.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't join us, Laedo," he agrees. "And I imagine you'd regret it yourself as well, although we won't force you to stay if you truly don't want to."

Sliding his shirt, only loosely draped around him after their workout, free from his shoulders nonchalantly, Meallan stretches in an easy, slow motion and gives a little groan. "Personally I'd rather not waste any more time when the water is just waiting for us."

[asscan]

The dragon gives a delighted chuckle. The shift from when Meallan had made the occasional suggestive comment and taken them all right back again when Laedo called him out on it are long past, and he likes this new twist of events. He's quite sure at this point that any further pushing isn't going to end in a sudden refusal, at least with the way the both of them are acting. He's never flirted with more than one person at a go; now he's certainly feeling balanced on a high with his hands full.

Leaving no more room for argument, Laedo allows them a bit of space as he slips back into a human form. He barely fits into the largest spring as an askan, and that is only the least reason of why he'd be uncomfortable accompanying them to the water's edge on four feet.

While he has certainly not become a barbaric nudist in the same vein as Achilles since his first springs visit, for this particular occasion, Laedo's swapped into something... well, another askan would probably find it appropriate. 'Diaphanous' comes to mind. The robe is a light, airy thing, just as ridiculously opulent as the rest of his clothing but decidedly more sheer. Sleeveless, falling to a little above knee height, it shows far more leg than he usually does in recent history. Perhaps more entertaining is the all but glittery undergarment he's wearing. He's learned about somewhat more body-fitting boxers than his usual embarrassingly puffy bloomers, and he wants to put on an appropriate show to match the one that Meallan is giving actively, and the one that Evan is hinting at.

Despite their hard work only shortly ago, Laedo claps the elf on the shoulder. "The only one wasting more time is you--" but he edges in the direction of the pool, just to get a head start before he announces, "I believe the term for the last one in is... a rotten egg?"

He doesn't usually run, and even now he turns imperiously on his heel to strut down the path, under the trees. Somehow losing the reflectivity of direct sunlight has not done much to dispel his glitter, but then he is showing off terribly.

[evantuality]

One of the most interesting things about ending up in this bizarre mixing-pot has been having to work around his preconceived notions of normality. Evan has liked to think he's got a leg up on that task, dedicated to the ideals of science as he is, but after having such a time coming to terms with his feelings for Mel, he's had to admit he's got more hangups than he'd prefer to own up to.

That's all to say he just barely manages not to snicker at the getup Laedo puts himself in. Okay, okay, it may look silly, but admittedly, it doesn't look bad, does it? Laedo's got a body worth sharing, and that iridescence is, well, he'd like to see more of it up close.

He trots along with the pair, heart pattering away for the eye candy that he's surrounded by. There's no arguing that, of those present, he's the least, well, lovely. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, of course, and he does his part, meticulously unbuttoning his top as he goes and shrugging off the collared shirt he's deigned to wear today rather than his uniform.

"Hey, of all the hot springs I've ever visited, this one smells the least eggy," he shoots back at Laedo, a high-spirited little tease that intentionally misses the point. He shifts close to Mel as he walks, too, taking encouragement from the other man's presence and intention to bolster his own excited uncertainty... and inspiration from his lovely shirtless self.

[strikingtwice]

Unable to resist the temptation on offer, Meallan reaches out to trail his fingers up Evan's spine as it's revealed, fingertips pulsing with a flare of magical heat before he winks and breaks into a run to dart after Laedo. Which isn't really a difficult task considering the other man hasn't much of a head start, but he's still got energy to burn and they can't all shift their clothing magically like Laedo can, so getting ahead does have some benefit.

But even if he reaches the water's edge first, Meallan is cautious enough around the springs not to even think of diving right in. Instead he slips his boots off and toes at the water, giving it a contemplative look before turning that same expression on the asandus himself.

"You know... not all of us can simply magic clothing into being, Laedo, and I don't want to ruin my trousers either. So I suppose the question is will it be smallclothes or nothing at all? Evan, what do you think?"

[asscan]

While Meallan charges ahead, Laedo's aware that it gives time for him to saunter with Evan. "You two seem to be doing well," he murmurs. He knows Meallan's ears are longer than most, and while he doesn't really mind being overheard, it's a point of courtesy. "It's clearly the love of a strong bond... Evan," he glanced down at the shorter man. "Where I come from, trysts like this are not too uncommon among friends, but with so many worries to consider among so many different perspectives in Oska, and even though he is... something," they can see Meallan bending lithely to remove his boots, and it's true, the elf is as always, nice on the eyes. "I want to be clear that this means nothing to me on quite the same level. You are wonderful, wise, and considerate, and Meallan is brave and kind to a point that begs admiration. You are also both still getting your grounding, I think." They were nearing the edge of the pool, where it would be impolite to continue. "Be assured that I have nothing but admiration for you both," he finishes, because that too is true.

And then Meallan proposes his question, and Laedo snorts a laugh much less dignified than his usual. Of course the elf is excited to push forward, he always is. While Evan makes a call, Laedo finds the steps down into the water and immerses himself for a short time, actually enjoying the hotsprings for their intended purpose. The fact that there is a furious hate machine pulsing away below them, despising all biological life, doesn't do all that much to dampen his spirits. It's setting a very different mood in its churning, and Laedo is happy to think surface thoughts on that matter.

Coming back to the edge of the pool nearest them, he folds his arms over the lip and rests his chin on them, admiring the pair with little more than a sardonic grin. He never gets to see them from this angle, and it's putting a stray thought or two in mind.

[evantuality]

It has often felt to Evan like his time with ALASTAIR has been one long chain of new things to get used to: and now, amongst those things are potential public nudity with a chance of group sex and, somehow liable to embarrass him even more, a positively twitterpaited new relationship that is somehow also very public. Living in a fishbowl, he supposes, as he reddens up to his ears. But even with all that, he's grinning. Mercifully, Laedo sinks into the spring rather than linger in wait for a response, and Evan has a moment to grapple with his fluster over him and Mel's still-new relationship being a point of admiration for the asandus.

As he contemplates the choice Mel laid out (which amounts to boldness or caution, really, since the point here is to eventually get naked, at least), he ambles to his own stop behind the elf. He's still grinning; that little trick with the heat up his spine had sent Evan to shivers, and had Laedo not swept in he would have returned in kind... instead, he takes the little tease as an opportunity to be bold and get his sweet vengeance that way. After all, he's begun to learn the ways that Mel flusters despite his flirtatious bravado. Somehow, that makes it easier to be brave himself.

"I don't know about you, but I hate putting pants on over wet underwear," he offers, deceptively prosaic. "And since we can't all magic fresh-pressed skivvies..." He grins at Mel rather than Laedo as he speaks. He's red up to his own small human ears, he knows, but he's looking forward to the elf turning red too. "I think I at least shall take a leaf out of the book of the Greeks."

He does turn to start stripping off his pants himself. Lord, for all his own bravado, his heart his hammering.

[strikingtwice]

Curious, Meallan's gaze darts between Laedo and Evan, wondering what it is that the pair had been talking about. He'd heard Laedo's final comment of course, but if anything it only made him more curious about why the other man might feel the need to state his continued respect, and he feels a flare of concern about pushing too far too fast again.

But Laedo is in the water and waiting for them with obvious interest and while he'd offered Evan a final chance to maintain decency and perhaps de-escalate the building heat if it wasn't wished for, he hadn't taken it. So despite his concerns, Meallan reminds himself that both his friends are adults and he should trust them to make it clear where their boundaries are without him hounding them further.

So he smiles at Evan's answer and drops to a sprawl by the water's edge, his attention fixed entirely on the other redhead. "Exactly the kind of answer I'd been hoping for," he answers, heat in his voice as it had been in his fingers previously. "Don't let me stop you..."

[asscan]

Laedo stifles another snort and, finding himself close to Meallan's top-side, takes a braid and tugs. "That's not very fair of you." Though the strip-show isn't in the least something he wants to have halted. In fact, he can see why the elf might want to sit back and watch.

Now that he's settled, he murmurs, "I hope to get a proper show out of all of this. You leave a man too long to soak and he'll turn into a prune, after all." At this point, he's expecting something more along the lines of the pair of them playing around in front of him, which would honestly be enough if he had to admit it to himself. The rest is icing on the cake.

[evantuality]

Evan gives a little laugh at their respective encouragements. Having not expected to find himself in the spotlight as such, he suffers a spike of embarrassment at the eyes on him. Mel's little purr sends heat up his spine just as well as his fingers had, but what brings him out of his momentary mortification is the oddest realization that Laedo and Mel's eyes are more similar to each other than they are to his own. A quartet of golden eyes, belonging to some very attractive people, trained on him and waiting for him to get naked. It's enough to buff even the most uncertain ego a little.

The closest Evan gets to giving a proper show, however, is to take his time a little more than he otherwise would. He wriggles out of his pants, slacks from home that have grown a little tight around the muscle he'd put on after all that walking on Zeta-12, folds them, puts them aside with his shirt. His boxers are blue (and bless the luck that sent him in brand-new shorts when he'd first been spirited off here) and would have been just fine for swimming trunks, but he hooks his thumbs in the waistband there and slides them down, steps out of them.

He's no longer entirely the weedy thing he was when he'd arrived at Oska for the first time, some muscle filling out his frame, but it's utilitarian rather than the kind of sculpted topography the other two sport. Shoulders to lift, legs fit for months'-worth of hauling ass, a core built up by modest combat training and all the swimming he's done here. He's still more solid than lovely, but he's proud of what he's gained. His body hair is sparse and light enough to be hard to see, and the carpet is the same bright red as the drapes.

He turns to fold his shorts and stack them with the rest, brilliantly aware of the eyes on him. He's flushed all the way to his chest, he's sure of it, and when he turns he's grinning a little, eyes on the spring rather than either of them, though his gaze slides to Mel as he steps into the pool himself.

There's warmth in his gaze, and sheepish entreaty; is he doing this right? Was his little not-quite-a-show sufficient?

"Your turn," he suggests, to Mel but really to the both of them.

[strikingtwice]

"I think it's very fair, taking the time to appreciate Evan as much as he deserves," Meallan returns, reaching out to splash a bit of the water at Laedo. "And I'm certain we'll find a way to make up any pruning for you."

But teasing aside, Meallan's gaze is entirely focused on Evan as he strips. He's seen him naked before, but it's a sight he never stops appreciating and it seems all the more exciting now that there's another set of eyes on the younger man as well. When Evan turns back and slips into the pool, Meallan takes a moment to give him a slow, hungry look, his gaze tracing every curl and line of muscle with obvious approval. And if that isn't enough, he tugs Evan's head back to kiss him deeply, savouring it before he breaks away and nudges him towards Laedo.

"I think that's enough of my opinion, but perhaps Laedo has one he'd like to make as well?"

It's an invitation to them both, although Meallan imagines it might help as well if he were more... involved, although help them or help himself to a situation he imagines he'll thoroughly enjoy he couldn't say. Either way, it means his trousers need to come off as well and he rises, unlacing and peeling them off with a fluid motion, followed by his own plain smallclothes.

Like all elves, Meallan is completely hairless with the exception of the top of his head and eyebrows, a difference that still causes him much amusement with Evan at times, and the pale expanse of skin is broken only by a fine pattern of freckles and the paler lines of scars. The worst of them marks where Laedo's magically crafted arm meets his flesh, and while Meallan finds it easier to bear the loss now, he still angles that side away from them instinctively, self-conscious about the marks.

It doesn't stop him from sliding into the water as well, however, carefully making his way to the pair and boldly reaching out to caress Laedo's hip beneath the water. "Don't you think you're over-dressed?"

[asscan]

Well, this is going better than Laedo had expected... or maybe it's just that he has not gotten any in long enough that barrelling into the territory of naked hip-caresses feels like a breakneck pace. A shiver arcs almost electrically up his spine and--he casts Meallan a suspicious glance, knowing the man to be both talented in that regard and tricky at times--he turns to rest his elbows and back against the pool. A gentle shimmer rustles his clothing to nothing, the gesture neither flashy nor drawn out... but there are more important things to consider.

The asandus's glance at Meallan turns downright pleased, then he turns his gaze on Evan and, a moment later, slips an arm up and around him to draw him in. pale fingers--still heavily adorned in rings, mind--slip through as yet undampened red hair, and he tests his friend in a full on kiss. Goddess, he hopes he was reading that cheeky suggestion that Meallan had just made...

Pushing Evan back, he growls, "I could do with more of that." But he leans back against the edge of the pool, then, and chuckles. "I thought I heard mention of you using those warm hands of yours to better effect. Who's back are you taking first?"

[evantuality]

Mel's kisses have grown familiar, but never fail to intoxicate, to set Evan's heart to thumping in that particularly heady mixture of admiration, adoration and anticipation. Laedo's lips, however, are entirely new -- and somehow even with the sly hint counting as forewarning, he somehow had not expected the kiss, not a proper one, not like this. It's enough to render him pliant and hazy as he absorbs the newness, and he leans into it a little before Laedo pulls away again. It's a one-two punch that sets him to goosebumps even in the sultry embrace of the hotspring.

"Ah." It had been enough to thoroughly distract, and it takes a moment for words to sink into Evan's brain. He raises his hands, dripping, above the waterline and grins, a hot, hazy thing. "Ahh... well, maybe, maybe guests first?" He looks between Laedo and Mel, lips quirked, flushed and feeling delightfully tantalized and exposed. Being able to rub some iridescent shoulders will give him a focus, wean him on to engaging some other potentially iridescent parts.

Now there's a thought that just about has him glancing down under the water. He flushes more deeply, eyes hooding a little as he looks back to Laedo's face instead.

[strikingtwice]

He watches the exchange with approval and a touch of caution; while Meallan is fairly certain Evan and Laedo are both entirely on-board with all that's happening, he watches for any signs of hesitation or dislike anyway, ready to intervene if it proves necessary. Fortunately it doesn't, and Meallan is instead treated with the sight of Evan looking rather pleased with the outcome of everything so far, something he doesn't disagree on in the slightest.

At Laedo's question he laughs, shooting him and Evan an amused look. "Give him a moment to recover before asking him something like that," he says. "I think his head is still spinning."

But not so much Evan can't decide on a path after a moment and Meallan slips his hand behind Laedo's back and nudges him forward. "You heard the man."

[asscan]

"Guests are technically supposed to leave gifts, at least where I come from," Laedo warns, but he turns around, chest facing the lip of the springs... and coincidentally facing a little more closely towards Meallan. Presenting his back to Evan gives the elemental some time to analyze the rather vague, thick golden stripes that run from Laedo's spine out over his torso... and indeed, the iridescent parts he was wondering about are only obfuscated now by the sloshing of water around them. He's a little more pink around the backside than across the parts of his torso not gold, but that could be from sitting on the ledge of the pool. Just like the rest of his body, at least, Laedo's back and behind are as sculpted as anyone could ask for. The depth of the pool allows him to jut out, giving Evan a little bit of leaning over to do if he wants to reach the man's shoulders.

That done, he turns his attention back to Meallan and brings a hand up, takes some hair, pulls him in close. Too much taunting from him; Laedo's more than certain that he's had enough cues for this to at least be passable behaviour, so he gives Meallan a lingering kiss as well. He likes taking charge of the moment, and though he supposes it isn't entirely his place, he still borrows Meallan's hand--the one that had been so helpful at his back--and guides it down his stomach.

Of course, under water the golden hairs Meallan will encounter are less of a gently curly fluff, but the heat of the pool isn't entirely to blame for the half-chub the both of them have foisted on him. When he pulls back, Laedo's grin is--he hopes--infectious.