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 Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:59 am
Getting her a** kicked by a youma had damaged Fallon's ego and her knees. She still bore the bloody scrapes from the struggle, though she'd managed to make it out with her life. At least it was winter. Wearing pants was comfortable and hid the awkward bandages protecting the scrapes until they were able to heal. It wouldn't help her pride though, or her ego. It was clear to Fallon that Destiny City was not done trying to kill her. First, Barren Pines. Now, youma attack. Would she ever feel safe?
What she needed was a way to protect herself. Fallon hadn't quite stooped to enrolling in self-defense classes, but it was the least she could do to try to bring herself to peak physical condition. What did that mean? Working out. Despite her relatively lean frame, Fallon really didn't exercise too much. Sure, she walked a lot of places, but it was mainly a well-balanced diet that kept Fallon trim. Being trim did not mean she was muscled -- far from it. This was something she would need to remedy, or at least work on. In Fallon's mind, she could start with being a better runner. When Sailor Virgo saved her, they escaped the youma by running away. If Virgo hadn't been there, there was no way Fallon would have been able to move fast enough. It wasn't a mistake she intended to make again.
That morning, Fallon took the park, running about a mile. Her goal for the day was two, but her body was having a hard time keeping up. She only ran 3/4 of the last mile and had to walk the last stretch of it. Now, she was forced to take a break, excusing herself to the water fountain to fill up with as much water as humanly possible. Another mile? Her legs didn't seem up to it, but Fallon had no intention of listening to them. She would take a break and then start again.
Fallon just need to take a teeny tiny break first to catch her breath.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:50 am
Running, jogging, and brisk walks were the major pastimes that Ladon had to get out of his house, aside from others he didn’t mention, and he admitted he was rather fit from it. Since he had young, he liked walking around, mainly to avoid other children that didn’t like him very much. This lead him to miss the elementary bus on purpose and walk home, first because he was stuffed somewhere and later to spare him the trouble. In middle school, with the added freedom, he tried out jogging, which help in near escapes when bulkier pursuers had to stop to take a breather. Running had saved him plenty of times, and now it was one of his favorite hobbies.
Since joining track, he usually practiced by running 2 miles just as a basic requirement just to keep himself on an even level, but he was never one for just maintaining, and when he had the time, ran 3 or 4 miles depending on the weather and how many people were in the park. Winter was making it harder though, with the thin air and the cold that stung his lungs as he moved, but even then, there was always a pleasant numbness at the end where he felt accomplished, tired, and lighter from it.
Dressed in sweatpants, running shoes, and a t-shirt, he went to the resting area in the part before another trail started. Accomplishing 2 miles already, he was thinking of taking the same route back home. After the first mile, he had set a pace, but he felt like a break to take a drink, rest a moment, and then head back.
It wasn’t unusual to see other runners at any given time in the day, but they were usually older women trying to keep their weight down and the elderly trying to follow their doctor’s orders. Hand pressed to his neck and looking at his watch, he looked up as he approached the fountain to see a girl around his age. What was strange was that, given her outfit, she wasn’t a runner he saw on the track team, and guessed she was on a team like soccer. That or one of those self-conscious girls who thought they were fat.
Wary, he waited patiently to let her finish. She looked worn and the way she was drinking the water worried him. “Don’t drink too much or you’ll make yourself sick.” He’d seen too many people stop after running and throw up, or think they only needed water while they were running. While not very social, he still couldn't help to point it out to her. It also made him feel very experienced.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:42 pm
Fallon hadn't expected anyone to talk to her. She hadn't even noticed the shorter boy approach, to be entirely honest. Her mind was more concerned with ensuring the contents of her stomach did not make an unscheduled appearance. Stepping back from the water fountain, Fallon wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. She felt disgusting and was certainly just looked just as bad. For a girl who was meticulous about her outfits and appearance, this sweating-panting-gross thing was not exactly comfortable.
Taking in a few more gulps of air, Fallon straightened up and tried to sound as relaxed as possible. "Thanks," she said, though it didn't sound entirely gracious. "Just battling dehydration." Her chest was heaving much slower now, dark red fading from her cheeks.
In the time it took her to catch her breath, Fallon was able to take in more of the boy and his appearance. He looked high-school age, probably close to her grade, and judging by his not-panting-and-redfaced state, this running business was common practice for him. "I'm trying to get in better shape," she said, as if to excuse her state. Wouldn't it be more acceptable if she admitted she knew her fitness needed some work. "It doesn't seem like you share my problem. You must run track." It was a joke, and Fallon laughed. The laughter sucked more breath out of her, and so Fallon stopped it short, propping both hands on her hips and leaning forward.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:30 pm
The sheer exhaustion and look of being completely out of your element was nostalgic to Ladon. When he actually started to be serious about running, he found that he wasn’t as fit as he thought he was. Since he was skinny and walked almost everywhere, he didn’t feel there any need to argue that he would do very well when he put himself to the test. A bit of strain, maybe, but nothing he couldn’t handle. When it came to actually timing himself during a 2 mile run, he was left gaping for air, his sides feeling as if they would tear and greatly concerned he might have ruptured an organ. Weeks of hard training had left him with little drive to do much else, spending his time after practice with ice packs; face down on the floor of his room.
Her laugh caused him to smile in return. It was a compliment to be recognized as a runner, far from that kid would could barely make it 2 miles without feeling as if he’d black out. “Yeah, I am, so I know that you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. It’s better to make progress than hurting yourself. In this case, pain isn’t gain.” He went to the fountain to take his own share of water, thirsty but not dying of thirst. Still, he wiped his mouth and apologized, simply because it wasn’t right to wipe your mouth with your arm, even if she had done it herself.
“It’s good to get fit. Any reason why?” There was any reason for anyone to take to the park trails. Stress, anger management, scenery, and of course training. She could be here for any number of reasons.
His hand went up to check his pulse, looking at the watch he used just for running. The watch had a cheap, dark blue band of some soft, flexible plastic. A little frowning rain cloud was printed on it’s face, where two lightening bolts moved to point out the time. He found it a sales bin and while there had been plain, digital watches and even a few traditional Roman Number ones, he picked this one out instead. It suited his taste and he was the only one using it after all.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:21 pm
Whoa, Fallon didn't actually think Ladon was on the track team. It was just a joke. Weird. She managed to get out of breath in front of someone her age who actually ran competitively. How wonderful. As the moments ticked by, Fallon's breathing returned to a normal rhythm, making her look less pathetic (she hoped). Pain isn't gain. That certainly sounded like a running mantra, something a coach might bark across a grassy lawn. Fallon wasn't really into team sports, despite her recent joining of the Crystal Academy Equestrian Team. And that really didn't count. They competed as individuals on behalf of the school. There was no real teamwork involved.
Raking one hand over her sweat-soaked hair, Fallon allowed herself to dream of her shower for a moment. There was still another mile ahead of her, but Fallon could use the promise of steam and soap as an incentive for her progress. "I'm tired of being winded after running a mile?" she said, glancing over to Ladon. She laughed, but it was self-deprecating and tinged with embarrassment.
Leaning down, Fallon reached for her toes, convinced that a little extra stretching was all she needed. "Sorry I just... want to be in shape. I want to be able to outrun things that chase me." She laughed again, as if it was all a big joke, as if that wasn't precisely the reason she was putting herself through this.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:24 pm
I want to be able to outrun things that chase me
The words were grim, and he gave a sad smile in return, watching her as she stretched. While she wasn’t looking, he graced himself with a moment to think back.
*****
Panting. Huffing. The back alleyway that ran along the school turned. The fence flashed to his right, a dog barked as he raced. Turn to the left, he squeezed between two houses and out onto their yard. He looked left and right, and heard his name called farther back in the distance. Far away, - but not for long. Bigger meant faster. Bigger meant stronger. Bigger meant trouble.
He’d exhausted these routes. These escaped plans. He knew them well. If he went left, he could go through the back door of the church and hide in there for a while. If he went right, he could hit the stores and be able to linger until they got tired of waiting for him. Either go someplace to hide where no one would find you, or go to a busy place where others would provide security.
His named was called again.
“Come on, Elliot.” The little boy sniffled, using the entire length of his arm to wipe his dripping nose. He looked down to the little blue dog he held in one hand. One of it’s ears was dangling from where it’d been torn, causing the boy to sniffle again.
The voices were getting closer. Panicking, he turned left. That was his mistake.
*****
“There’s no reason to be sorry. Sometimes running is the best option anyone really has, and if that’s the case, it’s good to at least be the best at it.” His voice was soft for someone his age, but underlined with bitterness. The best at escaping wasn’t something you could brag about to friends, but it helped in keeping a person alive. While it wasn’t the best thing to excel in sometimes, he’d grown very use to just managing to get by with the bare minimum of nicks and busies. It wasn’t cowardly – not that often. It was just a skill you picked up after figuring out that you could prevent yourself a lot of bandaging later. That wasn’t to say he didn’t do a lot of things he shouldn’t or caused the reasons that made him run for his life.
He rested his hands by his side, and looked back to the trail. “If you keep at it, you’ll get better. Else whatever it is will catch up to you eventually.” Pulling his mind back to the present, he took another sip of water and then stretched his arms back. She didn't look weak, aside from being winded. Was it just girls messing with her?
"Can I ask what's chasing you? You look like you could take whatever it is on." She was tall and lean, and she looked fit enough. Girls like that often could hold their own when it came to a catfight.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:44 pm
Fallon reached for her toes easily. She didn't exercise, but her mother went through a yoga phase before her daughter left for Destiny City. They woke up every morning to "greet the sun" and become a "tree" and there was something about a dog... that faced downward. Her mother was right about one thing: it was calming. But the regiment never stuck with Fallon. She preferred to do her own workout, which involved ironing clothes, organizing marbles, and bleaching bathroom tile. Totally normal stuff.
Straightening up, Fallon rolled out her shoulders, bending her neck each way. It felt good to stretch. Her sides were sore, and the backs of her knees pulsated from the strain. It had been a very long time since she had gone running. Clearly. "Destiny City is a dangerous place, yeah? Newspaper says so. I guess I just have gotten tired of rearranging my life to avoid the possibility of danger," she said, making small circles with her wrists. Fallon might fail at running, but she would stretch like a champion. "I tried to come home early. I started taking cabs at night no matter how short the distance was. Just things like that to stay safe. My mother is a worrier. She reads the newspaper from Destiny City online. The woman is across an ocean, and she still calls me to warn me about going to so-and-so nightclub or this-and-that restaurant." Fallon shrugged yanking at her ponytail with a free hand. She was sharing too much, and so she cut off the free-for-all of information.
What she said was true though. Fallon might not be the best fighter, but if she could learn to run, she wouldn't have to worry about it. Right? Well, that was certainly her hope. The teen could have given the boy a much more specific answer, sure, but she didn't know him well enough to do so. After a moment, she glanced up at him and asked, "Why do you like to run?" When he stepped away from the fountain, Fallon snaked in to get another sip, wiping off the excess water with her hand.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:03 pm
It wasn’t the first time he was asked the question, and he felt the automatic response. “To be healthier and take care of myself.” Straight to the mouth without any thought, but the answer left him unsatisfied. There was a nagging pull to go further and make himself clear. The girl appealed to his own experiences he guessed, or else he wouldn’t have bothered.
“I like to be prepared for whatever comes my way, and running is what I’m good at. I ran a lot when I was young.” Out of necessity of course. “I like being outdoors and going places. Doesn’t matter where. It’s like, just the action is good enough, and you usually find yourself someplace better or at least someplace new. It’s productive, and better yet, you’re the only person to rely on yourself. There are no excuses, scapegoats, or people to rely on. Just you.”
There was the tired strain that proved you did something to wear yourself out, and then just taking the world in around you as you went. A trance of forgetting when you didn't want to think of anything, and just focused breathing – step – step – breathe in –breathe out. It made you too tired to think, and instead of having trouble sleeping, he could go home, take a shower, and plop dead on his mattress.
“I can understand about what’s going on. My mother worries too, but who wants to stay indoors? See how a lot of terrorists ruin it for the rest of us.” But Ladon didn’t have to face that problem anymore. “You should try some classes to protect yourself.” Not that HE needed them. Not anymore, but he could give advice to the more vulnerable. "Running might not be the best way to protect yourself after all." Not when he could run faster.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:36 pm
Fallon's shoulders felt better from the stretching, but her legs still burned. She knew this would happen. This was only her first attempt at getting in better shape. With time, it would get easier. And Fallon planned to give it just that: time. She'd already reworked her schedule to fit in early morning jogs and night trips to the gym. It might not save her life, but it made her feel a lot more secure.
"I wasn't a rowdy child. I didn't run around a lot, for a kid," she said. Her mother preferred it that way and so did Fallon. It fit in their family dynamic.
Another runner came by and slid over to the water fountain. Fallon stepped out of his way. He took a seat, sighed once, and then took off at a run again. Wow. How long would it take Fallon to have that endurance? "I can't stop living because some people are dying," she said, agreeing. Ladon seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Fallon didn't usually find others her age who used the same level of reasoning. "Maybe I'll take classes. I should probably work up the stamina to run a few miles first." Fallon had no intention of taking combat classes, but she wouldn't be so rude as to say it. Ladon might be right, but Fallon was too anti-contact to engage in a sparring activity with another person. She had contemplated kickboxing classes, but she did not consider it the same thing as a combat course, which is what she assumed he was talking about.
A smile crossed her lips. "Has running kept you safe?" It was a joke, and also a way to extend the conversation. So long as Fallon was talking to this boy, she didn't need to feel guilty about halting her two mile goal.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:36 pm
He laughed with her, shaking his head. “No. Running doesn’t make anyone safe. Sure, for a day or so maybe, but whatever is running after you might be patient to wait for you tomorrow or just might run faster. There is always going to be something that runs faster. Even if you train forever, you can only run as far as your body will allow it.” This was the cruel reality that Ladon had to face in track. Unless he somehow had a growth spurt that shot him up a foot or more, he wasn’t going to be as fast as someone who was, say, 5’11. This was the way things are, but even he had enough sense to know that he could push the envelope of his own abilities past the norm and go faster than most. Fast enough to maybe be respected as a sprinter.
“ If you’re looking for running as a solution, you might have better luck someplace else.” He glanced around, seeing that aside from them, there was no one around. It was quite too. “People are saying the terrorists that come out at night aren’t normal. If you want to be safe from them, really safe, maybe you should mind the curfew that’s going around.” He smiled sweetly at this. The wind rustled the bare trees of the park. “I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 7:41 pm
Fallon nodded. The conversation felt like it was taking a metaphorical turn, but she wasn't sure how to follow. She settled for a pinched smile and a, "Yes." Ladon seemed like an introspective guy, more introspective than she assumed the average high-school age boy to be.
A bug landed on her forearm, and Fallon slapped her hand down sharply, flinching immediately. Gross. There was a dead bug on her arm. While Ladon spoke, she maneuvered her shirt to wipe it off, frowning all the while.
"I'd hate to see you get hurt."
Fallon glanced up to him. "Yes, I'm on the same page with you there," she said, reminding herself to smile. Her mind went to Sailor Virgo and Sailor Cancer and the two youma she had seen in her life. In France, they didn't have these weird problems. Perhaps it was a disease particular to Destiny City. She hadn't heard of it happening elsewhere. What was so special about this place? It was a typical large city, no more bizarre than New York or Los Angeles.
There was a lull in the conversation. Fallon didn't really to focus on her failures for much longer so she changed the subject. "I'm Fallon, by the way," she said. They had talked longer than five minutes. Didn't that mean they should exchange names?
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:50 am
“Ladon Shepard.” The silence continued as his forest, green eyes took her in.
Fallon. There were similarities between them, there was no arguing that, but at the moment he started to sympathize, he started to recoil at the idea of being in the same boat as Fallon. They were, as of this point, not the same. Maybe a month ago, but not now. As it stood, he felt the girl probably should stay at home or else learn to run well before trekking around in the dark. The news wasn’t lying. There were strange happenings going on in Destiny City, and Ladon felt like an example was in order. If she didn’t have a brush of the City’s dangerous side, it was his duty to educate her. To keep her safe - right?
“Hey, how about we race? Just you and me.” Looking around, he could tell that most of the runners were back on the trail, what few were dedicated to run during winter. Still, he’d take persuasions. “I know this little path on the side where we won’t bother any of the other runners and it’s not that long. It would be good to go for a sprint.” They both rested, and he waited silently, anxiously, for her response. What he’d do wasn’t something he was sure his superiors would approve of, but he’d been training, and what use was it if he didn’t use it every once in a while?
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:32 am
Ladon. Fallon filed the name away in the library in her head. He seemed nice enough, a pleasant encounter albeit brief. She had just begun to drum up some sort of goodbye when he offered to race her. "A race?" she said, pursing her lips. Competition could be motivating, she figured. Perhaps if someone was running alongside her she would find the strength to break through the wall of her limitations?
It made sense to her.
"Sure, why not? I could use some competition," she said, touching her toes one last time to work some soreness out of her muscles. Fallon was unfamiliar with this area, but Ladon seemed like he knew it quite well. If he knew of a more secluded path, then it was fine with Fallon. The sun was still out. In all of her unsavory encounters with youma and other dangers, it had always been night. A little foray into the woods seemed like a safe enough diversion from the norm.
"Lead the way."
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:48 am
Grinning, he turned about and gestured for her to follow. “That’s the spirit. It isn’t too far from the path, and it’s really nice if you want to just run by yourself.” Leading her towards the trails, he walked with her before turning left and onto a little deer path. “It’s really nice during fall, and enjoying the scenery is one of the perks of running.”
It was something he never had the opportunity to do before. The thrill of sending someone into a trap, but then again, he never had the power to do so. Leading someone out, betraying their trust, it was all a personal lesson to Fallon to not trust strangers and a test for himself as well. The tables were turned and the world was different for him now. As a human, he would have raced with her, maybe, and they would have been done. But now – Oh, yes – he could play around with others for once. Strike fear.
His heart was racing before they even started, and looking around to listen for any noises of walkers in the distance, he knelt down. “This is a good spot. The deer path winds around and to the middle of another track. You’ll hit it as you go. That’s the finish line. Ready? On the count of three.” Ladon checked to make sure all was quite, that they were far off, and that everything was ready. Time to test Fallon out. If she wanted to keep safe at night from “terrorists”, she’d have to see if she could outrun him.
“One. Two. Three! GO!” He shot off, knowing that a good start would get her to start running hard.
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:06 am
Nothing about Ladon gave away any nefarious intentions to Fallon. He certainly didn't look nefarious either. Though Fallon had heard about the Negaverse, she'd never actually encountered one on her own. She didn't know to be afraid of them like she knew to fear youma. The prospect of a little friendly competition had the blood in her veins moving, mind focusing on a single task: to run fast!
Lining up next to Ladon, Fallon assumed what she believed was a running stance. She would have preferred to give the count down, but Ladon was already halfway done before she thought to object. The boy was off like a rocket, outdistancing her in an instant. That simply would not do. Fallon shot off at a run, legs pumping with machine-like precision. She counted her pace to keep up encouragement, counting, counting, counting.
When she wanted to speed up, Fallon began to count faster in her head, and her body responded, keeping time with the counts. It was almost like a compulsion. When Fallon felt the drive to do something right then, it came first to her mind, and then suddenly her body would respond to satisfy the urge that she had just contemplated. This connection was something of an epiphany, and Fallon drowned out the screaming of her leg muscles and replaced it with the steady thrum of her OCD.
Yes, keep running. This is a compulsion. You must keep this pace. You cannot stop.
In spite of her poor showing earlier, Fallon managed to keep up with Ladon, though she still lagged behind.
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