i_speak_softly | Luceti Appointments

Of course, if you do not mind demonstrating.

[And now Robert turns to watch attentively.]

[Don nods, then turns to the post, contemplating it for a moment before launching into a flurry of strikes that set the sections spinning. The pegs blur by, but Don intercepts them with unerring accuracy, using them to stop the sections or reverse their spin. The demonstration only lasts thirty seconds before he brings the post back to a standstill, turning to Robert again to see what he thought.]

[Robert is just standing there open-mouthed. For somebody whose reflexes and reaction times are as slow as his are, something like what Don was doing is ridiculously accurate and fast.

... Finally:]

... Gods. That was... well, incredible.

[Don looks embarrassed.] Just an exercise...

Just an exercise. [... Yeah, uh. That's one of the more impressive non-magical things Robert has seen in Luceti.]

...

I am not certain what to say about that.

[Don essays a smile.] Say you want to learn how to do it.

... I doubt I ever could. [It just requires so much that is nearly unattainable for him, physically or mentally.]

... I could try, but...

I think you'll surprise yourself, someday. [He gestures around the room again.] What else do you want to know about?

Perhaps if you continue to assist me. You are... rather an inspiration that way.

[Looking around the room, Robert's eyes settle on the rest of the equipment. ~~The mun really needs to figure out what might be in there...~~]

... Does... does it really take all this sort of equipment to maintain the fitness level you have?

[Don smiles. The feeling is somewhat mutual.]

No, but it's nicer than using sewer junk.

... Sewer junk? [He can't keep the potentially-privileged slight note of horror out of his voice. Using something sourced from a sewer sounds like a recipe for disaster...]

You know. The things that end up in sewers. It's amazing what you can find.

[That inflection almost doesn't register. To Don, the sewers are home, the safest place he knows.]

Yes, but... ... would it not be... unsanitary?

[... Don, you may want to explain that you pretty much lived in the sewers. Robert still hasn't quite figured that one out.]

It's not as bad as people think.

[He swears he mentioned this already, so he's going with the assumption that Robert knows.]

[He has mentioned it, just not in a way that Robert necessarily interpreted as "my family grew up in the sanitation systems".]

I... suppose your family would clean it thoroughly first, at any rate...

... And if anything, it certainly proves... your resourcefulness.

Sometimes we just played with it where it was.

[He reaches for a nearby water bottle and takes a drink.]

[Ahhh. That makes the OCD cleanliness-part of Robert's mind just flail around.]

... Why? It would be so dangerous...

[Not to mention horrifying. Think of all the bacteria!]

[He rubs absently at a spot on his forearm.] It was certainly an education.

[It always sends a little pang through Robert to think about that - that Don had to suffer to gain knowledge, had to struggle to get anywhere...]

... Your family is... very strong.

Still, I am happy that you have better access here... [He looks around the room again.] And... I should look into this sort of thing myself.

[He gestures to a rack of barbells.] You're welcome to use the free weights.

Can you instruct me on how to do so? [Don, meet a man who has never lifted a barbell in his life.] I... I would like to learn the proper protocol involved.

[... Oh, right.]

[Don selects a five-pound barbell and hands it to Robert, then takes a twenty-pound weight for himself, holding it at his side with elbow slightly bent and palm facing forward.]

[Robert takes the barbell, studying it curiously. It has heft in his hands - five pounds of heft, which admittedly isn't much - and it's strange to hold an object like that, with such an odd shape.

After a moment, he emulates Don's posture, balancing the barbell on his hand with obsessive care.]

... Like this?

[... It might be somewhat off. Feel free to correct him.]

[Don reaches forward to adjust the position of Robert's wrist and fingers - it's a barbell, not a serving tray - then moves back and smiles.]

There you go.

[That's not a "natural" holding position for Robert, and it's uncomfortable, but he tries to adjust to the way it sits in his hand.]

... Now what exactly do I do?

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