[Gymnasium - OPEN]

[flamenoir]

Who: Blackfire and YOU
Where: Gymnasium near the dorms
When: Afternoon
Rating: PG
Summary: A little exercising and socializing. Get fit and mingle.



Although she could have hit the Training Room for some exercise, today Blackfire had opted for her own. She'd watched a few exercise videos with little handweights that looked like a fun way to exercise. The only dilemma was in finding weights that were just right for her. Fortunately, some of the equipment in the gym was set up for people into power-lifting, even if the Training Room was more fitting for those with superhuman strength.

At last, she found a set of two hundred pound dumbbells that she could work with. They almost felt too light to her, but they were the heaviest set available without resorting to the use of the larger barbells.

And so, she began her exercises. Not long into her workout, someone else entered the gym just at the point that a song she liked came over the speakers.

"Hey, do me a favour and turn the volume up? I love this song!"

Comments

[maximoff_boy]

Seeing no reason not to follow this girls request-- it was after all, a good song-- Pietro cranked the volume nob on the Music player. He then went to eye the treadmills, next to the weights.

"How much trouble do you suppose a person'd get in, for destroying gym equipment?" He mused aloud to her.

[flamenoir]

"Thanks," said Blackfire with a grin before she went back to her exercises. She lifted her weights in time with the fast beat, immersing herself in her routine. Just a light and fun workout, despite the two hundred pound dumbbells. When one could drop-kick a bus without much effort, two hundred pounds was nothing.

Then he spoke again, and she couldn't help but laugh a little at the question and at the way he was eying the treadmills.

"I suppose that depends on if you destroyed it by accident or on purpose," she said, after giving the question a moment of thought. "And on your acting skills."

[maximoff_boy]

"Somewhere between 'accident' and 'on purpose'. I've never met a treadmill I couldn't-- or didn't-- destroy. But then this school is supposed to be equipped for people like us," He was just going to go ahead and lump her in with his own 'super power having' group based on her looks and the way she was handling that amount of weight. "I assure, you, though, my acting skills are up to the task, regardless."

[flamenoir]

"Well, I know the training room is," Blackfire said. "No idea about the rest of the equipment. They do have some weights that seem to be at least for people who are either peak human or have low-level superhuman strength."

She was curious as to how he'd break the treadmill. Superhuman speed? Or maybe his legs were strong enough to destroy it? If she had to hazard a guess...

"Let me guess - superspeed?"

[maximoff_boy]

"Got it in one. The training room is so dull though. Not that this room is much better. At least the company's not bad." So far, at least.

[flamenoir]

"The training room's dull because you need a senior staff member to unlock the safety controls in order to make it interesting."

She cranked the difficulty rating up when she did train in there, but it was only really interesting and challenging with the safety controls completely off.

"You'd think they'd maybe give some of us a little credit, but when all the people who could verify my claims are on other planets...well. All a girl's got is her word."

[maximoff_boy]

"What is it-- key card? Code? Or Voice-finger print? Because if it's the first two, I see no reason why a senior staff member has to validate your word." Pietro had not yet tried hacking the training room. Provided it wasn't a physical lock out, he was confident in his skills to get in. As is, he was currently learning how to get around such things. Computers were dull as shit, but methodical.

"How'd you end up on this ball of dirt, if all your backup's out in space?"

[flamenoir]

"If it was the first two, I'd have already been there rather than having this lovely chat with you."

Admittedly, she wasn't entirely familiar with Earth's technology, but Blackfire was a fast learner in general. A lot of things came easily to her, and once one had learned to tinker with the technology of more than one planet...well. A girl picked up a few things.

"I love to travel, like learning about other cultures...and my home planet's got this pesky problem of the occasional invasion from people with superior technology who want to enslave my people because we're superior warriors and quite frankly much better looking, too."

[maximoff_boy]

"Well then thank god for overly paranoid security. I'd hate to have missed out on meeting you..." He trailed off, arching an eyebrow, as if to indicate he'd like to know her name.

[flamenoir]

"I'm Blackfire." With a bemused look, she added, "And technically, they're just the right level of paranoid in a school full of people who either have powers, have lots of combat training, or both."

She counted herself in the third category. Tamaran was a planet of warriors. Although friendship and camaraderie were prized, so was strength. In fact, their language didn't even have a word for 'nice'. The closest was a word that meant 'weak'.

[spiderette]

Natasha's not one of the superpowered kids - everything she has, as far as she knows, comes from rigorous training and practice, so it's not unusual to find her in either the gym or the training room and sometimes both and this afternoon is no exception. She's just come in the door when the other girl calls out to her and since she's rather fond of the song as well, she obliges, turning up the speakers far louder than they probably should be, but eh, there's no one here to complain except them. She heads for the rows of the cardio machines and then does a double-take at the amount of weight the girl's lifting.

"Damn, girl. Remind me never to piss you off."

[flamenoir]

Blackfire grinned at Natasha's comment. They were in the same year, but hadn't trained together yet. Then again, Blackfire had only in the second half of the previous year and been placed in second year largely due to her age and equivalent education. Well, she was curious as to what the redhead could do.

"I've got a bad temper, too, but fortunately, it's hard to set it off."

There were really only a few things that could manage. Things relating to her sister topped that list.

[spiderette]

"Well, that's comforting, I suppose," Natasha countered with a crooked grin, moving to one of the cardio machines across from her. Strength training was something she got plenty of in sparring matches. Then again, she had a tendency of sparring with Asgardians and teens with superpowers. It usually proved to be an effective workout.

"Getting an early start on your training for the year?"

[flamenoir]

"An early start? I never stopped. I don't want to get in the habit of slacking off."

Many things did come easily to Blackfire, and she liked to project an image of being effortlessly competent. That wasn't actually the case, though. She worked much harder than many people would have guessed. And as someone who'd come from a warrior people, slacking off on training was particularly shameful.

"Today's just for fun, though. I've seen videos of those dance exercise routines with hand weights, so I thought I'd give it a try."

[spiderette]

"A girl after my own heart," Natasha chuckles in amusement, but it has her pausing in her path to cast her a curious look. "Dance exercise routines?"

Oh look, two of her favorite things.

[flamenoir]

"They seem like fun. I printed out some papers showing pictures of the different exercises. Here...I'll demonstrate one. For this one, you're supposed to step from side to side while moving the hand weights from side to side in front of you."

As the song changed, Blackfire listened to the beat for about ten seconds before beginning, stepping in time with the beat while she moved those heavy weights along the way an average person might handle a little set of two pound handweights.

"It's kind of fun. Care to join me?"

[industria]

"Sure!" Allison says amicably, turning up the volume on the stereo. "I'm so into this song right now, too."

She pulls her long, dark hair into a ponytail, making sure there are no stray curls. Stretches come first, of course, before she even dives into anything else.

"Wow, how long have you been lifting?" she asks appreciatively when she watches her from where she sits on a mat.

[flamenoir]

"It's a fantastic song," Blackfire agreed. "Great beat."

If there was one thing she really enjoyed about Earth, it was how varied the music was. She'd traveled to more than one galaxy over the years, and while there were other planets that had good music, she'd never encountered another planet with such a broad range of it to enjoy.

"Oh, this? I'm one of those students with superhuman strength as a power, so this is pretty easy for me. I'm trying out a new workout routine and I know you're supposed to start light..."

[industria]

"Thanks for the confirmation," she laughed, pointing a finger gun at the other girl playfully. As she spoke, she stretched her legs out ahead of herself and leaned forward so she could wrap her hands around her ankles, feeling the very satisfying pull of her muscles.

"Sometimes you just can't help yourself," she finished, pressing a hand to her heart once she sat upright. "I totally understand that."

[flamenoir]

"Well, it'd be hard for them to get anything that I'd actually consider heavy in here in the first place," said Blackfire with a playful wink as she went through some of the simpler lifting exercises.

"I can kick cars around like soccer balls...especially those smart cars."

[industria]

Allison pulls her head back with her eyebrows raised, duly impressed. She doesn't doubt her strength at all.

"I know who to go to when I need someone to toss me into the air," she ponders, lightly touching her chin with two fingers. Well stretched, she waits for the first person to clear the vault before she approaches in a running start, flipping over it as her fingers briefly touch the cushioned material.

[flamenoir]

"Totally. I think I heard it was called 'fastball special' if you do it in a fight or during a training exercise."

She watched the other girl vaulting over smoothly. Whether or not she had powers, she still had some athletic ability. Just how much remained to be seen.

"Or if you just wanted to try some sort of gymnastics move out and you weren't sure about being able to get enough air, I can toss and spot you."

[industria]

"Yep, 'fastball special' sounds about right," Allison agreed once she touched the ground again, bouncing a little to keep moving. She hoisted herself over the vault again, holding her entire weight with just her hands, slowly lifting her body over while keeping her legs together. And then she sat casually, crossing her legs.

"I guess that would be a good deal for us both, huh? A test of strength and gymnastics practice."

[flamenoir]

"I guess we could try that in either the hazard room or if we got some thicker mats."

Blackfire was confident in her ability to catch the other girl if need be, but someone with her gymnastic skill probably wouldn't want to be caught unless it looked like she was going to land badly and hurt herself.

"I'm Blackfire, by the way."

[industria]

"Allison," she returned the introduction, smiling brightly. "Let's set a date for the hazard room?" She could probably successful complete a fastball special here and now, but she also knew enough to practice first and put herself in the proper mindset. Relying on others was something Allison wanted to avoid as much as she could, but it seemed to be an impossibility on a place that encouraged teamwork.