After spending her required hours in the Dream Realm, Noble exited her dojo hoping she could spend a few moments with her husband before he awoke. Since the floating Awakened couldn't sleep in a bed even if she didn't have to visit the Dream Realm, stealing early morning moments with Fort was a rare commodity.
Their bed was also one of the few places Noble could rest her feet without the horrible effects of her flaw. Alas, it was not meant to be. Noble could already hear bustling in the main part of the house.
Entering the kitchen, Noble found porridge simmering on the stove and a smiling man waiting to greet her. "Good morning, my Bee-utiful Queen."
Noble kissed him. "None of that. Someone might hear you…" She tilted her head toward the hall.
"You'll have to tell them one of these days." Fort wiggled his eyebrows. While he had been a big proponent of not telling their children about his wife's hobby when they were little, he was beginning to change his mind as his daughter was nearing the age of infection.
"Tell us what?" A dark-haired girl exited her bedroom and followed her nose into the kitchen. She was already in her school uniform and carrying her book bag.
"Nothing important, Honey," Noble said quickly. "I was just about to admit that your father is the far superior cook."
"That is not news," Honey laughed. Grabbing a bowl of breakfast, she slung her backpack across the back of her chair and sat down to eat. Digging in, she added with her mouth full, "Though you are a much better housekeeper and movie-buddy. Dad always tries to predict the ending."
Fort shrugged. "If you are going to make me watch a romance, don't blame me if I can tell within two minutes who is going to end up together after exactly three misunderstandings and one love triangle."
Both ladies rolled their eyes, though they could not exactly refute him. He had an uncanny knack for telling how things would go.
As soon as Brock and Blaze bounded into the room, the rest of the family gathered at the table and ate while the twins rambled about their upcoming school day. After a rather large serving, Noble excused herself from the table.
"I should probably get ready. I have work in a little over an hour…" She kissed the top of the others' heads and headed towards her closet. Even before she made it to the door, her suit coat, purple blouse, and light grey skirt hovered out to meet her. "Thank you," she said as if she had not been the one to make them levitate towards her.
Gathered the flying objects, Noble donned the suit and took a look at her communicator. 'I am running very early this morning.'
"Love you, Mom!" Honey called from the living room, her voice trailing off.
"Wait! I will walk with you to the train," Noble rushed toward the front door, her steps not exactly matching her speed.
Honey didn't notice. "No, that's alright. No one else's mom walks them to school." She lowered her gaze. "No one at my new school calls me 'Honey'. I would kind of like to keep it that way…"
Noble understood. The nickname had started off as a private joke between her and her husband. "What do all bees need?—Honey!" But eventually, the name stuck…like honey. Now that their daughter was older, she wanted to have a more mature presence.
"When will you be home this evening?" Noble tried to hold onto her daughter just a second longer. The moments that they both had available were becoming less and less common.
"After combat training with my tutor."
Noble looked over at her husband, who was watching the whole conversation with fascination. He shooed his hand, encouraging her to continue. "What if…I trained you instead?"
Honey's face blanched. "Don't take this from me! If we are short on money, I will get a job!"
"No no, we are fine for money. Enjoy your day, Hon—dear." Noble gave the girl a hug. "I love you."
"Love you too." The girl turned on her heels and scurried out the door.
Fort gave a weak smile and opened his arms. "It was a good effort. If she knew who you were, she would jump at the chance to be tutored in combat by you."
"I bet Mongrel doesn't have this problem," Noble sighed, falling into the man's hug.
"You'll always be my Queen." Fort rubbed her back as she melted into him.
"Not that I really want to train her. It was your idea, you know. After our eldest failed his first nightmare, I'm not sure you should trust me with…"
"What happened to Seb wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault." Fort tightened his grip around Noble as tears threatened his eyes. Hastily blinking, he cleared his throat to change the subject. "Should I order you a PTV transport?" The man pulled out his communicator. "I have already called one for myself and the boys."
Noble wiped at her own wet eyes, happy for the shift in conversation. "No need. I will walk to public transit." The lady knew her husband could have a vehicle outside in under two minutes.
It was one of the perks of his government job. However, maintaining the proper distance from her seat in a PTV was much harder because the vehicle was unpredictable. She could thump her head on the ceiling or –worse–her rear on the seat without warning.
Conversely, the metro's tracks meant that the ride would be smooth and there was no chance of an unexpected bump in the road. It was a far superior method for an Awakened such as herself.
After kissing her husband, Noble headed out the door to walk down the quiet street. The houses reminded her of her own home growing up before it had been destroyed. Relocating to the NQSC as a young teen had not been easy, and her family had been one of the few to actually escape the horror of the gate that opened in North America.
Though this neighborhood was nice, it had certainly changed since they first settled and started their family. Noble didn't know as many of the neighbors anymore.
She had barely even seen the man who moved in next door. He was a mystery to her.
Well, that wasn't exactly true; Fort had done a government check to make sure he wasn't a criminal. You could never be too careful these days.
Reaching the train, Noble found a spot and made herself comfortable. Like everyone else, she pulled out her communicator to pass her time as she traveled.
The top story was, of course, the finale of the Dreamscape tournament and the strange turn of events at the awards ceremony. Noble was not willing to look through all the comments, but one caught her attention.
"You gave him a run for his money, Queen Bee. I really thought you had him!"
Leo Striker had left the note knowing full well that she would not respond. He was just kind that way.
Noble never responded to any of her fans nor did she ever speak while in the Dreamscape. At first, she had not spoken because she was shy, but over time it became part of her persona. No one ever knew what she was thinking, and that had been a distinct advantage.
Later on, when she had become more well-known, people had tried to look past her black and gold armor to see the woman behind the mask.
When they came up empty, people began to claim she was not a real person, that she was a construct of the Dreamscape itself. The thought was laughable.
What did it matter what they thought? It only made fewer people try to test the limits of her [Fraudulent Facade].
Other than floating away and leaving her family behind, what Noble dreaded most was someone leaking her identity. Because of this, not even her closest friends knew who she was.
Why should she care who knew? The answer was simple. It was one thing to be famous in the Dreamscape. It was quite another to have people mob her in the real world. Noble had never sought fame, only experience.
And she had never gained more experience than in her battle with Mongrel.
"No way! Queen Bee let him win! She didn't want to have to speak in front of Valor so she lost on purpose." A teen across the train raised his voice against the other young man next to him.
"Mongrel is a hundred times more powerful. She never had a chance." The two boys seemed to have been embroiled in this argument for quite some time, but Noble had been politely ignoring them up until this point.
The pair noticed her curious stare and fell silent, embarrassed. She was an Awakened, after all, and they were being rowdy on a quiet train.
After remaining still for a moment, the first teen met her gaze. "Well, who is right, ma'am?"
Noble was caught off guard. Usually, mundane people avoided speaking with her unless spoken to first. But this golden-eyed young man respectfully showed no fear. A small smile came to her face.
"Who is right about what?" she asked innocently.
"Don't bother her!" The second teen was ghostly pale. In a whisper he added, "She probably did not see the tournament. You are going to get us in trouble for no reason!"
"Oh, but I did see the tournament," Noble contradicted him politely.
Emboldened by her answer, the golden-eyed teen smiled brightly. "And did you see the epic battle between Queen Bee and Mongrel?" Excitement was written all over his face.
Noble gave a mischievous grin as her eyes swirled ever so slightly. "Actually, I had a front-row seat…"