Bee out of the Bag

Helios. As soon as the name left Noble's lips, she couldn't think of naming him anything else.

It was not only an ancient name in the human world which meant sun, it was also remarkably similar to the word for joy in her family's Gibberish.

And the creature which Helios resembled had brought her comfort in the heart of her Nightmare. It was a very fitting name.

'Much better than accidentally naming it after our neighbor. That would have been awkward.'

Helios sniffed again, but this time there was no force behind it. He lay all the way on the ground, seemingly content with how things had turned out.

"Helios? I like it!" Brock punched the air with his fist.

"I suppose I can get used to it," Rain pursed her lips.

"With your naming sense, you would have called him Yellow or Big Cat," Blaze rolled his eyes at his elder sister.

"Would not!" Rain countered, her ears burning.

Noble could tell by her emotions that the young man had come much closer to guessing Rain's thoughts than she would ever admit.

Fort continued to stare at the strange being that was now taking up almost the entire space between his table and the scooted sofa.

"Helios, hm?" He said at length. "It's a good name." 

"I am glad you approve," Noble smiled warmly at her husband. "I was beginning to think you might not like him."

"I am just shocked," Fort pushed back his blond hair from his forehead with an amused grin. "You are always full of surprises, my love. Of all the things I expected to happen today, this was not on my list at all."

"What did you expect?" Noble raised one eyebrow at her husband.

"Nothing," Fort lied, a hint of mischief in his eye. 

His wife opened her mouth to inquire further when he stepped toward her quickly. In an instant, his face was a whisper away from her. Noble's breath hitched.

He lifted his hand, but instead of touching her face, Fort reached out and laid his hand on the graceful creature's mane. "He's magnificent." Fort's eyes didn't move from the woman before him, "Just like his master." 

"That's true!" Blaze piped up, causing the couple to separate slightly. 

Noble blushed heavily. She had momentarily forgotten her children were watching. "What is true?" 

"Since he is an echo, you can tell him what to do. He can battle with you. Or for you!" Blaze began to imagine how that fight would look. 

"I don't like the idea of just standing by when there is danger near," Noble shook her head. 

"Don't I know it," Fort teased with a little bitterness in his voice. "However, I do like the idea of you having some extra protection when you go headlong into trouble," The Director turned to Helios and whispered in his ear. "Take good care of her and protect her from danger." 

Perking up his ears, Helios suddenly stood as his muscles tensed. 

The family backed up to give the massive creature room. 

"Not now, boy. Fort meant in the future. We are quite safe." Noble double-checked to make sure nothing else was in the house. Other than the inexplicable protective presence that she could occasionally sense around Rain, nothing was amiss.

Helios relaxed. 

"I want to see him in action so bad!" Brock whined. "Isn't there any way you could show us what he can do without, you know, actually destroying anything?" 

Noble chuckled softly, "No way that immediately comes to mind." 

Sure, she could fly them a few at a time to outside the city and try some maneuvers. But that would be reckless. If something attacked, she would be responsible for any harm that came to her family. 

And trying out a new Echo inside the city limits would not only make the neighbors gossip, it could do some real damage if Noble made a mistake. 

"What about the Dreamscape?" Blaze suggested. "They have battles with echoes there, don't they?" 

Indeed, just like the illusory arenas held duelists, they also had a part of the Dreamscape dedicated to battling with echoes. As Noble had only ever had Memories in her Soul Sea, the place was completely untouched by Queen Bee. 

"Wait, if you are a Master, you won't be able to duel anymore yourself, will you?" Rain realized now that the topic had been broached. 

"Only for exhibitions unless they open a new option for Masters. There just aren't very many Ascended and the few that exist are very busy, so there isn't much need for Dreamscape to accommodate them." Noble had already come to terms with this fact.

Short of asking Saint Thane for a favor, her days competing in the Dreamscape as her alter ego were through. 

"That's perfect!" Blaze clapped his hands excitedly. 

"What is?" 

Noble's eyes widened. What was perfect about her losing access to her hobby?

"You can go to the Dreamscape as Queen Bee and take Helios with you. I am sure we can find a stream of the battle as soon as you appear. Then we can watch him in action!" Blaze's eyes glistened with pure excitement. 

"I don't know," Noble pursed her lips. "I don't think it is a good idea." 

If she were to show up with the Symncus in the Dreamscape then anyone who saw him with her at the Academy or anywhere else would be sure to notice that he was the same type of creature. Her Fraudulent Facade was pretty powerful, but Sarai and the Chancellor had been able to connect the trail back to her with only a few tiny breadcrumbs. 

How much more would a huge Demon-sized breadcrumb lead others back to her hidden identity? 

More than that, Noble could feel pain in the Dreamscape. If for some reason the echo could also feel pain, she didn't feel good about forcing Helios to put himself in harm's way for sport. 

"Please!!!" Blaze's and Brock's eyes grew as big as their faces. 

Even Rain seemed intrigued by the prospect though she wouldn't show it. 

"There are a couple of problems you aren't considering..."

Noble's communicator buzzed at her side. She glanced at it for a moment, and her mouth grew taut. 

"What is it?" Fort could see that the message had disturbed her. 

The professor handed her husband the device as she spoke. "Well, I was going to say that using Helios in such a manner poses a huge risk of my identity getting out, but it seems like I am too late for that." 

Fort looked at the communicator. 

"The buzz is that you have returned to the waking world as more than just Queen of the Dreamscape. If you have some time tomorrow, I would like to get an interview..." The message went on to suggest a time and place. It was from none other than the Nonsense-free reporter, Frey. 

"Seems the Bee is out of the bag," Fort winked. 

"If he found out on his own, others will too. There is nothing like a woman falling mysteriously in and out of a gate to pique people's curiosity." Noble sighed. Part of her had already realized she would need to come out in the open. The professor had just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. "I guess that is that." 

"You said there were a couple of problems," Rain reminded her mother. "What was the other?" 

"Helios entered my Soul Sea only two days ago. He may have been formed fully grown, but I don't know what he can do or how to work with him." Noble had found fighting alongside Kosi to be intuitive. She had no guarantee that the Echo would be the same. "More than that, I don't want him to get hurt. The pain I feel in the Dreamscape is temporary but very real." 

Helios snorted as the hair on his mane stood on end. He growled softly. Noble felt the connection between them change slightly. The Symncus was...indignant?

When his eyes turned on her, she could almost hear the question in her mind. 

'You really think I will get hurt?' 

Noble sighed. "You want to go fight in the Dreamscape?" 

The void in the echo's eyes darkened slightly. 

The answer was yes.