"Tol, calm down and go hug your Asa," Orel said.

"Yes, my lord!" Tol said readily and put Asa onto his lap. "Nikto, will you pierce my nose?" he asked. "I want to wear the same thing you have!"

Everyone laughed.

"He won"t pierce your nose, he"ll smash it," Lis said, "if you don"t leave him alone."

"And I"ll smash your whole face," Tol said happily, "if you don"t stop butting in."

"Again!" Orel moaned. "You can"t stay away from each other even for an hour."

Squint-Eye laughed.

"Lis and Tol didn"t change at all. They"re still confessing their love to each other every moment."

"Nikto, don"t you get tired of your decorations?" Enriki said. "You"re a good guy but I"m sick of your jewelry."

"No, I don"t," Nikto said.

"I know it"s not my business but maybe you should stop looking like an Unclean? Humans leave their faces untouched, that"s the law. Besides, you set some bad fashion, and Tol is the first victim of it. If it goes on like that, soon all of us will start wearing rings and tattooing our asses."

Everyone rolled with laughter.

"Enriki is right," Orel said. "Tol needs a tattoo on his ass, to be completely happy."

"Why not?" Tol guffawed. "But who"s gonna do it for me?"

Nikto looked at Orel"s grey face: its skin already started peeling because of his permanent use of paint. He looked at Squint-Eye: on his cheeks right under his ears silver needles pierced his skin holding the thread. He looked at laughing Lis: all his upper teeth were filed sharp.

Lis noticed his stare.

"Don"t look at me," he grimaced. "I shit care about the laws of the Black, I don"t wear signs of half-blood in my lip and I am proud about my scars."

"We"re outlaws, Nik," Orel said.

"Yes!" Tol yelled. "We"re all touched! Arel put his brand on every one of us and Enriki should stop pretending, he"s also "touched"."

"Oh, here is goes again," Enriki sighed. "Of course I"m touched since I"m here with you and not at the palace."