Disclaimer - I do not own DGM
Chapter Twenty-Two - Master and Apprentice
Nicholas was hardly able to believe that Lyssa had actually accepted his proposal and the wide grin that was plastered on his face was further evidence of this fact. A rarity given his situation but he simply couldn't help himself… or perhaps he just didn't want to. After all they had only known one another a short time so it would have been understandable if Lyssa had refused; hell, Nicholas was fully expecting her to laugh in his face.
But she hadn't.
She had actually said yes and with far less hesitation than one would expect from someone in her position. The young Noah was elated over this unforeseen turn of good fortune; so much so that he didn't notice the sound of someone knocking on the door. An unusual lapse in his normally hyper vigilant nature and one that would come back to haunt him any number of times in the years that were to come. Because Lyssa didn't notice the knock either and, at that moment, a gruff voice called out in warning, "Damn it, you'd better be dressed girl because I'm coming in right now!"
Lyssa paled as she heard these words, having no difficulty recognizing it as that of the general with whom she traveled. "Master Cross!"
"This isn't going to end well…" was all Nicholas had time to observe before the door of the room burst open to reveal the red haired Exorcist General. His one visible red eye surveyed the scene for a moment, an expression of absolute rage appearing on his face.
"What the hell is going on here?" Cross demanded, his gaze shifting back and forth between Nicholas and Lyssa, as though trying to decide which of them to kill first.
Nicholas took a moment to debate his response to this, at the same time lamenting the fact that he hadn't locked the door behind himself, but Lyssa didn't seem to need to do the same. Stepping forward and gazing squarely at her mentor the young woman replied, "Nicholas and I are going to be married Master Cross."
A reply which caused both Cross and Nicholas to gape in disbelief. Had she seriously just told him that piece of information without so much as batting an eye?
"Have you lost your mind idiot girl?" Cross demanded, taking a step toward Lyssa. Of course this prompted Nicholas to forget any reserve that he might have, sensing a threat to the woman that he loved. Shifting to his 'black' persona the young Noah stepped in between Lyssa and Cross, preventing the man from getting close to her. "I would advise against it Exorcist," he growled in a menacing tone, leaving no doubt to the fact that he would cause the man grave bodily harm should he make a move toward the girl.
Reaching out Lyssa placed a calming hand on Nicholas' forearm. "It's alright Nicky… he won't harm me." Standing on her tiptoes so that she could give him a quick kiss the young woman pushed him toward the door. "Master Cross and I have some things to discuss… I'll talk to you later alright?"
Nicholas was visibly hesitant to leave her in this situation but, after she gave him a reassuring smile, decided to trust her judgment. She seemed certain that everything would be okay so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. But before departing he felt the need to issue a warning to the man who seemed incredibly irritated over the situation. "Alright," he finally said, leaning forward and pressing his lips gently to hers. This done he once again turned his attention back to Cross. "But know this Marian… if any harm comes to her you will suffer a fate far worse than death. Of that I can assure you."
Cross merely scoffed as he watched the Noah brat withdraw, shaking his head a moment before turning his attention back to the young woman whom the Order had left in his charge. In hindsight this seemed like a very bad decision on their part, not that he'd been very keen on it to begin with. This situation with the Noah was problematic and not something that would have occurred had he not taken Lyssa on as an apprentice. "Have you completely lost your mind?" the red haired man demanded once he and Lyssa were alone. "What are you thinking? He's a Noah."
"That may be true but that doesn't make Nicholas any less deserving of love than other people," Lyssa stated calmly, not even remotely intimidated by her master's harsh words. Despite his reputation she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't harm her… he may yell and curse but that would be the extent of it. And she had long ago ceased to care what others thought of her so being called an idiot didn't really have the desired effect either. "Noah or not he's been working on our side so how is he any worse than other people?"
"Have you thought about the possibility that he could be just using us?" Cross growled, feeling the need for a stiff drink. For some reason dealing with people always made him want to get drunk… one of the main reasons why he avoided it whenever possible. And dealing with this girl and that brat of a Noah always intensified this desire ten fold.
"Shockingly enough I did give thought to that possibility," Lyssa retorted calmly, not so much as batting an eyelash. Contrary to popular belief she wasn't completely vacant headed, not matter what Cross was constantly shouting. "In fact I'm fairly certain that was his intention in the beginning…" She paused at this point, giving Cross a moment to digest this information since this was a suspicion that she hadn't shared with either her master or Maria. She was closer to them than anyone else but had seen in Nicholas someone in need of saving and someone who genuinely deserved a second chance so she had kept her concerns about him to herself. "But he's changed a great deal since we first began dealing with him… not to mention the fact that he's had numerous opportunities both to kill and/or capture me and hasn't acted on any of them."
"You've been spending time with the brat." It wasn't a question; merely a statement of fact. Cross didn't need for her to confirm it, the confirmation was written all over her face.
"I have," Lyssa affirmed in a quiet voice. "And he isn't an innately bad person… it's not like he can help the fact that he was born a Noah. No more than I can help the fact that I was chosen by Innocence."
"I can't believe that you're even comparing the two," Cross said, reaching up and running a hand through his long red hair. He'd had his suspicions about the two of them for a little while now but hadn't expected to be having this conversation with his apprentice at any point. For whatever reason Cross had thought that the girl had better sense than to get mixed up with a Noah… obviously he'd been wrong in that assumption. "And you know if the Order finds out about this little union you'll be labeled a traitor, right?"
"I'll be labeled a traitor regardless if they find out about Nicholas," Lyssa stated in a matter of fact manner. She had no illusions about what she had done nor about how the higher ups of the Black Order would react to the fact that their group was conspiring with a known member of the Millennium Earl's side. Regardless of their motives, if anyone found out that they had allied with a Noah, they would all be tried for heresy. A charge that few, if any, survived. Which meant that she was well aware of the danger and willing to take the risk despite that knowledge. "So the way I see it, this doesn't really change my situation all that much. I can still fulfill my duty as an Exorcist… the only difference will be that I'll be with the man that I love."
"Stubborn…" Cross growled, actually marveling slightly that she seemed to have an answer for everything that he brought up. Had she put some thought into it or was she just pulling this stuff out of thin air on the spur of the moment?
If that was the case then the man had to admit that it was impressive. Not that this made him any happier about the situation.
"Unfortunate side effect of being around you for long periods of time," Lyssa tossed out casually, offering her mentor the ghost of a roguish smile. It spoke volumes that she teased him in such a manner, not many in the Order would dare. Of course she knew that the man was less threatening than he acted, something that the others likely wouldn't believe even if she told them. "Aside from that I really am sorry that you had to find out about it this way but… you know you really should knock before coming into a woman's room."
"I did knock," Cross snapped, his one visible red eye narrowing. "It's not my fault that you and the brat were too preoccupied to hear it."
Lyssa actually blushed in embarrassment this time around. "Oops…" she muttered, mirroring his earlier movement and running a hand through her own hair. "Guess we should have been paying a little more attention… that was careless."
"You think?" Cross said, rolling his eye.
"According to you, only if I have to," Lyssa replied, shaking her head ever so slightly. "And I apparently haven't been doing all that much of it as of late."
"That's the first thing that's come out of your mouth that made sense all day," Cross said, taking a deep breath and blowing it out. He needed a cigarette, since he didn't have any alcohol on hand so he reached into the inside pocket of his Exorcist's coat and pulled one out. Sticking it into his mouth he struck and match and lit the end, taking a deep draw appreciatively. Exhaling he gazed at his apprentice, seeming a little more relaxed thanks to the nicotine. "So what do you and the brat intend to do? Because I imagine that the fat ass is going to be even less pleased by this announcement that I am."
If she were being completely honest then Lyssa would have to admit that she hadn't really given any thought to how they were going to make the marriage work, what with the fact that they were on opposite sides of a fairly bloody war. But even this didn't make the young woman second guess her decision to become Nicholas' wife. "We'll come up with something."
"That brat's going to be the death of you," Cross snarled, unable to believe that she could be so calm about all this.
"It's possible," Lyssa said calmly. "But then again, given my occupation, the prospect of death is something that I face on a daily basis anyway so it's not like this decision is changing anything."
"You're hopeless," Cross growled, effectively ending the conversation. Still puffing on his cigarette the red haired general turned and left the room, leaving his apprentice alone with her thoughts.
The moment that the door closed behind her Master, Lyssa turned her attention toward a glint of gold that was just barely visible behind the curtain. She'd left the window partially open and didn't have to guess what it was that was hiding there. "Come on out Tim… you know I can see you, right?"
A couple of seconds passed before the golem emerged from behind the curtains, it's wings flapping rapidly as the little creature flew over to the girl. Reaching her Timcanpy opted to perch on top of Lyssa's head, one of his favorite perches.
"So Nicky sent you to spy on us I take it?" Lyssa said, despite the fact that she knew the golem was incapable of answering the question. And probably wouldn't have even if it were an option since he was completely loyal to the Musician. "I guess I can't fault him for that, given the circumstances. You can go back and tell him that all is well… Master Cross is a bit irritated, an understatement of course, but he'll get over it."
Timcanpy remained nestled in the girl's hair for a moment before shooting into the air once more. The golem hovered in front of Lyssa for a moment before abruptly turning and zooming out the window.
Lyssa chuckled softly as she watched Timcanpy's hasty retreat, a small smile appearing on her face. "I have my own personal stalker… not sure how I should feel about that."
This said the young Exorcist walked over to her bed and sat down, placing her elbow on her knee and using her hand to prop up her head. Gazing around she allowed her thoughts to shift back to the earlier events, to the moment when Nicholas had proposed. She hadn't been expecting it, even though she was aware that he harbored feelings for her, and was ecstatic that he had actually popped the question. Because it simply reaffirmed her thoughts that the two of them belonged together… that they somehow completed one another.
"It isn't going to be easy," she thought to herself with a sigh. She had no illusions that her marriage to Nicholas would be easy but maintained that she loved him enough to cope with anything that happened to come along. Having learned that life was too short to be overly cautious she was ready to take the leap, even without knowing how deep the chasm was. "But I believe that it's going to be worth any hardship that we have to endure."
A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. So now we know the 14th's actual name though I'm opting not to change it for this story since it's already so far along. Too lazy to do so.