NLA's Residential District - Approaching Deliverance Park - 0728 hrs

Just Breathe in. And Breathe Out. Don't think about the strain. Don't think about the guy hot on your heels. Just Breathe. Breathe. And Run.

"Hey!", gasped Dwayne, "you ready for my comeback?!"

Xavier blinked. Jeez, this guy's playing banter? And he can't understand understand why he always loses these things? He then brushed off the voice of his friend at his back as he continued his pace. This was all part of the routine. Every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday Morning they would complete a 3 kilometer circuit around the Residential District, starting from their House in Ishmael Hills, east then around the Sport's Complex, then West past the Construction Yard, then North into the Park, only to swing around the Water Reserve, past the Cathedral, and back Home to get ready for whatever assignment they might have.

This was all on the condition that they were at the house at the same time for their scheduled Jogs. They were in separate Divisions in BLADE. With Xavier being in Pathfinder and Dwayne being a member of the Reclaimers. The two sects had a similar line of work; they go out into the unexplored Mira and find things. That being said, the difference was pretty intermediary as the Pathfinders often went out to chart out regions that they knew little to nothing about, while the Reclaimers job of recovering missing equipment and White Whale wreckage often meant that they went out to pick up the litter that someone else found. As Dwayne liked to put it, 'Pathfinding with a purpose.' Pathfinders and other teams go out and occasionally stumble upon Humanity's junk and mark the location on Frontier Nav for the Reclaimers to secure the area then perform an extraction, either by air lift or by hand.

Sounds boring until you realize that recovering the Lifehold is going to be on the Reclaimer Division. If BLADE could ever find it, that is. Xavier grinned a little at a protruding thought.

Pathfinders charge in. Reclaimers follow behind. Just like-

His thoughts stopped short as he saw the form of Dwayne rushing past him. Between short breaths, "and Chambers takes first! We may have a new and handsome champion in the making folks!" He shouted as the two made their arrival into the shade of the large trees growing in Deliverance Park. His outburst caught the attention of two women walking nearby on the grass lawn. A Whoo! could be heard from one of them, and Dwayne raised both his arms in response.

Xavier could picture the dumb-ass smile on his friend's face. He hadn't come behind Dwayne on one of these yet, and he wasn't going to start today. He picked up his pace to secure the lead once again and in retaliation, Dwayne resumed a more proper method of running and brought his arms down for the rhythmic swing.

Breathe. Breathe.

"COMEBACK!" shouted Dwayne. "Get it?! *pant* 'cause now you're at my back?!"

Oh screw this.

"Arghhh!", Xavier growled as he sprinted forward with all his might. "ON YOUR LEFT!" They were now shoulder to shoulder, but he didn't get past that as his friend stuck out his left arm in order to keep Xavier in Second place. Xavier tried to push Dwayne away from him, but Dwayne only laughed as he continued to keep him at bay.

It stopped being funny, however. Or at least it stopped being funny for Dwayne as, with a sharp smack and the sound of a chain fence clinking, he smacked into the fence surrounding the pool at the Water Purification Plant.

"Ohah! Bastard!" he said, cringingly, as he clutched his face. Dwayne had been keeping his eyes on Xavier and hadn't noticed that the two runners had made it to the Water Plant and that he happened to be running directly at the fence surrounding it until the last second, when he turned to look in front of him.

Xavier kept running a few more paces but decided to stop out of respect for his friend. If he was going to beat him, which he was, again, then he was going to do it sportsman like, and with dignity.

"You deserved it." he told Dwayne, with some mild concern.

"Yeah?", Dwayne replied. "Screw you." Xavier laughed at that.

BLADE Tower - 1944 hrs

"Rosie?" asked Dr. Leblanc, tentatively.

"Yeah." Xavier said. "Me and Dwayne Chambers had been jogging past when we ran into this morning a little after 7:30." Xavier, opened nd and closed his mouth, thinking about what he was going to say. He moved his tongue across his teeth inside his mouth, to wet them. He still felt dry ... all over ... it was disgusting ...

The Doctor watched as the BLADE rubbed the brow of his head. "Please take your time." he said, "if you need anything just say it."

Xavier wanted water. Was that normal? Should he want water at all? When was the last time he had some water to drink? Was it this morning? Maybe he really is just thirsty. Could he risk it? Could he?

Xavier swallowed. He felt the scratchiness of a dry esophagus contracting.

"Can I get some water please?" he asked. "I think the physician said that it was okay for me to drink now."

The Doctor smiled, "yes, they informed me of that." He picked up a receiver on his desk and spoke into it. "Yes, hello. This is Doctor Leblanc, I'm in my office with Corporal Moran. Could we please get a pitcher of water and a glass here in my office, please?" A short pause. "I think that will be all for now, thank you." He set the receiver back on his desk and looked back at the BLADE. "It should be here shortly. Please, continue. You had just met Rosie down at the Plant?"

"Yes."

"Was this the first time that the two of you had met?"

"Yes"

"How did you feel about meeting her?"

"She was a bitch." Xavier said this bluntly.

The Doctor's smile twitched.

NLA's Water Purification Plant - 0731 hrs

"What are you people DOING?!" came a shout that had turned into a scream.

Xavier looked in the direction of the noise, and saw a young, short, and quite furious woman approaching the two of them in a likewise furious manner.

"I am so sick in tired of you EFFING PEOPLE running around my plant like it's your own PERSONAL PLAYGROUND!" Xavier's ears were now ringing as they struggled to adjust to the inflection of volume in the woman's voice. He didn't know whether to feel annoyed at this woman for including in him in the joys of the female menstrual cycle or to feel amused at this woman's self-censoring with the word 'effing.'

He didn't feel like becoming acquainted to this woman so he tried to appease her with the classic saying of "uhhhh ... sorry. I guess?" in an attempt to dissuade the scenario.

"SORRY?!" she shouted, "NO! I have more than enough problems to deal with in my work life, and I don't need some sweaty degenerates treating the city's water supply like it's a punching bag!" Xavier could see some tears forming in this woman's eyes.

"Okay? Uhh ... what's your name Ma'am?"

"ROSIE!"

"Okay! Sheesh!", Xavier said, with one his arms lifted between he and her. "Calm down!"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Rosie. "I don't know who you are, but you're going to sit there and listen to me carp about my problems!" She stared up at Xavier like it was her business, and Xavier did not look away from his now new acquaintance. So he allowed himself a half-second to compose himself, for what was surely going to be his greatest workout of the day.

Just Breathe in. And Breathe Out.