Forgive || The Promised Neverland

➴ Chapter Three: Eyes ➴

"Yes," [Name] said simply, flipping the hood over her head. "We've only a month until the Tifari, so we need to track down the Geelan clan as quickly as possible."

"It's only been a day since you've returned," Norman retorted, crossing his arms. "Even if you're working, don't you think going outside already is excessive?"

"Not particularly," she replied. "I don't have time to rest when the deadline's so near."

"Even still," Norman pressed, "going to find the Geelan clan on your own is too dangerous. What if you came across them by accident? There's no telling what they'd do to you."

"I know how to keep quiet, Norman," [Name] assured. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I went through the villages on my own just fine, didn't I?"

"That was because you were hidden among mere villagers," Norman said immediately. "You could've easily escaped if you needed to. But the Geelan clan is a mix of wild and humanoid demon - you wouldn't stand a chance against a whole pack of them."

His vice fell silent after that, her eyes a mixture of indignance and almost panic. If there was anything Norman had learned throughout the years, it was that [Name]'s true intentions were always hidden in her eyes. Even if the excuse of being pressed for time was an admittedly good one, his long-time friend wasn't impatient.

There was something she wasn't telling him.

"...There are too many eyes here. We'll talk in my office," he finally decided, sighing in frustration. Before [Name] could protest, he shot her a glare. "That wasn't a request, by the way."

"I... Fine," [Name] sighed, reluctantly following the leader into his office. The moment she closed the door behind her, Norman began his questioning.

"[Name], you told me that you would stop lying," he said, blue eyes staring down at her like a parent scolding a child. "I know that you aren't going out because of the Geelan clan. Just... tell me the truth."

"I'm not lying," [Name] said coldly, her face set into a neutral expression. Norman, however, wasn't phased in the slightest.

"But you aren't telling me the entire truth, are you."

"And why would I have to?" [Name] asked. "You aren't my father, so don't-"

"Then stop acting like a child," Norman cut her off. "I'm the one making the plans. You know I cannot allow any possible changes to my plan. We cannot afford error."

"It isn't an error," [Name] replied. "In fact, I'd consider it the opposite."

"Then why are you hiding it from me?" Norman asked, his calm nearly cracking. "If it's something that would help us, why in the world would you need to keep it a secret? Especially from me, of all people?"

"It's not the right time!" [Name] snapped. Instantly, regret flashed over her face, and she shrunk into herself just a bit more. "My apologies... Norman, if I could tell you, I would, but I don't think it's the right time to tell you. You will understand when it comes through."

"...Fine," Norman tsked, but [Name] knew that he wasn't convinced. She knew him as much as he knew her - and she knew that knowing glint in his eye. "But I have two conditions. You have to take Isaac with you."

"Isaac?" [Name] repeated, caught off guard. "Don't you have him doing another task at the moment?"

"I can have another person cover him," Norman said. "I'd be more at ease if I knew you had at least some form of backup. Along with that, his abnormal senses would be perfect for tracking down a clan."

"...I can accept that," [Name] said, crossing her arms. Norman held up a finger.

"I'm not finished. The second condition is that if you find any trace of the Geelan clan, you are not to follow it any further than that," he directed. "Come back and report back to me, and then we'll go through the final investigation as a team."