The Gym; Monday Morning.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

It was Monday morning and, from a technical stand-point, Cal didn't have anything to worry about until Thursday for work, Friday for his two classes. He couldn't imagine a better schedule, really, the whole week to do nothing but what he wanted to. That time most likely wouldn't be utilized for anything more than working out and writing, but those were still progressive, still getting something done, although to what end?

Did it really matter?

He set to some of his simple stretches, warmed up on the treadmill, and took to the weight machines.


[[ open for all your gymly needs! ]]

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[endsthegame]

Exercise had always helped Ender focus, while away the time, and it had kept him safe: his new whereabouts weren't going to alter the necessity of it. He could have done it in his room, of course-- but he hadn't wanted to disturb Ichigo, and he still hadn't fully gotten the layout of the dorms under his belt.

So he found the gym by Monday morning, dressed in a shirt and his shorts, and nodded at the one occupant before looking around for a place to start his stretches.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal, without interrupting the steady rhythm of his work on one of the machines, nodded back to the boy. One of the new kids, probably, since he kind of looked like he was used to the whole workout thing, but Cal hadn't ever seen him before. A nod, and a bit of a greeting. "Hey."

[endsthegame]

Everyone seemed so intent on talking here-- and not in the ways he was used to. Back on Eros, Ender had first been ignored, and then given enough mindless respect it drove him mad. But here, a litany of questions was quickly given, and greetings twice as quickly.

"Hey," he replied, carefully slipping the slang into his words. He had no interest in making enemies here, and sticking to his old patterns would just make him jump out again.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal wouldn't have exactly considered himself intent on talking, per say. In fact, he, if anything, remembered being new and having the people in the gym talking to him and thinking it was weird or intrusive, but perhaps now it was just how things were, and the positions were reversed. Mostly, though, it was an effort at politeness; he considered the gym his sanctuary, might as well make it welcoming. Plus, there was a need to keep all the newbies in some semblance of organization in his head, and the desire to be able to give Ino an even higher number of people met than yesterdays when he next talked to her. Five now. She couldn't say a word.

Of course, he'd have to at least meet the kid to include him in the number, which constituted more than just a greeting. So what followed next was painfully obvious but worked for the sway of idle conversation, the kind that wouldn't interrupt his rhythm or his concentration.

"New here, right?"

[endsthegame]

That was step two, and by now, Ender could imagine how this conversation would go. That made it easier, somehow: he knew what was expected of him, and he knew the answers he'd give. And no one here knew who he was, and so no further questions would be asked. He could just sink away quietly until something new happened.

I'll just have to make sure I'm ready, he thought, because I don't know what's going to come next but I know something will.

And so he resumed his stretches, giving in to the comforting feel of his muscles pulling under his skin. "I'm new," he affirmed, "I came here two days ago."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

For some reason, that answer made Cal grin a little, shaking his head. It was an interesting detail to include; when else would he have come in if he was new? Or, rather, when else would Cal have thought he had come in?

"Yeah," he said. "With the rest of the newbies. Well, welcome to the gym. I'm Cal. I practically live here."

The kid looked like he worked out quite a bit himself, so Cal figured it was a safe assumption to think that this wasn't the first time he'd see him.

[endsthegame]

The rest of the newbies. It almost made them sound like a launch group. Maybe they even were, and 'newbies' was just another case of slang. Whichever it was, Ender returned Cal's welcome with another nod of his head. "Thanks," he said, "I'm Ender. I don't live here yet."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Yet?" Cal asked, arching an eyebrow as he started to feel that maybe his prediction did have some merit.

[endsthegame]

"I like exercise," Ender said, stretching his arm behind him. There were a lot of machines he knew, and a couple he didn't; all of it looked very old. That would work with what Teddy and Ichigo had told him about the time and space here.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Cal shrugged a little, barely interrupting his steady reps. "Yeah," he said, by way of agreeing. "There's a few of us gym junkies."

None of them probably were as obsessive as Cal was, but he figured that Ender would probably figure that out on his own time.

[endsthegame]

"Is there a club?" Ender asked, almost surprised by the slight hint of sarcasm in his own voice. So he stripped it from the rest of his voice as he continued, "I used to exercise with a group. You learn something." His eyes fell on the bike. That, he recognized.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal couldn't help grinning a little at that. "No," he said, "but there is a class this semester."

Which would be...interesting. Cal had never actually worked out around people until he started coming here; if they did any group things, he...

...well, it would be interesting. He'll just leave it there.

[endsthegame]

"I don't have that class," Ender said. He had a theoretical class he didn't know much about, and a class on travel, and a class on-- of all things, fashion. Nothing that revealed why he was here, but maybe the randomness itself meant something, like they were trying to keep him scattered. "I didn't exactly get to pick." That summarised it well enough.

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

Amber came to the gym clad in black leggings, a white t-shirt, and her tap shoes. The gym floor was perfect for her to get in some good practice.

With her earphones in, her music going, she began to stretch.

And totally into what she was doing, she had yet to notice anyone else in the gym.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Amber really never struck Cal as anyone for stealth before, and the little clack, clack, clack of the taps on her shoes certainly didn't do anything to help her go unnoticed as she entered the gym. He shifted a little under his weights at first, wondering if things would be awkward after what happened, but then he realized that Amber was either doing a really good job of ignoring him, or simply hadn't noticed him there. Once he noticed the earphones shoved into her ears, though, he figured it was the latter, and didn't worry about it. He wouldn't interrupt her, especially if she was just doing her own thing, but he did grin a little. She'd mentioned tapping the other day and now she was down here doing it, and that was good. Real good. Beyond that sentiment, though, he tried to put her out of his mind and focused on his own work out.

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

No, no, it was definitely the latter. She was in a wonderful mood and had she noticed him first off, she would have definitely said something, awkward though it might be at first, Amber rarely stayed mad or upset for long. Unless some unfortunate person really affected her in a negative way.

With a final stretch of arms above her head, Amber, head down, waited for the right right song to start, and then she began to tap. The same routine from the pageant, and the one she loved doing more than any others.

She felt wonderfully alive, and her smile was bright at all the appropriate times, just as though she were in front of a large audience.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Well, she certainly won points for enthusiasm. Still trying to not pay attention, it was a little difficult to manage with all the bouncing and the constant clatter of her feet. Cal wondered what kind of music the dance was set to, but, even without it, he found his own movements naturally syncing up to her rhythms. For some reason, this made him feel embarrassed, like he should interrupt, like he should say something, but then again it was entirely possible that she did see him, but simply chose to ignore him.

So he just kept pumping iron. Whatever. If she was ignoring him, that was fine. If she wasn't, well, it wasn't his fault she didn't notice him there.

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

On a significant turn, a specific hip movement, that's when Amber's eyes finally noticed Cal. It caused her to err in her next, calculated step, but she grinned, embarrassed, waving at him in all good humor. "Mornin', Cal."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Grinning faintly, Cal paused a moment to give a small wave back. "Morning."

He then nodded at Amber's feet, his hand regaining its grip on the handle of the weight machine. "Don't let me interrupt, by all means..."

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

"Oh, hey, I can practice in just a minute," she said through a huffed breath. "I wanted to say sorry about the other day and my weird-ass mood. I wasn't particularly nice."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal shrugged, resuming the steady push of handles. "Don't worry about it. We all get those days; it was probably mostly my fault, anyway."

He was the one getting in a fight with everyone, so the evidence clearly pointed that way in his head. Of course, he couldn't really see anything wrong with what he'd done or said, but there had to have been something, even if he didn't understand it.

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

"Nah," she said, not really agreeing but willing to take the blame for it. So to speak. "Water under the bridge." Amber grinned.

"My tappin' isn't botherin' you is it? I know it can be loud soundin' when you're not used to hearin' it. Drove ma crazy when I was a kid. I used to climb up on the kitchen table and pretend I was the best tap dancer ever, ultimately drivin' her crazy and shooin' me away with the fly swat," she nodded, grinning over the memory. "But she got used to it quick enough 'cause I just wouldn't quit."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Climb on the...? It wasn't the concept that startled Cal so much as it was the fact that he'd done weird crap like that as a kid, too, and usually fell and got hurt doing it.

Or getting his head stuck in a door. Ugh. Gotta love older brothers. He shook his head slightly.

"Nah, it's not bothering me," he said. "It's nice; I usually don't get entertainment while I'm in here. And you really are good, Amber. I don't know anything about tap, but, yeah, that's pretty amazing."

He took a year or two of ballet, though. Was terrible, and that's why it only lasted so long, much to Tessie's dismay but...Amber really didn't need to know about that.

[minnesota-teen.livejournal.com]

She beamed. "Thank you! I wish I could do it more, y'know? For people to enjoy and watch but around here I don't see so much of that happenin'."

Amber knew that all kinds of boys were in ballet. She wouldn't think much of it actually, if she did know.

She tapped a few steps. "I love the sound of it myself; to me it's like listenin' to one of those soothin' nature cd's where you hear nothin' but the rain, or the ocean. Tap is beautiful."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Definitely impressive to watch," Cal told her, probably repeating himself, but it was true. "If I'd tried any of that stuff, my feet would just end up in a big tangled knot. I'm going to just stick with easy, repetitive, grunting and manly weights for my workout, I think."