Building Strength

Writers: Heather, Mirren
Date Posted: 18th December 2015

Characters: D'shiel, Barenziah
Description: Work out together.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 14 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Zathris

Barenziah

"No, keep the tip of the sword up," D'shiel instructed. "Maybe we need to work on some upper body strength." Realising he might well have overstepped, he gave a rueful smile. "I mean you…"

Barenziah arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips together, "Mmhmm. And what sort of exercises would you suggest for that, bronzerider?"

"Lifting weights," he replied easily. "Or push-ups. Although throwing firestone bags would do it too." And other things, which he declined to mention just yet.

"But then won't my arms get all masculine looking?" she asked with a wrinkle of her nose.

D'shiel blinked at her. "Yes," he replied, his expression deadpan. "You'll get big muscles first, then you'll grow hair on your chest and your voice will deepen."

For a moment Barenziah returned D'shiel's deadpan look before throwing her head back in laughter. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she wrapped an arm around her midsection. "D-D'shiel," she could barely talk for the bubbling laughter, "y-you're n-not suppose to talk to a lady about her _chest_!"

He couldn't resist. "Lady?" He looked around before ducking away, in case she decided to retaliate.

"You!" Barenziah exclaimed and took a swipe at D'shiel with the broad side of her sword. "Although, I guess I can't argue too much. I am no lady. Still, I don't want manly looking arms."

"Are you sure?" He looked down at his. "Doing some light upper body exercise won't give you manly arms, any more than sparring would. It'll just make you that bit stronger."

"Fine," Barenziah acquiesced, "I'll start out with some light weights, but no push-ups, those are torture." She remembered Rynthian trying to show her the "proper" way to do a push-up, and it had ended up with her lying face down on the ground giggling.

"They're fun in the right context," he muttered. "All right, let's put these away and get you started on the weights." He put his practice sword up and offered her two small hand weights.

Barenziah, always a willing student, put her sword away and took the hand weights that he offered. She adjusted her grip on them, holding them at waist-level. "Okay, now what?"

D'shiel picked up a heavier set. "Raise them up over your head." He demonstrated. "Slowly; the idea is to exercise your muscles by putting gradual pressure on them. Now lower them. Now back up."

She mirrored his movements, feeling silly the entire time. "So I should do this every day?"

"No, you should do this too." He raised his arms to either side, and the weights with them. "At least try it for a sevenday or two. You'd be surprised how a bit of extra work can make a difference."

"Hmmm, we'll see." Barenziah said as she copied this new movement. Her arms were already sore from sparring, and it didn't take long with the weights for her biceps to feel like jelly. "I think I am all worked out for the day." She set the weights aside.

"If that's not your thing, maybe you should try abseiling." He put his weights aside. "Unless you already have?"

Barenziah shook her head, her fiery braid trailing over her shoulder as she reached down for her skin of water. "No, I've not heard of abseiling?"

His eyebrows rose. "Really? It's basically just climbing down the faces of mountains. Or cliffs." He shrugged. "It's perfectly safe. Most of the time."

"Oohh, that sounds fun!" Barenziah loved a good adventure. She also liked that D'shiel suggested the activity since she had grown up in a world where a woman never would have done something such as abseiling.

"It is fun. Do you want to try some time?" He tried to sound casual but for some reason he really wanted her to say yes. Most women would have laughed the idea down by now, not wanting to break a nail or whatever, but she was different.

"I would love to try... as long as you promise not to let me fall." She tacked on the last bit with a smile.

He gave her a lopsided grin, the first in a long time. "I promise and so does Padraith. You'll be safe with us." Safer than a greenrider in thread fall.

The man's smile made her stomach do a little flop, it had been a while since that had happened, not since Zathris. "I'm available next Restday if you are."

"I am," he replied. "I'll meet you in the bowl at dawn. I'll be the guy with the goofy looking dragon." He chuckled at Padraith's mental pout.

"I'll be there," she promised.

Last updated on the December 21st 2015

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Building Strength