Got a secret, can you keep it, swear this one you'll save. Better lock in in your pocket, taking this one to the grave.

"No, probably not," Violet said. The thought that he wanted to get rid of her made her sad, but she hid it.

Dustin smiled slightly. "Come along, then, we shouldn't be standing here in the middle of the night." He took her hand and started walking. For old time's sake, he thought.

Cute x)

Violet got butterflies when she felt his hand slip into hers. That was new. Dustin was just a friend...right? Still, she grinned, then said in a singsong voice "I always get my way!"

Toldyou XD

Dustin couldn't help but smile a little. "Maybe I spoil you," he said, and led her through snaking streets lit by the moon.

"Everyone does, I am a noble after all. Comes with the package. I'd give that up, though, if it meant not having to deal with the other parts," Violet said.

Dustin: "Oh yeah?" He said, a hint of a smile still lingering. "Would you rather be stuck down here in the gutter?"

"I'd rather not have to deal with the obnoxious suitors and the pressuring parents. The gutter might not be so bad," She thought, thinking how Dustin was in the gutter.

"And I'd rather not have to deal with obnoxious gangs and pressuring clients," he said. "Wish there were a happy medium someplace."

"Don't we all? But there's not. Maybe there will be someday," Violet swung their arms happily. "Are you still working for Canary's father?"

(I'm afraid I might fall asleep on you soon, so to avoid potential rudeness of me dropping out on you without a goodbye, I should probably be going Goodnight! We can continue this tomorrow, right? )

Dustin: "Not as much," he said, frowning a bit. "I think Canary found out about it. Something about honest salesmanship."

(Mmkay night!)

"Then who are you working for?" Violet asked, a little worriedly almost.

Whoever was desperate or greedy or spiteful enough to offer him a job. "A few people," he said, "There's more than one pawn shop in London, after all." He didn't want her to worry about him. What good would that do?

"Have you ever considered actually getting a real job? Not a shady one," Violet muttered the second sentence.

Dustin nodded, and looked out into the shadows and lights of the sleeping city. "The shadows of London grow on you, friend," he said, almost to himself. "If I wanted to, I couldn't leave this place behind me. It's all I've known, and I know it well. Every corner has a memory." He paused for a moment. "I tried to leave, once. But I couldn't. I still came back here in my thoughts, maybe even wished. So, I came back for good."

"Too bad, really, because I know of a few openings in noble businesses. But if you prefer the danger of always being on the run from the law...." Violet said.

Dustin just smiled. "See that old tower, there on the horizon?"

"Yeah," Violet said dryly, not seeing why he was pointing that out.

Dustin: "You wanted to know where I live, right?" He said with a smile.

"You don't live there! That's a church, there's no way," Violet said.

Dustin laughed. "It's an abandoned one, there's a difference. And I've got to tell you, it's quite the place." He tugged on her hand. "Come on. If you don't believe me, I'll show you."

"Okay," Violet grinned, and let him tug her along. It was like a little mini adventure.

Dustin grinned and led her to the intricate gates, which he climbed over and opened from the inside. He held a hand out in a way that said, go on ahead. The church in front of them was beautiful and dark, with the air of a favorite book that had been forgotten; its doors were barred, its walls beginning to crumble, but it still told the same story.

"Wow," Violet breathed as she stepped in after the gates.

Dustin led her to a side door with a broken lock, and slipped inside. "The best part is, it's not hard to keep people out. It's as safe as it gets here." He lit a lantern that he kept hanging from the wall. It was mostly dark inside, except for the occasional colored light that spilled from the occasional stained glass window. They were in a long hallway.

"No one lives here? It's just abandoned?" Violet asked.