White Demon, Red Scribe
A D Gray-Man and Assassin's Creed Revelations Crossover
"Geez, you'd think the next Great Flood was upon us with how it's raining out there," Lavi grumbled, still trying to get his hair dry. Maybe he really should cut it. He'd been letting it go a bit more in the last few years, but that of course came with some downsides. Taking longer to dry was one of them, which was somewhat counter-productive to his work with books.
Allen huffed as he finished doing his daily push-ups and sat on the floor, gazing out of the window. "A flood indeed," he murmured, offering Lavi another linen sheet without as much looking at him.
It really was one Hell of a storm. Hardly anyone at all dared even go out into the streets today, but Lavi wouldn't exactly call it 'quiet'. He'd thought of staying inside his own place, but had ended up deciding on finding the den and Allen instead, a choice which he was slightly regretting.
Of course, he was sure that if he hadn't gone to Allen, Allen would have probably come to him, just to be sure he was faring okay, bad weather be damned. Maybe he'd just hunker down in the Assassin's library until it passed, and hope that it would only be a one-day thing.
"I'm not sure we're going to be seeing our messenger boy on time. Even if the kid is daring enough to brave that storm, I'm not sure the ferry will be."
Allen didn't even humor him with a hum this time. As the days progressed, he became more and more withdrawn and quiet. Gazing out of the window became some kind of routine. Ever since Lavi sent the letter, he'd been waiting to see a messenger deliver the reply - but only in vain.
"You know, staring out the window won't make it come any faster," Lavi pointed out, almost seeming to read Allen's thoughts. "It's only been three days since I sent it. You just have to be patient. So long as we keep up our counter-measures and be careful, we should be fine until then, and Teidol said he's fine." Having gotten his hair as dry as he figures it was going to get, he let the sheet hang around his shoulders idly, stretching. "The only thing worrying is going to do is cause you extra stress you don't need right now. Better to just let those thoughts go until we get a solid answer."
Allen ran his hand though his hair and fell on the bed with an exasperated sigh.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he said, turning to the side to look at the redhead properly.
The assassin looked like he wanted to say something but a soft knock on the door interrupted him.
"I found some an agitated little stray trying to get into the den," Tiedol's voice echoed from outside. "He said he carries something that might be yours." The man opened the door and stepped in, trying to shake the rain off his absurdly curly hair with one hand and pushing a small boy in with the other.
"We~ll, if it isn't our little delivery boy!" Lavi hummed, leaning on the door frame.
The brunette cast a dirty look at the man for pushing him in and sauntered a few steps further, pointedly out of arm's reach, before silently gazing around, seeming somewhat at a loss.
"Come on in, we don't bite," Lavi teased when the kid didn't immediately come forward, wary blue eyes going to him.
"I just came to deliver the vembraces," he rasped softly, his steps inside hesitant, still skittish. Lavi was trying to discern if that was simply his usual nature, or if there was a specific reason for it. Like that maybe he was hiding something.
Lavi merely nodded, his eye flicking to the door and Teidol mid-way through, trying to make it look like he was acknowledging what the boy said, but really he was sending a discreet motion that they didn't want the boy escaping out the door again, before they could talk to him properly.
Allen sat up on the bed, placing his feet firmly on the floor. With a gentle smile and a tilt of his head he extended his hand, silently urging the boy to give him the armor.
"Hello there," he said, his who personality shifting into a perfect picture of innocence. "Terrible weather, isn't it?" He asked, hoping that he would draw the boy out of his shell. From the corner of his eye he saw Tiedol lean against the doorframe casually, cleaning his glasses.
The brunette only nodded, likewise holding the armor pieces out so Allen could reach them, but not him. He was also keeping anyone close by somewhere within his line of sight, watching them carefully in a tense, preparatory sort of way.
"Sure is," Lavi piped, since the kid barely acknowledged what Allen said. "Maybe you should hang around a while 'til the rain at least lightens a bit. Wouldn't want to catch your death or anything."
"I really shouldn't," the kid answered quietly, before addressing Allen now, though his blue eyes never really looked directly at the man, falling short of his face and instead only in his general vicinity. "If they're not to your satisfaction, I'm supposed to report back, so they can be worked on until they are." The boy retracted his hands as soon as the vembraces fell into Allen's hands.
"You don't need to be afraid," Allen murmured as he inspected his armor. He put them down with a short, satisfied hum and focused back at the squirming boy. "We only want to ask a few questions."
The kid's eyes darted between Allen and Lavi a moment.
"About what?"
"Same thing as we came asking about before: if you saw or heard anything regarding whoever is targeting and killing Assassins," Lavi stated levelly.
" 'already said I don't know anything..." the boy pointed out more softly, shifting uneasily.
Allen sighed softly, hanging his head for a second. When he raised it again, his smile was no longer there.
"This isn't only about the assassins. Did you know Tim? The little boy with sandy hair and a scar on his forehead?" He asked softly. "He was my friend. He was a kid just like you. Someone killed him and if there is anything that would help us finding that someone we would be really grateful. You don't have to be afraid to tell us." Allen hoped that this strategy would work.
" 'said I didn't know anything," he repeated.
"And what about that blacksmith you work under?" Lavi proposed. The man was an unpleasant person, so even if the guy knew something, he doubted they'd get anything out of him. "Maybe he knows something? Or has some kind of involvement in it?" It was a possibility he wasn't willing to overlook until they'd explored it.
The brunette snorted through his nose in a condescending sort of manner and looked off to the side, his eyes hardening and more muttering to himself than actually speaking to them.
"Som om det drukket ville selv finne tid til å være edru nok..."
Lavi smirked knowingly. "Er det riktig?" He almost laughed aloud when the child looked back at him with wide eyes, obviously not having expected to be understood and going slightly paler, which was an accomplishment in and of itself since he was already quite pasty in skin tone.
Allen's eyes sparkling with hope, darting to Lavi. He had no idea what kind of language that was, but he was sure Lavi could get something out of the boy now.
"Do tell us more," he said, hoping that the boy would keep talking, even if it was in the language he didn't understand. Lavi was enough for that.
The kid was eyeing Lavi now is if trying to discern if he really understood, though he was hard-pressed not to believe it, since the redhead had replied in turn with the same language.
"Well, I don't think the blacksmith has anything to do with it," Lavi said with a little outward laugh. "Something along the lines of as if that drunkard would ever be sober enough. My Norwegian might be a little rusty, but I'm fairly certain that was the gist of it."
The boy looked a lot less amused than Lavi did, wincing slightly at his words. "Don't... tell anyone I said that..." he implored plaintively, fiddling with the hem of one of his long sleeves nervously.
Allen laughed lightly and stood up as silently as he could, moving closer to the boy. He crouched down, careful not to scare him. The smile was back on his face again.
"Don't worry," he said with a melodic voice - one that a parent would use to assure their child. "We won't tell anyone. But please, tell us anything you know - no matter how unimportant it might seem."
Despite Allen's attempts to come across as reassuring, the kid still pointedly retreated out of arms reach, though Lavi couldn't tell if he was doing it consciously or out of some sort of habit.
His eyes flicked elsewhere, like someone looking for a quick exit, but he didn't move, idly licking his lip in uneasy thoughtfulness.
" 'don't know..." he said again quietly, trailing off, before picking up again. " 'might know someone that could though. I think his name is Demir. People say he knows everything that goes on in the city more than anyone else, but most don't know him. He probably won't tell much easily, though."
"Demir?" Allen asked, looking at Lavi in silent question. Lavi shrugged. He hadn't heard it either, but at the very least, now he knew a name to listen for and ask about. Allen had been in Istanbul for quite some time but he hadn't heard such name yet. "Can you tell us where this Demir is, please?" He asked, standing up again.
"I don't know," the boy shrugged. "He's not someone you can find when he doesn't want to be." There was a wary look in his eyes as he warned, "That man's like a snake. He cheats and poisons and coils around people. He'll get a lot more information out of you than you probably will of him, but if it's that important, you might try. He's got a scar you can't mistake, like a huge 'X' on the front of his body, and he goes to the brothels sometimes..."
After a short pause, he added, "He seems like he disappears more than he's here, but I've heard he knows too much to ever be gone as long as he seems, and I've seen him a lot of times for a few years. Shouldn't be impossible to find him, just really hard."
Lavi nodded, tucking this information away for later investigation. Unfortunately they'd have to wait until the storm passed to explore it. No use trying to find the guy in this weather, when there was hardly even anyone to ask.
Allen's mind went completely blank when he heard what the boy said.
Could he...?
His eyes darted to his little table in the corner, seeking out the item Emil gave him before he died - his girlfriend's powder box. If the man loved brothels so much... that could be the easiest way to find him.
Allen absentmindedly moved to his little wardrobe chest and raked though the clothes, inspecting some of the finest pieces he had.
"Really, Allen? Again?" Lavi laughed. He almost wondered if Allen enjoyed the idea of playing a woman, or at least dressing like one, a thought he realized a moment later he probably shouldn't be having.
But whatever.
He noticed the kid relax slightly when Allen moved elsewhere.
"Might be an easy way to get to him," Allen defended. "You can't even believe how easy some things get when people think you are a pretty, harmless woman."
Tiedol shook his head in defeat by the door but otherwise kept quiet.
"Hmmm... Do tell me more about the man please - hair, eyes and so on. Places where he would most likely hang out, uh, except the brothels." And then he innocently asked: "Does he like pretty faces?"
"Y'could say that," the kid hummed with a note of contempt in his barely audible voice, before he shook it off and shrugged again. " 'dark hair and dark green eyes. 'dunno much more than that. Mostly he just... shows up places. Randomly."
The tone in which the boy continued made Allen slightly more curious. He shared a look with Lavi and continued.
"Randomly shows up at places? Where have you seen him last?"
"He shows up at the shop sometimes, and other places, like the brothel. He only really appears when he wants something. He never goes anywhere just to go. There's always some motive behind his 'visits'. It's harder to find him that way," he replied.
Lavi hummed thoughtfully, having opted to keep to the sidelines so far through the whole discussion, since the boy seemed to the skittish type. Plus, it was easier to observe properly that way.
"So what sort of motive did he have for visiting the shop?" Maybe it was a dumb question, but he kept all doors open. The kid only shrugged again.
" 'dunno. 'don't really try to get involved."
That seemed a little... odd. He'd expected an obvious answer, like that maybe he just went there for weapons or something, which would make more sense even as a placation than a true answer.
"You seem to know a lot about the guy for someone that stays uninvolved," he noted. He noticed that exit-seeking glance again, and another shrug. "Considering you said most don't even know of him."
"I hear things, is all..." the brunette muttered evasively. Lavi only hummed again speculatively.
Allen managed to hold his exasperated sigh. The boy was really uncooperative. He didn't want to scare him, but maybe a nudge would help a little. He really wasn't sure what to do.
The assassin glanced out of the window, humming. The rain was still pouring down mercilessly - maybe he could use that to his advantage.
"Well, never mind that." He said, putting back the fabrics and closing the chest. "The rain has not stilled, so, tea?"
Hearing that, Tiedol piped in. "Would be lovely, my boy! I'm going to get into some dry clothes." Which was really just an excuse to get a few men guard the door in case the boy would haul ass.
When the man left, Allen turned to the youngster and smiled. "What kind of tea do you like?"
The kid shrugged again. He did that a lot, Lavi noted.
" Doesn' matter. Any," he hummed. His watchful gaze shifted to Lavi as the man finally pushed off the wall, coming closer, but stopping outside a certain distance. Even if he got close, he guessed the boy would just make up the distance again anyway.
"Name's Lavi, by the way, an' that's Allen there," he nodded to the man with an easygoing smile. "And yours is...?"
There was a moment of hesitation, before he finally offered up uncertainly, "Faulklin."
"Pleasure to meet you, Faulklin!" Allen said, perking up a bit. Maybe they would really get the kid to talk today. He approached his table and took out a package out of the top drawer. "Be so nice and go fetch boiling water, Lavi," Allen requested as he carefully unwrapped a little red wooden box decorated by engraved golden dragons and Chinese letters. He took out three cups and sat them on the table. "Come look. Smell the tea." He held the box opened to the boy. "It is called Genmaicha - a special Nihon green tea with roasted rice that keeps you healthy. Excellent to drink in this kind of weather." He hoped it caught Faulklin's attention at least a little bit.
Faulklin followed Allen at a distance, glancing more about the room and at the door than at Allen and looking awkwardly out of place.
"Never heard of it," he replied distractedly, more just humoring him with minimal responses at this point than really contributing to the conversation, whether out of not wanting to be rude or something else.
"Aahh, come on! We really don't want to do anything bad - I swear!" He said, a little bit disappointed that the kid still wasn't trusting them. Faulklin looked somewhat taken aback by Allen's exclamation, flinching with a hint of passing fear flitting across his eyes, but it was gone quickly and he didn't explain. Allen let it slide.
He prepared the cups and put them on the floor, offering Faulklin a pillow to sit on. "Make yourself comfortable. You hungry by any chance?"
After another moment of hesitation, Faulklin kneeled down on one of the pillows, crossing his arms over the table close to himself, his eyes downcast. "Not very much," he hummed, at the question if he was hungry. His eyes flitted to the door again and he sighed softly, his expression closely guarded. "He's going to be mad if I'm not back soon."
"He doesn't sound like a pleasant chap, does he?" The assassin asked as he sat down and reached for his vambraces. "Does he give you too much hard time?" That brought back a few of his own memories, but he didn't allow himself to dive into them. Allen tied the armor around his forearm slowly, waiting for the boy's reply.
Faulklin's lips opened to answer, but he hesitated, fidgeting with the cuff of his sleeve again. The silence lasted for more than a few seconds before he finally offered up an answer, shrugging again dismissively.
"He's not any worse than anyone else. He teaches me things," he muttered, still unhelpfully evasive.
Lavi returned at this point with the water, having caught a few snippets.
"Your boiling water, good sir! Will that be all this evening?" he teased.
Allen drew a breath to say something but right at that moment Lavi walked in with the water.
"A specialty from Japan, my dear man," he answered instead, taking the water and pouring it into each cup. "Pick the leaves when you think it has brewed enough. They don't need to be left inside for too long because the tea will get quite bitter, but it depends on what you prefer really." He turned to Faulklin again. "I can do your tea for you if you want," he offered. "The armor is fine, by the way. I'm satisfied enough." Not that he's going to use it for much longer now that he retrieved his other armor. "Do you want me to go with you to pay?" Allen asked, silently offering a moral support in case the blacksmith would flip out if the boy returned too late. Or for whatever reason the man would get mad.
"No, I can take the payment myself," Faulklin dismissed, leaning forward to take a cup and a few of the leaves. Lavi took up a seat near Allen and went about preparing his own cup.
"So how many years you been apprenticed to this master of yours?" Lavi questioned curiously. He had caught how Faulklin had said something about 'a few years' earlier, but he didn't think the boy originated from Istanbul, since he seemed to speak some of his home language decently enough.
"About five years," he hummed softly, attention diverted more towards his cup at this point.
"That's quite a while. You must've been... what, six, maybe?" he was really just taking a shot in the dark, trying to guess by appearance.
"Ten or so," Faulklin returned.
"Ten? So that makes you-" he almost choked on his own spit. Better that then hot tea though, he supposed. The guy couldn't be taller than maybe an inch or two past five feet. He's been positive he couldn't have been older than twelve at most, either. "You're fifteen?! Crap! He's shorter an' scrawnier than you ever were at that age, 'sprout! By a lot!"
Allen stared frozen at the boy when he announced his age but when his brain registered Lavi's comment he reacted fairly quickly.
"Hey! Leave height out of this! It's not my fault you're all giants. And don't tease him... I mean... really?" He turned to the boy again with his brows almost reaching his hairline. Fifteen? Even he looked manlier at that age...
"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it!" Lavi defended, holding his hands up in a placating manner. Jokes and nicknames not withstanding, Allen wasn't terribly far from average height and build, especially now that he'd fully grown out, were truth be told. Lavi was actually a little on the taller side, which was how he got away with joking about it.
It wasn't just height that had led to Lavi's assumption, though. Demeanor had a bit to do with it too. Allen had been mild-natured and polite at that age, but Lavi would certainly as Hell never say he was timid. Faulklin, however, was. Far more than his age implied he should be. His physical features and demeanor together made for a very good impression of someone quite a bit younger and more insecure.
Faulklin, of course, didn't look as though he noticed the comments, doing a very thorough job of trying to stay out of it even if the topic was about him. Piecing together that with how he'd seen him and the blacksmith interact, and how the guy seemed to enjoy belittling him, he guessed the kid was probably used to holding his tongue.
Allen let Lavi's comment slip for now and observed the kid again.
"You're awfully quiet," He observed, tilting his head slightly as he sipped his tea. A glance at the window told him that they still had some time to try prying some information out of him. "So, this Demir. Did you need anything from him? Did you ever meet him in person?" He needed to know what he should be expecting. He's not going to walk the streets at night completely unprepared after all. "I just... want to know how he treats women... or people in general." He smiled sweetly.
Faulklin glanced up at Allen for a moment, then back down at his tea, not humoring the first comment.
"I've met him, a few times. He's like a snake," Faulklin repeated. " When he wants something, he immediately strikes for it, but he doesn't bother with something at all if it's not worth it to him. 'charms and manipulates people, tries to wrap himself around them one way or another, usually jus' for information but sometimes more. He acts however he thinks will most benefit him at the time. Good at withholding things while taking when you don't even know it. He's someone you have to be careful around, because you probably won't even realize his game until it's too late, when it happens."
"Sounds like a tricky guy," Lavi mused, resting his chin on palm. "I don't think it's anything we can't handle, though."
Allen's smile grew bigger and somehow darker. Lavi bore a wry smirk. That look again. The redhead sometimes had to actively remind himself of what sort of childhood Allen had had with Cross. He was always so mild-natured that the man almost forgot, up until another one of these instances happened.
"I like games. I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve." He chuckled darkly, then calmly sipped his tea again.
"So, how are we going to do this? Any ideas how to lure him out?" He asked Lavi this time. "I could try ask around in a few brothels for some information but I wouldn´t really relay on that too much. The girls have their hands full with all kinds of men. Also, I don´t want to spend a week dancing in there, hoping that he turns up at some point." He hoped Lavi would come up with some good plan.
"Birds of a feather," Lavi mused. "The guy likes information, right? It might take some asking around, but I would almost bet that someone in one of the taverns would know. Those places are information-central. We could even leave a little trail of interest for him to follow, maybe, since, from what's been said so far, he only appears on his own terms."
It wouldn't be hard. The only potential problem in question was that leaving baited information could attract more than one kind of 'snake'. They had to be careful with the Hunter about, since they knew neither their identity, and barely knew anything of Demir's.
"Involving other assassins is out of question." Allen offered thoughtfully. "I was thinking maybe the girls could help a little. I have a few friends among the gypsies - that is a good way to spread some false rumors that could lure him out." Lavi nodded his agreement. That would be a good resource to use. It would also help them keep a lower profile, rather than going around asking neutral parties that could equally give away information about them, like the barkeepers.
For some reason, Allen felt like he was going to be safest in a brothel. His hunter didn't strike him as a man that sought out relief in brothels. Not that he's going to let his guard down, but he didn't want to put anyone else into a potential danger. He also didn't think the hunter would go on a killing spree in such place just because Allen was in touch with a few professional women.
"Sorry!" He suddenly said, clearing his thoughts and turning to the boy. "We're going to talk about it later," he said to Lavi with a sideways look and turned his attention back that the boy who looked a little bit disappointed that the debate is going to turn to him again. "But anyway, tell me more about yourself - can you craft already?"
Faulklin nodded faintly at Allen's question, briefly glancing at him.
"Yeah, I know how. I help work on the orders he gets." 'He' being the blacksmith, but he utterly refused to call the guy Master when he didn't have to. And as far as he was concerned, at the moment, he didn't have to. Sipping down the last of the tea, he stood, having truthfully lost interest in talking long ago, but hoped he'd at least humored them long enough to satisfy them into letting him leave. "I need to go back. I just need the money for the repair."
"Aaww, so soon?" The assassin whined but he reached into his pouch anyways. "I'll come to see you soon again. I want to see how good you can craft," he said, putting the money into the boy's hand. "You sure you're good on your own?"
Faulklin nodded, only getting close enough to retrieve the money before pointedly retreating a step.
"I'll be fine. 'prob'ly better if it's just me, anyway." The storm was still going, but he didn't seem to care, anxious to leave more than anything. He moved to go, but paused a moment as if remembering something all of a sudden, fidgeting awkwardly but not looking back directly. "Th-thank you... for the tea."
"You are very welcome," Allen replied, nodding. "Come by anytime if he gives you a hard time." He secretly bit his tongue hard enough to make it bleed. His smile, however, stayed in place.
As soon as the boy disappeared, he sighed and hid his face in his palms.
"I totally forgot," he murmured. He couldn't uphold his silent promise to distance himself from everyone. It was just impossible. Allen only hoped that the boy's stay would go unnoticed by certain people. "I hope I haven't doomed another child to his death."