"I'm an idiot," he tells Coppelia and Poe.
They don't answer, too busy chasing the feather toy that he's wiggling on the living room floor for them, but if they could talk, they'd probably be telling him that they knew that already.
"And now Jade is avoiding me?" Noel jerks the feather into the air and Coppelia leaps after it. "What did I do? Did trying to help him really ruffle his majesty's feathers that much?"
Coppelia smacks the toy down and pins it to the floor. Poe creeps over and they both watch as Noel struggles to pull it free of Coppelia's claws.
"Lesson learned, I guess," Noel mutters. "No more helping people. Trying to be a good person is what got me into this clusterfuck in the first place, so from now on, I'm only looking out for myself."
Poe shoots him a look.
"I'm serious this time!" Noel insists, finally tugging the feather loose and swinging it around to the other side. Both cats spring after it. "I'm done helping people, and I'm especially done helping Jade Ransom." He pauses. "Except for all the times I'm going to have to have sex with him—ugh!" Noel flops down on his back, throwing his arm over his eyes.
Coppelia takes advantage of his theatrics by stealing the stick out of his hand and running off with it dragging behind her.
----------
Foolishly, Noel assumed the Founding Day fallout had reached its peak. As with most other things in his life, he was wrong.
"Please get in the car."
Noel stares at the nicely dressed man holding the car door open in front of him. He shifts his weight, glancing over his shoulder at the Halo entrance.
"Please, Mr. Noel. President Arden is waiting."
"Why didn't he let me know he needed to talk to me?" Noel asks, tightening his grip on his bag. A few of the other employees getting off work are starting to notice him, pointing out the confrontation to their companions as they pass.
"He sent me to let you know." The man gestures again to the car.
"I have to get home."
"This won't take long." The words are mild, but the steel undercurrent to the man's voice informs Noel that he will be meeting with his father today one way or another.
Gritting his teeth, Noel ducks into the car. The man closes the door behind him, sealing his fate.
This is just what he needs barely 24 hours after getting cornered by Genevieve Quinn. Honestly, he'd lock himself in a room with her again if he thought it would get him out of this.
"What does my father want?" Noel asks, clutching his bag in his lap. Normally, when his father wants to see him, his secretary just sends him a message and Noel is expected to find his own way there. To actually send a car like this…it makes Noel's stomach cramp.
The man, who is most likely an assistant of some sort, going by his suit, keeps driving without even a glance in the rearview mirror. "He has something to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"He'll tell you when you arrive."
"Am I about to mysteriously disappear?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Noel."
They leave the downtown area, and Noel scowls as he realizes they must be heading for the mansion. His phone buzzes and he hurries to check it, hoping there might be some emergency that requires him back at Halo.
Jade Goddamn Ransom: When will you be home tonight?
Noel blinks down at his screen.
Noel: I'm not sure. Why?
Jade Goddamn Ransom: What do you mean you're not sure? I know your shift is already over.
Noel: Why??
Jade Goddamn Ransom: Just tell me.
Noel: I really don't know. My father wants to talk to me.
Jade Goddamn Ransom: Why?
Noel: That's a good question. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Noel: Is something wrong?
Jade Goddamn Ransom: No.
Jade Goddamn Ransom: Let me know if you need me to come get you.
Noel's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. Jade is weirdly insistent about Noel using his car, but actively offering to pick him up? Isn't that a little below the most powerful esper in the country? And Jade doesn't usually text Noel like this either.
He's still pondering Jade's odd behavior when the car rolls to a stop in front of the mansion's towering gates.
The Arden mansion in uptown Novum is what some might call a monument to excess, but Noel just calls it tacky. It's ancient by A.P. standards, over 200 years old, and stands in one of the first neighborhoods reconstructed after society got its shit back together. As such, it's a unique combination of classic and improved architectural styles, constantly updated with the latest anti-malform technology. Noel spent parts of his childhood here, and it's so large that he's not convinced he's even seen all of it.
After showing his ID to the guard at the gatehouse, the assistant continues on to the winding front drive. It's getting cooler, so the landscaping isn't as vibrant as usual, but it's still impressive. The assistant parks in front of the wide front entrance and Noel steels himself before climbing out of the car.
Activity seems to be low today, with not many staff members milling about, so Noel can only assume most of his other family members aren't here. Everyone hops from property to property more or less at will. If his father is here, then Alyssa almost certainly is too, though.
"Your father is waiting in his study," the assistant informs him as they mount the sweeping main staircase.
"Thanks. I know how to get there."
"I will accompany you."
Sighing, Noel trudges on.
Dread calcifies in his bones as he draws closer to the familiar room, and by the time he's outside of it, he's afraid he might throw up.
"President Arden?" the assistant calls. "I've brought Mr. Noel."
"Come in," his father's deep voice answers.
The assistant inclines his head, like they're in a fucking period drama or something, and Noel spares him one last dirty look before pushing the door open.
Director Arden's study is as ridiculous as the rest of the house, lined with books and expensive knick-knacks that haven't changed since Noel was a child. Noel always thought it felt more like a set than an office that someone actually used. To complete the scene, his father is seated at his enormous, shining desk in front of a wide window looking out on the back garden. His father doesn't stand or even look up from whatever he's writing when Noel enters, and Noel considers turning around and just leaving. But the door has already closed behind him.
It's obvious that his father is expecting him to go stand in front of the desk, like he's a naughty school child visiting the principal's office. So fucking demeaning. Rolling his eyes, Noel approaches the desk.
"Father."
"Noel." His father still doesn't look up, or say anything else for several long moments.
"If you just brought me here to play mind games with me, I'm leaving."
"Watch your tone." Noel's father finally sets down his pen and lifts his gaze, steel gray eyes narrowed in reproach. "Don't think I've forgotten your behavior at the last family dinner."
"You mean after you nearly poisoned me?"
"Don't be so dramatic," his father says disdainfully. "Of all the things to inherit from Natalia, you had to get her penchant for theatrics instead of her power class. It's such a shame."
Noel grits his teeth. "Why did you summon me like something out of a mafia film?" he asks tightly. "You could have just called."
"I wanted to make sure I got my point across, since you like to play dumb." His father folds his hands on the desk in front of him. "Surely you're not so obtuse as to not realize that there's been a photo of you making the rounds online."
Noel grips his messenger bag strap. "I saw it," he mumbles, stomach twisting.
"Care to explain?"
"There's nothing to explain. It's a photo of me helping Esper Ransom get his card key because he was drunk."
"And why were you with Jade Ransom?"
"Because we were at the same party?" Noel shifts his weight. "Because we're coworkers? What kind of question is that?"
"You know who Jade Ransom is, right?"
Noel barely manages to contain a manic giggle. "Yes," he replies. "Like everyone else in the city. Probably the country. I don't see what that—"
"You will recall," his father cuts him off, "that when you took the job at Halo, I told you that under no circumstances were you to do anything to stand out or draw attention to yourself in any way, otherwise your employment would end."
Noel's stomach drops. "What?"
"Now the Arden name is floating around the internet in conjunction with a D-class guide. That seems like standing out to me."
Noel stares at his father, his heart trying to squirm up into his throat. "What are you saying?"
His father's face remains impassive, barely a flicker of emotion besides the ambient irritation of dealing with his pathetic son. "Your employment was conditional upon you keeping your head down and not embarrassing your family by reminding the world of your existence," he says simply. "You have failed in that regard, and so I can no longer allow you to work at Halo."