Elian smiled as he put the letter with his shirt and pants. He didn't like running in them. He did, but when it was this nice he liked running in swimming trunks so he could just jump in the lake afterwards. He'd finished his archery for the time being and he decided to stretch while he waited for Winona. She had been quiet and pulled back since the fight she had with Atticus and he could understand. She had gotten angry enough to lose control. It scared her. She was also hurting because she was on shaky ground with a friend that she had had for years.

Elian had made her promise that night before she went to bed that she would come out running with him. So this morning he had sent her a letter, by a rather annoying owl that he knew wouldn't leave her alone until she woke up, to tell her to come meet him. A nice run would do her good. Standing back up after finishing his stretches he stood watching the lake, hands relaxed behind his back.

He smiled wondering how she would react. She'd never seen him anything but fully clothed and here he was in nothing but shoes and shorts, literally. As he heard footsteps in the grass he turned and smiled seeing her. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sun hadn't come up over the horizon yet but the sky was tinged with new light with a promise of it yet to come.

The owl sure had her attention after five minutes of its beak tangling itself in her hair. Swatting the owl away, she quickly wrote him a letter back. She jumped up from her bed, quickly tying her hair out of her face in a messy bun that was piled onto of her head. She slid into her outfit that she typically used for running. The sun wasn't up yet, but she was sure today would be nice and warm. She left out the grey sweatshirt and checked herself out in the mirror. Her forearms were bruised in purple and green splotches, some scratches were the feathers had burst from her skin. Her blue eyes were still dark with sadness, but she was sure that this run would make her feel a lot better.

Walking out of the castle, she watched the sky slowly turn into the red and orange war colors. A new day was here. Winona inhaled, stretching some. The morning air was crisp and cool, just as she enjoyed it. For a warm up, she began to jog to the lake, her bun bouncing as she jogged down the dirt pile. She slowed, seeing him from a couple feet away. Rubbing her eyes, she saw him turn around. Elian... Seeing him made her heart skip a beat and her stomach flip. Walking forward, her eyes noticed he was only in swim trunks and shoes.

Mindlessly, her mouth opened, her jaw in a small drop. Blinking, she felt her cheeks grow hot and that same unfamiliar feeling deep in her pelvis. She swallowed hard, before realizing her mouth was open. She walked to him, eyes glued to his body before she ripped them away. "G-- Good... morning," she said, not realizing she spoke in a whisper. Clearing her throat, she rubbed a hand over her face. "Good Morning," she said, normally and her eyes on his, teeth biting at her lip, the feeling in her pelvis not going away.

Elian smirked at the jaw drop that she had done. He had expected as much from her. Moving to her he chuckled at her whispered good morning. Kissing her cheek he pulled her close and hugged her before kissing her lips. He held it for a moment before pulling back.

"I hope you're ready. Like I said, I wholly intend to win this race," he said teasingly as he poked her in the side.

Looking around he finally took a moment to look at her. She was gorgeous this morning. Even with the marks from the feathers. He knew she had to be exhausted but he'd let her sleep later. Right now she needed a good run to clear her head. He'd never seen her run so he hoped that she could keep up with him.

Why did no one let Winona know about the fulfilling aura of relationships? Elian was opening her sights more and more throughout the days of their newly budding relationship. His loyalty never seemed faltered to her yet, and she took that as a good sign. He was sweet to her, kind at heart, and oh my Merlin, was he fine or what? Yesterday was such a terrible day and it was lingering over her like her own personal cloud of feels. But, Elian was the sun that shined to brighten her day, even if it was just a little bit. Their hello kiss was sweet and soft. As he pulled back, she gave a giggle and returned to biting her lip.

"I hope you're ready. Like I said, I wholly intend to win this race,." Winona squealed, leaning away from the poke. With a raise of her eyebrow, she looked at him. "Oh yes. You did say that, didn't you?" She asked, one arm across her torso, the other brushing back some loose bangs. "You've never seen me run, have you? She walked around him and back to his front, facing him.

"We race around the lake, right back to here. That's a total of 2 kilometers. Easy and quick." Winona kissed his cheek. "Agreed?"

"Only two kilometers? I was thinking 18, that's what I normally do," Elian said as he turned towards the bend in the lake.

Looking at her he didn't wait for her to agree as he took off running. He laughed and wanted her to catch up so he kept it at a slow pace. He loved being with Winona, it was incredible to think that a girl could be so nice and relaxing. Plus he liked being able to take it slow for once. He was tired of the girls who wanted him because he was handsome. He wanted someone he could talk to, who was real. Winona was all that and more.

He closed his eyes for a moment as he worked to calm his heart rate down. Every time he thought of her his heart sped up. It wouldn't be good for a run if he overworked it. Turning around he looked back at her, naturally his strides were longer than hers but she would catch up eventually.

Just as Winona was going to answer, he had taken off in front of her. She stood there, her fists on her hips and she shook her head. "Man, oh man," she giggled. "He asked for it." Winona took off after him, going pretty slow at first. Winona loved to wait to sprint. Sprinting is when she really felt free. Catching up, she jogged next to him. With no words, she looked over at him. There was a certain look in her eyes. A look of competition, and a look of pure smitten romance. Blowing him a kiss, she really began to run, laughing and crying out with happiness.

Her long legs pumped, her tennis shoes digging deep into the earth as they pushed her forward. The wind flew past her, every which way. There was no real freedom than when she was running. She looked over her shoulder before slowing some. "Come on!" She yelled to him.