Let's Play!

Ephriam just shook his head. It's not like I went to Bermuda or something.



"You do that." And then he picked the book back up.

" Nooooo, the book will make me sleepy."



Marina purred, taking it from him, a playful look playing across her face now, moving to stand up.

Ephriam looked at her with a soft smile again.



"Fine, but be gentle with it. That is my favorite." He stood up without any problem, walking over to the candle.

Marina smiled, setting the book down carefully, and taking his hand.



" Come, let's go relax in the hot tub in my room."

Ephriam hesitated for a minute. It was getting late. Still... He leaned down and snuffed the candle, casting the room into blackness again. He pulled his hand away for a minute to rummage through his drawer before taking it again. Gently he tugged in the direction of the stairs.



"Lead the way."

Very carefully Marina climbed the stairs in the pitch blackness, she had good sight and all, but still, better to be careful. That in mind, she hesitantly made her way up the last few and wondered off towards her room, keeping his hand locked with her's.

Ephriam followed her. At the corner closest to her room, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.



"ARRGGG!" He yanked his hand away from her, the one that had been out in front of him, and clutched it close to himself.



"Marina. The shade is still open in the kitchen from earlier." Sure enough, across the floor was spilling the very first rays of morning. Ephriam clutched his hand, it bright red and blistered, raw at the knuckles. There was a deep crease across his forehead.

Marina moved to shut it quickly, turning and looking over Ephriam in sincere concern, eyes searching all over him, doting on him in a way that clearly showed how worried she was.

Ephriam glanced up to see her concern and he felt bad.



"Do not worry. That was nowhere near enough to kill me. See? I am fine." Seeing as it was small and surface wound, as he extended his hand for her to see, one could watch it healing. The rawness scabbed and the blisters went away. Another minute or two and it would be like it never happened.

Marina nodded and nuzzled him.



" Don't scare me like that. You die and I'm left with no company but Jethro... and that's not fair to either one of us, because we'll end up being the death of each other."

Ephriam smiled slightly, putting his chin on top of her head.



"You worry too much. Someone put a pitchfork through my stomach once, and you think I am going to die because if a little sun?" He shook his head.



"Look, good as new." He reached to sweep her up in his arms, intending to carry her into her room.

Marina smiled, nuzzling and kissing him on the cheek. aware of what she was doing, she was happy, and glad he was okay, nestling down in his arms as he carried her.

Ephriam laughed now.



"Ah, ah, that tickles! And you're giving me human cooties!" Of course he was joking. The man dropped Marina on her bed, watching the springs bounce.

Marina giggled and smiled, stripping off her dress ( As he's seen her nude before now) and then her torn and tattered under garments, headed to start the hot tub up.



" Come on."

Ephriam had a small smile on his face as he paced off after the woman, peeling off his own clothes and wading in. The man turned around, offering a hand to the fair-skinned woman. The water was already steaming up off of the water as the jets shot out little bubbles, and as he stood there he had to wonder how this wouldn't make her sleepy. He didn't say anything though. After all, he was pro-sleep.



((Apparently I have decided all my characters need to be naked right now. >.><.< Hehe... ^^; ))

Smiling slowly, Marina giggled under her breath.



" Your naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaked."



She mocked cutely, as this was the first time she could recall him removing his clothes infront of her, smiling as she slowly slid into his arms in the water, relaxing

Ephriam's eyes rested on her, a slow but huge grin working across his face.



"Really now? Thank you for informing me of that - I failed to notice." The man just shook his head and sat down so that the bubbling water licked at his shoulders.

Marina smiled and nestled down in his lap ( Nudity and all), perfectly content with him holding her in the heat, slowly slipping into sleep in the water.

Ephriam held her gently, himself not moving at all. He smiled faintly to himself. She really was beautiful. Her face was sloped in a stunning manner. Ephriam brushed away a strand of hair, watching her falling asleep. He laughed softly, kissing her on the forehead. Whenever he got around to it, Ephriam figured he better take her to her bed.

snuggling into the sheets once in bed, she smiled contently, sleeping on.



~~~



Waking the next day, Marina looked around, a bit confused, the last thing she remembered was Ephriam's rather obviously nude person holding her in the hot tub... with that in mind, she moved to check her tub and make sure he wasn't still there.

As strange as it seemed, Ephriam was still there. All of the discarded clothing had been carried off and he had pulled on a pair of boxers, but otherwise it seemed pretty much the same. He sat on edge of the tub, watching the little boat he had made sail around on the top of the water. It was made entirely out of one tampon and a bit of glue.



The man had cut open the plastic applicator and shaped it to make the bottom of the boat, used the push stick part as the mast, and had unraveled the tampon to use as the sail. It was pretty amusing.



Ephriam glanced up at Marina as she walked in.



"Morning."

Marina looked to Ephriam and her jaw dropped, a look of complete astonishment on her face.



" Are you serious?"

Ephriam's eyes rested on her for a moment, a faint smile on his lips as his eyes drifted to the little boat.



"I was waiting on you. There is only so much you can do in a bathroom..."

" But really?!?!?"



Marina asked, looking him over with one of those ' I could kill you' looks, and considering the way she was looking at the boat, she might do it with another tampon.

Ephriam clicked off the bubbles and the little boat stopped rocking.



"It is hardly as though they are in short supply." Not to mention that he was the one who bought them anyhow. In the huge multipack bulk boxes too.

" Are you serious? If your so attached your welcome to use some, but really?"

Ephriam was beginning to wonder how many times she was going to ask him that. He was running out of answers, after all. In fact, this was the last one he could think of, and it sounded kind of dumb.



"Yes."

Marina merely sighed at this point and moved over to him, kissing him on the nose.



" Come on then, get out of here."

Ephriam rolled his eyes slightly and got up, leaving the room for her to do her business. The man went first to her wardrobe and pulled out some clothes to lay on the bed. Today the choice was a pair of those flowy capris that looked like a skirt in a rose color, and a white shirt.



After a few more minutes he was standing in the kitchen fully dressed and mixing a pancake batter.

Pulling on the capri's and shirt, she looked them over then went to her closet and snagged a pair of simple white sandals with white flowers on them, and put her hair up, wondering downstairs.



Looking to Ephriam, she smiled slowly, kissing his cheek.



" So, when did inviting Jethro in become a rule?"

The question caught Ephriam off guard mid-flip of the pancake. He had to jump back slightly so that the pancaked would land in the pan and not on him. The man set the skillet down on the stovetop looking at her with one of those 'you're joking' looks.



"He didn't." Ephriam placed his hand to his forehead with exasperation.



"How long did you stand there trying to figure out how to let him in?"

" I didn't, I pulled him in with me and ignored him..."



marina replied slowly, looking Ephriam over.



" Why?"

Ephriam drew his hand away in a bit of pleasant surprise. He smiled at her.



"I knew you had a lick of sense to you." He turned, fishing out the pancake and pouring in another.



"Jethro fancies this horrible game with people that just learned what he is. First, understand that the whole inviting us in thing is a myth. You see, Jethro was a mime for about four months or so a few years ago. He uses that practice to make it seem like there is a barrier keeping him out. The other person normally stands there for a while trying to figure out how to get him in, and he claims that he can't tell them exactly how to do it. Just when they get the most distressed, Jethro says something along the lines of 'We could ask Ephriam' and he'll walk through the door to come find me, leaving the person at a loss and feeling dumb for their mistake."

" So that's why he complained that I was no fun.... "



Marina purred, giggling. Walking to Ephriam, she kissed him lightly on teh cheek, looking about.



" He should be on an invite only basis though, he's rather intrusive."

Ephriam blinked a few times, mentally wondering about this affection thing. It didn't really make sense to him. In his brain, the whole 'vampire' thing should have been a turnoff, yet he'd never got kisses like this before. The man put the last pancake on a plate.



"Eh... What can you do?" He turned to face the woman. "He is normally respectful, though. He does not pop up while you are on the loo."

" If all he respects only that, then we're in some trouble."

Ephriam sighed, speaking slowly when he brought out the language.



"There are certain rules to our society. That was just an example of one. Not to mention that both Jethro and I were born in a world where a slightly more... gentile mannerism was instilled in little boys."

Marina looked over him, nodding slowly, nuzzling him softly.



" Alright... but you know my point."

Ephriam didn't say anything at all. He was silent as he drenched his pancakes with syrup and shifted the other plate down the bar for her. He put a hand to the side of her face, brushing away a strand of hair and trailing down over where her pulse was strongest before ending up with the tip of his slender finger under Marina's chin. He looked her straight in the eye. Then the man figured that it was his turn to ask a question.



"Are you happy enough here? Or would you prefer to leave? Of course you wouldn't be without necessary accommodations, but..." He trailed off.

Marina considered Ephriam as she felt his fingers move over her skin, eyes soon locking completely with his, weighing how to appropriately answer his question without offending him.



" Yes, I'm happy here as long as I'm kept with company I enjoy. I simply won't be happy if I discover there are more secrets I'm not aware of.. secrets make it hard to enjoy being anywhere."