So, it’s a timely, um, time to revisit this one, since I myself have just joined a gym. It’s a little early to tell how that’s gonna go, but I’m planning to at least stubbornly go often enough so I get my money’s worth…
Copyright J.B. Norman
“I was thinking, Katherine,” Amara says. “that an exercise regimen is in order.”
She self-consciously grabs at her midsection.
“I do believe I over-indulged at Wintermorn.” She frowns. “I feel fat…”
“You are not fat, Amara,” Kat assures her friend, though the Elf seems unconvinced.
“Hence,” Amara continues, “here we are, the brand new gymnasium.”
She turns hopefully to Kat.
“I was hoping you could be my, as they say, gym buddy,” Amara offers. “I find the whole thing quite daunting. It’s all so intimidating, when one does has no idea what one is doing and is surrounded by experts.”
Kat sighs.
“Amara, exercise is just work that you don’t get paid for,” she protests.
She sighs again.
“But if this is that important to you,” she continues. “Yeah, I’ll be your gym buddy.”
“Splendid,” Amara says. “Perhaps you might show me how to do the… thing. With the, ah, lifting.”
“The trick is to lift it,” Kat mutters.
Amara and Kat enter the gymnasium and are greeted eagerly by an attendant.
“My friend and I would like to purchase memberships to your establishment,” Amara announces.
For someone who’s apparently shy about being seen as a novice, Amara sure does seem to be quick — and loud — to announce that fact, Kat notes absently.
The attendant happily claps his hands.
“Membership is three marks for the first three months, then five marks after that,” he explains. He reaches for some forms. “Sign here, here, and here. Initial here, here, and here. And here are — ”
He shoves a towel into Kat and Amara’s hands.
“— your complimentary towels. With that out of the way, let’s give you the grand tour,” he says. “If you’d please follow me.”
The entryway opens up into a big central space surrounded by colonnades with hallways branching off to the complex’s smaller buildings.
“As you can see,” the attendant says, leading Kat and Amara through the building. “Our gymnasium and our exercise and training methods are all based on ancient Elven Imperial practices, refined over the centuries to give your members the very finest exercise experience possible. It’s only been two thousand years — why change what works, am I right?”
He looks expectantly at Kat and Amara, who remain utterly unmoved.
“That was supposed to be funny,” the attendant mutters.
He clears his throat.
“Let’s move on, shall we? Lots to show you today.”
And with that, he continues the tour.
“We’ve got it all,” the attendant happily assures Kat and Amara, leading them past a series of arches and doorways. “Indoor exercise facility. Outdoor exercise facility. Full laundry service. Cold bath, hot bath, steam room. Illegal underground fight pit. Bookmaker for the illegal underground fight pit.”
Kat’s eyebrow raise in bemusement.
“The what?”
“Steam room?” the attendant offers. “I said steam room.”
He clears his throat again.
“See, I’ve had a cold for the last little bit, and my nose is all congested, so when I say steam room, it may sound like illegal underground fight pit…”
All my other short scenes are here. The next entry in my Spring daily writing exercise will be posted soon.
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