For being promoted as such a venue of soothing relaxation and meditation, the 'Balancing Point' had managed to make Shen feel more uncomfortable than any normal person should in a spa.

And he's only just standing in the lobby.

This discomfort had mostly been brought upon him by one Ms. Sophie Shen, or that damn, nosy bitch, as he had been internally referring to her right now. For some reason untold to him, she feels the need to actively involve herself in her son's life, particularly the greatly lacking social aspect of it, no matter how often he tries to spell it out to her that he's very content not being Mr. Popular.

So, just a week after a certain encounter involving fallen groceries and nectarines, his mother had been been helping him do his laundry (he'd rather that than wasting his money on the quarter-guzzler residing in the basement of his apartment) when she had discovered a business card of one Bri Ayden Young while clearing out the pockets of his jeans. After unsuccessfully trying to pry the reason out of him of why he would have a masseuse's card of all things, she had decided to give the spa a call, if only to see the priceless look on Shen's waning face.

And then she had taken it a step further with the joke and had set him up an appointment.

Of course, she had paid for it, insisting he could honestly use a good back rub now and then, and that it wouldn't kill him to experience another human's touch for Christ's sake. And when his mother had her mind set on something, it's like trying to stop a locomotive train at full speed with your bare hands.

Besides, he had been looking worn-down in his last visit, behaving more distant than usual, if that's possible. Naturally, maternal instincts kick in, but she knows that consoling words from her would prove to be ineffective. Perhaps this Bri fellow, whoever he is, could be able to do something about it.

Returning to the present, Shen's still debating whether or not to make a break for the exit, but the part of him that wouldn't mind seeing the friendly were-dog again is forcing him to loiter. He leans his weight restlessly from one leg to the other, glancing around at all of the tranquility with the air of an alien in a new country. Or planet, even.

Of all places to work at...

It had been a relatively slow day, actually, not a lot of business. That had been all last week. Not that Bri had particularly minded though, he was able to take plenty of long breaks watching the History channel on the little t.v. in the back room. Today he was dressed in his normal work clothes; a comfy green t-shirt on the tighter side, and a pair of loose grey sweatpants with cargo-like pockets down the legs. Soft, relaxing colors, ya know? He was wearing slippers on his feet as well. He liked to think of it as a way for his clients to not be so uncomfortable, it is also more practical. When reaching over a person, or practically crawling across them, you didn't want a pin or button to be poking them, now did you?

He was surprised to look at his schedule for today, to see Shen's name on it, but he was pleased as well. Well, he was finished up changing the sheets on his table, and straightening things out, so he grabbed his clipboards with Shen's sheet, looking over it. It said a basic full body and a sports massage. It made sense, the first to relieve and relax, and the second to stretch out, help with joints, and really work with the muscles. A lot of runners requested such a massage, and Bri wondered briefly if Shen ran. Ah well, time to help his friend out.

He walked out of his room, down the hall, and to the front. He grinned as soon as he saw the other, raising a hand and waving with two fingers, continuing on then to brush his shaggy hair out of his face. He turned to the young woman at the front, nodding his head then stopped in front of the other, handing him the clipboard. He had the same friendly but gentle nature around him as when Shen first met him.

"'Eyla, thur, Shen, 'ow ya doin'? Jus' check anythin' tha' yew've been 'avin' trubles wi', an' sign at tha' bottom."

It had the list of, have you been hurting anywhere in particular? Any emotional problems? Etcetc. He turned, waving Shen along with him, smiling genially at the other. It was darker down the hallway, light by low lamps. It smelt nice though, of clean salt water and other aromas. At least, it was nice in Bri's opinion. They stopped at about the middle, and Bri opened the door.

"'Ere's mah room, not ver' impress've Ah'll tell ya tha', bu' it'z mah room."

It was lit by a few small lamps placed constructively so that it would give just enough light to see and make things out, but it wasn't anywhere near bright enough make them feel as if they were in a doctor's lab. This place is supposed to make you relax after all. In the center was a massage table covered with some simple, light blue bed sheets. The room itself was a soft blue, sponged with green at the bottom, and silverish towards the top. There were plants placed here and there; a few little trees, and some nice little shrubs. The floor was a cool, brown hardwood, but there were rugs placed under the table and one was seen peeking from behind a screen, on the floor. There was a counter with multiple drawers too.

"'Ere we go, yew can get undressed behahnd tha' thur screen. Jus' place thu' clipboard on tha little coun'er thang and climb under thuh bed sheet when yur done. Ah'll be back in five, hm?"

With that statement and another smile he walked out closing the door so the other has his privacy to get ready.

Shen's mouth immediately slackens, the protest against stripping down on his lips, but Bri and his genial smile are gone for now, leaving him alone in the lowly lit room with his argument unheard.

...Damn.

Fidgeting from fraying nerves, he glances down to the clipboard in hand and slides the pen out of the metal clip, restive eyes skimming over the questions provided. One inquires him on any recent bouts of stress, which he leaves a definite tick in the box beside.

He sure as hell considers coming here as stressful.

Eventually, he sets down the clipboard on the counter, a dozen checkmarks left in various boxes, mostly concerning negative emotions - he's been feeling shitty lately (ever since that incident in Redway, to be exact), give him a break. Then, he uncertainly eyes the screen meant for him to undress behind. The urge to escape returns with full force.

Is he supposed to be in his birthday suit for this? That's how it's always depicted in stupid sitcoms and movies, which sadly are his only reference point at the moment. His mother had been kind enough to check all the vital information he would need for this trip, goddammit.

Upon remembering that his masseuse friend will be returning shortly, he hurries himself behind the screen in spite of his aversion and, with a quick, paranoid flit of his gaze around the edge to the door, lifts the hem of his shirt up and over. He makes quick work of undressing, though there's still hesitance upon reaching the boxers, his fingers wavering in their clasp of the hem and - oh, fuck it. His underwear joins the untidy pile.

Shen returns to the massage table in breakneck time, bare feet padding swiftly across the hardwood and rug, and immediately immerses his lower half in the bed sheets upon climbing up, wrapping himself up tightly.

He feels so utter ridiculous, face even heating up in an anxious flush. Countless death threats towards his mother are now stewing in his mind as he dreads Bri's return, if only for what is sure to occur then.

Bri had been taking care of things, cleaning his hands once more, just checking on things, while waiting for the other to get ready. He checked the clock. Good, five minutes were up, and he made his way back to the room, opening the door slowly, and then closing it too. He didn't lock it - laws prevent that, but the little sign on the front was flipped to 'Quiet', so people would know not to disturb. He was still smiling as he picked up the clipboard, nodding as he looked over it. Hmn, ouch, a lot of negavtive emotions. He was really going to have to work on the other's neck and stomach area. He nodded.

"Goo', goo', looks lahk we 'ahve ev're'thang."

He kicked his slippers off by the counter, opening a drawer and pulling out a holster and clipping it on. It hung low on his hips, but it was fine. In the pockets, he put two bottles filled with a clearish liquid. He then made his way over to the nice cd payer and pressed play. It was nature sounds, ocean, wind, and rain with some piano, good for relaxing. Walking over to the table, he chuckled.

"Okay, Shen, 'ere we go now...Ah jus' need ya to flip onter yer stomach, thur. Bu' tell meh, if yew are willin' too, 'ow come all thu stress? Sommat 'appen?"

When the other was done flipping over, he went down to the foot of the table and - probably much to the other's chagrin, he pulled on the sheet to expose his left leg and left butt cheek. He didn't uncover any parts or the other leg, just that one. He got some oil on his hands, rubbing it in, and then got plenty more, starting to massage the other's foot in a firm but smooth manner.

"Now...lemme know if yer realleh uncomf'terble, but Ah promise Ah don' take advant'ge of mah clients in any way."

His smile was heard through his voice, and there was indeed a soft smile on his face. He was in a good mood, and he was glad to see Shen, what can he say?

As sure as day turning into night, Shen's frame tightens up as the sheets are tugged away to bare his left side to Bri, and it takes every inch of his willpower not to squirm his foot out of the were-dog's oil-slick grasp. His face, obscured by the headrest, is practically burning in embarrassment, but he keeps his teeth gritted against the desire to tell him to stop. He can't just yield this early.

...Well, so far, so good.

"It's...nothing, really," he mumbles once the urge had cooled down, idly wondering if Bri can sense a lie through touch alone. "Just ran into this guy, and the incident left me feeling crappy." Well, more like he had been feeling nothing, a void in him that had lingered like a nasty flu. Just the memory of the Tyler's grin and the sensation (or lack of) left by his touch winds the tension up in his body to a tautness that is intensely palpable.

"It was just hard to shake off, that's all..."

"Mm, mm, mmm. Yew're realleh tense, an' Ah'd suggest tryin' to relax, 'cuz it'll tickle oth'wise."

Bri can feel the other's muscles tense up, they did even more so, and Bri actually frowned just slightly. It must of been pretty serious. His smile returned, but it was slightly worried at the same time. He was stretching the other's foot/ankle connection out, then moved onto the other's calve area. If the other is tense, this'll probably tickle. But Bri is firm and won't let that leg move anywhere if the other squirms a bit. The relaxation massage doesn't dig into the muscles like the sports massage, but it still goes into them to help relax them.

"No o-fence bu' are ya sure? Did ya ge' inter a fight? Or would yew realleh rather me shu' up 'bout eet?"

He was on the upper half of the calve, know. The other had good, strong calves.

"Yew a runner? Yew've got good legs."

Anywhere else, and possibly from anyone else, that'd sound pretty suggestive. Than again, Bri does happen to admire both genders, and the other does have good legs; he's a legs man. But he also admires them as a Massage Therapist; a person who knows you need to keep in shape to remain healthy and not stress your body out as much.

Despite Bri's advising words and the serene music filling the room with Earth's natural sounds, he can't quite loosen himself up enough. His foot tries to flounder in the masseuse's strong grip at first, and Shen's up ahead trying to breathe in and out slowly, thinking this will somehow calm him down. Doesn't work much, but, surprisingly, the pressure disposed on his calf by the were-dog is now.

His leg twitches to a halt at last, and he releases a soft sigh. Well, hadn't been expecting that.

"Nah, it's fine...Not a fight, but he really bothered me. I don't know. Just hopin' I don't run into him again." His gray eyes slide to half mast and lazily follow the patterns on the rug. He only lifts his head marginally at Bri's next question and unexpected compliment that makes the heat return to his face and tips of his lobes in a rush of blood, mantling them, and he's thankful that the latter really can't see much of either. He doesn't take flattery in stride.

"Thanks...I run daily, yeah. Mostly in Redway Park, sometimes around the neighborhood." He doesn't mean to, but there's a slight lilt to his voice that hints at just how strongly he feels about running. Only source of passion in his life, to be honest.

Don't worry, Bri is used to dealing with ticklish people. One young lady almost went flying off the table because she was squirming so much. At least she'd been able to keep the blanket on her. Anyways, the other was getting better at keeping still, and was obviously trying to relax, so Bri didn't mind one bit. And he doesn't see the other's blush, focused on the other's leg as he works up the calve. Now at the upper-lower leg/knee joint, his fingers are pressing and massaging the pressure points and flexing the knee, raising and stretching the other's leg, lowering, raising again, and then lowering it.

"Mm, Ah hope ya don' eithah. 'E sounds mightay unpleasant t'be 'round, an' Ah don' lahk eet when others upse' friends."

He noticed the change in the other's voice, the other even relaxed some when he mentioned it, and smiled. It was something they shared in common then.

"Ah love runnin' m'self. Ah do eet when'evah Ah can...Yew know, we should go runnin' together sometahm, hm? Bu' did yew do track in 'ighschoo'?"

He was now working on the other's lower thigh, getting outer and inner thigh, slowly working higher up. He would suggest taking 'his dog' but...Nah, not now.

The fact that Bri actually considers him to be a friend does stir the very elusive sentimentality within the elemental in one of those deep, deep down feelings, and he tries to ignore how one end of his pink mouth is pulling back a tad bit.

"Hmm...that'd be cool." Referring to a possible run together, which is odd for him to agree to when he likes to think of running as intimate alone time. Having a tolerable partner once in a while wouldn't be so bad, he supposes.

Not so sure about that hand creeping near his bum, though. It makes him concentrate a little too hard now on just the fiber of the rug.

"A-Ah, no, didn't." He clears his throat and tries again with an inward flinch at the hitch. "The coach offered, but I'm not one for teams. Like t' run for just me." Hm. Feeling a shade of déjà vu here.

Oh, yeah.

Bri makes a pleased noise as his hands move to the other's upper thigh, being careful about massaging the inner thigh, and then moving up to the other's butt. It wasn't like a grope, he was simply massaging. The touches weren't lingering in any way, and it was over relatively quick. He grabbed the blanket and covered that leg, moving around to the other side, and uncovering the other to work on that one. He gets the legs done before the back.

"Ah see, well, Ah can und'stand tha'. Ah got some'ow convinced te play football my last two years o' 'ighschoo'. 'Ell if Ah'll evah play tha' damned sport 'gain."

He was grinning, and then, for a little, it just went quiet as he worked on the other's leg, moving up slowly but steadily. It probably seemed shorter to Shen, since it was really only a couple minutes to do each leg. The only noticeable noises was the CD player, the noise of the bottles as he squirted oil onto his hands, and both of their breathing. It was nice, relaxing almost. Working always relaxed Bri. When the other leg was done, he covered that one up to, moving up to work on the other's back, switching from side to side of the table to make sure he gets work on BOTH sides of the other's back.

That...hadn't been so bad, he reflects upon releasing the intake of air he had been retaining during the backside's massage. Even kindofmaybe nice, especially in comparison to, say, being 'felt up' by a certain smoke demon. He wisely opts not to voice this, however.

The comment about football elicits a dry snort from him as he slumps back against the table.

"Can't imagine why not," he drawls, sarcasm-toned, not in jest towards Bri but simply more in agreement.

It's strange, but between their light dialogue and the somehow gratifying touches, he is finding himself...enjoying this. Mind, there's still a raw nerve about allowing someone this physically close to himself, but Bri has managed to bypass this with natural ease and it both impresses and perturbs Shen.

Fortunately, the sensation of muscle and bone pleasantly becoming metaphorical piles of goo is more than enough to shift the focus of his thoughts.

Really kills a part of him to admit it, but perhaps his mom had actually been right about this.

A chuckle was the reply to the other's comment. For now, he was going to let the other start a comment, since it was his massage, and if he didn't feel like talking, Bri wouldn't disturb him with conversation. Maybe a comment or two, but not much else. He was now at the other's shoulders, standing in front of him. A few more squirts and he rubs the oil into the other's neck and where it connects.

"This'll 'urt a bit, relievin' pressure points.."

And then he felt along the other's neck tracts, down to the muscles of the shoulders, fingers digging into the muscles, found two large lumps of nerves and squeezed. And oh boy did it probably hurt! What he was squeezing was two lumps of nerves that essentially clump together from stiff shoulders, not stretching them out properly or often, hunched shoulders, stress, and the list goes on. Even if the other makes a noise or squirms, he holds on for a total of thirty seconds. And when he lets go, it's gotta be a relief. But the other's shoulders are also much much muuuuch looser, and he massaged those shoulders gently in apology.

"Sorreh 'bout tha', bu' eet wuz necc'sareh."

He spent a little more on the other's neck, neverminding the oil that might get in the other's hair. There were showers here. In the back. The other'd get a house robe, a large bottle of water, and some slippers after this. You always need to drink water after a massage. After he was done with the other's neck, he patted his shoulder.

"Ah need ya tew flip onter yer back, aight?"

And sure enough, Shen makes a sharp inhale that sounds remarkably like 'sonuvabitch' as the nerves are pinched tautly between the other's trained fingers, his eyelids practically vised shut for the thirty seconds.

But the sigh that he suspires upon the release of said nerves is tremendous, even ending with a tiny groan of mixed relief and fading pain.

"...Fuck," he barks oh so sophisticatedly.

After a moment to re-adjust, he clamps his hands around the edge of the table and raises himself shakily onto his arms. Performs a twist of the torso and falls lightly back onto the surface, his view now changed from rug prints to a simple but still charming face that smiles ruefully back at him.

The awkward makes itself known again, now that he no longer has the comfort of not watching just how these massages are being ministrated on him.

"Yew took it much better than others 'ave, lemme tell ya tha'."

He grimaced at the thought, starting again on the other's neck and shoulders; he was working his way back down the other's body. With females this can be quite awkward with, you know, the whole bosom thing, but not so with males. He worked down the other's chest, working on either side as he did so. Again he started on one leg, carefully with uncovering. He uncovered the other's hip bone; working on that, then went farther down the other's leg, stretching it up, down, and out to the side before getting deeper into the muscles.

Again, it had lapsed into silence, but Bri didn't mind if the other didn't want to talk. Usually he forgets to even talk if others look like they want to talk, because he doesn't look at their face. No, his face is relaxed, but there is still a soft smile on it, and he is focused on working on this knee. He pulled it up against the other's chest, up into the air, then down again, moving down to the other's foot. Another foot massage and ankle stretching and he moved to the other side. He covered the leg he was finished with, and then uncovered the other one. There he took a glance at Shen, giving a little grin.

"Ya okay?"

"Hm?" Shen's keeping himself busy by watching the shadows on the ceiling, created by the few low lights in the room, since it's too dark for him to count the cracks in the ceiling. Unoriginal, but it works. He glances down to Bri's little grin and shrugs his shoulders, which takes a little more energy to perform than usual in their overly relaxed state.

"Yeah, guess I am. Not used to it, but it's...not so bad." It could be worse, after all. Despite his misgivings, he's watching now how the other works out the muscles and tendons in the joints of his trim, rather skinny legs.

"...You're pretty good at this," he states after a while, even a little amazement shading his voice.

And that's saying something from him.

"At leas' yer tryin' it out, ya know?"

Bri flushed just slightly at the compliment, dark tan face pinking ever so slightly. But he looked pleased nonetheless. Getting compliments never got old for him. He's easily pleased.

"Thanks. Ah love mah job; ya know, makin' people feel goo' 'n' all."

Working up the other's leg, at the thigh again, once again carefully massaging the other's inner thigh. Pulling leg up to his chest, out to the side, so on and so forth. Then after that was done with, he covered the other's leg and finally started on the other's arms. It's not that he forgot them, but he always lightly massaged them first, and did them first with the sports massage. He moved downwards with the arm, shoulder down to the other's hand, massaging each individual finger.

"That's good. Having a job you like, you know. At least you don't feel like crap after a day's work, and it makes people happy." He can feel a little of the oil left now on his fingertips from the massage, and he rubs them together upon Bri finishing to feel how slick and warm they are.

"I wouldn't mind one, but all I have is a night-shift job at a computer hardware warehouse." His nose scrunches up a little in obvious distate of his own current career. "Hopefully, after college, that'll change..."

"Warnin' ya now..this ain't gonna be as pleasant cuz Imma gonna be stretching everythin' and diggin' inter yer muscles real deep now..."

And if the other heeded his warning and tried to relax, it wouldn't hurt AS bad as it could. It was shorter, but that was because he didn't need to flip the other over for this massage. But as he warned, his fingers dug in real deep, especially in the other's legs since he runs. It didn't take that long for him to finish though, and the other probably felt exhausted after he was done. Bri was proud though, the other did real well for a first time client.

"There we go..."

He walked away, grabbing robe and a large bottle of water, walking over to the other and setting them on the counter in the other's view.

"'Ere we go, Shen. Get in the robe, grab the bottle of water and your clothes, here's a bag for them..."

He set a little cloth bag on the counter.

"And I'll take you to the shower. And you must drink the water, it's a health requirement. So, go on and do that, I know you're sore, but after the shower, I promise it will feel much better. Your muscles have been worked on and were tight, now they've been loosened up, you of course you are going to feel pain. I'll be right outside, call for me if ya need me."