Deal

On cue, the young man bounded out of the room with childlike exuberance. "Somebody call me?" he asked excitedly. His shining eyes were filled with mischief.

Surprised by his sudden appearance, the couple shied away from the intimate kiss they were about to share. 

"You were listening at the door, weren't you?" Fort pointed an accusing finger at his nephew. 

Seb grinned unapologetically. "You would have done the same!" He plopped himself between the couple, forcing them to scoot apart on the couch. He eyed Noble carefully. "Now, I have a few questions for you." 

"I'm sure you do." Noble unconsciously gulped. "Alright. I can take it. Ask me anything." 

"You are an Awakened, right?" Seb seemed sure on this point. Noble wondered if Fort had told him or if he had come to this conclusion on his own. "Awakened have great power, but they also have a handicap to balance it out. So, what is your flaw?"

"Seb!" Fort brought his palm to his face and shook his head. "I really have to teach you what it means to be polite." 

"It's fine," Noble did not want the men to fight because of her. If she was truly as all-in as she claimed to be a minute ago, it was time to put it all out there. "I will tell you both, but you cannot tell anyone. You understand?" 

The young woman looked to Fort. He nodded. A silent question passed between them and he nodded a second time. He thought that Seb could be trusted with this information. 

"My flaw is that I cannot touch the ground. Even now, I am not really sitting on the sofa and my feet are not on the floor. My body constantly wants to float away, and I have to consciously keep it between the ground and the sky." 

If Fort thought anything of the flaw, he kept his face neutral. On the other hand, Seb nodded approvingly. "It's a wicked flaw for sure, but not one that could hurt my uncle, so you get a point in your favor for that. Next question…" 

"Before that, can you tell me how many points I need to pass your test?" Noble wanted to know exactly what she was in for. 

"One Hundred, of course! But don't worry, some questions will be worth more than others. For example, if you say chocolate is your favorite ice cream, that will get you ten bonus points." Seb nodded as if this were some well-known fact. 

"It is a good thing I like chocolate then." Noble grinned until the boy shook his finger. 

"Wait! I am not to that question yet!" Seb clicked his tongue. 

"Why do you get to ask all the questions?" Noble wrinkled her nose playfully. "I think for every question you ask, I should get to ask you and Fort one as well."

Seb thought, tapping his chin just like Noble had seen Fort do so many times before. "That seems fair. You may proceed." 

Noble hid her grin. He was still a child and yet sounded so grown up! "Ok, You started off with a big question so I will as well. I would like to ask: What's the most interesting thing that has ever happened to you?" 

The woman realized belatedly that this might not have been the best place to start. Just because Seb was being a little hard on her did not mean Noble should act in kind. But her instincts had told her that she should prove that she meant business. 

Noble was rewarded with a huge smile from the boy. "Most interesting good thing? Oh, that's easy! Your arrival today was the most interesting thing to happen in a long time. Uncle Fort is a little boring, no offense," he said with a playful grin. 

Fort bumped Seb's shoulder with his own and gave a mock scowl. "Hey now! I have my moments." He gave a long-suffering look to the lady on the other end of the couch. "I am afraid he is just trying to flatter you."

Noble leaned over and whispered loudly, "It's working!" 

Very pleased with himself, Seb rubbed his hands together. "Excellent. Shall we continue? Now my second question is, what are your Aspect and Abilities?" 

The interrogation went back and forth for over an hour. Noble found the more she talked to Seb, the fonder of him she became. He was curious and clever. Many of the wonderful traits that she admired in Fort were also held by the young man who clearly loved his uncle.

For his part, Fort was exceptionally uncomfortable at first. The two people he cared most for in the world were engaging in a battle of wits. 

It was very possible that one wrong answer could cause an argument and dash any hope he had of a future with both of them in it. 

As time went on, Fort realized he should have had more faith. Although there was an occasional point deduction by both Seb and Noble at different times, the two took the good with the bad and accepted things as they were. 

At last, the boy held out his fist, lowered his voice, and spoke into the invisible microphone. "Ok, Awakened Noble. We are down to the wire. You have ninety-nine points and there is only one question left. And this one is the toughest one yet." 

Noble folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. "Alright. I think I am ready." 

Seb looked quite serious. He tapped the tips of his fingers together. "What…is…your favorite ice cream?" 

Biting her lip, Noble tapped her chin in deep contemplation. "Going to be honest with you: I did not see this one coming at all. I think…hmm…I will have to go with chocolate." 

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner. You have one hundred nine points. A new record!" Seb imitated the cheer of a crowd. 

Noble waved her hands in the air in celebration before lowering one onto the boy's shoulder. "You are a winner too, Seb. One hundred percent. Fort is very lucky to have you in his life." 

To her surprise, Seb opened his arms and hugged her in response to her words. Touched by the action, Noble embraced him back. The boy melted into her arms. 

"Alright, Uncle Fort. I approve," Seb said after he let Noble go.

"I am glad," Fort felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. It was heartening to see that the woman he loved and his nephew were getting along as if they had known each other their whole lives. 

"You two are allowed to be together on one condition." Seb looked between them to make sure they were taking him seriously. Both adults tensed. 

"What's that?" Noble asked, genuinely curious. 

The boy straightened his shoulders. "When you get married, you adopt me. There is no way you are leaving me out of any family you make." 

"Seb," Fort began. The boy had mentioned this sort of thing before, but never so bluntly. 

Nobe could feel the boy's yearning for a permanent home. She needed to allay his fear. 

"You were his family first. It's a long way off and not nearly certain yet, but if we get married and that is truly what you want, we will do whatever we can to make that dream come true." Noble smiled at Fort and then at Seb. She held out her hand in front of her. "Deal?"

 The boy placed his hand on top of the Noble's in agreement. "Uncle Fort?" Seb's pleading gaze was mirrored by the woman beside him. 

Outnumbered and not at all opposed to the idea, Fort simply shrugged. "You heard the lady. It's a deal."