ArchivedLogs:Working Out Together

Working Out Together
Dramatis Personae Eve and Paige
In Absentia	2017-05-26 "I'm ... not a goat. She ... knows that ... right?"
Location <NYC> - Planet Fitness - Lower East Side
It may be raining outside, but that does not mean one cannot go jogging or continue getting used to their hooves. Indeed, such a person shifts anxiously on said hooves as she waits for her friend inside a nondescript fitness center. Wearing workout shorts and a tanktop, Paige sticks out somewhat as a physical mutant even at this mutant-friendly gym. While she watches the exit from the locker room, she casts occasional glances towards the treadmills to ensure there are still open spots. Eve does take some time getting ready. She's a little bit shy about her body. Especially since traditional workout clothes aren't super-flattering to her figure. Sort of. Looser workout shorts, she too had opted for a looser tanktop as well, and a simple ponytail for her hair as well as a visor. A pair of running shoes, and she's out. Sure, the girl's lacking virtually entirely in curve, but she's got abs for days, calves like sculpted stone, strong arms, and barely any apparent body fat, courtesy of an abnormal metabolism. All in all, it has the effect of making her look a lot... larger, over all. Self-conscious or not, though, she slips out of the locker room with a shy sort of expression, and asks, "Thanks for waiting. Did you want to do stretches, or do you usually warm up with a walk instead?" A pause. "Thanks for hanging out with me. This summer could've been really boring." The arrival of her friend forces a smile onto Paige's face and she shrugs at the taller girl's remark. "No problem. Besides, I've never been here before." Eve herself is given a once-over, though the goat girl does not comment on her physique. "I don't, uh, usually stretch. I just ... walk." She casts her gaze down at her hooves. "It's only been six months. It happened slowly, so I never had to suddenly re-learn how to walk, you know? But it's still new. But I have no problem waiting while you stretch if that is what you do." The girl smiles warmly. If she fidgets a little at the examination, well, that's just Eve being Eve. She crouches once, as if to stretch those thighs, and then pops up. She nods to Paige and gestures over to the treadmills, moving in that general direction, "Just walk then. Walking makes for a decent warmup. You don't mind if I jog after a few minutes of walking, do you? Exercising with company is always better." A pause follows, and she offers, "I think my grandma is starting to get used to you by the way." Paige's ears flick upwards and she blinks, giving the impression that she is surprised, at Eve's comment as she follows the younger girl. "Really? You mean she's not scared of me anymore?" There's a broader grin on her face now - indeed, she seems pleased with this information. Shaking her head, she says, "I don't mind at all. It'd be better exercise for me to run, but I don't feel like I quite there yet." "Yeah. She likes that you eat well when given food, and she asked when you're going to come in so she can trim your hooves. I think maybe she finds the grooming more worrying than the horns? I don't even know, honestly. Who knows? Abuela is a little... uh... well, she's kind of old." She shrugs helplessly. Then Eve is climbing onto a treadmill. She puts on the safety clip and begins pushing the 'up' button on the speed. "You're here to accomplish whatever you want. Walk, jog, run, roll around. Doesn't matter. Movement is good for you. Your body likes it and you should totally do it. However you get it." Ears flicking at her friend's words, Paige looks down at her hooves as she splays her toes a bit. They -do- seem to be getting a little out of hand. Still, she frowns and adopts a concerned expression. "What's wrong with my grooming? It's hard, you know, having fur and horns and hooves. It's not easy. I never grew up with goats. I mean, I -think- they're essentially goat hooves, right? I don't know. That's what the doctor said." With this, she shrugs and lets out a brief sigh before climbing onto the treadmill next to Eve's and starting it up as well. Eve keeps walking as she offers a shrug to Paige, "I really don't know. I think she's mostly thinking about how she expects a well cared-for goat to look? I said she's more comfortable around you. I didn't say she wasn't kinda-racist." The young girl frowns. "That's the right -ism, isn't it? Racism? Anyway, for my own part, I think you look quite pretty. Forget what grandma thinks, okay?" The girl keeps her strides even and measured, eyes focusing on a distant point. Her voice is quiet, and for a while she just concentrates on walking. Followed by blurtiness after a full minute of not teenagering, "You wanna get dinner after this?" "I'm ... not a goat. She ... knows that ... right?" Paige replies, brows still furrowed as she begins walking herself. Though not visible to Eve, there's a passing smile at the compliment - perhaps Paige is in a better mood today. "I think racism is a fine a word. I mean, I think? Mutant-phobia? I don't know. Some non-physical mutants don't like people like me either. Still ... " There's a small pause before she continues. "I -could- really use the help with my, um, hooves. I don't want to hurt myself. Or do it wrong. But won't that be weird? I mean, like, grooming somebody's hooves. Like attached to a person, you know? That's just ... " With a shake of her head, the horned girl trails off. It's not long after, however, that Eve blurts a question out at her. "Dinner?" Ears twitch. "Sure, why not?" "I don't know what she knows, honestly. But... uh... Yeah. I'll grab a cab, you head home and put something on. Then head to my place after you're done. Abuela can do her thing real quickly, and then we can be all fancy and stuff. Do you like Italian?" Her face is a little flushed, but it looks... what is the emotion? Relieved? Relieved. And an odd shade of nervous still. "Anyway, I think it's only weird if you let it be weird. I get my toenails done, and that's not weird. And aren't hooves just, like, McLargeHuge toenails anyway?" More quiet as she turns her speed and inclination on the treadmill up slightly. "Kind of shitty that members of your own community can be butts about this stuff." Apparently taken a little aback, Paige turns to look at Eve. Her own face is tinged slightly red and betrays her nervousness, though it is harder to see beneath the short layer of fur. Ears twitching, she returns her gaze forwards. "Fancy? I don't ... I mean I could see what I have. I am sure Marinov has given me something for 'fancy'. They are always good with clothes. And I -always- like Italian. But, yeah, basically toenails. And it's not like I'm not shitty and wasn't shittier before. I wasn't ... " Her ears twitch again and her jaw works for a moment. "Wasn't expecting to be a mutant." “I didn’t know many mutants before I started hanging out at Evolve. Now I know several. Most of them are more chill than my other friends. The ones from school. I feel like if they had a party, I would have fun even if there was no booze.” A pause, and she stage-whispers conspiratorily to Paige, "My parents think I’m a good girl. No telling." Eve moves in quiet for a few seconds before she ventures, ”I mean… we can just… you know, go somewhere low key. I just… I think… Uh… this is how it’s supposed to go, and I dunno… I’m not really good at this. I have like, no experience. Um… Am I doing this stupidly?” Eve chews her lower lip as she turns up the speed a little bit. This is a brisk pace now,”I’ve been gathering noone EXPECTS to be a mutant. I tried not to be shitty. I dunno. I probably failed sometimes, but I don’t know if you can avoid that if you’re not involving yourself in the people in question’s lives.” Paige's finger pauses, hovering, over the button to increase her speed as she looks towards Eve. One brow furrows while the other raises. "Doing -what- stupidly?" It seems that the horned mutant is not following along all that well. "What aren't you good at?” She briefly peers over at her friend’s treadmill console. “I don't think you're doing anything stupidly. And, yeah," she continues as she presses the button to bring her pace close, but not quite, to that of the younger girl's and offers a shrug in the process. "I get that ... but I ... kind of manifested late, I guess. I mean, most people manifest around puberty, right? My mutation only started showing up last year." Eve looks sideways at Paige, then answers pretty bluntly,”Well… asking you out to dinner, of course. Duh… I mean… Oh godfuckmenevermindsorry.” Eve’s cheeks are bright red as she goes about jogging as the speed is now being increased to that point. Time to look straight ahead and concentrate on the wall ahead of her. Beep-beep-beep. There goes the speed. “I uh… Was… was it possible you were changing before then and just didn’t n-notice it?” Yep. Talk normal. Nothing weird going on here. The tall girl receives a concerned, confused look from Paige who then shakes her head at her words. "No, I ... think I would have noticed? They didn't see anything weird inside when I got an x-ray a few months ago. I don't -- " The young woman cuts herself off suddenly and blinks, ears giving a hard flick as something decides to click in her brain. "Asking ... me ... out to dinner?" She echoes, staring vacantly forwards. Her ears flick again. "You make it sound as if -- " Now the ears tilt upwards and she casts her gaze over to Eve. "Are you --" Once more, she stops mid-sentence and her eyes widen. "You -are-, -aren't- you?" And now Paige's face is red, quite visible even beneath the fur. "-Are- you?" Oh, hey look, her speed button is so very interesting. If Eve turns it up, maybe the treadmill will be too loud to hear anything over! Nope. She’s running now, and even with her heavy footfalls, she’s still perfectly audible in the not-too-crowded gym. Crap. She’s going to have to TALK to the other girl now about this very awkward thing. “I…” Good start, now finish the sentence girl! “... I’m a dumbass. Um. I was. And now I’m realizing that this was stupid, and I’m…” She doesn’t even look like there’s much effort going into the running, despite the increased speed. Barely even any effort to talk while doing,”... just… ignore me being stupid and pretend I was all cool about this? I don’t… I had a friend, and she sort of just told me I should, you know, just… go for it. Among other things. You’re not like most of the people I go to school with, and I feel… comfy around you. But… you know, I haven’t told my parents I may be… a little gay, I guess? So… there’s that.” The redness of her face not fading at all and perhaps darkening, the hooved mutant rapidly presses the 'decrease speed' button on her console - from her pace, it doesn't take long at all to stop. Paige simply stares at Eve, eyes studying her face as she remains silent for a minute. Her countenance then twitches and she blinks, still looking at the other girl. Ears angle back and upwards. "I, um ... " Brows furrowing, she averts her gaze to the side. "You're not a dumbass. I just .. I'm just ..." The young woman's right hand begins to fidget. "I mean I'm ... Can we just ..." She reaches up and rubs at the back of her neck and it seems one would have to be a mind-reader to figure out what all of her failed sentences were going to relate. She's still looking away when she finally addresses the topic, shifting anxiously on her hooves on the stopped treadmill. "I didn't -- I mean -- -Really-? -Me-? Yes? I would ... I think I would really like that." That said, Paige has apparently run out of words. “You know, they say girls find confidence a little sexy. I dunno. I find shy a little adorable. I dunno.” She’s repeating herself now. Still, Eve begins pressing down on the ‘decrease speed’ button repeatedly so she can stroll to a stop. Finally, she slicks her hair back behind her eyes, and shyly asks,”Okay.” A deep breath, and then she repeats again, ”Okay. Um… Cool.” Her face flushes, olive skin darkening a tone, ”Cool! Uh… I mean. Did you want to… I mean… Um…” Yeah, they’re both making sense. “Did you want to finish exercising, or do you need, like… time to mentally prepare yourself?” The girl has a very goofy smile on her face though, ”Why WOULDN’T I ask you to dinner? It’s just dinner? And, I mean… you’re pretty, and you’re kind, and it’s hard to feel really awkward around you.” But not impossible as they have now shown. “It… doesn’t bother you that my parents don’t know I like girls yet? I mean… I like boys, too. But. I’m… someone told me I’m doing myself a disservice by not letting my freak-flag fly, as I’ve heard it put.” Battle of the awkwards, COMMENCE. "Y-yeah, right. Just dinner." A red-faced Paige indicates her understanding of this with a nod. She glances down at the treadmill console for a moment before looking up again. "Yeah. Uh, I should ... I should ..." Her mind drawing a blank, she simply trails off. Taking a deep breath of her own, she nods again. "I --" So many questions are flying rapidly through her mind. "I'm -- Uh, yeah." She rubs the back of her neck again before a sheepish grin forms on her face. "This should be nice, right? You -really- think I'm pretty? And ... no. I don't mind about your parents not knowing. As long as you're fine with my parents not knowing where I am. And don't, uh, you know, have a problem with me being, uh ... older. But I'm, uh, just going to get a drink of water. I ... will be back." She gestures awkwardly towards a water fountain before nodding once more and stepping down from the treadmill.