Exception

By: Aviantei

46. The Chairman's Noah Chat

Tyki had always found the regular Noah gatherings a bore, but this one felt even more like a drag than usual. If it weren't for the fact that he'd get far more hell than it was even remotely worth, he wouldn't have bothered to show up in the first place. But staying in the Chairman's favor meant that you had to follow the Chairman's whims, and showing up for the Most Awkward Pseudo-Family Meal™ just so happened to be one of them.

So Tyki sat, though that was a relative word, considering that he was leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. It was oh-so very tempting to prop up his feet on the immaculate tablecloth, but he did have to eat here, so he'd pass for the time being. Damn, I'd kill for a cigarette now. Or to go hang out with the others—I haven't seen them in a while. Chatting with Red seems fun, too.

Just a few more months of this, and then it would all be done for, and Tyki would be free.

"Heheh, what's a-matter, Tyki-Tyki?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're more grumpy than usual."

Tyki resisted the urge to sigh, and instead let his chair fall back to its proper position in favor of Jasdevi knocking it out from under him. The twins were looking as chaotic as usual in their punk attire, but it at least still had some semblance of formality—again, the Chairman wasn't too picky about what his favorites did. It was the other Noah you had to worry about taunting you; Jasdevi simply didn't have enough energy to care about other's opinions, so such energy was wasted on them.

"Not all of us can bounce back right away after a party like the one we had last week," he said, swiping up a toothpick to chew on in favor of a smoke. He was going to burn through half a pack after this, just you watch. "I'm impressed you lot even manage to stay in the Noah with all the partying you go ahead and do."

"You take that back, hee!" Jasdero said, fuming. "We're both good Noah!"

"Yeah," Davit said, almost drawling the words out. "We at least go and party in the right places. You know if you weren't a Noah you'd be in much more trouble for who you hang out with!"

Not bothered at all by the concept, Tyki shrugged. Honestly, it would have been much easier if he did get in trouble so he wouldn't have to put up with all of this, but things didn't work out that easily. Even if he wasn't one of the Chairman's favorites, his stupid family had enough influence to pay his way out of trouble, even when breaking school rules. He was half convinced that it was because of his family that he was even a Noah in the first place, but that was another matter altogether.

Playing both sides is the best, anyways. But whenever I'm stuck in one for too long, it definitely gets boring.

"If you don't like what I'm getting up to, then go ahead and tell on me. See if I care." At least getting scolded might mix things up a little bit—assuming that such a thing even happened in the first place. Too bad Tyki had to stay in the Chairman's good graces if he wanted to be able to come back to the good life whenever he felt like it.

Devit scowled. "Sheesh, you're no fun to tease anymore, Tyki-Tyki. When'd you become so boring?"

"Yeah, yeah! Even Road wasn't any fun at all today, hee!"

Because, surprising a grand total of Absolutely No One who was in the know, Road had been in a trash mood. While she'd controlled herself admirably at the dance, she still had an odd combination of rage, disappointment, and inner conflict going on that she had no idea how to handle at all. The end result was that she had been putting off some really intense vibes, thus scaring off anyone in her immediate vicinity. And even though those gathered there that morning were used to that from her, Road sitting with her knees hugged to her chest and absentmindedly stabbing her fork into the empty table before her was enough to concern even the assembled Noah.

Yeah, not getting anywhere near that, Tyki, Jasdero, and Devit all thought in unison before making the choice decision to look away before they could establish eye contact.

Jasdero shuffled closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Do you have any idea what happened, hee?" he asked. "If we figure out what's wrong, maybe we can shoot it to death for her."

Never mind that trying to shoot the source of the problem (i.e., Allen) would just upset her more; no, no, Tyki had a much more pressing problem to deal with! "Why is it that whenever something's wrong with Road you lot assume that I'm going to know what the fuck is going on?"

"That's because we know you're keeping an eye on her. Sheril wouldn't give you a moment of peace if you didn't," Devit said, and he was right. Sheril had been particularly obnoxious the past week, what with Road's attitude meaning she didn't even bother to respond to him. Sometimes, Tyki considered giving the whole thing up for fucking broke, but that would just lead to Sheril storming MPHS on his own, so lesser of two evils and all that. Devit nudged Tyki with his elbow, though the younger Noah was very much snickering at the other's expense. "So come on, Tyki-Tyki. Let us know what's goin' on."

"Excuse me if I don't want to go ahead and give the gossip kings prime material." Jasdevi put on twin looks of innocence, but it wasn't very effective. "Don't give me that. With what's going on, Road would slaughter me the moment she realized who I spilled to, so I'm not about to take that risk." It had been nightmare enough skirting around the issue with Sheril, who insisted on knowing everything, and Road's violent tendencies did happen to run in the family. "If you wanna know so badly, try asking her. Otherwise, I'm staying out of this shit show." Or as much as he could, considering how deep in the trenches he already was.

Jasdero shared frowns, debating if it was worth pressing the issue. On one hand, they were gossip mongers, which meant that they really wanted to know what was going on with Road, especially since Tyki was being so dodgy. On the other hand, was being on Tyki Mikk's bad side worth that? Not to mention if it was as bad as implied, meaning that Road would be extra upset…

Jasdevi communicated in that silent way that was only achievable by those with close bonds and came to the same conclusion in the same exact moment.

"Fine, hee," Jasdero said with a pout. "If you're gonna be like that, we won't bother."

"Tyki-Tyki's gotten boring," Devitt said, dramatically slumping in despair, a move that just so happened to land him on Tyki's shoulder. Jasdero mirrored his twin, effectively boxing Tyki in with a direct affront to his personal space. "Are you sure you don't wanna come partying with us? Like, a real party, not any of the dull school safe stuff."

"You better not let Road hear you say that. She was in charge of that 'dull school safe stuff.'" Though, from Tyki's perspective, that party wasn't all that dull, and he hadn't been in the epicenter of the action. Considering that Road didn't even respond to her name being dropped, Jasdevi didn't have all that much to worry about, though. Noticing that the twins were wholly undaunted, Tyki sighed. "If I agree, will you get off me?"

"Yahoo!" Devitt and Jasdero leapt up as they cheered, high fiving when they landed. Tyki was already filled with a sense of impending regret, but that was Future Tyki's problem to deal with. Hooray for poor consideration of the eventual consequences, but at least he could mitigate the issues a bit.

"I get to pick when, though!" he called after Jasdevi as they skipped away in celebration. "You don't just get to drag me out whenever you feel like it!" Everything already felt like it was going to be enough of a headache as it was already; he didn't need to add to it. Jasdero and Devit didn't give any indication that they were listening, but at least he'd said it in public. Not that Road seemed in any shape to be a witness. Tyki sighed even louder, already feeling a headache coming on. Why is it always like this? The breakfast proper hadn't even gotten started, and Tyki was already exhausted. "Stupid meal, stupid twins, stupid my big mouth…"

"You sure do like to complain, don't you?" said a voice with an elegant drawl. Tyki leant back his head, finding none other than Lulu Bell standing there, as finely dressed as always. Not that such appearances were anything unusual for the Noah, but there was no doubt she enjoyed the finer things, and she was an undeniable beauty to boot. "You'd think after being with these people for so long, you'd know how to better handle them."

"I'd like to see you deal with this smoothly after putting up with Sheril harassing you all week." While Lulu had long since graduated, she had attended Millennium Private High School at the same time as Sheril—not to mention that she had become a teacher at MPHS of all things. She put up with all of the Noah on a regular basis. Lulu only raised a thin eyebrow, and Tyki chose to change the subject before she poked holes in his argument. "What are you even doing here anyways? I thought the Chairman saved alumni Noah for their own meals."

Lulu gave a curt nod, which confirmed Tyki's assumption but didn't provide any kind of explanation or Lulu's presence. "All I know is that the Chairman asked me to be here. Couldn't tell you why." With a minimal wave, Lulu moved on, her heels clicking against the floor as she headed down the table to her indicated seat. "Try not to gripe so much, Tyki. You're making life way less enjoyable for the rest of us."

Tyki scowled at her retreating back but didn't bother to say anything else. Bickering with Lulu Bell wasn't worth the effort whatsoever; she was just as petty as the rest of them. The Chairman sure knew how to pick them. Though what's he want Lulu around for? God, Tyki was so out of date with everything that was going on; what an awful position to be in.

"Good morning, my Noah," the Chairman called as he entered, and they all came to attention, Jasdero falling silent from their own discussion. No matter what kind of mood the rest of them were in, the Chairman was grinning as ever, so at least he was having a good time. "We're having an unusual situation today, but I hope you all enjoy eating together. Ah, Lulu, did you come alone?"

It was Tyki's turn to raise an eyebrow, and his gaze landed on Lulu, along with Jasdero. She didn't look in the slightest bit affected by the extra attention, though. "I didn't forget to bring him, he just said he wasn't feeling well, so I told him to catch up. If he's going to be a Noah, that kid needs to learn how to take care of himself."

"Wait! We're getting a new member?!" Jasdero and Devit managed to shout in perfect stereo. Was it even possible to practice that sort of thing? They were uncanny in their ability to talk in unison—though their sentiments were shared by Tyki as well. Only Lulu Bell didn't seem impacted, but, considering that she was involved, that wasn't all that surprising of a reaction. Curiosity piqued, Tyki looked to the Chairman, waiting to hear more.

The Chairman nodded, looking pleased by the general reactions. "Yes, yes, I received a recommendation, so I decided to approve him." That was even more notable, considering that a lot of the Noah got their memberships due to family status, having someone enter purely on recommendation was rare. Not impossible, but rare, if only because MPHS was such an expensive place to attend in the first place. "It is a bit unfortunate that he wasn't feeling well, though, I was so looking forward to introducing him."

"If he's worth it, he'll make it here eventually," Lulu said, as cold as ever. Jasdero, Devit, and Tyki all glanced to the entrance, wondering if their new member would make a dramatic entrance, but the door remained shut. "Not that I want to rush you, Chairman, but if he could start the meal?"

"Yes, yes, a good plan. Let's begin." All it took was the spoken mention, and then the private waitstaff got to work, easily serving up the decadent breakfast available to them. The tasty food was always a plus, and Tyki had to admit it made the regular gatherings a bit more bearable. "Now, I'd love to hear how you all have been doing. Road, did you think you dance plans went well?"

Even among the Noah, who were already the Chairman's favorites, Road had wormed her way into his exceptionally good graces, and she normally reveled in the attention that brought her—not to mention her insistence on maintaining that position meant that she would often respond to any inquiries in a fraction of a second. But today? Nothing, just her still despondent fork destruction. If it weren't for the fact that she'd already been served her first course, there was a strong chance she would have torn up the fancy tablecloth, too.

"Road, dear?" the Chairman asked again, hoping to catch her attention. Still no response. "Are you listening?"

Going against every survival instinct he had, Tyki nudged her leg with his foot until the table. "Road," he hissed. "Holy shit, Road, the Chairman is talking to you, wake up." He chanced a stronger kick, but there wasn't any recognition, not even a flash of irritation in her eyes that signaled violence. Jasdevi were watching with a mix of amusement and concern. Only Lulu had started eating without any care of the world. When another kick didn't do the job, Tyki was forced to look up at the Chairman with a strained smile. "She…must be tired. You know she put a lot of work into the dance, sir—"

"Yes, I'm well aware." Well, the Chairman didn't seem upset at least; he was one of those cheerful people you had to look out for if his mood ended up dropping. "That's why I was curious about how things went. Is there any chance that Road's state has something to do with Allen Walker?"

Tyki tried not to freeze, but it was such a precise question that he couldn't even deny it. Did the Chairman already know everything that was happening and was just asking for a report—no, wait, come to think of it, he'd seemed interested whenever Road had mentioned his name before, hadn't me?

Oh, Red, your little friend's in way more trouble than I thought if the Chairman is interested in him.

It wasn't that the Chairman was a bad person, bent on the destruction of the world or anything. He was simply a rich man who enjoyed helping students at his school obtain the best possible futures, and he even had a number of charitable enterprises that he contributed to. But he did have a tendency to be rather insistent about recruitment—it was just a matter of what it was about Allen Walker that caught his attention so much.

Fishing for intel can wait. I can't keep the Chairman waiting forever. "Road was very interested in having the Walker boy come to MPHS," Tyki said, the among other things staying off his tongue for the sake of keeping things brief. "He declined her offer."

Despite trying to look disinterested, Lulu's golden eyes were carefully watching the situation. Jasdero and Devit were suppressing their snickers hard enough for their shoulders to shake, and Road still hadn't reconnected to reality. Tyki watched the Chairman's face, but it was as unreadable as ever.

And then the man grinned.

"A bit disappointing, but that's to be expected," the Chairman said with a sigh. He turned to Road, addressing her without any worry for her state. "Don't you worry, dearest Road. Allen Walker will come around eventually. He may not know it, but he's meant to be here, among the rest of my wonderful Noah."

Tyki exchanged a wide-eyed glance with the twins, and even Lulu Bell had paused in eating. They were all used to the Chairman recruiting whoever he wanted, but making an outsider a true Noah—not just the general nickname for all students, but part of MPHS's most inner circle—was an almost unheard-of event. And while the Chairman could recruit whoever he wanted, it did end up begging the question:

What makes Allen Walker so special?

Tyki and Lulu Bell opened their mouths at the same time, but were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. In tumbled a kid in his late teens, a bright headscarf sticking out against his dark hair and skin. His clothes were loose and a bit more casual than expected for the importance of this function, but if he'd even made it inside, then he was meant to be there. The Chairman smiled, spreading out his arms. "Ah, welcome! Glad you could make it."

"Sorry for runnin' late," the newcomer said, earning open stares from the assembled Noah. "Ms. Lulu over there went an' left me by myself when I had a headache, so I had to rush to catch up. Oh, right, I should go an' introduce myself." The newcomer smiled, gracing them all with a casual wave.

"Ya can call me Wisely, and I guess I'm the newest one of you Noah folk."

Everyone was so stunned by the newcomer that no one noticed that the usual sharp light that had entered Road's eyes once again.

[Author's Notes]

Happy anniversary to both Exception and my entire fanfiction career. Fourteen years later and this shit still isn't done, but I'm doin' my best over here.

Thanks to everyone who's still reading this fic. I appreciate it, and I hope you're having a fun time.

The Noah are an absolute trashfire, but they're fun to work with, so here's a whole chapter of them all being disasters together. I also love Wisely, though I feel like I'm taking some liberties with him in this arc... Ah, well, it's my AU, and I can do what I want.

While some of my writing plans got derailed this past year by the usual Shiny New Idea syndrome, I did knock out a pile of chapters on this fic without too much trouble, and I've surprisingly kept up my momentum and have been working on Exception daily for the past month or so. Something's finally clicked in my head, and I'm starting to feel like maybe I can actually fucking finish this story in the near-ish future? I'm gonna try my best this year and see what happens. If nothing else, there's plenty of updates to come, so I hope you'll stick with me this upcoming year and however else long it takes to see this story to its end.

If you've been following me for a while, you know I usually do a pile of updates for the holidays, but I ended up focusing for so long on a couple of projects that I just have this update and one for Kamaitachi Chronicles, so I hope that's enough for the year. Though there's also the walk steady bonuses, wandering road, wherever you are, which will be dropping tomorrow, along with this year's [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] project for Moriarty the Patriot, you could have my heart (and i would break it for you), so I'm looking forward to all of that.

As for this fic, we'll see chapter 47 in January as we head into the new year with the (fully drafted out) Robot Fight Club arc! Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[12.23.2022]