"We're back!" Fort announced as he opened the door.
"What happened that made you leave?" Brock rushed down the stairs.
"Is Mom with you?" Blaze left his work in the kitchen to check with his own eyes.
"I'm here, and we have company for dinner!" Noble ushered her guests inside and then removed her scarf. "Boys, this is Awakened Fleur and Awakened Ray. They are my former students and have just arrived in town. These are my sons: Brock and Blaze."
The twins nearly tumbled over each other as they reached the door. Their parents rarely brought home guests, and it was even rarer for those people to be close to the boys' age.
Was this why both their mother and father had left in such a hurry? Something didn't add up.
"It's nice to meet you both." Blaze held out his hand for them to shake.
"Glad you could join us for dinner." Brock also recovered enough to be hospitable.
They shot both of their parents questioning glances.
"Fluer and Ray served with Rani on the survey crew," Fort explained.
The explanation only brought more unasked questions. Noble gave a small smile.
"Boys, set the table with two extra places. I will find some clean clothes for these two to wear while your father has a note sent to Auntie Sarai. We will join you shortly." The mother's meaningful glance was enough to forestall any more comments.
Noble whisked the couple upstairs, and after providing them with a wash basin, towels and clothing to wear, she returned downstairs to allow them to freshen up.
By the boys' serious expression, Fort had given them the news after sending off a message to let Sarai know about her houseguest.
"Are you sure she's alright, Mom? You can feel her?" Blaze was still clutching the final plate to his chest.
"I am sure. She's fine. She will come home in one piece." Noble assured him.
"But not now…" Brock frowned.
His mother sighed. "No, she seems to be heading farther away, not closer. If I had to guess, she can't cross a canyon, and so she is following along the edge of one. At least, that's what I would do if I couldn't float over it."
"Your mom will tell us if anything changes, but for now, Rani is fine." Fort nodded.
"Why did she have to choose that name? It's too confusing!" Brock placed his head in his palm.
"It's probably easy for her to answer to, at least?" Blaze defended his absent sister.
"Well, we can avoid trouble by not mentioning her at all. Those two don't know who Rani is to us, and I would rather keep it that way for now. They are nice kids, and I don't want to cause any trouble for them." Noble needed to make certain both her sons understood.
"Yes, mom." Brock placed his hand on his heart
"We'll remember." Blaze finally released his hold on the plate and finished setting the table.
"What can we talk about then?" Brock didn't want to step on any landmines.
"Play it by ear. They are unlikely to want to talk about their most recent journey, but I doubt they will mind answering your questions about the Awakened Academy. Maybe you can even get Ray to tell you about his encounter with the Lord of Shadows. I've seen him, but that young man up there has actually spoken to him."
"That's a little mean to Ray, don't you think. As I recall, that was pretty traumatic for him." Fort clicked his tongue.
"It will get his mind off his current predicament at least." Noble shrugged. "If he doesn't want to talk about it, of course, we can respect that. But something tells me…"
"I saw your face. You nearly disappeared midair! There is no way you can convince me that you aren't nervous about flying." Fleur teased.
"Hey! It wasn't the flying as much as the lack of control. I have a healthy fear of being splattered on the ground." Ray defended himself.
"Professor Noble would never drop you," Fleur laughed as they exited the staircase. "Would you?"
Although they hadn't been able to take a bath just yet, the pair had been able to get the grime off their faces and arms. That, coupled with the borrowed clothing, had made them look much more youthful than when they arrived. Adding in the smiles they were wearing over Noble's path to get them home, and the pair appeared almost childlike.
Knowing all that they had been through, it was heartwarming for Noble to see they still had joy left in them.
"I have only ever released one being from a great height, and you can hardly blame me for letting the Skinwalker take a little dive." Noble's sweet smile gave the two Awakened a moment of pause.
"You…you're serious!" Ray blinked.
Noble chuckled. "Come eat, both of you, and I can tell you about it if you like."
The weary travellers took their seats, and the meal began. Noble found that the tale of the Skinwalker was more pleasant to tell now that Chip had risen from the dead and was able to joke with her about the time they 'wrestled a child away from a bunch of zombies.' That did not make the adventure less harrowing, but it did ease her mind that everyone except Harlow had made it out alive.
Despite the grim topic, Fleur and Ray were riveted by it. It distracted them from their present difficulties and was so bizarre that they weren't afraid. By the time Noble was done, they were halfway through their meal.
That was the perfect opportunity for the twins to unleash the flood of questions that the twins had been holding in. They might have been only a little younger than the two Awakened, but the differences in experience were vast.
Blaze and Brock wanted to know everything about Fleur and Ray's powers. Though careful not to ask about their first Nightmares, the boys did manage to work in a casual question about the Dark Lord.
Ray nearly spit out his drink. He shot Noble a weary glance. "You told them about that, did you?"
The floating woman shrugged. "What can I say? It was a memorable part of my day. I had no idea they would ever meet you. If you don't want to talk about it..."
Ray set down his fork. "No, it's fine. The Lord of Shadows is not someone you would ever want to run into in a dark alley...or dark anywhere for that matter. He wears an onyxmask that likely hides a grotesque face. He's utterly terrifying. And his echoes–they are just as scary as he is! I get why he lives alone, though. No one other than his echoes would want to work with or for him. I know I wouldn't!"
"He wasn't alone when we saw him. Lady Changing Star was there with him," Fleur reminded him.
"You said she left when you did. He probably chased her off! One thing is for sure. You won't catch me anywhere near him ever again..." Ray nodded firmly.
For once, Noble was very glad that the brotherly shadow was not below the windowsill.
If Ray had spent any time in Rain's company, then he was much closer to the Lord of Shadows than he ever realized. Noble wondered if he had made those sentiments known in Sunny's presence before. If he had, it was no wonder that Sunny called him a troublemaker.
With opinions like that, the boy was lucky to be alive at all!
Noble hid her grin behind a bite of food.
'Nope, I'm not going to tell him!'