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He was about fed up with the twins, his sisters. Addy was a downright pain and even Lilly wasn't quite right in the head. And not to offend, but even all the friends he'd made were girls. The time he spent with his dad was the only time Erik could really effectively have any male bonding at all.

All that was what led Erik to his current endeavor with his father. They were in the forest outside Barton, building a treehouse.

"Hand me another nail," Lithanus instructed his son, pointing at the box next to Erik.

Erik handed one of the long nails to his father who took it and carefully hammered it into the guard rail. Erik went back to painting his sign. It was just a plank of wood, but this was the most important piece of the clubhouse. With red paint, it displayed the words: No Girls All... He hadn't quite finished the word Allowed but he knew it already got the message across. Once he and his dad were finished it would hang above the door to the inner section of the treehouse.

Lithanus was glad Japi had suggested they do something like this and was more than happy to spend time with his son like this, but he was mildly concerned about how adamant Erik had been about the sign. But he didn't argue. "There," he said, feeling even a little triumphant. "It's done."

"My sign is too!" Erik announced. "Can you nail it up now?"

Lithanus nodded, took the sign and nailed it in place. "Done."

Erik grinned widely. Their haven was complete.

"Look Daddy!" Erik said, pointing. "There's people over there."

Lithanus looked in the direction his son had pointed and felt a knot form in his stomach. He'd hoped this area had been remote enough that people wouldn't show up, but it appeared he'd been mistaken. "Just don't let this be on private property," he pleaded under his breath. Maybe he should have done more research.

"Huh?" Erik hadn't heard exactly what it was his father had said.

"Nothing, little man," Lith replied. It was really something beyond Erik's understanding, so he didn't want to bother him with the details.

Erik found himself adjusting his mask, something he rarely did when it was just him and his Dad. He glanced once more at his sign, wondering if it could be read from the ground and then looked back toward the two people coming toward them, wondering if they were girls. He couldn't quite tell yet. He stuck his head through the railing to try and get a better look.

Erik identified the two people as a boy and a lady. Did ladies count as girls? Maybe not if it was a mom. It didn't really occur to him that any such meeting would be odd.

Lithanus on the other hand, figured there were only two explanations. He just hoped it wasn't his one worry come true. May as well see. "I'm really sorry, are we on your property?" Lith asked loudly enough for them to hear clearly on the ground, still trying not to yell.

Erik figured he'd put his own two cents in. "No girls allowed!" he called down, pointing at his sign.

"Well that was smart Erik," Lithanus scolded his son. "You've missed a chance to play with somebody."

Erik chewed on his lip a moment to think about it. Maybe his daddy was right. "W-wait," he started nervously. "M-maybe it's okay for one time." He tried calling after them.

"That's better." Lithanus was a bit relieved about the property and now had other things on his mind. His son was really being a recluse right now and he wanted to be sure to change that. He'd seen the play Japi said little Erik had come from and didn't want him to end up the same way as his namesake. It wouldn't be fair. "Do you two want to come up and see it closer?" The treehouse was his as much as his son's, so he could do the inviting, if he wanted.

"Mommy's don't count as girls," Erik said, not quite loud enough for the two on the ground to hear, but just enough that Lithanus could hear.

"That's right," Lith assured him. "They're women."

"Mm," was Erik's only reply.

The treehouse itself wasn't that far off the ground, maybe five or six feet. It sat on the lowest branch thick enough for it and had sturdy supports reaching far down the trunk. There was a wooden ladder which Lithanus had carefully sanded down and finished so there would be no chance for splintering. There were two stories for the main structure, one that an adult could fit in if he (or she) ducked a little or simply sat, and a second level reached from the outside with no roof. It was somewhat of a lookout. This second level was not meant for the weight of adults, but two or even three kids could stand up there without any worry. Lithanus had to stand there for a while to complete the work there, after all, and he wasn't a light man. Outside of the first story was a large balcony with rails for safety.

Lithanus was proud of his craftsmanship on the thing. It had taken several weeks to build, even after drawing up the plans for it.

"Well, thank you," Lithanus swelled a little--against his modesty--at the comment. He'd really worked hard after all. "I'm Lithanus, and this is my son, Erik."

Erik adjusted his mask as he was introduced. "Hi," he wasn't really sure how to reply to such a formal greeting from another kid his age. "N-nice to meet you, too." His reply was a little shaky and uncertain.

Lithanus sat with his back against the safety rail and waved his son away. "Go show him around," he suggested.

Erik looked at Horatio and nodded. "Wanna go to the top?" It was the best spot after all. He walked toward the ladder and waited to see if the other boy would follow, more curious than anything else.

Lithanus exhaled heavily, realizing that he was a bit tired. They'd just finished, after all. He leaned back a bit, testing his weight against the rail and found it satisfactory and then relaxed. "Have a seat," he motioned at Lori to take a seat anywhere. "It's perfectly sturdy," he rocked back and forth, hitting the rail with his back as a display.

Lithanus laughed. "I know what you mean." He'd never had a treehouse like this when he was a kid either. He never even really had trees that were worth climbing, much less anything that would have held a structure in it's branches. "That's why I built it. I figured Erik deserved it."

Erik climbed the ladder to the top, bolted to the other side and leaned over, waving to the parents. His dad waved back.

The limbs and leaves were thinner at this height, some of them were even trimmed back in the building process to give those standing here a clear view of the forest in all directions.

Lithanus laughed. "Kids are like that," he remarked, laughter subsiding into a sigh. "This wasn't the first thing I tried. Erik doesn't do well with sports. Too much movement makes him worry that his mask will come off," He chuckled. "But that thing is as secure as if it were a part of his face."

"Yeah," Erik replied, nodding emphatically, holding his mask in place as he did so. Though 'brilliant' wasn't a word he would have come up with to describe the tree house, he certainly agreed. He was thinking more along the lines of 'awesome' and 'exciting'.

"Wanna throw acorns at birds?" he asked the other boy, reaching out to grab one from a nearby branch, his violent side starting to show a little bit more.

"Yeah," Lithanus replied, wondering if he should bring up Erik's deformity or not. He decided against it for now. It had never bothered him or Japi and they had both assured Erik of that, but his sisters were another story. It scared them a little and Erik picked up on that. "Just a bit," Lithanus finished after a long pause.

Erik grinned widely and threw his acorn at a tree where he'd seen a nest earlier, hoping it would scare some of the birds out. He reached to get another couple and handed one to Horatio. "Right there!" He pointed at the nest.