That Extra E is for Erotogenic
By Misster Cackles

Chapter Six

: / / / / :

They ended up going to a study that was close to their rooms, and Lavi closed the door carefully, watching the hall for anyone until he couldn't no more and locked it. Cost clear, for now. He exhaled as he turned, examining the room. It was small compared to Rhode's own study, but it was comfortable and will do for the time. The walls were lined with bookshelves, some empty, the rest not even half-way filled. The boxes of trinkets that were strewn around carelessly made Lavi guess that this was more of a storage room than study; but luckily there were two cushioned chairs that he and Tyki could sit in without becoming sore since Lavi had no idea how long they'd need their privacy.

Tyki was already seated in the comfiest of the two chairs, looking smug that he called dibs before the redhead had. The Exorcist rose an eyebrow at the immaturity but said nothing as he sat in front of the desk that separated them. The Noah looked at him expectantly, "You have three questions. No more than that."

Lavi was at a loss for a moment. "But I wouldn't know what to ask! I don't know what kind of information about the Innocence you have that will allow me to ask the right questions; why can't you just give me three facts?"

"You should have already guessed it's pertaining with Li's transformed Crystal Innocence, Librarian. Ask what you don't know of it." Other than that, he was unconcerned. The Exorcist gaped and stuttered a little, but Tyki frowned and resented, "Fine; I'll do it." He leaned back in his chair until he was able to put his feet on the desk top, which Lavi thought was strange to see a grown man do, and crossed his arms over his chest, chin meeting his chest in a relaxed manner but he appeared to be in deep thought. Tyki hummed every now and then, and considering that he didn't say anything else for quite some time, his tongue clicked on the top of his mouth. Dark caramel eyes met the green eye again.

"Alright, they're going to be little things, but important enough if you don't know them already." Lavi nodded and Tyki continued with a sigh. "Everything I'm about to say is recent information that the Earl has found out by studying the connection of your Innocence to the power of Noah while trying to find out if there is someway to cancel out the exorcism."

Lavi's jaw unhinged, "Connection meaning...interconnected in someway?"

The Pleasure nodded. "Through the crosses. Have you noticed that the crosses on Li's ankles are shaped like mine? Same shape and size?" With that question he hooked a finger at the knot of his necktie and wiggled it free, unbuttoning the collar button then the next after that. The black stigmata stood out against the toffee colored flesh and Lavi almost had the urge to feel it to see if it would feel like a scar, but Lavi did notice that Tyki's cross looked suspiciously similar to Lenalee's. "And it's not only Innocence to Noah, it's the other way around, as well." When Lavi didn't speak, he also said, "And this doesn't concern your Parasitic Exorcists like Walker; only the Equipment users are able to become Crystal as far as the Earl knows, unless we're mistaken...?"

The redhead shook his head in negative to his question and smirked wryly, "I'm an Equipment-Type." Tyki returned the expression. Lavi put a hand to his mouth thoughtfully, "What would you say you and Lenalee share asides from the crosses, power wise and such if you're supposedly connected to Innocence and she's connected to Noah." Lavi noticed now that he knew what to be asking for, their roles had switched and he was asking questions and Tyki answering them. "Or are you saying that perhaps right now you and Lenalee would cancel out each other, or possibly something more dramatic than that?" The Portuguese man shrugged.

"I don't know; our time was cut short the last time I went against Li and I wasn't able to test out her new Innocence."

Lavi didn't say anything for a moment, thinking and stunned with this information. Innocence and Noah becoming similar? That...wasn't possible, was it? Lavi opened his mouth, then closed it, reconsidering, but opened it again, "But how could that be? When Allen tried to exorcise your Noah from you, you only became stronger and Innocence seemed like it had no effect until General Cross showed up."

"He's an Equipment user, as well, isn't he?" Lavi nodded. Tyki hummed with thought then said, "Then perhaps that is on your side only, what you call 'sync-rate' - or something. As for my Noah, Walker had broken what was kind of like a seal that kept the Noah's true form from appearing - kind of like becoming more 'synchronized' with my Noah, if you will."

The redhead's eye widened, "So the more synchronized Lenalee would be to her Innocence the closer to a Noah she'd become? And what about you; does that mean that somehow Noah's power will become an Innocence weapon?"

At this, Tyki smiled thinly. "I'm afraid that's not how it works; Li's not turning Noah. She's still has Innocence which is still the complete opposite of our Noah, our dark matter, and I'm positive that my Noah would rather be fully exercised than to be used as something like Innocence." Lavi raised a brow, confused.

"Well are they connected or not?"

The caramel tinted eyes flashed at him with mirth. "I'd love to explain more," Tyki drawled as he began to button his collar and fix the necktie, "but you've gone over the limit and I've seem to broken my promise with only three questions answered. We'll finish this later, after your mission is completed."

Lavi stuttered, "Wh-what!? No, not yet; a few more, please!"

Tyki chuckled and drew his legs off the desk and shook his head as he began to stand and walk around the study desk. "No, that's enough for tonight, but I'm pleased to see that I've caught your attention, Librarian." A forgotten grandfather clock chimed a late hour and Tyki hummed. "It should be about time for supper, we should go on before they send someone after us." Lavi sighed and nodded, following suit after the Noah as Tyki opened the door.

The Exorcist ran into the older man's solid shoulders. "Hey, wha -" Lavi looked around him and cut himself off.

Rhode stood there with a wide smile on her face, like a predator grinning at its caught prey. Lavi swallowed and held his breath, eye wide, not able to dare himself to look away from her to glance at her uncle when his hand lightly pushed him back. His hand twitched at his side, acutely aware of the feeling of his lost Innocence; he'd have to ask Tyki for it later, just to see it and reassure himself of its existence.

After a long silence Tyki finally asked, voice tight, "Have you been sent to get us? We were on our way now." It was unnerving the way she didn't answer back but gave a cheerful nod and stepped away from the door to let them out, humming a tune that sounded all too familiar to Lavi when he last heard it from General Yeegar's mouth. The Dreams skipped in front of them, guiding the way downstairs and to the dining hall. When they reached the doors, it was then that Rhode looked back to Tyki, face unreadable and no hint of a smile.

"Father wants to see you later, after dinner."

The girl had communicated with the Act using her Noah power, both men realized. Tyki nodded stiffly and stood back for Lavi to enter first since Tricia was already seated at the table. Like lunch, Lavi sat next to Tyki, possibly even closer because Rhode decided to sit on his other side. She grinned deviously at him before digging into her mashed potatoes and the redhead sweated. He tried to occupy himself with the surprisingly served yakiniku.

Tyki disappeared when supper ended along with Sherrill and Rhode. Lavi wondered how much the Dreams had heard outside that study while he shuffled back to his own room, easily pressing the door closed behind him. He slumped and slid down its length, a long, shaky sigh escaping him with the accusation repeating itself in his head: You’ve been caught, you’re caught! The redhead hoped that wasn’t the case, not when he started a breakthrough in his mission. He thumped the back of his head against the door.

: / / / / :

Lavi must have slept through the knocking at first because the deep voice on the other side said, “Librarian Exorcist, you really do not want me to walk through this door. Either move the blasted thing barricading the entryway, or prepare to be rudely awakened in three seconds!”

Solo green eye that had been bleary with sleep and incomprehension became full alert remembered where he was and realized he had taken a bed on the floor where he dropped last night. Lavi propelled himself and twisted funny to have enough room to open the door a couple of inches or so, staring with almost disbelief at the tall Noah. He wasn’t dead, or wounded, or to be in any physical pain, but he did appear anxious. Did Rhode end up not hearing anything at all and they were worried over nothing?

Tyki glanced down at the redhead with an irritated look on his face. “You slept in your new clothes, on the floor? My, Librarian, and you’re not even in my room yet.” The last bit was said with a faint smirk while it spread when he added: “I wasn’t able to get the door open; you’re heavy.” Lavi glared half-heartedly.

“The yakiniku…” Lavi mumbled, using the knob to help himself stand, “I can’t believe they made yakiniku…” On both feet he opened the door properly. “Now what the hell do you want and why aren’t we dead; wasn’t Rhode eavesdropping yesterday?”

Unexpectedly, Tyki began to laugh. “She didn’t hear anything; she thought that I was in there teaching you how to kiss.” The blood in Lavi’s cheeks wouldn’t lay up so he turned around, raising arms above his head to stretch.

“Th-then what did your brother want to see you for?”

“Noah business,” Tyki replied with no hesitation, a wicked smile in his tone. “Why are you flustered like that? Perhaps you have never had a kiss before, as well? How unfortunate for me then, that I may fall victim to your unpracticed mouth.”

Lavi growled and twirled around. “I kiss just fine, thank you!” He huffed and crossed his arms, “Now was there a reason you’re here?”

The Pleasure shook his head, looking nearly desperate now yet amused with the boy's innocence. “Other than the fact that my mother is on her way? And will get here within the hour or so? If you tell me that you are mentally slow in the mornings, and it's some sort of brain disease, I'll forgive you; are you seriously not a morning person?" At the mention of his mother, the green eye widened.

"Less than an hour?" He visibly took a shaky breath.

The brunette raised a brow. "Are you so nervous?" Lavi settled him with a narrowed look.

"I'm about to meet my fiancé’s mother, my supposed to-be mother-in-law, what do you think." Caramel eyes closed tightly when Tyki threw back his head and laughed long and hard without any sound of mocking. Lavi blinked with a slacked jaw at the genuineness of it, and heat tinted his cheeks when the older man came back down to earth and turned back to him with a lingering smile that wasn't a smirk. Lavi averted his eye, swallowing lightly, while Tyki's swept over the redhead's face with a look of wonderment.

Tyki quickly looked to the floor, coughing in his fist as he spun on his heel and went to the door. "I'll leave you be to get ready now. After you are through, I'll be in my room. We'll go down once a servant alerts us she's coming in the gates."

"...alright." The Noah left after a moment, and waiting for the sound of the other's door closing, Lavi exhaled a breath he wasn't sure he'd been holding. He glanced to his slightly shaking hands then clenched them. He needed to get ready.

: / / / / :

Tyki Mikk didn't let go of the door handle for a few seconds, staring at his hand. The thought of why didn't he just let go of it crossed his mind, and then the action followed. He went to his room and shut the door behind him, sighing heavily as he leaned against it. It'd been a long night and morning; he hardly was in any shape to greet his mother after the lecture Sherrill had given him after dinner. At least Sherrill would be just as tired. ...and at least Lavi and he weren't digging a grave any longer; Tyki'd only need to watch his own steps carefully and keep the Exorcist alert seeing how there were still akuma within the walls that were loyal to the Earl. He gave a long yawn, hand coming up to scratch at his stubbly chin; a shave was in order.

Not too long later, there was a knock, and Tyki answered it accordingly. Dressed in a formal black slacks and white dress suit and tie, the Bookman's Junior entered with a serious expression, a fist in a hand as though thinking. Tyki inquired about it, and the green eye looked up him.

“I think I might have an idea on how we…came to be.” Lavi informed, and Tyki looked immediately interested. He gestured to the bed for the redhead to sit and Tyki leaned against the wall, open ears. “Through a game, like, uh…”

A smirk. “Poker,” Tyki offered.

Lavi nodded. “Sure. That’d seem more believe anyway since it has wages and stakes.” The Pleasure raised an eyebrow, unsure where he was going with it, but he noticed that the younger male talked with his hands. “You played against a friend of mine and won, and we had to date to follow with your rules. It’ll explain my sudden appearance better to Lady Tricia.”

Tyki frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t like it. It doesn’t make sense, really, if you think on how easy I’m able to get someone; why would I choose you. I was the number one bachelor, after all…” The grin came back full force when the distinct sound of ‘man whore’ reached his ears. He hummed in thought, eyes narrowing at nothing. His tongue clacked at the top of his mouth when he opened it, an idea forming.

“What if I lost?”

Lavi tilted his head, nodding slowly. “Yeah… Hey, yeah!” His eye brightened and a grin worked his face like magic. “We can use what happened on the train two years ago as the setting! Those people at the tailor shop already know we met on a train, why don’t we just go from there?”

The Noah agreed and said with a growing smirk, “Walker was desperate to find you a date and decided a gambling hobo from the train would suffice your needs.” Lavi’s face scrunched with distaste and he crossed his arms.

“That also makes me sound desperate; why can’t it be that one of your friends who betted that if Allen won one of you got me but I could have my pick?”

“Because mine sounds better. If you had picked me, I would have dropped you before I left the train.”

“Touché.” Lavi frowned.

Tyki looked at him for a moment. Then he sighed, relenting. “What if you were unwilling, too, and it was just a form of deranged amusement of Walker’s to see us together, two strangers. Part of the stakes was that we at least had to go on a total of twenty or so dates and meet each other’s family.” He faltered some, at the end, not realizing what he’d said until after he said it. As a Bookman, Lavi wouldn’t have a family. Caramel eyes searched the younger man, but there was nothing off, in fact he was grinning.

“To be honest, that doesn’t sound too far off from Allen’s dark side!” He chuckled, but then eased down with another thoughtful expression, green eye glancing to the ring on his finger. “…then how do we explain the proposal?” Tyki opened his mouth, but not knowing what to say, said the first thing that came to mind:

“It was a whim.” Lavi turned back to him, look quizzical, but there was a knock at the door. The redhead stiffened as Tyki answered it, showing an akuma that wasn’t Sarah.

“Madame Lilith has arrived.”

Tyki nodded briefly and he gave a fleeting look with the Exorcist; he really did look nervous… As he made to follow the akuma out, Lavi following behind, his hand reached out and grabbed hold of the dress shirt and pulled him forward to walk in his stride. An arm slipped around Lavi’s waist for appearances while a hand touched his, nearly hesitant. Tyki turned his wrist so that Lavi’s palm fell in his and he squeezed it reassuringly. After the grasp, Lavi pulled his hand out of his, pretending to fiddle with his clothing. It dropped to the redhead’s side and never came back.

Tyki thought that his hand felt a little chilled, but noticed that he was still wearing his gloves.

: / / / / :

There was a loud squeal of joy and a sound of women laughing when they turned the corner to stand on the level that looked over the entrance hall. Lavi observed immediately the new woman in the group that was being crushed by Rhode’s bear hug. Sherrill stood a couple feet away with Tricia, patiently waiting to be noticed and softly smiling. Tyki eased in his steps and watched from the railing and Lavi stood beside him to have a better look.

For an older woman that looked nearing her mid-fifties, she was still quite attractive. Her graying, dark brunette hair, long and tied in a similar style to that of her sons, hung over her shoulder, tickling Rhode’s forehead. She had skeleton-like fingers that calloused at the joints; Lavi suspected her to work a lot with her hands. Lilith’s eyes, small and slanted like Sherrill’s, reminded Lavi a lot of Cameron’s though a near-golden hazel, a wisdom lying in the aged depths. Her face was feminine, lips tilted upwards in a loving way as she stroked the top of Rhode’s head. Lavi also noticed that she didn’t wear a dress like formal women wore but black dress pants, white shirt, and very dark blue vest.

Lilith gave one last pat on Rhode before the girl twirled away in happy, noisy spins, the grandmother turning to her eldest son and drawing him into a full hug as well. While Lilith was busy the Kamelots, Rhode’s violet eyes caught onto Lavi and Tyki and she waved enthusiastically for them to join. They did, slowly and long enough for the other adults to finish their greetings. Lavi overheard Lilith ask where Tyki and his fiancée – at least, that’s what she thought he was – were, voice light and warm, very friendly. Sherrill pointed behind her as they drew near, and she turned, Lavi gulping at her action and wishing to just melt into the floor.

The look on her face was that of surprise when she noticed automatically her youngest son and someone that was obviously not female in his arm. She looked to Tyki, a brow rising at the tightening of his arm around the redhead’s waist.

“This is…?”

He nodded. “Mother, this is Lavi...Bookman, my fiancé.” Tyki glanced down to Lavi. “Lavi, this is the mother who raised me.”

Lilith snorted softly but stepped forward with her hand extended to Lavi. “I didn’t raise you to not know the difference between a fiancé with one E and fiancée with two Es. Your spelling is atrocious.” Tyki rolled his eyes though smiled when she firmly shook Lavi’s hand and gave a hearty laugh. “Ah, what a nice grip! Pleased to finally meet you, Lavi; I’m Lilith Mikk, but please, please just call me Lilith or Lilly. You wouldn’t want to eat for a couple of days if you call me Madame or lady. By the way,my stupid son hasn’t said much in his letters, but I’m hoping that you’ll fill in the blanks.”

Lavi was laughing. He couldn’t help it, but this woman was over the top! And he adored the way she stuck in the insults about Tyki. To retaliate as if knowing what exactly was on his mind, Tyki pinched his hip and Lavi sharply yelped, glaring at the older man, but it was lost when Lilith yanked him forward by the arm and gave him a huge hug. For a slinky woman, she was strong. Lilith let go after a moment and looked at him with a big grin.

“I might have been expecting a woman thanks to my idiot, but I think you’ll do,” she said with a wink, but a helpless expression came forth. “Though is there any chance that you might want to go into town later, you know, for shopping? I was kind of looking forward to a girl’s talk.”

Tyki saved Lavi the trouble of rejecting the Noahs mother with a deep chuckle. “Afraid not, Mother; Lavi and I were just out yesterday, and I should warn you that he’s terrible shopping company. Although,” Tyki said with a certain tone, dark yet bright eyes flitting to Lady Kamelot. “Perhaps Tricia would like to go with you; she’s been in the manor for quite sometime now without any other women asides Sarah.” Tricia smiled kindly from where she was.

Lilith grinned back at the younger woman. “Yeah, sounds great! Just let me freshen up after a bit, then we can take the carriage out at noon for lunch.” Tricia nodded with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Noon is not far off; I shall get my coat.”

As soon as she was about to go on her way, Lilith made a noise. “No way; what do you need a coat for? It’s quite fine out there, if I do say so myself.” When the younger looked unsure and glanced to Sherrill for his input, he nodded with a light smile that it would be alright to go without. Lilith clapped her bony hands together and peered towards the servant quarters.

“Now, where is Sarah? I need help with my bags and I haven’t talked to her in God knows how long…”

“Since the last time you were here, Mother. Three years ago.” Tyki said with amusement.

The older Mikk looked sharply at Tyki. “Watch your tone, Tick. Don’t make me think that just because Lavi’s watching I won’t bend you over my knee.” Tyki grimaced and shriveled some while Lavi was having a ball and snickered. Lilith grinned at Lavi’s laughter. “Like that? You should see his face if I actually go through with the threat.” Sherrill laughed, too.

“Please, Mother.”

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Reviews apply on this chapter, as well ;]