Already missed an update *pouts* On top of that, I'm really unhappy with both the length and the content of the last two chapters, so those will be edited when I have time… This one was surprisingly fun to write... I miss Lavi… Oh! Someone asked about Allen's previous age. I suck at math, so bad. But I was writing the kids ages based on the fact that Kanda was 10… So Allen was 7 and Lenalee was 8 I think… Apologies for the discrepancies I know are in there but am too lazy to fix, maybe one day…

Thank you to Lena-luvs-cats and karina001 for reviewing and others for favoriting and following!

Chapter 12

"-And then we charged the slope, 'cause the cannons weren't helping anyone and we wanted to get in on the action! You know what I'm talkin' about, right Deke?" Deke… What kind of a stupid name was that anyway? He had only had it for a short amount of time, but he was already sick of it.

"Ya, that sounds great!" That sounds like stupid thing to waste your time doing. Who doesn't fight in some pointless war? Get a life.

"And then most of the guys were down, so my buddy and I just charged up the hill. And then there were was this group of guys at the top, so then we had to take 'em out. So we shot them down, and then this one guy started shooting back, but he was down on the other side, so we charged him!"

"Wow!" Forget leaving your post, you had the advantage of high ground. Dumbass.

"Ya! And then we stormed the guy, shot him down and just kept going!" Is it really an advantage? I'm going to think about that instead of your stupid rant while I smile and nod like a moron.

"And then we started heading towards their main line of defense."

"And then what happened?" And then, I knocked myself out because you don't know any other words! Deke was very much done with this conversation. He had personally viewed the battle from a nearby ridge with Bookman. This man had indeed abandoned his post, but it was not to 'gloriously' charge the enemy line as he claimed. Rather, to flee the field entirely in favor of saving himself.

"And then reinforcements showed up!" Unfortunately, Bookman had tasked him with a recon analysis of how troops who fled perceived themselves. A way of further ensuring his apprentice knew the stupidity of men. At least, that's how Bookman Junior viewed the purpose of the assignment.

"And then-"

"Deke." Thank you almighty power above that may or may not exist!

"Sorry, gotta go."

"What, really? But I didn't even get to the best part yet!"

"Maybe another time" when I'm dead and don't have to listen to your fakely, obnoxious, drawling-

"Deke." Lies! They're lies! All of it, all the time! Man can only lie!

"Ya?"

"Calm down, we're leaving."

"What do you mean?" Bookman silently exited the pub and drifted onto the near vacant street. Night had fallen and snow clung to the cobble walkways.

"What do you mean old man? I'm perfectly calm!" Without turning, Bookman answered in his typical, emotionless tone.

"I can see the disgust in your eye, the hatred. We are no better than anyone else. Do not allow your own thoughts to cloud what you see."

"Ya, ya, you've told me that a thousand time-"

"Then actually listen or I'll tell you a thousand more!" He snapped. It wasn't in the usual way that their banter tended to go, but instead with a hint of worry.

"Old man…?" Silence fell upon them. They made their way the the train station, purchased tickets, then set out. An hour into their journey, Bookman spoke.

"Lavi." Deke glanced around the train. No one is responding to that name, so it isn't the old man calling out to a familiar face. Although according to his lectures all faces are familiar because-

"Lavi" He called again drawing Deke's attention.

"That is your name for our next assignment." Lavi huh? Well it's an improvement over Deke.

"And that is…?" Bookman remained silent. His apprentice glanced down at him quizzically, about to accuse the man of ignoring him until he caught the look on his face. Worry.

"This next assignment will not be like the others." Junior impatiently bore the tension that arose from the man's constant pauses.

"We will be participating in this one, a side known as the Black Order. They have been engaged in a holy war for nearly a century with an enemy determined to end mankind." The teen's left eye, the only one not covered by an eye patch, widened.

"Sounds important." This earned him no response.

"If it's so important shouldn't we not participate, so we don't influence the record?"

"Merely record what happens with no judgement as to the right or wrong of the actions of others-" Bookman's gaze rose from some far off place to his eye. "-Or your own." A shiver shot down Junior's spine. He broke the man's gaze in favor of recording the scenery. Unfortunately for him, little could be recorded as the train, though poorly, was still lit. His eye could grab onto glimpses of darker shadows, the outline of the occasional tree perhaps, but he wouldn't know for sure. A green-eyed teen stared back at him from the glass, red hair pulled partially back by a bandana. He stared at the person, with no real name or personality, as both had been left behind in favor of recording the greater, secret history of the world. Because he was better than everyone else. Because he didn't need to fight in some stupid war to be successful. Because there was no point in risking his life to support values he didn't believe in. Because… A great number of minutes elapsed before he felt he had digested the information well enough to have a handle on the situation.

"Are we going there now?"

"You are." That caught his attention, further deepening his suspicion but he refused to start. This was another one of the old man's tests and he refused to fail.

"The main headquarters of the Black Order is located in England. You are to rendezvous with one of their members in London. From their, you will be escorted. The chief of the organization has already been informed of your arrival. You are to meet with him as soon as you arrive. Do as he instructs, but you are not to accept orders from anyone or go on any missions." Junior nodded once. The lack of discernable conversation started to grow once again, but was not long tolerated.

"Where will you go?" Bookman did not answer for a few moments, leaving his apprentice to believe he never would.

"There is something else that requires my attention."

"Something so important that you can't take me?" Another pause. Junior turned his eye to Bookman once again.

"Precisely. I fear you would run amoke being distracted by absolutely everything, and attempt to hit on any woman present without so much as a thought towards your true purpose." His voice remained emotionless, but the words themselves carried mirth, causing Junior to relax slightly enough to protest.

"I've never done that! Besides, I don't hit on every woman, I have a type you know!"

"Female, yes."

"Oh come on!" Bookman turned his head away in disdain, causing his apprentice's protests to increase in volume.

"You never hear my side of the story!"

"That's because you're side is always wrong!"

"You can't prove that…" Junior's childish demeanor slid away with a sigh and his attention returned to the window.

As it turned out, wherever Bookman was going just so happened to be in England as well, only increasing Junior's suspicions. He's probably going to shadow me and see if I act like a Bookman when he's not around. Stupid panda, of course I do! He must plan on making me his successor soon! Junior smirked slightly in self-satisfaction.

Thunk. His head flew up to his throbbing head and the quickly forming bump atop it.

"What was that for?!" He yelped.

"You were smiling in your sleep, I don't want to leave you knowing that your first independent action may very well be the assault of some poor, unsuspecting young lady." Bookman replied, straight faced. As it turned out, Junior had, in fact fallen asleep. The train was now halted and the other passengers were lining up to get out.

"Is this our stop?"

"Why don't you stay on and find out" Bookman said as he joined the other passengers in wait.

"Aw come on, that's not fair." Junior whined as he rose to join the old man. A few minutes were spent shuffling off the train. When they were finally outside, the pair made their way over to an uncrowded area, Junior following Bookman silently out of habit.

"Lavi." Junior glanced around.

"Lavi." He squinted suspiciously at Bookman, the name sounding familiar. A few moments transpired and nothing happened. Junior yawned expectantly before Bookman said the name again.

"Lavi." Why does that sound so- Oh… Whoops- Thawk. Bookman jumped up to kick him in the head, sending him flying backwards.

"Idiot, it's almost like you haven't spent your whole life training to remember everything!" Bookman barked. Lavi scrambled to his feet, anger and embarrassment fighting to be the dominant emotion.

"I'm going now, head to St. Paul's Cathedral and don't to do anything stupid." Junior tried to think of a sarcastic retort, but fell short. Instead he dusted himself off and settled for a quick,

"Ya, ya."

"And Lavi?" Junior glared, still not quite used to the sound of his new name.

"Try to learn your name before you arrive."

Bookman's apprentice spent only a few hours venturing to the church his master had instructed him to go to. Once there however, he spent a significantly longer amount of time surveying anyone and everyone in the cathedral, no small feat given its size and popularity. Much to his discomfort, Junior endured at least three sermons in an attempt to locate and survey the person he was meant to meet.

This is taking forever! Junior thought to himself, barely suppressing the urge to grumble aloud. Night had fallen and few people now wandered the spacious corridors of the church. He glanced at the passer-bys. Nothing about them stood out, not to mention their conversation was beyond mundane. He sighed and ventured further down a different hallway for the umpteenth time.

I mean, I get what the old man says about patience, but this is ridiculous! I've been here for hours… His emerald eye roved tombs he was forced to trod upon. As a result, the overactive gears of his mind were struggling to find a distraction for the atrocious crimes of men. The lives lost. Be it innocent children or soldiers or- He ground his teeth together and tugged anxiously on his bandana.

How much longer am I supposed to wait for this guy- A shiver ran down his spine. He rolled his shoulder before throwing a glance over his shoulder.

Nothing, of course.

"You'll need better reflexes." Junior whirled forward again, unconsciously leaping in surprise. The combined motions resulted in him stumbling backwards. Much to his gratitude, there was a wall for him to gingerly steady himself on, otherwise he would have looked an even bigger fool.

A single sweep with his eye revealed to him a strange, vaguely priest-like, attire: black, white trim, thick looking material and what appeared to be a form of armor on his shoulder. The coat hovered by the ground, poorly concealing worn boots. The man himself had darker skin and a significantly larger build than the teen himself, who swallowed nervously in response.

"Oh? And why's that?" If Bookman had not so recently drilled into him the importance of masking emotions, he likely would have stuttered. His only solace in the current situation was the narrow, clouded eyes. That, combined with the headphones indicated some sort of vision impairment. He could sympathize.

"You're the new recruit right? Lavi something…?" The man tilted his head, his words were more a confirmation than a question. Lavi… Who? Oh. God-

"Ya that's me." Much to his surprise, the intimidating stance of the man relaxed and a small, if slightly strained, grin spread across his face.

"I'm Noise Marie, an Exorcist of the Black Order." The man continued to surprise Lavi by, despite his blindness, extending his hand. The redhead swallowed, still nervous and fearing another surprise. It didn't take long for him to remember Bookman's policy on being surprised, and reached to grab the man's hand. Despite the calluses, his grip was loose, which only worked to make Lavi more uneasy.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Lavi." He brought up a grin, adopting a recently Bookman-approved personality, his favorite thus far. Making 'friends' with the people they observed was a good way to gleam more info otherwise unavailable to him.

"Good to meet you Lavi. We better get moving." Marie nodded slightly then took off at a brisk pace, which Lavi noted dutifully instead of being shocked. He followed after, coining every action made by the man with the full intention of analyzing later. They exited the church, getting bombarded by a wave of cold air. Marie flexed his shoulders and Lavi took the opportunity to begin interrogating him, before the silence could further grow into awkward discomfort.

"So, the Black Order huh? What is it you guys do exactly?" As opposed to lightening the tension, the question tripled it, as the unsuspecting Marie nearly halted altogether. He turned in Lavi's general direction before addressing him.

"You don't know anything about the Order?" He asked incredulously. To which Lavi shrugged.

"A couple things were brought up when I was told to come here." Marie, Lavi noted, winced at this, face contorting with sympathy.

"Well there are a few things I should probably explain to you before we get to Headquarters." Marie, seemingly recovered from the shock of his words, straightened himself and continued forward. Despite his promise of clarity, silence settled between them for the few minutes it took them to venture a few blocks away. Lavi stretched his arms behind him, keeping them up as he walked and analyzed everything they passed.

Marie came to a halt by a lamppost, and Lavi silently did the same. He reached his hand out to grab gingerly at the metal, his left simultaneously reaching up to steady one of his headphones. He nodded decisively, seemingly pleased with something. Lavi had no idea what, no unfamiliar sound had drawn his attention. Then again maybe he just hadn't heard it.

People who lose their sight typically have their other senses enhanced, not to mention those headphones… They must be designed to pick up sound. But what kind of place would, or even could, invent something like that? A few moments later, a carriage pulled up to the curb. A man in a tan coat emerged, nodded at Marie, then eyed Lavi suspiciously.

"He's with me, a new recruit-" Marie said. Lavi took in the man's attire again, noted its familiarity, than refocused his attention to Marie, who continued to speak.

"-An apostle, please take us to Headquarters."

"Understood." The cloaked figure opened the door to the carriage, solid black with a strange cross marring the sides. The door slammed closed behind them once they were both aboard. A second later, the weight of the carriage shifted and a whipped cracked. Hooves struck the cobble road causing the carriage to lurch to life.

Lavi opened his eye, glancing at Marie. And how did he lose his sight anyway? Some of his movements are too unsteady for him to have had that disability for life. Lavi's eye wandered down to the strange cross on his uniform, the same one that lined the carriage they were currently riding in. Wait… He didn't lose it in the war did he? The war that Bookman and I are going to…

"So, about the Order…" Lavi's full attention was on the exorcist as he described the Order's mission. His mission. Before he arrived at Headquarters a growing resentment started to form in his closed off heart. Guess it's a good thing I'm above them, otherwise I'd be a prisoner in the same oblivious hell.