I'm so sorry it took so much longer this time. I'm going to study in september and it turned out recently that I have to do that in Belgium instead of my own country, so there's a lot that has to be done before that. Because of that I've been very busy and also very tired on my free moments, so I didn't really see a chance to write a proper new chapter.

But here it is finally, so I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

When Lavi came back to his room from taking a bath the next morning, Allen was just standing up from his spot in front of the fire place, looking all flustered. His cheeks turned even brighter red when he saw the redhead enter and he bowed his head.

'I… I'm so sorry for last night. I can't believe I actually did that. I'm deeply ashamed of myself.'

Lavi looked at the boy in surprise for a few seconds, then smiled. 'It's okay. I really didn't mind and I'm still very sorry for trespassing on your room. I guess it's my own fault for that.'

'Still, I couldn't have embarrassed myself any more. I'm so sorry.' The boy bowed deeply, the tips of his white hair almost touching the ground.

'Oh, come on, Al, it's not that bad, really. Let's just forget about it, okay?'

The boy looked up with dismay written on his face, but he could see a glimpse of relief pass in his eyes. 'But we can't just…'

'Of course we can.' The redhead waved the other's objection away. 'Just treat me to breakfast and I might suddenly get a grave form of acute, selective amnesia. I heard it can strike at peculiar times these days.'

The boy pulled up an eyebrow and chuckled, though still seeming slightly anxious. 'Acute, selective amnesia?'

Lavi nodded with a serious expression. 'Yes, it's very rare, I know, but it happens and I just happen to feel an attack of it coming up.'

This time the last bit of tension seeped from Allen's posture and he smiled. 'Well, that sounds pretty bad. Let's get you breakfast quickly then so you can recover from such an acute illness.'

The redhead grinned in reply and held the door open for his young host, before following him into the corridor.

'Speaking of illnesses, how are you feeling?' His eye took the boy in critically, but Allen looked pretty well, apart from the faint, dark rings under his eyes and the tired expression that lay under his polite mask.

'I'm doing well, thank you.' They turned a corner. 'The two days of rest have been good for me. You don't have to worry about it at all.'

'Good, I wouldn't want my cute host feeling unwell. Who will play chess with me then?'

A surprised look was what he gained for that comment. 'You want to play chess?'

Lavi grinned. 'Only if you feel like it of course.'

'Sure you can handle losing?' A playfully naughty look shot into the silver eyes.

'Don't need to. I read all the books on chess there are.'

'hmhmm,' the boy didn't seem convinced. 'There's more to chess than the theory behind it.'

'Knowledge is all,' the redhead argued.

'Pffft,' Allen scoffed, his eyes flickering sideways to look at him from the corners with a semi-arrogant expression. 'That's just what those say who can't actually do the things they know about.'

Lavi poked him in the side, earning a surprised yelp. 'Don't go getting all high and mighty there, snowwhite, you haven't beaten me yet.'

'Snowwhite?' the other sputtered, but the redhead winked and quickly opened the door to the dining room, making his way to his seat.

'I bet breakfast is gonna be as delicious as always today, right Allen?'

The boy shot him a short glare before sitting down and watching Lenalee and Miranda enter with plates of food. This was one of those moments Lavi saw excitement jump in his host's eyes. Food seemed to be one of those few things that could steal his attention at any time. He sure loved eating.

'Yes, Lavi, meals here, are always delicious.'

Multiple days passed. Knowledge indeed paid off, because Lavi won all their chess competitions, though that was mostly because Allen found out quickly that he had a great memory. The redhead soon learned that the boy tended to secretly move pieces just a square when his opponent wasn't looking, but with this particular visitor it wasn't going to work, because he could tell in one glance that the knight had moved in between their turns.

However when it came to card games Allen was definitely a master, winning from his guest every time. At some point Lavi was sure his host was cheating again, but he couldn't find any proof and he admitted defeat.

On other moments he would spend hours in the library, reading or copying books. Allen would join him occasionally, but most of the time the boy would lock himself up in his study, practicing his mysterious and ominous hobby. However, even then he wouldn't have to feel lonely, because Neah was bored as always and happened to pay him visits once in a while, not all of them as pleasant, ending up in a mess of books and pencils flying through the room. Luckily, the man could be helpful as well when he was stuck with questions or needed to find a new book he could understand. Slowly, Lavi was making his way up the ladder of knowledge that was built in this library, making him able to understand more and more books that were stored in the mansion.

But most important of all was probably that he was starting to feel at home. Lenalee was always keeping an eye on everyone, always ready to help. Miranda was anxious and clumsy, but cared about all the inhabitants. Jerry was like a mother, loving everybody unconditionally, but ready to punish anyone who wouldn't eat healthily.

Cross was mostly on his own spots by himself drinking liquor, or amusing himself with beautiful female cats. Lavi hadn't seen the white one again, but a grey and a black one had made their appearance in the mansion as well, though as soon as both had entered at the same time Allen had yelled at Cross for telling him two cats was the limit, earning an angry hiss and scratch because the tom insisted he was not an animal.

Then there was Neah too, unpredictable as always. Annoying when he was bored, but helpful when he was in a good mood.

Kanda had definitely gotten his attention as well. The man was so grumpy, that Lavi always greeted him with a great grin and punched him on the shoulder amicably if he got the chance, calling him Yu which the man didn't like one bit. One day it almost earned him a stab wound, but he had stepped out of the way just in time and Allen had started yelling at the supplier, causing another of their common doorway arguments which would sometimes result in fights like he had seen before, when the man would go too far in insulting the boy where it seemed to really hurt. And of course, then there was Allen himself. His host seemed to wear a permanent smile, radiating the room with light, even when he didn't seem to feel well himself. He was always nice, helpful and polite, though he would let the last slip sometimes when Lavi provoked him with jokes, changing the boy's mood into a playful one. That happened more as time passed, making Allen react less shocked and anxious at the redhead's replies while realization seemed to dawn on him that his guest was just kidding.

All in all, the people at the place were nice and suddenly Lavi didn't have the feeling anymore that he was locked up. He was used to staying inside for days to work with books and this wasn't much different. Neither was he very scared anymore of the black magic, since it was becoming clear that Allen really didn't intend to harm him. A few questions kept bugging him, but he decided to put them aside and wait until the time was right to answer them. He still wasn't even close to the end of his three years, there would be more than enough time to figure out the answers.

But then, one day, Allen surprised him by asking him to come by his room. It was the study the boy had referred to and since that day Lavi had broken the rules he hadn't been back in there. He lingered around the door anxiously before knocking, gaining a 'come in' from the boy inside.

The redhead froze. 'A… Are you sure? Wasn't I supposed to…?'

'No, it's okay,' Allen interrupted him with a reassuring tone. 'You already saw it, so there's no harm in letting you in again. I just rather don't have you in here when I'm not present as well.'

Lavi opened the door slowly, trying to swallow away the uncomfortable feelings he got from the place. It still looked the same, just a different pattern of scattered books, but the same paintings on the ground, same bats in the corner of the ceiling and the same disgusting bottle of leeches on the desk. However, this time Allen was occupying the chair, bent over an old, dusty book. He couldn't understand the boy could work like that while those black bloodsuckers were swimming around in the corner of his sight. Maybe it was different when you got used to it, but he didn't like the idea of something that would happily dine on his bodily fluids so close to him.

'So, you're not mad about that anymore?' he asked, carefully taking a step around the pentagram. 'The… trespassing thing.'

Allen looked up in surprise. He removed a pair of small reading glasses from his nose and smiled. 'No, that was just my own fault. Don't worry too much about it.' The silver eyes then looked at what the redhead was doing and he laughed. 'You can just step on the marks, you know. They are entirely harmless without the fitting rituals.'

'Oh,' Lavi's shoulders slumped and he realized how stupid he must have looked. Quickly he crossed the room, only then looking back because he had noticed the faint red lines between the clear white ones. They formed a remarkably more complicated pattern. Circles, pentagrams and marks he didn't recognize were connected so fluently and strangely that he had difficulty making out the actual shape of the drawing. Especially because it seemed to fall away behind the bright whiteness of the newer mark over it.

'What is that red drawing? Isn't it a problem that you covered it with that white pentagram?'

He looked at Allen when it stayed silent and saw that the boy was staring at it, his head in one hand that was leaning on the desk with its elbow. His eyes were distant. 'That's the reminder of the greatest mistake I ever made in my life. I won't ever use it again, so it's no problem.'

Lavi nodded, almost sorry he had asked it, but Allen snapped out of his thoughts and laid his arms on the table, straightening his back. 'But that's not what I called you here for.'

Right, he had been requested to come. The redhead's attention shifted back to the reason his host could have possibly had to summon him.

'I'm a little bit worried about Miranda,' the boy admitted meeting Lavi's eye with a steady gaze. 'She's been leaving the mansion late at night for some time now.'

That definitely wasn't what the other male had expected to hear, but he stayed silent, trying to hide his surprise as Allen continued somewhat more carefully and nuanced: 'It's not that she isn't allowed to, but the people that live here with me are important to me. They are like family. I don't want anything to happen to them and I'm a bit worried she might be in trouble.'

Lavi nodded in understanding. Of course, Allen had been living here alone, unable to leave the house for who-knows-how-long. His staff were probably the only people he communicated with.

'So, do you by any chance know where she's going at that time?' There was a silent hope hidden in the grey eyes, just beyond that slight tinge of fear the redhead could make out.

However, though he wished he could, he wasn't able to help. Up until now he hadn't even noticed the whole situation. 'I'm sorry, I don't.'

Allen's gaze fell to the ground, fixed on the drawn lines seemingly without really registering them. 'I was afraid so. I don't really know what to do. I don't want to ask her myself, because I'm afraid she'll misunderstand it for an interrogation from her lord. She's quite anxious, I wouldn't want her thinking I don't trust her or don't approve of her behavior.'

'So, basically, you're saying you need someone else to help you find out if she's not in trouble without making her feel like you're trying to catch her on misbehavior?' Lavi concluded.

Allen's head perked up. 'Yes, that's exactly what I need. Maybe I should ask Lenalee…,' his voice trailed off as if he was thinking.

'I don't mind doing it for you.'

His host was immediately back in the present. 'You would?'

'Of course,' he sent the boy a grin. 'Just leave it to Lavi. There for all your research needs. Will keep an eye on your employees to make sure they're safe and that only for the minimum wage of a night's hospitality.'

'I don't know, that sounds a bit unfair don't you think?' A playful spark had lit up in the boy's eyes as he let his chin sink back on his hands like he was considering something important. 'I mean, you only work for just a few hours and then I'd have to lend you a room for a whole night and you probably expect breakfast from me too.' He sighed dramatically. 'You're just abusing my situation of not being able to leave, you damn crook.'

Lavi shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. 'It's how business goes, buddy. The world is tough. So do we have a deal?'

A grateful expression started to show on Allen's face now. 'I'd be very grateful if you would do that for me, Lavi.'

'Alright, it's a deal, but don't forget to make sure a bed's ready for the night, I like it clean with thick puffy pillows.'

The boy smiled warmly. 'Thank you, Lavi. If there is ever anything I can do back for you…'

At first he wanted to make another silly comment, but suddenly something jumped up in his mind. 'Well, actually there is something. I'd like to send a message to my grandfather.'

Allen lifted his head in surprise, his grey eyes widening in realization. 'Oh, but, of course! I'm sorry I didn't offer it myself before! I totally forgot. How rude of me!' A moment later he had jumped up, looking at the bats in the corner before he seemed to reconsider and turned back to his guest. 'There are two ways for you to send a letter. You can either give it to Kanda, he actually works for Tiedoll who is a mailman, but that way it could take a few weeks. There's also a faster way. I can send out Timcanpy to fly there for you. He'll be able to deliver it in a matter of days.'

'Timcanpy?' Unwillingly his eyes shot to the two animals, huddled together at the ceiling. He didn't possibly mean…?

'He's Neah's familiar,' Allen explained, coming to stand next to Lavi, tilting his head upwards as well to look at the creatures. 'The one with the cross is Tim. We can make him take various shapes, but the bat one is the most useful. The other one was Mana's.' the usually so clear voice seemed to break a bit at the name, but after it was spoken the boy didn't show any sign of the difficulty that one word apparently posed for him. 'He's called Urcanpy, but Tim and I have been friends from long before, so I have most contact with him. I didn't even know Urcanpy existed until I moved in here.'

Tim- and Urcanpy. From what he had read in The basics of Black magic he knew they had to be very minor demons. According to the book most magicians would at some point in their lives summon a familiar, bonding it to them with a ritual. The weak minor demon would be tamed by the magic spells and most would get strong emotional bonds to their owners too, like intelligent pets. But if Allen used Tim that probably meant he didn't have one of his own. Instead he had Neah's and Mana's… wait, did that mean…?

'Mana was a black magician too?'

Allen turned his head to look at him in surprise, then understanding. 'Oh no! Urcanpy is Mana's, but Neah is the one who summoned him. They were apart for quite a long time and Neah didn't want to go to meet him, because the situation was kind of… tense… So he made Urcanpy instead and sent him to Mana, so his brother could always reach him if necessary. They would send messages from time to time with the two.'

The familiars stirred lazily now that their names were being said so many times.

'So, do you want to send Tim or would you rather use the usual way?'

Lavi looked at Allen's expecting expression, then the bats. It couldn't really hurt, could it? And it would be faster. Actually, he was kind of curious to how well it would work.

'I'd like to use Tim if you really don't mind.' He let his hand slip into his pocket and pulled a piece of paper out of it. It was filled with text, forming a letter for his grandfather in which he summarized the situation and apologized for it sincerely, telling the man he would be back within about three years, with tons of new knowledge and copies. 'I already wrote the letter. I was planning to ask you for some time now.'

Allen smiled and stretched his hand out to the ceiling. 'In that case we'll send it immediately. Come, Tim, we've got an errand for you.'

The little bat with the cross let itself fall and fluttered through the air, landing upside down on the boy's finger. It stayed still as the two bound the neatly folded letter around its paw and seemed to listen intently while the redhead explained the way to its destination. After that it rose, circled around Allen's head affectionately one time and then left through the window.

Lavi watched it disappear in the wide open sky, suddenly feeling his heart clench at the realization he wouldn't be going home for a long time.