Missing (Markise/Anna)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Aren't they the same thing?" Anna didn't have a clue what the specifics were of either and honestly thought the names were interchangeable. In her mind they were both exercise programs that you had to do funny poses barefoot. She didn't know why Markise would suggest Yoga if he was more familiar with Pilates in the first place.

[Markise Sterling]

"Mm-m," Markise said again. "Pilates is about using the mind to control the muscles. Yoga is breathing, posture, and meditation. They do very different things." Dare hadn't had a moment's interest in Pilates, though he'd had no problem with Markise doing it. He'd thrived on the breathing exercises from yoga, though. And Markise had thrived on the concentration Pilates took, on the sheer inability to think about anything other than the physical.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Does Pilates calm you down too, or whatever it does that would help you sleep?" Anna asked, thinking that it sounded more intriguing than yoga did. She knew it could be just because Markise did it, but from his short descriptions pilates easily won out. "The whole posture and meditation bit doesn't really strike my interest much." Besides, Markise could probably give her some direction on pilates if he was any good at it. Anna was always interesting about learning new things, and if it had a duel purpose of getting her to sleep better she wouldn't complain.

[Markise Sterling]

"Pilates isn't about relaxing," Markise said. "It focuses everything on the way you hold yourself, breathing, muscle tension, it makes you highly aware of every tiny difference. I do it in the morning to wake up, so I don't know if it'd help you sleep." It was also very, very hard while you were learning the massive control it took. Control that, unfortunately, didn't translate into the rest of his life.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna shrugged, thinking that his detailed explanation sounded like a lot of work. It wasn't that she was lazy, it's that she didn't have much reason or motivation to take up a rigorous exercise regime. If Markise did it in the morning, she doubted it would clear her mind to sleep at night, and it didn't make yoga sound any more appealing. "Oh well. Maybe we'll have to make an experiment of it sometime if we're bored. I think I'll just stick to reading my novels before I sleep." It didn't help at all with her ability to sleep, but at least it took her mind off other things so she eventually slept.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise told Annabelle what he could about both, trying to give her more practical summaries this time. Words weren't really his strong suit, though. He told her that too, and offered to show her one or the other if she wanted to try. "I guess if it keeps you awake you won't be any worse off," he finished.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna listened to Markise with the interest she always held for things she didn't know yet. She had a feeling she'd probably do a bit of her own research sometime soon regardless of how well Markise was currently explaining and answering her occasional questions. In the end, she was for some reason interested in a demonstration and maybe even willing to try them both, but wasn't sure that it would really do anything for sleeping. "How often do you do it? I'd like to join you some time, to check it out."

[Markise Sterling]

"Every morning," Markise answered, then paused before correcting himself. "Every day except Saturday, but I go for longer on Sunday morning." He always did penance for his night of excess. A hangover was punishment, but it didn't clear everything out of his system. That was the hardest day of the week to find what he needed to eat. Carbs and fat just wouldn't do it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Where?" Anna asked suddenly curious. She had originally thought of an outside venue, but in winter it was too cold to be doing something like that in the morning. She couldn't think where else he would be able to do the exercises he'd described without gathering an audience. She highly doubted that Markise would be doing Pilates anywhere that other could happen upon him. She didn't know how popular it was in America, but here guys didn't usually do anything outside the normal masculine sports, which as a wizard meant quidditch.

[Markise Sterling]

"I use an empty classroom that's by the Common Room," Markise said. "I take my stuff down there, and when I'm done I go back to the dorm and get dressed." It was a little more complicated actually getting in and out unnoticed, but Anna had asked where, not how. He was glad he'd put in the effort to find someplace, though. He hadn't been at Hogwarts a month before he'd realized how bad it would have been getting caught doing his routine in the dormitory, the way he had at SWIM. His housemates had teased him that he should have been in Creada with the other creative types, but that was pretty much it. Until he'd come out, at least.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. I could meet you whichever day you think is best, but I'm warning you now, I don't have any of those cute little outfits." Anna teased Markise as she asked him questions to arrange a day to join him. The subject wasn't connected anymore to the ability to sleep better in her mind, she was just going along with it to fill her own curiosity about the workouts.