june 07 5:15pm

tatum continued to watch as lydia examined the different colors of butterflies that surrounded them. she had been in the exhibit for about twenty minutes now, and tatum was growing impatient. he had no interest in these bugs, and all he wanted to do was get information from lydia about herself. but instead, she was walking around the tent in her own little world, acknowledging him every so often for small things. she knew he was there, and she almost learned to accept it. he was causing her no harm, but she was curious to know his reasoning for standing and studying her as much as he was.

"lydia," tatum softly called out toward the girl.

lydia turned to face his direction, wondering what his reasoning was as to calling upon her.

tatum shot her a more stiffened facial expression as she glanced back at him, not vocally responding to him. he needed her to use her words when interacting with him. he didn't want to alarm her with his facial expressions though, so he softened himself back out.

"are you hungry?" he asked. his excitement grew as her signature softly confused face began to ponder upon her expression. he enjoyed watching her think. he could watch her for hours.

"i don't think so tate, are you hungry?" lydia asked with a tone of genuine concern.

"no," he started. "but i'm thirsty" he finished.

"okay. it was nice meeting you tatum!" lydia exclaimed as she decided to give him a friendly wave, granting him (non needed) permission to go elsewhere.

tatum slightly chuckled to himself, playfully rolling his eyes, although she could not see him. as she dismissed him, she had turned herself around and continued to ponder around the exhibit.

"lydia," he called out to her once more, causing her direction to be directed onto him again.

"yes tatum?" she politely asked. god, she is so innocent.

"do you want to come?" he offered, crossing his arms over his chest slowly as he awaited her response.

lydia thought for a moment before responding.

"i-i'm not done looking" she muttered, looking down at the floor.

"lydia, they are bugs, they are not going anywhere. we will come back once we are done" he firmly stated in response. seriously, what was so interesting about them?

"b-but i wanted-"

"lydia." tatum softly cut her off.

lydia was starting to become slightly nervous, as no one had ever spoken to her so firmly besides her father. she didn't like when people were mad at her, and everyone knew that about her. she was very easy to convince. lydias parents were well aware of this fault that she carried, which is one of the many reasons why raya kept her away from the negative influences in the world. lydia was easily manipulated, and her family would simply stop at nothing to protect her from this.

raya had always taught her that it was not okay to walk away with strangers, especially men. but, that being said, raya was not with lydia in the current moment. she was able to make her own decisions, and she decided she would.

"okay tatum, we will go together" she softly said with a smile.

tatum was pleased with her response, causing his demeanor to ease up. he watched as his little lydia wondered her way over to him, being very cautious of not bumping into any of the kids who took interest in staying still for the bugs. she was gentle, and that was what tatum needed. however, as he adored her gentleness, he simply could not stop imagining how easy it would be to break her. he didn't want to, but he knew if it came to it, she would not be a hard shell to crack.

when she arrived at tatums stance, he lead the way out of the exhibit and back onto the fair grounds. there were a lot of people, and tatum found himself constantly checking behind him to make sure his lydia was there. he now knew that she was very fast, but still very small. he had trust that she would keep up with him, he wasn't worried about that. what did worry him though, was the thought of lydia getting lost into the crowd. if this were to happen, who knows what the men in the area would do to the small girl. tatum felt as though he were meant to protect her. and from the moment he saw her in line, that is what he did.

suddenly, he was brought out of his stream of thoughts, as he felt a small hand intertwine itself into his own. tatum stopped walking, looking down at the sweet girl in front of him. she smiled brightly up to the tall boy, not a hint of nervousness in sight despite her brave action. lydia noticed the look of affection on his face, and she didn't understand why he stopped walking. lydia held everyone's hand, it's how she felt comfortable. she was raised that way.

she glanced down at their hands, then sent her vision back upwards to the boy.

"together." she smiled, as she continued to walk to the food center.