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Björn was tired, but he wasn't going to let that interrupt his routine. Letting the weirdness of life deter anything would be admitting to failure and inability to handle both his hopes and his duties, and he wasn't about to do that. The answer was clear - work harder!

And keep an even closer habit of marking everything in his planner- scheduling his time, forcing himself outside and not just sit with his head cradled in hands. People counted on him. His lord had expectations of him. Nothing was ever finished that was never started, nor that was abandoned partway.

That wasn't to say that today's jog wasn't a bit scatter-brained. His attention was persistently drawn to the windows he was passing, the reflections of people across the street or whatever was on display within, the glitter of the occasional dime or penny on the ground, the unpleasant black blots of old gum on the sidewalk, or changing the music on his iPod because jarring death metal had suddenly exploded in his ears and he just wasn't in the mood. He had the little device in hand out of his arm strap, flipping through the shuffle, when suddenly there was a crinkle of paper bag and the distinct feel of someone smaller than himself colliding bodily with his torso-

I wasn't paying attention!!

He let the iPod immediately go, trying to catch the poor thing in his big arms before they spilled themselves and too many bags on the ground.

His eyes were large disks of storm-coloured apology as she got her feet under her and then suddenly dropped right to work. How startling. Every bit as sudden as having collided with her. "Oh, it was my fault as well. I was not watching. I should have moved for you if I saw you. "

She was too short for her bags, so of course she hadn't seen him. She had paused and was just...looking at him. "I...am very much not hurt, miss."

"It was like being hit by a feather, you weigh nothing. Are you okay? I'm not so soft during work out or run. Let me help collect your things. Can I help you take them somewhere? I owe you that for spilling you."

"If taking too much, then more hands makes less, ja?"
He crouched himself down to be less looming and more at eye level, as much as that was possible anyway when he was still just that tall. He picked up what was on her other side, brushing things off and setting them into the bags with her, "I am in no hurry. It would be no trouble."

"Nothing is broken?" If there was, he could offer to buy her a new one. he was the wall the tide had broken against, after all. "Do you have a car waiting? "

He gave a very plain sigh of relief that nothing was ruined. From the looks of all of it she certainly shopped healthy. A little light on the protein though! But maybe he was just used to his own shopping needs, which involved too much soy, tofu (wait, wasn't that soy too?), chicken, black beans, and rice. A couple blocks wasn't too bad, and wasn't really out of his way. He was out to get air, so that was everywhere out of doors.

Björn gave a casual motion to the UnderArmor gear he was wearing, "Oh, no, not living here. The gym I go to is maybe several miles away from here. I like to run home from it, and take different roads a few times each. So I can learn the city. "

"So I don't have a car either. But my arms carry more anyway, " He winked at her. "Cars are more for lifting. Groceries are a small thing. I can walk these there with you. My name is Björn Guildson. I....guess you could say I'm an amateur athlete. Soon to be semi-professional, hope. "

I hope there is someone at home to meet her. Imagine sending your daughter out alone in Destiny City will the war going on! Though maybe she thinks she is lucky to have a parent that isn't so frightened they suffocate her. At least I can protect her to her door. There's no telling if a neighborhood is safe judging from my experience. People don't bother me. She's pretty...I wonder where her family is from. She sounds normal, so maybe they are American for some time.

"I'm a strongman competitor. It is like weightlifting and powerlifting, but it emphasizes endurance more than either as well as moving with weight rather than just burst dead-lifting, " Talking about strongman competition in general just made him happy. It was really a tragedy that more people weren't aware of it- how could it not be exciting? He got to lift cars. "The World's Strongest Man Competition gets televised, but I don't think any other events do outside of alternative ESPN channels. Many have not heard of it. Honestly, I don't watch much TV myself to know."

"You seem enough of an athlete to me- an extended walk with that many bags of groceries is something. " Björn gave an accentuating nod, "But being a student is not so bad either. I graduated before summer, myself. I am glad to meet you, Orah. Do you plan to work at flowers? There's a word for that, isn't there...."

He trailed off, considering. 'Florist', however, just wasn't coming to mind.

"If you have much to do at the shop, it sounds like you are not waiting for your diploma to start, " he chuckled companionably. "I could never go to college. Not real college. Though, maybe that is plain since I'm out running and not working someplace. I wanted to get one more season in before starting hard at something. Either ...I'm not sure. I help my mother right now on weekends- she is a chef and owns a fancy pastry and baked things place. I carry tables and boxes for her, 'gofer' they call it. But I think...it will either be something like that when I choose, since that is a schedule I can work around training, maybe work for the post office or shipping company on a loading dock, or I was thinking of trying to be an EMT. There are many people who are not small, and they need someone who can keep them stable getting them to and from hospitals. But that will take a while of studying for me I think. "

"Slow and steady wins?"

"Will you keep singing, even as a florist? Do plants really like music?"

"I like helping where I can, " an agreement to her sentiments. "Even just at the bakery. "

"Are you going to take any business and tax courses? Maybe you already know all the filing stuff. I haven't touched any of that. " He considered his mother's various chore in dealing with owning her own business and didn't envy it. Anyone who could do the same was impressive in their drive and dedication. "Speaking of bakeries and florists, do you grow your own plants, or use nurseries? Anna sometimes uses flowers in her baking- apparently you can eat a lot of different flowers. They all taste like perfume to me, but people seem to like how colourful they are. "

"Like Chicory, mums, day lilies, fuchsia and hibiscus. Though the hibiscus she usually boils for tea. I get to carry the samovar out to the lobby when it is refilled. Maybe we've worked some of the same parties or weddings and not realized it. There are always flowers on tables."