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

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig grimaced, "It'd still be, like, weird." he said, "I mean...yeah."

[mitochondriaaya]

"It's alright," Aya grinned at him in the rearview. "I can't make holograms anyway! You were just worried about all the girls and lack of time so...brain storming?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"It's a joke, Aya." Braig said, "Now, keep a look out for the next turn, okay?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"How was I suppose to know?! You really like dating!" That's why he did so much of it! She sat back and craned her neck around to look through the windows. "Up ahead, three-quarters of a mile!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, but you guys are still more important." Braig said, shrugging.

Dilan was watching the other cars, he couldn't help it. They moved.

[mitochondriaaya]

"That's why we were gonna keep the real version," Aya snorted. "Turn coming up! Right turn!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Got it." Braig said, turning in and coasting down the street until they hit the parking lot.

"Got your towels?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Have our towels!" Aya laughed, still turbaned in one but now sporting another. "I don't think I'm going to swim much, probably just sit in the water?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"That's fine, just make sure you spread the towel out to dry in the sun." Braig said, grabbing one of his own and heading beachward.

Dilan stepped out after and grabbed the bag of snacks. They must eat ALL THE SNACKS.

[mitochondriaaya]

Yes, all the snacks! Aya was cognizant enough to make sure she grabbed the empty wrappers for trash can depositing? "Don't worry! We won't leave them in your car!" Not when there were nice clumps of driftwood to drape towels over to dry!

"Hey, hey Braig! You alright?" He was headed off kinda quick and she felt like she needed to apologize for some reason.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Awesome." Braig said with a grin, stripping off his shirt and trousers. He had shorts on under, and he'd just freeball it when it was time to get changed again. Dilan did it all the time, he could do it once. "Yeah, I'm fine." he said, smiling at her, "I just really want to swim."

"Mmm. I'm with Aya. Wading around seems good to me."

[mitochondriaaya]

Yeah, Aya was going to swim in her running gear. It was light weight and already wet! "Okay, making sure! My head's being weird!" She grinned and reached down to grab his clothing so it could be folded above the surf line then waded into the water.

Okay...maybe one lap out and back, just to rinse and refresh...

Or really just to chase Braig a little before retiring to the shallows!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Awww." Braig said, pausing before diving down so that he could ruffle her hair, "You're awesome, monkey, and I'm okay." then he dove out and started making laps.

Dilan followed at a slower pace and then waded out himself. Mmm. Ocean.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Ook ook!" she responded automatically. "Okay!" yep, back to the shallows where she didn't have to worry about currents she couldn't fight right now and...maybe to building little escape routes for the tide pool denizens. Every tide pool critter secretly wanted to get back to the sea!

She totally wasn't too old to dig in the sand yet.

[sliceitwithwind]

You were NEVER too old to dig in the sand. Dilan was just enjoying the water, although he glanced over there now and then. He might come join her.

[mitochondriaaya]

Her escape tunnels were getting a little complex, with driftwood siding and seaweed floors to keep the sand from filling back in! And she actually cheered when the first hermit crab bumbled into her chute and made it out to open water!

Yes, she was a dork.

"You don't think they'll make fun of me do you?" Aya asked out of the blue. "Running in the territories?"

[sliceitwithwind]

Okay, he had to join in.

"Aya." Dilan looked at her with confusion, "When has anyone in the territories ever made fun of you? They love you even more than they love me!" She was so tiny and adorable and...thirteen now. Almost fourteen. "They're probably gonna hit on you."

[mitochondriaaya]

With two sets of hands they could build more escape routes! "Hmmm, I know. Never, they all really like me I know! But...I don't fit in anywhere really now. And I really can't keep up with katzu runners so some of them will have to slow down if they don't want me getting lost..." And she worried! A lot!

And...time for her own confusion! "Why would they do that? I don't even have real boobs yet!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"What do boobs have to do with it when it comes to Katzu?" Dilan asked in turn, "Katzu don't really have boobs! I mean some do? But mostly if they're nursing. And if some of the younger people come running they'll be at about your speed, you know? The ones shorter than you."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Boobs mean a human is at dating age? I DON'T KNOW! I haven't really grown any..." okay, some, but she hadn't measured recently. "So why would they hit on someone who's still all kid sized?!" IT MADE NO SENSE TO HER!

"How many of the kids haven't had growth spurts yet? I know there's only ten or so new babies...so mostly still everyone we know..." But that covered a range of years, and her brain kind of assumed they'd all be Dilan's size now. Because Dilan was the katzu standard! They were all on Dilan's schedule in her mind!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Because you're old enough." Dilan said, "I mean, I was dating when I was kid-sized! And some of them have been kinda following you around since you were eight. There'll be some people who're going to be short, still."

[mitochondriaaya]

Freeze. Blink. "What do I do if they do?!" She hadn't researched dating! Except in the vague 'listening to the boys talk about it' kind of way! Meep!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Well. If you like them you could kiss them." Dilan said, "Or hold hands, or something. If you don't like them like that you should pretend not to notice unless they say something obvious, and then be nice and tell them that you're not interested but you still like them."

[mitochondriaaya]

"And it won't hurt their feelings if I don't like them?" They wouldn't hate her? And kissing?! "I never thought about kissing before! Not really! My friends talk about it but they're older than me! And don't your noses get in the way?!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"That's just part of dating." Dilan said, "Kissing isn't that hard. You tilt your face a little, you don't mash straight on. You should kiss Haran, he's had a thing for you for years. You can tell by how he always follows you around. He'd be really good for a first boyfriend."