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Sydney had noticed something. Something very important--vital, even. Which was why she was at Melvin's door at ten in the morning, waiting for him to answer her knock. He needed to get in better shape if he was going to survive as a hunter, she thought. She never saw him practicing or running--and that was all she did, so she would assume she would have seen it--if it happened.

Maybe, she had decided (much to Izy's amusement) he just needed a buddy to do his working out with!

"I was just thinking that you might need a running buddy," she said. "Since it's a beautiful day for a run--and it's good to get fresh air and exercise, considering our jobs." Hint hint. No, that wasn't a hint. That was flat out "come running with me!"

"I mean, it's a bit difficult to find the best running places without help. The Sun Lead laid out a great track for my intermediate trial, I've been using it ever since." Yes, she took Allan's route. That in itself was a terrifying warning.

"Has anyone ever told you about the killer whale?" she asked him. "We were chased through the arctic by a giant squid and a killer whale one time," she went on almost cheerfully. "Then there was the time we went down into a series of caves that started to collapse as we were leaving--we lost two full hunters that time. Then there was the time--"

She gave him a brilliant smile. "I'll go easy on you, I promise," she said, heading down the hall to the exit of the dorms. "I like to stretch before running," she said as soon as they were outside. She started stretching, one leg out to the side, the other bent underneath her until her bottom was almost on the ground.

"Before I was a hunter, I would have never imagined being like this," she admitted. "But now that I'm a Mist... well, I have a responsibility. And I've found that I enjoy it."

"The one around the island," Syd said, getting up and stretching her arms high above her head before starting off at an easy jog. "It's got good scenery and interesting obstacles, she added as she headed for the starting point at the nearest shore.

"Not that I know of," Syd said. "You just have to backtrack once in a while, and sometimes you run into walls or ledges," she added, as if that was no big deal. "Really, it's a great place to run--" although she had to slow down her usual pace for him, she noticed. But that was okay, this was his first time!

They could see the water from here, and the cool ocean breeze felt good to her. "It's a little cloudy, but... well, it always is," she said, blowing off the ominous air and waves as if they were only natural.

"I hate to say it, but this IS clear," she told him. "It was much worse when we had that insanity thing going on--I think there might still be a lot of it in towns. They totally destroyed the Mist house," she said, frowning. "I LIKED the Mist house." She jogged along, still thinking of the time she and the other misties had spent in the house. "And I know the path, but it changes once in a while, tree limbs falling, you get a little lost, that sort of thing."

She shrugged. "So how are you doing? Have you started working better with your weapon?"

"I don't think any relationship is ever going to be perfect," Syd said, turning down a fork in the path. "And how about as a hunter? How's that going for you?" She still worried about some of her friends--Al, especially, but Melvin didn't seem very suited for the job, either.