Rue
21st Day of Summer, 513 AV
"You're not even trying! Push yourself!" He hurled words at her as if he hadn't learned that his opinion had long ago ceased to matter. All the same they were throwing off her count as she moved her body. Arms strained to hold her body in the air as she touched a leg to the ground in front of her, the other in the air to aid her balance. Stomach straightened, lifting the legs, the warm burn of muscles working had long since turned into flames, both legs in the air now -a perfect handstand- then one down one lowered down to touch the ground behind her. One hundred. Two if you counted each touch. Straight up again and then she pushed lifting herself to her feet as her upper body reversed its position. Just as quickly she was on the ground again, dizzy from the blood rush.
"Giving up already? Look at you! You're a mess! Your brother can do three times that!" Rue tuned out his words as her vision returned and she sat up. Her arms were slowly recovering and she stood to stretch the tension from her legs as she stretched her arms. She stepped forward planting her back leg into the ground and sinking into the lunge, bending her back knee until it hovered just inches from the ground. A half chime later she pushed up to standing again with her front leg, switched and repeated the movement. Legs together again she bent at the hip lowering her upper body down, dropping her arms to touch her toes, nose almost touching her copper breeches. She stretched every day to be this flexible, three times on the days when she would run, this would be her second of the day, and when she returned she would stretch again.
"What nonsense is this now? What are you doing? Do you think you're done? You've hardly started!" Rue pulled one foot up to touch the back of her leg, pulling the muscle through the front of her leg. she did the same with the other leg. "Are you even listening to me?" She was, she just didn't bother to dignify his calling with a response. It was mid afternoon and this would mark her second stint of exercising for the day, she would not let his complaints cause her to overtax my body. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Her father reached for her arm and she ducked beneath his grab, starting a medium jog that would let her not entirely ready legs to stretch out the rest of the way before she really ran.
Heavy footsteps pounded behind her accompanied by calls of 'come back here, you useless girl' and other more colorful insults. They lasted only a few chimes. The yelling accompanied with the belief that 'muscle is all that matters' meant that he was quickly left behind. She kept the pace as she weaved her way through the city, aiming to reach the outskirts before she switched to a quicker pace.
"You're not even trying! Push yourself!" He hurled words at her as if he hadn't learned that his opinion had long ago ceased to matter. All the same they were throwing off her count as she moved her body. Arms strained to hold her body in the air as she touched a leg to the ground in front of her, the other in the air to aid her balance. Stomach straightened, lifting the legs, the warm burn of muscles working had long since turned into flames, both legs in the air now -a perfect handstand- then one down one lowered down to touch the ground behind her. One hundred. Two if you counted each touch. Straight up again and then she pushed lifting herself to her feet as her upper body reversed its position. Just as quickly she was on the ground again, dizzy from the blood rush.
"Giving up already? Look at you! You're a mess! Your brother can do three times that!" Rue tuned out his words as her vision returned and she sat up. Her arms were slowly recovering and she stood to stretch the tension from her legs as she stretched her arms. She stepped forward planting her back leg into the ground and sinking into the lunge, bending her back knee until it hovered just inches from the ground. A half chime later she pushed up to standing again with her front leg, switched and repeated the movement. Legs together again she bent at the hip lowering her upper body down, dropping her arms to touch her toes, nose almost touching her copper breeches. She stretched every day to be this flexible, three times on the days when she would run, this would be her second of the day, and when she returned she would stretch again.
"What nonsense is this now? What are you doing? Do you think you're done? You've hardly started!" Rue pulled one foot up to touch the back of her leg, pulling the muscle through the front of her leg. she did the same with the other leg. "Are you even listening to me?" She was, she just didn't bother to dignify his calling with a response. It was mid afternoon and this would mark her second stint of exercising for the day, she would not let his complaints cause her to overtax my body. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Her father reached for her arm and she ducked beneath his grab, starting a medium jog that would let her not entirely ready legs to stretch out the rest of the way before she really ran.
Heavy footsteps pounded behind her accompanied by calls of 'come back here, you useless girl' and other more colorful insults. They lasted only a few chimes. The yelling accompanied with the belief that 'muscle is all that matters' meant that he was quickly left behind. She kept the pace as she weaved her way through the city, aiming to reach the outskirts before she switched to a quicker pace.
Nightsong
