Jekhipe

"Why does everyone call me a Moyashi?" Allen asked furiously, stabbing at the food on his plate. He was sitting in between Tyki and Road, the girl giggling as she hugged Lero to her tightly and stuck her tongue out at Jasdero and Devito, sitting across from Allen and Tyki. As was usual in their clan, especially for the main Noah, they were having a family dinner before starting their performance. It was tradition, one that had started when the Earl began this clan, that once they were settled in they would all eat together. It brought luck and prosperity, so he said, and it was the only time the main family mingled with the rest of the troupe for dinner. As such, their eating tent was tied open, connecting to Fiidora and Wisely's eating tent.

The Millennium Earl ate peacefully at the head of his table, ignoring Cross' drunken calls and attempts at wooing one of the women in their troupe from two seats down. Mana sat directly beside the clan leader, ignoring the idiocy next to him as he ate, his body tense as he held himself back; the man had picked up a strange cough that refused to leave him a few seasons back, one Tyki was suspicious had come from Tricia. Normally, they wouldn't be allowed contact with anyone other than Miranda as they recuperate, but the Earl would have none of it. He had told them that, as part of the main family and as the important parts of their performance, they would continue to mingle with the rest of the troupe. Sheryl sat across from Rhode, eating calmly despite the worried look in his eye that kept him glancing in the direction of the healing tent where his wife lay for the past couple of days. Though her cough had disappeared, she had picked up a strange illness before they reached the town, and Miranda had been working tirelessly to bring her health back up.

None of the adults took much notice of the children, seated right beside them.

"Maybe it's cause you're so damn small." Devit taunted, shoveling food in his mouth and wincing slightly when Tyki kicked his shin warningly. Jasdero let out a squeal at the annoyed look on his brother's face, flicking some of the soup from his bowl across the table. It splattered on the wood, leaving dark drops as it was absorbed. Tyki kicked him as well. The both of them stuck their tongues out at him, ignoring the warning look Tyki sent them. Jasdero looked down and continued playing with his food; Devit turned a sharp glare back at Allen, his smirk already way too smug. Tyki put his chin on his hand, wondering how the main family already looked so conniving from five seasons up. "I mean, you're already eight seasons old, and you're smaller than me and 'Dero."

"I'll get taller!" Allen made a face at Devit, who roared in laughter at his indignant tone. Jasdero mimicked him, though he didn't seem to know what he was laughing at. Skinn, sitting on the other side of Road, glowered at them out of the corner of his eye. Allen's face flushed even more. "And you're not supposed to use bad words like that, Devi." Devit stuck his tongue out at Allen as well, though the action was more taunting then when he had done the same to Tyki. Unable to resist, Allen retaliated before continuing sullenly. "Anyway, if I'm so small, why'd you give me Road's bear when I asked for him earlier today?"

"Lero!" Road added in a squeaky, high pitched voice, holding the bear in front of her face. Sheril started a bit at the bear's voice, but the appearance of Lero was put to the side quickly; Road's golden eyes darted to her father quickly before letting Lero say his piece. She knew better than to have him out at the table, and she was taking advantage of her father's distraction to break the rules. "Yes, Lero! Why listen to such a small fry, Lero?"

"Road, Lero, not you two too!" Allen wailed, catching Mana's attention from the other end of the table. Across from Allen, Jasdero giggled madly, his tangled blonde hair falling into his food as he leaned over to draw invisible designs on the table. His voice was soft, growing louder as he spoke on until he was nearly shouting.

"Too, too, to, two, two...five." He laughed insanely again at his own words, drawing more of the adults' attention on them. Even Wisely was turning around from his table, looking with furrowed brows at the weird blonde. Devit reached over casually and shoved Jasdero's face into the food in front of him, carefully shutting him up as the blonde struggled against his hold. The slightly saner twin rested his arm nonchalantly on top of the blonde head for a moment before removing it, allowing his brother to come up for air. Jasdero glowered darkly at him, but slumped back in his chair and didn't retaliate.

The adults went back to their conversations. Wisely turned around again, and their combined tents were once again filled with chatter and the noises of people eating. After a few seconds of allowing things to settle, Devit reached over and flicked Allen's forehead, answering his earlier question.

"That's 'cause Tyki was behind you and he was giving us an extremely good imitation of the Earl's Look." Allen whined unintelligibly at both actions and words, and turned accusing silver eyes on Tyki. Tyki, in return, raised an eyebrow at his cousin. Lifting one hand in a placating gesture, he shot a narrowed eyes look at the younger twin who called him out. He so hated bring brought into their little spats, and there were always so many of them because of the way Jasdero and Devit were.

"I was nowhere in the vicinity." He lied smoothly, drinking from his cup to avoid speaking any more. Allen pouted at him, clearly not believing him at all. Tyki placed his cup down gently and began picking at his food. With a quick sidelong glance at his brother, the boy of eleven seasons picked up his utensils and began mimicking the polite way his brother ate. Jasdero, still fuming about being pushed into his food, flicked some soup at his twin. "I had already been in the town..." At the sentence, Devit seemed to forget about attacking Jasdero again; as one, they both turned, their gold eyes sparkling in amusement. Tyki's own golden eyes narrowed; he wondered vaguely how the Millennium Earl found so many people with golden eyes.

"In the town, huh?" Devit repeated calmly, ignoring Jasdero as he giggled again, mimicking 'town, town, town...'. The dark haired boy's attention had completely changed, and he was leaning on the table with wide eager eyes. Tyki's eyebrow went further up, and the boy of eleven seasons leaned onto the table as well, bringing his face close to Devit's. To his surprise, the younger boy didn't move or anything, holding his ground for the first time against the older gypsy.

"You have a theory on what I was doing in town that does not include our normal obtaining of food." Tyki said quietly, only loud enough for the children to hear; the adults weren't paying them any mind, and he wanted to keep it that way. It wasn't a question, and Tyki felt his heart race. "You have a largely false assumption." Devit blinked, leaning back in his seat. His hand went to his waist and deftly removed one of the two golden guns that had been presented to him and his brother on their last birthday celebration, twirling it almost smoothly in his left hand; his golden eyes glanced quickly at the Millennium Earl, ensuring that his attention was still off of them, before he opened his mouth.

"I don't understand half of what you just said." He started, almost whining. The older gypsy felt his shoulders release a lot of tension; his plan to use bigger words than the boy was comfortable with worked, and Devit now had something to focus on that wasn't Tyki. "It's not fair- - -we haven't started schooling with the Earl yet." Tyki shrugged, a small smile on his face.

"Uncle Tyki means that you have the wrong idea about what he was doing in town." Road told them, sending a sweet smile at Tyki. He shot her a gentle smile, though he bit his tongue. He'd forgotten Road had already started her education; he hadn't counted on her siding against him, though. Devit laughed, spinning the gun faster. It wobbled on his finger, the motions less smooth as his focus was brought back on track.

"I think it's right." He said smugly, a smirk growing on his face. Tyki's hands clenched on his utensils, his eyes narrowing at the younger boy. Devit shrugged a shoulder, his eyes far too perceptive for a child of only five seasons. Unfailingly, the Earl chose wonderful additions to their little family. "After all, I'm sure if me and 'Dero followed you on one of your trips, we would probably see something interesting."

"Yes!" Jasdero giggled, choosing that moment to actually focus on their conversation, his own gold eyes wide. His voice got louder, and this time Devit did nothing to avoid gaining the attention of the adults at their table. Jasdero's voice cut over everyone, even Cross's flirting, as he added, "Especially because you took so much longer this time for such a simple task, and you came home much dirtier than usual." Tyki opened his mouth to retaliate, anger coursing through his body.

"Boys, boys!" The Earl said lightly, his joyous voice cutting all conversations to a stop, even the ones in the adjoining tents, and causing everyone to look at him. "Leave our poor Tyki-pon alone. It won't do to gain up on him. A two against one fight is never fair, no matter how you look at it. However," his glasses glinted and there was a curious and slightly malicious aura around him. Tyki pursed his lips, looking down at the Earl's food in deference. He had known, ever since he's delivered the food, that he would be questioned. The young boy had thought that he would have had more time, to prepare and come up with a viable answer, but Devit's actions and words had put him on the spot. He fought the urge to send the boy a dark glare, instead focusing on the Earl as the man spoke. "Devit has a point, my boy. I had meant to question you after dinner, but what took you so long?"

"My apologies, Lord Millennium." Tyki said, placing his glass down on the table with a gentle hand and light fingers. He caught Sheryl's eye briefly, and his older brother smiled slightly through his own distractions. Tyki sent him a closed lipped smile back before refocusing on their leader. "I had noticed something rather new in town- - -there appears to be a carnival coming through town this month. It should be here within the next week or so." There was truth in his statement. Lavi had shown him the paper when they'd finally gone to get groceries, talking excitedly about clowns and games and such. Tyki hadn't said much at the time, but he had glared at the paper in the red-head's hands as if it had offend him personally, and in a way, it had, simply by existing at all; he hated carnivals with a passion, as it their mere existence took away business from his family's lifestyle, and the way the carnival people acted outside of business gave traveling performers like them a horrible reputation.

The Millennium Earl's glasses flashed again as everyone began hushed conversations about the carnival that was soon to be taking up performance space; worry about how they were going to be able to manage this season took up most of the adult's conversation. It spread like a wildfire all the way down to the other eating tents, and the Earl steepled his fingers together as he thought. As he expected, the news of competition erased his actions and took up the bigger part of everyone's focus; Tyki sighed, going back to eating with a knowledge of him being cleared.

"Don't worry too much about the carnival, everyone." The Earl laughed finally, once again stopping everyone's conversations. He had taken up his utensils again, cutting into the meat that was placed before him. The entire table looked at each other then at him, curious, as the Earl continued on as if they hadn't just been given bad news. "They're fun things, things that should be appreciated. After all, nothing lasts for too long- - -chances are, they'll be on their way shortly. Eat, everyone, eat! We've got a big season ahead of us!"

As everyone resumed eating and their previous conversations, Road and Lero leaned over Allen, looking at Tyki curiously. He looked back, keeping his face as impassive as he was able, wondering what it was that they wanted to know. Jasdero and Devit had been pacified by the Earl's words, and had started bickering over something or other; they were still young enough that their attention could be easily diverted, and Tyki wished that his niece and Allen would share the same trait. Road looked like she was mulling something over, and Allen was following her lead as he always did.

"Devi is right, Lero!" The girl started with Lero's voice. Her gaze moved to her father before she lowered the bear a little, so that her eyes met Tyki's much easier.

"He is," She continued with her own, her tan face resting on the bear's head as her blue-purple hair framed her face. Her fingers tapped the stuffed animal in a nervous sort of way, pressing the cloth inward gently. There was a blatant curiosity in her voice, her eyes demanding answer from her beloved uncle. A quick glance to his left showed Allen was the same way, though he was also working on eating the small mountain of food in front of him. "Unfortunately. Just a bit, anyway, because it doesn't explain why you were so dirty coming back home, Uncle Tyki. You aren't clumsy, so what happened?"

Tyki looked his niece over- - -the girl was seven seasons old now, the only one in their entire main clan to have been born among them instead of found somewhere while traveling. She was one of the main family girls, one of the only ones in fact, and as such she was spoiled rotten by everyone around her. Even Lulubell, one of the first found, always found some way to get the girl what she wanted, at least, in her own roundabout, supposedly uncaring way. She was far too used to getting her way, and it felt strange to Tyki that he was keeping something from her; especially something as big as this. Still, it wouldn't due to tell anyone how close he was getting to Lavi. The Earl wouldn't like it, and if he spoke of it to anyone, there was always a chance that he would hear.

"I must have been like that before I went to town, what with our traveling just ending." He said casually, picking up his glass again; despite being children, all they had were wine glasses to drink from. It was a gypsy camp, after all, and so while he was not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages just yet, Tyki, as well as all the other children, were just as adept to using them as the adults were.

"Hm." Road didn't believe him; it was clear in the way her own gold eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but she sat back down and continued to eat without much of a second thought.

Tyki sighed internally with relief as he continued eating as well- - -despite his outward calm appearance, his heart was fluttering so loudly in his chest, he was surprised the Millennium Earl himself couldn't hear it. As he ate, he began ignoring the sounds of the family dinner around him; his mind was soon overtaken by Lavi, and the events of the day.

He had run into Lavi in town again, because the Bookman apprentice had been loitering by the food stall where they usually bought their groceries. Only this time, the red head had grabbed his hand and dragged him down to the forest at the edge of the Bookman estate, completely ignoring the fact that Tyki hadn't had a chance to wash himself and get rid of the dust settled on him or had no shoes, as he had taken them off as soon as they'd finished traveling and began setting up. Lavi's excitement at having him back was so great, Tyki hadn't even had a chance to address Bookman Senior before his apprentice pulled him away. He had stopped momentarily at the opening of the forest, deciding on what to play. They had ended up playing some sort of running game where Lavi had to try and catch Tyki; he'd grabbed him and declared the gypsy 'it', taking off into the woods. It had been too easy to catch up to hi', because while Lavi may have known the area better,Tyki was light and quick on his feet. The second his fingertips touched the red head's cheek, the gypsy pivoted and took off with Lavi giving chase after him.

Tyki had been so focused on not getting caught he'd ended up tripping over something, a tree root most likely, and behind him, Lavi had no time to stop.

He'd barreled right into Tyki, knocking him off balance far more properly than the tree root did. He'd grunted in slight pain as he fell, but their momentum didn't allow them to stop in any way; the two of them ended up wrestling on the ground, letting out breathless laughs and soft grunts. Every now and then Lavi would gain the upper hand, pinning the gypsy boy down into the dirt and trying to use his body weight to keep him down. Then Tyki would do something- - -twist his body just so, or use his weight and the ground at his back to his advantage so that he could turn the red head that way- - -and then they'd be at it again. Tyki would pin Lavi down for quick seconds, and the red head would buck his hips, throwing him off balance and then roll them over; while he didn't have Tyki's lithe form, Lavi was definitely a little bit stronger than Tyki. Their match had continued in an unending cycle of Lavi's strength and intelligence against Tyki's strategies.

It ended when Tyki pinned Lavi down fully, one hand against the ground firmly and the other holding the red head's wrists down on his chest in a gentle yet tight hold. He was sitting on the boy's stomach, using his legs to keep himself anchored on top and prevent Lavi from twisting around under him. Both boys had been panting harshly from exertion, trying to draw air into oxygen deprived lungs, their faces flushed; every now and then, one or both of them would let out a breathless giggle. Tyki had sweat making trails down the added dirt on his face, and Lavi had lost both his headband and his eye patch, his hair as wild as Tyki's and eyes shining emerald in the sun, practically glowing with excitement. Tyki felt Lavi's heart beat erratically underneath their joined hands, a fast pace that he could feel against his knuckles. His breath slowed a bit at that, knowing his own heart was pounding just as hard from the exercise- - -and glad nonetheless that the younger red head couldn't feel it. Their eyes met again and Lavi had grinned, eyes crinkling and tone warm, saying something about accepting defeat and issuing a challenge for another time.

And Tyki had felt the Tease-like feeling in his stomach again, the one that refused to be crushed last time, and had more or less thrown himself backwards off of Lavi. The red head had leaned up onto his hands, his arms shaking from exertion, and looked at Tyki curiously before something seemed to hit them both at the same time. Emerald eyes met gold again, this time panic filling them as they realized how long they'd been out playing.

"The groceries!" They'd cried, and then they were racing each other back to the marketplace, Lavi laughing at who knows what. They were both dirty, hair in disarray and for the first time in his life, Tyki didn't actually dread going into town looking the way he did; Lavi was with him, and the red head would be more than enough to have the people keep their comments more to themselves than usual. Once at the stalls where Lavi had met him, Tyki had searched his pockets, breathing an internal sigh of relief when he found the wallet still in his pockets. He hurriedly grabbed what they needed, Lavi behind him and getting what he was told to grab. Togetherc they made quick work of getting food for the entire troupe, and Tyki had never felt more relief than the moment he'd managed to get everything picked out and paid for in less than fifteen minutes' time.

They looked at one another when they finished getting what groceries Tyki needed, and with nothing to talk about, Lavi brought up the carnival almost casually as they walked to the path that would lead the gypsy back to his campgrounds. The red head chattered endlessly about it until they reached the edge of town, where they had both stopped. Lavi handed over his bag of the groceries, the one he insisted that he would help carry even though Tyki told him not to worry about it, and for a few seconds they just stood there, staring. Tyki had made an awkward promise to meet him later, one that Lavi agreed to; it made relief flood through him, because Tyki wasn't sure of the reaction the boy would get if he followed him back to the caravans again, especially because he was the reason Tyki was going back so late.

Well, it had only been part of the reason, Tyki had mused to himself as Lavi turned to head back to the Bookman estate and he pivoted to begin walking back to the grounds. The other part was the fact that Lavi, as he was, was still an outsider to the troupe, not one that was trusted by the others as he was by Tyki. The last thing he wanted was another of the Earl's reminders to be on guard around this boy who was so willingly open with him.

XxX

"Oi, Tyki." The brunette turned curiously from the mirror he had in the preparation tent he shared with Allen. They were getting ready for the beginning of the performance, though Allen was still nervous about his violin playing. The silver haired boy was currently struggling with his tie, though he'd refused Tyki's offer to help him with it. He had been watching him fight with it, amused, when his name was called. Devit had stuck his head in, Jasdero's just below it, and his lip curled unwillingly; they were being particularly stubborn, not wanting to get ready for bed even though they were too young to do anything other than sleep at this time of night. Both boys were grinning, looking entirely too awake for the older's tastes. "There's some kid out front looking for you."

"Now?" Tyki sighed, pushing Allen to the side gently and stepping in front of the mirror again and adjusting the sleeves so that they didn't fall so far past his fingertips; he still got his clothes from his older brother. It wasn't in him to complain, especially since his own clothes were being divided between Allen and the twins, but Tyki was eleven seasons old and was looking forward to when he was old enough to get clothes that wouldn't be handed down to him. It was still quite a ways off, but there was little harm in wishing time would speed up.

"Yes now." Devit snapped slightly, moving fully into the tent while Jasdero sang 'you, you, you' over and over again under his breath. They both ignored the blonde, though his twin pulled him in as well. The blonde stumbled on his feet and fell to the floor, though he didn't do anything other than laugh and keep chattering to himself while Devit handled the situation. "He's been going around, asking where to find you."

"All right, all right." Tyki sighed, putting on a face of irritation as his mind raced- - -was it Lavi looking for him? The boy was always at their performances, as many as he could get to, but this was the first time he would be actively searching for Tyki. It made his stomach drop in a manner that was almost pleasant, though he knew that meeting with Lavi now was slightly dangerous; meeting him during the performance was likely, given the red head's affinity for them in the past. But sunset was still almost two hours away, at the very least. This was not Bookman's apprentice coming for fun and games, this was him coming solely to visit Tyki. "I'll be out shortly." The boys nodded and disappeared at the same time, shoving each other as they likely headed to the tent the boys all shared to sleep in. With a slight sigh, Tyki grabbed his worn black hat and placed it on his head. After a moment of thinking, he also grabbed his jacket, just in case he didn't have time to return for it before the show. Allen abandoned his tie, watching him curiously.

"You're awfully eager." He commented quietly. Tyki made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat on his way out, but froze as the pale boy continued. "Do you think it's Lavi out there?"

"What do you know of Lavi?" Tyki asked carefully, trying not to betray the panic that ran through him at the boy's words. Allen shrugged, focusing his attention back on his tie as his fingers fumbled it again.

"I know nothing." He said finally. "Just that I've seen him around. He's nice. Very friendly. Cross doesn't seem to like him much, but I know that he's spoken politely to Road and Lulubell." His words were laced with some meaning that Tyki couldn't comprehend, and he felt a slight wave of something foul twist in his chest. He'd known that Lavi had come to watch them, but he had only seen glimpses of the boy throughout the night. There was no knowledge of him talking to the other members of his troupe, and it irritates Tyki a bit to think that the red head would seek out others, but not look to speak with him as well.

"Make sure you have yourself prepared for the performance, Allen." Tyki said finally, watching the boy nod before leaving. As he stepped out, a few other people reminded him of the boy searching for him; Road, taking her mother's place as greeter as the woman was still ill, told him that it was Lavi that was searching for him; Lulubell didn't give any hint as to who it was, but pointed almost carelessly in the direction of the living tents. The gypsy had followed her silent instructions, quickly discovering more people who's see the red head searching the camp. They remembered the general direction he went in after they finished speaking with him, but by the time Tyki appeared there, he was gone. With a noise of frustration, Tyki turned on his heel- - -

- - -and nearly ran right over the red head looking for him.

"Tyki!" Lavi cried out, startled. He stepped back a bit, his cheeks flushed darkly as they nearly collided. The elder boy smoothly mimicked the motion, though his embarrassment at their near crash was hidden by the dark tan on his face.

"Lavi." The gypsy said calmly, hoping that his racing heart could be attributed to his running around in search of Lavi. The boy grinned widely, rubbing his face. "Did you need something?"

"You said you'd come back, and you haven't come to town yet." Lavi said, turning darker. "It's been a week, almost two, Tyki. So I came here." As Lavi spoke, Tyki noticed a young woman looking at the two of them out of the corner of his eye. She pretended to be intent on working, folding the dried laundry in the basket beside her, but every now and then he saw her lips moving as if she were talking to the old woman beside her. She was too young to not be performing, but not everyone could; this particular woman had just married a season past, and she was already too heavy with child to do anything to bring money in for their troupe.

He took hold of Lavi's wrist and began to pull him in the direction of what he secretly called 'their tree'. They were too close to the troupe to be discussing their friendship so loudly, and Tyki knew better than anyone that the Earl had ears and eyes everywhere when he wanted to. He had no doubt the man already knew of the red head's search for him; still, he felt better discussing this away from the prying eyes and ears of his troupe and family.

"Come, we'll go to the field to talk." He said by way of explanation. Lavi agreed and followed, his choice hindered by the fact of Tyki holding his wrist firmly. They walked quickly together, as the gypsy noted that much of their time had been taken up by their search for each other. It was now just over an hour until Tyki was to go and begin his introductions for their performances, which meant he had to have this conversation with Lavi quickly. He was glad that he had the forethought to grab his coat; there was no way he would be able to return to his tent to pick it up once they were finished talking.

As soon as they reached the tree, Tyki climbed up effortlessly with no damage to his outfit, Lavi following pursuit much more carefully. The red head inched his way out to sit on the branch, hanging above the ground as he talked endlessly about the past couple of days while he waited for the gypsy to make good on his promise to visit. Tyki stayed by the trunk, standing on the branch and watching the red head chatter out of the corner of his eye. The Bookman's apprentice looked much more vibrant at this moment that he had at any other time before. Tyki couldn't help but wonder if it was because Lavi braved coming to visit him on his own ground, which the red head had never done before. Sure, he'd come to their performances, something Lavi praised Tyki endlessly on, but never before had Lavi come with the intent on just visiting to see Tyki by himself, without his Tease and without the mask he wore for the public image of their group. Lavi hadn't even bothered trying to find just anyone to speak to, either, he had purposefully come and sought Tyki out himself.

He felt something strange, something he only felt in the presence of the red head boy chattering amicably, as he ignored Lavi in favor of his unasked question.

It had been weighing on his mind for the past couple of days, part of the reason he hadn't been back in town again. The last season they were here, he would sneak off if he could to meet Lavi in town. As of late, though, Tyki couldn't bring himself to do it. It had nothing to do with Lavi, though in a way it had. The boy was too open for his own good, and far too caring for Tyki's. His question hung heavy on his tongue and in his heart, making it race with an unknown anticipation. He wasn't sure Lavi would believe his sincerity, or if Lavi would even accept. There was another Tease-like feeling in his stomach again, more familiar than the feeling he had only a few minutes prior, but this was worse than it usually was; something that wouldn't go away, instead digging deep and burying itself in knots that made him feel sick. Before he could decipher what it was he was feeling- - -

"Suppose something comes from this." Tyki said suddenly in the midst of Lavi's nearly one-sided conversation, causing the red head to pause and look at him curiously. The gypsy ignored the look, watching the sun set in the distance. He couldn't believe himself, couldn't believe he'd let the words he never wanted to say come to light. Tyki was grateful that his dark complexion made light blushes invisible on his face, but there was nothing to keep him from talking now; Lavi was looking at him too curiously for the boy to let him leave the words unfinished. He swallowed something that felt suspiciously like pride and continued as unhindered as he could. "Suppose something came from us being some...some type of friends, or such. Would you come with us if you could?"

"What are you talking about?" Lavi asked incredulously; the elder gypsy heard rather than saw him pulling off his eye patch, presumably so he could see Tyki better. Tyki looked at him now, his gold eyes narrowed slightly. He had been correct in his assumption. Lavi stared at him with both eyes locked onto Tyki's face, a slight frown marring his pale features. Tyki felt the urge to smooth it away, and clenched his hands at his sides to keep them there.

"I could ask Lord Millennium, and you could join us." He said seriously. His heart was hammering in his throat, making the words difficult to come by, but he managed to force them out anyway. Lavi was gaping at him, emerald eyes wide. "Since you're still a child, it wouldn't be too hard for you to join, I'd think. It's only the adults, the ones older than sixteen seasons, that have difficulty joining new clans. So I ask once again, if you could join us, would you?" Lavi blinked once, seeming in thought, before smiling widely so quickly that it was clear the boy was riding on enthusiasm alone.

"Of course I'd go!" He cried out. "I wouldn't pass the opportunity to go out and see the world, especially if it's with you!"

Tyki felt his nerves- - -nerves! As if he'd been nervous or afraid to ask; Tyki scolded himself quietly as he pondered what it was about this boy that made his heart flutter and his nerves, of all things, act up- - -as on edge as they had never been before, calm down greatly at the red head's answer. His heart was pounding madly in his chest, and the feeling in his stomach fluttered even worse than before. Still, he couldn't imagine a moment where he was happier than this one. He touched the trunk of the tree they were in gently, feeling a small smile forming on his face as he breathed through his nose.

"So I'll tell Bookman that I'm going to go with you guys and be a gypsy now." Lavi continued, swinging his legs as this time, he stared out at the sunset. Tyki's smile seemed to be infectious; the red head was beaming proudly across the field as the sun sank just an inch more. "I'll meet you out here tomorrow, but way before showtime," Lavi grinned apologetically, and Tyki waved off the silent apology, "and I'll tell you what the panda says, ok?"

"Agreed." Tyki nodded once. Lavi beamed at him, and with it came the return of the cursed feeling. Tyki cleared his throat, touching the brim of his hat as he tried fervently to ignore it. "Lord Millennium will be looking for me soon. Our performances begin with the sun setting, and if I am not there there will be no one to open. I should be going."

"Right." Lavi watched as Tyki jumped off the branch, mindless about high they were, and easily land on the ground. Lavi began making his way towards the trunk of the tree so he could climb down as soon as the gypsy boy landed. "I need to talk to Bookman as soon as possible anyway. See you tomorrow, Tyki!" He waved.

"Until tomorrow, Lavi." Tyki called back, waving once and then touching the brim of his hat and bowing, a Tease appearing on his shoulder as he did so. The purple butterfly bit his shoulder, making him wince subtly as he began walking again. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He murmured to it as he pulled his jacket off of his shoulder and put it on. Its impatience was of no importance to Tyki, though, and he couldn't help the giddiness he felt as he began running to make it to his usual position on time. "Calm. We'll make it before the show starts."

XxX

The next day, Tyki waited for Lavi to come with great anticipation- - -they had not really set a specific time, so Tyki had gone out after lunch and climbed into the tree to amuse himself, though he was careful not to do anything too damaging to his clothes. As the hours passed, Tyki felt himself growing more and more bored; he climbed all the way to the top of the tree, staring out in every direction over the horizon. The sight it gave him was beautiful, but Tyki knew he could see better from up high and was using the height to check to see when Lavi would appear. He also kept a close eye on the sun- - -he'd have to leave right when the sun hit the horizon, as he still had to get ready for that night's show. If he stood, he could see the carnival setting up just a ways away. They weren't prepared to open just yet, so Tyki imagined they had a couple of days yet to perform before everyone went to the carnival.

He glowered at the colorful set up, using it as a scapegoat for his frustrations, but didn't move from his spot.

Hanging upside down on the branch, Tyki made a slight face when a Tease landed on his nose when the sun was almost touching the ground. With little effort, Tyki pulled himself into a more firm sitting position onto the branch, moving back until he met the trunk of the tree. Settling himself comfortably against the trunk, Tyki tried to reason with the Tease on his nose.

"Just a little longer, then we'll go." He promised. The damn thing bit his nose in reproach. "OW! I could stay here all night if I chose to, you know." The purple butterfly bit harder; though it was easier to train and control, every now and then it would be difficult like this again. Tyki knew he deserved it, though he didn't want to admit it. "OW! Will you stop that?" Tyki snarled slightly, letting out another pained cry when the Tease bit even harder before he could yank it gently off his face. Holding the wings spread open between his hands, Tyki glared at it. "You aren't helping." He sighed, lowering the Tease into his lap and releasing its wings. It fluttered them slowly before taking flight and perching itself on his shoulder. "I suppose it's my fault, though, isn't it?"

The Tease fluttered on his shoulder, its wings brushing Tyki's face. It seemed that the older and bigger Tyki got, the bigger the purple butterfly got as well. It was still just bigger than his palm, but his palm was slightly bigger now that he was eleven seasons instead of just eight.

"Maybe this was wrong, asking him to join us at the moment." Tyki tried rationalize out loud. He'd found, over the seasons, that if he wanted to work something out amongst himself, he could always talk with his Tease. Their conversations, though one-sided, always managed to bring forth a clarity that he sorely needed. By this point, he no longer felt silly spilling his secrets and words to a butterfly. The Tease understood him almost as well as Road did, though it was severly lacking in an advisory department. "After all, we hardly need the bad luck that would surely come as a result of his joining." The Tease fluttered again, almost encouraging, as Tyki stood once more and watched as the sun finally touched the horizon. It felt like the beginning to an end, not only of the day that had just passed, but of something that could have been much bigger. The sight of it nearly made Tyki choke up, and it was with determination that he forced the tears down. "It'll be showtime soon. Let's go."

With that, Tyki jumped effortlessly off the tree branch and headed towards his family's camp, determinedly ignoring the empty and disappointed feeling slowly filling him up.