Workout Chatter
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Blake chanted softly with each step he took.
Dustin glanced back over his shoulder at him. "Dude, are you just doing that for effect, or does your head really hurt that bad?"
"Really hurts."
"Why don't you just sneak some aspirin while we're out here?" Shane asked.
Blake shook his head slightly and winced. "Hunter'll just get madder. Better to suffer now. He might take pity on me before bed."
Tori raised an eyebrow. "So he's really not as heartless as you're making him sound?"
Blake smiled faintly. "Nah. I deserve it. He's just...being a big brother."
Dustin looked away, suddenly much more interested in the ground than the current conversation. "So who do you think told Sensei?" he asked abruptly.
"Wasn't Cam." Shane answered, the glance he shot Dustin making it apparent he recognized the attempt to change the subject. "He promised me he wouldn't."
"Hunter was with me all day." Blake added.
Tori frowned. "Wasn't me."
Dustin snorted. "Even I'm not that much of an airhead."
"CyberCam?" Tori suggested.
"Shh!" Shane hissed suddenly, waving a hand for silence. He cocked his head as he slowed his jog somewhat. The others watched him in confusion. At last he scowled darkly. "That's cheating!" he declared to no one in particular. "And we *so* did not deserve it!"
Blake looked bewildered, glancing over at Tori as understanding seemed to dawn on her and Dustin. "What's he doing?"
"It wasn't on purpose!" Shane argued.
Tori glanced over at Blake in honest surprise. "Don't you hear the spirits of your element?"
"The *what*?" Blake demanded incredulously.
"The spirits of the elements, dude." Dustin interjected. "Shane's talking to the Wind Spirits. I can hear Earth Spirits, and Tori's got Water. Don't you talk to the Thunder Spirits?" He paused, looking perplexed. "Are there Thunder Spirits?"
"Don't look at me." Blake retorted. "I've never even heard of Shane's imaginary friends."
Shane paused in his argument with the breeze to shoot him a withering glare. "Just because you can't hear them doesn't make them imaginary. They say they're the ones who told Sensei, because we needed to learn our lesson."
"Believe me, I'm never touching alcohol again." Blake muttered.
"So we're being punished by Sensei, Hunter, *and* the Spirits? Totally unfair, dude." Dustin moaned.
Tori looked at him oddly. "Since when has Hunter been punishing you?"
"Since every time he walks by he gives me a heart attack and glares like I'm the scum of the Earth!" he shot back. "I keep thinking he's gonna like, pop up out of nowhere and scare the crud out of me any second." He glanced around suspiciously, as though suddenly reminded of the need to be cautious.
"Hunter's not as bad as you guys make him sound, you know." Blake informed them.
Shane snorted. "Dude, you're his brother. He's nicer to you."
"He doesn't have to be nice to us." Dustin agreed. "I mean, he's like all silent and brooding at work, he only goes to the track with you to race, and the rest of the time you guys are hanging out at Ops."
Blake gave him an odd look. "I don't come here anymore than you guys do."
"Hunter's here all the time."
"But I'm not."
There was a moment of silence as that sunk in to them all.
"Dude, I so didn't need to know." Dustin grumbled.
"How do you think I feel?" Blake groused. "That's my brother you're talking about."
Shane had an odd look on his face. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Cam's computer the same way again."
"You guys are such perverts." Tori complained, rolling her eyes.
"We're teenage guys, Tor." Shane reminded her.
"Same difference."
"Dissed!" Dustin crowed, laughing at Shane. Then he paused. "Hey!"
Tori grinned as Shane rolled his eyes and playfully shoved Dustin's shoulder. "Airhead." he teased.
"Am not!" Dustin shot back, giving a light shove of his own.
Shane pushed hard enough to make him stumble, then took off running. "Too slow!" he laughed.
Dustin sprinted after him. "Cheater!"
Tori sighed as they chased each other, shaking her head. "They're going to wear themselves out doing that."
"Tori?"
She glanced over at Blake. "What?"
"Are you mad at me? About last night?" he asked hesitantly.
She frowned. "Why would you think I'm mad at you?"
He shrugged a little, looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't exactly the perfect first date I was going for."
She actually stopped jogging, catching his arm and turning him to face her. "Actually, it was a disaster of a first date." She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "But I don't hate you for it. Stuff just went wrong." She paused, frowning again. "Although I'd still like to know why you wanted to get drunk."
Blake looked away, blushing slightly. "I heard alcohol helps you relax. And I figured if I relaxed, I wouldn't make such an idiot out of myself. I didn't think I'd end up being even more of an idiot." He glanced back at her. "I just...I really wanted everything to be perfect."
She smiled. "Blake, I'm not exactly the perfect sort of girl. I mean, I invited my best friends to double date with us just so I'd have something else to worry about." she confessed.
He gave her a lopsided smile. "So we both stressed over something that ended up being a disaster anyway."
She chuckled. "Sounds about right."
He took her hands in his, giving a light squeeze as he finally managed to look her in the eyes. "You wanna try again? Just the two of us?"
She gave him one of her radiant smiles. "I'd love to." She paused, considering. "As long as I get to pick the restaurant."
He laughed. "Then I'll order the movie tickets online."
"Sounds like a plan."
Tori's Morpher beeped, and she sighed softly. "Go for Tori."
"Congratulations on reaching an agreement, Rangers." came Sensei's voice. "Now if you would please continue your punishment?"
They both reddened. "Sorry, Sensei." she apologized. "We're going."
"That's weird." Blake murmured a few minutes later as they resumed their jog.
She glanced over at him. "What's weird?"
He looked perplexed. "My head doesn't hurt anymore."
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Blake chanted softly with each step he took.
Dustin glanced back over his shoulder at him. "Dude, are you just doing that for effect, or does your head really hurt that bad?"
"Really hurts."
"Why don't you just sneak some aspirin while we're out here?" Shane asked.
Blake shook his head slightly and winced. "Hunter'll just get madder. Better to suffer now. He might take pity on me before bed."
Tori raised an eyebrow. "So he's really not as heartless as you're making him sound?"
Blake smiled faintly. "Nah. I deserve it. He's just...being a big brother."
Dustin looked away, suddenly much more interested in the ground than the current conversation. "So who do you think told Sensei?" he asked abruptly.
"Wasn't Cam." Shane answered, the glance he shot Dustin making it apparent he recognized the attempt to change the subject. "He promised me he wouldn't."
"Hunter was with me all day." Blake added.
Tori frowned. "Wasn't me."
Dustin snorted. "Even I'm not that much of an airhead."
"CyberCam?" Tori suggested.
"Shh!" Shane hissed suddenly, waving a hand for silence. He cocked his head as he slowed his jog somewhat. The others watched him in confusion. At last he scowled darkly. "That's cheating!" he declared to no one in particular. "And we *so* did not deserve it!"
Blake looked bewildered, glancing over at Tori as understanding seemed to dawn on her and Dustin. "What's he doing?"
"It wasn't on purpose!" Shane argued.
Tori glanced over at Blake in honest surprise. "Don't you hear the spirits of your element?"
"The *what*?" Blake demanded incredulously.
"The spirits of the elements, dude." Dustin interjected. "Shane's talking to the Wind Spirits. I can hear Earth Spirits, and Tori's got Water. Don't you talk to the Thunder Spirits?" He paused, looking perplexed. "Are there Thunder Spirits?"
"Don't look at me." Blake retorted. "I've never even heard of Shane's imaginary friends."
Shane paused in his argument with the breeze to shoot him a withering glare. "Just because you can't hear them doesn't make them imaginary. They say they're the ones who told Sensei, because we needed to learn our lesson."
"Believe me, I'm never touching alcohol again." Blake muttered.
"So we're being punished by Sensei, Hunter, *and* the Spirits? Totally unfair, dude." Dustin moaned.
Tori looked at him oddly. "Since when has Hunter been punishing you?"
"Since every time he walks by he gives me a heart attack and glares like I'm the scum of the Earth!" he shot back. "I keep thinking he's gonna like, pop up out of nowhere and scare the crud out of me any second." He glanced around suspiciously, as though suddenly reminded of the need to be cautious.
"Hunter's not as bad as you guys make him sound, you know." Blake informed them.
Shane snorted. "Dude, you're his brother. He's nicer to you."
"He doesn't have to be nice to us." Dustin agreed. "I mean, he's like all silent and brooding at work, he only goes to the track with you to race, and the rest of the time you guys are hanging out at Ops."
Blake gave him an odd look. "I don't come here anymore than you guys do."
"Hunter's here all the time."
"But I'm not."
There was a moment of silence as that sunk in to them all.
"Dude, I so didn't need to know." Dustin grumbled.
"How do you think I feel?" Blake groused. "That's my brother you're talking about."
Shane had an odd look on his face. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Cam's computer the same way again."
"You guys are such perverts." Tori complained, rolling her eyes.
"We're teenage guys, Tor." Shane reminded her.
"Same difference."
"Dissed!" Dustin crowed, laughing at Shane. Then he paused. "Hey!"
Tori grinned as Shane rolled his eyes and playfully shoved Dustin's shoulder. "Airhead." he teased.
"Am not!" Dustin shot back, giving a light shove of his own.
Shane pushed hard enough to make him stumble, then took off running. "Too slow!" he laughed.
Dustin sprinted after him. "Cheater!"
Tori sighed as they chased each other, shaking her head. "They're going to wear themselves out doing that."
"Tori?"
She glanced over at Blake. "What?"
"Are you mad at me? About last night?" he asked hesitantly.
She frowned. "Why would you think I'm mad at you?"
He shrugged a little, looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't exactly the perfect first date I was going for."
She actually stopped jogging, catching his arm and turning him to face her. "Actually, it was a disaster of a first date." She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "But I don't hate you for it. Stuff just went wrong." She paused, frowning again. "Although I'd still like to know why you wanted to get drunk."
Blake looked away, blushing slightly. "I heard alcohol helps you relax. And I figured if I relaxed, I wouldn't make such an idiot out of myself. I didn't think I'd end up being even more of an idiot." He glanced back at her. "I just...I really wanted everything to be perfect."
She smiled. "Blake, I'm not exactly the perfect sort of girl. I mean, I invited my best friends to double date with us just so I'd have something else to worry about." she confessed.
He gave her a lopsided smile. "So we both stressed over something that ended up being a disaster anyway."
She chuckled. "Sounds about right."
He took her hands in his, giving a light squeeze as he finally managed to look her in the eyes. "You wanna try again? Just the two of us?"
She gave him one of her radiant smiles. "I'd love to." She paused, considering. "As long as I get to pick the restaurant."
He laughed. "Then I'll order the movie tickets online."
"Sounds like a plan."
Tori's Morpher beeped, and she sighed softly. "Go for Tori."
"Congratulations on reaching an agreement, Rangers." came Sensei's voice. "Now if you would please continue your punishment?"
They both reddened. "Sorry, Sensei." she apologized. "We're going."
"That's weird." Blake murmured a few minutes later as they resumed their jog.
She glanced over at him. "What's weird?"
He looked perplexed. "My head doesn't hurt anymore."