The Gym: Wednesday Afternoon

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

Dipper decided today to do something healthy. Like work out with the weight machine to try to perform a bench press.

It wasn't working well. He could barely push the bar up.

If one listen closely, they could hear him mutter "Stupid. Noodle. Arms."

Hopefully no one else would be around to witness his humiliation.

Comments

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

"Wait," Dipper said giving Kathy an intrigued look. "You mean the food just appears? Out of no where? I thought people just bought it and left it in there."

[dwarvenswagger]

"More along the lines of horses or ponies."

Or rams. Boars. Eagles if you were with Handalf.

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

"Yep! New student that is," Dipper said with a nod as he watched Thorin poke the weight machine. "Fell through a hole and ended up here by accident. Still trying to figure out how that happened."

[spin_kick_snap]

Maybe an elk or two if you were tight with some elves. Whatever.

"So, is it easier riding on something with a mind of its own?" Kathy asked, never having thought about it. "I feel you probably have a much lower chance of crashing and burning, but you then have to deal with something that has its own agenda, really."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I've never seen anyone carrying groceries," Kathy said with a shrug. "And there are never any angry letters from people who are upset that their milk or ice cream or eggs are gone or whatever. So, either the people we live with are all as rich a Croesus and don't mind having all of their food devoured by hungry classmates, or there's something more going on."

She shot Dipper a wry smile. "Honestly, knowing what I do about human nature and how weird this island gets, my money's on the mysterious food service."

[kenselvren]

Dipper's good luck was just...maybe it hadn't made it down the bottomless pit?

Jalian wanted to run through a few exercises, though, and the practice dummies would help, so she was showing up to do that.

In a white-with-silver-piping sports bra and biker shorts combo. Sorry? You're welcome?

She barely paid attention to Dipper, though, just nodding at him as she headed to the mats.

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

Dipper was used to the lack of attention however he was slightly surprised by the nod. Thus his response was more of a question than a greeting.

"Um. Hi?"

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

"Innnnnteresting..."

Dipper was pondering now and resisting every urge to run over to his backpack and start documenting the details he'd been given so far.

"You know this island has so many mysterious and weird things going on here. Has anyone ever tried to document them at all?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Before or after it drove them mad?" Kathy asked, sliding down into a split so she could start stretching her hamstrings. "Seriously? I don't know. I think it's one of those things that sort of defies understanding and logic so most people just give up. Where would you even start?"

[buzzkillcaptain.livejournal.com]

"Really? People have gone crazy because of this place?" Dipper asked with his eyes widening. "I mean, I get there's a lot of weird but legitimately crazy?"

He had half an urge to go down to the dump to see if Old Man McGucket was there.

"I actually tried to figure out one mystery here," he admitted. "But it kind of ended badly."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not, like, carted off by guys in white coats crazy," Kathy amended hastily. "I don't know if anyone's been driven legitimately crazy on the island."

Though she had heard of one girl who'd reacted so badly to her first gender swap, she'd needed to be sedated by a friend. But that could just be rumors.

"You did? Was that the Youtube thing mentioned on the radio? What happened?"

[dwarvenswagger]

"Have you attempted to return home yet?"

[dwarvenswagger]

Man, fuck the elves. No one liked them and their perfect hair. How was it always so perfect?!

"Anders and I have discussed such a thing and believe it would be possible should you put black powder in the saddle."

They had issues, okay?

[spin_kick_snap]

"Wait, you mean to explode your horse?!"

She HAD to be misunderstanding.

[dwarvenswagger]

"Yes. What else would it be?"

[kenselvren]

"Hello." Jalian tested one of the dummies for weight. She glanced back at him for a moment. "You're new."

[kenselvren]

Ah, a face familiar from class. Jalian nodded to him as she set up.

[kenselvren]

"Kathy." Jalian nodded to her and eyed her routine for a moment curiously. "This is your acrobatics?"

[dwarvenswagger]

Thorin afforded her a nod in return, only giving her a sideways glance for the strange attire for a brief moment.

[kenselvren]

"You are a friend to Cassandra," Jalian noted. At least she'd heard their names together on radio a few times. Then she remembered in what context. "You've sparred. You can fight with knives?"

Far too few people here could, really. What was with all these industrial-society people?

[dwarvenswagger]

They were just weird. Fighting was a valuable life skill, okay? Valuable.

"I have," Thorin replied. "Though my weapon of choice is axe or sword."

[kenselvren]

Jalian nodded. "I can use axe or spear, but I like knives. Cassandra and I have sparred, but most here seem to prefer guns. Or they know nothing of fighting."

So, so weird.

[dwarvenswagger]

"That I have noticed," Thorin replied with a little laugh. "And yet they talk of constant invasions."

[kenselvren]

Jalian shrugged. "There have been several since I came here, but nothing difficult - fish that flew, some men with wings once. Not warriors wanting land or goods, only..." it took her a moment to find the word, "skirmishes."

[dwarvenswagger]

"Men with wings?"