"You think we can sneak by unnoticed?" he wandered. Kanda was supporting Lenalee's weight mostly and he himself had his own battle scars, even if they were slowly healing faster than the others. Lavi stopped to take a deep inhale of breath.
"You're actually heavy this time," Lavi cracked a smile through his dirtied and (how one usually looks after a fight with demons of any kind) appearance.
"I can walk now," Allen insisted again on the red heads back. Kanda sighed, not overly irritated, but frustrated at the stupidity of his friends question, (still having hope it was in fact rhetorical). Motioning to Lavi himself, Kanda mustered a semi civil response.
"Your carrying bean sprout and you look like you lost a fight with, something." He couldn't come up with anything relevant, frustrating him more. "I'm mostly healed and Lenalee can't walk by herself. Does that answer your question?" Lavi, taken back slightly, bounced back.
"So yes?" he asked.
"You are impossible!" Allen laughed from Lavi's back.
"He only gets a kick out of pushing your buttons because you react Kanda. You have to think of him as a child. Don't feed his insatiable desire to, basically, be annoying." Allen only smiled as Lavi drew a face of feigned disgust.
"You think I'm a child? Annoying? I am never." His poker face was about as good as Allen was bad at cards.
"You know I mean it enduringly. I love you because you embody a ten year old in personality," Allen added. "And your humor is what makes you so much fun to listen to." The boy tightened his hold a little around the others neck. An audible 'Awwww' was heard from their female friend.
Lavi looked proud. "I do believe that's the first time you've said that."
"It has a nice ring to it. Despite the fact we got our butts handed to us, I'd say it was a pretty good day." Kanda turned and asked,
"How hard did you hit your head?"
"Oh, come on. Allen's right. We don't look that bad." Lenalee aided, trying to follow her friends lead. "The pub is closed at this hour anyways, and Mary should be asleep at this hour." Lavi agreed.
"These two have the right idea. Just try being positive Yu."
"I'm positive you're all crazy." Lenalee giggled.
"Close enough."
(Line Break)
"What happened to you kids?"
Blank faces turned to each other. No one had an answer.
"We fell."
'He actually kept a straight face delivering that oh-so-obvious lie,' Kanda thought with what he hoped wasn't too obvious stupor. Mary chuckled a throaty laugh and motioned to the nearest seats.
"At least sit down while I get something to patch you all up with. While I'm gone, I expect a more plausible answer," she said, heading for the back room. Lavi and Kanda lowered their extra weight first into a seat before taking one themselves. Lavi looked discouraged.
"That did not work." The samurai looked in disbelief at his friends obvious observation. With heavy sarcasm, he said,
"No, your idea was completely bullet proof. We look like we fell. Maybe off a cliff." Lavi opened his mouth. Allen cringed, looking between the two.
"Let's just be honest ok? We can trust Mary, and besides, she'd see through any lie we came up with anyway," Allen stoped Lavi from punching another nerve and interjected.
"Yes. I can see it now. 'Miss Denton, we thought we would just be honest. We're actually exorcists and were nearly killed by ambushing akuma. But you probably don't know what those are. Akuma are demons, simple really. I'm equipped with a sharp katana, she has super boots that let her fly, Allen there has a clown wardrobe that materializes in seconds and a morphing arm. Did I mention the giant hammer?" Lenalee wanted to be annoyed. The man was more annoyed and pessimistic than he had been in a long time. Sadly he was somewhat right.
"I hate the idea of lying, but Kanda is right to the extent that we would and will sound crazy," the girl agreed. "I've got something though."
Just then Mary started back into the main room. If anyone had wanted to object or comment otherwise, the chance was gone.
"I suppose since you've had a chance to discuss, your ready to tell me what happened while I wrap some of these injuries," Mary said, serious. Her face left no other answer but 'yes.'
"I'll tell you. It's really not as crazy as it looks," Lenalee smiled assuringly. Mary started with Lavi as she listened.
"We were headed back here when some guys who were most likely drunk, they couldn't even walk a straight line, started hassling me. I was a bit aways ahead because I had wanted to look into the bookstore window. I had suggested we stop on the way past the first time, but figured we would just stop in on the way back. It was closed. The guys here stepped in, hoping to relive the situation peacefully. Long story short, they were armed and we look about the same as them." Mary had made progress and was about finished with Allen when Lenalee finished her story.
"Sounds likely. We are in a more unsafe end of town. More bars and pubs too." Mary stood from her spot on the floor. "Let me take a look." She had met Lenalee. The girl did not object. While Mary believed them, a part of her didn't believe a mere scrimmage in the street was responsible for some of the deeper wounds. They sat in mostly quiet as the girl was tended to. Kanda insisted he didn't need any attention. He had to show proof however before the older woman agreed to leave him alone.
She sent them on their way upstairs to get some sleep. Lenalee and Allen had help again of course. They didn't argue with the idea. Mary headed to put away the medical supplies. In doing so, her mind wandered back to what she saw. The four kids she had grown used to having around; they had a lot of scars and faded evidence of fights.
She finished her task and headed for her room upstairs and across from the boy's she had loaned them. Mary knew well enough they were mostly lying and she didn't care. They were good people, and if the worst thing they lied about was today, they could do worse.
Upstairs, awkwardly(but not really caring) Kanda, Allen, Lavi and Lenalee squished together on the bed. Granted they had to lay vertically to the headboard to fit.
"I'll leave a bit of money behind for the coat," the girl commented. "She was nice enough to not say anything earlier."
"She seemed more concerned about how we looked," Lavi smirked, still finding humor from the evenings events. Select few of course.
"Hey Yu. I have to ask, because, well I'm nosey. Are you and Lenalee," rolling onto his back he cleared his throat and nodded to him and her meeting the samurai's eyes. Kanda looked at Lenalee, who only smiled, suppressing a small laugh at her friend's suggestive tone and the other man's small blush (as she liked to think it). She answered proudly,
"Yes Lavi. Yes we are."
"That's so weird to think about," the red head sounded mystified, like a child who couldn't wrap their head around something.
"Weird? I'm pretty sure the two of you beat us in that department," Kanda retorted. Lavi sat up spontaneously and quickly.
"I am not that weird. And if Allen were awake he would totally back me up."
"No he wouldn't," the sleeping form muttered through a yawn. "Your really loud." Lavi's grin fell.
"Sorry. You usually sleep like a rock." The boy sat up.
"Don't worry about it. And for the record I would back you up, ninety-eight percent of the time," Lavi grinned. He wrapped his arms around Allen's frame.
"I very much support that decision."
"What do you say to getting some sleep?" Kanda asked. Lenalee snuggled closer to Kanda, being mindful of her leg. She liked the idea of sleep. Lavi listened contently to Allen who had started snoring quietly. Lowering him back onto the bed and letting his arm fall over him, sleep came in good time.