CHAPTER 89: [89] GETTING NOEL’D

Noel’s workshop turned out to be a large corner space separated from the main lab by glass walls covered in equations, diagrams, and what appeared to be scorch marks. The interior was organized chaos—tools hung from every available surface, half-finished projects littered workbenches, and a small robot in the corner seemed to be sorting tiny crystals by color.

"Home sweet lab!" Noel announced, finally releasing their wrists. "Put your stuff anywhere. Except that table—that’s where Dave lives."

Xavier looked around. "Dave?"

"My failed attempt at creating a semi-sentient crystal matrix." She pointed to what Xavier had assumed was a paperweight. "He doesn’t do much, but he gets upset if you put things on him."

Xavier set his tablet down on a relatively clear space, carefully avoiding Dave. "So, Noel, what exactly happened back there? With the explosion?"

Noel waved her hand dismissively while pulling up their designs on a holographic display. "Oh, that? I was testing a new propulsion system for hunter mobility gear. The quaternary valve couldn’t handle the pressure differential when the crystal matrix hit resonance frequency with the ambient Essentia field."

I see. I don’t get it.

"Right," Xavier said, exchanging a glance with Calypso. "That made perfect sense."

"I know, right?" Noel beamed, completely missing his sarcasm. "Anyway, enough about minor setbacks. Tell me about your abilities! I need to know exactly how your Essentia manifests to optimize these designs."

Xavier hesitated, still processing the fact that he’d nearly been concussed by a flying engineer. Something about the incident bothered him, but he couldn’t quite place it.

"Hello? Handsome white-haired guy?" Noel waved her hand in front of Xavier’s face. "Your Essentia? The thing that makes you special?"

"Input Buffer," Xavier said, refocusing. "It’s a meter-building system. I perform combat techniques that generate energy points, which I can then use for enhanced attacks."

"Like a video game? That’s fascinating! How does the meter manifest visually? What color is it? Does it make a sound when it fills? What’s the maximum capacity? Have you reached it yet? What happens when—"

"Slow down," Xavier said, holding up his hands. "It’s a pink energy meter that appears near me during combat. Basic Combo gives five points, Counter Strike fifteen, and Perfect Dodge ten. Maximum capacity is currently two hundred fifty points, but I haven’t filled it completely yet."

"And what’s your goal with this outfit? Protection? Mobility? Stealth? Intimidation? All of the above?" Noel had already started sketching modifications to his design on a separate screen, her fingers moving with dizzying speed.

"Functionality," Xavier said, leaning against the workbench. "I need something that won’t restrict movement but offers decent protection. The adaptive material needs to be responsive enough to harden instantly on impact."

"And the visual element?" Noel asked without looking up from her work. "The black and white contrast with pink accents is striking. Trying to impress someone?"

Xavier crossed his arms. "It’s tactical. The contrast creates visual distortion during combat."

"Uh-huh." Noel’s tone made it clear she didn’t believe that was the only reason. "And you?" She turned to Calypso. "What’s your deal, pink eyes?"

Calypso straightened her posture, a hint of her divine bearing showing through. "I manipulate support enhancements through card manifestations. My Essentia appears as pink-gold energy in the form of playing cards."

"Cards? Like tarot?"

"Playing cards. Hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades."

Noel’s entire demeanor shifted, her blue eyes lighting up with fresh interest. "A randomized ability matrix with suit-based effect categorization? That’s genius! The metaphysical interface allows for intuitive application while maintaining variable outcome potential!"

Xavier stared at her. "Was that even a sentence?"

Noel ignored him, focusing entirely on Calypso now. "And what happens when you draw certain combinations? Do you get enhanced effects like poker hands? Royal flush? Full house?"

"I... I never thought about that." Calypso muttered, genuine surprise in her voice.

"Pattern recognition is my specialty!" Noel tapped her temple. "If your ability manifests through playing cards, it makes sense it would follow card game rules. The universe loves symmetry!"

Nolan. That’s what’s bothering me.

When he saw Noel flying toward Nolan, he’d pushed the smaller student out of harm’s way without hesitation.

That wasn’t like him—or at least, not like the person he used to be. He wouldn’t have risked himself for a classmate he barely knew.

"—and that’s why we need to integrate a secondary crystal matrix in the sleeves," Noel was saying, jolting Xavier back to the present. "Are you even listening?"

"Crystal matrix. Sleeves. Got it," Xavier said, straightening up.

Noel narrowed her eyes. "I also said we should make your entire outfit hot pink with yellow polka dots."

"Sounds great."

"Ha! Caught you!" Noel pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You’re distracted. What gives? Is my workshop not interesting enough for you?"

Xavier ran a hand through his white hair. "Sorry. Just thinking about something."

"About how you heroically saved Nolan from getting Noel’d?" Calypso asked.

"Noel’d?" Noel perked up. "Is that what they call it when I accidentally hit people with my inventions? That’s awesome!"

"It’s not awesome," Xavier said. "And I wasn’t being heroic. It was just reflex."

"Interesting reflex," Noel said, studying Xavier with newfound curiosity. "Most people’s first instinct is self-preservation. You moved toward potential danger to push someone else away from it." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That suggests either military training or someone who’s experienced enough life-threatening situations to develop abnormal response patterns."

"I took some self-defense classes."

Noel nodded, accepting his explanation. "Anyway, back to your outfits. I’ve got some ideas that will blow your minds! Not literally, of course. Well, probably not literally. There’s always a small chance, but—"

"Maybe we should work with someone else," Xavier suggested, glancing toward the door.

"No!" Noel’s hands slammed down on the workbench, causing several tools to jump. "You can’t leave! Your designs are actually interesting, and do you know how rare that is? Most students come in with generic ’make me look cool’ requests without any understanding of material science or Essentia integration!"

Her blue eyes were wide, almost pleading. "Give me a chance. I promise I won’t blow you up. Intentionally."

Xavier looked at Calypso, who shrugged.

"Fine," Xavier sighed. "But if anything explodes—"

"You’ll be the first to know!" Noel beamed. "Probably because you’ll be on fire."

"That’s not reassuring."

"It wasn’t meant to be. It was honest." Noel turned back to her workstation. "Now, let me do my job and make you the best outfit ever White Hair."

Fine, I guess I can let her cook.

For the next hour, they discussed specifications, materials, and design modifications. Noel’s mind worked at a dizzying pace, jumping between topics with barely a transition, but her insights were undeniably brilliant.

"Oh! I almost forgot the most important question," Noel said suddenly, looking up from her sketches. "What’s your budget?"

Xavier and Calypso exchanged glances.

"The academy covers basic materials," Xavier said slowly. "But anything beyond standard issue comes out of our pockets."

"And we’re not exactly flush with cash right now," Calypso added.

Noel waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. I’ve got tons of experimental materials I’ve been dying to test. You two can be my guinea pigs!"

"That’s not as comforting as you think it is," Xavier said.

"Trust me," Noel insisted. "These outfits are going to be amazing. You’ll be the best-equipped hunters in your class."

"Assuming we survive wearing them," Calypso muttered.

Noel pretended not to hear, already lost in her work again. "I’ll need to take some measurements. Stand up, please."

Xavier complied, watching as Noel circled him with a critical eye. She pulled out what looked like a measuring tape but glowed with a soft blue light.

"This will create a perfect three-dimensional model of your body," she explained. "Hold still."

The tape extended itself, wrapping around various parts of Xavier’s body without Noel needing to touch him. Numbers appeared in the air beside him, floating in holographic display.

"Perfect," Noel said, studying the results. "Now you," she added, turning to Calypso.

Why had he protected Nolan? It wasn’t calculated. It wasn’t strategic. It was pure instinct—to help someone who needed it.

Maybe I really am changing. But, if I’m not that cold, calculating assassin anymore...

Who exactly am I becoming?