Running in the 20's

Getting out of campus in the morning wasn’t the problem. It was convincing them you didn’t need a jacket. Bless em, they cared enough to not want you to get a cold, but the sun was due to peak in about an hour if the slight, light-hearted pink dressing the wispy clouds were any indication. His hoodie would be enough. Saito walked with a lenient, carefree slowness – taking one step at a time like he had nowhere to go so he’d go anywhere. It was yesterday that he’d convinced Emi to join in on some extra training. A jog. Basic cardio. Stretches. Maybe press ups, he hadn’t decided yet. The offer came by when he realised how genuinely shitty his friend was at keeping her breath and pace during a relatively calm hike; she spent the trip sweaty and uneven like the uphill forest floor were a crag with foot-deep pits for either foot.

On auto-pilot, he rounded the corner, spying the park in the distance. It was probably the best for running. Lots of flat ground. Grass, gravel, hard dirt; trees for shade; benches to rest on. He’d expected more dog walkers, but as he walked through the wrought iron arch leading into the park, he figured it was still a little early. In fact, besides a lonely looking drunk day drinking on the other side, the park was empty… Yeah, just a bit early. With a sigh, Saito strolled over to a tall, strong tree and shrugged off his rucksack packed with snacks and water and some other bits and bobs. He slid down the tree, sitting against it and stuffing his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. Emi would probably show up in a few hours. Probably unprepared in her classic way. He’d take it easy on her at first, after all, he was hoping to make this a habit. Get her outside more. It didn’t take long for Saito to fall asleep against that tree.



Only to be awoken by the buzz of his phone in his pocket and its signature tone. A text shook him from a dream and his eyes opened to see the world in morning’s glory. The sun was bright and low, sending harsh shadows out to the west. Birds were chirping and there were some kids bouncing around playing with a ball. Checking the time, 7:30, he stretched and yawned, standing from his napping position to read the text. Emi was here. It took a cursory glance around the place to spot the pinkette on a far-off bench, tapping away at her phone. The stiffness in his shoulders faded soon enough, so he grabbed his pack and made his way over to his friend. He was easy to spot, not many dark-skinned people with dull white hair and a painfully red hoodie walking around in the morning. As he approached, he rubbed some sleep from his eye and smirked. “Howdy, pum’kin.”

Of course, she was wearing what she’d call her gym clothes. A lazy-looking tank top and baggy jogger bottoms. At least her shoes looked good enough to jog in. Saito plopped down beside her on the bench, pulling out his sunglasses and flicking them on to combat the annoyingly bright morning. “How’s mornin’ treatin’ ya, beautiful?” This casual ‘flirting’, as anyone else would call it, was how Saito interacted with friends. Pet names, nicknames, compliments, jokes, it was second nature even now. He’d hear her reaction and her answer and grin, either way, stretching wide enough to take up the vast space of the bench and yawning. “Well, you seem so ready for this.” Saito grabbed his rucksack, eying Emi with his usual dumb smile. “You eaten yet or is the sun making you out to be paler than I remember?”
Either way, he’d hand his friend an energy bar and one of his tiny bottles of water.
Medication before the therapy. From there, he’d listen to whatever she had to say, answer any questions or whatever until she says that she’s ready to begin their fun little morning of exercise and friendly friendship.

With a grin, Saito listened to Emi’s responses. The girl was in high spirits. That was good. He wasn’t planning on ruining her life this morning but being too gentle would yield no results. As she complained about the temperature, Saito glanced around behind his sunglasses. The heat that his blood carried made it hard to feel the cold, so if it was chilly, he didn’t notice. “Coats huh? Doubt it, shoulda brought one of those fancy fluffy scarf things to keep your lily neck warm.” he chuckled at the thought. After Emi had accepted his tributes and showed she wasn’t as woefully unprepared as she was during the hike, he bounced from the bench. “In that case, let’s get to work.”

The idea was to get Emi moving, right? Exercising? She wasn’t what he’d call unfit, but he worried she might be falling behind. Emi always did seem more interested in her blogs and gizmos than in her own health. No good, no sir. So what was a friend to do besides bring her somewhere comfortable, with someone she was comfortable with (himself, he hoped) and try to make it a fun experience. Still. Saito wondered if she’d end up appreciating this. Jogging wasn’t for everyone…

Saito put on an ‘official’ face, standing with a confident posture in front of the pinkette. “We’ll do a quick warm-up jog, then stretch before the big one, aight?” In his red hoodie and blue, athletic jeans, he started to run on the spot. “Don’t worry about speed, I’ll follow your pace, so go as fast as whatever’s comfy for ya. We’ll do just half-a-lap of the park, should get that frozen heart of yours pumping, eh?” Saito seemed genuinely excited, though if it was to be running or to be running with his friend was anyone’s guess.

As they began, Saito would watch Emi very closely, examining her form as she ran, keeping a comfortable distance at her side and easily matching her pace. He’d encourage her as they went, not watching where he was going but it’s not like he was about to run straight into a streetlight or something. The morning was bright, and the sun would hopefully warm Emi up as she ran. Perhaps it got a little awkward, his inspecting gaze. He’d still chat all the while, jogging like a pro, with a slight lean and strong, flat steps. “You did pretty good!” He’d call as they finished their half-lap, stopping easily and giving a Emi’s shoulder a firm clasp. “Aight, we gotta use that heat in your limbs and get to stretches, you said in the chat you looked some up right? Show me, show me.”