Too Much for Your Pay Grade

"Are you going to see the psychosomatic therapist today? I'm free for the whole day." Noah walked with Eleanor as she exited the hospital. It was already past ten in the morning, and yet it was still early enough to get another appointment done if she's lucky.

"I… want to do it tomorrow instead." Eleanor sighed before looking up at Noah and reaching out her hand to cup his face. "You've grown. Though your face seemed to remain young, everything else has matured. Didn't Richard tell you anything about… a deal… I made with Randy?"

She recalled her hand and only waited for Noah's answer.

The witch only nodded, but he started walking ahead towards his bike. "He did say something about you selling me to the Connors, but nothing much happened after that. After you cut ties with me, I only depended on myself to survive. I don't have much of a relationship with them.

"Even if Richard would beg me today, it will just be a mission to me."

He then looked past his shoulder to gaze at Eleanor. "Are you going home now? I can give you a ride."

Eleanor only shook her head and walked closer to receive the helmet that Noah gave her. However, before Noah could ride the bike, she placed her palm on it. "Mon, Richard told me that you're… a rather high-rank agent of SCC. Do you… do you deal with witches, too?"

Noah's eyes glinted differently, perhaps in confusion and shock or something close to anticipation. Whatever it was, it didn't show in his tone. "Yeah, I do."

"You might end up fighting Chroma's old people if they are indeed behind the kidnapping." Eleanor sighed. "The current—no, last… the last leader of the coven is called Yvette Larke. She's a level seven witch so be careful.

"Even if she's quite merciful and docile, she wouldn't like other witches hurting her coven."

A frown was the only answer Noah gave her. He had a lot of questions in his head, and he didn't know which one should leave his tongue first. At most, he only reached out and caressed his auntie's head.

"Don't worry about me. Let's go, I'll drive you home."

"Do you mind having lunch with me? I… haven't seen you for a long while before we ran into each other. Is it okay for me to catch up with you?" Eleanor hung her head in shame, her lips curled in a bitter smile. She had done so many wrongs to this child, and yet he was still so gentle with her.

Even if his aura wasn't the same as the kind and soft Montana Mills, he was still treating her just as he did before their fallout.

…

Eleanor's eyes kept on going around as they walked into a fancy restaurant. She hadn't been in one for a long while as she had no reason to go. Her food was always made by herself, and her comfort food was from a small bakery near her home. Right now, Noah had taken her to a restaurant whose price range was a digit more than her usual food budget.

"Isn't this too much for your pay grade?" Eleanor whispered as she sat down, admiring the first-class cutlery and set-up of the restaurant. "We're even in a private room."

"Hm, someone told me that I could basically not cook again with the money I should be making."

Eleanor frowned and took a few looks at Noah's face and body. "Why? What do you do for a living?"

Noah only chuckled and waved his hand. "It's okay. I'm not selling anything."

The waitress came and gave menus to the two while also introducing their specials. Eleanor only frowned at her nephew before speaking—after the waitress left them to discuss. "If I order for the most expensive dish they have, will you be able to pay for it?"

"Auntie, why would you ask for their most expensive item? Aren't you allergic to lobster?"

"…how about the most expensive that isn't seafood?"

"Yes, Auntie."

"Can't you just give that money to me? Instead of spending it here?" Eleanor murmured as she went back to her menu. For a moment, she remembered how she normally talked to him while he was just a highschooler who lived on insurance his father left for him.

Noah hummed and chuckled. He was planning to give her some money later, but he didn't say it outright. Then, he heard her gasp.

She then showed the menu to him. "There's something called white caviar? I've never heard of this before! Have you tried this?"

The nephew looked at his menu and suddenly got dizzy upon seeing so many foods that he never knew existed. His eyes flickered, and then he shook his head. The auntie then continued pointing at food items and asking, Noah only shaking his head at all of her questions.

Noah wasn't raised to eat out and didn't like eating things he had never seen being cooked in front of him. He had no idea that so many dishes existed.

In the end, they only ordered what they felt comfortable eating. Eleanor didn't want to degrade her fancy-restaurant experience into a bathroom nightmare.

"This is a lot better than what I can make. I shouldn't really be here, or else I would be looking for this again and again." Eleanor grew melancholic as she continued to eat.

"I wonder how they made this. I want to try making some for Luca…" Noah was eating something else and was examining the meat.

"Luca? Your girlfriend?" Eleanor perked her head up as she heard a name from Noah's lips. She was prepared to be in a dilemma of overstepping her boundaries and scrutinizing Noah's girlfriend, but his answer stumped her. It even caused her brain to momentarily stop.

"No, I'm his girlfriend."

Eleanor's eyes flickered as she tried to dissect each syllable. However, she only stared stupidly at her nephew. After a few more bites into her food, she then gasped. "Luca's a man!"

A laugh answered her. She then brought down her cutlery. "Mon, are you sure about this? Didn't some guys bully you for being interested in men?"

"Oh, so you knew about that." Noah only hummed. "It's fine. They can't bully me anymore. Moreover, Luca's very nice to me. He would surely jump them if they tried."

"…Is he… where does he live?"

"Hm? London, but he's here in New York with me because of our mission." Noah continued to eat as if he was discussing simple things. "He's also an agent like me."

Eleanor rested her spoon inside her mouth before she took another spoonful from her food. "Do you mind… letting me see him? I just want to know what he looks like and how he talks to you."

Noah chuckled. He didn't know if Luca was willing to see Eleanor for no reason; he might overthink it. Moreover, he was also dealing with his deportation.

Wait…

"I forgot…" Noah mumbled. He forgot that Luca was about to be deported. Then again, he had no power over this as it was the direction of Luca's father, who seemed to be a big-shot in the Order.

Also… Eleanor seemed to be involved with witches. She probably shouldn't meet with Luca now that he was getting probed for protecting a witch.

"Sorry, auntie. Probably next time." Noah only declined her to keep her from complicating Luca's case some more. He was even trying to step away so he wouldn't have to deal with more problems.

Then again, it might sound very unfair to Luca if Noah abandoned him now.

Noah glanced at his left wrist and saw that he had no smartwatch to use. His phone was left with Rosanna so she wouldn't be so lonely. Right now, he only had Caseus and Pane to watch over Luca, but they couldn't relay Luca's messages to him as they were.

"Mon… you look bothered all of a sudden." Eleanor frowned at the sudden change in Noah's demeanor. "Is something wrong?"

"I just realized I'm in trouble." Noah brought his gaze to his auntie. "Don't worry about it though. It's just that I have nothing to use and communicate with my teammates. My communicator ended up getting destroyed, but I forgot to ask for a replacement."

Eleanor suddenly massaged her forehead. "Aiya, Montana. How could you be negligent? We should hurry up and finish so you can report back to them. If you run into real trouble, you won't be able to ask for their help."

Noah curled his lips a little but dropped it as soon as it rose. "Sorry."

However, his silence only warranted a lecture from his auntie. Unlike the shaken auntie she was days ago, Eleanor was livelier today. She began lecturing him again as if he was fifteen years younger.

"Aiya, what am I going to do with you?" Eleanor sighed before smiling in resignation. "I really thought you've already grown up, but look at you… still the same. Your father will be very happy to know that. Even SCC couldn't harden you, you little child."

"…Father knows about SCC?"

"Of course, he was part of it before. Elisabeth…" Eleanor suddenly stopped as if she realized that she talked too much. However, instead of making it more suspicious by disclaiming what she said, she only chuckled. "Your father is quite the advocate for peace. He's kind and gentle like you, too.

"I actually thought you'd grow up like him… it seemed to be happening. You're now a member of the same organization."

Noah only hummed, soon easing in a subject he knew only Eleanor could answer for him. "Auntie, how did they die? My parents… because I don't remember."

Eleanor stared at him, and her smile was slowly falling. It was too late for Noah to be asking this question, really. However, before, he was just an obedient child who wouldn't dare question anything anyone would say… from his aunt to strangers.

Now that he was indeed an independent adult, Eleanor knew he wouldn't hold back anymore.

She then hung her head down. This had been kept to herself for so long, but she still didn't know how to tell Noah properly. "They… were killed by witches…" Her eyes then flared in rage out of sight. "Satan's coven got both of them killed."