As they stepped out into the outside air, she breathed in the warmth with a smile. She stretched her arms above her head, following her down a path. She stopped as Sunny spoke, bending and stretching her legs as the Strider proposed what they do first. Malia grinned, nodding. “It’s on.” Malia took off after Sunny, forcing her legs to push her as hard as they dare. Her lungs and legs burned by the time she had arrived. She hadn’t beat Sunny, considering that she’d been in bed for nearly a month, but she cane close, and she was proud of herself for making it.<br/><br/>Malia didn’t complain once of how difficult it was, or how tired she was, or how much she hated the exercise. She was here to train, to build strength—she knew that everything Sunny had her do, she was doing for a reason. She pushed herself to the limit, ignoring the way her shirt clung to her skin, or how her hair stuck to her forehead, the heat bearing down on her. Sunny was relentless, Malia gave the girl that, but Malia was determined, and that pushed through.<br/><br/>She enjoyed the gun and combat training far more than she enjoyed strength and endurance. She already had the basics of each down, thought not enough skill to keep herself alive against someone like the Vangaurd—that had been proven. Unlike when they moved on to the next thing during endurance training once a limit was hit, Malia made sure that they didn’t move on until she had each and every skill Sunny demonstrated down well enough to repeat in exact. By the time they had finished up, Malia was sweating from head to toe, the entirety of her shirt was soaked. Her chest heaved and, when Sunny insisted they jog back, Malia finally let out s groan with a crooked smile. “You sure you’re not trying to kill me?”<br/><br/>Nonetheless, she did as Sunny asked, breaking into a light jog as the pair made their way back towards Central. They chatted quietly some of the way, and when they finally reached home, Malia was eager to get into the cool air. Once they stepped inside, she let her head hang, her hands on her hips as she attempted to catch her breath. She turned to the Strider, then, a small smile on her face. “Thank you for doing this, Sunny. I really, really appreciate this.” She ran a hand over her hair, pushing back the free strands that cling to her skin. “Now, imma go shower and collapse.” The Runner laughed softly. Every muscle in her body ached, she loved it.