Logic and Intuition

A short time later, Noble left Julius and the facilities manager to head to her classroom.

She was a little shaken. Not because the roof over her head nearly came down on herself and one of the people she valued most in the world.

Even if it had completely crashed down around them, it was likely they both would have been fine. Their respective Awakened and Ascended bodies would have held up against worse than that.

No, what bothered Noble was the feeling she had experienced right before the tile fell. The sensation wasn't unpleasant, but it was noticeable. If it hadn't been for the event right afterward, Noble might have entirely forgotten about it.

But now she couldn't push it from her mind.

'What did Julius say?'

He said he felt compelled to shake her hand. The mentor was more likely to give her a hug of congratulations, but the desk between them prevented that action.

Of course, she could just be reading too much into the situation. Her therapist had pointed out that Counsel's betrayal had made her paranoid.

Perhaps that was the case here. Maybe it was merely a coincidence. Human brains looked for patterns in everything, even if there wasn't one. 

But what if it wasn't paranoia? What if…

'Calm down. There's nothing to be gained by panicking.'

Feeling her emotions begin to spiral, Noble decided to push away the thoughts for now. Waiting for the manager of the facility to come and see the damage had taken time, and now the professor was running behind.

She hurried to her classroom only stopping when she reached the door.

Someone was already inside.

Two someones, if androids were considered beings. Slipping in the door, Noble spied an exasperated young woman who was standing by the professor's desk talking to Bee Two.

"But what if I feel like—"

The android pointed to the page in the girl's hand. "What you feel does not change what is on the page. The Memory has only one enchantment."

The Sleeper opened her mouth to argue, then, realizing it would be useless, she snapped it shut again.

"What do you feel?" Noble asked from the top of the steps.

The pair looked to find a woman with polychromatic eyes staring at them curiously. Realizing she had spooked the Sleeper, Noble smiled apologetically as she descended the stairs.

"Forgive me. I am Professor Noble. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Bee Two. You seem quite distraught."

The Sleeper summoned a Memory and held it out. It looked like a pair of sandals.

The professor leaned down to examine them more closely. "Very stylish. What seems to be the trouble…"

"Seal," the girl answered with a dip of her head. "And I know that the shoes are supposed to feel like I'm wearing nothing so they do not weigh me down, but I feel like they have a second enchantment that also gives me energy when I wear them."

"That is not possible. I ran the analysis and the enchantment doesn't exist," Two Bee stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I see." Noble nodded slowly.

Logic and intuition were at odds. It happened sometimes.

And with the Spell involved? Even more often.

Neither party was at fault for disagreeing. The professor hummed softly.

"I believe you when you say that you feel more energetic while wearing them. But rather than being a separate enchantment, it could be part of the same one, like a side effect. Light feet mean less effort for walking, which would in turn give you more energy than you would have otherwise. Think of it like a secret enchantment. It exists, but it's hidden where not even technology can see."

Noble saw the girl's shoulders relax.

"That makes some sense. My feet feeling good makes the rest of me feel good as well. A hidden boon! Thank you for your help, Professor Noble!"

"You are most welcome, Seal. Will I be seeing you in my seminar shortly?" The professor checked the time.

"If you are teaching, I wouldn't miss it! See you then." Seal bowed before rushing up the stairs between the rows of desks.

"Sweet girl," Noble commented before turning to see Bee Two's hands on alloy hips.

"Hmph," the android made a semblance of the human noise.

Noble suppressed a laugh. "Hello, Bee Two! I'm delighted to see you. I've missed you!"

"Not enough to greet me when you arrived," the android huffed.

"I was going to wait until we were alone to make our reunion special. I did not mean to hurt your feelings." Noble held out her hands in genuine apology.

"Androids do not have feelings." Bee Two flipped back synthetic hair. "Welcome back, Professor."

"No feelings? Right. Then I guess you won't be excited to see my new Memories." Noble lowered her hands.

Bee Two held up a finger of objection. "I don't have feelings but I am programmed to be interested in certain topics. Unless being in a Nightmare affected your memory, you should know better than anyone that Memories are at the top of that list."

"How did you know…" Noble's eyes widened.

She had not yet told the android where she had been.

With a motion similar to an eye roll, Bee Two waved her hand dismissively. "When I was asked to take over in your stead, they said you had been reassigned to a special project. They must think I have no intelligence, artificial or otherwise. The government files were much more helpful."

Noble barely caught her satchel as it slipped off of her shoulder. "Bee Two, please tell me you didn't go poking around in classified government documents again."

"I don't poke. I finessed my way into the system, got what I needed, and left without anyone being the wiser." Bee Two nodded.

What the android said must have been true or Bee Two would have been shut down or altered in some way. Yet, the robot was just as sassy as ever.

Noble covered her face. "What did the government files say?"

"That it was believed that you entered a Nightmare after falling through a gate. More recently you confirmed this with an interviewer named Teddy." Bee Two nodded slowly.

"You are right. That wasn't poking. That was outright digging. I'm not sure whether to be impressed or horrified." Noble sighed.

"I cannot help you with that." Bee Two shrugged. "Perhaps both?"

Setting her bag on the desk, Noble chuckled softly. "I suppose that is the simplest solution. At least I don't have to recount my adventures once again. They are already stored in your database."

"That's true. You had quite an ordeal if Teddy's notes are accurate."

The android raised one eyebrow. The professor sighed.

"It was an unfortunate adventure. I'm glad to be home with you and my family."

Noble ran her fingers lovingly across her desk. It was the little things that had the biggest impact.

"Welcome home, Professor," Bee Two answered. "It is good that you are here."

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Noble tilted up one corner of her mouth.

Bee Two gave the professor a sharp look. "Don't be silly…now…show me those Memories…"