Marathon!

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya had trained faithfully, just like she promised (and despite her period starting a few months after that promise. Really? She didn't need that!). The weights had been added by about the second month of training and she was really, really proud of her stamina!

And the marathon they'd chosen as their first was coming up this weekend, with fund raising as done by Elcy...and yeah. "Don't tell me you have to cancel!" she said into the phone, pulling one foot up to stretch out her thighs. "Don't! I can't go and do this alone!"

Comments

[mitochondriaaya]

"Right! I'll lay out your kimono boxes if you guys need to brush hair!" Maybe Braig would just braid his hair back? "Ten minutes tops!" Pounding down the hall, bouncing off walls when she didn't manage a straight line.

[sliceitwithwind]

"I love you, Aya Brea." Braig called.

It took a little longer than ten minutes, and Dilan was still squishing water out of his dreads when he got to the bedroom. Braig's hair was braided back.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Love you too!" A little after ten minutes Aya had her under robe on and a towel on her head, the boxes were on the bed (Spring color set) and she was debating if there was a true need for the several other robes before the kimono proper.

Elcy would know.

Blast.

"I can't run in full kimono and geta! We're gonna have to walk to the community center." Or really, after a marathon, trying to run in geta would make her snap an ankle. She just knew it.

[sliceitwithwind]

"We're going to drive there." Braig said, "It'll shave half an hour off our time." He and Dilan started getting dressed in full kimono, with all the under garments.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Oh, right, car!" How had she forgotten that?! She took the towel off her hair and fluffed her fingers through the short strands to help air dry it a bit more before dashing past the boys to fish in the jewelry box. "Okay, the amethyst and jade clips or the rose quartz clip with dangly bits?!" Both went with the kimono! The big difference was, well, symmetrical clips, one on each side, or one big clip, on one side, beads dangling down along one side of her face!

Jewelry was important sometimes!

"And what do you guys want out of here?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Hair sticks for Braig." Dilan said, "And the rose quartz one, I love that one."

"I'm actually with Dilan on that." Braig agreed, "Nothing for Dilan, though. Putting his hair up would take all night."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Jade or Silver Braig?" Because those were his options! The dark wooden ones went with fall and winter kimono colors! "And we got that nice, heavy band for just holding his dreads back remember? Sannish sent it!" No ornaments worked too though!

And dangly clip it was! Left side today! Pose, beam, make sure the clip looked decent?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Silver." Braig said, instantly, "Oh, I forgot about that. Yeah, go ahead and slap that on him."

"Looks good." Dilan said while bunning Braig's hair.

[mitochondriaaya]

Good! She was getting better at the hair clipping without a mirror thing! The silver sticks were passed to Dilan then Aya slid behind him to gather his dreads into the the heavy circlet clip. "And lo, we are presentable? I think? Geta people!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, I think so." Braig said.

"Mine are by the door." Dilan said, "I dunno where you two put yours."

"Closet." Braig went after his.

[mitochondriaaya]

"You wear yours more than we do!" Aya laughed and dashed down the hall to her room. She kept all her nice clothing in the closet there! And nice shoes beneath. "Annnnd...carkeys! Or phone? Should we let Elcy know we're on our way?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Keys are by the door." Braig said, "You call mom while we get into the car."

He never used his phone while driving.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Alright!" She snagged her cell phone from her dresser after sliding her shoes on and drifted toward the door, dialing. Yes, she fully expected the boys to get the doors for her while she concentrated on holding her hem carefully in one hand and dialing with the other.

The boys did that when they were dressed up! "Elcy? Mom? Yes, yes, I know! We're getting in the car now! We'll even pass high dress inspection I promise! If anyone gets impatient you can tell them my legs cramped up!" It wouldn't even be a lie!

[sliceitwithwind]

They got the door without even thinking about it, the one to the car, too, with Dilan folding into the front seat as Braig held it and closed it behind her.

Then Braig got into the car and began the "please lights stay green" chant.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yes, they did. Not right now, no, but earlier and they were bad and I'm probably going to spend a lot of tonight sitting just in case okay?" Yeah, she got the 'reassure Elcy' bit while the lights (so far) remained green. "No, no, prolly just, sorry, I probably just pushed too hard today. I'll let you know if I keep getting leg cramps after I've rested. Yes. We're at Cherry and Main now..." Saaaaaaaave her?

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig was doing the best he could! Finally they got to the parkinglot and Braig let loose a big sigh of relief.

[mitochondriaaya]

"No, that was a good noise, we made it, we're here, I'm going to hang up now and get out of the car!" Click. "So doomed." Getting out of the car anyway!

[sliceitwithwind]

"At least we'll go down together." Dilan said, holding an arm out for Aya. Braig slid up to her other side and did the same, then the three of them went in.

"You're not as late as I feared." Elcy said, looking them over.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yep, we will. And suffer a lack of cookies together." Because they worked like that! When they got in Aya posed artlessly between the boys, smiled, and blinked guileless blue eyes up at Elcy. "We didn't know. We're sorry."

Elcy just chuckled and shook her head. "I raised Braig, Aya, that stopped working on me when he was six."

[sliceitwithwind]

"To be fair, Aya's cuter than I was." Braig said, loyally.

"Also," Dilan said, "Braig was able to use two year old me against them, then."

[mitochondriaaya]

"And he was told then to stop using the toddler to get out of trouble," Elcy said, unperturbed. "Now, you are late. Make your apologies then enjoy yourselves." And thank people! "Braig, keep an eye on them both, marathons take a lot out of people and this is their first."

"Mommmmm," Aya drawled softly. "We won't fall down until after we get home okay?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Will do." Braig promised before dragging the others off to mingle.

Dilan said, "I kind of wish I remembered being used."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Why?" Aya asked curiously after exchanging hugs with one of the ladies who had donated. "If you were two it couldn't have been too terrible right?" In theory?

"And Braig can fill you in if you want to know anyway!" Right?

[sliceitwithwind]

"'Cause I'm betting it was funny?" Dilan said, "And because he talks about how cute I was, a lot."

"Dude."

"It's true!"

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya glanced between the boys and shrugged. 'I bet you were?" She wasn't there though! Oh, idea! "Elcy tried video taping before she decided she liked scrapbooking right? Where did those end up?"