The Woman at the Well

"I'll go with you." Sarai's eyes sparkled.

"What? No. Why?!" Noble nearly floated off the bed in shock.

The baker shrugged. "Why not? You and Nickel were my only ties here, and he is gone. And if I want to open a bakery, a bigger city would be more successful than a military outpost. I have found many soldiers don't appreciate frilly delicacies that the legacies might."

"I…No! I'm not going to Ravenheart and neither are you!"

Instead of confirming her decision, Sarai had muddied the water with her offer and advice.

Noble had already considered all that Sarai had said, but hearing it all put together so concisely was a shock to her system.

"I need to clear my head before I head home." Noble rose from the bed. "I'm going for a walk."

"I don't suppose you want any company?" Sarai lay down on the bed. "Ah well, I will rest here until you get back I guess. Let me know if anything interesting happens."

"Like me changing my mind?" Noble saw through the ruse.

Sarai winked. "I would find that interesting for sure."

Rolling her eyes, Noble headed out of the room toward the palace entrance. She could have stayed inside, of course. There were many corridors that would give her adequate privacy. 

But Noble longed for fresh air, even if it meant seeing people. 

'Maybe they will remind me why I want to be here.' 

If not, she would be left alone with her thoughts. Her frustratingly muddled thoughts. 

'I had it all worked out and then Sarai went and dumped cold water on me...which is impressive for someone with fire power.' Noble sighed. 

She headed out into the city. 

Things were looking better all the time. In barely a week, the pink part of the wall had grown to over five meters tall and the regular portion was not far behind. It seemed that having an Awakened that could build so quickly had motivated the rest of the workers to try to keep up. 

So although the wall was not nearly as high as planned, it was coming along. The pace was good, but the main builder, of course, was questionable. 

So, Noble wasn't sure how to feel about it. 

'What else is new...' 

"A fine day for a suicide mission," a voice broke into Noble's thoughts. She looked toward the person greeting her and the two others with him.

As soon as her eyes landed on the handsome man in his mid-thirties, she immediately had to look away. Her stomach churned momentarily in revulsion before returning to normal. Noble winced. 

"Master Chip, you can't say things like that," the woman with him covered her face in embarrassment. "Forgive him, Master Noble, it's his version of a joke."

"I've heard worse ones," Noble forced a smile at the woman. 

"She wasn't making a face at my joke, Jo. Just my face." Chip smiled. "It's my flaw. People don't want to look at me. It makes them feel uncomfortable." 

"We didn't see you coming until we almost bumped into you. That's a neat trick!" The third member of the group looked like he would disappear at any moment. In fact, for a moment, Noble thought she was seeing two of him before she blinked and there was only one. 

Noble only recognized Jo. The other two were either newcomers or visiting from Ender's Deep. 

With troops being sent home in droves from Antarctica now, many of them were using their time on the ship like Catphine and Hamish did, relocating in the Dream Realm to their preferred Citadel. 

And since many of the newest Awakened were not joining one of the Great Clans, they had sought out the government strongholds, creating a boom in population. 

"How did you do it?" The third member of the group stared with big round eyes. 

"Do what?" Noble tilted her head, confused by the man's question. 

"Usually Masters have this aura you can feel from far away," the younger man explained. "You just appeared from between the buildings with almost no presence at all." 

"Oh," the professor held out her arms. "It's the bracelets. I didn't realize their effect was quite that strong. I mostly wear them so people will not pay too much attention to me when I walk around the Waking World." 

"Fascinating," the short awakened leaned forward until Jo placed a hand on his arm. 

"That's close enough, Coy. Just because she seems tame doesn't mean she won't sting. Surely you saw what she did in the Dreamscape as an Awakened. As a Master, she could probably snap you in two." 

Coy stood up straight and pushed back his curly locks. "Apologies! I meant no offense." 

"I do, but only to those who deserve it," Chip chuckled, "but fortunately none of those present qualify. Ignore our intrusion, Ma'am, we'll be on our way." 

From the corner of her vision, Noble saw him dip his head. 

"Good day, Master Chip." Noble smiled without looking directly at him. "Awakened Jo, Awakened Coy." 

As the group moved away, Noble could hear Jo click her tongue. "I can't take you boys anywhere..." 

The professor grinned. 'At least they are enjoying themselves.' 

The same couldn't be said for her. She was too close to her conversation with Fort to be at ease.

The easiest thing to do would be to clear her mind of everything. Meeting the trio had been a nice distraction. Maybe she could find out if Catphine was here. That would be a welcome conversation. 

'Catphine is one of the reasons I cannot leave Crestfall,' Noble reminded herself. 'And by extension, I cannot go to Ravenheart.' 

It didn't matter that the two had seen each other a grand total of twice since she had arrived at the citadel. That was something Noble couldn't give up. 

After asking a few people, Noble was directed toward the city center. As she came close, the professor locked on to the emotional signature of the woman she was looking for, but when she reached the plaza, Catphine had already moved on.

Noble was replotting her course when a woman called out to her from beside the large fountain. 

"You seem in quite a hurry. Is there something I can help you find?" 

The professor was tempted to ignore her, but it would have been rude. The older woman was trying to be friendly. Who was she to decide who was and was not worth talking to?

Plus, any distraction was preferable to none. 

"Yes. I am looking for my friend Catphine. I believe she came this way." 

"A gorgeous brunette with a knack for finding where things go?" The woman asked with an amused grin. "She was here just a moment ago. Said she would be right back to get me." 

"Oh, thank you." Noble wasn't sure if she should continue to follow Cat's trail or wait for her to return. So she paused, the indecision written on her face. 

"Aren't you darling!" the older Awakened pointed to the well where she was sitting. "Maybe you might like a drink while you wait? I'm just taking a small break before I get back to work on the wall." 

The woman summoned a Memory and filled the chalice with cool water using a bucket. She offered it to Noble. 

"No, thank you." 

"Suit yourself," the woman took a sip. "Oh, I really like that purple. It's a good color on you." 

Noble was wearing the underpinnings of her Queen Bee armor. It was the only set of armor she had where there were definable layers, and the purple fabric was exceptionally comfortable. 

"Thank you. Yours is nice as well." Noble noted the golden etchings of a lion on the front of the breastplate.

'What kind of creature gave her that?'

"This old thing? It was a gift," the older lady answered with a wink. "I've had quite a few such gifts in my day. Beauties like us don't come along very often."

Noble smiled in spite of herself. "I appreciate the compliment." She held out her hand. "I'm Noble."

"A pretty name for a pretty girl," the other Awakened suddenly sounded like a doting aunt. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Noble waited patiently for a moment before proceeding. "And you are?"

The woman laughed. "Did I not say? I just assumed everyone knew who I was by now. Forgive me."

She shook Noble's outstretched arm.

"I'm Harlow."