" Asala looked over to Niko. They were struggling. They’d had training, but they hadn’t had this much time in the field before. She slapped her hand on their back. “Keep up.”

“I am keeping up,” they said.

“Are you?” Asala asked, and picked up her pace, almost doubling her speed. Icy wind flooded her lungs through her nostrils, which only drove her to push harder.

“I see why you usually work alone,” said Niko. “No fun getting bogged down by us mere mortals.”

For fun, Asala started jogging. "

― Yoon Ha Lee , The Vela