"Were you expecting some other professor? I can come back if so." Noble raised her eyebrow.
"No," Tamar answered, confused a little by the teacher's words. She indicated the end of the hall. "Fleur said you left with the intruder, but here you are...intruderless."
Noble floated over to the lone teen and leaned against the wall beside her.
"Ah, so you were listening to that gossip. Well, Fleur told the truth. We caught him and carted him away. I just dropped him off with the campus security."
Tamar nodded. "It was that boy from the arena earlier. Wasn't it? The one who had no presence?"
"It was. How could you possibly know that?" The professor was genuinely surprised.
"Ray couldn't take his eyes off Fleur. It's why I assumed they were friends. Seems they will be more than friends now." Tamar gave what Noble realized was her version of a wry smile.
Noble hadn't been able to see Ray's face clearly from her position, but she trusted Tamar's assessment. The young lady had good instincts, even if she didn't reveal many of her emotions publicly.
The Professor chuckled lightly. "I guess you aren't upset about the lockdown then?"
"I don't mind being alone, though I would have preferred to help. I don't like being out of a battle." Tamar's hand twitched as if the zwiehandler were still in her palm. "Plus, with all the excitement, there is something other than my failure in the arena to focus on."
"Sounds like you owe Ray a thank you!" Noble saw that her teasing was not helping. "I did come to check on you. How are you doing?"
"I am fine." Tamar's expression hardened. "Fleur finally stopped feeling sorry for me. With all due respect, I don't want your pity either."
"Stop right there," Noble held up her hand. "I think you are confusing pity with compassion."
The girl stared at the professor for a moment. "Is there a difference?"
Noble blinked. The sincerity of the question gave her pause.
"Pity is looking down on someone. Compassion is standing beside them. Pity is meant to humiliate, while compassion is meant to connect. Pity says, 'I am glad that isn't me.' Compassion says, 'you are not in this alone.' Now tell me, which one of those sounds more like what you experienced from Fleur today?"
Noble waited as Tamar mulled over the question in her mind.
"Fleur stayed when everyone else steered clear. While it was humiliating to have her run into the ring like that, I think she meant well. No one else has spoken to me since then. I am being avoided like a Nightmare Gate."
A burst of laughter carried down the hall. Tamar looked toward the sound with an unreadable expression.
Noble motioned to the spot where Fleur had disappeared among a throng of helpers. "I doubt they would mind if you joined them. Fleur might even welcome an ally in the attack of outfits that are probably being foisted on her as we speak.
"I think I should focus on the Solstice and not get distracted with things like makeovers and messy relationships." Tamar crossed her arms.
"That is fair." As a professor, Noble wanted her students to prepare however they could for the upcoming trial.
Focus and determination helped people survive even when the odds were against them. Tamar knew that as well as Noble.
"Still..." The ashen-haired girl's word hung in the air.
"It's nice to be included. I know." The professor could feel the girl's emotions. "There's a part of you who wants to go be frilly and silly and just enjoy yourself."
"I am the daughter of a Saint. I don't have time for that. I am here to find strong allies, not shopping buddies." Tamar's solemn expression did not waver.
"Sometimes people can be both." Noble thought of Sarai.
The fiery woman could pack a punch but was always up for a show at the theater with a box of popcorn in either world. Sarai was a friend and a cohort member. Every Awakened deserved a friend and fellow warrior like that.
"It doesn't work that way for legacies." The girl insisted.
"Oh? I know at least one daughter of a Saint who is a huge fan of the Dreamscape, and I believe she also has an eye for fashion." Noble remembered Telle's animated request for Queen Bee's autograph.
"Sounds like quite a person." Tamar wasn't sure what to think.
"She is! I hope you might be able to meet her someday." The professor winced. The two ladies were both willful, and they came from opposing domains. That could prove a huge obstacle to friendship. "My point is: there is no single kind of legacy. You are a warrior, not a robot."
"Hm." Tamar had no response. Perhaps she thought being a robot would be easier. It would certainly involve fewer choices.
Though Bee Two was more expressive than this young lady, so it might not be a good fit.
"I'll think on it," Tamar answered at last.
At that moment, the door burst open. The dozen or so girls spilled out into the hallway behind a defensive Fleur. The redhead backed away quickly.
"Really. I think that is enough for now. The date won't be today anyway. Thank you all. You are very thoughtful!"
She turned with a dazed look on her face. Her hair had been smoothed and tied back in a sleek ponytail, and her lips wore a fresh tint of pink.
The girls wanted to pull her back inside, but she somehow evaded their clutches. "I'm heading to the cafeteria, if anyone would like to join me."
Fleur's invitation was met with giggles and speculation about whether Ray would be there.
The girl rolled her eyes.
"This is silly! I'm sure Ray is still with security and will be for a while. I'm hungry, and that's all!" Fleur noticed the two women against the wall. "Professor Noble? Is everything all right?"
"Yes, it's fine. I was just about to head home, but I wanted to make sure everyone here was settled before I returned to the Dream Realm. Go enjoy your dinner in peace."
"We will!" Fleur promised. "Come on, everyone. Surely you are hungry. Isn't that right, Tamar?"
Fleur was glad to see that her genuine smile was not met with a frown.
"I could eat." The legacy replied.
"Then join us! I could really use someone less dramatic to balance things out around here." Fleur waved Tamar forward.
After a moment of hesitation, the ashen-haired girl nodded firmly. "I will see you around, Professor Noble."
Noble waved, allowing all of the ladies to pass her as they headed toward a hot meal and an evening of good company. Even if none of them ever became cohort members, perhaps they could become friends.
'No one survives the Dream Realm alone.'
The people who were most dependent on her were likely gathering around a table just now as well. That was a meal she didn't want to miss.
So after a final sweep of the campus to make sure it was safe, Noble left the waking world. It was time to go home.