I forgot to remember to forget {Rene}

[Mumble]

Maybe running wasn't the best idea when you were tired beyond the point of collapse, but without the calm of sleep in which to sort his thoughts out, Mumble was on the verge of losing his mind in the chaos inside his head. Running, while definitely not helpful to him in his state of physical exhaustion, gave him something else to focus on. He probably looked like a dead man running (which, coincidentally, was what he also felt like), but he wasn't going to quit based on that alone. Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other kept his brain centered on one task.

He had been running around the field, along the track that circled the football setup, and he kept the same pace as he came off of the track and headed towards the dorms. If he didn't keep running, he knew, he might just sit down somewhere and be unable to keep going. No stopping until he got to his room...then he could climb in the shower and think about how much he just wished he could curl up in the fetal position and be unconscious. One foot after the other...

When he saw her, he was almost convinced that he was hallucinating. Sleep deprivation could do that to a person, make them see things that weren't really there.

Sleep deprivation never did that to a guy's heart, though, made it flip like that in his chest when he realized that he was looking at someone he hadn't been sure he was ever going to see again.

Losing his concentration, and thus, his will to keep running, he came to a slow halt next to her, looking like absolute rubbish, undoubtedly.

"You came back," he said, quietly, uncertainly. He wasn't even sure what terms they'd been on when she'd left, if he'd had anything to do with why she'd left...he hadn't had time to dwell on all that, between the involuntary singing voice and the mess with Redd. And...oh no. Not here, not now, not in front of her. He bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, and he choked back the song that threatened so spill out. Please say something, please, before I start singing...

[Deleted]

Rene was dressed for a run. Exercise shorts, an old t-shirt that most likely used to be Robin's or Merlin's, and battered shoes. Her overlong hair had been yanked back into a braid, falling against her rear as she moved toward the field, her stride purposeful, so purposeful, in fact, that she hadn't noticed Mumble until he'd actually said something to her.

Rene froze midstep, staring at her old friend. Friend? They had left like that, right? Rene couldn't quite remember what condition their relationship had been in when she'd left. it had been good; she remembered that much. She just couldn't quite decide how good it would have been. Ah, right, she wasn't interested in boys. Not even cute, defenseless looking ones with an overabundance of charm and dancing skills. Besides, wasn't Mumble with that overly perky mermaid girl who's name Rene seemed purposefully determined to forget? Rene had even encouraged that.

Funny how the guys she liked were consistently picking the "other girl" over her. Oh well, at least she'd nudged this one.

"I did," she said. Blinked, studied Mumble with the appraising eye. Worn look, breathing hard, probably from exercise. Rene looked to the field. Had Mumble been running? Why? Why wasn't he dancing if he wanted some kind of exercise? That was what Mumble did, after all.

"You look terrible," she finally said. Her face crinkled in concern. "You're not under an enchantment or something, are you?"

Because that seemed far more likely than any natural occurrence, given Rene's current stream of luck.

[Mumble]

It was so much easier to forget someone when they weren't around to remind you. And even with that...Mumble hadn't forgotten. He had managed to get over what he had finally convinced himself was a relationship doomed from the start, to move past a love that had never really been, but as soon as she spoke, he knew that he hadn't come even close to forgetting her.

And when she asked him that question, he felt an echo of that feeling he'd first had when he'd begun to fall for her. She was smart, probably a lot smarter than he was. He lifted a hand, brushing away a bead of sweat that threatened to drip into his eye, and nodded.

"Think so," he said. He was too tired to put any attitude into it, too surprised to see her to do anything but answer her question honestly. "Several of them, it seems like. There's one where I can't sleep. There's one where I can..."

He stopped short. For some reason, he really didn't want to tell her about the singing voice bit. She'd probably be unlucky enough to find that one out on her own, but if there was any chance he could avoid the topic of awkwardly serenading people, he'd hold onto it as long as he could.

"You look good," he said, because he thought she did. He wasn't pissed off or anything that she thought he looked terrible - he knew he looked terrible, it wasn't some great secret.

[Deleted]

As Mumble prattled, Rene frowned. Nothing about this sounded particularly good, the opposite, in fact. Several enchantments upon Mumble? Why would anyone bother with him? The only logical answer was that he'd gotten on the wrong side of the Red Queen in the months that Rene had been gone. Then again, a lot could happen in the stretch of months. People had a tendency to even get up and married during times like that. For all Rene knew, Mumble had accidentally tap-danced upon the shoes of some passing witch and earned some ire.

"You sure that's actually magic and not just life?" she asked. without waiting for a response or permission, she stepped forward, pressing the back of her hand to Mumble's forehead. "And sorry to introduce myself like this, really. I'm sure the first thing you wanted to hear out of an old friend is how horrible you look. It's just," she shifted, pulling back her hand and frowning at her old friend, "you have me worried. A lot's happened since I've been gone, and not all of it's been good..."

Most of it hadn't been, exactly. Rene sighed, massaging her temple and chuckling. "Sorry. I think I'm having trouble adjusting or something. It's great to see you," now she smiled at him, though there was a slight strain to it. Barely a few days in, and already Rene was piling more upon herself.

"Could we sit down somewhere? Or maybe walk together," Rene waved at herself, "we're both dressed for it, after all."