Author's Notes: Hello, hello! Are all of you doing okay? I'm fine, though I must confess that I really don't think I can finish this story before the end of December. I should have started it sooner, but my writing process makes me jump between multiple stories. Not to mention my job isn't one that allows me to work from home. Still, I do hope you like this chapter.

You may notice that Tyki is using a different nickname than 'menina' for Ellen. This is because 'menina', which means 'girl', is more commonly used in Brazil, not Portugal. Another word for 'girl' that is used in the latter country is 'rapariga'. But I'm not using it in this story because I find its pronunciation not as catchy as 'menina'. So, I had to search online Portuguese dictionaries and Internet comments from Portuguese users for an appropriate substitute.

Please leave a review if you have anything to say! Constructive criticism helps authors like me improve our works!

Chapter Four: Pudim Flan

-xXx-

"Are you all right, sir?"

'If I say no, will you be my personal nurse?'

Tyki internally winced at that rather cringey line his mind came up with. It was fortuitous that he hadn't blurted it out loud; otherwise, the woman – judging by the pitch of her voice – would think she might be dealing with a pervert. Which was ridiculous; Sheril was the family pervert, not him!

Though the Portuguese man had to admit, while the backlighting from the windows and the parka hood did much to hide her face, her silver-grey eyes alone sufficiently furthered his already-piqued interest. Those large, luminous orbs brought less than wholesome images to mind as they looked upon him with curiosity…

…and concern?

"Sir?" she repeated, breaking Tyki from his musings. "I asked if you are feeling well?"

The Portuguese man, with hooded eyes and a slow grin, released his right shoulder and planted both hands on the ground. Projecting a manner of nonchalance, he leant back and responded to her query with a chuckle. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, sir?" she pressed. "I heard your shout from the shop, and you were hissing in pain and clutching your shoulder when I found you out here."

Tyki's right shoulder throbbed in response, briefly distracting him from the woman. But he ignored it, along with the pain in his right foot, in favor of telling her, "I might have been caught off guard by a… slight slip that led to my shoulder hitting the wall. But it wasn't that bad; at most, I'll have to deal with some bruising. Thank you for your concern, but you don't need to worry."

However, the mysterious woman wasn't convinced by his reassurances. Instead, she sent a focused look to his feet. "You slipped? Did any part of your ankle strike against the ground?"

"Well, yeah-"

Tyki wasn't even able to finish his sentence. For the mysterious woman wrapped her left arm around his torso and easily hefted him to his feet.

"You're the one who should worry," she gently scolded him after hearing a groan leave his lips; a clear reaction to weight being applied to his right ankle. "Especially considering today's weather. A possibly sprained ankle is the last thing you need right now."

Tyki blinked a few times as he looked down at the woman. A part of him was surprised by her bold show of strength, given that he had both twenty centimeters and at least ten kilograms on her. But another part was quietly appreciating the closer proximity. A delicious mix of sugar and caramel teasingly tickled his nose, reminding him of the pudim flan his mother would serve for Consoada, and the feeling of their sides pressing together was much better than the previous light touch on his arm.

Her invasion of his space also allowed the Portuguese man a better look at her heart-shaped face. And it was a genuinely nice one to gaze upon. Not only did he get a closer look at her silver-grey eyes and the long lashes framing them, but he also noticed her small up-turned nose and pink lips. Overall, she appeared to be the girl next door…

… Barring the most intriguing feature: a red abstract tattoo decorating her left cheek. Comprising of two perpendicular lines, the design zigzagged across the vast expanse of her cheek, cradled her lower lash line, and bisected her eyebrow to disappear underneath bleached white bangs. It served quite a bold contrast to her delicate facial features – and made him wonder if she had any other tattoos hidden beneath…

Tyki felt a sly grin spread across his face at that last thought and the lovely images conjured by it. Taking advantage of the current situation, he leaned into her personal space and chuckled, "Perhaps, jovem, but I think it's given me exactly what I wanted."

The woman blinked a few times, slightly confused by either that cryptic sentence of what Tyki just called her. But as just as she parted her lips to put forth a question-

"You made me get out the car for this, Road?"

While the mystery woman was startled by a voice unfamiliar to her, Tyki had to bite back a frustrated groan at its all-too-familiar nature.

'Please just be a figment of my imagination…'

Unfortunately for Tyki, that plea went unanswered. For when the two adults turned their heads to find the source of the dry rhetorical question, they were greeted with the sight of four teenagers looking down on them.

Road, foot tapping the ground and eyes glittering with both exasperation and amusement, waited until the older man was looking at her to cheekily question, "Enjoying yourself, Tyki?"

The Portuguese man's eyes narrowed as he asked, "How long have you four been standing there?"

"Since a few minutes ago," Devitt shrugged as Jasdero huddled closer to him and away from the snowy wind. "Road heard you shout and dragged all of us over here."

"Hmm… though it doesn't look like it was necessary," Wisely amended, staring at the lack of space between his uncle and the woman with an all-knowing gaze. "You seem to be quite comfortable right now."

Tyki scowled at his nephew's semi-accurate insinuation, then stole a glance at the woman next to him. While her cheeks were flushing a rather fetching pink, he could also tell she was starting to become uncomfortable underneath the others' scrutiny. And that would not do.

But right before he could warn them against further embarrassing comments, Road broke out into giggles. "Really, Tyki, you're such a shameless charmer," she jokingly chided her uncle as she started skipping down the stairs.

While the Portuguese man just rolled his eyes at his niece's antics, the woman holding him up was a bit less sanguine about them. "Please be careful about the last step," she warned the younger girl just as the latter neared the bottom. "It's shorter than the others which, along with the snow, can lead to you falling and injuring yourself. And there's already been a case of that today."

That last statement caused Tyki to stiffen up and stopped Road right in her tracks. The girl frowned, now noticing the snow marks on her uncle's pants and how he favored his left leg. "Oh? And who was it?" she asked, though she already had a suspicion.

One that was quickly confirmed by the woman's gesturing to Tyki with her head, as well as his slight grimace.

For a few moments, the teenagers remained silent as they absorbed that newly revealed information.

Then the Jasdevi twins started laughing their asses off.

"Seriously, Tyki?" Devitt howled as he repeatedly pounded the side of the house with his fist. "You actually tripped on the last step? That's so fucking lame!"

"Yeah, lame!" Jasdero chimed in, holding onto his twin to keep himself from falling due to laughter.

Tyki facepalmed as he let out a terse sigh. 'It's going to be a while before I live this one down…'

Unlike their American cousins, however, Wisely and Road were looking at their uncle with some concern.

"Are you okay, Tyki?" the teenaged girl asked as she hopped off the last step and hurried over. Wisely followed at a much more sedate pace.

"His shoulder hit the wall when he fell, so he'll need an ice pack for that," the woman answered before Tyki could. She met his raised eyebrow with a firm gaze as she continued, "He might have also sprained his ankle, though I can't say for sure until I get him inside and inspect it."

"Do you have training for that?" Wisely interjected as he directed a steady gaze on her.

The woman sent his nephew a patient smile and replied, "I've taken a few First Aid courses with the British Red Cross. A friend of mine also showed me how to tend to a sprained ankle when I was fifteen."

Wisely carefully studied her calm expression, then nodded his head while stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Good enough for me."

"In that case," the woman concluded, "we should all go inside before we come down with hypothermia."

As if to reinforce her concern, the already high winds picked up in speed and ferocity. Snow had already battered them, but now it was leaving a rapidly growing layer on the parts of their bodies facing the wind.

The woman immediately turned to the four shivering teenagers and commanded, "The shop door is unlocked. Get inside, now!"

Wisely and Road needed no further incentives and ran towards the entrance. Even Jasdero and Devitt, who heeded no authority figures besides the Earl, didn't complain as they scrambled down the stairs and squeezed past the adults while muttering out, "Cold, cold, cold!"

Once the twins disappeared into the store, silver eyes looked back at Tyki. "Shall we?"

The Portuguese man chuckled as he replied, "Lead the way, jovem."

The woman smiled and draped his left arm around her shoulders. She then carefully coaxed Tyki into slowly shuffling forward while matching his speed with tiny steps of her own. "Jovem?" she asked, raising her voice so that she could be heard over the wind. "What does that word mean?"

"The literal definition is 'young'… but it can also mean 'girl'."

Her face dropped the smile for a frown as she repeated with an offended tone, "'Girl'? I'm nearly twenty-three years old."

Tyki had stifle an amused snort triggered by her mild indignation. "You don't like it, then?"

"Would you like it if I called you 'boy' instead of your name?" the woman dryly countered with a raised eyebrow.

This time he couldn't help but laugh. "No," he replied just as they pulled up in front of the door being held open by Wisely. "Then again, you've already heard it thanks to my niece, nephew and cousins. I can't say the same for myself."

Mild shock and realization that he was right flashed across her face, causing her to pause in front of the store's threshold and glance down at the ground in embarrassment. "Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself." She offered Tyki a small, bashful smile and said, "I'm Ellen Walker, the owner and confectioner of 'The Wandering Pierrot's Pocket Sweets'. It's nice to meet you, Tyki."

Despite feeling a pleasant shudder run down his spine at how Ellen pronounced his name, Tyki was silently shocked by what he just learned. 'She's the owner?' he wondered while she resumed walking with him in tow. 'At her age?'

When Ellen mentioned earlier that she was almost twenty-three, the Portuguese man had assumed she was either an employee forced into waiting out the blizzard at work, or the owner's adult daughter. The notion that she ran the business by herself hadn't even cross his mind.

But the shock began to fade as he focused his attention on Ellen, who was now guiding him over the threshold and over to a counter with a cash register stationed on top. 'Hmm… a kind young lady with white hair and a face tattoo, who seems physically strong, owns a small business, and is considerate while still having a backbone… she's certainly different than the women Sheril keeps flinging my way…'

'…forget about just getting a phone number; I'm going to work my way into her bed.'

"I assure you, Ellen," he seductively whispered in the young woman's ear, greatly enjoying the blush that appeared on her cheeks, "o prazer é todo meu (the pleasure is all mine)."

- xXx -

Cultural Notes

Pudim flan – Portuguese flan (crème caramel): a custard dessert topped with a layer of clear caramel sauce. Originates from Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. In Portugal, variations can include orange or lemon zest, Port wine, or even bacon! They also have a hole in the middle.

Consoada – Christmas dinner in Portugal. Served on Christmas Eve, it features dishes like bacalhau (dried and salted cod) and pudim flan. Because Portugal is mainly Catholic, however, you won't see any meat-based dishes.

British Red Cross – the UK governing body of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Formed in 1870 after the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War, it now has over 17,200 volunteers and 3,400 staff members.