Title - Porcelain Tears

Author – Black Violin

Anime – D. Gray-Man

Pairings – Linalee x Tyki

Summary – Popular gentleman by night, lonely doll maker by day. Tyki Mikk has become very bored with his life and seeks to bring one of his dolls to life.

Notes – Roses are red, violets are blue, I own nothing, so you can not sue. DISCLAIMED

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Dancing was a simple fashion that everyone enjoyed. The music, the swirling movements, the general mood of smiling faces and happy voices – all contributions to the town's nasty habit of night life. The dance was hosted by the town's mayor, the Millennium Earl. He wasn't considered much of a party goer, being that he only sat and watched from his high balcony over the banquet hall, rocking in his chair and knitting. His daughter, however, was often the life of the party. Road Kamelot was a clingy girl. She moved from person to person, easily striking up conversation. She was always hanging off some poor sap's arm while talking, and that person generally became her dance partner.

Aside from Road, Tyki Mikk was another popular figure at the nightly parties. He attended every night, whereas most people only attended a couple nights of the week. He was tall, well built, and handsome. He was not one to include himself into conversation, but the conversation always came to him. Women were always striving for his attention, and Tyki was always happy to give it.

One of the women he most liked to dance with was Lulu Bell. She was a quiet, confident lady who preferred suits over dresses. She was graceful, like a cat, and hardly spoke unless prompted to. It was rumored that Lulu Bell was sexually in love with one of her house maids, but no one could really confirm the truth of it.

"This night is truly too short," Tyki commented, stepping to the side so he was back to back with Lulu Bell in accordance to the dance and rhythm. They turned to face each other as the orchestra's tune gave hint to the dancers.

They danced in almost a man to man dance. Traditionally, the woman would place one hand on the gentleman's shoulder and the other hand would rest vertically in his. The gentleman would keep a hand on the woman's waist and have the other holding her hand in a horizontal way. The women would generally have less movement while dancing and the man would practically rotate around her.

Dancing with Lulu Bell was almost contradictory. They both danced like gentlemen, keeping their hands on each other's waists and resting their hands together horizontally. Instead of one rotating around the other, they hovered about

like opposite magnets and mimicked movements. Many disapproved of this kind of dancing, but Tyki rather enjoyed it. He loved how out of the ordinary the style was.

"It is," Lulu Bell replied as the song finished. She bowed and said, "I'll be going now, before my maid worries to much."

Tyki bowed in response, saying farewell to his friend. Another woman quickly took Lulu Bell's place as his dance partner. There was still a few hours left of the party and he intended to enjoy it.

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Tyki returned in the early hours of the morning. He entered his lonely little shop, feeling tired after the night. The bell hanging over the door chimed a greeting. The doll maker lit a lantern, revealing the many faces of the dolls he made. There were dolls of every shape and size. Some were small, meant for children, and others were life size, used by tailors and dress makers to display their craft. Some of the dolls were very pretty and some were very ugly, and some were not even human. Some could be pulled by strings and others were either limp or self-standing. Their clothes were elaborate, made to fit the personality of each doll. Tyki was very proud of the work he did.

"I'm home," Tyki whispered to the dolls, as if his voice might startle them. He made his way to the back of the store and creaked up the staircase to his room.

There wasn't a word to describe Tyki's room. It wasn't cluttered, nor was it dirty. It was both, in a sense, but to a slightly lesser degree. There were doll pieces everywhere. Heads stick on sticks (which allowed for them to be painted easier) was in one corner, leaning against the wall and waiting for a body. Miscellaneous arms and legs and other body parts were strewn across the work tables that lined most of the walls. Saw dust, porcelain dust, paint, and fabric scraps littered the floor. Tyki had a bed, but it was used for laying his clothes on instead of sleeping. He had a kitchen too, used more as a sewing area. Anyone would frown at the man's living space. Tyki, however, would not have it any other way.

If Tyki said that he didn't have a favorite doll, he would have been lying. Hanging lifeless in the center of the room was his only companion. She was a doll that he'd been working on for years. She hung from the strings tied on her arms, limp and incomplete, but still very beautiful.

She was the average height of a living human. Her entire body was made of porcelain, and her joints were connected with an almost elastic-like thread. Her hair was black as midnight, and about waist length (Tyki had gone to great lengths to find a woman with such hair, and greater lengths to convince the woman to cut it for him). He had painted the doll's skin a light tan, satisfied that the shade he had chosen gave her a dark looking appeal.

The only thing that was missing was one of the doll's legs, which he was still shaping to match the other, and an expression on her face. Tyki seemed to have some trouble imagining the perfect expression for her.

"It was a good party, Linalee," He said to the doll as he gingerly stroked her face, "I wish you could have been there."

The doll, which he fondly named Linalee, did nothing. Tyki supposed that was a good thing. Dolls were dolls, and dolls were not meant to do anything.

"But wouldn't that be great?" He asked Linalee as he changed out of his suit and into some clothes better suited for his craft. He looked at the doll again, trying to imagine what it would be like if she could dance, and laugh, and cry, and be human. Of course, she would look strange without a face, stumbling about with one leg. But he would fix that soon.

Tyki sat at one of the work tables and worked on Linalee's other leg. Soon, he was slumped over the table in a deep sleep.

As the skies outside darkened and promised storms for the coming day, the doll maker unaware that his dream was just within reach.