Chapter 358: 358 - Introducing the Bosses
As he waited in silence while staring at the sky, Noah rummaged through his memories, "I don"t remember ever going there..." he thought, as he tried to figure out the situation behind the old man"s living conditions, and why Allie would be in such a poor place.
"Maybe I was just too worried about my own things to ever care about it... I don"t know," he told n.o.body, as he patiently waited.
Over the next few minutes, he didn"t even bother checking the time, and just went over the plans he had for the ice-cream parlor. From the damage done to the surroundings, it would take a few months in the least to get it built and profitable. Even if he rushed and expanded now, the enormous construction zone all around would render it pointless. Unless he were to aim for the workers, which honestly sounded like the dumbest idea one could have.
"Those people don"t have time for pleasantries and soft-serves," he thought reminding of his own past and how he couldn"t afford any of those things, only taking nice things in as a treat for his sister. While he thought, somebody knocked on his window, making him look out.
"Sorry, I didn"t notice you there," he said, opening the door and the trunk, as he adressed Al who was waiting for him outside the car. In his confusion after being startled, it did not even register even for once the fact that she had completely slipped through his pyakugan.
"It"s alright, I knocked as soon as I realized you hadn"t seen me," she said, pulling a large bundle of things behind her.
"Is this all?" he asked, looking past her at the large bundle made with a large cloth without being able to see what was inside.
"Yeah, I brought all of it," she said, surprising Noah again. Both for heavy the bundle should"ve been and the fact that was everything she owned.
"I see," he muttered, taking the bundle from her and carrying it towards the back of the car, throwing it in the trunk. "Do we go straight to my place now?" he asked, turning towards her and seeing her fl.u.s.tered, "Or maybe we could stop and eat something on the way?" he asked, not realizing he was doing the very opposite of what was sensible.
"Ummm... I don"t think I"m dressed well to go anywhere," she responded, although, to him, she looked very properly dressed in a plain but well cut black dress and some very light makeup.
"I think you are dressed up far better than I am," he said, looking down at himself and his less than impecable clothes, which used to be fancy. "Thinking about that, I better stop by at home and take a shower before even thinking of going anywhere." He closed the trunk of the car, accompanying her around to open the door, and seeing her in. "Is what I said okay? I"ll also get around to introduce you to the familiars I left to take care of the house," he said as she sat down.
"Sure, I"m looking forward to meeting them," she answered while smiling, wondering what they would look like, considering he had the black snake and the red goblin-looking monsters.
Noah smiled back and closed the door, heading back to his side of the car.
"Boy, you taking her? Be careful not to forget she exists, like most do." Noah turned around as the voice of a woman called him out. She was a poor looking old lady, her hairs frail and broken, her skin blemished by time and peril. However, her milky eyes held something Noah could only call wisdom. Even if her clothes were tattered, and her entire self disheveled, something told him this woman was not someone to take lightly.
"I won"t," he said decisively, making the woman nod with a smile, as he opened the car door and turned back towards it, getting inside.
"Did she say something?" Allie asked, seemingly nervous.
"Yeah, she asked whether I was taking you," Noah said, choosing to ommit the part about forgetting she exists. He could see she looked anxious, her feet moving up and down as she tapped the console.
"... I see," she asked, then laid against the seat with a thud, looking up towards the sky, not stopping to rock her feet and tap.
"What is it? Something bothering you?" Noah asked, but got no answer. "Do you want me to call her?"
"No!" Al turned in a hurry, making Noah furrow his brows.
"Is there any problem?" he asked again, now staring her in the eyes.
"No. It"s just..." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "She"s blind, and hasn"t spoken to anyone in years," she said, putting her hands between her legs and rubbing them, as she bit her lip.
"Is that so..." Noah muttered, as he tapped the b.u.t.ton to get the seat back up and cracked his fingers, before turning the car"s engine on.
"Also, she was the only person in there that even remotely cared for me," Al completed, tears forming on her eyes. "Until one day she stopped talking to me entirely." Noah looked across the car and saw Al about to cry again.
"d.a.m.n... What do I do now?" he thought, wondering whether it was best to respect her moment and keep distance.
"Be careful not to forget she exists" the old lady"s words ringed in his ears once more, and he looked down at her hands, and how they wouldn"t stay still.
"f.u.c.k it," he decided, and put his arm across, touching her shoulder. Al hastily turned towards him, before leaning over the center of the car, allowing him to hold her. Noah stayed there in silent, waiting as the tears silently rolled down onto his shoulder, for a handful of minutes, before she lifted herself up. "She must"ve gone through a lot," he thought, as he watched her wipe her eyes with her arms and turn back to her usual emotionless expression.
"Sorry you had to see that again," she told him, fastening her belt, before telling him to leave, "I"ve already bid farewell to this place, we can go."
Driving from the outskirts back to his house was a good half hour ch.o.r.e. The narrow streets and untimed traffic lights delayed it more than helped, especially once one considered this was a lot closer to his place than even Carlos" mansion.
"We"re finally here," Noah said, as he parked up the car in front of the door. For some struck of luck, the two spots in front of his house were empty, making it a lot easier to park than it had been at her old place. Despite having taken this car for the very first time today, he had already gotten used to driving it, and had already completely forgotten it was not his car.
"Yeah, sorry if the traffic was bad." Al stretched herself, and apologized.
"Why are you apologizing about it? It"s not as if you could control the traffic," he said, as he himself stretched a little, with the help of the moving car seat.
"Yeah, but... you wouldn"t have gotten stuck in it if you hadn"t taken me home..." she justified herself, making Noah take a mental note about how much she apologized about everything.
"It"s okay, I was the one who told you I"d do it anyhow. Either way, we should head inside, they are waiting, and it"s getting late, you"re probably hungry," he said, opening the door and the trunk of the car.
He got the bundle from the back before opening her the door, but a dropplet of water hit him. "Great," he mumbled, as he looked up to the sky to see the clouds. "We better go, it"s gonna rain by the bucket," he said as soon as he opened her the door, not long before the rain started pouring down. "d.a.m.n it! Let"s go! We don"t want yoru stuff to get wet!" he exclaimed, as he ran into the house, followed closely by her. He turned around as soon as he reached the door, to see her arrive behind. "... I forgot," he thought, as he realized his blunder. "Erm... Sorry... I don"t have the keys, grab me hand," he called her out, and she confusedly held his hand, only to be engulfed by flames.
"Kyaa!" she yelled for a second, scared before hearing his voice again.
"Open your eyes," he said, as she squeezed his hand. A second after, as soon as her eyes slowly opened, she let go of his hand.
"Huh? How?" she asked, her eyes wide open, as she looked around to see they were inside.
"Let"s say I can phase through doors," he joked, holding down his laughter. "Unicorn, Terrence, I need to introduce you someone," he called out, making her furrow her brows at the strange names, and her mouth widen in shock as the ma.s.sive fiery horse walked in from the kitchen.
"What is..." she asked, frozen, and waited for a second, until the unicorn stopped in the middle of the living room. The sheer pressure she was feeling from it was enough to make her hold her breath. It was almost as if this unicorn was a monster far scarier than those she had seen Noah and the others fight today. And a bird sound caught her attention, as a black bird flew off its back and landed on Noah"s shoulder. Oddly enough, despite having a tenth of the unicorn"s size, the small black bird had made an even stronger impression on her.
"Hey, Terrence. Any good news for me?" Noah asked, and got a crow-like sound in response.
"Nothing really happened," started the unicorn, before asking, "And who is the human?"
"This is Al, she"s an old friend of mine, and will be taking care of this house from now on since we"ll be moving," he introduced her, making the unicorn lower his head at the two.
"Wait! These... Are they?" she stuttered, and Noah smiled back at her.
"Those two are my familiars."