Hello everyone. Good to see you again. Sorry for such a long wait between updates.
But talking of late updates, I've been manically following Hoshino-sensei's instagram! But I can't quite let my heart get broken with dreams of a new chapter coming soon. And such a place it left us all!
Anywho hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm sorry for any typos and missing words. I always end up writing late at night and I never check my work. Sorry.
Chou Yuuki: Bless you. It's just as well I take my time to update so you can catch up. Hope things aren't hectice anymore. Lol lost passwords happens to us all. I still want to see those pictures.
Cinder: Thank you for the great review. Those two pairings are my favourite too. Love them! Haha I'm interested in your theories. Hold on those guys will be back soon!
Dark corridors and locked doors plagued her sleep, and it was a fitful rest that found Lavi in the morning cursing the lunatic attempting to break the door from its hinges. It had been at least ten minutes now without a break; Lavi had tried to ignore the call for the first five, but it refused to disappear into background noise. Now the sleepless Bookman considered climbing out of the window and enjoying a Kamelot/Lee free day.
It was only the fear of falling from the third floor and breaking her neck that stopped her. Fatigue and risk taking did not really go hand in hand in her books.
Winter frostiness sunk its teeth into her skin when she gingerly stepped across the floor to retrieve slippers and a robe. With one last longing look at her bed Lavi said goodbye to any kind of rest today.
The dour faced maid regarded her with distaste; clearly a dressing gown was not suitable attire when one had just been dragged out of bed. One of the perks of being barred from the dining room was that she could enjoy the extra sleep in the mornings. "What is so urgent you had to attack the door frame?" She asked the maid dryly.
To Lavi's annoyance the maid's gaze flicked over her shoulder as if expecting to find someone else. The narrow minded woman was looking for any bit of gossip to take back to the servant's quarter with her. Lavi sighed, at least no one here called her a thieving gypsy.
"Mister Kamelot would like you to attend breakfast." The woman grunted.
"Tell him I said no." Lavi made to shut the door, but the woman jammed her foot in the way stopping her. Startled Lavi let go of the door, freeing the maid. "What did you think you were doing? Are you hurt?"
The maid snarled and shoved Lavi away roughly. "What do you care? I will not be blamed for you being late." She eyed Lavi as one would eye something nasty caught on the bottom of their shoe.
"Look, I don't know what's got you so crabby this morning but I'm not late. You should know by now that I do not do breakfast. Good day."
"We all know you're not even his wife." The maid sneered.
"Good," Lavi did not miss a beat. "So why exactly are you breaking down the door to demand I go have breakfast with him?"
The maid rolled her eyes insolently, if Lavi was not so forgiving she would have definitely recommend this woman be taught a lesson in etiquette. "The foreigner wants you there."
"Lenalee?"
"They refuse to sit without you. The mean looking one said that even if you are a pathetic excuse for a Bookman, you're the only they've got at the moment."
"Kanda said that?" Lavi shook her head as retreated to put on something more suitable for breakfast than a night robe and a scowl.
The maid shrugged behind her back. "That's what Kamelot translated."
They arrived at the dining hall a short time later. The dining hall matched the rest of the building in its splendour and extravagance; ornate double doors opened out to reveal lush carpet and portrait hung walls. The ceiling of the hall depicted a heavenly scene of feasting, fat cherubs and elegant deer pranced foolishly about the scene. Hard work and self-control held back the derision from Lavi's face.
The polished, dark wood table filled most of the room, from the double doors to the mantle on the other side. Breakfast had already been laid out, an assortment of bread, jams, porridge and meats, all that was missing were the diners. Lavi gauged that the table could easily seat a small party of thirty or maybe more; now however, the only occupants were Sheril, seated at the head, and another younger man, his son, Wisely.
Both men looked up when Lavi entered, breaking off their conversation. She didn't bother regard the younger and straightaway locked eyes with Sheril, who raised an amused eyebrow. Wisely leaned back in his chair smoothly, happy to be overlooked for now; a chill ran up her spine alerting Lavi to the fact that this one may be more dangerous than his father; watching, observing and waiting. She would not show her wariness if it could be hidden.
"Your poor father cannot be so feeble if at least one person still heeds when he calls for them. So good of you to join joins us Lovely." Sheril waved to the empty seat on his left, a signal that Lavi pointedly ignored and sat beside Wisely instead. The amused look dropped from Sheril's face, though Wisely seemed to only find more humour in the situation.
She wondered if she would regret that decision later.
"I don't believe I had much of a choice. That woman did her job well, all but broke the door down to secure my attendance." Lavi made a show of searching the room in a sweeping gaze. "And your other guests? Where are they?"
"What you waiting for?" Sheril tipped his head to the maid who stood still by the door, appearing somewhat gratified by Lavi's veiled complimented. She curtsied and scrambled from the room.
Lavi unfolded her napkin and laid it out over her lap, the cotton was soft against her fingertips. All the while she could feel the eyes on her. The familial yellow eyes of the Noah House met hers when she finally looked up.
"Lovely –"
"Lavi." Her tone was short and sharp.
"Lavi. Forgive me I'm unsure as to what capacity you are serving my father." Wisely corrected himself, his grin grew wider. Lavi found it difficult to hold his gaze, it felt invasive, as if he could see more than he should. "We have not had much of a chance to speak since you arrived. Father don't you think it's time to lift this little bread breaking ban. Business is done best in comfort after all."
"I serve purely as a translator and a keeper of the peace between all parties involved. And I appreciate your concern young master, but your father doesn't deem me to be suitable company for the family." Lavi avoided looking at Sheril as she recalled what happened the last time she had been invited to breakfast.
"Is that so?" Wisely cocked his head to the side and drummed his fingers on the table as he regarded Lavi. She tried her best to not be bothered by the open stare. Before Sheril could break the private conversation the door opened as the final guests arrived. Wisely used the flurry of action to lean forward in the guise of standing up and speak in an undertone to Lavi. "My uncle does not seem to think you are unsuitable." He did not give her time to reply and rose fully to greet Lenalee who smiled at him warmly, leaving Lavi wide eyed and pale.
The girl turned to Lavi brightly, "Lavi! You came; they said you always prefer to eat privately."
"I will gladly make the exception for you Lenalee. Perhaps next time you could join me?" They embraced lightly. "Good morning Yuu-chan, no Alma?"
Surly as ever, Kanda rolled his eyes. "Obviously. The Bookman observation skills did not miss a generation after all."
The insult only barely stung. "I do try so hard to impress."
The party sat down to eat, an uncomfortable quiet fell that was filled with vapid pleasantries about the state of the living arrangements; no one particularly eager to steer the conversation down the dark path of business.
"Do you want to marry my uncle?" Wisely asked suddenly. Lavi nearly choked on her tea and Lenalee dropped her cutlery in a clatter on her plate. Wisely continued as if his question had not just completely changed the atmosphere in the room; even Sheril was watching him, slowing dapping at his mouth with his napkin.
"M-me?" Lenalee answered the question with a shaky question of her own. She was stunned by the question, no doubt no one had even bothered to ask her what she wanted in all these backroom business dealings.
A predatory grin that reminded one of a shark stretched across his face. "Who else would I possibly ask that question?"
"Well… I… er… I'm not entirely sure how to answer that question Mr Wisely." Lenalee put down her knife and fork to consider the question carefully. Beside her Kanda was looking daggers at Wisely who did not seem to notice. "No one has actually asked me, it was always set to happen."
"Lord Kamelot I don't believe this is appropriate breakfast conversation." Lavi cut across before Wisely could ask anything else intrusive. "You don't have to answer the question Lenalee."
Wisely laughed loudly, "You don't have to call me lord Lavi."
"I know I was talking to your father." Lavi took a defiant sip of tea. Sheril caught her eye and nodded appraisingly.
"I see why he likes you." Wisely murmured to Lavi.
"Yes it is quite enough. I think we should be content with the fact that Miss Lenalee has done us the courtesy of gracing us with her presence and we will do our best to look after you while you are in our care." Sheril smiled warmly at Lenalee. "Forgive my son, he has always been too interested in the personal matters of heart and mind."
"Not at all Lord Kamelot, I find it quite refreshing." Wisely tipped his head to Lenalee courteously.
"I wish we had known that you had such great command of our language, we could have enjoyed each other's company so much more."
Lenalee blushed at the compliment and Lavi found herself wondering if Tyki would like that rosy contrast to her fair skin. She gripped her cup tighter.
Kanda coughed loudly. Lavi thanked him for turning the attention in the room. "We have travelled far and it seems our journey is not yet over. When will begin our journey to Kamelot Manor?"
Sheril looked uncomfortably from Lavi to Kanda. "An excellent question Mr Yuu –"
" –Kanda –"
" – Mr Kanda. We have a few minor issues to deal with. Just a few queries regarding inventory. I'm hoping that we should be finished very soon and we should on our way before the end of the week. The seasons are changing and it will be getting significantly more treacherous to travel soon."
"I see." Kanda replied and said nothing more for the rest of the breakfast.
Wisely leaned forward, Lavi wondered what he would try and stir now. "If you do not have any plans I was hoping that we could all take a trip to the town below. I heard about your little escape earlier this week, an official tour should help settle you. With you escort of course." He added as an afterthought.
"I would like that." Lenalee agreed tentatively. Kanda had visibly stiffened at the invitation, Clearly he did not trust Wisely any more than Lavi did. "Lavi you will come too?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Wisely gave Lavi that shark-like grin again.
"I would love to come." She replied cautiously.
A bolt should have been added to the door. In fact, Lavi made a mental note to have a bolt secured to her bedroom door back at the Manor. Since the warning for Sheril to back off, he was finding it difficult to actually keep to the rule. Once again, uninvited the man sat on Lavi's coach, scrutinising her reflection in the mirror.
"The purple dress is so much nicer, you should wear that instead." He said sagely.
"Why? I'm not trying to dazzle your son." Lavi pulled on her gloves slowly. She watched is reactions closely. The mention of his own son seemed to put Sheril on guard.
The clock struck one; she was due to meet the others in the courtyard soon, but that could wait for now. Tardiness could not hurt. Sheril shifted uncomfortably in his seat and took a deep breath though he did not enlighten her further.
"Wisely seems quite perspicacious; I'm sure he knows everything about the situation with the Japanese." Lavi caught Sheril's eye in the mirror. "And I'm not wrong to assume he knows all about our relationship, am I? What does worry me though is the little restraint you have over him; letting him say all those things about Tyki and Lenalee. You are his father."
In the reflection of the large ornate mirror Sheril was still looking pensive. Lavi wondered what it was about Wisely that had him so tangled up. It gave her a twisted joy to see him troubled like this; proof that he was not as powerful as he first tried to make her believe. There were other members of the family who significantly outranked him; his son; Lulubell; even Tyki to an extent, though still a pawn but more greatly favoured by the Earl.
"Wisely is far closer to the Earl than I am. What he sees he will report back and that includes whether or not he thinks your relationship with Tyki is detrimental to the plan. Watch out, my son has a way with people, he will have you speaking your inner most thoughts before you even realise the intrusion. I would hate for him to convince the Earl that you should be eliminated."
"I was led to believe that I'm needed to complete the contract, why would I be eliminated?" Lavi said disdainfully. The statement failed to upset her, how many more threats would she have to endure until the Noah family would be finished with her. Unimpressed she focused on her make up.
Sheril joined Lavi at the mirror and took the lip brush and pallet from her hands. He dapped lightly at the pallet and gently painted her lips a deep red. Lavi held her breath, but did not move back. "Brings out your eyes more. That cream Jonny gave you is amazing; you don't even notice the scars. I would so hate for Wisely to conclude that your infatuation with Tyki will cloud your judgement."
"How sweet of you, it almost sounds like you care about me." Lavi said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Careful, with that much spunk I might end up falling in love. I wouldn't be the first after all. Perhaps you could try your hand at bringing around that flat faced grim reaper, Yuu-chan as you so like to call him." Unexpectedly Sheril shot forward and pressed their lips together. Lavi sprang back angrily cursing, while Sheril just laughed licking his lips.
"You're a bastard Sheril!"
"You should say thank you. Surely you have urges too woman, how long has it been since you were last kissed? Don't you miss it?" He grinned broadly and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "Maybe this will fire you up? By the way I took the liberty of letting Tyki know that his last endeavours ended up as ash in the grate. Try to have a lovely afternoon my dear."
Sheril breezed past her left her to stew, staring at the letter on the table.
"Ready?"
Lavi turned sharply and groaned. It would be Wisely at the door.
"I saw my father leave, I didn't want to disturb you while you were together." Wisely smirked and winked. The urge to smack him was almost too strong to repress.
She wouldn't let him work her up, and started towards the door. He pulled her back by her wrist, Lavi attempted to shake him off but the man held on with surprising strength. From his pocket he pulled a pristine white handkerchief. "You might want to make yourself decent before we leave. I wouldn't want anyone to have any misunderstandings."
A glance at the mirror showed Lavi the state of her make-up; angrily she growled and snatched the proffered handkerchief.
"Just so you know it is not my intention to make a fool of your mother. She's an elegant refined woman, I really do think highly of her." Lavi didn't know why she was offering her small apology.
Wisely simply shrugged the comment off. "I'm not judging. My father is… He's… Well let's just say he has a hard time reeling in his desires. It's because of those tendencies that the Earl relies on other members of the family. Should I inform Tyki of my father's indiscretions?"
Of course he would remind her of his connections. Lavi cleaned up and folded the cloth away, hiding the stain that stood out starkly on the brilliant white. "I don't see how it's any of his concern. Come, we are going to be late."
Wisely followed her from the room without another word. He smiled graciously and held the door open for her, the picture of a gentleman. This did not comfort her, she knew he was only quiet long enough to think of more venomous things to say.
Lavi was not looking forward to this afternoon. It was one thing to spend more time with Lenalee and Kanda, she was still trying to gain their trust, but to be accompanied by this snake made things difficult. Lavi had yet to understand why she was even needed here. The Japanese did not seem like they were about to go back in the contract. Though it was quite suspicious that Kanda demanded that a Bookman be present, why would a Bookman make such a difference?
"It's sad." Wisely said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"What's sad?"
"The Earl is a close bond with Tyki, the ten years he left the Manor he was always by the Earl's side. The Earl loves him dearly and Tyki has never once denied a request from the Earl. Until now… My uncle has been quite vocal against this marriage. The strongest argument so far is that any Kamelot or Noah will do to stand in, does it have to be him?"
The words fell dully on Lavi's ears, as if hearing them from far away. Was that even an option? It was possible that Wisely was baiting a reaction out of her. Under the circumstances it was best to assume that Wisely was lying until she could verify it. She waited with bated breath for Wisely to continue.
"You didn't answer me earlier. Do you want to marry my Uncle Tyki?" Lavi willed herself not to be unsettled by the question. Pointedly she did not meet his gaze; a predator waiting to pounce lurked behind his eyes.
"I thought that question was directed at Miss Lee. I am not qualified to answer that question." Lavi replied casually.
"Everyone is entitled to an opinion, to a wish. Do you want to marry? In the very least what would you say to his argument against the marriage?" Wisely continued to poke and prod at her.
Lavi pursed her lips, thinking. It was a tricky question. There was only one answer but the phrasing could come back to harm her later. What response did Wisely expect for her? Surely he did not think she would be naïve enough to say that Tyki should be released from his obligations.
"Well?"
"My opinion is that family is the most precious possession one can have…" Lavi trailed off, unsure how to finish the thought.
Wisely considered her response, "So as such, one should put them first and protect the family. Good answer, I would have not expected anything else from you considering."
"Of course."
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Wisely seemed satisfied with her answer and did not question her intentions any further and left her to her own troubled thoughts.
Heavy footsteps came up quickly behind them. Kanda and Alma strode quickly passed them, Kanda nodded once to Wisely while completely ignoring Lavi. The passage way was not narrow, but certainly not wide enough for four of them abreast. Lavi stepped to the side to let the men past. Annoyingly, Alma still managed to bump into her on his way; he winked widely and grinned as he walked on.
"What was that?" Wisely narrowed his eyes at Lavi.
"Nothing." Lavi said dismissively and secretly tucked the small note Alma had given her into her sleeve.
Out in the yard Lavi embraced Lenalee briefly and climbed into the carriage. It was a disappointment to Lavi, she had been hoping for the kind that would have separate compartments for the men and women; what they had instead was a four person single compartment carriage. There would be no escape from Wisely. She shot Wisely a venomous look when he audaciously chose to sit beside her. And what joy, Kanda, as sour faced as ever sat opposite. This trip was going to be fun.
Lavi spent the journey into the town looking out of the window and daydreaming. Wisely had captured Lenalee's attention and Lavi was all too happy to let him lead the conversation. The pair busily chatted away without a glance at the less excited couple in the carriage. Soothingly the steady rhythm of the hooves beating on the road, the tinkling bells on the reins and the gentle swaying of the carriage washed over Lavi.
Across the seat from her Kanda wore a look of the most intense irritation. What did he on his mind that aggravated him this badly. His right hand was balled into an angry fist pressing into his temple. The tension pulled taut the veins of his forearms. Lavi was amazed and a bit worried at how prominently they stood out.
"Is that healthy?" she blurted out without thinking. Lavi rubbed her own forearms to re-affirm the smoothness.
Kanda graced her with the briefest of glares and returned to the window. He pulled his sleeves up to cover his arms to Lavi's annoyance, she hadn't quite decided if they were an attractive feature or not yet. How modest, she rolled her eyes and decided to listen to the only other conversation in the carriage. What was it about good looking men that made them act like bastards anyway?
To punish Kanda, Lavi allowed herself to slip into a daydream of touching those taut arms. She struggled to hold back the laughter at the uncharacteristically pleasant expression she plastered across his metaphysical face. If he knew what she imagining, Lavi was sure Kanda would attempt murder.
Stop being so childish, a small guilty voice reminded her. Lavi scowled at the sound of the voice, it's not like she was being unfaithful to anyone. Not anymore anyway. To distract herself she forced herself to listen to the only conversation in the carriage.
"…port town, because of that the market is always bustling as you found out the other day. It's best we avoid the dockside, too many unsavoury types there. There is an excellent tea house…."
Instantly Lavi felt like drifting off again. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and absently fixed her hair over and over. Inside her sleeve something scratched at her skin, it was the small note from Alma earlier. Did Kanda know about it? She watched him curiously from under eyelids.
There was a single line of message written in a surprising neat and flowing hand:
Look for me.
"What?" Everyone in the carriage looked up startled. Heat rose in Lavi's face, she thought her face might be as red as her hair. She noticed for the first time that the carriage had come to a halt.
"I said we're here now. Are you alright Lavi?" Wisely was looking at her as if she had cracked.
"Perfectly." She hopped down and out of the carriage to join Lenalee, who grabbed her arm and dragged her into the crowd.
"Traitor. " Lenalee hissed at Lavi. "Abandoning me to talk to him the whole time. A little help would have been fantastic."
"Just be happy you don't have to deal with the father." She gave Lenalee a long suffering look.
Lenalee was thoughtful for a moment. "God help me if it runs in the family and this Tyki is the same."
"He's not." Lenalee blinked at the abrupt response but kept her thoughts to herself, for which Lavi was grateful. Quickly she needed to change the subject to avoid any further awkwardness. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Alma gave me a note to 'look for him´ do you have any idea what that means?"
"Yes, he has some important information to give you. He is here somewhere, when you see him go to him." Lenalee told her quickly as Wisely and Kanda caught up with them.
Wisely put his arm out for Lenalee and walked her into the crowds, she glanced helplessly at Lavi but she was not in any danger, not with her guard dog trailing behind. Kanda stuffed his hands in his pockets and ignored Lavi. She ran after him and looped her arm through his and held on tight. Kanda however had other plans and pushed her roughly off of him.
"Yuu-chan is so mean." She pouted and walked sulkily beside him. "Did your mother not teach you to be a gentleman?"
"I don't have a mother." He said flatly.
"Oh." Lavi kicked at the ground sending a pebble flying off the footpath. "I don't have one either, or a father. Never had a father before and barely remember my mother."
She surveyed the crowd around her. It was much the same as the last she came down here to lead Lenalee astray, except more people donned scarves and thicker clothes. The weather had taken a turn in the last few days. It was about time Sheril thought about heading back home. They did not want to be stuck here for the winter. "What? Why are you staring Yuu-chan, do I have something on my face?" she rubbed at her nose. The tip was already on its way to freezing.
Kanda had been watching here with an odd look. "Lenalee is my cousin. We grew up together. I will not let any harm come to her."
"Just what do you think I will do to her?" Lavi laughed, just a little bit confused. Who did he think he was protecting Lenalee from? She made a mental note never to get married. It was far too complicated a business.
Wisely led the little group though a more classy part of town; the streets were lined with artisan shops, crafts, artefacts and an abundance of tea shops. They passed all of these, and Lavi looked back longingly at a shop displaying a rainbow array of treats in the window. At the very end of the road stood an impressive iron gate gleaming in the frosty sun. Beyond the gates was a perfectly kept courtyard and a stone building at the far end.
"The university is usually closed to the public; an exception will be made today however. The grounds and the library are too impressive to miss." Wisely announced. He appeared to be quite pleased with himself.
Lavi was determined she would not indulge him and enjoy the little tour. The determination was slowly stripped from her at the beautiful artwork that covered the walls. A multitude of faces and expressive eyes looked down on her gilt frames hung high. The library was immense and even Kanda appeared awed by the sheer size of the shelves lining the walls.
Ahead Wisely spoke quietly with Lenalee sharing trivia about the place. Lavi was too taken by her surroundings to even try to listen. The warm smell of wood and vanilla coming from the shelves was intoxicating. The embossed titles and bindings stood out under her fingertips as Lavi ran her hand over the spines of the countless books. It would take a life time and more to read every tome in the collection.
Carefully Lavi pulled out a leather bound book entitled Meditations, a philosophical tome on the nature of ideas. The soft pages turned in a whirlwind as Lavi flipped though the book. Placing the book back as if were a new child Lavi ran to catch up with the others ignoring the glares from the scholars who were to study in silence.
She found them all in the marbled entrance retrieving their coats from a doorman who was quite familiar with Wisely. He caught her eye and smiled widely at her as she joined them. "Time for tea to warm us all up, don't you think?"
"That sounds great." Lavi acquiesced politely. What she really wanted was to explore this place some more on her own.
Once again, Wisely led the way with Lenalee. Feeling small under the weight of all the knowledge bound inside these books, Lavi found herself holding onto Kanda. This time he did not push her away. They walked back up the road to choose a tea house, there were so many to choose from.
There were not many people on this stretch of road, mostly pedestrians making their way into one of the shops to warm up and few peddlers laying out their wares on the ground. There was a commotion at one of the doors, a jeweller was trying to force a watch peddler to move on. Bad for business he claimed. Lavi turned to see what would become of the peddler. The old woman had already begun to pack her things away. What caught her eye though was the figure standing in the alley between the jewellers and the confectionary she had been looking at earlier. It was Alma.
The group stopped in front of a cosy little tea house. Lavi looked back at the alley, it was empty. Look for me. "You all go ahead, I'm just going to go have a look at the sweets over there. I'll be back soon. Oh and I saw a curiosity shop that looked interesting too. I'm sure it would just bore you all. Bye."
"But.." Lenalee started but Lavi had already crossed the street and entered the confectionary. Wisely watched her with his eyes narrowed and then ushered Lenalee into the tea house.
The bell tinkled as Lavi entered the shop. The delicious smell of sugar and chocolate hit Lavi like an edible wall of goodness and she barely resisted sampling the fudge in the display case to her right. Remembering her mission, Lavi looked through the window and waited for the group to enter the tea house, and then counted three minutes before she stepped back out of the shop and into the alley.
The narrow crack between the buildings was damp, the cold seeping into her skin the further she went in. A small line of blue sky above was all that lit her in the dark alley. Lavi had begun to question whether she had even spotted Alma when she still did not find the man at the end of the alley. The back street opened onto a narrow street. Not as narrow as the alley but certainly less well to do then the artisan lane she had just left.
A shout from somewhere above her stopped Lavi from turning back.
"Lavi, over here!" The lithe form of Alma waved down at her from a low windowsill. "You got the message?"
"I couldn't miss when you nearly bowled me over like that." Lavi said good-naturedly. It was difficult not to like Alma. His happy attitude was infectious.
"Follow me. I've got something to return to Bookman and there's someone to meet you."
"Who? Where are we going?" Lavi asked, matching her stride to his.
"Watch you step, there are no policemen down there. We're going to the docks."
Goodnight everyone!