For every choice you make, the opposite happens somewhere else. You could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby ... changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.
Dim, fluttering, orange light danced over the pages of the venerable tome, seeming to create the illusion of the words casting their own shadows. The words didn't fit with anything, really. Except within this gigantic, dusty book. The church fervently denied anything like this being possible and waved it off as witchcraft or ramblings of old folk. But stories come from truth, somewhere along the line, didn't they?
For every choice you make, the opposite would happen elsewhere, such as if you chose to eat some chocolate ice-cream rather than vanilla. In another universe, supposedly, the version of yourself there would have chosen vanilla. Then, supposedly because you made an action, that action will have a consequence across all universes. It sounded possible, in a way.
At least to a Bookman. It was painful how uneducated some people were. But that's what separated Lavi from everyone else. He was the heir to the Bookman title and thus, he had to be educated. If he were to say, bring this up to Allen, he might get some blank stares and a nod. Gigi wasn't too much better for conversation. Komui would somehow turn the conversation into something about Lenalee or his damned robots.
It was tiring to not have someone to talk to about things like that. Another flip of the page to look at the words that just seemed meaningless. Something about voids and veils and more boring unfeasible mumbo jumbo. As single green orb flitted over to the clock on the wall, huffing slightly at the time. 2 am.
The Jr huffed again as he closed the heavy book then stood only to flop over onto his bed less than a foot away. It was nearly impossible to sleep at times. Despite being a Bookman in training, he still had feelings and most of what he felt was easily explainable, just not easily combated. He felt love for his friends, he felt hate for the Noah Clan and for some of the Black Order, he was scared, he was lonely, he was bored, he was feeling like a teenager. Which he happened to be.
One of the things that Lavi was thankful for in his life was his ability to fall asleep whenever and wherever he happened to be. This time, the dreams he dreamt were not sweet in anyway. The Noah Clan had destroyed everything, were parading around his friends dead bodies and taunting him. It wasn't really their style to be like that, but it still upset him greatly.
It was suffice to say that the Bookman Jr. was not a happy man when he woke up. No amount of coffee in the world was going to bring up his spoiled mood, but his friend would never know how he was feeling. As per usual, he would have a happy smile on his face and not give away his irritation in any way. But he was going to need a lot of coffee to help smooth over the process.
（；¬＿¬)
Just a normal, fairly regular day for the Black Order… With a Komurin running around stuffing people inside it and a smaller spider like one trailing after it, both of which were causing a lot of damage. Since it was the third time in that particular week, Lenalee sat at a table with Kanda and Allen, waiting for Lavi of course, while the robot wreaked havoc upon another section of the order.
Once Lavi sat down with his coffee and offered his two cents on the situation, he learned how they really felt about it.
"Honestly, if my brother can make these blasted things to fight humans, he has got to have a way to make these to fight akuma and protect the general public." Lavi could hear her deep exasperation and didn't blame her. "All because he thinks that someone is going to dare to give me a valentines gift come this Valentines Day. You know, I can accept chocolate without going on a date with someone."
Allen laughed across the table once he had swallowed something off his mountain. "It's ok, Lena, we'll get you non-valentine's chocolate the day after. It's all on discount!"
Lenalee made one of those faces that said she wasn't too pleased with that. "That defeats the purpose of getting chocolate."
"Ehh, Lenalee, Komui's gonna be like that until you actually tell him to stop." Lavi drawled sleepily, then paused, glancing up at the two teens on the opposite side of the table. Kanda didn't show any outright discomfort, but Allen certainly did.
"I could tell him off all I want, but that will just cause a war within the order. He would be trying to figure out who I am trying to date, because it can only mean that to him." Lenalee sighed, putting her head on the table dramatically. She was a bit annoying like that, but certainly did have a point. The Black Order's Chief was neurotic when it came to his sister and never thought truly logically when it came to her on a personal level.
It was nearly St. Valentine's Day as well, which had been the reason why Komui was being even more violent than usual. That man needed to get a wife and have a daughter to coddle. He had the heart for it, just not the mind. He'd drive his wife mad with his chaotic messes. Lavi smirked at the thought of a female Komui creating just as much chaos as the male counterpart. It looked like a nightmare.
As much as Lavi tried, however, he couldn't understand why some holiday's origins got forgotten. He didn't see a reason to really enjoy St. Valentine's Day because it was named for a Roman saint who was beheaded when getting stoned and beaten with clubs didn't kill him. Many believed that Saint Valentine was a saint who married people in secret so that women didn't have to lose their beloveds to war. That was the only thing Lavi could even remotely see as a reason why that specific day was seen as a day of love.
Lavi took another sip of coffee, wincing at the hot bitterness that washed over his tongue. Chocolate didn't sound like a bad idea, and Gigi was unlikely to go full Panda Bookman mode on him for purchasing some. He could even purchase some for his friends. Tipping his cup again, Lavi took a large gulp of coffee, finishing off the cup and deciding what his activities would be for the day. It wasn't like he had anything else to do that day.
Hopping up and waving a farewell to the other teens at the table, Lavi made his way out of the mess hall. Between springy steps towards the buildings exit, Lavi thought back to the book he read the night before. If that theory was a truth, then there was a universe out there were he didn't decide to go get Valentine's Day sweets from the neighboring town. There were many ways that the day could go, that was how life worked, but the concept there was a universe where his decision didn't happen seemed interesting. Even if it was a very small change.
(；⌣̀_⌣́)
Overpowering scents of various garden grown flowers overtook Lavi's senses as he approached the small town that bustled with activity. The colors of red and pink adorned most buildings in preparation for a St Valentine's festival. It seemed that any excuse to party is acceptable. As an exorcist and a Bookman, Lavi wasn't permitted to attend the festivities of the town that night, but that fact didn't stop most of the members of the Black Order from coming to these and facing the consequences later.
However, this red head had no intentions of attending the festival, because Gigi wouldn't let him hear the end of it for weeks. It was bad enough that he planned to buy chocolate for his friends. Inhaling the town's over scented air, Lavi trekked his way to the nearest general store. Despite there being a nicer candy store somewhere else in town, the Jr knew better than to make an attempt to purchase somethere from there on this day, of all days. The general store had what he needed, he noted the various kinds as he scooped up a few of the square boxes.
There were 24 chocolates in each box, seeming to be a mixed amount. Looking down the line of crates full of Valentines candy, Lavi quickly spotted what else he was searching for. A small box of dark chocolates. Nobody could accuse him of being insensitive to Kanda if he got him dark chocolates at least. Never had the Jr. ever met someone who hated as many things as that angry samurai, sweet things joined that list when Allen made an attempt to get Kanda to eat something a bit too sweet.
With the 5 boxes of Valentine sweets in tow, Lavi quickly made his purchase and scrammed back to the Order HQ. Finding Allen and Lenalee was easy, as they hadn't left the cafeteria. That was 2 down, 2 to go. Komui was precariously perched on a railing, screeching at everyone and everything, until Lavi placed a box in his hand. Of course, the mad scientist looked completely baffled as Lavi strode off to find his last candy victim.
As any other day would be, Kanda sat on his knees in the training room, appearing to meditate. As stealthily as possible, Lavi simply left the small box of chocolates in front of his angry friend and left him be. Leaning against the wall outside the training rooms, Lavi looked down at his watch, scowling slightly at the numbers. 12:06 pm, which meant that he had nothing to do for the next few hours, unless he wanted to study more old scriptures, which wasn't particularly an option. The Jr. had to make a decision quick before the Bookman himself found him and put him to work.
Practically running down the hall, Lavi made his way to the exit of the HQ, deciding to go on a bit of a walkabout instead of dealing with his duties. Procrastination, hooray. Soon, Lavi was making his way down the path to the town, his mind wandering as it usually did. Somewhere, there was a version of himself that decided to actually study instead of slack off. It must've been quite boring there. A small smile graced the Jr's lips, turning his gaze to the town below. If he went to the town, he might get caught up in the festival. As fun as it sounded, having fun was not worth what the Bookman would do later.
Veering off the path into a less wooded patch, Lavi began his exploration of the woods that surrounded the HQ. Of course, there wasn't much to be seen in these woods, but it was quiet and peaceful, which was better at times. The Jr had attended a festival before, except it was to observe and record. It was times such as those that would make Lavi wonder if he had decided his fate too early. No time for love, no time for fun, no time for friends.
Sometimes, Lavi wished he had Bookman's ability to be deep in thought and be aware of everything around him. Mid-brood, the redhead face planted into the dirt. Kicking what he tripped over, Lavi grumbled as he got to his feet. He glanced at the object, noting that it looked like a piece of a white picket fence that had been through some better times. Scooping it up to examine it, the Jr noticed random burns in the wood and something that looked like teeth marks. A dog had a field day with someone's garbage it seemed. Tossing the piece aside, Lavi looked up to make sure he wouldn't trip over any more pieces of fence, then frowned deeply at what he was looking at.
There was more fence, but it was dilapidated as well as singed, and a house that looked like it had been burnt down long ago. Considering that it was on Order property, it was curious how it ended up there, or how long it had been there, rather. Stepping around pieces of fence and house, Lavi made his way to the front door, which was still hanging from the frame and went into the house. Nobody had been living in that little house in a very long time, he could tell that.
No pictures hung from the walls or happened to be upon the floor, just a broken table and a large, broken bed in the corner. But, eureka, Lavi felt the floor rattle a bit beneath his boot and smiled as he looked down at the cellar door. Heaving it open and fanning away the dust that rose up in the process, the redhead glared down into the darkness. It was extremely dark underneath this little hut of a house, but his curiosity was greater than his worries. Once down in the basement of the house, Lavi began to search for clues as to who may have dwelled there before. Much to Lavi's dismay, the basement was fairly empty as well.
The only thing that was present was a leatherbound diary and a conveniently placed oil lamp. Quickly lighting the lamp, Lavi took another look around before settling down to read the diary that the homeowner had left behind. Flipping to the first page, Lavi began his reading, only to have a gust of hot wind flow through the basement, rip the book from his hand and put out the lamp. Grumbling a bit, Lavi felt around for the book and the lamp before giving up and heading for the exit. Upon exiting, Lavi brushed off his uniform and noted the red sand on the floor before looking up to exit.
Not only was the house in more of a state of decay, the forest was gone, appearing to have been partially burnt down. Looking up to where the Order sat, the building had toppled and appeared to have been that way for a while. A screeching sound caught the Bookman Jr's attention to behind him to see some strange looking monkey creature looking at him with it's mouth open and full of drool.
"Ah… Shit…"
＼(º □ º l|l)/