Eavesdropping

Noble thought for a moment that her eyes were deceiving her. But her bushy-browed mentor came and joined them at the bench with a glowing grin.

"I didn't expect to see you here!" Noble gave the man a hug.

"Of course, I would be here! After all, Lena invited me and," Julius paused, shooting a glance to Lena, who shook her head slightly. The teacher's smile tightened. "You know how much I love the twins. I am happy to be here to support them."

"You are a good man," Noble was touched by Julius's gesture. He surely had other things he could be doing, yet he was here supporting her family instead.

"He is," Lena agreed. "Noble—" 

"I should go get some refreshments before things get started. It's going to be a long day and I think the sprints are close to the end." Noble nodded. 

"I can get that," Fort offered. "You stay here and--" 

"Nonsense. I will get them. Teacher Julius, would you like anything? Popcorn? Something to drink?" Noble dipped her head at her colleague. 

Julius shifted uncomfortably before nodding. "A snack would be nice, dear girl. I am not sure what they have though."

"I'll figure it out." The professor decided. She got everyone else's order before heading below the stands. 

She was nearly out of earshot when she heard Lena's voice. "I know. I know...I'll fix this." 

'Fix what?' Noble wanted to know. She nearly turned to see what her mother had broken, but the flow of people prevented her from making the move. She was enveloped in the shadow of the stands a moment later. 

There was a long line of people waiting for the automated concession machines, so Noble joined the queue. She could hear the noise of the crowd increase as the announcer started the event, but she wasn't worried. The morning's events weren't one in which her children would compete. 

Before them, there were a bunch of once-antiquated events that had come back into fashion with the appearance of the Nightmare Spell. 

Children could compete in the javelin throw or the long jump as these skills were ones that might help them if they ever became Awakened. 

So, Noble had plenty of time before she was needed back in her seat. 

When she got to the front, Noble ordered a considerable amount of food and refreshments. It would be better to order too much than to have to make a second trip and wait in the madness again, she reasoned.

Gathering up her haul, Noble apologized for taking so long to the person behind her. 

"Can I help you with that?" 

"No, I have an Aspect that lets me levitate objects, but thank you." Noble turned toward the voice but saw no one. "Am I hearing things?" 

Despite the proximity, maybe the question wasn't directed at her. 

But she could sense a presence. Her brain struggled to recognize the emotional signature.

"Awakened Ven?" 

"You remember me!" the disembodied voice said excitedly. 

"It would be easier if I had a face to put the name to," Noble bit her lip. 

"What? Oh!" Ven suddenly materialized. "Sorry about that. My flaw activates my abilities at the strangest times." 

"Don't worry about it. It is good to see you," Noble dipped her head with a small smile. 

Now that she could see him, Noble recognized the brown-haired gentleman as one of the Awakened that had been newly assigned to the Crestfall citadel by the government. He had made a good first impression on both her and Sarai, but they hadn't had much interaction since then.

"It's good to be seen," Ven chuckled. 

"Thanks again for the offer to help. Who are you here to watch?" It was always hard to tell Awakeneds' ages, but Noble thought the man was too young to have a child competing in the day's events. 

"My nephew. I just arrived when I saw you might need a hand." Ven rubbed the back of his neck. "But since you don't, I'll be on my way."

"I wish your nephew luck unless he is competing against my boys, in which case may the best man win," Noble smiled amicably.

They both turned to head to the stairs leading to the stands when Noble's smile faded.

"Just great.." she muttered.

"Is everything alright?" Ven realized after the fact that he might be prying.

Noble shot a sidelong glance toward a small alcove under the bleachers where a handsome teenage boy was talking to a girl in a tracksuit.

Noble had sensed the boy before seeing him, and the sight only made her more unsettled.

"That boy upset my daughter last night," the professor said vaguely.

"Oh?" Ven glanced over his shoulder to get a better look.

Suddenly the sound of the two teens' voices was loud and clear in Noble's ears.

"Maybe we should get a bite to eat after this, just the two of us?" Cade asked as he leaned casually on the wall.

"I'd like that," the excitement was evident in the girlish giggle. "I'll meet you back here after my race…"

"Sorry!" Ven quickly allowed the voices to recede. "My secondary ability is amplifying and dampening sounds. Sometimes my flaw…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not upset. That boy can hang out with whomever he likes. It isn't my concern." Noble put on a brave face.

"That's good. I hope your daughter finds someone less…upsetting soon." Ven offered as they continued up into the stands.

It turned out that the rest of Ven's family was sitting in the row behind Noble's. Introductions were made before the two groups quieted and Noble passed out the food and drinks. 

"I got your favorite candy." Noble passed the bar to her daughter. "The one without honey," she winked. 

"Thanks, Mom," Rain took the chocolate graciously before quirking an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" 

"It's nothing really," the mother hedged. "I just saw Cade downstairs talking to Kayla. I figured I should mention it in case you run into them while they are here." 

Rain nodded slowly. "That makes sense. It is an areawide track meet for all ages. I should have expected Cade to be here. But Kayla? Are you sure?"

Noble hadn't gotten a good look at Kayla the night before and hadn't paid her much attention until after the fact. "Cade was asking a girl out, who else could it be?" 

"I suppose. Kayla just said she would be at her Dad's house today and that's clear across the NQSC. Maybe her plans changed." Rain shrugged. "It doesn't make any difference to me what they do," she added half-heartedly.

Noble gave her daughter a side hug and offered her a drink to go with the chocolate.

Something felt off.

The girl under the bleachers had mentioned meeting up after her race. Perhaps Kayla had convinced her father to let her compete today instead of being at his house. That was probably it.

Noble looked at the field. Already children were launching long spiked poles across the field to see who could throw the farthest.

One of the larger students threw much longer than expected and nearly impaled a coach who shouldn't have been on the field. 

It was a comical but terrifying sight. The crowd was loving the drama.

Noble wasn't too worried. She had locked onto the javelin to redirect it if needed. But the spear had fallen short on its own.

'Whew. What was the coach thinking?'

It seemed others were feeling the same way. A small argument between adults broke out on the field, halting the proceedings.

Noble looked down the row at her family. Lena caught her eye. It was time to talk.