With a hum of acknowledgment, Laertes begins to stroke and knead in earnest. He takes care to keep his touches symmetrical--digging his knuckles in under each of Lucien's scapulae, stroking down from his ribs to his flanks, rolling his fingertips in slow circles over where the gluteal muscles attach near the base of the spine. It's a meditative act, and soon his own breathing is slow and even.