Honeycomb Hearts

Arts and Woodcrafts

               Several days had passed since the sewing fiasco, and without much excitement. Yang and Ruby had fallen into the routine of going to Nora's for dinner, as their house didn't have a kitchen. Luckily it had a bathroom with plenty of hot water to shower in, which Yang took heavy advantage of. She stepped out of the shower, her first for the day, and finished toweling off. Her hair always took three times longer to dry than any other part of her body, so she was used to needing several towels for that in and of itself.

               She flopped down onto the couch with a sigh. "Hey Ruby," she said, "Have you been feeling more tired lately than usual?"

               Ruby turned over, leaving her comic open to a drawing of a girl laser-beaming a giant monster with her eyes. "No, not really. Have you?"

               "Yeah, I've just been feeling more... sluggish. And bloated. I don't know why." Yang sighed and stood up again with a stretch. She nearly fell back down as a head rush hit her like a crashing wave, just further confirming she felt worse than usual.

               "Are you sure it's not because you're sleeping on a couch instead of a bed? We can always alternate if you want." Ruby said.

               "No, it's not that. I just feel like I'm forgetting something. I don't have any medications that I took, I'm not sick as far as I'm aware, I haven't been exc-" Yang's eyes went wide. "I haven't been exercising!"

               Ruby tilted her head. "And that makes you tired?"

               "No, like – it's hard to explain. When you get into a routine of cardio workouts, you tend to feel sluggish or bloated when you stop for a while. Ever since the uh... incident... I haven't even been doing cardio, let alone any muscle-building workouts," Yang said, "That's probably why!"

               "Well we do have a giant field to run around in now. Maybe you could also practice climbing trees since it seems that YOU'VE GONE BANANAS!" Ruby jumped off her bed and faced Yang directly. "I'm perfectly healthy and I don't need cardio! I drink milk!"

               Yang couldn't help but laugh. "I feel like you've told me that a few times before. It's just that I've been doing it for years, so stopping for the past few weeks means I'm not feeling as fit." Yang clenched her fists, and a grin spread across her face. "I think it's time for a little Yang 2.0"

               "What was the 1.0?"

               "Uh... not sure. I'll get back to you on the details."

               Once she felt she'd sufficiently dried off, Yang walked around the house to the shed that she'd spotted in the back when she first arrived. An entire week had passed and she hadn't set foot in there. She owned it now, so she may as well see what it looked like. She flung open the doors, and the smell of sawdust hit her like a truck. She didn't know it was possible for anybody to sneeze as much as she did.

               "Whose been working in here since-" Yang started, but when she looked up, her answer was clear. A woman with long, red hair was standing by a work table in the shed, and the workspace, aside from the sawdust, seemed immaculate. The tools were all neatly organized, wood was stacked by size and color, and the woman was staring right at her. "Oh jeez she's staring right at me."

               "Hello?" The woman asked, tilting her head. "Is there something I can help you with?"

               Yang's mind raced for replies. "You're in my shed at ten in the morning." While it wasn't the most elegant of answers, Yang felt it was perfect to express her confusion.