A Time to Talk

Fort did not need to be asked twice. He made himself comfortable beside his wife, careful not to be so comfortable that he fell asleep. He did not want to find out what would happen if he started to snore while Noble was baring her heart to him. 

That would end very poorly indeed. 

"So," Fort said as he inhaled the scent of the woman now leaning on his chest. They had both managed to change into nightclothes before fully settling down. "What is on your mind?"

"Depends. Am I talking to Deputy Director Fort, government agent or my darling husband whom I love?" Noble had learned this trick from her mother, Lena. 

Her father had been a very high-ranking government official both in North America and after they had fled to the NQSC. As a result, Lena had developed the habit of delineating which 'person' she was talking to.

After a couple of instances where her private musings about things she discovered ended up in official reports, Noble's mother had decided to make it clear when what she said was not allowed to be shared. 

"In here, I am always your devoted husband and nothing more." Fort raised one hand as if taking an oath. 

Satisfied by his answer, Noble relaxed against her husband and stared up at the ceiling. "Alright, two things happened today. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Whichever made you tell me to activate the same protocols I do in my office when I have a confidential meeting." Fort quirked an eyebrow at her.

"So you admit that you have this spelltech in your office then?" Noble's interest was piqued. 

She had only been to his work a handful of times and not at all since Fort's last promotion where his new office had a mysterious 'upgrade.'

"Don't change the subject." Fort poked her side, causing her to giggle. 

"Can't blame me for trying." The woman's laughter increased as Fort tickled her in earnest. 

"I can blame you for a lot of things," he joked, knowing he never would. "Now spill!" 

"Fine, fine!" Noble wriggled until the attack ceased. 

She brought her right arm from under the covers and summoned the [Portcullis Key] into her lithe hand. The orb formed in her palm and immediately the shadows in the dim room became darker. A strange energy emanated from the lightless ball, causing Fort to shift uncomfortably away from his wife. 

"What in the world is that?" He furrowed his brow.

"A mystery," Noble turned the ball over, examining all the surfaces once again to search for any imperfection. There was nothing noticeable, but the lights were dim, and the ball seemed to be pulling what little illumination there was into it. 

"You summoned a 'mystery' into our house?" Fort looked at her in disbelief. 

"I just wanted you to look at it for a moment so you know what I am talking about. It is called the [Portcullis Key]." Noble looked apologetically at her husband, and her doe-eyes softened his heart. 

"I've seen it now. Thank you."

Dismissing the key, Noble allowed the memory to disappear in a rain of gentle sparks. After the darkness of the orb, the tiny glints of light were nearly blinding. 

Fort shielded his eyes for a moment. "That thing gives me the creeps. Where did it even come from? Is it from your last trip to the Dream Realm?"

Noble was a little relieved that she was not the only one perturbed by the Memory. Her husband's instincts were good. But even 'creepy' Memories could be useful. Sometimes exceptionally so. 

"No, I stayed safe in the citadel as I always do. The Memory was lent to me by a student to study. As soon as I figure out what it does, I shall return it to her." Noble thought back to what Catphine had said about how the professor might need it, but left out that part of the story. It would only create worry which was likely unnecessary. 

"And what is so special about this Memory that you need to study it so closely?" Fort relaxed back onto his pillow. 

"I am not sure. Hence the mystery part. Other than the name and one additional word, the runes are completely unreadable. It is like they have been written over." Noble shrugged. 

"Strange runes? Did you ask Julius for help?" Fort's mind was already working on the problem. His wife was an expert on Memories, but her old teacher was far more skilled in deciphering the strange language of the Spell. 

Noble nodded. She and her husband were very much alike in their trains of thought. "Already did. He said he would look at both versions of the runes and get back to me." 

"Bee Two couldn't give you any information?" Fort scratched his head with his free hand. 

"Our dear android spit out a bunch of information but it was all incomprehensible. I showed it to Julius as well. I think the fact the runes were changed but not fully erased messed with Bee Two's ability to give me the data." Noble did not want to disparage the android assistant in front of Fort. 

He had gone to a lot of trouble to get it for her, and the robot was normally indispensable to the professor's work. This one failure was an anomaly, not the rule. 

"I see. That is very strange indeed, but not exactly groundbreaking such that you think the government would be interested. Is there something you aren't telling me?" Fort felt Noble stiffen in his arms. 

She relaxed a moment later and sighed. "It is more of a feeling. A reaction within me when I hold the Memory. There is something strange, different, and powerful about that little bauble. I know it. And those kinds of Memories are attractive to both the government and every great clan. If my student does decide to sell the Memory, I want to make sure Catphine does not give it away for anything less than it is worth."

"You are very loyal to the Sleepers. It is something I love about you," Fort kissed the top of his wife's head. "I hope you are able to solve the problem soon. Though I must admit I am glad you have found a new hobby." 

"What do you mean?" Noble lifted her head off Fort's chest and raised one eyebrow.

"You've been fixated on the gate which opened by our children's school for so long that I was beginning to think you'd never move on." 

"Oh, that." Noble looked away and closed her eyes. She knew exactly what color they were turning.

"Yes. That obsession wasn't healthy. This is a better use of your time." Fort rubbed his wife's neck gently. 

Noble pressed her lips together, staying silent long enough that Fort wondered if she had accidentally fallen asleep. She had done that on occasion, and her dutiful husband had had to guide her floating body to the sleeping pod. 

"Bee?" He said softly, using the pet name which had inspired her Dreamscape moniker.

"Yes?" Noble turned her face back towards her husband and forced a smile. 

"You said you had two things to tell me, right? What was the second?" Fort hoped the question would lighten the mood. 

"Oh, yeah. I got outed today." Noble shrugged. She enjoyed the confusion on her husband's face. 

Fort's muscles tensed. "When you say outed…" 

"Sarai figured out I am Queen Bee. Apparently I used a signature move of hers to avoid Mongrel." If Noble had known that was what would lead to her discovery, she might have tried something else to avoid the demon. Not that there was much time to think during that fight. 

Noble felt Fort's body convulse as he tried not to chuckle audibly. "This is excellent news! As a fellow duelist, surely she of all people can appreciate all your effort."

"It gets worse. She wants me to join the team competition with her in the next tournament…" 

Fort laughed even harder. "If by worse you mean this is even better news, then I happily agree. Maybe this time you will let me buy a ticket to be in the visible audience. I can use the excuse that I am cheering on your friend." 

"I didn't say I was doing it for sure, and no you may not! How would it look for you to be there watching 'Fireshing and Queen Bee' without me?" Noble paled. Probably no one would say anything…right?

"Alright, but I will find a reasonable excuse to be there…maybe I can get my boss to get me a ticket so I can go on a scouting expedition." Fort's mind was already working through the possibilities. "I don't know why I haven't tried that before, actually." 

'Probably because Honey is just now old enough to babysit her brothers.' Noble did not voice her thoughts. She didn't want to encourage his antics further. "Well, I am going to start training with Sarai more regularly just to see how things might go. She will probably come to the Academy at least at first so it shouldn't mess up our daily routine." 

"You should use your dojo. It isn't huge, but it is built well enough to withstand fire attacks." Fort suggested. 

"And if it doesn't?" Noble arched her brow.

"Then we have been talking about renovating anyway, haven't we?" Fort winked. 

"You are enjoying this far too much." Noble elbowed the man beside her. 

"I am just happy you finally have someone you can confide in," Fort admitted. "Besides me, of course. But really, you two will have more to talk about than ever."

"You certainly took this news better than I did." Noble wished she had Fort's confidence that it would all be fine. 

"One question," Fort stopped smiling and became quite serious.

Noble tilted up her head. "Yes?" 

"When you win the team tournament, can I finally start selling your merchandise? I have the perfect idea for a dynamic duo t-shirt." 

Noble imagined her animated face blazoned across someone's chest. "No!"

Fort poked her side gently. "No? What about a keychain? People could carry you around in their pocket or purse!" 

"That's worse!" 

Fort pondered for a moment and pursed his lips. "Alright. And hear me out on this one… A figurine of you and Sarai–where your heads bobble." 

Noble took the pillow beside her and bopped the man's face. 

He shrugged with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "That wasn't a no."