ellectrical | (no subject)

(no subject)

There's been a lull just long enough for Elle to grow restless. If anything good came out of being so exhausted so much of the time, it was that it had kept her occupied.

So to cure this newfound energy, she's turned to practicing. She's had plenty of opportunity to train with her abilities, however – the one thing she doesn't have to do anymore is run away. And as she'd been reminded, she could stand to be faster.

Jogging, it turns out, works to make her physically exhausted. But when collapses, still panting, close to the shoreline of the lake, her mind is still as loud as it was before.

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Blah blah Sam and your sensible, non-destructive exercise advice.

She doesn't actually say this, but her expression may convey it.

But then she softens, and answers, "I don't remember - that I can stop."

"Well, that's one way to do it."

He stands, and offers her a hand up, if she'll take it.

"Want to walk it off?"

She looks at his hand, maybe unsure whether to see it as an offer or a challenge, but takes it anyway.

"I need to - be able to run," she explains. Or at least tries to.

"For it."

He pulls her up and lets go without making an issue of her hesitation.

"So you are training, sort of. Is it more a speed kind of thing, or an obstacle course kind of thing?"

Sam starts to walk, slowly, beckoning for her to fall in with him.

Her steps are stiff, but she keeps up with his pace.

"It's a get-out-of-their-way kind of thing."

Edited 2013-07-07 08:05 (UTC)

"Usually not a bad plan."

The grass under their feet is soft; the packed earth, firm.

"Any point in me asking who they are?"

She looks over to him.

"It's X."

"X?"

She's got every bit of his attention now.

"What's going on with X?"

"She's -"

Elle looks down, hesitating for another long moment before -

"It's not you, okay? I just - don't know what she wants me to say about it."

"Okay."

Secrets, he gets. Especially ones that hit close to home.

Still --

"Just -- if there's anything I can do that'd help, you'd tell me that, right?"

"I don't think you could."

She's watching the ground again, thinking through her answer.

"It's - something about X. And she's trying to fix it."

Beat. "And she will. But - I've been helping."

"I'm glad. That she has you, I mean," he rushes to add.

Elle hesitates, then nods.

"So I have to - be ready. For her."

"Hence the running. Right?"

"Yeah."

Eyes still down -

"I don't know how - good I am."

Sam considers her for several seconds.

"Do you want to?"

She looks up to him.

Uncertain, "Do I want to know?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know what exactly it is you're trying to do other than run, but ..."

He shrugs.

"I could time you, or race you, or whatever. If you want."

There's a pause, and then she smiles.

Even if she also admits, "That's not really how I meant it."

"Okay."

He smiles back, easily. After all, it's far from the first time he's mistaken her meaning, and this time she's not angry or throwing anything at him.

"How did you mean it?"

The smile fades at this, though it's also not like she's angry or throwing anything.

"I don't - know how -"

Elle folds her arms. "When I had to - learn things, they just told me to do them. I don't know how else to do things except to - make myself."

Which may be why her approach to exercise is to push herself to collapse.

"And I don't know how else - to help her."

He considers that.

"To help her ... you're trying to learn stuff. By making yourself do it. Right?"

Beat.

"What exactly are you trying to learn?"

Elle shakes her head.

"She needs to - learn to do something. And I'm trying to make her."

She knows that's not enough, but it's still a little longer before she pulls together the words to continue.

"Other people are - worried about her. But I just - try to make her learn what she - has to."

"You're trying to teach her," he realizes.

At least, he hopes he's got that right.

"Teach her something... you can't tell me what, right, but ... whatever it is, it means you need to be able to, to -- to outrun or escape something. Is that it?"

She's quiet for a moment, mulling over these words.

"It's more like I'm testing her," she says eventually.

"And if she - doesn't make it, I - need to run."