"Is that-"
"Shut up."
"No but seriously, is that-"
"Shut up." Neah growled, gritting his teeth as he tried his hardest to ignore the big and positively sparkly sign saying "Allen and Neah Campbell". The human maid who held it merely smiled as she discreetly waved them over.
"… Is this Road's work or is Sheril just messing with us?" Allen questioned after a brief moment of silence. Well who could blame them, the rather… colorful sign had grabbed some of the less busy people's attention. People who found no fault in openly gaping at the sign.
"It's Road's work. Sheril just went along with it to humiliate us." Neah answered back, glaring at the sign as if it would catch fire should he glare hard enough.
"Why is it Campbell?" Allen mumbled distractedly. It wasn't really a question in that kind of sense but Neah answered nonetheless.
"Because the name 'Walker' could attract some unwanted attention… And probably because Mana wished it. Possessive bastard." Neah grumbled, his voice turning more hissed at the last part.
"Lord Neah and Allen, I assume?" The maid suddenly spoke up, startling the two of them slightly.
"Ah, yes. That's us." Allen answered softly as the maid simply smiled politely.
"Then may I lead the way to the awaiting wagon. Miss Kamelot has expressed longing for your arrival." The maid informed as she swiftly begun to walk down the road, Neah and Allen quickly followed after her.
The ride itself didn't take long but it was appreciated. After almost a week of being shut in the Ark anything that offered another perspective was more than welcome, including cramped moving spaces as the wagon.
Neah had in fact managed to fall asleep during the ride. His upper body sagging until his head managed to find a resting place on Allen's shoulder, not that Allen minded, Neah needed whatever resting time he could get in order to truly regain his strength.
"Is there something wrong, Lord Allen?" The maid questioned softly, no doubt noticing Allen's slightly tired look. Purple eyes softened remarkable as he slowly shook his head.
"No." He denied before frowning slightly. "Do you have to call me 'Lord Allen', can't you just call me Allen?" He questioned curiously. Being called 'Lord' was slightly unsettling.
"Of course!" The maid said, voice rising in tone causing Neah to frown and shift slightly. She quietened before quickly softening her voice into a low whisper. "I cannot call a family member of Lord anything other than Lord!" She said with an inbreed stubbornness that Allen only had seen in Lenalee and Road.
"Well, Sheril and I aren't really related in that sense so could you please just call me Allen?"
She looked conflicted. Allen sighed before offering up an alternative. "How about you just call me Mr. Walker instead?"
"My deepest apologies, sir, but Lord Wisely ordered me to use Lord."
"Go figure." He sighed as he sunk back into the leather covered seat. Wisely was probably taking revenge for the time he went out, leaving most of the Noah sleepless for the entire night thanks to Mana's temper tantrum. Wisely, who just couldn't turn off his gift had it worse than the others. Unlike his family members he didn't just have to hear and feel the crashing and silent waves of anger rolling off the Earl, he also had to hear the inner thoughts of said raging Earl. That or the Kamelot family was just messing with him.
"I'm sorry, Lord Allen." The maid said, regret evident in her darker features, "I'm new to this job, I was only told to instruct you because I'm the only one that can speak English fluently." She explained with a somber expression. Allen blinked slightly in interest, of course. He doubted that most people in Portugal was fluent or even remotely good at English.
Well this would complicate their situation, they would have to rely on the Kamelots more if that was the case, something that Allen knew Neah wouldn't be comfortable with.
"How long until we're there?" Allen finally asked softly as he peaked out through the window. Eagerly watching how the landscape practically flew by, just barely shaken by the wagons speed.
"Oh, it won't be much longer now, Lord Allen. You can see the Necessidades Palace just there." She said as she pointed out through the window. Allen curiously watched the pink colored building, it was rather big and obviously had rather big parks surrounding it.
"Where exactly are we?" He asked distractedly as he watched the building with interest. He knew that Sheril had been on his way to Portugal after serving as an ambassador in England, hence the days of waiting.
"Lisbon." She answered.
"Isn't that Portugal's capital city?" He questioned, vaguely remembering how Lavi had said something about that once.
"Indeed, Lord Walker."
"So… Where does Sheril live then?"
"Just a couple of blocks away, in case they have to organize an emergency meeting."
Allen nodded as he once again looked out through the window. He had traveled before with his master, he had just never been in Portugal before. He smiled softly as he remembered Road's eagerness of their arrival days before they were to go.
The shorter girl had basically been bouncing around in excitement.
He didn't know how long they sat there, the maid quietly checking over some kind of list while Neah peacefully snoozed on, not in the least bothered by their conversation. But before he knew what had happened the wagon slowed down before completely stopping in front of a rather imposing entrance.
The building itself as pretty imposing as it was, the white decor and carved decorations on the pillars and corners doing nothing to soften the sharp look.
"Sensei~!" Road exclaimed joyfully as she exited through the main doors, her spiky hair tamed and controlled with a hairband. Her pink dress bounced slightly as she skipped down the stairs, eager to reach the wagon before they even step out of it.
Allen smiled softly as he greeted her not acknowledging the tired grumble that escaped his uncle.
"Ah, Neah did you fall asleep?" Road questioned with large blinking eyes, dutifully ignoring the sour look Neah sent her.
"Welcome, Eve, 14th." Sheril called out from his position at the door, a pale frail looking woman standing next to him. Allen blinked slightly, he wasn't aware that Sheril had a human friend.
"That's my adoptive mother." Road whispered into his ear, giggling slightly at the plain disbelieving look Allen gained.
"What?" Neah questioned, quite in shock, as he together with Allen climbed out from the wagon. He caught sight of the woman and questioningly quirked an eyebrow.
"Hello, Sheril." Allen simply said, smiling in order to hide the positively gaping expression he suspected he'd wear had he not already put on Mana's mask.
"You must be Allen and Neah." The woman said softly, her blue eyes sparkling with a kind shimmer that Allen knew once had existed in Katerina's eyes. In a way, the frail woman did share similarities with Katerina, yet she was so very different.
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady…?" Allen said questioningly, Sheril had not warned him of this development, neither had Road or Wisely so how was he supposed to know about Sheril's wife?
The woman smiled slightly. "Tricia, Tricia Kamelot."
"Pleasure." Neah said shortly.
"You must be tired." Sheril said, eyes crinkling slightly in the corners as he took in the slightly sleepy expression Neah wore. Neah merely scowled back at him. "Come, let's have supper."
Dinner was a rather uneventful event.
Between the rather forced small talk between Wisely, Neah and Sheril there had been almost nothing else to talk about. Neah and Allen attempted to say as little as possible, unsure exactly how much Tricia knew about the war and the different circumstances.
With the only topic that the Noah and Allen had in common blocked thanks to the presence of Tricia that left very little to actually talk and argue about.
Road the little imp as Allen was seriously considering calling her, had spent the entire dinner attempting to get Allen to help her with her homework, something Allen really wasn't up for this evening.
If Allen was to be honest, he had been slightly surprised by how good Tricia actually could handle Road when she was beginning to become insufferable. She had been strict yet very gentle when delivering her reprimand, but what confused Allen more was how Road actually listened, something she usually only did with him… Well, most of the time that is.
"Candy!" Road said with a very demanding tone, causing Tricia to sigh. She looked tired, Allen noted, and a bit too pale to be healthy.
"Tricia, dear. Shouldn't you go up and rest for a bit?" Sheril suddenly said, flashing a concerned look towards his wife and for once Allen found himself unsure if it was real or not.
She blinked slightly before flashing Sheril a concerned look. "Dear, are you fine with putting Road to bed then?" Allen choked.
"Of course, make sure to get plenty of rest now, I'll make sure to entertain our guests." Sheril said, only the barest hint of patronizing evident in his tone.
Tricia smiled softly as she stood from her place. Nodding slightly to Allen and Neah's direction, she bid her goodnight before she and a helping maid left the dining room.
They all sat silent until they heard the vague sound of a door closing.
Wisely exhaled as he sagged in relief, a motion copied by Neah who had been stiff as a board during the entire dinner.
"I didn't know that you were married!" Allen exclaimed loudly as he turned towards Sheril with all the disbelief he had managed to gain as he became more familiar with the woman that apparently was the Noah of Desire's wife.
Tricia was like the perfect mash between Miranda and Lenalee, kind and strict yet so very meek and polite. It confused him to no end why Sheril of all Noahs would decide to go for such a wife. He always struck Allen as something similar to a womanizer.
Sheril sent him a frown. "Why of course, how else would I be able to adopt my adorable daughter?"
Neah loudly exhaled in relief. "Oh thank god, that explains so much." He grumbled.
Allen shot him a sharp look as he did his best to adopt a neutral expression.
"Um. Is she nice?"
"As far as a human goes…" Wisely said unconcerned, blinking sleepily before gaining a sharp look. "Ah. Maybe that was a faulty description, considering how you're supposed to be Eve."
"Eve isn't entirely human!" Road hissed protectively from her place beside Sheril, glaring at Wisely as if he just killed a bunch of puppies in front of her.
"No. I guess she isn't…" Wisely easily enough admitted, obviously not particularly keen on pissing off Road.
"She might've not been human, but I certainly am so you're not incorrect Wisely." Allen said, not willing to allow the Noahs to stomp on his humanity. It was the only thing he would never give up in any form.
Road got a pinched look as she grumpily pouted. She was silent for a couple of minutes before angrily turning her glare towards Sheril. "I want my dessert!"
Sheril, as usual, weak to his adoptive daughter's whims immediately ordered the maids to bring in the dessert. Allen tilted his head to the side as a bowl of ice cream was put in front of him. He cautiously took a small scope of the cold dish, smiling widely at the sweet taste, Road shared the same expression as she too dug into her share.
Neah gave his Nephew one fond look before turning towards Sheril, intending to clear some matters before something else interrupted them, again.
"So what's the plan?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly in the direction of the 'older' man as he rested his chin on his palm. Sheril's right eye twitched slightly, seeing the physical similarities between the 14th and Tyki more than ever.
"The two of you are going to stay here for the remaining month until some problems have been sorted out back in England." Wisely drawled, boredom evident in his slightly slant eyes. "You can see it as a vacation. I bet spending too much time within the Ark can't be all that fun, here you may visit the town and it's various shops." Allen blinked slightly. Well that was too good to be true which meant that- "Of course, that is as long as you're fine with being accompanied." There it was.
"Well. That's better than I expected." Neah admitted. Wisely snorted, shaking his head slightly patronizingly, causing Neah to grit his teeth in irritation at the clear dismissal.
"Between you and three Noahs as well as Duke Millennium, do you really believe that you would get far?" He questioned mockingly.
"I do." Allen spoke up, attracting his fellow white-haired teen's attention. "I think we would manage." His eyes connected with Roads. "Of course, that doesn't mean that we have to attempt to escape."
Wisely narrowed his eyes. Staring at Allen searchingly. Golden eyes sparkled slightly as their owner figured something out.
"I see." He said plainly before turning his attention to his own dessert, distractedly patting a- frog? Allen simply inhaled calmingly before ignoring it, he shared a temperamental golem between him and his uncle, who was he to judge?
"Lord Kamelot." A maid spoke up as she entered through the doors. Hands neatly clasped together before her as she kept a silver tray between her stomach and her arms.
"Duke Millennium has arrived." She continued before quickly bowing and gathering the full wineglass in front of Neah. "Anything else I can do?"
Sheril who had together with the other people around the table risen from his seat as the maid informed about Mana's arrival spoke up, "Yes. I do believe it's time to prepare some tea and- ?" He turned towards Neah, one eyebrow quirked. "Black coffee." Neah said inching his head forward slightly in a thankful motion.
"Coffee." Sheril repeated to the maid who dutifully nodded her understanding. Allen frowned at his uncle.
"Coffee?" He questioned, wrinkling his nose slightly as he thought about the bitter beverage, the 'miracle' drink that the scientist branch at the Order hadn't seemingly been able to live without. Johnny included.
"Coffee." Neah confirmed.
"But… It's so bitter."
"You always makes your tea too sweet." Neah complained with an equally whiny tone, he sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Geez, you and Mana are the same. I swear, why do I have to be surrounded by people who'd drink pure sugar and doesn't understand the beauty with coffee?"
Allen opened his mouth to say something when Mana suddenly walked in through the door. He looked tired but happy.
Neah's attention immediately snapped to the older man yet he remained quiet. Allen however, did no such thing as he greeted Mana with a smile and a soft 'hello'. He frowned as he saw the messy state Mana's hair was in and the sagged posture. Whatever 'business' Mana had deemed important and dangerous enough to transport them to another country had obviously taken it's toll on him.
"You look tired." Neah said completely neutral.
Mana smiled slightly, eyes gaining back a spark that had previously been hidden behind the exhaustion.
"Ah. I must look terrible for you to comment on it." He teased as Neah merely huffed, his cheeks gaining only the slightest hint of color that Allen and Road gleefully noticed.
Allen smiled yet made no move to rise from his position on his chair. The journey had been exhausting and he had no desire to leave his chair other than to replace it with a bed. Judging Neah's slightly grumpy mood, he too must be tired. Neah only got this grumpy after a fight or when he got tired.
Neah huffed but didn't say anything else, causing Mana to simply roll his eyes with exasperated fondness.
"Whatever have I done to deserve such a boneheaded twin?" Mana asked with fondness as Allen stilled in horror. Purple eyes flashed to where Mana stood, leaning over the back of Neah's chair, his arms wrapped around Neah shoulders in a loose hug.
Despite Allen's fear however, Neah merely smiled cooly.
"Well I wouldn't know, but something's telling me that it has to do with the jar of chocolate that mysteriously disappeared on Christmas." Neah said with mock seriousness.
Mana groaned. "I'd like to remember that it was you who ate it."
"Nope. It was clearly you, I just got blamed for it all."
"We both got the blame."
"Yeah well, Mother dearest probably didn't want to take any chances. Although it was obviously you and your sweet tooth."
Allen hid his smile behind the glass, all too happy to see the bond mending itself. Because mending it was, and slightly faster than he had previously thought. He frowned. Things were moving too fast, too… smoothly.
If it was anything that the world had taught him at an early age it was that nothing ever solved itself smoothly at this kind of pace.
Fate could not possibly want that.
But that was a worry for another time, for now, Allen was quite happy to enjoy the fleeting peace with Mana and Neah. His friends safely tucked away at the Order, hopefully laying low as they took care of their wounded.
Wisely snorted somewhere but Allen purposefully ignored it. Keeping ahold of the happy illusion he had pictured.
Things could be messier soon.
-End of Chapter 21-
So yeah. That's it. Allen and Neah are in Portugal. I'm feeling kinda guilty though, since most of you were so excited over Cross's and Lavi's appearance last chapter. I can however promise some Kanda next chapter, if that makes you happy.
Oh, good news! I finally managed to complete the side story! :D It's done and should be published as this chapter comes out! I'd be grateful if you checked it out, it's not necessary to the main plot but kinda opens up a window to the past Allen's personality at a young age.
Thank you for reading this chapter, even though it might've been boring! :3