2068/An Early Morning Cardio Workout

An Early Morning Cardio Workout
Date of Scene:	21 April 2015
Location:	Tomoeda-865
Synopsis:	A sad Sakura and a mute Tomoyo jog into each other in the early morning, each with a lot to say to the other.
Cast of Characters:	172, Tomoyo Daidouji

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Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo was released from the hospital the night before. Since there was nothing physically wrong with here, there was no need to stay. The fact that Tomoyo insisted (via notes) so hard that she was fine probably helped move things along too.

     Though her mother objected, she didn't let her issue hold her back. The next day, she woke up early, got in some training and did a little work on her commissions. Went to school, attended choir (though she couldn't sing, they were learning a new song, so she just read the sheet music) and then went to work. Closed up, went home, did homework and more work on commissions, then went to bed.

     Today, she's at it again. She's out on the streets of Tomoeda, clad in a lilac hoodie with matching running pants and black running shoes. She's jogging under the early morning sky, passing under street lamps and dodging the occasional delivery truck. Though her footfalls make noise, there's no sound of her breathing, so anyone she passed might be inclined to think they just had an encounter with a jogging ghost.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura herself trains every day as well. Even when she's worried. No, make that -especially- when she's worried. When pushing her body as hard as it will go, it sometimes makes her feel better... for some reason. Maybe it's the endorphins.

    So it shouldn't really be a surprise when Sakura ends up next to Tomoyo! ... Well okay the way she apparently jumped down from a wall and instantly synched her strides with Tomoyo's might be a little surprising.

    She seems troubled, because she's not actually -looking- at Tomoyo. Even though she's obviously noticed her because she doesn't usually run this slow on her own.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo flinches away when Sakura suddenly descends to jog alongside her! From her body language, it seems like she would be yelping in surprise, if she could. Her hood is raised, but she gives a tired smile at Sakura, her face beaded with sweat and jogs alongside her.

     She actually picks up the pace a little, not wanting to embarrass herself next to her more athletic friend, but she can't keep it up for long. As they pass by the still-under-construction Penguin Park, she staggers to a stop, bending over and panting soundlessly before flopping onto a bench.

     She yanks down her hood and wipes at her face with a handkerchief she extracts from her pocket, glancing over at Sakura. She would understand if the other girl kept exercising, but she budges over to indicate that she can sit with her if she likes.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura is, by the way, wearing a top from the school's athletic team. She's been thinking of joining, after all, even though she's worried it might conflict with the cheerleading squad.

    As Tomoyo speeds up, Sakura easily matches her - but comes to a stop when Tomoyo seems she can't push herself any more. Sakura stays standing for a few long moments, looking towards the construction site silently. Finally, however, she sits down beside Tomoyo.

    "Go-" she attempts, only to choke on her own words. She swallows, and then tries again. "Good morning, Tomoyo-chan." Her voice sounds shaky.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo smiles at Sakura as she joins her. From a pocket in her hoodie, she extracts a notepad and a pen. Pushing out the nib, she quickly writes down a message on the current page of the pad and shows it to the other girl. It reads, "Good morning Sakura-chan~"

     Yes, she actually wrote the tilde.

     She flips to the next page and writes another message, showing Sakura once again. "Sorry I slowed you down. How are you this morning?" Behind the pad, she smiles at Sakura, one that is genuine with no trace of blame or hard feelings.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura actually has to sound out the words a bit as she reads. Silly Sakura~ Reading has never been her strong suit. "...I'm... I've been worse," she says with a little smile. "My magic's back, so I can, you know... move again and stuff." She chews on her lip, and looks down.

    She sighs. "...I'm so sorry, TOmoyo-chan. My... my magic's hurting you -again- and I can't do anything about it..."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo beams when Sakura mentions her magic has returned. She actually uses her index fingers to push the corners of her mouth up further, just to show how pleased she is to hear.

     But, when Sakura starts trying to take the blame for all this, that smile rapidly disappears. She presses one of those index fingers hard against Sakura's lips to shush her, before starting to write again. The message reads, "It's not your fault Sakura. The Voice probably did this, and she's not under your control. I don't blame you at all."

     She smiles again, and quickly adds an extra note before showing the message again. "But I don't blame her either. Can't hate someone for having good taste~" She mimes giggling, placing her pen-hand against her mouth.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    "She was in Tomoeda and I didn't sense her at all because I was out doing something on another world!" Sakura exclaims. "I should have been here to protect you!" She's... really taking this quite hard.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo rolls her eyes and shifts over to put her notepad- arm around Sakura, pulling the girl close. In this position, Sakura can watch as Tomoyo writes her next note. It reads, "You didn't see this coming, right? So how could you have known? You can't spend all your time protecting me from things that may or may not happen. I already have four bodyguards doing that."

     She rubs Sakura's shoulder as she considers what to write next. Finally, she settles on something and begins to write it. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to skip on helping others to be around me. You're too selfless for that. As your friend, I would never demand you prioritize me over others. That would mean asking you to change the kind of person you are, and I could never do that."

     She smiles kindly, and pokes Sakura's nose with her pen, before adding, "So please, don't be so upset. I'm doing fine, and I know you'll find The Voice soon. I have faith in you and your invincible spell!"

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura eeps a bit as she's suddenly pulled over closer to Tomoyo! She looks down as she begins to write, then opens her mouth to respond... but Tomoyo is still writing! So she keeps her mouth shut.

    After a while, Sakura looks down again. "...You're a wonderful person, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo smiles and writes something else. "Well, I try to be. But you probably won't think so after what I'm about to do~" Following that, she goes to press her thumbs against the corners of Sakura's mouth and push them upwards!

     After a few seconds of this, or if she's batted away, she quickly scrawls another note and shows it! "Sakura-chan has been too gloomy lately! I won't be satisfied until she smiles and actually says her invincible spell!"

     Then she goes to force Sakura to smile again, and this time she doesn't give up!

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura yelps in surprise and flails a bit as Tomoyo sticks her fingers into the sides of her mouth! Flail flail. Although Tomoyo knows Sakura is stronger than her so if she really wanted to get free...

    She huffs and pulls her head back. She's laughing. "Okay, okay! Stop it!" She shakes her head. "Everything will surely be all right! Is that what you wanted me to say?!" Laugh.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     Tomoyo nods, a satisfied look on her face as she picks up the pen and paper again. She writes, "Sorry~ You've been so down lately, I was starting to think you forgot what it was..." She wears a conflicted look on her face, like she's mulling over what to write next.

     But eventually, she does write something. "All that time we were separated, with you working for the Union... I can't imagine how hard it must have been. You told me about a lot of things, but I sometimes wonder that you hold stuff back. I just want you to know, if that is the case? You can tell me about those things, any time."

     She gives Sakura a reassuring smile, tapping her fist on her left breast, over her heart. As if to say, 'you can trust me!'

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura looks down at her lap, and rubs the back of her head. "I... I don't really know what I'd tell you. You know? I don't think there's anything important I haven't told you about..." She frowns a little bit. "I -think-. My memory isn't the -best- really..."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
     At the sight of Sakura's frown, Tomoyo quickly writes something! "Well, I might just be imagining things then~" She pokes out her tongue and taps a fist against her head.

     Then, she stands up and puts the notepad and pen away. Slapping her cheeks with both hands, she pulls the hood and exhales sharply!... or it looks like she does. With a determined look, she goes to help Sakura to her feet, before continuing her jog!

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura pauses for a few moments, before catching up to Tomoyo and continuing with her~