"It really was." He relaxes in the warm water and closes his eyes, making no move to do anything untoward. It isn't from a lack of interest but because he's too caught up in the simple, contented pleasure of sitting quietly in warmth next to someone who's been stubborn and loving enough to get past Rat's many walls.

Sighing happily, he extracts himself only long enough to lean backward in the water and wet his hair, fumbling for the discarded shampoo.

"I think I still know how to do a crown braid," he says, idly picking up a loose strange of Marius' hair. Floating freely around him, Rat gets the impression of molten lava.