The sound of running shoes striking pavement echoes across the empty sports field; a lone redhead jogging around the track. She has been for some time now, running her fourth lap at this point. School-issue blue shorts and a tight white tank top hug the slender athlete's body, a white sweatband serving to keep both sweat and red hair out of her eyes as she moves. Her eyes see the track before her, but have the far-off look of someone focused intently on something. Her white shirt clings to the modest curve of her breasts, her shorts hugging to the toned backside that sways this way and that with each step. A natural mane of fiery red hair, pulled back into a ponytail, bounces and sways along behind her as she makes her way through her laps.

Three miles and some change into her run, and still she breathes evenly, only a light sheen of sweat proving that this is any exertion to her at all. Lacey's found more and more of her time devoted to running and working out, training her body tirelessly in an effort to mend her sundered thoughts. More often than not, her dreams are filled with nightmares and her thoughts are filled with apprehension; it's only in the rhythm of her training regimens that she can lose herself, if only for a little while.

Slightly past noon, lunch period. She seeks that solace now. Even watching her classmates doesn't provide her solace anymore...only running, swimming, moving can calm her mind and ease her heart. Whisperer had helped her before...but given time, this island will eat her alive. The ghostly creature's help is little more than a bandage covering the problem; he'd taken some of her pain into himself, pulling her back from the breaking point...and she suspects opening something in her mind, though that's neither here nor there. The problem with this is that, while he's taken some of her pain, this island has plenty more to replace it for her...and her dreams themselves seem happy enough to replenish her supply.

For now, though, she's safe from thoughts of fear and pain and uncontrollable lust, concentrating on breathing and pacing, proper foot placement, making sure to keep on the balls of her feet and leave a spring in her step to keep the motions fluid and less jarring. She'd considered asking the P.E. teacher she'd seen in the gym if she was allowed to haul out the heavy bag and hang it up so she could practice her kicks...but he'd looked busy there with two other students nearby talking with him. So instead of bothering them, she'd settled for a run; she can always spar with Becca later, if the brunette is interested, and the redhead doesn't mind the thought of increasing her endurance. She's got pretty good stamina already...but in a place like this, where the inhuman element have all the advantages, a little more stamina is NEVER a bad thing.

Used to her rhythm now, Lacey starts sprinting for two hundred paces, running flat-out as fast as she can, breathing easily as she does so; once she reaches two hundred strides, she'll slow again to a run rather than a jog. She'll do this either until she reaches her sprinting speed or she gets too tired to continue...though she rarely gets too tired to finish this regimen anymore. Before, running and swimming had been an idle diversion...but since coming to this place, they've become almost religious to her, seeing that her ability to run away or outlast an opponent may be the key to her escaping the attentions of the various creatures on this island.

Two hundred paces comes quickly, capping off her fourth mile...and she still has plenty of time left in her lunch period to keep going. She slows to a run just above a jog, turning her mind to the control of her breathing, slowing it after her sprint to keep her heart rate steady. Still not winded yet, the lithe young girl continues on...

The group of three, the gym teacher and the two students, was a fairly common sight among the school, and so far no-one had ever thought to question it. All three had white hair, however the two students were obviously sisters from the look of things, while the teacher was an older man with a balding patch. The two students wore the uniform of regular students, and looked like any regular student. The teacher was one that most students would recognize ... but he never seemed to have any classes. For that matter, the two students were always 'in a friend's class'. It was child's play for the leader of the group, the older of the two students, to maintain that mental illusion, and it was one that would be reinforced whenever someone saw her. All three were taller than average, but otherwise people would just glance over them, never taking in the features. They talked about anything and everything, discussing classwork, gossip about students, or whatever else came up in their conversation.

Unknown to the student's who went past, the real conversation between the two students and the 'gym teacher' was not audible. They kept up the banter, none of them really paying any attention to what they were really saying vocally. Instead they were talking to each other mentally, or at least, one of them was. The older of the two students, known to her companions as the Spire Lady Misralla, had no trouble reading the minds of the other two, and communicating what all three needed to know, or intended to say, to each other. Much of the talk was about back home, but whenever a student passed by their conversation of home paused, and instead it turned to the student. It became a grade, with thousands of sections that marks were made on, made within seconds of a student being seen. The grades were also adjusted for past performance, the Midrozi didn't just want what appeared to be good toys from a single assessment. Rather they wanted the perfect toys, and that required an in depth and complex assessment.

Normally they were just assessors, standing back and watching students, both in school activities, or those who were available for monsters to take and claim. But on rare occasions they would step in ... for exceptional students they would do a hands on assessment. And while Lacey had no idea ... she had just been selected for one such assessment.

'Lucky her'.

It was child's play for Misralla to look into the student's head, to find out about her previous experiences with monsters, and how she was struggling to cope with it. It was almost as if she was being driven towards the cliff edge, and at a gesture at her 'younger sister' the other women nodded, the three sharing a genuine sadistic smile for a moment before their illusionary masks were put back in place. The Huntmistress Mirria stepped away from the group, and she entered the running track. While the other two were fit, physically she was actually the strongest and fastest. The Battle Lord Girran had his psychic abilities to use in place of his muscles, or to enhance them, while Misralla was a member of the Elite caste, and so extreme fitness was not necessary for her. But Mirria was a member of the Hunter caste ... and a leader to boot. Her psychic abilities were strong, but she needed a perfectly sculpted body to back it up. And so she started to spring, following the same circuit that Lacey was, just another student running. But the gap between the two would steadily decrease ... the young human having no-where near the endurance, willpower and muscle strength that the alien had spent the past couple of centuries perfecting.

A tapping noise starts to intrude on her attention, but she pushes it aside. Breathing, rhythm, step count...these are important, not outside sounds. She needs to hone her mind as much as her body...perhaps more so. Running now rather than sprinting, measuring pace and distance for each step, minding where her footfalls take place and how...there's nothing else for her other than this rhythm, her entirety focused upon it.

Everything is synched for a blissful few moments; every move she makes is in rhythm to her heartbeat, controlled by it. It beats quickly, but not out of control, and as her blood flows and sings in her veins she can feel it carrying that rhythm to muscles that stretch and contract in time to the sweet percussion...her footfalls hit the pavement at just the right time, her breathing is spot on...everything in perfect harmony...except that tapping that gets louder the longer it goes on. Her attention turns toward the sound...and discovers it's not tapping, but another runner's footfalls.

Lacey blinks. Isn't that...one of the girls that'd been speaking with the coach when she'd come through the gym? She's gaining steadily on Lacey, sprinting while Lacey's reduced her pace...but the redhead can't help but feel a small spark of competitive spirit. Her blood is rushing with her workout, and the way the other girl is closing in seems a challenge all its own. Still, it wouldn't be fair to just start dashing and increase distance between the two like this; she should wait until the other girl catches up.

What's her name, anyway? She thinks hard, but...can't seem to recall it. Hers, nor the other girl who's always with her...nor the coach they always seem to follow around, for that matter. How odd...still, it's not like the redhead's on a first-name basis with many people at this school anyway. She slows her pace further to a jog to allow the sprinter to catch up all the way, thinking while she waits. Maybe she should stop and they could start in tandem? No...Lacey's already warmed up, primed from her running so far and her stretches earlier; she doesn't want to stop. That leaves only one choice...

As the white-haired girl catches up, rapidly closing distance now thanks to that reduced pace, Lacey starts to pick up her own speed again gradually, stride by stride. She ramps up her speed, timing it carefully so that she's matching the other student's pace perfectly by the time they pull side by side. She sprints along with the student for a moment, and it'd be hard to tell that she's been running for four miles and change to this point; her breathing's regular, her sweat is light, and she has plenty of spring in her step as she keeps pace.

She looks sidelong at the student, smiles and winks, and nods her head forward at the track to make her invitation clear...and then steps up her speed a bit more. She's not a track-and-field star...but Lacey pushes her body hard every day both running and swimming; she's learned good technique in both through trial and error, and she's in very good shape. Besides that, she LOVES to exercise and to test herself against others; she won't lose easily, even in a footrace. Green eyes flash with joy and determination as she dashes forward, seeking to outpace the other.

The three alien's were very familiar with human biology, and especially their evolutionary strengths. They all knew that humans were the only attrition hunters on their planet, and that they could run anything down if given enough time, even without complex tools. This meant that their bodies were more than capable of operating for an extended period of time while running. Unfortunatly for the humans, the Jarri biology was similar enough that the same physical traits applied. And while Lacey's was obsessed with her physical fitness she was still young ... and Mirria lived and breathed her own physical perfection. She was not at risk of challenge to her position here, but as soon as she returned to the Midrozi the challenge would come. There was only so many places in the leadership caste available after all, and any sign of weakness in one was bound to be exploited.

Mirria smirked as the student slowed down to let her catch up, and soon she was running side by side with the other women, her own pace slowing down to match. As the other student glanced over at her and winked she smiled and winked back. She was taller than the other women, and her longer stride would give her a small advantage. As the student started to increase in speed, she did the same, matching her speed. If she was chasing the student down she would have used some illusions ... but this was a test of the student's endurance, and so such illusions would be counter-productive. Instead of that she was trying to egg the other women on, to push her to her limits so the alien's could see just what she was capable of. Her own breathing was light and easy, as if she could do this all day.

Meanwhile the other two had taken a seat on a bench along side the track, both falling silent as they watched the two running ... or more accurately watched Lacey. They studied every movement that she made, looking for wasted motions, and seeing numerous inefficiencies in how she runs. Of course her ability to run perfectly was fairly low ranked on her assessment, it was more her endurance that they were interested in. However it did give them something to do as they waited.

She finds her own gesture mirrored by the other student; clearly she's into the idea. Lacey grins to herself as she picks up the pace, not realizing the real reason for the other student's willingness to engage in their little game. She has no clue as to her ulterior motives...nor does she realize for the moment that the coach and his other hanger-on are there watching the impromptu 'race' between the two. In the poor redhead's mind, there's still the possibility of victory here.

Lacey's sprints tend to take her over far shorter distances than around the track at school; they were designed to close distance between herself and a target as swiftly as possible rather than to run a marathon. As a result, her form isn't nearly as good as someone who runs track and field, though it's functional enough to let the redhead compete a little here and there. So it's with a little surprise that she realizes the other student is keeping pace with her easily, still smiling. Lacey's own grin grows. Smartass...she thinks, though the thought is one of amused approval; someone who's willing to challenge her like this is a good person to run into. If she wasn't concentrating on maintaining a rhythm to her breathing, she'd be laughing in delight.

Still, not to be outdone...or at least, not easily...Lacey leans a little more forward and dashes all-out as fast as she can go. Efficient form or not, the redhead knows she's quick on her feet; it's a core component of her style. Fast as the other girl might be, she'll HAVE to put out an effort to keep up with the redhead now...or so she thinks. Still...running like this after four miles completed already is going to drain the redhead quickly of her energy if she doesn't pay attention. Even regulating her breathing, she's still going to tire herself out...better to end it as quickly as she can. She pushes on, trying different things to see if she can eke out any extra speed, tightening up her steps, narrowing the arc of her arms as she swings them...anything she can think of for even an extra half-second's worth of speed. Her attention falls off the other student for the moment as she pushes herself to the absolute limit of her speed.

Easy to goad ... The thought from Misralla echoed among the two other alien's, both of them agreeing at that. They couldn't hear Lacey's thoughts, but they could see it in her body language, in the way she was responding to the very presence of Mirria. Not that they considered that a mark against her ... if anything it would make her easier to train in the long run, easier to coax into certain approved patterns of behavior. A strong competitive spirit was highly desired by the Midrozi ... and even so early on Misralla was fantasizing about just how she'd use that to break her. It was highly unlikely that she would ever get the chance to put those ideas into practice, the Midrozi usually only selected one or two students every graduating class, and it was unlikely that even if Lacey was picked that Misralla would be recalled from this livestock pen to train her. But it was a fun mental exercise nevertheless, and no doubt one that she would explore much more fully when she had a chance to hear the student cry out, in both pleasure and pain.

But for now it was Mirria's turn to play with her, and the white haired 'student' had no trouble keeping up with Lacey as the student sped up ... and in fact Mirria even pulled a little bit ahead. Not by much of course, and it still looked as if it was close ... but as soon as Lacey's attention diverted from maintaining her own pace to check if she had managed to outpace her 'competition', she would instantly spot that Mirria had managed to pull a single pace in front. Not much by any standard ... but just enough to try and drive someone competitive on ... to egg them into giving it just a little bit more. Mirria's movements were perfectly graceful, with not a single wasted movement, and it was almost like watching an artist at work ... albeit one whose art-form was in the physical motion of a body. And with Misralla watching on and paying close attention to the student's mind, the chance of her harboring any suspicions about her new 'companion' was next to nil, even if her natural grace was borderline inhuman.

And that's about as much as she can pour on withou--what? How is the other girl keeping up...no, in FRONT of her? Lacey's area of expertise isn't track, of course...but still! The other girl should be having a LITTLE more trouble than this! Though...she's not that far ahead. Just a step or two...try though she might to find a way, the best Lacey can do is what she's doing right now. Trying to stretch her stride to match the other girl's longer paces is only going to make the redhead trip and look silly...still. Maybe there's something else she can do...

Green eyes narrow and study the woman running slightly ahead of her carefully, while Lacey tries to mimic her motions to the best of her ability. Smoother steps, less of an upward bounce with each push off...hold herself a little lower...she even manages to lengthen her stride ever so slightly...GOD there are so many differences! The white-haired girl is graceful as can be...there's no way to copy all of that form, on a whim like this...but to the redhead's delight, she DOES manage to put on a little extra speed with the minute changes she's made. Step by step, she starts to catch up in centimeters, checking herself against the other runner every so often to make sure she's minimized the differences between them as much as possible. Years of martial arts training have their uses even here; at the heart of it, one learns martial arts by watching and repeating. Running is little different it seems...and Lacey's pretty good at observation as it is.

Another problem picks up quickly though; she's been running for quite some time already, and that fact is starting to tell. She's breathing heavier, having to fight to keep it even and paced rather than letting it fall ragged and out of sync with her efforts. Her heart is beating faster too, partly from the extended sprint and partly from the thrill of competition. Her muscles aren't aching yet, but it won't be far off if she doesn't get her breathing under control; already her legs are tingling...and truth to tell, while she's been putting in heavy hours in her training, she's much more at home on the mat than the track. It's much easier to focus there than it is here...still, she's so close! It'd be a shame to throw in the towel now! Renewed effort and hope for victory urge her onward, and she tries to steady out a bit. Her breathing isn't bad yet, but if left unchecked, she'll be losing her pace and her speed with it in no time.

The other girl, by contrast, is still breathing easily...true, she hasn't been on the track as long as the redhead but still...it's pretty impressive, to say the least. Win or lose, she's going to cherish this experience; it's always fun to come up against someone with such grace and form, in any regard! She'll have to learn her name and ask if she's interested in a running partner...after the race of course.

If the Midrozi were treating this as a race it would be highly bias towards Mirria, she had started later while Lacey was already starting to get worn out after all. But this wasn't a race to them ... this was just an initial assessment, both of Lacey's physical fitness, and her mental willpower. As well as her ability to observe and learn, an ability that was being show cased rather effectively as slowly Lacey was managing to close the gap between the two. Admittedly Mirria was holding back, although she was being rather careful to not make it obvious that she was doing so. She managed it through a few minor inefficiencies in her movement ... as well as not putting the full strength of her alien muscles to bare.

It would take a while at Lacey's current rate to close the gap, but close the gap she would. Mirria's breathing is, slowly, starting to get irregular, although it's still fairly light, and no doubt she has much more to go before it would become a problem ... whereas Lacey was already on the edge of that particular issue. But Mirria wasn't really aiming to compete ... she was the rabbit running in front of the racing dogs ... the bait to draw out and encourage the student to put her all into it.

On the sidelines Misralla and Girran watched, exchanging notes with each other via Misralla's mental ability. They left Mirria out of the loop for the moment, wanting to let her go through the entire physical assessment independently and then compare notes with her later. Both Misralla and Girran were highly impressed by what they saw so far ... and while it was still very early to make a final assessment, that wouldn't come for years, Lacey seemed to have all the potential that was needed to become truly a valuable possession. Whether she could live up to that potential was another matter entirely.

Her breathing has fallen to pieces; Lacey can't possibly keep this up for long. It's not like her to let things go like this, pushing all-out for anything other than a last resort move...but the other girl's speed and stamina is incredible. She's only JUST beginning to breathe hard...granted, she's starting fresh, but still! The redhead fights a losing battle to re-order her breaths, trying to halt that decline. Slowing down...stopping...those aren't options. Not when she's already learned so much just by watching the other girl sprint...and ESPECIALLY not when she's closing distance!

Her heart racing, Lacey continues on while offering a prayer of gratitude that she's kept herself in shape since coming to this island. No...not just in shape...when she'd first come here, she wouldn't have stood a chance of coming even THIS far with the other student. She wasn't pushing herself as hard as she could have back then...she wasn't lax with her training, of course, but these days she pushes harder and strives further than she ever has before. Thanks to pushing those boundaries, she feels she has something to show for it.

Refusing to give up the fight, to concede to the demands of burning lungs and racing heart, Lacey pushes harder still. She keeps her breathing from falling apart any further; she may not be able to reclaim her former rhythm, but she can keep from wasting too much stamina by at least controlling what she has left of it. Her muscles start to ache and burn a little, but she ignores that for now; she's felt far worse than this before. This just means she's pushing past what she's used to...and ultimately, isn't that the purpose of training? Her heart is beating a little too quickly between the excitement of the chase and the irregular breathing; she focuses on calming herself a bit. Not much she can do about the breathing, but exerting self-control will help to quiet that wild excitement of chasing and being chased.

Her body may be thinking it's tired, but her will is ironclad. Lacey uses that will to calm her mind and heart and push her body further still, urging herself on as she closes that gap agonizingly slowly...but close it she does. She soon finds herself sprinting side by side with the white-haired girl. She doesn't look over at the other student, but she does grin at the sense of achievement...and then pushes on, trying to outpace the other girl. The job isn't done until the redhead does what she'd intended in the first place; she has no clue that the white haired 'student,' her friend, and the coach that the two hang around all the time aren't racing her seriously. In her mind, this IS a race...and she won't settle for a tie if she thinks she can do better! With that same agonizing slowness, Lacey starts to pull ahead ever so slightly, step by step...

None of the alien's showed it, they were masters at keeping their 'masks' in place after all, but they were impressed at the student's willpower. She seemed rather determined and strong willed ... for a human at least. It wasn't anything compared to the willpower that even a young Menial caste Jarri could bring to bear ... but that was to be expected. Humans, after all, were rather crude and barely evolved species. But that didn't change the fact she was showing an impressive amount of willpower and desire to push herself a little further.

In fact, Mirria even sent a thought towards Misralla, a simple question as Lacey slowly managed to pull ahead. Should I let her get some pride and win? Misralla thought for a moment, admittedly rather tempted to let the human take some pride and shoot it down later. But after a few seconds she ordered Maintain your current pace ... she'll get ahead, but just maintain your current rate until she trips up. We'll let her keep some pride as faster in a sprint. She smiled from the sidelines, with Girran giving Lacey and almost pitying glance just before Misralla purred out into her two companions minds For now.

On the track Mirria did just that, maintaining her current pace with graceful ease, watching the other student slowly pulling ahead. Mirria's body was more or less running on autopilot by this point, she was paying very little attention to what it was doing, and could maintain this pace for hours if necessary, and only be breathing heavily at the end. The human 'mask' of her illusion covered her alien face, as her eyes focused on the student, studying her curves and the way her muscles moved, watching for any signs of injuries or imperfections. And of course, watching for when Lacey's body hit a physical wall that her will couldn't break through. To see if she realized what was happening and broke off ... or if she ran right into it and crashed hard.

Further, faster, further, faster...these are the thoughts that consume Lacey's mind. She focuses on the new motions her body is learning to make those two things happen...the slight adjustments she's stolen from the other student's form in order to increase her own speed. She focuses on making them habit, memorizing the way they feel as she pulls ahead, bit by slow and agonizing bit. Her heart refuses to settle down from this thrill, this rush that comes with competition and self-improvement. Part of her knows that this will be a short-lived victory if she can't get that and her breathing back under control...but even with that looming over her, she can't suppress the thrill. Having learned something new is a victory all its own...

Abruptly a tingling sensation runs down her spine, accompanied by the most peculiar feeling of being watched. The redhead looks around...but can't see anyone other than the other student. Well, her and her friend and the coach they always seem to be near. Those other two are watching the impromptu race from where they've been standing the entire time, though...so why should she suddenly feel this way? Another look around yields no new information, no reason why she should be feeling alarmed like this...just nerves, perhaps? Maybe...but why can't she shake this feeling?

Another chill runs down her spine, and she finds that she's slowed down thanks to her lack of focus on what she's doing. The other student is neck and neck with her once again...yet the redhead can't get up the enthusiasm to resume the full-tilt headlong sprint she'd been up to just a second ago. Are her nerves so bad that even exercise isn't a safe-haven for her thoughts anymore? A depressing prospect to say the least...still. Maybe she just needs a break...five miles, the majority of the last done at a dead sprint, is enough to make anyone tired, right? Though a sidelong look at the other student suggests that she might well be able to keep this pace up for days...

Lacey finds herself smiling. Maybe she can learn that trick...and finally figure out the other girl's name. It still nags at her that she doesn't know it, despite having seen the white-haired girls around fairly often. Signaling to her new running partner with a wave of two fingers, Lacey gradually drops her pace back, step by step, until she comes to a halt. The redhead stays standing tall, despite wanting to rest hands against thighs; she knows from experience that you can get your breath back faster and relieve fatigue more quickly if you stay upright. In the interest of doing so, she stretches her arms above her head and bends from side to side, inadvertently making a show of her slender figure and its flexibility for her unsuspected watchers.

"You've got an incredible form!" The first words out of her mouth to her new running partner once she joins the redhead...and they're completely heartfelt. Just the few brief moments that she'd managed to copycat even a few of the other girl's tricks had made such a difference in the redhead's speed...and she's willing to bet that, if she practices those movements, she'll likely be able to endure even longer runs from the start. "Where do you learn something like that?"

Mirria's speed would slowly, and subtly, pick up, making sure the other student didn't pull too far ahead. Lacey would find herself a step in front, with Mirria making sure that if Lacey did push herself too hard she would be able to catch her before she would hurt herself. While the medical facilities here could easily handle a student having a bad fall from physically pushing herself too far, the Midrozi didn't like drawing external attention to the student's they were assessing. But thankfully the other student seemed to be aware of her limits, making Mirria smile. That smile faded as Lacey slowed down, turning to a look of concern for a moment ... even as Misralla passed on every thought going through the student's head.

Mirria was soon running alongside the other women, and as Lacey continues to slow down Mirria matches her pace, slowing down with her, breathing heavily from her sprint, but she was no-where near as run-out as Lacey was. She smiles, nodding as the other student gestures, and soon is standing alongside Lacey, the other two admiring the curves of the student as she stretches to relax her muscles, a piece of knowledge that was a mental plus in Misralla's mind.

Mirria laughs at the heartfelt praise of her physical condition, and she actually answers truthfully. Oh just a lifetime of pushing myself to the peak of what the body can do. Practice anything enough and you'll work out how to do it most efficiently and effectively. Of course it helps that Jarri live much longer than humans, remain at their peak physical ability for most of their life ... and are, of course, much smarter. But the human student doesn't know that. I do get called a natural at running, gymnastics, and pretty much any other activity that involves using my body ... She trails off, giving the other student a playful wink as she reaches back, lifting one of her legs and stretching it behind her back, showing remarkable flexibility.

Of course the wink is another test, to see if the student picks up on it ... thinks about possible double meanings or implications. Oh I don't think we've met before ... I'm Mirria. She smiles, the expression rather pretty as she holds her free hand out, still balanced on one leg with graceful ease. Now that she's up close Lacey can see the other student properly, and 'Mirria' the student has the sort of body that most women would kill for, perfectly proportioned and with just enough muscle definition to indicate a female form that can do a lot, without going overboard. She almost looks like a cross between a professional athlete, and a super-model.

Lacey gets her breathing somewhat under control...still breathing hard and very much winded, but there's a rhythm to it now. Her heart rate comes next as the other girl slows in time with the redhead's steps...though that's much harder to calm down, partly because of the excitement of the exercise...and partly because of that strange feeling that still tingles against her spine. Still she manages, slowly but surely.

She grins and nods, able to relate with practicing something so long that it becomes second nature. "A prodigy of a physical nature, huh?" She chuckles. Looking at the white-haired girl now, it's easy to believe; she's barely winded, while Lacey's only barely getting her breathing back to a controllable range. The redhead raises one eyebrow at both the display of flexibility and the wink. "And stretchy, too! Important feature, that one. Ever thought about taking up martial arts?" The wink isn't lost on the student...as a matter of fact, it makes her heart race a little again. But she's already got Becca whom she cares greatly for and Vera to whom she feels a sense of duty and obligation; pursuing a third when she already feels guilty about having two different interests would be foolish, to say the least.

"Mirria..." She murmurs softly. Pretty name, though she can't place its origin...not that she's trained herself to figure out where a person hails from based on their name or any such thing. Now that Lacey gets a closer look at her new jogging partner...she really is exquisite. Beauty and strength, balanced against one another...the redhead stopped being jealous of other girls shortly after realizing her breasts weren't likely to get any bigger; even when teased about her body, she doesn't get upset about it or compare herself to others, choosing instead to base her self-esteem on her merit rather than her looks. Even so, while she doesn't find any need to run a checklist between herself and Mirria...she also isn't shy about looking and appreciating the beauty of the other girl in the least...and she IS gorgeous, to say the least! "Nice to meet you, Mirria. I'm Lacey Renault." She accepts the offered hand with her own.

Even while she makes proper introductions, she has to rein in the part of her mind that wants to see what the other girl's lips taste like, reminding herself to behave, not interested in creating a disaster out of the love life she has already. Disasters can be fun...NOT when romantic pyrotechnics are burning the people you care for! Vera probably wouldn't care, so long as Lacey continues to serve well and maintain a good public face, not bring embarrassment down...but Becca might not be so happy. She'd be devastated to upset the brunette that way. That thought manages to quell the rebellious half of her; there's no part of the redhead that wants to hurt her blue-eyed lover.

She brings herself up out of her thoughts at that point, noting that Mirria's leg is STILL in the air, laughing softly. "Good balance, flexible...you really DO train your body lots, don't you?" It's interesting to her; not many other girls seem willing to put in the hours required to obtain that kind of mastery over their body. Lacey could stand with her leg stretched straight up, foot directly over her head all day...can get it up there without the use of her hands, too...but she's paid the price in blood, sweat and tears to gain that kind of control over herself. Finding someone else who can do it is always a source of great interest to the redhead.

Still, even during their idle chitchat, that odd feeling won't go away; if anything, it's grown more pronounced, more invasive. More than just being watched...deeper. Where from? She shakes it off as just nerves again. It has to be; no one's screaming and nothing's attacked. Likely nothing WILL attack while a teacher is watching over them, and two other students are nearby; the group is too large for a quick and clean attack, too spread out. "So what brings you out this way today? I've seen you and the other girl and the coach around..." Another oddity...why would they hang around the coach that much? One of them is always nearby, it seems...hm. "But besides that, I don't think I've ever run into you before today." Her smile is calm, her gaze direct and polite.

Mirria laughed when Lacey asked if she had ever thought about taking up martial arts, the sound genuine and rich. Oh you have no idea ... I grew up among a bunch of monks, so I basically breathe the stuff. She explains, smiling as she releases the student's hand after a few seconds. Pleasure to make your acquaintance Lacey. While her statement isn't the entire truth, the fact remains she is an expert at martial arts in all sorts of styles, most of them significantly more evolved and advanced than anything humans have developed. Even if she didn't incorporate psychic 'attacks' into her combat weaves few humans could hold out against her.

Meanwhile, over on the bleachers, suddenly the other two are no-where to be seen. It's child's play for Misralla to make the two Jarri invisible to any sentient being, or any being with a brain really. Misralla has been 'listening' in on Lacey's thoughts, and as the suspicions and questions come up she decides to change track and shift the location and direction of the assessment. Her powers reach out ... but this time not to any human mind. It'll take a few minutes for the nearest non-human to arrive ... and she decides to not warn Mirria just what is coming. The other Jarri is smart enough to work out what is expected of her ... and if she's not than she isn't worthy of her rank as a Huntmaster.

Mirria had noticed that the two Jarri had disappeared, well in her case became blurred and hard to see as her own mental defenses allowed her some ability to see through Misralla's psychic illusions. She didn't point it out straight away, although she already had a guess what it meant the others were planning. But her expression betrayed nothing of what she suspected would be happening soon. Of course. There's not much else worth doing at this place ... you do enough study to keep your grades average so some teacher doesn't notice you, get as fit as you can, and the rest of the time is spent trying to stay with the pack. She explains, shrugging as she lowers her leg, and then does the same to the other leg. Because you were alone, and in my experience students shouldn't be alone here. She smiles sadly, as if testing the waters and trying to see if Lacey knows about the 'other' inhabitants of the island.