Folk Devils | D.Gray-Man

Chapter 31: A Brief Intermission

"Checkmate."

Capturing his master's king, the auburn-haired boy glanced up at the older man, and with a click, turned off the timer on their table.

"Hmph. Not bad." Bookman exclaimed. "This is your best time yet."

With his head resting on his fist, Allen studied the chess pieces laid out in front of him.

"A million possibilities, but they're all the same..." he muttered, laughing to himself. "Best time or not, I don't believe I'll ever like chess."

Bookman rose from his seat and began rearranging the black and white chess pieces back into their original positions. Sitting back down, he looked at pupil and spoke.

"'A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.'"

"A proverb shared through many cultures." Allen sat up in his seat. "But it doesn't mean a thing here."

"Are you sure about that?" Bookman raised a brow. "Your opinions, however small you may think of them, have more power than you might believe. Only a foolish man believes in a world without war."

Allen slumps back into his chair and frowns.

"War. That's all you mention these days." he remarked.

"Don't be a fool! Of course it is. Are we not currently in the middle of the Holy War?" Bookman replied. "A war that begun over 7000 years ago. A war between the wielders of Innocence, the Millenium Earl..." he paused, standing up again. "...and the Noah."

"Yeah, and we Bookmen are supposed to record this Holy War." Allen bit his lip and stood up also. "But you and I both know the one who's supposedly leading the Akuma and the Noah, the Millenium Earl, has been missing for over a decade!" he slammed his hands on the chess table, the pieces shaking in response.

"Settle down, Junior." Bookman commanded. "It's not like we have no idea where he could possibly be."

Allen stared at his master, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Allen asked.

Before Bookman could even think of answering his apprentice, the two overheard the laugher and chatter of children nearby.

"Ah." Allen made a noise.

That's right. He and Bookman had been playing chess in the park. It was nearing the break of dawn when they started, but the morning passed quickly with the sun high above the sky.

It wasn't just children that came to the park though, but others as well who were strolling around.

"We'll finish this conversation another time," Bookman asserts, rising from his seat. "I'm returning to the inn. Pack your bags, Junior. Our next location isn't far, but we'll be staying there for the foreseeable future."

Allen's eyes widened. His master had never used the phrase "for the foreseeable future" before. Their next mission was going to be a long one.

"Alright," Allen nodded. "just give me a moment."

The park the two had chosen was less of an actual park and more like a very long, very scenic walkway—located right next to the Water of Leith river in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. It was a popular area for both kids and adults alike, with children playing near the riverbank and on the grass farther away.

Allen sat down near the river, mind slowly beginning to wander. This was his second time in Edinburgh. The first was during his first winter with his adopted parents. It had snowed that day, leaving the whole city bathed in a mist of white snow. A beautiful sight—and to a child it was certainly magical.

Allen had complained on the day of his and Bookman's arrival due to the latter immediately noting that they'd be leaving shortly. 'Why come here but not be able to see any of the sights?' Allen had questioned. The older man replied with a short 'you'll be back.' Not fully understanding what Bookman was insinuating (or perhaps simply feeling tired from their travels), Allen dropped the conversation.

The green grass near the riverbank was soft and plush which did not help with Allen's already existing drowsiness from his last few sleepless nights. Being part of the Bookmen Clan and Bookman Jr. meant he was constantly recording a variety of events. Many times he would stay up all night writing, however this bout of exhaustion came mainly from their week of back-to-back traveling. Bookman had yet to tell Allen all the details of their next mission, but the young pupil was sure that it would be very important to the Clan's cause...and hopefully interesting for him.

Before Allen could think of dozing off, he heard a boy's voice calling in the distance.

"Oi! Watch out!"

Unfortunately for the auburn-haired teen, he couldn't watch out in time. A small white ball right in the back of his head. Allen's head rang as he grimaced in pain.

"What the heck?" Allen scowled. If there was any tiredness in him initially, it was long gone now.

A young black-haired boy who looked only a year of so younger than Allen ran up to him. His wheat-colored eyes looked at Allen with an apologetic stare.

"Me and a couple of other kids were playin' a game of shinty and I accidentally hit the ball a little too far..." the boy explained.

"Just a little bit?" Allen rubbed his temple. The back of his head certainly had a bruise now.

"Everythin' alright over there, Campbell?" Another voice called out behind the black-haired boy.

The object of the question turned to look at his teammate. "Uh...maybe?" he replied and then proceeded to turn and face Allen. "Look, I don't think you're bleeding, but do ya need a doctor? I know there's a clinic nearby—"

"No. Just no." Allen shook his head. "It's fine...uh..." he trailed off, looking at the other boy quizzically.

"What's your name?" The auburn-haired boy finally asked.

"Oh! It's Nea." the black haired boy responded.

"Right, uh, Nea." Allen said as he began to rise from where he was sitting. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad the you didn't hit the ball any harder."

"Ahaha....yeah..." Nea scratched his nape, laughing awkwardly. "I don't live here but I like coming to visit and playing with the kids that do sometimes since the only kids at home are me and my brother..."

"Uh huh."

Nea reached for Allen's arm. "Here, let me help you up. It's the least I could do after hitting you."

"Thanks," Allen replied, accepting Nea's offer.

"So what's your name?" Nea asked. "Can't really apologize properly without knowin' it."

"My name?" Allen paused, but then continued almost immediately with his answer. An answer that would have long-lasting consequences he could never imagine.

"It's Allen."

-

A/N: Well hello there 😳... it's been almost two years since the last chapter... I straight up wrote the first half of this in 2022 and never finished it until now 😭 but I'm back! I've had lots of different complications and circumstances that caused my inability to continue, but I do hope to continue this story even if the updates are erratic!!!