It's oddly reassuring to count each and every slow beating heartbeat behind each door. Tonight, they're all calm and rhythmic and if he wanted to get all sentimental, he could compare it to a soothing sort of melody that told him tonight everyone was sound asleep without any nightmares. Well, almost everyone. 

 He paused, tilting his head and listening. Counting the ticks of the seconds that passed by. One, two, three ticks. He leaned over and knocked on Javier's door, calling out the boy's name and hoping to the lowest hell that for somehow age was catching up to him and his senses, that god was striking him down in his infringement upon his land because he absolutely did not need to see that empty bed; covers thrown to one side to reveal the cold imprint of it's owner. His heart nearly dropped until the faintest sound of irregular sobbing makes his ears prick and momentary relief flood through him.

 To be honest, there was very little that could happen to the children, what with the tight security that they had on the older guests that came to stay. There had never been a case so far, but what with everything that concerned children, one could never be too careful nor too paranoid in letting outsiders stay in the premises. Who knows what intentions they could have? Well, he could force such intentions out of them, even incite it, but such an exertion would draw too much attention for sure. Keeping vigil substituted well enough, constant vigilance.

 Turning, he semi-rushed towards the two figures coming down the corridor. Slowing down a short distance away when he as close enough to see that the boy was unharmed, at last physically. His heart rate was going a tad too fast as if he was having a nightmare and he might as well as been with how he was shaking and clinging to the angel. 

 Letting the gas lamp swing around his arm, he stopped and took the boy from the angel into his own arms. Gently rocking the sniffling sleepy boy, he cooed to him, not caring that the angel still stood there infront of him. The light throwing their shadows across their wall, "Hush, hush, little one, what's wrong? Why are you out of your room?" He asked, glancing up at the angelic, gaze more questioning than it should be.

 The boy sniffled, turning around to press his face against Xeph's chest, the remainder of wet tears soaking his front. A little too sleep deprived and distraught to formulate a full answer. Caught halfway between sleep and awareness, but somehow still able to mumble sleepily, "Can you tell me a story please? A new one."

 "I take it you won't go to sleep without one?" He chuckled softly, still rocking him gently, returning his gaze to the boy who just shakes his head and stares sleepily up at him before he shifted around and glanced up at the angel, yawning sleepily while he spoke, "Can Lai tell me one too?"

 "Two stories?" He chuckled, gaze drawing back to the man in question, in a little more threatening of a light. He pulled in his demonic aura, but it was hard to make a secret of his disdain for the angel when they were in private or rather in presence of a sleepy child. "We don't have time for two stories.."

 "Then just one?" Javier mumbled, struggling to keep his eyelids open.