"I'm not buying that much fruit," Dusk finally said. "You'll have to put some of that back. Not only can we not afford it, but I told you, it'll weigh us down."

"Fine." Dai sighed as he began to put some back, but when Dusk wasn't looking he secretly put them in his pockets. He then turned with the remaining fruits and said "How about this?"

Dai must have really thought he'd been pulling one over on Dusk. Dusk, at the top of his class, had always been calculative and observant. He wasn't a fool, and being an orphan, he'd been raised around all kinds of children. One of his very own friends was a thief, and so he knew the tactics of one all too well.

"Remove and return what you've placed in your pocket, and we'll move along. And I suggest you do as I say immediately without argument," Dusk told Dai sternly.

"Wh-What do you mean? I got nothing in my pockets." he said nervously. "I put back the fruits, just like you said I should."

All the time he was thinking how he noticed that he stole some fruit. Then again, he wasn't exactly the best theif, or ever tried this before.

"I grew up with a thief. A very good one, at that. You're far from being as good as him, but if you get caught by the law, they'll chop off your hands so you can't steal." Dusk didn't attempt to hide the truth, even if it was brutal. It was something that his friend had never cared about, and had worried everyone for years over. "The wrong person sees you, I can only help you so much. Now put the fruit back - you lie and I'll take it from you myself. And I can think of punishments that are less brutal than chopping off your hands, but are still painful. Do you understand?"

"But..But..." was all he said before he gave a defeated sigh. He went back and put the fruit back where he got it before he went to Dusk."Sorry Dusk.." he said, looking down at the fruit who chose to avoid looking at the in the eyes.

Dusk didn't want to openly admit it, but he was quite proud of Dai. He purchased the food they had picked up and hesitated, but finally put his hand on the top of Dai's head, patting it softly.

"I"m glad you made the proper choice," Dusk said softly. "Please don't step out of line. For the time being, I'm your caretaker, and I travel a lot. I can't have you getting into any trouble."

Meyna went over and nudged Dai's hand, prompting him to give her a scratch behind the ears. It was her own way of telling Dai that he had been accepted into their circle.

"I'll try not to get into trouble Dusk." he said as he moved his hand to Meyna and began to scratch behind her ears, smiling. "Would...my hands really been chopped off if I was caught?" he asked.

"Barbaric, isn't it?" Dusk said softly as he unlocked the door to their room at the inn. "Well, that's just how it is. Depending on your age, anyway. They might chop off your hands if I am not around to protect you, but if you have an adult that will take responsibility for you..."

He turned and raised a stern eyebrow at Dai. "Don't think for a second I would be lenient on you, if you were to get caught and handed your punishment over to me. I wouldn't go easy on you either."

He opened the door and let the three of them inside the inn room.

"So you would've chopped off my hands too?" he asked, feeling his wrist, like he almost expected them to get cut off any second.

He entered the room quickly, a bit afraid that someone would come all the way from the fruit store to there just to try to chop of his hands.

He sat on the floor and said "Well...at least I wasn't caught, right?" he asked, looking up at Dusk with a smile