Chapter 5
A long awaited meeting
"Royal flush mate." A smooth male voice said.
The man to whom me the cards bested looked down at the cards in bewilderment, and looked up at his own set of cards as if he couldn't believe it.
"Haha, off by just one card. What a load of bad luck that is!"
A group of men seating around a round table laughed, and banged their fists and mugs against the table, causing a racket.
People around the tavern turned away form their own business to look at the loud men who were still laughing. The company around the table weren't exactly the finest society had to offer, in fact they were far from it. Quite a few of them were missing teeth, and the clothes they wore were torn and stained, not to mention that the smell of liquor oozing from them was pungent as well as the smell of tobacco, coal, and sweat, but despite their appearances they didn't stand out in the crowd.
The tavern appearance itself wasn't any better than that of the men seating around the table playing poker. It was a dingy place, with dim light and encased in the smoke of tobacco. The place smelled like a filthy ship, and piss convinced by alcohol, and grease. The tavern was filled with tables, some of them cramped against each other and filled with people playing poker or drinking and having a laugh. By the far wall, close to the door there stood a large counter where a heavy looking man stood cleaning a glass and serving drinks whenever someone came up to the bar. Overall it wasn't a the very best of taverns London has to offer, but it was a place people came to gather, and though it was a public place, everyone there knew that it was really just for locals, and regular customers.
The man who lost the match growled and slammed his cards against the table in anger. "That's de tenth time te-nite yer managed ter git so jammy! Dare a point we're dis stops bein' an' luk, an' starts bein' suspicious. Mate!" Hissed the man at the one who had beaten.
Said winner of the match was seating close to the wall and far from the lights, shrouding most of his face in shadows, revealing just his pearly white teeth and grinning lips.
"What're you talking about? I beat you fair and square mick, but if you want a rematch then-"
The man growled and sprang to his feet, and looked down at man hidden behind the shadows.
The man fumed, and looked around the table and slammed his hand against the table, causing the chips to fly and fall on the beer stained floor. "You're al' full av rubbish, oi nu you're cheatin'! so cum aff clean an' oi won't -"
Before the dark haired man could finish the sentence a large, heavy man from the group stood up, over towering the smaller man by several heads.
"You lost your game fair and square, so I suggest you leave before you say something that'll cost you more than a few shillings tonight." The large man said with a deep husky voice, and the smaller man visually began to shrink in on himself but he didn't stand down.
"Oi want another rematch, but th-"
The gigantic man huffed and pushed the smaller one, causing him to fall back on the ground with a loud thump, causing everyone in the tavern to turn their heads and look at the commotion.
"Can't you hear? I said scamper off, before I-"
The tall man didn't have to finish his sentence, because as soon as the smaller man hit the ground he gave out a loud squeak and shoot up his feet and ran out of the tavern without so much as a glance back.
The rest of the man around the table laughed, and sneered at the pathetic man except the one cast in shadows who simply grinned in amusement as he shuffled the cards, waiting for his next victim to arrive.
"You know that wasn't necessary John. You should have just let the poor man have another rematch, since I'm sure I could have convinced him of betting his own wife!" He remarked and everyone around him chuckled, as they looked at the poor man outside making his way home in the cold.
"Sorry about that Red." The large man mumbled, and lowered his head appearing ashamed of himself.
The man named Red chuckled, and shook his head. "It's alright I was just kidding. Come have another glass won't ya?" Red said, and John nodded and sat back down on a chair that was so flimsy and worn down that it was a miracle that it could withstand the man's weight.
"Well then Charlie, find me another victim." Red ordered, and the man named Charlie -a rather skinny young man in his twenties, who had too many to drink- gave out slurred laugh and looked around the tavern with half lidded eyes.
"O-ow bu''Im?" Charlie proposed, slurring his words, and swaying on his spot, coming dangerously close to falling more than once, only to straighten himself back up.
Everyone on the table turned to look at a man with a long moustache, and a missing arm, who was playing poker on a table across from them.
"Nah, too easy. I can see his bluff from where I'm seating, find another." Red ordered and Charlie nodded fiercely and looked around the table once more.
"'er?" He asked pointing at a women in her thirties who was quite pretty despite her wearing a worn torn dress. Just like the moustached mane, she was playing at another table, and unlike the moustached man she seemed to be winning.
Red hummed, and tapped his lips, as he thought about it, but ultimately shook his head.
"Nah, we wanna have a game of poker, not scare a fair lady half to death!"
Once more the man around the table laughed, and once more Red told Charlie to look for another, but once more the opponent was unsatisfactory and so they continued.
After Charlie called out his fifth pick, and Red refused, he huffed and put the deck down on the table.
"My patience's wearing thin Charlie, if you can't find anyone then I guess you'll have to sit in again." Red threatened and Charlie paled considerably.
"C-come o-on Red, I c-can' af-f-fford ta spend an-other shilling. Me w-wife wi-will kill me" Charlie begged, but Red simply shook his head.
"You know the rules Charlie. Can't find anyone, then you'll be the one-"
Before he could finish his sentence the door to the tavern banged open, allowing the cold air to seep inside, blowing off a few candles, and startling a few people.
There really wasn't anything unusual about the entrance, many people went in and out the same manner, but rather the person who walked in that was unusual.
A rather tall man, with a long black hat and long flowing red hair stood at the door. He wore a long black coat with golden marking, and buttons that were richly adorned, and appeared to be quite expensive. On his waist there hung a rather expensive looking gun that glinted with the light ever so slightly. The man also, wore thin glasses and a white mask that covered half of his face, completing the mysterious look.
"Well Charlie it seemed you get to keep your last shilling after all." Red mused and Charlie sighed in relief, as Red looked at the man who stood out like a sore thumb.
Everyone in the tavern had stopped what they were doing, and were now looking at him, shocked and confused to see a man of such caliber and class come into such a dingy tavern. However, despite all eyes being on him the man barely even noticed, or didn't care as he walked inside the tavern as if he owned the place, which Red knew was sure to anger a few of the more pesky customers.
"Hey mate! Weapons aren't allowed in here pal." Grumbled the tavern keeper, but the man didn't so much as look at him. Instead, the man's eyes roamed the tavern as if looking for something, until his eyes landed on him, and looked at Red coldly.
"What's the deal with this guy?" Asked someone at the table, and Red simply shrugged.
The man took a step towards where they were seating, and slowly approached their table, and John stiffened.
"Should I get rid of him Red?" Asked John, getting ready to stand up if Red gave the word, but Red simply shook his head and kept looking at the man with intrigue.
When the man was finally in front of their table, and looming over all of them, casting them in a large shadow, he simply continued to look down at Red with the same cold expression.
"Hey pal, are you deaf or something? I said no guns allowed!" The tavern keeper growled, as he made his way towards the man. But once more the man didn't so much as look back at him.
"It's alright Fred, he's with me." Red cut in before Fred laid a hand on the man.
Fred froze and looked at Red as if he wanted to argue but simply sighed and walked away, stumping ever so slightly.
Red shook his head at the immature tavern keeper and looked up at the red headed man with intrigue once more.
The table was silent, except for the slight tapping of John's foot as he looked at the man, ready to spring to his feet if he did anything, and so when the man did speak up he practically jumped up to his feet from the shook.
"Interesting scar." The man commented with a deep voice, and Red's lips quirk up in amusement.
"Interesting mask." Red shot back, and the man simply grumbled.
The both of them fell silence as they looked at each other. Meanwhile the others around the table, looked back and forth from one to the other as if expecting something to happen, and not wanting to miss anything.
"So. How can I help you my good man?" Asked Red tilting his head, and showing a bit more of his face, but still covered by the shadows.
"I'm looking for a boy named Allen Walker, my sources tell me he should be here?" declared the man, and Red grinned into the light causing his teeth to glint in amusement, meanwhile everyone else seating around the table were confused as to what was going on.
"Well that depends." Red answered, leaning back on his seat, and shrouding his face further into the shadows.
Everyone turned away from Red, and looked at the man, who raised the one single brow that was visible. "On what?" He asked sounding annoyed.
All the heads on the table turned back to look at Red, who chuckled and grabbed the deck of cards off the table and began to shuffle them with expertise.
"If you can win a game of cards." He proposed, and everyone turned to look back at the man with devious smiles and grins, imagining the amount of money Red could get out of this man. The man however, was not falling for the trap.
The red headed man huffed, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I've heard about you all over town. The man who hasn't lost one hand of poker. I rather think I'm at an unfair disadvantage." He grumbled, and the sound of disappointment were audible from everyone seating around the table, except for Red who simply stopped shuffling the cards and placed them in front of the empty seat.
"Well then humour me. Just play one game with us simple mortals sir exorcist, and I'll answer your question." He proposed, and everyone looked at the man shocked.
Exorcists? The man was an exorcists? But he looked nothing like one! He wasn't wearing proper priest clothing, or anything that even hinted that he was a priest. He looked more like some sort of bounty hunter instead.
The man looked down at Red and curled his upper lip in annoyances, but ultimately sat down and grabbed the deck of cards off of the table a little bit more roughly than was necessary.
"I'll play one hand, and then you tell me what I need to know." He grumbled, and dealt the cards.
"I always keep my word." He mused, and picked up his cards, but this time he didn't change them for different ones.
He didn't want to cheat his way to winning with this opponent, he wanted to beat him fair and square which he knew was much more enticing than simply cheating- at least with this opponent that is.
Red handed the man his chips, and so the game went under way. The redhead man started off on a very confident foot as he bet a large sum right away, which surprised him. Of course he tried to read the man and see if he was simply bluffing, but for the first time ever he could find very little on his opponent, making him falter very so slightly.
The game itself didn't take long, and in no time there were on the river, and after they made their last bets it was time to show their cards.
"After you sir exorcist, old before young and all that." He beamed, and the man scoffed.
"Watch who you're calling old, you damn brat." He huffed, and placed his cards on the table revealing a four of a kind hand.
Red's eyes widened and his shoulders slumped and looked at the cards in disbelief, causing everyone to gasp in shock.
Red never lost, not ever.
Red sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck.
"And here I was thinking that you'd be the one to finally beat me." He drawled dramatically, as he put his cards down revealing a straight flush with a cocky smile.
The man huffed, and leaned back on his chair defeated, and everyone began to cheer as always and bang their cups against the table.
"Never doubted you Red!" Shouted one of the men and they all cheered their agreement, and Red nodded and chuckled.
"As if I'd ever lose." He said arrogantly, and grabbed the cards from the table and reorganized them.
"But I gotta admit you're not so bad at poker sir exorcist." he mused, and the man grumbled and took out a cigarette from a pack and lit it, puffing out a large cloud of smoke. The smoke cloud he created curled around the table, covering everyone's vision partly with its thickness.
"Better than I expected from a pampered exorcist that's for sure" he teased, and the others snickered and laughed, however the man was not amused.
He kept looking at Red with the same cold emotionless expression, as he kept taking small drags off his cigarette.
"Glad I amuse you." he remarked, and grabbed the stub of his cigarette and let out another large cloud of smoke.
"I've kept part of my bargain, it's time you keep yours. I wish to speak with Allen Walker." He demanded, and Red -or rather, Allen smirked and shuffled the deck of cards.
He of course knew who this man was, and which exorcist he was. It was hard to not know such a famous exorcist as Marian Cross after all. He knew exactly who he was, and of his skills at exorcising akumas, as well as his intelligence in battle, which is why he couldn't understand why he'd so willingly walked into snake's lair?
Allen leaned back on his seat, and continued to shuffle the cards.
He thought about refusing Cross, and telling him to simply scamper off while he still could or ask him to play another game, or possibly even kill him -lord knows that would save them a lot of time when they have to kill him eventually- but then he saw the piercing eyes of his that were quickly losing their patience and he choose to bite the bullet. He came here to relax after all, not to look for conflict.
Allen sighed dramatically, and waved his hand dismissively at the others seated around the table. "Well I suppose funs over boys, time to go back home or to wherever hole you crawled from." he declared and everyone gave out cries of indignation and annoyance but didn't once refused and simply stood up one by one and left the table, except for John who was standing beside him looking down at Cross as if trying to intimidate him, but Cross barely even bat an eye.
"You sure you'll be fine here bos?" Asked John unsure, and Allen nodded and waved John away not telling him anything or looking back as he left, leaving Cross and Allen lone.
"Well then?" asked Cross sounding annoyed, breaking the brief silence.
Allen sighed, and put the deck of cards neatly on the table, and leaned forward on his shoulder, his face finally coming into full view.
His hair was long and wavy, and tied loosely with a red ribbon. His pentagram scar was as always present on his right eye, and the colour of his eyes were a soft blue colour. He looked young, younger than most men in the tavern, but at least he no longer had the appearance of a mere boy. No he looked his age which was nineteen years of age.
"Ay, I'm Allen Walker, so how may I be of service to you sir exorcist?" he drawled, and Cross looked him over briefly, and landed his eyes back on his.
"Can we not speak in a more private location?" he asked looking around the loud tavern in annoyance.
"Oh? Taverns aren't to your standards sir exorcist?" he asked with amusement.
Cross huffed, and leaned back on the table.
"Name's Cross kid." He said taking off his hat and placing it on the table in front of him.
Allen's chuckled, amused that the great general Cross was so easy to get under his skin.
"Whatever you say sir exorcist. However, I think its best we stay here for now. I don't think going anywhere more private would be safe." He declared, with a hint of amusement but fully meaning what he said.
The table became silent for a little while, and across let out a puff of smoke that hit Allen straight in the face.
"Not safe for who?" Cross asked and Allen arched a brow and his grin grew vicious.
He loved toying with exorcist, and he particularly liked the drawn out chases. The others weren't all so keen on that and preferred to end them quickly, but he took his time and enjoyed every minute of the chase. Unfortunately for him though, not every exorcist was able to live long enough to amuse him, as they tended to die halfways through the chase. However Cross was one he knew could bring him great amusement.
Allen chuckled, smiled charmingly at Cross.
"I like you. You aren't the usual slow minded fool I have to deal with. So just for that I'll give you my word that we won't be overheard." He promised bringing a finger up to accentuate his words.
"This place's quite loud you see, and not the brightest of people tend to come here, so you won't have to worry." He explained.
Cross eyes narrowed, and he bit the stub of his cigarette. "How can I trust your word?" Asked Cross skeptically.
Allen sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "You can't can you? But I can tell you that this is my free time, and my patience is wearing thin." He threatened with a smile.
Cross twitched, and crossed his arms in front of his chest, but he kept his mouth shut and didn't complain.
'Smart human.' He mused to himself.
Most exorcists tended to call him up on warning he gave them whenever he happened to come across one. Of course those exorcists didn't know he was a Noah, and they probably didn't even know what a Noah was to begin with, but one things was for sure. Whenever he gave them a chance to walk away, they'd always declined the offer or challenge him, which always resulted in their instant death. The way he saw it ungrateful humans like them didn't deserve his time and patience to finish them slowly, and Cross clearly knew that.
"Fine then, I'll cut to the chase and save you time. I know perfectly well who you are, and what you are, and what Noah you're the reincarnation of. Now as for the reason why I'm here it's quite simple. I wish to propose something to the Millennium Earl."
Allen's reaction was instantaneous, as his eyes widened and froze on the spot, completely caught by surprise.
The fact that Cross knew he is a Noah wasn't shocking at all, he was sure most generals would be able to figure that one out. However the fact that he knew which host he was of was rather shocking, and concerning. No one, except the rest of the Noahs knew which Noah he was the host of. In fact, almost nobody outside his family knew the existence of his Noah, so how come Cross knew?
Allen's eyes looked up to meet Cross's eyes to see if he could find answers, but just as he was during the poker game he couldn't find anything.
'There's more to him than meets the eye.' He said to himself thoughtfully.
Allen's composed himself, and his grin fell and sat up on his seat, adopting a more serious posture.
"Ok now you've got my attention Cross however, if it's the Millennium Earl you want I must inform you that he's quite busy at the moment." He informed him, and Cross leaned back on his chair adopting a more relaxed posture.
'Who was playing with who?' He asked himself with amusement as he realized that Cross had switched the tables on him.
"I don't wish to speak to him personally I just want you to carry a message for me." He practically ordered, and Allen's brow twitched with annoyance and amusement.
To think that such a lowly being could have such nerves.
"And why on earth would I do that? I'm not your messenger boy, and if I am who you say I am then tell me, what's keeping me from killing you right here and now." He asked without a hint of amusement.
Cross raised his brow and took in a large puff of smoke from his cigarette and put it out using the worn out table, not once looking away from him as he did so.
"You wouldn't kill me in such a public space, it just doesn't seem your style. And besides, I've been watching you for a long time. I know you aren't one to simply jump into conflict at every chance you get, nor are you prone to killing someone off quickly. You rather drag it out, and watch with amusement as your prey wriggles like a worm. I reckon you must have gotten that from Joyd's host" he mused, and Allen's eyes narrowed at the mention of Tyki.
Under the table, and out of Cross sight, his hand balled into fists.
Cross definitely knew more than any normal exorcists or human should about his family, and that was quite concerning. The Noah clan has always been secretive and careful with their secrets and identity, and role in the war. Whenever they were faced with an enemy, or if someone knew about them they'd always dispatch said human without prejudice, and as quickly as possible. In fact, most exorcists didn't know of their existence, except for those in the higher ranks. And even then they didn't know as much as Cross clearly does.
'I really should kill him.' He thought to himself, but before he could ponder on that decision Cross continued.
Cross tore his gaze away from him and looked around the tavern as if looking for something. "And let's not mention that everyone here seems to know you so I'd say you frequent this tavern and therefor I doubt you'd be willing to lose it over such a trifle matter." He deduced, and pinned him with his eyes once more.
"So -in your own words- my patience is wearing thin, so let's just cut to the chase shall we?" He proposed, and Allen's mouth almost fell open in shock –almost.
A few emotions overcame him during the brief moment they remained in silence, but one was the most prominent. Indignation.
Who the hell did this human think he was? He'd killed humans for much less, and yet here he was just sitting down in shock allowing a human –no- an exorcist live and say whatever he wanted to him?
Allen gave out a snort, and his shoulders began to shake as he laughed. Meanwhile Cross simply stared at him coldly.
'Finally, someone worthwhile!' He thought to himself.
Allen's laugh died down to a chuckle, and he gave out a long sigh. He looked back at Cross and tapped his finger against the table.
"You sure are an interesting one Cross Marian. I can't decide whether you're a genius, or quite foolish, either way you've peaked my interest so I suppose there's no harm in listening to what you have to say is there? I'm not on duty as they say, and I'm not in the mood to fight at the moment."
Allen stopped tapping his fingers, and rested his elbow on the backrest of the chair, and crossed his legs. "Unfortunately though, I don't really have that much time left. I have somewhere I need to be very soon, so tell me. What exactly did you come here for?" he asked intrigued.
Cross didn't say anything right away, and so Allen began to speculate what that reason was.
He could come up with a few reasons on his own, but none of them really made sense. Here was Cross Marian, a well-known and highly respected exorcist in his own right that was secretly having a conversation with a Noah. Well he would said secretly since he knew the Black order would never reach out to a Noah, or seek out another Noah willingly if it weren't for the simple act of killing them. That was because everyone in this war knew about that simple law in nature. Exorcists hated Noahs and Noahs hated exorcists, it was nice and simple, yet here was Cross Marian -and he supposed him as well- speaking to each other as if that law in nature didn't exists.
Cross leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.
"What if I told you there was a possibility that the heart is somewhere within the Black order" Cross asked, leaning his head down so that he wasn't looking through his glasses.
Allen froze once more, and his hand tightened under the table at the mention of the heart, but his face or posture didn't give away his reaction. Instead he stroke his chin thoughtfully, and looked at the ceiling as if deep in thought.
"Well I suppose I'd torture you for the information, then kill you and head over to the Black order and retrieve it once and for all." He beamed cheerfully, looking down at Cross with a smile, who didn't so much as flinch at the mention of killing him.
Cross looked down and fidgeted with a glass that had been left at the table. "I suppose you could, and with your range of powers I expect you'd be able to achieve that. However, even you can only hit one branch at a time, and there is more than one branch that makes up the Black order. Even if you managed to destroy one of said branches on your own, there's still six other branches and lets not mention central. With that many connections, it'll be simple for one branch to warn the rest and within twenty four hours every single exorcists will know of the attack. Within those twenty four hours a protocol would be set in motion to protect the heart, and hide it somewhere you nor any of the other Noahs will ever find it. That is if they indeed have it." He declared, and looked away from the glass and into Allen's eyes that had long lost their humour, and their luster and he looked at him coldly.
"What you say is merely hypothetical, but tell me. Does the Black order have the heart in their possession?" He asked leaning on the table, so that he could look closely at Cross and tell if he was lying.
He was angry at Cross, and his Noah instincts screamed at him to simply kill Cross and look for the heart himself, despite what Cross said. Of course he knew he wouldn't do that, since he knew that what Cross said was true. He is powerful enough to decimate one of the Black order's branches to mere ruble, but even he couldn't strike at every branch at once. There was of course one solution to this and that was attacking the order as a clan, but he knew that even if the whole clan attacked every branch at once they risked the chance that the heart is not at any of the branches and therefore send whoever has it into hiding.
Allen clenched his teeth in frustration. He wanted the heart destroyed, it was a want that was etched into their very genes. However, if he acted hastily then the heart could be lost for who knows how long.
"You didn't come here to simply tell me that, so why did you come here?" he growled no longer caring that his mask was slipping.
Cross smirked, and grabbed the glass filled with whiskey and downed the whole thing, and softly yet firmly placed it back on the table.
"I've come here to tell you I'll help you infiltrate the Black order and look for the heart." He declared simply, and Allen's brows shut up in shook.
Did he hear right? Did Cross, THE Marian Cross tell him that he'd help him infiltrate the Black order and retrieve the heart? There was just no way, he must have heard wrong.
"Did you just-"
"Yes." Cross said curtly, and Allen looked at him as if he'd gone mad.
"And why on earth would you do that? The respectable general Cross Marian, sympathizing with the enemy. You should be careful with your actions lest you become a traitor in the eyes of your god. And we all know what that would entail don't we?" he asked faking amusement, but really he was frozen in shook.
Cross scoffed. "I'm not betraying the order, nor am I here on behalf of the Black order. I'm here for my own personal reasons." He declared, and Allen raised one brow in intrigue.
"I reckon you won't tell me that those reasons are?"
"No." Cross answered, and Allen huffed.
He didn't trust Cross, and he didn't couldn't really believe a word he was saying without any proof, and yet…
"Why come to me now? We've always known that there was a chance the Black order had already acquired the heart, so this information come to no surprise, and I'm guessing you know that. And yet you choose now to come to me now. Why?" he asked, and Cross smirked and took out another cigarette.
"Because I know the Earl is getting ready to make his first strike in 7000 years. Now, why has he taken this long? I can only guess, but if I'm right and the Earl is indeed getting ready to start a war, then I know you could use my help."
"Your help?" he asked a little disgusted that they'd need a lowly human's help.
Cross lit his cigarette and put out the match, and took a long drag. "Yes my help." Cross said simply, and Allen growled in disgust.
"You think too little of our clan. We don't need your help, we could easily infiltrate the Black order and retrieve the heart ourselves." He scoffed, but Cross simply grinned and Allen's nostrils flared in anger.
Cross nodded in agreement, and let out a large cloud of smoke that hit Allen straight in the face, causing him to growl in anger once more. He hated that Cross was getting under his skin so easily, but he couldn't help it.
"I suppose you could do that, but then you won't get to have the information and secrets I have. Secrets I'm sure would interest you personally."
"Secretes? What secretes?" he asked with a growl.
Cross let out another cloud of smoke, and looked through the haze of the smoke and into his eyes for a long while before answering.
"A long time ago, I knew a man named Nea. Or should I say the fourteenth?"
As soon as he said that name Allen froze on the spot and his eyes widened.
'How?' he wondered to himself but could think further on the answer, as Cross continued to speak.
"I knew him personally and therefore know secrets that even Road Kamelot does not." He informed him and leaned further on the table. "Tell me, haven't you ever wondered why the fourteenth betrayed the clan? Why from all thirteen Noahs did only Road and the Earl survived? Or even better, why if there were originally thriteen disciples, who on earth is the fourteenth and where did he come from?" he asked leaning further on his elbows, and looking straight at Allen's eyes as if he could see straight to his very soul.
Silence fell around the table, as they both looked at each other.
Many things came to Allen's mind at that moment. From thinking about killing Cross before he posed a threat, to wondering how on earth Cross knew so much, and how he knew the fourteenth? Hell even he didn't know who the fourteenth really was and he was his host! Of course he'd wondered as to who he was and why he'd betrayed the clan ever since he learned he was his host, but no matter how many times he asked the Earl or Road, and now wisely –they never revealed anything which frustrated him.
Allen's tightened his hand, and he noticed that a bearably visible crack appeared across the wooden surface of the table.
Why could he not know who the fourteenth was? Why was it such a mystery, and why did it have to be a stranger and an enemy who proposed to tell him?
Everyone in the clan knew of course that his Noah memories were a sensitive topic for him. Everyone in the family knew of their memories, and though they didn't remember everything about them, they still had them present in them. Even Tyki -who refused his Noah side more than anyone- had his memories intact and present even though he kept them locked tightly behind bars. But he? He had had no memories of the 14th, not even a whisper. He knew nothing about him, and he hated how some of members of the family treated him differently for something he didn't do, or even know!
Allen, clenched his teeth and the crack on the table grew.
"I doubt you'd pass off such an opportunity to learn what really happened thirty years ago." Cross remarked putting out his cigarette.
"Unfortunately though the decision to trust me isn't yours to make, you're merely a messenger after all." He said flatly, and slid his chair back and stood up, looking down at a confused and angry Allen.
"So when the Earl makes his decision look for me, I won't be so hard to find." He remarked, and grabbed his hat and placed it on his head, and with that turned around and raised his hand in a curt wave.
"See you around kid." he said, and exited the tavern, leaving Allen seating on the table on his own, and incredibly shocked and confused.
'What the?' he asked himself, not knowing what to think or where to begin, so instead he looked down at the table.
The once neatly stacked cards were now scattered across the table, as well as his winnings, and Allen's eyes narrowed.
He had won the poker match, but as he looked at it in hindsight had he really? Of course he wasn't talking about the mere game of cards, but at the whole situation. He always thought himself cunning and smart enough to outwit almost all of his opponents, and yet here he was playing himself right into Cross's hands so easily that it was embarrassing. He had been so thoroughly outwit, and thrown out of his element so much so that his grip on his Noah side has slipped ever so slightly as was proof of the crack on the table.
Allen eyes shifted to his balled hand, and tilted his head down causing his wavy hair to flop over his eyes. He simply sat there looking at the crack and his hand, until he gave out a low chuckle.
Not once had he'd ever been beaten at his own game, and there was only one thing that crossed his mind. That damn Cross was sure going to be a lot of fun to play with. So yes he was going to deliver the message to the Earl, and play Cross's game, but in the end he was determined to come out on top, and he could only imagine how much he'll enjoy killing Cross then.
Allen smirked, and looked up from the table and at the wall.
'Things just got interesting.' He mused to himself.
Suddenly, from the far wall the clock gave out a bang, and Allen jerked his head up looked at the clock and sprang to his feet almost causing the chair to stumble over.
"Shit!" he grumbled to himself.
He didn't realize so much time had really gone by, Sheril was going to murder him!
Allen grabbed his coat from the chair and practically flew to the entrance of the tavern.
"See ya Fred!" He called back and dropped the bag of his winnings on the bar, right in front of a smiling tavern keeper.
"Till next time Red." He chuckled, taking the bag of coins.
And with that Allen exited the tavern and walked to an empty alley. He looked from one side to the other, and when he was convince there were no human around he closed his eyes and recited the song in his head. A door to the ark opened in no time, and Allen opened his eyes and walked through it.
He was definitely going to be scolded by Sheril, and probably Lulu for being late for the party.
What is this? two updates in one week woooot? well yea i'm not busy so why not, but don't get used to it lol.
So big time jump, seven years to be exact. I wasn't sure whether to keep is a secrete for as long as I could as to how long it had been, but at the same time I was worried some of you may have been confused and I'm sorry if you were. Also, unlike the anime/manga 7 years have passed not 3 and it'll be explained as to why later on.
So yea Allen seems very dark at the moment and to be honest I know he's very OOC right now, but there really wasn't any way to keep him in character that would seem realistic with the story. I mean he was raised by the Noah, and in the manga he was heavily influenced by Cross when he was young so take that away and he's an entirely different person. That being said he won't be complete dark all the time, and there will be loads of moments when he'll be the Allen Walker from the anime/manga. The series is after all called -man so Allen will have a dark and light side to him.
so finally the story is starting to progress, and the pace of it will get faster from here on out.
SO hope you enjoyed reading and please review.