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?"