|
|
Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 4, 2012 22:21:29 GMT -5
"Are you sure you can handle that, sir?"
Narye placed the last weight on the bar, balancing it out with the other side and bringing the total weight to somewhere well within the triple digits. Behind him, a younger gym patron eyed the entire setup with skepticism. He was making no attempt to disguise his opinion about Narye's ability to bench press it all: That he could not. Narye looked over his shoulder with a grin.
"It's been awhile. But I think I can."
After meeting and talking with a young Fire Bender he had met exercising in the park, and being saved from muggers by an exceptional Earth Bender girl, Narye felt it was time that he too got back into the fitness game. Since his wife and daughter disappeared three year ago, Narye had not felt the compulsion or motivation to keep up with his exercises, a side effect of his life of labor on the farm. He still had muscles and he looked strong, but he was not sure if he actually WAS strong anymore. Bench pressing these weights would help him guage how rusty he had actually gotten.
That little be of half-assurance from Narye did not give the young man any more confidence in Narye than before, as expected. But instead of turning around and going back to whatever he was doing, he stuck around and watched Narye lay back on the bench, flex his hands, and grip the bar in preparation. Maybe he was looking forward to seeing Narye hurt himself, or maybe he was genuinely concerned and wanted to be there to assist should he need it.
Either way, Narye took a couple of deep breaths while staring up at the weighted bar, or the ceiling, as he mentally prepared himself. A few breaths later, his face scrunched in concentration as he pushed upwards, muscles bulging and arms shaking.
For a moment, the bar did not move and the younger man looked like he had seen enough. But the next moment, the bar lifted up enough for Narye to move it from it from the notch holding it. Slowly he brought it down, breathing out at the same time, then raised it up and held it for a moment.
"Ha! I told you I could it, kid!"
His voice was strained from the lifting, but he still smiled at his single audience member, whom was now sufficiently impressed at the feat. Narye went back to exercise, going through several reps with the weights.
Working with the weights again was turning out to be a great stress reliever, and a way to occupy by Narye's mind. Between the bouts of painful feelings of losing his family and the stresses of being a teacher, Narye often found himself in not so great moods or having his mind wander to to not-so-good places. But while he lifted these weights, all he could think about was getting to the next rep. It cleared his mind. A kind of meditation.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ira Azariath on Jun 5, 2012 17:21:44 GMT -5
While Ira had lived the better part of her life on Air Temple Island as one of the air acolytes, she did enjoy a good workout every now and then.
As much as she enjoyed meditating and reading, there was just those days where a good round of physical training was what was needed to clear ones mind, and for Ira, today was one of those days.
She had woken up early as usual, and had gone for her morning meditation, which had worked out just fine until councilman Tenzin's son had interrupted her. She had tried to get him to leave her alone, but it hadn't worked out, so eventually, she had decided to skip meditation and just head to the gym instead.
Of course she had made sure to change out of her air acolyte robes and into something more suitable before heading out to the gym.
Most of the city seemed to still be asleep, but that did not bother the young fire bender at all. In fact, quite the opposite was the case. She enjoyed the peace that the city offered in the early morning hours, and it gave her time to think.
When she got to the gym, she pushed the doors open and let her golden eyes scan the place. There were only two other people there, both men, and one of them was definitely younger than her. As for the man who was lying on the bench, well, she couldn't really tell how old he was, given the fact that he was lying down.
Something about him peaked her curiosity, and she stood there watching him for a while without announcing her presence. The weight he was lifting was rather impressive, and while she was watching him, she crossed her arms in front of her, still not saying anything.
When there was a break in his training, Ira walked over next to him, a small smile on her face. "That was rather impressive" she commented, letting her arms fall to her sides.
Now that she got a better look at him, she had to admit that he wasn't half bad looking, but of course she would never, ever in a million years admit it to anyone, let alone to him.
She was a loner by nature, and she liked it that way.
Sort of.
|
|
|
|
Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 5, 2012 18:02:11 GMT -5
Of course, Narye's ability to lift the weights, even repeatedly, was no indicator of his ability to continue doing so over a period of time. So while Narye was successful in bench pressing the weights for several reps, he found himself getting fatigued and strained very quickly. He wanted to keep going, believing that he was not as rusty as he appeared to be, and because it was in the spirit of exercise to go as long as possible. But when the bar suddenly seemed to double in weight after the latest rep, Narye knew he had reached his limit. The bar was notched back into its holder before it could decapitate him, leaving Narye to lay on the bench and get his breath back.
Between the chemicals coursing through him because of the exercise and the inherent concentration of it, Narye was completely unaware of the world around him while he lifted. He did not notice the younger man walking off to work out on his own, and he did not notice the young woman whom had taken his position as Narye's audience.
"That was rather impressive"
His eyes snapped over to the young woman, and he smiled.
"Why, thank you! I'm--"
Narye began to sit up to greet her, but the distinct sticky feeling on him alerted him to the fact that he had done some sweating in the course of his work out. Cutting himself off, Narye grabbed his towel from nearby and wiped off his head and face in a hurry, along with the bench itself. His tank top would just have to remain as it was. Standing up, Narye reached a hand out to the woman.
"I'm Narye. A pleasure to have your audience, Miss...?"
Looking her over, Narye saw a young woman that did not look too out of place in the gym. She was very pretty, of course, but the look of her arms showed a woman that was probably practiced in some sort of martial art. Her scar added a bit of credence to that assumption as well. Though it did not detract from her beauty at all. Not to Narye.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ira Azariath on Jun 6, 2012 15:02:56 GMT -5
When the man finished his workout session and sat up, Ira realized that she had been right: the man was good looking. As she thought this, she could feel a faint blush appear on her face, and she could only pray that he wouldn't notice.
"It's nice to meet you Narye. I'm Ira" She replied, feeling another smile tugging at the corners of her lips. This was very uncharacteristic for her, but there was just something about this man that made her feel at ease right away.
"And there's really no need for formalities." she remarked, looking at Narye. Her golden eyes scanned him curiously, trying to figure out more about him. Of course, she didn't get any information about him like that, but she didn't want to just ask like that. After all, they had only just met, and she didn't want to seem pushy or something like that.
Usually, she just minded her own business and that was that, and she certainly didn't just walk up to strangers and talk to them like she had just done. Of course it had to do with the impressive weight the man was lifting, and it was definitely something that had impressed her.
Still, now that she thought about it, the whole situation was actually rather awkward. At least for her.
"So... you come here a lot?" she asked lamely, immediately regretting the question. It just sounded so, well, lame, but she had no other idea what else to say. Needless to say that spending so much time alone had not really done anything good for her social skills.
No, she didn't regret anything, it was just that sometimes living on the streets could be quite lonely. She had had no one but herself to rely on during those three years and sometimes she had felt so very lonely. Even lonelier than she had felt back home in the village. At least she had known people back in the village, but in the city, she had known no one when she first got there all those years ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 6, 2012 15:44:14 GMT -5
"Alright. I'll just keep it casual then, Ira."
It did not sound all that formal in his head and when he had said it, but quickly looking back on it, he thought that maybe he was being a little too formal for a first encounter(?) He did not want to scare her away by seeming to uptight or something, despite the fact that they were in a gym. Either Narye was more out-of-shape in the socializing area than he thought, or Ira was having an effect on him.
Chances were, it was the latter because Narye could just feel Ira looking over him as they introduced each other. Needless to say, it was a bit of fuel for his masculine ego, something he kind of forgot the feeling of. Many years had passed since he had last been in the Game of impressing the opposite sex, and a couple of years since he felt like he had attracted any attention from them.
"Huh. Oh! No."
Narye had been lost in his thoughts, and Ira's question snapped him out of them.
"I, uh, just started coming here today. It's been quite awhile since I felt the compulsion to get some exercise in. Lucky I started, cause now I've met you."
Narye was giving Ira a friendly smile and chuckle on the outside, but on the inside he was fairly shocked at his own words. He just met this nice young woman. Was he seriously going to start and try wooing her right now? With the operative word being "try" since it had been forever since he last did that. Besides she seemed nice enough, there was no need to go any fast than he needed to. A different, less polite, part of Narye countered back by reiterating the fact that it had been three whole years since he last had any feminine attention that was not in the form of flighty schoolgirl crushes. Much less any kind of... feminine touch.
"So, um, what brings a lovely young woman like you to the gym so early in the day?"
Alright. The less polite side of Narye was gaining ground.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ira Azariath on Jun 8, 2012 16:55:57 GMT -5
The one thought that was racing through Ira's mind while the two of them was speaking with one another was 'how can he have such an effect on me?'.
Somehow, Ira managed to control her blushing and keep it at a minimal level, which was good. She would hate to embarrass herself in front of Narye, and if she didn't get her act together soon, she might end up doing just that.
However, his next comment didn't do anything to help her keep her blushing in check. No one had ever called her lovely before, and to be honest, she didn't quite know how to react to it.
"I'm glad I got to meet you too" she said honestly, meaning every word of it. There was just something about Narye that made her relax. She had never felt like this around another person before, and to be honest, it scared her a bit that she was trusting this man so easily.
During her years spend living on the streets of Republic City, the number one rule had been to put yourself and your own needs before those of others, and that was exactly why she was normally so distrusting of other people and tended to keep mostly to herself.
"Yeah, I do come here quite often" she responded, regaining some of her usual calmness as she spoke. Speaking about her training was something she felt comfortable with as it was something that came naturally to her, both the bending related training and the training that had nothing to do with her bending.
"It's a nice break from my fire bending training" she then added, looking at him again. To be honest, she was quite curious about this man. Was he a bender too, and if yes, what was his element?
Even if she had a million and one questions racing through her mind about this man, she kept quiet, not wanting to scare him off.
|
|
|
|
Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 8, 2012 17:14:38 GMT -5
The more civil version of Narye thought that Ira was just being polite and friendly when she said that she was glad to meet him too. It was not far removed from the norm for someone to give that kind of reply. It was sweet and kindly, and fit so well with Ira's gentle appearance.
However, the other part of him was saying that her reply was her way of saying that she was just as interested in him as he was to her. The phrase was a polite and indirect way of saying that there was something happening between them, and that something might be happening later if he played his cards right.
Narye tried to ignore both sides and just concentrate on the moment at hand.
"Ah! So you're a Fire Bender, huh? I couldn't tell since you weren't wearing the typical reds and browns of the Fire Nation. Then again, most people in the City don't wear their nation's colors as openly anymore."
He had to know. Seeing Ira's blushing face was one thing. It could have meant anything from embarrassment to that she had been working out earlier, and not just that she was... feeling something for him. Narye's intuition with these kinds of matters had definitely faded away for the most part as he grew older and lived alone, but it was quickly coming back. But still, Narye needed more confirmation on his part. He would take a very small chance.
Stepping closer to her, Narye put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. It was sort of the best he could come up with on the fly.
"Hey, is there any kind of training I could you with? I'm not a Bender but I guess I could train or spar or something with you. It'll be a good exercise for both of us."
|
|
|
|
Post by Ira Azariath on Jun 12, 2012 17:44:34 GMT -5
Ira may not be the most outgoing and social person, but she could still feel something. So
Ething was happening between them, and in a way, it scared her. She had never had anyone close to her, aside from her family back home (and this was thirteen years ago) and she had always been used to looking after no one but herself.
At first, living on the streets of the city had been scary to the then thirteen year old girl, but she had grown used to it surprisingly fast, and she had also very quickly learned the rules of the street life. She had gotten her scar within her first two months on the streets. She had had a rather unfortunate run in with a homeless water bender who had been at least five years her senior.
She had managed to escape, but only just as she still had had no formal training in fire bending at this point and really had no clue what it was she was doing. Still, she had somehow managed to escape with just the small scar under her eye that she still had.
"Yeah, though I really don't see it as something to be proud of" the last part of the sentence held just a note of bitterness in it. Had it not been for her fire bending, she would not even have had to come to the city in the first place. Had it not been for her fire bending, she would still have been living with her family in the village. No, she could not allow herself to dwell on what was in the past. She needed to focus on the present.
However, she wasn't prepared to feel the weight of Narye's hand on her shoulder and for a brief moment, her body stiffened. She knew he meant her no harm, it was just a reaction she had developed to being touched during those years spend on the street. However, she quickly relaxed again, making eye contact with Narye.
"Well, if you're interested in it, I could try to teach you some of the martial art behind fire bending. You may not be a bender, but it could still come in handy some time" she said. If he was up for it, she would be more than willing to teach him what she knew.
|
|
|
|
Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 12, 2012 18:23:05 GMT -5
The tone in wich Ira replied to the remark about Fire Bending was not an unfamiliar sound to Narye. Many Benders were quite proud of their incredible abilities. Some were arrogant about it. Other were humble with it. A few others felt like they were cursed by it. Ira seemed to be in the last group. While Narye could not immediately imagine how Bending could be so detrimental one's own life, he wasn't so naive as to think there were not downsides to it.
In the meantime, it seemed that Ira was comfortable enough with Narye to let him put his hand on her. Sure, he felt her freeze-up for that fraction of a second, but that was within his acceptable limits. Especially since she quickly softened back up afterward. Narye felt confident with her, and he tried to tell her that through his eyes as he removed his hand.
"That would actually be very nice, Ira. I'd love to be taught by you. I, uh, think there's a private training area back there somewhere."
For once, Narye would be the one learning. He motioned toward the farther back areas of the gym as he started walking over, leading her over. In the back, there were "rooms" made up of temporary walls that created small areas for two people to spar or do stretches in, without having to worry about people in the main gym watching.
Setting his towel down on the ground, Narye took up position at the center of the room, smiling at Ira and taking up what he thought to be some kind of fighting stance.
"Alright. Show me how you do this, Ira. Feel free to position me if this isn't right. Which I'm pretty sure it isn't."
He chuckled to himself, and waited for his new teacher to show him the ropes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ira Azariath on Jun 15, 2012 15:40:05 GMT -5
It was true that Ira more or less hated her bending, even if it had come in handy on several occasions. Namely during her time spend living on the street. Still, had she not had her bending,s he would never have had to come to Republic City in the first place. Had she not had her bending, she would most likely still have been living in the small Fire Nation village where she had been born.
She would be lying if she said that she didn't miss her parents or her younger siblings, but she had to leave when she did. She could not have stayed any longer in the village. While no one ever said it to her face, she knew that the other villagers saw her as different from the rest of them because of her bending. They feared her, and their fear wasn't completely unjustified.
At the time, Ira had had no control over her bending, and it would often show itself when she was angry. There was one time where she had been so angry with some of the other kids from the village that she had almost burned one of them by accident.
Now she knew better. She had learned control, and it had helped her greatly. She had even gotten to the point where she was able to master lightning bending, the advanced form of fire bending, and while she rarely used it, it felt good to know that she could do it, should the need ever arise.
When Narye smiled at her, she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, even if it was just a small one.
"Alright then" she replied and followed Narye to the back of the gym to what seemed to be more privately situated, away from prying eyes.
She watched him as he got into a fighting stance. It wasn’t half bad, but not quite right.
”Before w eget started, there’s one thing that you need to now” she said. It was better she said it now than when they had gotten started.
”Fire bending comes from the breath, and while you won’t be be able to fire bend, you still have to keep this in mind” She said, making eye contact with Narye. ”Your breath will become energy in your body, and that energy will make you strong” she added.
”Try taking a deep breath and feel the air move through your body. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth” she said softly, doing just that. She waited for him to finish the little breathing exercise she had given him because she wanted to make sure that he had it right before she continued.
|
|
