Time Trial

Mia raced through the forest underbrush; leaves kicking up behind her feet in her wake. Sure, the forest floor was moist and slippery with dew-soaked leaves; but she could use that to her advantage.

At the speed she was running; she didn’t have time to think things through. It was all impulse, all improvisation and instinct now.
Mia quickly slid underneath an outstanding branch; gathering up more and more momentum as she zipped around.


She could feel seconds pass by, each one chipped from her own time. Mia would have to run even faster if she were ever to beat her record in this forest…
Her set ‘finish point’ was in clear sight.
Just a little further…

Mia skidded to a halt as she crossed her finishing point; checking her time.
Still not fast enough... She sighed, exhausted.

Chase spotted the blur well before it slowed to a halting stop, and heaving shoulders checked a stopwatch. Hmm, wonder who that could be? he thought sarcastically, before heading over there.

"You're like a racehorse, aren't you?" he called when he was closer. "Can't stay away from the track. Though it's not a very conventional one." He looked around at the forest floor, spotting underbrush and branches at nearly every turn. "Mia, Mia, Mia. Why don't you, you know, try running on a pathway, or something? Or is that too easy for you?"

Mia spun around to Chase; still panting from exhaustion.
"What's life without a little excitement?" she answered simply, her infamous bright grin crossing her face again.

As the air returned to her lungs; she set her hands on her hips.
"Hey, what are you doing out in the forest anyway?" Mia asked innocently, happily sweeping her back into place.

"I could ask you the same thing," Chase replied, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his fleece-lined winter pants, the very uncomfortable pair that he now regretted wearing, seeing as the sudden urge to take a walk through the middle of nowhere was not the most ideal of places to sport brand-new jeans. He smiled quickly, and with one corner of his mouth, but it was oddly sincere and told eons more than an earsplitting grin.

"So, Mia, do you often dash through sleeping forests at this time of morning, through the snow, no less?" he teased.

Mia moaned; knowing Chase had her boxed up.
Tch!

"I got bored! My impulse decisions are awesome. You know you love 'em." She huffed in her defense.
He should know by now anyway. Mia thought to herself; an embarassed blush creeping into her face.

Chase smiled demurely, taking his hands out of his pockets and folding them across his chest, rubbing his palms against the fabric of his jacket. "OK, Miss Mia, since you're so good at making impulse decisions, here's one for you: You want to get out of the snow, and come get some breakfast with me?" It was freezing outside, and Chase just so happened to know of not just one, but two, small restaurants across town that were open at this time of day.

Mia felt the blush quickly return to warm her face again.

"Hah, uh, sure." She giggled, a little taken aback.
No, don't be like that, he meant it in a friendly way. Idiot. Mia snapped at herself mentally.
"Why, that would be delightful, kind Sir Chase." She curtsied, holding the ends of an invisible dress.

Maybe it was the wind, which definitely did have the strange capability of flushing one's face at inopportune times. But Chase could have sworn he saw the spunky girl blush.

"Very well then, Lady Mia," he returned her curtsy with a formal bow, and then offered his crooked elbow out to her. "Away we go!" Looking down at her, he added, "Oh. You really might want to invest in jacket. Winters down here are a bit nippy, no?"

Mia merrily took Chase's arm, and started walking with Chase as her guide.
It was almost cheesy enough to be in a Disney movie.

"I'm cool enough to run around in a tank top in Winter." She answered simply; ignoring the fact that her skin was annoyingly pale with the cold.
Chase, however, was a gleaming embodiment of warmth.

Chase grinned. "Watch your step," he warned, guiding the girl around a snowbank that he knew was riddled with obstacles and items that were sure to trip you, if you didn't know any better.

Once they were safely out of the forest, Chase led Mia across the small footbridge that connected to the town, and set foot on the gravel path. "Tsk. Not good to run around in skimpy clothes. Save 'em for summer," he advised teasingly.

Mia giggled; rolling her eyes.
"Tch, men." She teased in return; proudly flipping her hair into place.

It might be a good idea, though. She had been rolling and sliding around all morning, and even her eyelashes had snow embedded in them.

Chase reached over and brushed some of the powder off of Mia's cheek. "Dreary, isn't it?" he asked, motioning at the gray sky. "I can't wait for spring." Eying the girl out of the corner of his eye, he added, "Spring's really lovely around here. Lots of flowers and little...um...bunnies running around. You know." He grinned impishly, and led Mia across yet another bridge. This one deposited them right into the west side of town.

"We can cut through here," he directed, turning sharply into an empty meadow. On the horizon, two small buildings huddled close together could be seen, like a lighthouse through the fog.

"Bunnies?"
Mia's eyes went wide. She loved rabbits, simply adored them in every way.
So small, so fluffy, so fat and bouncy, so... Cute!

She couldn't wait for spring.

Squinting through the field of white; Mia happily noticed the prescence of buildings which she assumed was the town.

It didn't take long for them to cross the field; after all, the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. Proud to have recalled grade-school math theorems, he looked over at Mia, who was squinting at the buildings, which were now pretty close.

"After you, milady," he said, pulling the door of the Diner open for her with a wink. He let go of her arm, letting his fingers brush her skin before completely falling by his side. The AC in the building was jacked considerably down; in fact, it was pretty toasty in there. The owner had started a fire in the fireplace, and she nodded to Chase, who was a pretty regular costumer.

"Over here," he said to Mia, lowering his voice a bit. The table he led her to was small; just two seats, and a small motif on top. He pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to sit down.

"Thankyou, kind sir Chase."
Mia felt Chase's warm fingers slide lightly across her chilled skin; and a heated blush crawled across her face. Luckily, he didn't see that. Hopefully.

She sat herself down on her selected seat.
"Thankyou again! How polite."

Mia looked around; admiring the diner. Cute little knick-knacks were placed throughout the walls, and the air was blissfully warm.
"Wow, great choice." She giggled, actually sincerely.

"Not a problem," Chase said graciously. He sat down across from her and immediately reached across the table to finger the delicate motif, which was nestled between two small bags of potpourri. "My parents own a place like this in my hometown. I love it here. Reminds me of home." It was a bit redundant, but he actually did feel connected to his family whenever inside this small place. "Plus, it's pretty dad-gum cute, too." He pretended he didn't see her blush again.

Mia listened; a soft smile on her face. Her parents were nothing special, they didn't own a cosy little shop. She'd never really experienced the joys of, say, a hot mug of Cocoa on a cold, snowy day.

"It certainly is." She agreed. It had this warm, welcoming feeling. Mia felt like she could sit there and talk for hours.