Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Carrington Training Centre
Morning
The air was still cool when Demien stepped out of his car with the travel bag in one hand, and the difference reached him before he was halfway to the coach.
His first step landed sharper than it should have, the weight settling clean through his hips instead of catching the way it used to, and when he shifted the strap higher on his shoulder it didn't bite the way it always had after a long week.
A staff member called his name from near the hold, and he turned toward the voice before the second syllable finished, catching the man's wave and the crate going up behind him in the same glance.
Ninety-three overall hadn't announced itself overnight, and it didn't announce itself now either. It only sat underneath the small things, in the way his balance held when he adjusted the bag and the way his eyes caught two movements at once where they'd have caught one.
The squad drifted in around him without the usual noise.
