Uploaded on: July 8th 2012

Of Swords, Spells, and Karma

Chapter Seven: Wandering the Wide World

The morning sun came quickly, arising in a slow ascent in the sky. The change of wind and the dapple of the sun's presence was enough to stir Lavi from his deep slumber. An hour passed, and Lavi finally began to wake fully. He croaked an eye open and was met with the soft baby blue of the sky above him. His peripheral vision noted the yellow and pink streaks among the blue, and made him smile and close his eyes, basking in this morning peace. He didn't have to be told to know that the teenager beside him was fully awake and in a meditating position, possibly for a couple hours, possibly for a few minutes before Lavi woke.

"Up already, Yuu?" Lavi let his voice stretch out lazily in the open air, not bothering to open his eye. "I thought you'd still be tired from the chase we gave yesterday."

A quiet snort came to his ears. "Don't be foolish." The voice didn't have its usual gruffness accompanying it, nor its underlying tones of sharpness. "A warrior is always ready."

"Of course they are." Lavi said with a smile, turning to face his friend. He opened his one eye and studied the pale, serene face, framed with its dark blue locks. Through their entire conversation, Kanda had not bothered to open his eyes because he had already been aware of Lavi and didn't feel the need to break his connection with his environment that opening eyes usually caused. Far away, a bird sounded, its cheerful morning chirp carried by the wind.

Quietly, Lavi said, "You should have gotten some more sleep. It would have done you good. After all, what we did at the castle, it's a lot to worry about."

Kanda opened his blue eyes to focus on his friend's visible green one. "I'm fine."

Lavi chuckled. "I know you are. But I also know that you're worried about Bea, Tim, and your mom. They'll take care of themselves just fine, that stubborn blood of yours runs thicker than blood."

"Who said I was worried?" Kanda asked casually.

"There's no need to hide from your closest friend, Yuu." Lavi admonished. "No one's here but us."

"And we don't even know where 'here' is." Kanda retorted. After a moment, he added, "Everything will be fine. Once we get back, everything will be fine." He started to get up.

"My, aren't you optimistic today." Lavi said sardonically as he moved himself as well. "And since when are we leaving just to go back? That's not like the stubborn Yuu-chan I know."

Kanda gave him what seemed to be an irritated glance, but both of them knew it for what it was. "Whoever said we were going back straightaway?" His sudden grin surprised no one, especially Lavi who adapted to sudden situations whenever he happened upon them. "We have a journey ahead of us first. You know, people to meet, sights to see, and none to direct us but ourselves."

Lavi's grin matched his friend's own, although it was albeit wider than the other's, splitting his face. "Now you're talking. Why, we could even take a two year vacation! A bit of prolonged freedom never did harm to anyone."

Kanda smiled in response. "Maybe."

The two teenagers walked away in a general direction, full of fresh energy and of good cheer.

~x.x.x.x.x~

The direction they headed in took them into a small town. While Lavi stopped to talk with an old man, Kanda picked up a magazine from the stall's counter. He snorted when he saw its cover: it was issue of La Royaume, the most widely circulated paper in the world, branching in every country. Alongside local newspapers, it brought gossip and information to the public, a mix of truth and a mix of slight truth, as they were careful to avoid printing falsehoods. Kanda made a point to never read them—they were a waste of brain cells, according to him. And he made a point to avoid the Ardua branch of the company. It was bad enough they circulated rumors that he was one of the world's most handsome eligible bachelors—he didn't need their sneaky media hanging around everywhere they went. Since his parents had no wish to clean up a massacre, they had, on their son's insistence, banned the company's Ardua branch from the royal city, leaving them to take up residence at one of the country's nearby town.

"What'cha lookin' at Yuu?" Lavi said, coming up to peer from behind Kanda's shoulder. "Oooh, La Royaume." Lavi said, reading the title. "I thought you hated that paper. Huh, it's in a magazine format. Interesting."

Kanda snorted. "It's crap. What did the old man say?"

"Well, surprisingly enough, we are in the country of Ektona, in its Derde Stad(1) to be precise."

Kanda looked at him in surprise. "Ektona? When did we cross the border?"

Lavi shrugged. "It must have been when were in that weird house. Well, at least we're farther away than we originally planned, aye?" Lavi clapped a hand on Kanda's shoulder. "Put the magazine down, Yuu. That issue's last week's news. Let's go exploring!" He bounced away with a happy grin on his face.

Kanda set the issue down and followed the red-head, who was impatiently waiting for Kanda by the inn several buildings down.

"Hey, I just went in there and the receptionist is really nice. Plus their décor is really nice. Hey, I have an idea! Let's stay the night! Please?" Lavi asked.

"No." Kanda deadpanned and continued to walk past him. "I'm not staying any longer than I have to. This place is in Ektona and that's closer to Ardua than I would like."

"Wha?" Lavi looked mildly shocked and ran to catch up with him. "Yuu, being in another country is already far enough, especially taking a look at the day we left. They'll never assume we came all this way already. As far as I'm concerned, we are more untraceable than ever. Give it a chance, Yuu."

Kanda snorted. "Ah, but you failed to take in the circumstances." He said, voice laced with certain sarcasm and came to a stop. "Considering who we are, who I am, and the capital of this country," here he flung an arm out in front of them, finger point at a silhouette some miles away, "at a certain visible distance away from this very town. Lavi, us staying here is just not going to happen." He crossed his arms and Lavi knew that he wouldn't be able to move Kanda's stubborn attitude.

"Fine, fine." Lavi held both hands palm outwards to placate his companion. "Let's just explore a while then, okay? After all, it's not every day we can go into another country without all the formal fuss that I know you hate. How 'bout it?"

As soon as he had Kanda's grudging nod, he grabbed and dragged the other off to explore as much as possible.

~x.x.x.x.x~

It was noon when they decided to take a lunch break. Plopping down at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables, Lavi and Kanda enjoyed the cool breeze that flowed past them, somewhat worn out by their tramping around town at Lavi's insistence. Since that morning, they had traversed all throughout the northern half of the town. Lavi, having picked up a map, insisted they go touring immediately. Kanda retorted that they would purchase nothing that wasn't needed, especially including the shiny baubles that often caught the attention of that green eye. A waiter came and took their order, delivering it shortly afterwards. Munching on his order, Lavi was pleased to have found a good place to stop for a meal. The plus was its cheapness and the fact that Kanda didn't throw the platter at his face after the first bite.

"Soo," Lavi started while Kanda's mouth was full. "I looked at the map of the country and we, my friend, are here." Lavi pulled out the map and plopped it down on the table between them, pointing his finger one of the map's dots.

Kanda peered at it thoughtfully while chewing his food. "As I thought, we're not that far away after all." Both of them knew he meant Ektona's capital and Ardua's borders.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Which brings me to this point." Lavi's finger circled an area of the map. "You see, there are three other towns close by, but only two in the direction we want to head in." His finger moved to the right and Kanda's eyes followed it. "From this town to Zesde Plaats(2) is a good twenty miles. Fifteen miles from there will land us in the Alpine Forest, and then who knows where we'll be or how long it'll take to get to Vashekla." His finger moved to a different spot on the map. "Now, we could go down here to Vijfde Stad(3) and then to Achtste Stad(4) and then head into the forest, but the distance is practically the same. Yuu, regardless of the route we take, it will take them a long time to find us, especially if their sights are narrowed on Ardua. After all, no one, not even us, expected us to be all the way out here already."

Kanda studied at his companion's face and slowly straightened until he was upright. "You really want to stay in this town, don't you? I can't see why, it's not fairly eye-opening." He said dryly and got up from his chair. Lavi's eye followed the movement. "Che. I'm going to use the restroom." Kanda briskly walked away even after he heard Lavi calling after him.

"Oi! Did'ya want dessert?" Not garnering a reply, Lavi shrugged and eyed the menu on the table. "Hmm, this might be tasty," he muttered. "And cheap, too."

He was startled by a sudden voice beside him at his table. "Hi there!" Lavi looked up to see a young brunette outfitted in a baby blue dress. "Hello miss." Lavi gave her a polite smile. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, letting some puzzlement show through in his voice.

"Yes, I know it's rather silly, but," she giggled, "by any chance would your companion be the prince of Ardua?"

Caught off guard, Lavi blanched but quickly swept the expression away. "Him? No, miss I'm afraid not. Um, what made you come to this conclusion?"

She giggled again, rather prettily, and had this happened elsewhere Lavi might have chased it, but seeing the situation at hand, he chose to ignore it. He also noted the girl's glance over the shoulder to three other girls standing by a street vendor's stall a street away. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm a big fan of Prince Kanda even though I've never seen him in person. Your friend has a remarkable similarity." As she looked back at her friends once more, the waiter came up to Lavi and asked if he wanted any dessert to complement his meal. Lavi distractedly ordered two lemon crêpes and as the girl turned back to him the waiter walked away.

"Maybe you can introduce us?" The girl asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Inwardly Lavi laughed at the thought of his friend, who rejected nobles without batting an eye, hooking up with a random chick from the street. Aloud he politely declined. "Sorry sweetheart. But I don't even know your name."

Her cheeks turned red immediately and she was stammering out a flushed reply before Lavi interrupted her. "Maybe some other, hmm? We wouldn't want your other friends to be jealous." He gave her a sweet smile and she walked away, face beet red. The waiter took her place, depositing the ordered desserts on the table gently, the warm scent wafting in the air. "Thank you. Our bill, please." Lavi finished paying the man as Kanda returned.

"Ah, there you are. Here, have a lemon crêpe."

Kanda took the offered treat and bit into it, acknowledging its tastiness while Lavi bit into his own. They were finished in a matter of minutes and Kanda was surprised at the speed Lavi employed to clear the table of their belongings. He looked at the other, slightly amused. "What's the rush? I thought you wanted to stay here longer."

"Well, I did, but then I realized you were right." Lavi replied. "So, let's finish looking at the town and then head on our way before it gets dark, yeah?"

Shrugging off the strangeness as typical Lavi, Kanda followed Lavi as they resumed their exploration of the town.

~x.x.x.x.x~

"What are we doing in here?" Kanda asked, looking around at the clothes shop with disinterest.

"Finding clothes, ya know. We have to be prepared." Lavi said while rummaging around the store.

"I have clothes, thank you very much." Kanda retorted. "Don't tell me you forgot to pack some, since you somehow knew in advance my plans." He narrowed his eyes at Lavi's back.

"Me? Forget?" Lavi let out a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. But, it hit me. With your looks, well, we'd be recognized in no time, so we need disguises." Lavi's head popped up at this and turned around the shop. He was pleased to find that the owner had stepped into the backroom for a moment so the two could talk privately. "Seriously. And we'll need new names on the road as well. Think of one or I'll name you myself." He returned to the piles at hand while Kanda leaned against the wall to consider his words.

In an hour, the two came out of the shop dressed in new clothes and not looking at all like themselves. In addition to that, Kanda, refusing to cut his hair, had the majority of it hidden under a baseball cap so that the only hair that showed reached his shoulders, making him look rather boyish. However, that did the trick, because anyone who heard of Prince Kanda Falaron of Ardua knew that he had long hair down to his back. Lavi merely changed his outfit and bandana, confident that he was less recognizable than Kanda even though he had red-hair which practically stood out like a beacon from the sky. Finally, to top it all off, they had new names. Kanda was now to be called Ando(5) and Lavi Itzhak(6). Of course this would only be in public places, since Kanda found it ridiculous to be called a different name when they were alone.

"Why do you need such a strange name?" Kanda grumbled. "If nothing else, that will attract attention."

"Relax, Ando. People name their children strange names all the time. But if you must know, Itzhak is a variant of the name Isaac. It's a perfectly good name."

"Then why not use Isaac?"

"It sounds cooler, that's why." Lavi smirked at him and Kanda rolled his eyes at his childishness.

~x.x.x.x.x~

Hours later, the sky above them darkened and Kanda stopped, studying it with a frown.

"It's going to rain."

"Then we're staying the night?"

"Obviously. There's no point going anywhere now."

"We can leave in the morning if it's cleared up by then. If not, well there's no harm staying longer. I can get directions from the locals."

"Let's get an inn closest to the path headed to that other village."

"I dunno if there's one over there." Lavi said skeptically.

"So?" Kanda set a brisk pace. "Let's find one before it starts to pour."

"Wha? How soon will it come?" Lavi asked, hurrying his own pace.

He didn't get a reply, but his own senses told him they had two hours before the rain started.

"My, you two young men are certainly lucky to come in when you did." The elderly woman told them as they entered the building. The rain, drizzling while they walked, had suddenly kicked into a pour no sooner as the door shut behind them.

"Thank you ma'am. Two rooms for the night please, if you have the rooms available." Lavi politely said.

The elderly woman smiled at them and handed over two keys. "We have a lot of rooms available. Until a big event happens, we don't get many customers. But when my Frannie comes back in two weeks, we're going to implement a small café down here at the base floor. She'll take over for me when I've retired." She added.

"She sounds lovely, ma'am." Lavi told her. "We'll be heading to our rooms now."

"Of course, of course. Come down when you want some dinner."

"Thank you ma'am."

Lavi turned back to Kanda who had impatiently waited by the stairs for Lavi and tossed him one of the keys. "Room 18 for you and 19 for me."

Kanda walked up the stairs with Lavi following him. The rooms themselves were plain, but cozy with the décor. Satisfied with room, the building, and the people within it, Kanda and Lavi welcomed a relatively peaceful night.

"I must say, this is a really nice establishment." Lavi said admiringly beside Kanda on one of the large sofas that were spread around the fireplace. They had just finished their dinner and were just settling down. The elderly couple that managed the inn sat across from them and Lavi smiled at the love the two shared. Even Kanda's heart softened when he looked at them. Outside, the rain seemed like a distant background and any worries in their heads were miles away.

~x.x.x.x.x~

"Ma'am, I was wondering what direction we should head in if we wanted to reach Zesde Plaats?" Lavi asked pointing at his map.

"Oh? Well let's see." The grandmother peered at the map. "Well, if you just head straight going east, you'll reach it in no time. For fit youngsters like you, I'd say it will be a breeze."

"Thank you for your help ma'am." Lavi rolled up the map and tucked it away. "Ando, are you ready to go?" He looked over at Kanda who just arrived downstairs and was making his way toward them.

"I'm ready." The two of them handed over their keys to the elderly woman and paid her their fee. She thanked them for their politeness and wished them luck on their journey. Her husband held the door for them and they thanked him on their way out as well.

"Well! That was a refreshing night!" Lavi exclaimed loudly. "And as long as we follow the path, we should be there in no time!" They left town at a leisurely pace, confident in themselves.

~x.x.x.x.x~

"And to think you said we'll be there in no time." Kanda said sarcastically.

"Yuu, it's not my fault those animals chased us. How was I supposed to know there was a beehive at the next bend?" Lavi said defensively. "Besides, there's something weird about those animals, because I'm pretty sure after twenty minutes an animal is supposed to give up."

"I don't know, those creatures were pretty angry." Kanda pointed out. "Actually I don't blame them—I'm still furious." Lavi gave him a sheepish look while Kanda gave him a semi-dark look of his own. "But I'm too exhausted to flay you right now. Be thankful."

They followed the dirt path a long way. However, they had not accounted for Lavi to accidentally knock over a beehive. They hadn't expected for there to be a large brown bear ambling towards the beehive and they certainly couldn't have known that the beehive would hit the bear square in the nose. Nevertheless, the two ran as fast as they could to escape the furious bees and bear, even splitting up at one point to try to evade and their pursuers. The whole thing irritated Kanda so much that he was about to stop and slice the bear in half, but Lavi talked him out of the idea even though he didn't mind trying out roast bear meat. Several hours later, they escaped the strangely persistent animals only to find themselves lost, thus leading to their current argument.

"I wonder where we are." Lavi spun around, hoping to see some town in the distance. However it only served to make them dizzy.

"Stop spinning around. Let's keep walking." Kanda trod ahead purposely.

"Man, we'll need to get a compass or something." Lavi complained although Kanda told him not to.

"Well, if we find a clearing, we can navigate using the stars."

"Oooh, good idea. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can. Can't you?"

"Of course!" Lavi replied back, indignant.

"Then there's no problem." Kanda said, eyes taking a look at their surroundings.

~x.x.x.x.x~

"I don't get it. We shouldn't be that far away from civilization." Lavi commented, noting that it had gotten dark and they still hadn't reached their destination.

Suddenly Kanda stopped, and held out an arm to prevent Lavi from moving forward, his body tense and alert.

Lavi's body immediately followed suit. "What is it?" He hissed with concern.

"I hear voices in the distance. But I can't make out what they're saying."

"We'll have to go closer then."

"Yeah, but no contact until we can determine what kind of people they are."

"Yuu, I'm sure they won't be enemies."

"Better safe than sorry, usagi, and you'd do well to remember that."

"Come on, maybe they're friendly."

Lavi took the lead now and both stealthily crept forward. As they got closer the voices got more distinctive until they could make out words.

Many people were talking and there were animals too. All of them sat in front of a large fire, and using that light, the two could make out caravan shapes. There were all sorts of people there, and Lavi noted their different skills as well. Amidst them, there was a tall man juggling forks, a teenage girl with pale blue hair, and a friendly-looking woman passing out cups of steaming liquid to some of the people around them. The banner across the caravan's side caught his eye.

"Yuu, they're a circus." Lavi whispered, a note of excitement in his voice.

"That doesn't make them friendly." Kanda whispered back.

"What do you mean? It's a circus. A traveling circus."

"I've read books on animal cruelty thanks to Bea. She's also forced me, Tim, and several other staff members to sign a petition regarding some circuses to not be allowed in the capital. There were certain names listed, but I didn't pay much attention at the time."

"Oh I remember that," Lavi said. "She made such a big fuss about it. And then she tried to get General Nine to agree to take over all the circuses. She refused, of course." He snorted at the memory. "Not every circus is like that, though. And I remember all the names on that list Bea had us sign—this one isn't one of them. There's no harm, so we might as well go over to them. Heck, they could even give us directions!"

"Fine, but we leave tomorrow and no lingering with them for the rest of the journey." Kanda said with a pointed look at Lavi.

Said redhead rolled his eyes and flippantly flapped his hand back and forth. "Fine, fine." He then proceeded to enter the clearing with Kanda following.

"Hey, whaddya know?" Lavi immediately was his loud, obnoxious self. "It's a circus! Finally, some civilization!" He clasped onto the nearest person's hands enthusiastically, startling her. "Thank god we saw your firelight from afar. We were positively lost for hours!"

"I'm glad you found us, then." The girl whose hands he held smiled at Lavi reassuringly, losing her surprise. "You must have had a rough journey. I'm Lenalee and this is the Cirque de Cristal(7)."

Lavi smiled back at her. "I'm Itzhak and this is my companion Ando." He gestured to Kanda behind him and she gave him a small wave. Kanda merely stared back, making her slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, don't mind him," Lavi told her, noting her reaction. "He's just antisocial to strangers."

"That's alright." Lenalee told him. "So, where were trying to go?"

"Zesde Plaats, but we got lost, as I just said. We came from Derde Stad, actually." Lavi said informatively.

"Really? Wow, you guys really came the wrong way. How did you get lost? The path is very clear, and there are signs posted along the way. We came from Vijfde Stad two hours ago before we decided to stop here and camp."

"Would you know how to get to Zesde Plaats from here?" Kanda asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but it's rather late now." She glanced up at the darkening sky. "Perhaps you could stay with us for the night and I could show you the way tomorrow morning."

They were prevented from answering by a short shout of Lenalee's name. A shorter boy with a shock of white hair stopped by Lenalee. "Lenalee, Suman wants to—" he stopped abruptly, now taking notice of the strangers. He stared at them, focus drawn to Lavi. "Deak?" He asked, voice incredulous, and Lavi felt his own eye widen in surprise before he could stop it.

"Erm, no, sorry. My name's Itzhak and this is Ando. Lenalee here was offering us two lonely and lost travelers a spot to stay for the night. Would that be alright with you?" Lavi said quickly, covering his surprise efficiently.

The boy blinked, surprised, but shrugged it off, readily admitting his mistake. "Sorry, I must have been mistaken. You remind of someone else, that's all." He was suddenly nervous hearing Lavi's next words. "Oh? Well, actually that's not my call to make." He glanced over at Lenalee who quickly intervened with her bubbly self.

"Allen, what were you about to say earlier?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, well Suman wanted to ask you about the performance schedule. But if you're busy now, you can talk with him later."

"No, it's fine. I'll go now and ask about our two guests as well. While I'm at it, why don't you chat with Itzhak and Ando here? I won't be gone long."

"Sure, I suppose." Allen said as Lenalee walked off, leaving the three boys alone. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So, Allen, huh? What do you do in the circus?" Lavi asked curiously.

"I mainly play the piano and perform as a clown." Allen responded.

"Do you perform often?"

"Yes, but we rotate a lot so everyone gets a turn in the spotlight."

"Ooh, good idea."

"Where are you two headed?"

"Zesde Plaats, but Lenalee told us she could give us directions in the morning. I'm afraid we got lost. Where are you guys headed next? Any upcoming shows?"

Allen frowned. "We actually just finished a show in Vijfde Stad yesterday."

Lavi dramatically sighed. "Oh, if only we'd been there sooner. I'm sure it was great."

"Thanks." Allen smiled at him. "I think we're headed for Achtste Stad next."

"Oh, darn. I guess we'll miss the next show too."

"Ah, there's Lenalee." Allen said, and they all turned to face the girl skipping towards them, her long pigtails streaming out behind her.

"That was fast." He remarked when she finally reached them. "Well? How did it go?"

Lenalee smiled at him and then turned to beam at Lavi and Kanda. "You guys can stay for night. I'll show you your tent and then we'll get you some food and introduce you to the rest of the crew." They followed Lenalee as she led them towards the others, chattering all the way. Lavi walked beside her and Allen and Kanda followed behind them, choosing not to join in the conversation.

"Normally on such a nice night, a lot of us would sleep outside, but the ground is still muddy from the rain yesterday. Thank goodness we didn't start leaving yesterday." Lenalee told Lavi. "Watch your step, or you'll slip." She warned him seriously. Lavi eyed her boots with skeptical interest when she turned away from him, expecting to see her fall, and was surprised that she didn't. Huh, the girl was more agile than he had previously thought, Lavi mused.

"What do you do in the circus, Lenalee?"

"Me? I'm a dancer! And sometimes a tightrope walker too, amongst various other jobs."

"How fascinating. I would expect no less from a pretty girl like you."

Lenalee blushed, flattered by the red-head's suave charm. "Thank you." She said shyly and then stopped. "Well, here we are: the extra guest tent." She gestured to the moderately sized blue tent. "There's plenty of room for the two of you inside, if you don't mind sharing."

She was interrupted from saying anything further by a loud rumble from behind her. They all turned to look at Allen who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "How about some dinner, then?"

"Ok, let's go eat. I think Mei-Ling is done cooking."

They walked over to a brunette with her hair done up in buns sitting by the rather large cooking pot over the fire.

"Hey Lenalee! Who are these people?"

"Oh, just some travelers that are going to stay with us for the night." Lenalee responded. "This is Itzhak and this is Ando."

"Please to meet you two. I'm Mei-Ling. I hope you enjoy the stew!" She said while ladling out the contents of the pot into wooden bowls and handing it to them.

"Thanks, miss. I'm sure it's delicious." Lavi gave her a winning smile and she blushed, unused to such attention towards herself at such a close range.

They went to sit on the bench set out beside the fire and ate, enjoying their food. While they drank and chewed slowly, Allen was anything but, finishing faster and was on his fifth bowl when they finished their first. And the bowls weren't small in size, either.

Lavi let out a low whistle. "Wow, you sure are hungry today aren't you?"

Lenalee laughed. "No, Allen just has a high metabolism, that's all. I wish I could eat that much." She muttered the last sentence darkly.

Lenalee and Lavi left to get another bowl, leaving Allen and Kanda alone.

Finishing his food, Allen sighed contentedly. "Ahh, that hit the spot." He glanced over at Kanda who had his eyes closed. "Did you like it?"

Receiving no reply, Allen tried again. "Hey, Ando? Ando?" Allen tilted his head and studied the other thoughtfully. "Are you sleeping?" But, Allen noticed that couldn't be right because even that guy should know better to sleep on a bench with no back to it. Seeing as how Ando wasn't tottering over, Allen reasoned that he was awake. He also reasoned that if Ando was awake but not answering him, it meant that he was being ignored. That realization made him quickly angry, especially since he had done nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

"Hey! Why are you ignoring me?"

~x.x.x.x.x~

Lavi and Lenalee cut their chat with Mei-Ling short when they heard Allen's voice from where they were last left. They quickly rushed over, worried.

"—and it's just plain rude!"

"Heeyy, there. Allen, Ando, what's the matter?" Lavi asked, interrupting what would be more of Allen's tirade.

"Your friend is ignoring me for no reason whatsoever!" Allen said, and would have kept going, but he got cut off by Kanda's voice.

"Shut up, moyashi. You're disturbing the peace."

"It wouldn't be disturbing if you answered me. I'm trying to be a good host here. And why the hell are you calling me a beansprout?" Allen asked angrily.

"Because you are one." Kanda retorted.

This incited Allen's anger further, but Lavi cut in before any more words could be exchanged.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Lavi said sternly. "Allen, I'm sorry but I should've warned you beforehand that Ando is really antisocial. Ando, ignoring our host isn't polite." He looked at each person he addressed. "Look, I'd rather not have the entire camp get on our case, and look at how you're making poor Lenalee feel. You ought to be ashamed, behaving like children." Lavi lectured.

Allen felt bad when he saw the disappointed look on Lenalee's face but refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Kanda glared at Lavi as a response.

Lavi ignored it. "Well, let's just put this behind us now. Tomorrow we'll chat and be friendly and part ways, alright?"

"Fine." Allen said, albeit grudgingly.

"Whatever." Kanda got up from his seat and left them, headed for their guest accommodations.

"Wha-?"

Before Allen could get more annoyed Lavi cut in with a short laugh. "It's okay short-stuff. That's just his way." Lavi got up and ruffled Allen's hair.

"Hey!" Allen exclaimed, annoyed and came out from under Lavi's grip.

"Sorry mate. Couldn't resist." Lavi said. "So, how early does this place get up?"

"Pretty early in the morning, usually." Lenalee responded. "What time do you plan to leave, Itzhak?"

"After breakfast probably. Hey, can you give me a small tour now, or would it be better in the morning?" Lavi asked interestedly.

Lenalee surveyed the camp and frowned. "Sorry Itzhak, but I think they're pretty tired out from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow morning would be better."

"'S alright." Lavi said. "It's no problem." As he walked away, he tossed Allen and Lenalee a cheeky grin and a wave. "Night, Lena, Moyashi! See you in the morning!"

He laughed, hearing Allen's indignant splutters behind him.

~x.x.x.x.x~

Author's Notes

Happy LaviYuu Day everybody! Hope you like this chapter and a thanks to those who reviewed! If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask, and if there's anything you feel I did badly or didn't understand in the story, let me know and I'll do my best to rectify or explain why I did what I did. And, if anyone notices a mistake, point it out so I can fix it!

Text

(1) Derde Stad: Dutch, literal translation courtesy of Google is Third Town

(2) Zesde Plaats: Dutch for Sixth Town

(3) Vijfde Stad: Dutch for Fifth Town

(4) Achtste Stad: Dutch for Eighth Town

(5) Ando: I got this name from the TV show Heroes. Pronounced: Ahn-doe, Japanese name

(6) Itzhak: Hebrew variant of the name Isaac. I'm going to pronounce it the American way for this story, so please read it as Eet-zahk. Hebrew way is: Yitz- chahk, I think. Source is from Yahoo answers.

(7) Cirque de Cristal: Literally Circus of Crystal, French translated by Google

Response to Reader Reviews

Rin: Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy this story. :)

PINKhairedBADASS: Thanks, let me know what you liked about it!

dgraymangrl: Well, if you check the published date on the story info, this fic has been up since 2010, two years ago exactly. However, I have only been updating on three days each year, so as you can tell, there haven't been many chapters. And sorry, ffn won't let me capitalize your name.

scarf: Thank you for the lovely review and your permission should I decide to incorporate your idea into this story. I'm glad you liked Lala, Bea, and Tim—I'm beginning to like them a lot as well :) Princess Ida and Tyki are sneaky-sneaky, but we'll just have to wait to find out what else they have planned.

Length of Entire Text and Afternotes

Twelve pages of Microsoft Word