Going For A Run

Writers: AmajoS, Estelle
Date Posted: 12th April 2019

Characters: L'keri, Benna
Description: Benna manages to convince L'keri to complete a run
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 4 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: K'mai

L'keri

L'keri waited outside the Weyr for Benna, rubbing his hands up and down
his arms for warmth and shivering. He'd promised to meet her for an
early morning run, and the prospect of a post run bath together had
seemed very enticing the night before. Now he knew from his earlier
attempt with K'mai how exhausting running could be, he wasn't so sure
whether this was a good idea.

Still...he grinned to himself, remembering how that had ended. If he got
fed up of running, maybe he could just carry her off to his weyr.

"What are you grinning about?" Benna asked as she approached. It was
cold and early and she hated both of those things with a firey
passion. But, she did enjoy running and she knew she'd warm up soon
enough. She also... felt how she did about L'keri. She cared about him
and she wanted to help him. If it meant getting up early on cold
mornings, well, so be it.

"I didn't think you'd be so eager to run," she gave him her own grin.
"Did you stretch already?" She asked, fitting action to words by
lifting her right foot up behind and catching it with her left hand
behind her back, pulling slightly to stretch out her thigh muscles.

"Uh, no, I was waiting for you, so we could do it together," L'keri
improvised, copying her motion and wobbling slightly on one foot. He'd
never even thought of stretching, and a worried look crossed his face.
How strenuous was this going to be? "You're sure you don't want to come
back to my weyr and do a...private workout there?"

She just grinned in response and switched legs. After that, she
stepped her right foot far out to the side and bent her left knee,
bending her body over to the left. The look on his face was amusing.
It almost made up for having to get up so early, "Don't worry so much,
L'keri. We're only going to do a few miles this first time, a nice
easy pace." She wanted to see what kind of shape he was in.
Dragonriders were supposed to do a certain amount of exercise on a
regular basis, but some riders were more regular about it than others.

**Only a few miles?** It didn't seem so far, used as he was to the vast
distances that could be covered on dragonback, but he wasn't such a good
judge of distance on foot. He wondered how it compared to the walk from
his weyr to the dining cavern. An easy pace sounded doable, though. He
tried to mirror her position, but couldn't even get close to bending his
body that far, so he resorted to the arm stretches he'd learned to do
before Fall, to prepare himself for catching heavy firestone sacks.

"You're very supple," he said innocently. Watching her stretch was
doing a lot to make up for the early start.

She snorted in amusement, he really was incorrigible. "I do a lot of
stretching, especially before running. Helps to keep you from getting
hurt. Also, you won't be as sore the next day."

He seemed to be terrible at stretching though. She began to wonder if
he ever did any running at all. If not, they were going to need to go
at an even easier pace than she'd planned. She didn't want to injure
him on their first run! He might not agree to go again. She did a few
more stretches before asking, "Ready?"

L'keri summoned all his enthusiasm, telling himself that the sooner they
started, the sooner they'd be back in his weyr, in the bathing room,
with him rubbing the foaming sweetsand into her back... He realised he
was getting distracted again. "Ready! Let's go."

Benna nodded and set off at a very easy jog. She planned on them going
three miles, which at this pace should take around a half a mark or
so. She'd keep an eye on L'keri though, if he seemed to be struggling
too much, she might cut it short. She wanted him willing to do this on
a regular basis and making him puke the first day or something didn't
seem like the way to go. "How often do you go running?"

"I went for a run yesterday," he replied with an air of virtuous pride,
falling into step beside her. "With my friend K'mai." Well, it had
started with a run, anyway. He couldn't remember the last time he'd
willingly gone running before that, but he kept that to himself.

"Well, that's good! We might be able to pick up the pace some if you
run on a regular basis," her voice was cheerful. She was teasing him a
bit and didn't plan on their picking up the pace until she saw how he
handled this one for a mile or so. He'd almost toppled over doing a
very common stretch for runners, after all.

"Oh, no, this is good," L'keri said hastily. So far the pace was
manageable, and he was even quite enjoying stretching his legs and the
sensation of the wind in his hair, but he knew from the previous day's
experience that it wouldn't last. He glanced over at Benna, admiring the
fluid motion of her lithe body as she ran, the tensing and drive of the
muscles in her back and legs, propelling her forward...

**Stop that! Later!** He cleared his throat. "So, do you go running a lot?"

"At least a few miles every day. Not usually this early though," Benna
grinned over at him. "It's only because I like you that I got out of
bed this early for anything other than a Flight or a Fall."

The brownrider seemed startled for a brief, unguarded moment before he
covered it with a rakish look. "Well, that's new. I always thought
liking people made you want to get in to bed, not out." He managed a
half-bow as he ran. "I'm honoured."

"You should be," she replied teasingly. She had caught a glimpse of...
something, before he'd delivered his glib comment and felt secretly
pleased. She liked it when she managed to shake loose the mask L'keri
wore a little. She hadn't managed it very often, but each time was
memorable and treasured. "Turn left up here, we're going down this
path."

L'keri turned obediently as they reached the path. He was getting
warmer, which was good, but he could also feel his breath starting to
shorten. Why did running have to be so hard? "Do you have any tips
for when you start to get tired?"

She remembered the advice she was given River Bluff when she first
started exercising with the other candidates and then later, weyrlings
and dragonriders. "One important thing is to concentrate on keeping a
steady rhythm with your breathing. Eventually it will be second nature
but if you don't run a lot it can take getting used to. If you don't
maintain a steady rhythm with your breathing you might start
hyperventilating while you run and that'll get nasty quick. You can get
cramps and even pass out."

Benna eyed him to see if he seemed to be struggling over much.

"Pass out?" His eyes went round and his heart started to race as he
thought of all the horrible fates that could befall the innocent runner.
"If I'd known this was going to be dangerous, I'd have insisted on doing
my exercise in the bedroom."

She giggled and then replied in a solemn tone, "I promise I won't let
you faint." Then she grinned teasingly at him, "You could puke
though."

Then she added, "But really, you're doing fine. You're still talking
and that's good. Holding a conversation would be nearly impossible if
you were hyperventilating. We've only got a couple of more miles to
go." The path they were on made a gradual loop which would lead them
almost back to the point they started. They'd walk the rest of the way
back, cooling down after the run.

L'keri concentrated on his breathing for a while, trying to keep it slow
and steady. The cold air filled his lungs, and despite the growing ache
in his leg muscles, he felt surprisingly refreshed. He hadn't been this
clear-headed so early in the morning in a long time - at least, not
without the tense thrill of forming up to fight Thread.

"This isn't too bad." He was starting to sound slightly out of breath,
but not so much that speaking was difficult. "It's good, running with
another person. Having a distraction from the pain." He grinned. "You're
a very effective distraction."

She returned his grin, thinking he wasn't so bad a distraction
himself, all sweaty like that. "Don't forget, I expect a nice long
soak in your bath after this."

"I'm not going to forget that," L'keri said fervently. "Thinking of you
in my bath is most of what's keeping me going at the moment."

Benna gave a delighted laugh and wished they weren't running so she
could kiss him. They were nearly done though and once they got to his
bath, she planned on having her way with him. "We're going to stop
running at that low wall over there, and walk the rest of the way in.
Then, we'll stretch when we get back to where we started." Then she
grinned, "After that, the bath."

That enticing thought gave L'keri a surge of energy, and he stretched
out his legs and ran, his strides eating up the ground between him and
the distant wall. It was further than he'd thought and by the time he
reached the wall and slapped it with his palm, he was gasping for
breath. He collapsed to the ground and lay flat on his back, exhausted.

"Ohh. You go on without me," he groaned dramatically as Benna arrived.
"I'll just lie here and die in peace."

Benna who had watched him sprint ahead with a sort of open mouthed
incredulity, just laughed at him when he said that. "Get up you
sun-stroked wherry," she prodded him on the hip with her foot. "You've
got to cool down properly and then stretch or you're going to be too
sore to move tomorrow." She grinned fondly at him, "Come on, up. Up!"
She prodded him again.

He groaned again, but pushed himself to a sitting position, recovering
his breath a little. "You're too strict. I think you've been taking
lessons from the Weyrlingmaster," he said darkly. But he did scramble to
his feet, supporting himself on the wall.

"You'll thank me when you're not moving around like a ninety turns old
grandmother tomorrow," she grinned at him as she caught his wrist and
tugged. "Come on, let's walk. The sooner we walk back, the sooner we
can stretch. The sooner we stretch, the sooner we can get in that
bath."

"And the sooner we get in the bath..." L'keri quickly rediscovered some
energy and straightened, giving her an outrageously suggestive wink.
"The sooner I can show you _my_ favourite kind of exercise." He thought
he could get used to running. Although it was painful, it was also
rewarding. In all kinds of ways...

Last updated on the April 16th 2019

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Going For A Run