Show and Tell

Noble's eyes went wide as her mind spun. 'I made no such announcement!' 

Seeing her moment, Sarai pulled her knees to her chest. Like a sprung trap, the fiery woman kicked Noble in the stomach and reached for her spear. The movement was so swift and seamless, that the professor had no time to react. Before she knew it, Sarai was pinning her to the ground. 

"Never let your guard down!" Sarai winked as she pointed her spear at the professor's chest. The agile Awakened pressed her foot against her opponent's stomach pushing Noble's armor against the ground.

"You got me…" Noble admitted through clenched teeth. 

She bit down the scream clawing to escape her lips. Pain radiated through her entire being. If she did not get up soon, it was very possible that her bones might shatter from the pressure being put on them. Sweat formed on her brow.

Noticing the change, Sarai quickly got off Noble and reached to help her stand. "Did I hurt you?" 

Breathing heavily, the professor waved off the other's concern. "Not you, no." In truth, the woman felt nauseated enough to vomit, but her Awakened constitution allowed her to handle the feeling without giving in to it. She moved quickly to the table where her communicator was and located her water bottle. Taking a sip, Noble steadied her stomach. 

"I had no idea that breaking news would affect you so much," Sarai came over and rubbed the back of her friend's polished armor. 

"I must admit it did surprise me. Not that it matters, but where did you see it?" The professor wanted anything to get her mind off her pain, and she was curious about Sarai's source.

Seeing that the sparring was over, Sarai dismissed her outer tunic and allowed the light purple workout clothes underneath to show. She reached for her personal communicator and scrolled through a few pages.

"Here." 

Leaning against the wall, Noble looked down at the communicator. 

"Queen Bee throws her Estoc into the Group Tournament!" She read. The professor glanced at the byline. Unfortunately, it was Frey, a reporter for the paper Noteworthy who rarely got things wrong. Noble had actually seen him pay to be in the dreamscape audience so he could both see and be seen. The dark-haired man was tenacious, always taking note of even the smallest detail.

Noble sighed and reluctantly read on. 

"Sources revealed that Queen Bee is planning to enter the next Dreamscape competition…as part of a group! This nonsense-free reporter has uncovered rumors that after losing her undefeated streak to Lord Mongrel, the Queen of the Dreamscape has set her sights on a new challenge: the team tournament.

"Awakened Nickel, who goes by the moniker Unorganized Laundry in the Dreamscape, went on record to say, 'Queen Bee wants to enter the ring with her stinger? She better hit the books.' Comprised of Nickel and his partner Awakened Ren (known by fans as Izayoi_nii), the Librarians were an unstoppable force in the most recent championship. Now they may at last have some real competition. 

"The question is: who will our noble Queen choose as part of her court? Will it be someone tenacious like the combat master ShadowSaint? Or perhaps someone subtle like the fair but fierce GoldieRider? Who knows? The vivacious Queen might surprise us and bring a newcomer to the scene!

"No matter what, you can bet we will be reporting…" Having gotten the gist, Noble skimmed the rest. She bit the inside of her cheek trying to keep herself from showing how she felt. Inside, the professor was furious. 

'Nickel!' There was no doubt in the Awkakened's mind who had tipped off the reporter. She had conveniently forgotten how well-connected the young librarian was with the media. 'I'm going to murder him!'

Noble was livid for letting the prank she pulled backfire so miserably. If not for the fact that Nickel had never given her any indication that he even suspected that she was the woman behind the mask, Noble would have been inclined to believe the librarian had done it just to get back at her. 

But since Nickel was oblivious to her hidden identity, what was his aim?

Had Unorganized Laundry intended to scare Queen Bee out of entering? Were this the case, the reporter had done Nickel a great disservice.

If the fearsome fighter was trying to push the Queen into joining the tournament, his tactic was more reasonable. Now it would be hard for the Noble to deny the claim without actually saying something publicly.

'That duelist doesn't know what he's gotten himself into…' Noble's body tensed, ready for a battle. 

Noticing the sudden change, Sarai took back her communicator and stared quizzically at her friend. Finally, the auburn-haired baker broke the silence. 

"So," Sarai drawled, "Are you going to enter the group competition?" 

Noble blinked a couple of times. "Why would I do that?" She managed to keep her voice neutral, but just barely. "Anyway, I thought we were talking about Queen Bee." 

Sarai snorted. She took a sip from her thermos. "I was."

The professor straightened her back and rolled her shoulders. She moved back towards the ring, which despite the resistant fabric still had slight scorch marks riddling it. 

"I don't know what you are implying, but I think I am ready for another round of sparring…" 

"Are we really not going to talk about it?" Sarai placed her hands on her hips.

"What?" The professor hoped that it would all blow over. Ask enough questions and people usually give up. Hadn't her own children used that tactic more times than she could count? 

"That move that Queen Bee made." The younger Awakened raised her eyebrows. 

"Which one?" Noble cocked her head to one side. Was it her or was the room getting steadily warmer?

"The one where she leaned back and then pivoted to dash in and nearly took out Mongrel." Pretending she was holding her spear, Sarai swayed agilely to demonstrate.

"Ah, ok. I think I know when you are talking about. What about it?" Noble nodded, pretending she was interested. 

"You did the same move just a moment ago to finish the fight…" The redhead crossed her arms.

Stroking her chin, Noble hummed softly. "Did I?" 

"You did." Sarai narrowed her gaze. 

The professor furrowed her brow. "Are you sure?" 

Tapping her foot, the graceful baker pursed her lips. "I'm positive. We both know I taught you that move. It was one of the first tricks I learned to do with my [Aching Ember]. Granted you adapted the method for your sword, but the basic mechanics are still there…" 

"That's fascinating! Are you ready to spar now?" Noble tried one last time before dropping her hands helplessly at her side. "Fine." She lowered her voice. "How long have you known?"

Happy that her friend finally let her in, Sarai grinned. "Well, I've suspected it for a long time. But every time I looked at Queen Bee directly, doubt crept in."

"It is my mask. It causes people who know the wearer to doubt their identity." Noble glanced toward the door to make sure it was shut. Then she dismissed the aquatic hat before summoning the [Fraudulent Facade]. 

Sparks covered the lower half of her face as the gold and silver wove itself into a delicate design. Sarai instantly felt her thinking shift. Questions about who the woman before her was intruded on her thoughts.

"That explains a lot." The redhead said as she pushed aside the doubts. The strange invasion on her psyche quickly subsided. 

"It shouldn't work on you now that I have told you. Fort has no trouble seeing through the disguise." Noble's voice sounded only slightly distorted through the mask. 

"That's fascinating! You know, I've been trying to challenge Queen Bee in the Dreamscape for months, but somehow she always finishes up a battle and leaves before I have a chance. I found that in itself curious."

"I was afraid I would forget myself and speak to you," Noble admitted. 

"And what about your eyes? Are they due to another memory?" Sarai looked like a child being told a bedtime story. Now that she had gotten the truth, she wanted all of it. 

"No. They already changed slightly before I was ever infected. The colors were based on my mood. But when I Awakened, they went to a whole other level, shifting almost constantly. And when I use my other ability, they go truly wild."

Sarai had never heard Noble talk about her secondary ability. All she knew was that Noble could make things float. Not that the baker went around bragging about her different skills.

Although all those who became fully Awakened had two abilities, it was not really something people often discussed. 

Sarai herself had gained the ability to harness energy and project it in a desired direction. That was how she was now able to throw fireballs and light the tip of her spear. Before that, her hands and body could only deal the deadly flames directly. 

"I am quite curious. What is the ability?" Sarai hoped the question was not too personal. 

"I could tell you." Noble gave a ghost of a smile. "But it is probably easier if I show you instead."