Beau Sanders (NPC)
???
Cloud's Cross, Exiting the Sports Field @FedoraChar

“No one’s seen you in forever. Folks were saying that you went to jail or died or something.” At Shawn’s remark, Beau had to fight the urge to laugh--the rumors that spread through town, despite the fact it was small, were laughable at best. Of course, if they knew the truth… He snorted and shook his head.

“Oh please, Armstrong, you still believe we have a jail? You know just as well as everyone else that the worst anyone around here’s ever gotten is house arrest. Jail’s just a myth, and I died? I hardly think so. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” He let his familiar easy smile take over his lips.

Of course, then she asked about why he wasn’t playing. That was a lot harder to answer, but he tried.

“Speaking of house arrest, I’m in trouble with my parents--did badly on that last test, even with both of the Clearwater’s helping out. They grounded me pretty hard, and have been making me study at home the past few days...something about fewer distractions there or something. I’m actually not supposed to be out, but I had to check on the game… So, ah, if you don’t mind, I should get going…” He jerked a thumb towards the little cluster of houses that made up his neighborhood, and gave her an apologetic smile. “Hopefully I’ll be taking a make-up test soon, and they’ll stop being so adamant on keeping me locked up.”

Ava and Colin Clearwater
Athena and Hephaestus
Cloud's Cross, Sports Field @Saraibre Ryu @Death's Spook

"Alright Ava you know the drill, lean forward, clean off, make sure nothing is broken." Ava took the cloth and began cleaning up. She knew her nose wasn’t broken--she’d only managed it once before, and it had hurt far more than the sting left from the ball she had taken to the face. she could practically feel Colin’s worried eyes on her, but she shrugged it off.

“Nothing’s broken, Ms. Bellatrix,” she grumbled, her mind flashing back to Beau as the woman asked what might have prompted the incident. She glanced over to Colin, who glanced back at her, and she shrugged as she returned her attention to Bellatrix. “I was just...distracted. It’s weird, not having Beau here, too. It’s been awhile since he missed a game, and it’s weird without him.” Slowly she was starting to calm down, though her mind continued to spin in circles, generating questions for which she had no way to get answers.

And then a hulking figure approached the bench, but spoke quietly, as gentle as ever. “May I please sit?” Of course, lost in her thoughts as she was, Ava jolted, squeezing her nose and then hissing in pain. Colin made a sound of frustration, but he knew Ava could speak for herself and fight her own battles.

“Holy snot, Issy,” she muttered, leveling a weak glare at her friend that simply expressed displeasure over the sudden scare. She knew he had been avoiding her as of late, too, but she’d at least still seen him at school, not that it was long enough to get more than a polite “hello,” out of him. She didn’t have the energy at the moment to fight with him too, though, and Bellatrix was there anyway. Her questions as to why he’d suddenly stopped his regular visits to the Clearwater household after school would have to wait until a more opportune time. “Would it kill you to make a little more noise when you approach before you speak up? I don’t care, sit, sit. Or don’t. That works too, I guess.”