Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own DGM

________________________________________________________________________________

What Lavi called a party was mostly just people chatting with each other and Timothy spent his time running around and asking questions everyone tried to answer and snag food from tables. Jerry had returned to his domain to make sure they wouldn't run out of food. Timothy had stared in limitless joy when he heard that Jerry would make him everything he asked for. When he returned to Allen, Lenalee and Lavi, he just heard the red-head say: "...and Yu said he didn't want to come, but I think he must be hurt, he looked like he could hardly walk."

"Um, who's Yu?" Timothy asked.

"Oh, you're back. You know him already Yu Kanda." Lavi answered.

Timothy grinned. "Oh yeah, him. If I remember it right, something bit him, isn't that right Allen?" he questioned while shoving some sort of biscuit into his mouth. While the others were staring at the white-haired boy who stuttered a yes and glanced at Timcampy, who was flying around the room, Timothy spotted a smaller table stacked with tasty-looking foods. He was inches away from the meal as he was suddenly grabbed and pulled back.

"Oh no you don't, " he turned and saw Allen, still smiling "that's mine. I could use a bite about now, since we're on the topic." And with that, Allen sat down and reached for the silverware, seemingly ignoring Timothy.

"The entire table? No fair! Isn't this supposed to be my welcome party?" he turned to Lenalee and Lavi "Why does he get a whole table of food for himself?" Lenalee giggled.

"Here's the thing," Lavi started to explain "we have a deal with Allen. He gets his own table and we make sure there's food on it, and in return he keeps away from the other tables." Timothy seemed confused, so Lavi pointed towards "Allen's" table. Timothy turned around and was sure that if his jaw could drop to the floor, it would. The formally overfilled table was down to about a third of the glory of its contents and constantly shrinking. Allen wasn't just eating the food, he was inhaling it! That was the only explanation, nobody could eat that, especially not like that. It was almost grotesque how Allen exterminated mountains of food in unrealistically short time while still keeping the etiquette appropriate for dining with a king.

Timothy's thoughts were interrupted when Lavi spoke again. "His injuries must be worse than I thought, he should be done already."

Timothy stared at him. This was eating slowly? Tsukikami chose this moment to add: "Master, you should keep a careful eye on your limbs during mealtimes." Timothy didn't think that was funny, in fact, he had just involuntarily pictured loosing a limb to Allen's appetite, and that image overlapping with the memory of his first encounter with Tsukikami before he had fully manifested in his human-shape wasn't helping either. He was almost grateful when Allen interrupted that unpleasant train of thought.

"By the way, I haven't seen Miranda or Crowry anywhere. Anyone know where they are?"

"They left for a mission right after you. I heard they're on the way back and actually should have arrived two days ago. But we know they're okay and will arrive this evening." Lenalee answered. When she realized Allen and Lavi were staring at her, she added "What?"

Allen started "You've sent Miranda, the queen of depressions..." here Lavi started speaking "...and Kuro-chan the timid mourner on a mission together? With no one to cheer them up?" Lenalee nodded, apparently aware of where this was going. "Which genius came up with that idea?" Allen and Lavi asked at the same time.

"Levrier." Lenalee answered, with barely hidden contempt in her voice. Timothy, who had quietly listened while staring at Allen's now empty table, realized he wasn't the only one who didn't like the man who suggested he never return to his body, in fact, everyone but Link seemed to hate him

"That explains everything. Nobody but him could come up with such a stupid idea. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they spent half the time depressing each other into near-suicide!" Lavi cursed.

"Just who are Miranda and Crowry?" Timothy asked. They looked at each other and started to tell Timothy about their friends. Timothy found it all confusing and wondered if there was such a thing as a sane and completely normal exorcist.

"What about yourself, master? Are you sane and normal?" Tsukikami asked, humored tone in his voice.

"Of course I am! How am I weird?" Timothy hissed, get in a bad mood when seeing his Innocence raise an eyebrow.

"You spent the last few years going in and out different bodies to steal things to make money you'd donate to your orphanage. You walked around with a giant orb on your forehead for those years that recently turned into a tattoo and allows you to take control of monsters, change them into a different shape and make them fight their kin. Oh, and you're talking to someone only you and a golden ball with wings can see. Hm, you're right master, so far nothing out of the ordinary." Tsukikami stated with an amused smirk.

"Shut up!" Timothy hissed again and turned to his new Friends. "So," he asked "how many exorcists are there?"

Everyone blinked in surprise. They thought about it for a minute and then started looking at each other, Allen's and Lenalee's gaze finally resting on Lavi. When he noticed it, he raised his hands and asked in a small panic: "Hey, why is everyone looking at me? I don't know!"

"You're a Bookman." Lenalee stated, relieved that they didn't ask her because she was Komui's sister. Allen nodded.

"I'm a Bookman apprentice! I'm not omniscient! But Panda-jiji might..." the rest of his sentence was cut shut when a small, old man drop-kicked Lavi in the back of the head, shouting "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

He then turned to Timothy, like nothing had happened and ignoring Lavi, who was rubbing the back of his head in pain. Allen rested his head in the palm of his hands while the old man started talking. "My name is Bookman. Myself and those like me travel the world to record its true history. We have been recording this war since it began and SHOULD be aware of those who participate and aren't being hidden." Here, Bookman paused and glared at Lavi, who shuddered. "To answer your question, if you include the four Generals, the strongest exorcists, you would be the 29th exorcist in the Orders ranks. The number of Finders stationed at Headquarters is currently 427, the branch offices..."

Here, Lavi stepped in. "Gramps, you're boring us all into comas. Let us enjoy ourselves here and I'll listen to these facts later." Bookman didn't seem to happy, but he noticed that everyone was doing something else instead of listening, and nodded.

"Very well, then you will hear this later, Lavi." He said as he walked off. "Should I be unable to avoid it." Lavi muttered under his breath. Timothy howled with laughter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the cellars, things were not quite as laid-back. Komui was having a discussion with Levrier, who seemed in an awfully good mood. And as everyone could tell you, if Levrier was happy, someone would soon be very, very sad. Levrier grinned as he, backed by a group of thirty people, explained to Komui what they had achieved.

"As I was saying, we have finally managed to control the arc. We can create basic rooms, we can find our way in it without a guide and we can use and control the portals, although we require a signal to the destination point. We still can't move the arc from headquarters, but we're optimistic that that will soon be achieved as well. But what I'm most proud of, we managed to put a lock on Allen Walker. He can no longer use the gates of the arc. The room of the 14th has been shut and cannot be opened without our permission, or with our permission for that matter, since there is no way to open that door. We use the control system the Earl had used, with great success I might add. All in all Allen Walker has been completely shut of from the arc."

'So that's why Allen couldn't summon the gates to transport them back. And knowing Levrier the number of exorcists going through those gates is going to be near zero.' Komui was smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself, and instead asked "Isn't that going a little too far? Allen Walker has proven himself loyal on countless occasions and I was informed that your lock is practically undoing the advantages we achieved by gaining the arc."

Levrier ignored the second part of his complain and asked: "By the way, where is Allen Walker?"

Komui gritted his teeth as he replied "At the welcome party for Timothy, our new exorcist."

Levrier smiled. "Then I hope he enjoys it, for it will be the last."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allen was not enjoying himself at all. He felt miserable and had a splitting headache. Lenalee seemed to sense something was wrong. "Allen, are you alright? You look horrible."

"I'm fine" he lied. But Lavi just snorted.

"You're far from fine, Allen. You whimper every time someone touches you and gasp when you move. And I happen to know you used the absence of the head nurse to leave the infirmary. She would have strapped you to the bed for at least a week if she'd seen you."

Allen couldn't deny that it was all true. Well he could, but no one would believe him, so why bother. At that moment Timothy said in shock "Allen, you're bleeding." a fine line of blood ran down from his forehead, split into two when it reached his nose and reunited on his chin.

"Great, another wound must've reopened again. No big deal." he saw how the others were looking at him and added "Okay, so I'm not fine. I think I should let the night end here and get some rest." Everyone, including Timothy, nodded. "Well, see ya soon."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean, the last party? Are you forbidding us to throw parties?" Komui questioned.

Levrier was still smiling. "As a matter of fact, yes. Ever since General Cross was brought back to the Order, the expenses have gone through the roof. Central ordered that costs should be reduced. The four Generals are in a meeting about that right now, in case you'd like to know. But that's not what I meant."

Komui was getting a really bad feeling and so were Miranda and Crowry, who had just arrived and were standing on a balcony two floors above the discussion. They had both been to timid to alert people, especially Levrier, to their presence.

"What I meant that now that we have near-exclusive control of the arc..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allen was in the bathroom, avoiding to look into the mirror and spotting his personal phantom. He really didn't feel good and he wondered what had caused the bleeding, because looking back, he didn't remember getting any wounds there.

"It's time." A voice suddenly rang out of nowhere. Allen spun around, but he was alone. He slowly turned and looked into the mirror. There stood the figure, that smile still etched into its face.

"What do you mean?!" he nearly shouted at the mirror. Instead of answering, the Shadow raised a finger and pointed at its forehead. Getting a really bad feeling, Allen lifted his hair so that his forehead was in full view. His face lost the little color it still had. He managed to gasp a single word with what seemed like his last breath. "Shit..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...Allen Walker is no longer irreplaceable, and so considering the immense danger he represents, Central has decided..." Levrier made a dramatic break during which Komui's face had become as pale as his hat and continued: "...that before Allen Walker is overwhelmed by his inner Noah, he is to be immediately executed." Komui nearly collapsed while Miranda and Crowry exchanged looks of infinite horror. But Levrier wasn't done yet. "These gentlemen here are CROW's best men and will make sure the matter is resolved by daybreak at most."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He smashed the mirror, but that only made it worse, bbecause now he saw it in the hundreds of shards. Right there, on the center his forehead, was a wound resembling a four-pointed star. He had seen it many times before. The mark of the Noah.

________________________________________________________________________________

And that's the 3rd chapter. Tell me what you think about it. And concerning the marking lines, I'm trying to see what works best, so please bear with it. You might have noticed I mentioned Cross a few times. I know that he's missing at this point in the story and that will be really important later on, but I don't see the point, so in my story, he never vanished. In fact I have some things I want to use him for, so him missing or dead would be a problem.

I think I've answered addenza's question, but just in case: His wounds were that bad, he just used the fact that the head nurse wasn't there to force his way out. So he used the lack of authority to 'legally' escape.

Also, I've upped the number of exorcists a bit (when I checked they said something around 22, including the deceased) to add some new faces, so if you want, send me a character (profile would be nice (Appearance, personality, a bit of background (optional) and Innocence). I can't guarantee I'll use them, but I'll try). If not, I might fill them over time or just leave them as background information.

While I enjoy writing this, I noticed that if people start writing longer chapters, people start to expect longer chapters. So my chapter length for now would be between 1500 and 2000 words (next chapter MIGHT be a little longer. I was looking forward to writing the next chapter since I started this, though I can only hope it'll be as good as I want it to be).School is trying to kill me with exams, so I might not be able to update 'till the weekend, but I hope to get it done by Friday, maximum. Again, I value everyones opinions, they show people actually read what I write, even critics are fine. Flames will be deleted (as soon as I find out how), but everything else is okay.

Please Review