I Won't Depend on Anyone!

A breeze caressed Cloud's ears as she adjusted the parasol on her shoulder. She tucked the loose strands of blonde hair into her bonnet and sighed. She had been walking for hours, and her canteen was completely out of water. Her feet were aching.
It'll all be worth it when I get there, she thought, a determined look on her face. Daddy said that I couldn't make it on my own, but I'll show him! I won't depend on anyone.
Cloud gripped her parasol with both of her hands and sped up her pace down the path. She had a feeling that she was getting closer. The man at the inn last night said that it was only half-a-day's walk to Mineral Town. Oh, how great it would be to start living on her own... Just as Cloud began to drift into a daydream, she was stopped by something in the corner of her eye. It was a sign that said "Mineral Town". A grin spread from ear-to-ear on Cloud's face and she quickened her pace again until she could swear that she saw a faint outline of another person up ahead...

Cody was out another one of his runs. This time he treated himself to a long run and he had been out for hours, just running not paying attention to how far or how long he as running. Sometimes it was nice to just lose himself with his running. Listen to the steady pattern of his breathe. Since it was fall it was easier for him to enjoy himself as well. Not that he hated running in summer, the air was easier to run in fall, the air was perfectly cool.

After passing the Mineral Town sign he decided to slow down to read his pulse. Placing his right index and middle finger on his throat he felt for the steady thumping of his heart. Staring at his watch on his left hand he counted the beats in ten seconds. "Only seventy," he muttered quietly to himself. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around for a second noticing a figure in the distance. From what he could tell it was a female, so he decided to wait and see if it was one of his friends. He needed to catch his breathe anyways.

Cloud quickly walked over to the person, who appeared to be a boy on a short break from a run, and hesitantly opened her mouth to speak to him. "Hello," she said, keeping her distance. "Uh, sorry if I'm interrupting, but how much farther is it to town?"
She then realized how exhausted she was and let out a big yawn, then covered her mouth, her ears burning with embarrassment. "Er, sorry, I've been walking for hours," she said, avoiding his gaze.

The girl quickened her pace making Cody think that she was Cassadee or Celeste, but he was surprised to see that it was a girl with pale blonde hair to the point that it was almost white. For some odd reason he thought the name 'Snow White' would fit her better than the character in the children's book. The main thing was that she kept her distance though.

"Yeah," Cody nodded answer the girl's question. "Around a five minute walk to the inn. I've never seen you before, so I'm guessing that's where your headed. I can show you the way if you want."

"Yeah, th-thanks," Cloud said to the boy. She accepted his request and followed behind him down the path, still trying to remain inconspicuously distanced from him. Nobody's going to like you if you act so weird around them, she thought to herself. She walked a bit closer to him and hesitantly said "Um, so, what's your name, anyway?"

"No prob," replied Cody already starting to lead the way. The girl followed behind him, still keeping a steady distance from him. After a moment she came a bit closer and started to talk to him. By the sounds of it she was a timid girl, that didn't talk to people to much. He was almost shocked to hear her talk to him to be honest. "The name's Cody," he declared with an unusual sense of pride. "And you?"

Cloud forced a bit of a smile and said "My name's Cloud." She turned her gaze away for a moment and searched for words desperately. She found a trace of a thought and blurted out "Is Mineral Town as peaceful as I've heard it is?"

It was awkward between the two of them walking together. Not that it bothered Cody, well maybe a little, but it was normal since they just met. At least they both knew each other's names now--both starting with a 'C.' "Yeah," Cody answered with a smile. "I live in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but I often come here to visit my friend. It's somewhat quiet compared to the Valley, but everyone's friendly here. What brings you out here?"