The carriage ride was no picnic to say the least.
Daisya tapped his fingers against his cheek as he glared outside the murky window at the blizzard that they were riding through. He, Kanda, Marie, and the general had been stuck inside the torturously slow transport for many hours now. They had assembled previously, say one hundred miles back, and were now only a few kilometers away from the base of the Black Order. The horrendous winds of the opposing blizzard slowed them down considerably though.
Just a few more miles till a warm bed, hot chocolate, and getting out of this nightmare! Daisya inwardly sighed and glanced over at his compatriots. Kanda, sour faced as usual. Marie, stone faced as usual. General Tiedoll, doodling as usual. The monotony was driving him off the walls! Which would be a miracle because of the cramped stagecoach anyway. Without thinking, he let his head fall over to the window hoping to relieve the boredom. Not a good plan because as soon as he did, the glass crinkled during the impact. Kanda flinched slightly and cursed under his breath, and Marie and Tiedoll jolted sending the general’s charcoal pencils all over the floor. Daisya, swearing like a sailor, drew back his head. Trickles of blood flowed between his eyes. The injured lad pulled off the spare bandages around his head and hastily tried to ebb the pouring blood. Marie shook his head and reached under the seat for the first-aid kit. Kanda merely snorted and said, “Baka.”
Just a few more miles. Just a few more miles…
“Thank you, God!” Daisya dramatically stumbled out of the weather-torn buggy and kissed the ground. Kanda sneered at the pathetic spectacle and trudged on. The shorter exorcist soon grew tired of the act and stepped lightly towards the gatekeeper. The team stood still as the jittery face determined that they were still human and gave them permission to enter. The men felt the anxiety of all the hard working fatigue and stress melt of as soon as the familiar, old scent of the Order passed by them. The old proverb was true: There is no place like home! Each exorcist released their golems for an update and set their baggage on the granite floor. A couple of familiar faces emerged from the hustle and bustle of the cleaning staff and scientists.
“Kanda! Daisya! Marie!” Two soft, delighted voices chimed in sync.
“Kanda…” Another was lower and less enthusiastic.
The running of the first voices’ shoes flew past the General as they giggled excitedly. They were followed by a more casual, but equally cheerful tone.
The man wore a long, white lab coat and checkered flip-flops. His hair was jet-black, curly, and was topped by a funky beret. “Froi and Company! Welcome back!”
The elderly general chortled and doffed his coat. “Thank you, Komui! It’s good to be back.” He looked behind him to see the Supervisor’s younger sister, Lenalee, chatting happily with Kanda. Kanda’s expression had softened, but he was notorious for small talk. The other was a rather peculiar one. Latched around Daisya’s and Marie’s neck was a willowy girl, not much older than Lenalee. She had the regulation exorcist’s coat; a simple, black choker with a gold key attached to it; and the most unorthodox thing was her sapphire colored hair. Tied into two tight buns that gave her a mousy look, that was the physical change that happened due to her synchronization with her Innocence. This was Azzura Fallon, native of Italy and newly appointed exorcist. She gave a squeal of delight as she grabbed all three of Tiedoll’s pupils and swung them around in a tremendously strong hug.
“Benevenuto! * Welcome back, my friends! Bunosera! * Great evening for a party, yes?” She placed them back onto the floor and hopped excitedly in place, blue hair bouncing with her.
“Can’t you stay still for once, or at least speak English?” Kanda stared angrily at her, still slightly queasy from the spinning glomp. Another figure appeared behind Komui. His silver hair framed an innocent, naïve face that belied a heartbreaking past.
“Komui? Oh! Welcome back, you guys,” He frowned, “and Kanda.” The Japanese exorcist returned the glare. Lenalee smiled at her brother and friends.
“Come on! We’ve been waiting hours; everybody’s here except you four!” She took Allen’s hand, much to Komui’s disdain and ran of towards the dining hall. Azzura made her leave too. She whisked around and grabbed Daisya’s arm and they both raced off, giggling and consorting like they did where ever they went together.
“Well now!” Tiedoll smiled and walked down the hall leaving Marie and Kanda standing all alone.
Silence. Marie turned to Kanda and said, “You ever get the feeling that we aren’t as admired as we once were?” Kanda snorted.
“Tsk.” He tramped forward, ignoring Marie.
Poor Marie. With nothing else to do or say, he, too, marched onward to the beginning of the Advent soirée.
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Hahahaha! I loved this chapter! Poor Daisya, Kanda, and Marie. For some reason, I just love causing trouble for them. Bad Fanfic writer! XD I hope you enjoyed it. Please see my past art for pics of Azzura. She’s also in my fanmanga. The party starts next chapter! Later!
*Benevenuto- Welcome! * Bunosera- Good Evening!
