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Jane Murphy:
The hour was getting just past sunset, with the last bits of light having gone blue and fading, and the daytime crowd begins to thin out. The little bit of the night between them and the less numerous night-time crowd. And it was then when Jane was going through the park, wearing a younger face, dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a Drexel hoodie.
When she found a moment or a spot where no one was around, she'd find a wall, a bench, or even a tree to jump and bounce off, doing back and front flips. These were what would be fairly intense moves for a regular person, but Jane executes them effortlessly..
Micah Bradley:
Micah stayed away from the woods. Just for a while. It wasn't that he didn't think he was safe, but that he couldn't stop thinking about what happened the other night. So instead, he decided to visit a local park. Maybe there was something cool going on locally. He had passed Avery and Maria on the way there and was still mulling over their conversation when he happened upon the parkour practice. Blinking in surprise, he grinned and tucked his hands into his black hoodie pockets to watch her form with critical eyes. Said hoodie had the words "Tea Time, Best Time" on the back, and he had on jeans and black running shoes. His t-shirt hidden under the hoodie.
He didn't interrupt and didn't comment. That would be rude. So was staring creepily in the gathering dark, but this particular man didn't seem to think so...
Jane Murphy:
It was when he came into range of her own keen hearing that she was right in the middle of a double flip off a lamp post. She hits the landing a bit awkwardly, with a jolt. She doesn't seem to suffer much from it, though. Her form up until she was startled by his presence, could be in a textbook; as impressive as what she was doing was, it was clear this was old hat to her. Mere warmups.
She looked over to him. It took a second, but she adopted a very kind and friendly expression. "Hello?" She spoke with a faintly French sort of accent.
Micah Bradley:
There was an expression akin to a wince as she landed awkwardly. But then he gave her an encouraging grin. "Hello!" he called back in his British accent. "Please, don't let me stop you. You were great."
Jane Murphy:
"Ah, alright." She seems a bit unsure, but shrugs, "It is just for fun, to get ready before I go running."
Micah Bradley:
"Fair enough. You prefer urban running or more rural?" he asked casually, hinting at understanding exactly what she means.
Jane Murphy:
"Either is fine." She says before quickly bolting back over towards the lamp post to redo the move, this time with a perfect landing. "It's the running that's the important part. You? Do you run much?"
Micah Bradley:
"Every other day. If you don't mind, perhaps I might join you?" he asked, approval on his face for the perfect landing.
Jane Murphy:
"If you'd like and think you can keep up?" She had a playful smile on her face. "It's hard for me to stop once I get going."
Micah Bradley:
He shot her a serious look and raised his eyebrow. "If you can beat me, I'd be impressed and would have to buy you dinner." he then smirked, took his hands out of his pockets and started stretching.
Jane Murphy:
She joined him in stretching, "Ooh, this should be fun. Where are we running to, then?" Limbered up, she takes some deep breaths to get herself psyched..
Micah Bradley:
"Around this square seem doable to you?" he suggested.
Jane Murphy:
"Oh yeah, definitely." Supreme confidence is in her voice.
Micah Bradley:
Micah grinned at her and gestured in a random direction. "Ladies first."
Jane Murphy:
She's in motion before he finishes the last syllable, speeding off at a pace that would qualify for the olympics!
Micah Bradley:
Wide grin of excitement on his face, Micah took off after her. It has been a while since he was in a friendly race!
Jane Murphy:
Jane was no slouch, she had been running her heart out since she was six, and her form reflected the decades of honing. As well, she dodged obstacles with ease, hopped barriers and balanced on thin handrails. She was doing her best to stay juuuuust this side of the line of plausible human ability as she went.
Micah Bradley:
Micah was also very fit and had also been running all his life. If she managed to peek at him, he too took to obstacles like water does to a rock in its path. But it quickly became obvious that she was faster. The longer they ran, the further away Jane seemed to be getting and despite Micah trying hard to even catch up, he was losing. It was as if his legs just weren't long enough! Though they were much longer than Jane's! It was mindblowing for the Avowed and he loved every bit of it.
Jane Murphy:
She was careful not to dust him too badly, and so she was within sight as she got to the end. She stopped carefully and turned back to wait for him to make it. She breathes like she just tried hard, but aside from behavior, she didn't seem too tired from it. "Whew, that was fun!"
She bends over and dusts off her shoes, "It's a lot more fun with a little competition, isn't it?"
Micah Bradley:
Spotting the end and her stopping was enough for him to slow his speed and he came jogging over to her. Micah faked a gasp and bent over to lean on his knees. "Oh... Boy.... You... Are... Fast..." he panted. To most others, it looked like she definitely whupped his butt. But to Jane, who was much closer, she could see that he was exaggerating it on purpose like she was because he wasn't sweating or actually breathing hard.
He stood up straight and held out a hand for her to shake, grinning like an idiot. "That was a blast. Name's Micah. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I suppose I owe you dinner now."
Jane Murphy:
She chuckles, then shakes his hand, "Nice to meet you, Micah, I'm Jane." She seems to weigh the dinner offer for a moment, "Alright, but it's just dinner, not, you know.. a thing." She smirks, "I'm not quite looking for a thing right now." 'A thing' being romance, one could assume.
Micah Bradley:
A responding smirk as he jokingly replies. "Aww man, so I let you win out of vain? Shucks. That was a good race, Jane. Glad I happened into you now."
Jane Murphy:
"Well, if a thing happens, it happens. But I'm not looking, is all I am saying." That light French accent seems to be fading a bit as she gets a bit more frank. "Same. At the very least, we've each found someone you can run with."
Micah Bradley:
"Good news for you, I am not looking for romance either." he smiled genuinely. "The offer was a simple friendly one. I do pride myself in being a gentleman! And yes, perhaps we could practice together more often. I haven't practiced with a partner in a long while."
Jane Murphy:
"Oh, good!" She keeps her legs moving, shifting weight from leg to leg, "Did you ever run for any competitions? I haven't competed in anything in years, I probably should get back to it.."
Micah Bradley:
He shook his head, but otherwise kept still and relaxed. "Nah. I never ran for the actual competitions. It's more about training for myself and watching my own progress."
Jane Murphy:
"Ahhh" She nodded. "I was supposed to go to college for running, but things didn't work out. Never stopped, though. Finally going to college, too."
Micah Bradley:
"Really? That is wonderful news! I wish you luck. What are you planning to study?"
Jane Murphy:
"Medicine. I'm already a Paramedic, but I'm looking to move up."
Micah Bradley:
His face lights up in almost child-like wonder. "Oh, that is fantastic! Medical personnel are always in high demand. I myself am a Genealogist. Graduated last year in fact."
Jane Murphy:
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, "My father was really into Genealogy, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I didn't even know you could make a living doing that." She shook her head, "I'm sure it would've shocked him, he would've loved to do that instead of working at the Baxter plant."
Micah Bradley:
He chuckled softly, perhaps even a little guiltily. "It's... Well, it's not a profession I would recommend to just anyone. I've been lucky, my family has been able to easily support me. But... It IS tougher to find Genealogy specific jobs. I am thinking about heading to the British embassy soon to see if I can secure some sort of job, actually. Hopefully there IS something for me... We shall see."
Jane Murphy:
"Good luck to you with that," she said with sympathy. "You, uhh.. got a number I can call to set up that dinner?"
Micah Bradley:
Micah grinned and proceeded to give her his phone number as he fished his own phone out to key hers in.
"Thank you kindly. I'm sure you will get to hear all about it during that dinner." he winked.
Jane Murphy:
"Looking forward to it." She smiled, "I'll see you later, then?"
Micah Bradley:
"Yes. See you later." he waved as he headed off into the night.
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