White Demon, Red Scribe
A D Gray-Man and Assassin's Creed Revelations Crossover
Since he'd never managed to sleep, Lavi was up before anyone else when morning started to dawn. It was a perfect opportunity for him to make his move, a sly little smile on his face as he retrieved a few items from his bag and a little other special something he'd acquired during the night just for the occasion.
He made it a point to walk quietly as he made his way towards Allen's room, peering around the door carefully. Just as he'd hoped, he caught both the white-haired man and Emil asleep, none the wiser to his presence.
Perfect.
Lightly biting his lower lip and trying to contain a grin, he carefully crept around them until he was in position, uncorking the vial in-hand. Dabbing the soft hairs of a brush into the ink, he went to work, the far corner of his lips twitching into a mischievous smile.
One of the other assassins that had recently woken passed by and stopped in the doorway, staring indecisively and suspicious about whether or not to intervene, eyeing the vial and brush, the intense look of up-to-no-good concentration on Lavi's face, and then the markings on Allen's.
Lavi went rigidly still as the younger man shifted, twitching his face, but didn't stir. He almost snickered aloud but managed to resist, going back to work once the sleeping friend of his stopped moving.
Seeming to decide that whatever was going on wasn't anything dangerous to worry about - at least not for Allen, though the same could probably not be said for the redhead once the 'White Demon' became wise to what was happening - the assassin shook his head and walked off, thinking it was probably better he didn't get caught up between them when Allen changed the visiting Bookman into a Deadman. It wasn't worth getting killed in the crossfire.
Satisfied with his handiwork, and without managing to rouse Allen in doing so - yep, he'd still got it - Lavi closed and pocketed the vial of ink, and circled around to the foot of the bed, producing a small, wriggling pouch that he pulled a mouse out of by its tail. Lavi's grin fully blossomed at this point.
"Don't let me down, little buddy," he whispered, barely heard to his own ears, as he dropped the little critter and watched it disappear up Allen's pant-leg, not wasting any time in retreating himself to a safe distance... in an entirely different room, where he was already working on his boots in case he needed to make a quick getaway into the outside streets to escape Allen's wrath when he awoke, which was very much a probable outcome.
Any second now...
At first, Allen stirred only slightly, murmuring some nonsense and huddling up into a tighter ball. "BaKanda stop..." He grumbled, turning onto his side and giggling, still asleep. "BaKanda!" His voice got a little more annoyed and soon enough he jerked away, quickly sitting up. "What the-!?"
He tore the sheets off his body and kicked his legs, forcing the little offending creature to fall out.
The second he realized what the creature was, Allen let out a very un-manly ear piercing scream. Scrambling to the side of the bed, he fell down on the very confused Emil who didn´t know whether to scream or kill.
"GET IT OFF!" Allen yelled, slapping Emil on the shoulder. "DO SOMETHING!"
Emil sat frozen on the ground, with Allen in his lap, doing his best to keep a straight face when he properly saw the white-haired man's face. He even had to slap both his hands on his mouth to keep himself from bursting out laughing.
But Allen in the meanwhile noticed the redhead, crouched in the corner of the room having his own giggle fest.
"YOU!"
Lavi was having a hard time containing himself when, on cue, he heard a deathly, womanly screech, which could only belong to one person at the moment, just as he was finishing with his second boot.
He didn't make a break for it though. Not just yet. He had to see Allen's face first, and boy did he ever. His and Emil's as the other man was trying to contain himself from laughing as well. Lavi wasn't nearly as conservative, giggling aloud shamelessly at the spectacle that was quickly unfolding.
Oh, but that poor little mouse... clinging to Allen's clothing for dear life as the man flailed about. Who would'a thunk the 'White Demon' was scared by mice? Even if it was only attributed to the fact that he was half-asleep. It was still comedy gold.
"I-I don't know... what you're talking about there, 'sprout!" he denied between fits of laughter. "-but it seems like... you've got a mouse problem in here!" He didn't think Allen was going to buy it, but he still denied it. For now. He managed to compose himself just long enough to catch some of his breath as he added, "Oh, and it looks like you got a little something on your face there! You should really deal with that."
The part he didn't add was that it was black Indian ink and no amount of washing and scrubbing would completely remove the traces of it for at least another day. Never underestimate the staining power of Indian ink... or Lavi's ability to prank people.
Now he was going to be in trouble with both of them. But it was soooo worth it.
"CAZZO! And you-… stop giggling!" He swore at Lavi and turned to Emil, smacking his head childishly. A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him shortly after that. "Aw man," Allen moaned, holding his head and slumping down on the now alert assassin.
"Are you alright?" Emil asked, casually taking the mouse's tail and throwing it away with no mercy, but not before shooting an acid glare at the redhead.
"My head is killing me," the Allen moaned, resting his forehead on Emil's shoulder. "What happened last night anyway?"
Emil's answer was another icy glare in Lavi's direction as he rubbed the white-haired man's face in attempt to get the black ink off. "Yeah, a good question, kardesim," he growled.
Oh man, Lavi hadn't had a good laugh like that in a long time, wiping tears from his eye. He could still barely breathe, trying to stifle a few lingering laughs. He wasn't sorry. Not in the least. And he still wouldn't be when Allen recovered enough to try and kill him, especially when the face 'paint' didn't entirely come off.
"I told you yesterday to watch it on the alcohol intake, but someone never listens to me," Lavi tsk'ed, waving a finger in a reprimanding manner. "The whole point of asking around for information is not to get so drunk you can't remember what was said by next morning. I had to carry your dumb ass home so you wouldn't keep going. Imagine how much worse the hangover'd be if I hadn't."
He smirked and folded his hands behind his head as he did an about-face, at the same moment noticing they had a slowly growing audience of assassins that had been woken up by Allen's girlish screaming and were confused as to if there was any sort of danger or not to be had.
Lavi's smirk grew wider. Oh, he was definitely going to milk this situation for all its worth. When he declared a prank war, he played hard-ball, and played it to win. And he was about to make it that much worse.
Somehow he'd managed to catch and keep the sometimes-affectionate and sometimes-not-so-affectionate nickname 'rabbit' but he rather liked to think of himself more akin to a fox, and not simply because of his hair color.
"The face-paint is for scaring me shitless the other day when you jumped off the Galata tower, and you should never start a prank-war with an expert like myself unless you're prepared for a counterstrike, 'sprout!" he informed. "Oh, and the mouse is for getting shit-faced drunk and almost getting me killed by your watch-dog last night when ya wouldn't stop clinging to me like a monkey! You seemed pretty desperate to have something in your pants, so I thought I'd accommodate you!" He burst out laughing even as he sprinted for the door at break-neck speed, knowing better than to stick around at this point for either his friend or Emil to kill him for real.
He was, without a doubt, going to get murdered horribly, completely ignoring mercy, once Allen recovered enough to pursue him, but at least he was going to die with a smile on his face.
Allen was speechless.
Staring at the dust that was all Lavi left behind when he took off, his mind slowly soaked up the information the bookman just provided him with.
Clingy? Desperate to have something in his pants? Oh, how drunk had he been?!
"I-" He stuttered, looking at Emil - who was still trying to clean his face off the damn ink.
"He is lying!" Kanda's assassin protested, raising his voice.
That gave Allen a sudden, very evil and very unfair idea.
Letting out a dramatic sigh, he hid his face in his hands. "Lavi how could you!" he cried with a very convincing, shaky voice. "I remember! You molested me while I was defenseless!"
An outrage murmur from the bystanding assassin's was enough to make Allen grin sneakily.
"I knew it!" Emil said, finally ceasing his scrubbing. "GET THAT GINGER!" As if a lightning struck, the assassins began to sprint, looking for the bookman. "Don´t worry, my friend, we´re going to- why is your face like that?" Kanda's student asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Heh," Allen smirked devilishly. "He wanted to play pranks. Now get me some hot water so I can get this stuff off my face!"
Lavi had no idea what Allen had said to the Assassin's, but he knew he'd said something since they were all buzzing around town like a mob of angry bees after their nest was disturbed.
Already he'd dodged several throwing knives, a bolt, and two flying-leaps. Apparently he wasn't the only one who played prank-wars for keeps. If he were anyone else, he probably really would be dead already at this point. So far it was only attempts and a few close calls.
He'd managed to lose their trail for the moment and barely peaked his head out of a covered street into the open, green eye scanning for anything to be immediately wary of. He was especially cautious of the rooftops.
"Geez... it's Lisbon all over again," he muttered to himself. All those thoughts of how giggly and adorable Allen had been the night before almost made him forget who he was really dealing with. Lavi was a prankster, but Allen liked to cheat. "Damn you, Allen... this is really unfair, sicking your dogs on me."
At least he was in the clear, for now, but he wasn't going to be able to relax for a while. This was going to make his errands around town today a lot more troublesome. But of course he had started it(kind of), so it really was his own fault. But he was still going to blame Allen for it.
When he saw that it was clear, he finally found one of the doctors in town to buy something and then made his way through the streets, still keeping alert. He began to walk again, but didn't fail to notice that he was being tailed, mentally groaning.
Don't know when to give up, do they? He pretended not to notice, casually walking until he'd rounded a corner, then sprinted like a mad-man and rounded another corner through an alleyway before they could catch pace and spot where he'd gone, like a hare in a warren, suddenly remembering why that nickname had managed to stick.
"Blast that damn ginger pirate!" Allen cussed, throwing away another piece of cloth he tore by scrubbing his face. The damn ink was impossible to remove! He is so going to give him hell for this. Damn Lavi and his stupid pranks. "Come on!" He was getting more and more frustrated by every minute he spent cleaning his face in vain.
A sigh escaped from his lips as he stared into the mirror. Momentarily forgetting the ink he took his time to study his face:
His eyes were still bloodshot from the lack of proper sleep, his hair appeared even whiter and he spotted some new wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.
Putting his hair up with his palm he eyed the scar that marred his face.
"I'm getting old..." He mused out loud.
"You are still beautiful, though," a voice sounded from behind him, jerking him from his musing. "I mean-" Emil stammered, realizing what he just said, scratching the back of his head to hide his embarrassment. "I know if my master heard me he would have probably skinned me alive - or anyone who as much looked at you, but it's true. Sorry, I'm making it worse." He bit his lip, staring at the ground. "Please don't tell my mentor I said that!"
Allen laughed, letting his hair fall in place. "Thank you."
"I have brought you something to help you cover the ink." Emil announced stepping into the room and taking out a small wooden box out of his pouch. "It is a powder women use but I figured it could help.
"And where did you get it from?" Allen teased, raising his eyebrow, a playful smirk playing on his lips. "Do you usually use it?"
Kanda´s student shook his head, squirming a little. "I... my friend gave it to me..." He trailed off, his blush visible on his ears.
"A friend..." The white-haired male slowly repeated, the teasing tone still present. "Of course!" He laughed, slapping Emil´s shoulder playfully. "Keep your secrets and your lady ´friend´. I´m happy for you. Thank her for me, will you? Now help me put it on, otherwise I'd be a laughing stock for every single assassin that sees me."
"It is not that bad," Emil offered but Allen's single look of ´are you kidding me´ was enough to silence him. "Well okay, it is..." He admitted, applying the powder on the other man's face. Soon enough, not a single trace of ink was visible.
Allen turned his head from side to side. "Lend this to me for a second." He murmured, taking the brush from Emil's hand.
By the time he was finished, Kanda's student was staring at him in awe. "This is... actually unbelievable."
"I would make a wonderful woman, wouldn't you say?" the white-haired male asked, putting the box on the table. "Funny how such a small thing makes such a huge difference." His face was flawless with his scar and wrinkles hidden. "I look like a completely different person." He mused, tying his hair into a low pony-tail.
A shadow fell on his eyes.
"Emil." The tone he used made the younger assassin sober up in a second. "I need you to do me another favor." The younger male nodded without any hesitation. Allen reached into one of his hidden pockets and produced an old silver key. "Make sure nobody follows you. Take this key and go to the Galata Tower. There will be a small hidden door on the top - use the key to open it - it is the easiest way in. There might be a few guards around, do what you will with them. When you climb down, there will be another door with the assassin sigil that leads to a small chamber and there is the thing I want you to get for me. Take a bag – I'd recommend a big one. Bring it to the den and hide it in my chest."
The assassin put a hand over his heart, bowing his head. "It would be an honor, akardeshim."
Allen smiled fondly. "Good. Now I will make a use of my good looks!" he joked, waltzing to a huge chest of clothes that stood next to his bed and took out a long silver and gray dress, a huge black scarf and a veil. "I am going to pry some knowledge from the city's heralds in the meanwhile and make sure they won't pose a threat for the assassins in the near future," he commented as he dressed up, fastening the transparent veil over his mouth and re-counting the money in his pouch.
"You really shouldn't walk like this in the streets." Emil said a little bit uneasily. Really, how dense can Allen be?
"No worries, friend!" The white demon assured him, flashing his hidden blades at him. "I'll be fine!"
Allen said his good-bye and walked out, leaving the frustrated assassin behind. On his way out he made a detour to the library, slipping the note to Kanda into Lavi's book.
All the note said was: "They know. Come back. -A"
Lavi yelped as a spot on a building wall exploded close to his head and he ducked out of sight, at the same moment several people scattered, running again. Damn it, that was close!
"Okay, now this is just excessive!" he shrieked, ducking underneath a parked wagon as soon as he was certain he was out of sight and waiting until he heard angry shouts and running pass by. He heaved a sigh and clamored out, dusting himself off once he stood.
He really needed to shake them a little bit longer if he expected to get anything done today. Unfortunately, he stood out like a sore thumb around here, since his reddish hair was highly unusual. Maybe he could use that to his advantage, though.
Walking along, he got himself a cloth to tie around his head and tuck his hair out of sight, and found a few people on the streets that looked and sounded like gossipers, spreading a few fake 'witness accounts' of where he'd run to. Let them chase a false scent for a while.
Of course his eye patch was still recognizable, but the head-wrapping would help. He could move a little more freely without being so easy to spot from a distance, at least.
Wandering along, and still being careful not to be seen despite his very slight disguise, he hit the tavern again asking for some information. New rumors or people in town, as well as a place or people where he could make a specific purchase. Once he had some of the information he was looking for, he ducked back outside, almost running straight into a group of assassins standing by the dock and talking to each other in hushed, angry frustration.
Lavi quickly turned and walked a little bit stiffly, slipping into the crowds and hoping he wouldn't be noticed. He got the feeling he was being watched, but after he disappeared around the corner and kept walking, nobody gave chase or tried to stab or shoot or throw something at him again, the redhead heaving a sigh of relief.
The first person he found didn't have what he was looking for, so he declined and moved on to the next. When they did have what he wanted, he happily paid for it and went on his way, before trouble could find him again.
He wasn't nearly as bothered now as he had been before, though. Why hadn't he thought of hiding his hair earlier? Oh, right, because he hadn't thought Allen would actually send every freaking assassin in town after him.
When he made it back to the den, he peered in closely and carefully, scanning the room from the barely opened door, but it seemed no one was in. He supposed they were all too busy hunting him outside to think to look for him back inside. At least, he hoped as much, his single eye scanning the rafters and beams above carefully, just in case. Nope, no one hiding above to drop down on him either.
Sighing relief, he stepped inside and pulled the cloth from his head, shaking his hair out. Funny how a group's own dwelling often proved the safest haven. So long as he didn't get caught and cornered before Allen could call them off. He'd still only gotten part of what he wanted to do done today, and it had taken him three times longer than it should have.
He rubbed the back of his head irritably and tried to see if there were any signs of Allen inside, but it seemed he was gone too. Perfect. Just perfect. The one person that was probably the difference between him and a hidden blade to the skull wasn't here.
"You're just hiding somewhere, yukking it up, aren't'cha?" he couldn't help but muse to himself as he ducked into the library, going through his bag of things and grumbling something that might have been curses and complaints, but it was in another language.
He noticed a piece of paper sticking out of a book and picked it out, reading it, and realized what it was. Fishing his own 'letter' out, he settled down to finish the rest of it, which took a short while longer, but he finally had it done. The only one left to get was Emil's... but he should probably wait for Allen before he did that. No doubt that man wanted him just as dead as everyone else right now.
Lavi sighed.
"I've heard of 'getting back' for pranks, but really Allen, this is just taking things way too far, you dirty cheat," he muttered to himself as he flipped a book open, deciding he'd read for a while until the man returned, hoping that he would do so before anyone else.
Allen thought people in this country were more reserved then those in Italy, but apparently, he was wrong.
He knew that the better the looks, the more accommodating people were, but this was ridiculous. In the few hours he spent digging out information out of various heralds he received at least ten proposals, three slaps on his ass(which he very much wanted to return with a stab to the offending hand but couldn't because of the deal he was making), and several wolf whistles. But at least the men accepted winks, alluring promises, and flirty words as payment - which resulted in keeping most of his money in his pouch. Those who were uncooperative had the honor of meeting Allen's hidden blade, which changed their minds pretty quickly.
Sometimes, threats worked better than anything.
Despite the numerous deals he managed to make, luck was not on Allen's side. None of the heralds have either heard or seen anyone out of place in Istanbul and that was what made Allen feel slightly uneasy. Whoever was sent to get him was very good at hiding himself. Not a single person met anyone asking about "The White Demon" or a person with Allen's looks.
Ah well, maybe it was enough searching for one day. After all, he managed to cover at least three or four districts in one go.
He entered the den just as the stars began to appear on the sky. Every single assassin he walked by made a double-take and either left or started to murmur some weird chant.
Weird... but he greeted them nonetheless and made his way to his room. Judging by the tired faces he would say the "hunt for Lavi" was over.
"Oh, hello there handsome!" he greeted when he passed the library. He couldn't help but smirk when he imagined how long Lavi had to hide because of the little rabbit open season. He walked to Lavi's desk and crossed his arms on his chest, waiting for Lavi's reaction. "How was your day?" He asked innocently.
Rather than immediately answer the question, knowing that Allen was merely pretending innocence, he responded, "You're an asshole, y'know that?" without immediately looking up from his book. Making a mental bookmark of where he left off, he smacked the book shut and looked up, only to freeze. Staring.
He mouthed, "What the-", but the sounds wouldn't come. He shook his head as if once he was finished, Allen would no longer be in a dress, but that didn't work at all.
"Of all the questionable hobbies you have, I think this one takes the cake," he finally deadpanned, running a hand through his hair. He sighed aloud, deciding maybe a change of topic would be best. "Anyway, what did you even tell those guys? I'll have you know I almost got killed - several times - today."
That made Allen burst out laughing. He unveiled his temporarily flawless face and untangled himself from the black scarf. "I did nothing!" He pouted childishly, "nothing I would regret, dear friend."
Oh Lavi´s turmoil provided more than enough entertainment. "Anyway," he continued, ignoring another of Lavi's stares as he raked his hand over his hair, loosening the pony-tail. "I haven't been sitting idle. I made sure that the heralds from the neighboring districts keep their mouths shut for the time. Free scouting for us." Allen quickly summarized the rumors and news from around the city - which was basically nothing they didn´t know yet.
Still ignoring the redhead's stare he reached for the book, flippantly turning few pages. "How is the letter going?"
Lavi nodded his head, though it was with notable disbelief.
"Sure, sure. It's always nothing... when an entire troop of assassins comes after your neck. Nothing at all." He poured every bit of sarcasm he had stored away into that tone.
He listened to Allen list off the rumors he'd heard and what he'd done today while Lavi had been busy trying to run his own errands and simultaneously dodging for his life, before coming to the letters, which Lavi would have brought up if Allen hadn't anyway.
"Mine is done, and I have yours. The only one I still need is Emil's... but with that dick move you pulled, I'm not risking going anywhere near him." He rubbed his neck meaningfully. "I like my head where it belongs: attached to my body. Anyway, it might be too late to send them tonight, but I might still be able to catch someone who can deliver them at this hour. You can come with, if you want, after you change into something more..."
He trailed off and his eyes flicked up and down the other man, trying to stall for a moment, but he couldn't seem to think up an appropriate, finishing word.
Allen raised his eyebrow quizzically, waiting for Lavi to find his words. "Why?" He asked slowly, not managing to hide his growing smirk. "Not happy with my choice of attire?"
"Well if you're comfortable, then I won't talk you out of it," Lavi laughed, standing and going to his bag. "You go grab the letter from Emil, and then we can go see if anyone is still willing to take a delivery tonight, alright?"
"That's what I thought." Allen giggled, sticking out his tongue. "But I'm going to change anyways." Walking out of the library he waved his hand, winking again. "Then I'll go see if Emil has returned yet. Want to help me out of my dress or are we meeting up in fifteen?"
"I've already almost been killed twice for anything that could be misconstrued as something it's not," Lavi said, holding up his hands in refusal. "You're changing out of that dress all by yourself."
Allen's loud and slightly evil laughter was the final warning to Lavi to think twice before playing any more pranks.
Not even ten minutes after that Allen was ready in his assassin outfit, fastening his vembraces on his forearms. The den was weirdly empty for this hour but he didn't pay any attention to it. He asked a few men about Emil but no one seemed to know anything about him.
Shrugging that off, thinking he probably ran into some difficulties during the mission he gave him, he scanned the room for Lavi.
Lavi caught the warning, but that didn't mean his little 'war' with Allen was over. Oh no, far from it. He would give Allen some distance for a while, and recollect his strategy. But he would, without a doubt, start it up again at some point.
As Allen left to change, he went to his bag, shuffling through it and tucking the letters safely inside before hoisting it onto his shoulder and waiting near the door, letting his mind go blank for a while as he waited. Or at least as blank as his mind ever got.
He smiled when Allen approached, nodding indicatingly.
"Ready?"
"Kinda... I don't think we're going to get Emil's letter tonight, though. Do you want to wait until the morning?" Allen asked, shrugging.
Lavi placed a hand to his chin in thought.
"We could... or send it separately. Or he could send it on his own time." He shrugged. "I'm not sure how important it is. Anyway, I have something else to do tonight anyway, and I'd like you to come along either way." He said, turning and leading the way, motioning for Allen to come along. "You can decide if you want me to wait or not on sending the letter on the way there, 'kay?"
"I guess we can send it later." Allen shrugged, "sure, lead the way. Gonna tell me where we're going?"
Lavi laughed faintly.
" 'going to show you where we're going, actually," Lavi said, taking to the dark streets, which were only inhabited by a scarce few stragglers who either still had work to do or were scurrying home. "So you can find where it is for future reference."
After a short while of walking, he stopped in front of a door, fishing in his pocket for something, licking his lower lip a moment in thought.
"I'm not gonna be staying at the den anymore," he finally announced, finding the key he'd been looking for and unlocking the door, stepping inside. It was large enough that it contained a desk and chair against one wall, a shelf above that, and a bed on the other wall, though beyond that, it was sparse, and only comprised of a single room, not counting a small bathroom. " 'found my own place to hunker down for a while. I don't want to bring you any undue trouble or be a mooch or anything like that, after all."
Besides, it would be better for everyone involved if he put a little distance between them again. A place that wasn't associated or too close to Allen. He was slipping; he knew that quite acutely, so this was necessary. He needed to keep his head clear. And his chest.
It took Allen a second - maybe a second too long - to react. He hoped he was able to cover his own disappointment. "Aaaw, did the guys chase you that hard? I hope they didn't discourage you much..."
But really, could it be because of this? Was this supposed to be some kind of guilt trip? But then again, maybe it was safer for Lavi to stay some time away from the men. After all, he still wasn't sure whether he was safe at all around Kanda's squad.
"At least we can have sleepovers now!" He joked, tilting his head in a childish manner.
Lavi chuckled and scratched the side of his face.
"We-ll... they've never exactly held me in high regard to begin with, but no, that's not why." He assured, before looking slightly more serious. "Well, not completely, anyway. On the subject of the other assassins though, I think it'd be better this way. They're focusing a lot on watching me because they don't trust me, and given the circumstances, I can't blame them, but it's also dangerous. The more attention and energy they expend towards keeping an eye on me around you, and what they think of-" he paused a moment and motioned back and forth between himself and Allen, "-us, the less focus they have on your real enemies, and that kind of distraction can get people killed. That's the last thing you need right now."
He smiled, not intending on letting the mood fall too low, despite his words, as he reached out and grasped Allen's wrist. "Besides, it's not like I'll be hard to find either way," he mused, pressing a spare key into the man's palm. "If you need me at all, any time of day or night, if there's an emergency, or you just decide you're Ooooh~! Sooo~! Lonely~! without me!" He mock-swooned dramatically for comedic affect, giving the other man an awkward one-eyed wink. "...you can just let yourself in any time."
Allen stared at the key for a short while and smirked. "I'll keep that in mind... Also, don't forget that you just showed me your last sanctuary. Don't go doing any pranks you might regret, my friend. I know where you live." He finished, intending to make it sound like a threat but failing because of his intervening laugh.
"Now that it just cruel," Lavi feigned hurt, placing a hand over his chest. "Don't forget, technically you started it first! I only made the official announcement that the war was on," he grinned. He was making absolutely no promises he wouldn't prank Allen again. That was one of the things he couldn't resist, especially when it came to Allen. He simply hadn't thought of a suitable counterstrike yet.
Allen put the key into the pocket under the sash he wore around his waist. "Going to look for the messenger now?" Allen asked, his hand automatically going for the place where his pendant should have been. Finding it was not there made him panic for a second but then he remembered that Lavi had it. "You got the pendant, right?" he asked, maybe a little too insisting.
Lavi nodded affirmatively. "Don't worry, it's safe and sound with me. I'll send it tomorrow once you bring me Emil's part, alright? Now-" he laughed again. "You should probably get back, before they come looking and start getting strange ideas again. You know where I live, but technically they still don't. I'd like to keep it that way long enough that they forget about decapitating me. Or castrating me. Both would be equally bad." He made a face at his own words, before shaking it off. "Anyway, stay safe, alright?"
Allen nodded, checking once again for the key. "Alright, see you tomorrow then. Maybe I'll feel kind enough to call the assassins off." He chuckled. "Thank you and good night."
With a final wave he turned around and made his way back to the den.
Before he laid down he made yet another round around the den to make sure Emil has not returned - and as it turned out, he hasn't yet.
"Let me know when he comes back," he said to a couple of men that have just returned from their scouting. The complete lack of information about the younger assassin made the back of his neck tingle unpleasantly, but despite that, he forced himself to sleep.
The morning came faster than Allen would have liked. A firm hand on his shoulder shook him awake and his still not lucid mind made him think the hand belonged to Emil.
When he blinked the sleep away, he realized it was not him and that something was horribly wrong.