Swole City

[yinsukin]

Roman

"So thats a yes..." he said, trying to pull up the bar.  This was pathetic, absolutely pathetic.  Roman kept pulling and pulling and pulling and pulling and pulling and pulling and pullling.  Nothing changed, not a single one.  He could feel the helplessness, the weakness of his own futility.  So he did as his coach said, and dropped to the ground, pressing down into a push up.  As he came back up, his arms wobbled, just barely pushing his body up once.

"N-now what?  Mira... how much more do we have in this workout...?"

[Aiden]

Mira

She visibly restrained a sigh. "Give me at least another ten of those."

[yinsukin]

Roman

A feeling of shame sunk into his heart as he felt her disappointment wash over him.  "I can do more.... well I can push my body to try to do more!"  The fact of the matter was that he still wasn't doing enough to reach his goals.  He wanted to be the best.  A no talent hack could never achive that without serious effort and endurance.  The question was, how do you get something like that?

"Mira... can I ask you something?" he asked, wobbling upwards after another pushup.

[Aiden]

Mira

She just nodded, waiting patiently despite how pitiful the display before her was. She didn't even make it more uncomfortable by making bored sounds or shaking her head again! But then Roman asked a question, and Mira took a moment to put some hair back behind her ear.

"Sure, whatcha got?"

[yinsukin]

Roman

"Was it worth it....?" he asked.  "Like when you got to be as fit as you are, did you turn around and realize all the hours spent working your body came at too high a cost?"  With that breath, he finally shot up to the top of the pushup.  Once he went back down, he started trying to speak again.  Did....AGH!"

The ground was oppressive.  He had never thought of the ground as an oppressive force.  It was something to push other people into.  It was the dirt.  To be shoved into the dirt was one of life's great humilations but.... but it was taunting him now.

"Do you still feel like going further?"

[Aiden]

Mira

Mira was quiet for a moment after Roman asked that question. Her face twisted into a frown of concentration, like he had asked something strange.

Still, after that fight from earlier...

A smile crossed her pretty face. "Yeah. It really is - and I'm still going now. I don't know where the future takes me, but I know there are people stronger than me out there still." She clenched one of her fists tight enough for the sound to echo, and her smile grew teeth. "I'm ain't gonna stop until I can look 'em in the eye."

[yinsukin]

Roman

Roman growled, pushing down and up, down and up twice.  When he grew strong, he would have to remember the power of a cute smile and encouraging words.  Truely there could be no greater power.

"Make me your student," he said, finishing his pushups and sitting down crossed legged.

[Aiden]

Mira

She blinked a few times, but then Mira shrugged in obvious ambivalence. "Tell you what - show me you can keep at this for a few weeks. Basic physical conditioning stuff. I'll check in and correct you if you're doing something stupid with it. If you can, I'll help you get the rest of the way."

Then she frowned. "But if I don't see you sticking with it, I'm not gonna waste my time. Got it?"

[yinsukin]

Roman

Roman nodded.  "I understand."

This time, he wasn't subtle about checking her out.  If cute girls were power, then he would unashamedly take in all of it.  That cute face, purple hair, feminine figure: it was all so beautiful.  One would think that the built muscles attached to that feminine figure would be intimidating, manly even but it was the opposite.  The juxtaposition of the strong features with the feminine ones only accentuated both, with the added edge of fear and jealousy.  As he stared at those abs and arms, he had only one thought.

I want to be that strong.

"And what happens if I do manage to stick with it huh?" he asked, that cocky grin returning.

[Aiden]

Mira

If Mira was bothered by Roman's roaming eyes, or his sudden display of covetous desire, she certainly didn't show it. Instead her frown turned into a rather wicked smirk. "Then we get to the real work out." She gave him a once over again, quickly. "How fast do you heal, again...?"

[yinsukin]

Roman

"Uhhhh.... as fast as any non superpowered human I guess?" he asked, a chill suddenly running down his spine.  He wondered if maybe she was about to do something to him he probably was not going to like.

[Aiden]

Mira

Her pretty eyes blinked a few times. "Huh. This is going to take a while, then."

She shrugged, and then pointed over her shoulder down the street. "Might as well get started again. Run around the block a couple times while I find something to write on."

[yinsukin]

Roman

"Goddamn it..." he grumbled starting a modestly paced jog past her.  Once he got away, he picked up the pace, moving at a relatively intense speed.  He had always heard running was about pacing yourself or something.  It didn't matter.  She said to run around a couple of times, which in his mind meant three.  If he didn't ask to clarify, she couldn't get mad at him for not knowing right?

Every minute of that run was filled with those same thoughts.  Could he do this.  Please stop running.  Your legs hurt, its hard.  But this time, he kept running, he ignored those thoughts.

It took about 15 minutes of constant running but he finally arrived back where she was sitting.  Coming to a full stop, it felt like his heart was trying to blast through his chest.  Every breath was a gasp, his underdeveloped chest going in and out.  "What are you doing?" he finally asked in between breaths.

[Aiden]

Mira

By the time Roman was done, Mira was standing there with a new black shirt, the tear revealing her abs to the world finally gone, and a pad of paper with a pen scribbling on it. She looked up as he stopped, took a look at his weak and sweaty body, and nodded. "Just writing up your workout routine. And diet."

She dotted an i and then tore the sheet off the pad before holding it out for him. "Follow this one. Don't skip any days."

[yinsukin]

Roman

Roman's heart sank as he approached.  The view of the abs were gone, a damn shame.  Instead of abs, all she had for him was responsibility.  Reaching out his hand, he grabbed the paper and attempted to take it from her.

"And if I follow this you'll train me for real?  I know this isn't the real deal."