Noble could have headed to the Dreamer Academy, but her mind was too full of the conversation that had just taken place with the man who hid in Rain's shadow...
...and ran a cafe in Bastion...and was some dark loner somehow surviving in a death zone.
'Suddenly I feel like an underachiever...'
Shaking off the feeling of inferiority, Noble headed to a different, more familiar eating establishment.
Abyssal Fire.
In the years since its founding, the place had grown from a quaint building on the edge of the frontier to a thriving business in the heart of a vast city.
Abyss was still the proprietor, and he took great pride in the wide and varied menu he was now able to offer in addition to the baked goods and drinks.
Just recently, in addition to what Rain had sold him, he had made a new business connection and procured a special line of orange meat.
Even now at this odd time of the morning, people filled the expanded storefront to enjoy the strange treat.
Noble could hear the myriad of conversations as she entered the boisterous hall.
"I was at the front gate when it happened. Lady Seishan reacted quickly, or we would have been in real trouble." A short woman with strawberry blonde hair took a bite of shortcake doused in syrupy fruit.
"Really? You were there? You are the first person I have run into who didn't hear it from a friend of a friend. Tell me what you saw." The man across from her sipped at his tea, clearly interested in the topic at hand.
But before the woman could answer, she looked up and saw a familiar face standing in the doorway. Her companion turned his head, and a big smile bloomed on his tan face. He pushed on his glasses and then waved.
"Professor Noble! Over here!"
Having been spotted, Noble floated lightly over to the table.
"Hello Claire. Nezha." She dipped her head to the pair.
While Ravenheart was huge, Noble knew a large portion of the population through different channels. Claire was a researcher and a colleague of her husband's. Her findings on the geological makeup of the mountain led to the discovery of some excellent materials for creating insulated structures.
Across from her was Nezha, whom Noble knew from the Awakened Academy. The instructor was younger than her, but very capable and cared deeply for the success of the Dreamers under his care. He specialized in Aspect optimization.
"It's been a long time!" Nezha greeted the newcomer with a warm handshake. "I haven't seen you around the Academy as of late. Last time I went to have a Memory examined, I had to settle for your sassy assistant."
The good-natured jibe made Noble chuckle. "Well, you were in good hands then. Bee Two knows how to extract every piece of information. I only hope the sass was not offensive."
"What? No. It's just a little jarring to have a robot tell me that I would be able to increase my muscle mass by seven and six-tenths percent if I added more compound exercises into my routine instead of simply jogging daily." Nehza rubbed the back of his neck. "Although the follow-up included letting me know I was well within the acceptable range for beauty for Awakened."
Noble shut her eyes tightly. "Bee Two is a rather independent android. I'll recalibrate interaction settings when I get back."
Claire clicked her tongue. "Ah, this android sounds very entertaining. Maybe I'll have to face the First Nightmare just to meet it."
"Perhaps not the best reason to take on the Spell," Child of Promise shook her head. "It's good to see you both, but I must admit I'm surprised to see either of you here. I didn't know you frequented Abyss and Sarai's place."
"I am taking one last day off before things get too busy at the Academy, and Claire was kind enough to meet me for a friendly brunch. We thought we would try something different." Nehza explained.
Claire nodded. "My recent research involves our current aerospace capabilities in the Dream Realm, but I cannot take the proper wind measurements until this afternoon, so the timing was perfect."
"You want to bring traditional flight to the Dream Realm?" Noble's eyes went wide.
She had been on a large hovercraft in Australia, but beyond that, she had only seen planes in old movies and books that survived the dark times.
"Not now, but I would love to see it in my lifetime. Even if it's just for the transport of goods, it would make commerce much quicker, don't you think?" Claire's eyes sparkled.
"Indeed, it would. You probably already know they are working on getting electricity working both here and in Bastion. Your wish may come sooner than later."
Noble imagined how strange Ravenheart would look all lit up at night with electric lamps instead of candles and luminescent Memories. The image gave her mixed feelings.
For as wild and untamed as the Dream Realm was, there was also a certain charm to being able to see the stars without the light pollution to block them out.
Electricity brought with it other pollution as well. They would have to be mindful not to repeat past mistakes.
"If you think it will happen, then I'm certain it will!" Claire pushed back her hair as she took another bite. Her face contorted into an expression of pure bliss. "When you order, I highly recommend this. It's practically perfect!"
"We are almost done, but we'd love for you to join us," Nezha offered as he stood to pull out the chair next to him.
It was a very kind gesture, especially considering every other table was taken.
Noble hesitated. "I suppose I can stay for a moment. I have a lot to do today, though, so it won't be long."
Nehza raised his hand to indicate that they were in need of service. Noble shook her head.
"No need, I wasn't really here to…"
A man with a pad and a charcoal rock for a pencil hurried over to the table. He squinted at the page. "What can I get for you? Our new kitchen is a bit backed up at the moment, but perhaps I can tempt you with a croissant? They are fresh!"
Noble had not planned on eating, but the smell of fresh bread hit her nostrils, and the scent was too tantalizing to ignore.
"Thank you, Abyss, that sounds delicious. I'll take two."
Abyss looked up from the page and smiled widely. "Well, if it isn't Master Noble! I thought you had found a new favorite spot."
The woman feigned offense. "What? I could never!"
"Good. I wouldn't let you leave anyway." He glanced around. "I don't suppose you are looking to be hired again to serve tables?"
Noble chuckled. "Since that worked so well the first time. But if you are really looking for help, I can see if either of the twins is interested."
"That would be great. Thank you kindly." Abyss tipped his chin. "I'll go get those croissants straight from the oven. I'll be right back."
The proprietor hurried past other waving patrons to the bakery in the back.
"Now that's service!" Nezha patted the table approvingly.
"I'm good friends with his business partner. She's the reason I'm here, actually. But first, I wanted to ask you about what you were talking about when I arrived…"
Noble barely finished her sentence when a loud crash was heard. The entire restaurant heated to an unnatural level as a fiery-haired woman raced into the room.
"Noble!"