Allen walked down the hall wearily. Finally home after a mission, he decided to take a little nap before dinner. However, his stomach over whelmed his mind, and now he found himself wondering towards the cafeteria. He was glad he was off duty for the next few weeks.
"Hello, Allen," a sweet voice called out.
Allen turned to see Lenalee trotting up to him. Her short black hair was slowing growing, but it was still quite short. She was dressed in a lovely white blouse and a black skirt rather than her normal uniform. Her eyes sparkled as she approached him.
"Hello, Lenalee," Allen smiled. "You're happy today."
Lenalee chuckled.
"That's because next week is the Exorcist Ball," she cheered. "This year Kamui is actually going to let me go."
Allen stared at her for a moment, confused. He'd been an exorcist for almost two years and had never heard of an 'Exorcist Ball'.
"You probably don't remember last years," his friend explained warmly. "You were out on a mission, so you missed it."
"So I was," Allen recalled.
He paused for a moment.
"Are you going with anyone," he asked eagerly.
Lenalee smiled, and for a half second, Allen believed she would say no.
"Lavi asked me to go with him this morning," she beamed. "I'm so excited."
Allen smiled, a small bit of disappointment growing in him.
"Good for you," he grinned.
"Thank you," she said graciously. "Make sure you find a date Allen, or you'll never hear the end of it."
Allen nodded politely and watched Lenalee spring away. His hunger had died away, and now worry pulled at him. The Black Order was lacking female exorcists; that or Allen just never saw any. An idea struck him suddenly. He knew Miranda Lotto would be too shy to ask anyone to go. Allen moved into the large cafeteria. His eyes scanned through every exorcist, young and old. Suddenly, she popped out at him from a little table in the corner, properly dressed in her uniform. She had returned only a few days before Allen had. The young exorcist quickly hurried over to where she sat. She was calmly eating breakfast.
"Hey, Miranda," he started.
"Good morning, Allen," Miranda said, swallowing a bite slowly. "Can I help you?"
"Have you been asked to the Exorcist Ball," Allen asked a little too quickly.
Miranda looked up at him then fidgeted nervously.
"Oh well, you see," she answered shyly. "Krory asked me to go with him a few days ago."
Allen groaned. Even Krory got off his insecure butt and got himself a date.
"Is something wrong, Allen," Miranda inquired. "I haven't offended you or anything, have I?"
Allen smiled and frantically waved his hands.
"Oh no," he said. "I was just curious."
Miranda smiled warmly.
"Are you going with us to welcome Sara," she asked.
The question surprised Allen.
"What are you talking about," he inquired slowly. "Sara's been out on missions for weeks."
Miranda stood up with the remains of her lunch, confusion in her eyes.
"Sara's coming home today," she said softly. "Kamui said that she sent a letter explaining that the mission was a lost cause, and she wanted to come home, remember? She must be so tired and lonely from being gone for such an awfully long time."
Allen watched his friend walk off. He had forgotten entirely. How could he forgotten about Sara's return? Even though she was a distant eighteen year old girl, Allen considered her a very close friend. She had always been supportive of him, in her own quiet but firm way. She was a very tough, bold child. Her disheveled hair was always cut at different lengths and hung just above her shoulder except for a few long strands of hair that reached down to her shoulder blades in the back. Allen thought they added to her personality. And her dark royal blue eyes; he'd forgotten how they shimmered and shined, even when she was angry. Allen smiled to himself softly, memories flooding his mind.
"Allen," someone shouted. "Hey, Allen!"
Snapping out of his daze, Allen looked up and around for the voice. Lavi jogged up to him.
"Where have you been, man," he smirked. "Sara's gonna be here any minute, and we aren't even close to being ready for her."
Allen smiled nervously.
"But Lavi," he said. "Sara doesn't like crowds. You wouldn't want to cause her to be uncomfortable as soon as she comes home."
Lave threw him a puppy-like look.
"Oh, c'mon, Allen," he whined. "Sara hasn't been home in almost three weeks. Three weeks! Even Kanda is starting to miss her."
Allen looked away for a moment. Lavi wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him down the hall.
"I promise it would be fun," he said.
Allen smiled and tried to turn away, but ended up walking with Lavi.
"Don't you think Sara deserves to have something good in her life," Lavi asked.
The exorcist raised his eyes brows, awaiting an answer from his friend.
Allen let out a sigh and smiled warmly at Lavi. He was right for once; Sara never did anything with anyone. She silently would assist others without being asked to, but that was the end of her social interaction. If you forgot to do something, like perhaps laundry (which Allen always left it around to dry and forget about it), Sara would slip in, take care of the matter, and leave before anyone could notice. Of course, she's rarely admitted she did such things. She did it out of memory she always claimed; habits that her body remembers from long ago. Sara preferred not to share about her life before becoming an exorcist and didn't ask anyone else about theirs. Her methods were bold, but at least they came from her heart.
"Yes," Allen replied finally. "It is about time we remind Sara of her importance."
Lave grinned wickedly, and Allen was concerned of what he had in store for their returning friend.