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"..Supposed to be some other little kids just like you," Japi finished her sentence as they walked through the door of the theater. Erik, by nature had an affinity for this sort of place, so she wanted to give him the chance to enjoy it. Lifting up the sleeve of her kimono she revealed little Erik, hiding behind it.

His mother's kimono worked like the curtain to a production, revealing to Erik the wonders of the theater. He hadn't properly explored it the first time he was there, being distracted by Japi and the other little boy. This time he intended to get away from his mother's eye and sneak through every nook and cranny of the building.

Japi was glad to see a new face. She smiled brightly at the greeting. "Hello," she replied in her usual sing-song tone. She smiled especially brightly at the little fairy child. It was apparent that this was one of the other children, or at least she figured she was.

For Erik, the moment was perfect. The opening of the curtains had been followed by the revelation of the heroine of the play. His entire demeanor changed, as though he were an actor in the play. Erik bowed to the little girl and extended his hand, palm up. "And what's your name, fair lady."

Japi, oblivious to the methods of flirting, was glad to see such a nice man had adopted one of the little stage children. "Nice to meet you, Peter. My name's Japi." She tried a moment to think of which custom to use in greeting. Was it a kiss on the cheek, or a bow, or a handshake? She couldn't remember, so she just waved a little, pulling her right hand out of her sleeve, her gold wedding ring conveniently revealing itself.

Erik kissed Tinkerbelle's wrist ceremoniously and introduced himself as he stood. "My name is Erik," he forced himself not to adjust the mask this time, but found himself more nervous because of it. "Thank you." He fidgeted, trying to think of something further to end the awkward feeling. "Would you like to go exploring?" he suggested.

Tinkerbelle's flight surprised Erik a little. He had seen the wings, but never realized they were actually functional. He nodded wordlessly and looked to his mother to make sure she realized he was going, but not really to get permission and headed off with the fairy girl.

Japi did see the two kids head off, but didn't have a problem with it. She had a knack for hide-and-seek anyways. Lithanus always told her it was because she had a childlike mind. She didn't really know if that was a compliment or insult, but she didn't really care.

Peter's demeanor had changed a little, and Japi wasn't sure what to think. But she put it out of her mind and tried to find a topic for discussion. The only obvious thing was the theater itself. "So," she started, pointing around at the theater. "How was the performance?"

Erik didn't like the question. He stopped and turned to her, a frown curling on his lips. "You can't ever look," he said. "You have to promise." He squeezed her hand a little, just to let her know he meant it.

And mean it he did. Erik brooded a moment, trying to focus his mind on the present and keep his memory off the recent past. His new older sister, Addy had accidentally knocked his mask off earlier that morning and had seen a short glimpse of the face he hid with the mask. It was only a second before he grabbed the mask again and pressed it firmly back into place.

He never told his mother, and with the threats he made, Addy wouldn't either.

Japi on the other hand, was in a much better mood than Erik. She nudged Peter with her elbow. "When you got Tinkerbell," she qualified the question, but then stopped. "You did, I mean, that's why you're here at this theater, right?" She suddenly wondered if she'd said too much. Was the special power of this theater supposed to be a secret?

Erik let go of her hand quickly. He felt a little bad. What if Tinkerbell was like his mother? But he couldn't bet on that. So he turned away. "It's my face, okay," he said shortly. Telling her was his way of apologizing for squeezing too hard. He hadn't really meant to, he was just caught up in his memory, and maybe a little scared.

"Let's keep going," he said, not turning around yet, but not moving forward either.

Japi sighed. Noah had been right. The movies were taking over. "I've always preferred live entertainment," she said grinning. It was the same thing she said last time she was here. "It's more personal."

Erik tried not to look at her as she came into his field of vision, but failed. His eyes met hers and he found it difficult to lie. He turned his head to the side and shut his eyes, as though it would be easier that way. It wasn't. "It's not normal," he said weakly. He didn't want to say it, so that was the best he could do. He kept his eyes shut, hoping that the tear forming would go away before he opened them again.

Erik tried to be tough, but he was still just a kid, and he hated that sometimes. He swore to himself to improve his skills. He wouldn't let himself do this much longer.

"Oh that would be wonderful!" Japi exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Maybe I should get Erik into a theater class. Maybe some voice lessons. He really has an amazing voice." Japi was really just a mother bragging about her child at this point.

Erik just looked at Tinkerbell for a moment. She wasn't his mother. She had no reason to be that nice to him. But she'd never really seen his face. His mind spun around for a moment and stopped on one final thought. As long as she never saw his face, they could still be friends. And he did want to be friends with the little fairy girl.

He forced a weak smile and nodded adjusting his mask again. "Thanks." He really wasn't sure what to say. "Do you still wanna play?" he asked.

"All children need attention," Japi said, with the sudden air of a woman who really knew what she was talking about. It was a real change from the way she was acting a moment ago. "It's just difficult to figure out what the right amount of attention to give them. Too much can be bad, but too little is even worse, I think."