[hyde park] running in circles [jana]

It wasn’t like Brita to run on a day she was scheduled, but she was scheduled for lessons with the very littlest kids in the pool all afternoon today and the 23-year-old didn't expect to be doing much real exercising. She loved the summer months because of all that--there were always a lot more kids around, and having grown up with as many little cousins as she had, she preferred that to sometimes grouchy older people (not that a lot of them liked a place like Impervius, that had a sort of youthful and modern vibe to it, but)--but working definitely became a lot less tiring and she had to make use of the milder weather in another way. Ten kilometers wasn't that long anyway, so she could take it slow and enjoy the scenery in Hyde Park, people included.

There were plenty of children in the park too, all of whom elicited smiles on Brita's face. There were also a bunch of other people out for a run, who were easier to keep track of, since they were moving closer to her pace. Brita had a talent for memorizing faces and names, which had probably helped her outgoing nature for years, and she noticed everyone, from the older gentlemen trying to work off their beer belly (probably at the nagging of their wives) to the macho guys who ran like their sweaty bodies were Merlin's gift to mankind to the sixteen-year-old girls who probably ran cross-country during the school year. Her own age group was not underrepresented, either, and Brita was sure she'd crossed paths with the same pretty dark-haired girl twice already. The third time, the other girl was taking a breather for water next to the boathouse, and Brita slowed to a stop, her interest piqued. After this many times she couldn't not talk to her.

"It's nice to see people out on the water, isn't it?" she asked without any preamble, surveying the river and still catching her breath a little between sentences. "I like the waterbirds better myself though, they definitely fit in better," she laughed, gesturing to a family of ducks swimming around before turning back to the girl with a grin. "This is the third time I've seen you on today's run, so I had to stop and say hello. Come here often?" It was, well, normal for Brita to strike up a conversation like this. For the amount of times she was rebuffed, she had equally wonderful conversations with strangers in passing, even if they never spoke again--that situation usually arising because the other person was a Muggle and it was much harder to run into a Muggle again in London than a wizard, statistically speaking and all. Brita never knew beforehand, but her athletic gear included six or so elastic ribbon bracelets in neon purples and greens up her right arm just in case someone recognized the signal of wizard-ness. "Birgitte Trickett, by the way, Brita for short." Her last name tended to be another dead giveaway among wizards, with her family being everywhere due to sheer numbers, but of course, not all the wizards in the city were Hogwarts-educated. It was irrelevant anyway--they could definitely have a good exchange either way.

The dark-hared girl was breathing hard as she slowed to a stop. She had definitely been letting herself go a bit, as she shirked her morning exercise for a little extra time snuggled up to her beau. While she didn't mind a little bit of love weight, it was a little frustrating to her that this run, which had once been very easy, now left her winded. She took a long sip of water and collected herself. She was halfway there, and any minute now the endorphins would kick in that would leave her feeling like she was floating. If only she could make time for this every day.

It was really beautiful there, looking out on the water. She loved the bustle of people and activity, the feeling of the sun beating down on her shoulders. It made her feel alive to be surrounded by so much life. She could really get lost in it. That was the main reason that she came to the park.

As a pureblood witch, it was a little difficult sometimes for her to navigate the muggle parts of London. Her father would have absolutely hated to see her there, dressed in muggle athletic wear and taking in the wonder of the world they had created. Muggles were new to Jana, almost. She had only began to explore this world when she made it on her own, and she really wondered what her father had against it. Muggles were amazing, and she only needed to look at this park to see it.

Jana was too preoccupied watching the water to notice the girl approach, and turned her head suddenly when she heard a voice. She smiled kindly at her. She recognized this girl. She'd passed her a few times earlier that morning, and briefly wondered if she made a habit of running here. Jana worked better with a partner. She didn't really enjoy being alone if she could help it.

“I kind of like being around the people. They really make this place seem alive.” Jana replied, her Russian accent noticeable, but not nearly as bad as it had been when she first arrived. When the girl directed her to the ducklings, she grinned even wider. “Awh, look at the babies!” She cooed, watching them swim along for a moment before turning her attention back to the girl.

“I'm Jana.” She greeted. She hadn't been in England long enough to recognize the surname. She noticed the purple and green bands along her wrist that didn't seem to coordinate with her outfit, and wondered if that might have been a sign of magic. She wasn't really sure how to breach the subject, though, so she didn't even try. She had never met another witch in a muggle place before. “...and, I used to come here a lot. I'm hoping to make it a regular thing again.” She confessed. “I moved in with my boyfriend recently, and I've been letting my runs take a backseat.”  She scrunched her nose a bit, in exaggerated pretend shame.

“What about you?” She asked. “You definitely seem to be in better shape than me. I've been struggling for the past mile, but you don't even seem to be out of breath.”

Brita picked up on the girl's accent and was intrigued. You got all types in a city like London, from all over the world, but it had been a while since she spoke with someone really foreign, for whatever reason. Better yet, she seemed really nice, and not at all closed off to a conversation with a stranger. "Perks of city life," she grinned, waving her hand vaguely at all of the passersby. "It's lucky we still have places to see the ducklings! You're not from around here, are you? How long've you been in the city?"

Scrunching up her face--she wasn't that great with languages or etymology or any of that--she offered a stab in the dark. "Jana...that's...somewhere in Eastern Europe...? I'm guessing because of the J," She laughed. "My name's Norwegian, but that's because my family's weird and we all get Norse names. Considering I must have over fifty cousins, we probably double the population of Brits with Scandinavian names," she said, rolling her eyes in mock disapproval.

"I just started running here again after a brief love affair with Greenwich Park--it's just too small for long runs, though, you know?--so hopefully I'll see you around! If the boyfriend doesn't keep you home, anyway. Men are always the source of all the trouble, aren't they?" Brita flashed her a knowing smile. It'd been a while since Brita was in a relationship--they'd really been casual school-year things, because first there'd been work, then the war and family things had come up, and then everything had been resettling--but she was no stranger to the way all the plans you thought you had sometimes didn't matter so much anymore. "Maybe you can bring him with you? That's always easier, I find." Not that she'd had experience bringing a boyfriend out. Just...a handsome friend. And people were more motivated when they came to Impervius in couples. Everyone worked harder when someone whose opinion they cared about was watching! Her students included. It was part of the reason why it was important to get them to like you and want to work with you.

She took a deep breath of the warm summer air, pleased to note she was at a normal breathing rate again. "Well, I actually work in fitness, so it's kind of my job to stay in shape," she confessed. "I'm a swimming and youth rec instructor at a gym not too far from here, though I actually live in Manchester with my cousin." That always confused the Muggles, it was a two-hour train ride since they knew nothing of Floo and Apparition, but she always waved it off as having a work-week place and a regular place or let them think she had four hours of commute a day. "I'm out running because in the summer we get a lot more kids--almost all the kids above 11 board during the school year--and it's always less real exercise working with them since they're usually at lower levels, so I have to do supplementary stuff on the side. Don't sell yourself short, though, you've been out a long time, especially for someone who hasn't been working out much!"