Showing the ropes (and something more) - For Galactic Thing

[Galahad]

One of the perks of being a morning person was that most people weren’t. That meant for example that the LAW gym, which was perfectly equipped for a wrestler’s training needs, was mostly empty in the mornings, moreso a Saturday morning to say no less! The majority of LAW’s roster, who were the only ones having access to the premises, would surely be resting up after Friday Night show or just catching some z’s at home after some other kind of Friday Night show. That wasn’t Anne Misaki Erhardt though. The Blazing Phoenix was one who passionately had defended being a morning person, getting up early, even with the sun, to make the most of her waking time. Early on her feet and early to bed, that was Anne and this time it was more than convenient because now she had most of the gym just for her.

First of all Anne would get to the locker room, where she would hit the showers to get some cool water running in order to get rid of the last remainings of Mr.Sandman (no innuendo intended). Then, feeling way more refreshed and awake, Anne would slip in her workout black bra and yoga pants, trainers on and ready to break a sweat. Joining the main gym area she knew for a fact that she had almost any machine avaliable. She would start by getting some high intensity cardio done, and for that her exercise of choice was rope skipping. For some time she had been following some instagrammers that made crazy things with a rope and even if Anne couldn’t do much more than regular skipping she found it quite entertaining and a great workout. After 20 minutes or so her cardio session was done. It was time for some dumbell reps, but before she would have some fresh water.

Anne walked towards the fountain and filled her bottle, resting for a little while taking small gulps each time so she wouldn’t overhydrate. She then had a look on the mirror close to her and wow, not to be vain but she was happy with how she was starting to build some muscle but maintaining her feminine features. Since joining LAW things had been just as she wanted them to be, no one meddling in her affairs and of course no family trying to get her to start churning out babies. She felt at home, at peace, and that feeling was worth all that it costed her. Maybe some deep thoughts in the middle of a training session, but no one was going to take Anne’s next machine. The perks of being a morning person, huh.

[Galactic Thing]

Despite her oh so proud title, Salem had prided herself on her solid morning routine, even if that did occasionally falter to some habits she would like to get rid of. Given Salem hadn't had a match yet, nor was scheduled for one from what she saw, she thought it perfect to get yet another workout in! LAW's gym was the best she had ever encountered, like a giant maze of steel, iron and padding. So, the now rising Salem was more than willing to drive over there from her tiny apartment and get some work in. Packing her bag full of her wrestling and workout gear, plus a meal and some other essentials just in case, she headed off.

Getting there, it became abundantly clear that this place was still a labyrinth to poor Salem, as she'd spend roughly 15 minutes from the front door trying to find this gym...that she'd already been to thrice now. It was rather embarrassing, but the only ones who would notice were those on the cameras. At least that's what she told herself.

Finally stepping inside, Salem dropped her bag off and adjusted her white sports bra and shorts, and changed into her more relaxing running shoes. Pressing into the ground, she silently reminded herself to get a new pair as this one was far past their life cycle. But that would be for later, Salem had a whole workout to get to! With it being a quieter day like a Saturday, she figured not many people would be there, not that it was a factor in her decision making. She'd get a workout in, regardless of what machines were open. Thankfully though, everything was open! Considering her rather arduous adventure to finding the gym her cardio for the session, she immediately jumped onto one. Getting some weight on it, she started to work her pecs and delts by gripping the handles and pressing her arms together, following the sweeping motion the machine guided her through. She'd done this exercise upwards of a few hundred times before, and her body showed with how her muscles bulged.

Maybe if I keep it up I can actually do some lifting, Salem thought, remembering her last...incident trying to do a bench press. Her arms spread a final time as she finished her set, both it and her thoughts ending. She kept doing this to herself: psyching herself out of trying new things, and at LAW?! There was no room for excuses like that, and so the Shooting Star took a few minutes to relax and get herself back into the grove, drinking some water whilst she was at it!

[Galahad]

Anne breathed deep just when she was done with her break. It was time for the redhead to get some reps done, so she returned to the workout area and started getting some dumbells in order to work on some of her weight lifting. Since she joined LAW she had seen her physical condition not only improving a little but her muscle growing enough for her to feel stronger and more physically capable without losing her feminine appeal. Not that she had something against it, but she didn’t find that attractive the excess amount of muscular bulk in neither men nor women.

As she was exercising Anne spotted something, or someone, on the edge of her sights. It wouldn’t be that much of news but that was a slow morning and that actually the first person to enter the gym besides her, so that unavoidably caught her interest. This stranger had something to herself too, the way she looked around being one that hinted that this person was a little lost inside the facilities and trying to find her place inside the gym like a true newcomer. Anne was curious about this one but she was in the middle of her workout and also it looked like this unknown woman just found her place as she started excercising. Anne took some mental notes to make an approach and maybe offer her help if possible. After all, easing a new person in was something she would have appreciated when she was the new one joining LAW.

It looked like Anne’s oportunity would come not so later when she was done with her exercises and the stranger was close to the fountain having a break. Seeing this as her chance, Anne would casually walk towards her and try to break the ice. “Hey there! Talk about a slow morning, right? We have all this for ourselves. Hey I don’t wanna look like I was sticking my nose but I couldn’t help but think you were a little lost before. You new to LAW?” Anne talked with a casual tone, inviting the stranger to feel welcome to not only reply but engage in some conversation with her.

[Galactic Thing]

Man I needed this, the Shooting Star thought, the cool rush of her temperature regulating water bottle giving her much needed refreshment. How many days do i have before my debut? I can only just work out for so long before I go craz-

Salem was mid drink when this illustrious figure approached her, and just hurriedly swallowed the bit of water she managed to acquire. Whoever this was, they were gorgeous, and had a look that told you she had experience. Eventually she found herself able to speak, "Uhm, yeah I figured more people would be here, but I guess they're mostly relaxing." She laughed, realizing mid sentence it's hard to constantly work out when you also actively wrestle in matches.

Adjusting herself and wiping her mouth, she continued, "I'm painfully new unfortunately, still waiting for a match so I've just been coming here! You seem like you're not new here." She smiles, laughs and then stretches her back for a moment, trying to fix a little bit of soreness she failed to get earlier before starting her work out.

Realizing after though, she quickly gets out, "Oh my god sorry!" Salem extends her hand, arm straight, "My name is Salem! What's yours?"

[Galahad]

It was undeniable that some of the social rules were more lax whenever inside any of LAW’s facilities given the “sexually carefree” approach the federation had with her wrestlers, but Anne did her best to prevent herself from checking Salem out as she was a gorgeous young lady. She looked a little shy, who wouldn’t be when joining a new workplace, but also resolved enough to engage in conversation with Anne and to admit that she was new and that she wasn’t that used to the premises. “Oh, where are my manners?”, said Anne when Salem introduced herself, accepting the woman’s handshake. “I’m Anne Misaki. You can call me either of those. Whichever you like the most.” Anne giggled contently. She had never been very close to her Japanese roots and her middle name was just a reminder of her mother’s heritage, but since arriving to Japan she had made progress in adopting that part of her ancestry, even getting to learn Japanese at a record speed.

Getting back to reality, Anne would acknowledge Salem’s words. “Oh yeah, that wait for the first match is terrible. I couldn’t stay still when I was there.” She looked around at the empty gym. “Hey, if you’re new how about I show you the facilities? I mean, it’s not likely for us to lose our turn at the weights...”, she chuckled a little at her own joke.

[Galactic Thing]

"Anne, what a lovely name!" Salem's smile overtook the other emotions plaguing her usually infectious personality. It felt good to have someone here to get to know, and when she offered help in showing her around it was like a golden opportunity! She froze up for a moment like a deer in headlights, but not for too long. Snaking past Anne, she went wordlessly for her bag just at the machine a dozen feet away, stuffing her bottle inside. Rising back to her feet, Salem slung the bag over her shoulder and looked back at the lovely woman. "I can't say no to an offer like that! If you would please Miss Misaki, I'd be honored."

Giving Anne a curtsey with a giggle, Salem reveled in the rather silly gesture. It was like shedding the ice on the moment, allowing her to feel far more free to act more normal...at least for her. Leading the way, she went for the door to the gym, before realizing her mistake. Standing at the entrance, she waited for Anne, eager to start this tour.

Meanwhile her mind raced, imagining the many places in this rather larger building at least in comparison to many locations in Japan. Possible game rooms, lounge areas, accommodations for housing, offices, so much! It made her giddy, and Salem was struggling to stay in one place as she was lost in thought.

[Galahad]

Anne couldn’t help but smile when she noticed how Salem was slowly coming out of her coccoon. Getting to talk to a newcomer the way the redhead had done was a pretty direct approach, and the last thing she wanted was to make Salem appalled but it looked like the woman took it a little bit timidly but now she was opening to Anne’s request. This was a relief since the only thing Anne wanted was to make Salem feel welcomed to the league and ease the most complicated things like the feeling of unease or loneliness of someone new somewhere. Seeing Salem giving confident strides towards the entrance despite Anne being the one knowing the place made the redhead giggle. “Okay, so brace for the whole tour!”, she said following the newcomer and then taking the lead.

Both women walked for some time until Anne lead Salem towards the main entrance. Standing in the lobby, she started showing Salem around: “The main entrance. First thing you notice here is the information counter, mostly empty unless you come here during working hours on weekdays so that’s why no one could guide you on a Saturday morning. From here to the right you can access a small lounge area to your right as you can see from here. It isn’t much of a thing, just a small area with couches and some vending machines, not big or extremely interesting but useful if you have to kill some time until it’s time for your train home or you are waiting for someone. Now, if you would follow me to the right we’ll start going to the interesting places...”

Chuckling at her cheap tourist guide impression, Anne guided Salem through the left area where another folly displayed in front of them. “Okay, things start getting interesting here. The proper gym is divided in four parts.”, started Anne by pointing at every direction one could take. “First of all, if you go left from here you will return to the exercising room we met in. There you have all the machines and weights as you surely noticed when you were there. If you go through this door here...”, said Anne while swiftly guiding Salem through the hallway, “...you will get to the locker rooms and showers, pretty self explanatory but also quite well-equipped.” The locker rooms displayed in front of them, small portions of wall separating the lockers from the showers area, the place spotless and pleasant to the eye despite the fact it was just a simple locker room. “Showers are nice and spacious. Just don’t get so surprised if you ever hear some… you know, ‘action’ coming from one of them. Just be sure to lock your cabin to avoid any misunderstandings.”, Anne chuckled making light of the steamier things that could happen there, only possible thanks to LAW’s carefree and lax environment.

[Galactic Thing]

Following Anne, Salem took in the sights that she had only glossed over in her restless search for the room she just left. Heading out into the hallway with her, she immediately glued her eyes to the lounge the second Anne pointed it out. In particular, she was eyeing that vending machine, trying to resist the urge to snack away and absolutely decimate her nutrition today. Before the urge could take over though, Anne would pull her away with her away to the more exciting locations. "On it, sorry!" she jogged to catch up, before settling back into her stride. This place wasn't massive she was realizing, but rather mostly just new and complex for her head after being in the same arena for so long.

Each point of Anne's hands would direct Salem's attention like a conductor to an orchestra. And every step would have her following like she was tied to her hip. Occasionally Salem would get distracted by decorations; photographs of iconic LAW moments with people she didnt know as well as just artwork displayed to light up the otherwise dull space. In those cases, she momentarily would lose focus but then catch up when she was reminded of Anne via another comment in her tour.

'Focus girl! You can't afford to mess this up,' Salem reminded herself after seeing a particularly alluribg outsids of the cityscape through a window, and light smavked either side of her face with her palms. She wanted to make sure she paid as much attention as possible, unsure if she would get the chance to learn like this again. Looking at the weight room like she wasn't there less than five minutes ago, her head would snap in another direction, towards the locker room and the showers. Hearing the last comment, she slowly turned to Anne, bright red in the face and wide eyed. She figured things could get hot and steamy but didn't expect such an open dialogue about it!

"Oh!" she finally said, "I'll...be sure to lock them then."

It wasn't as if the idea of intimate activity was unappealing to the Shooting Star, just not now. She wasn't ready physically, nor mentally with how new she was to this place. For now, she just eyed the lockers, opening a visually unused one to check how it was setup.

[Galahad]

As Anne guided Salem through the gym’s facilities, which consisted mostly of pretty diaphanous spaces, practican in their decorations but welcoming in their simplicity and quite well equipped, the redhead felt really nice by the sheer attention Salem was paying her, following each of her moves and signals. At the same time, however, sometimes Anne felt how Salem got distracted in the details, looking at pictures of champions and looking at everywhere with a look of fascination in her eyes. Anne couldn’t help but find that quite endearing, the newcomer looking really happy to have reached a place like LAW. It was somehow inspiring, seeing someone so excited at their mere presence there.

The conversation took a turn when Anne mentioned how Salem should always use locks to avoid any kind of misunderstanding. Salem at first didn’t follow but when she did she looked at her with wide eyes and a heavy blush on her face. “That’s LAW for you, but I’m sure you knew that when you arrived here...” At that moment Anne noticed how her words could be interpreted as some serious or dire warning and she quickly raised her hands towards her in an attempt to defuse the situation and any unease Salem could be feeling. “Of course this doesn’t mean people is disrespectful in here! Consent is always king here. What I’m trying to say is that you should expect to find anything here, so if something you hear makes you uncomfortable just find another place to relax. Luckily the place is big enough...”

Continuing the tour, Anne took Salem to the swimming pool area. The pool itself was pretty big and had enough lanes for people to freely swim without bothering each other. “Pool area here. The main attraction is quite obvious, pretty good place to exercise, but most people spend time there...”, she said pointing at different numbered doors on the side of the room. “...See those? Private cabins with another small pool, for sparring matches involving water you know. On the other side of the room they are similar doors but this time they are sauna rooms. Yes, we have saunas here you can use either to relax or practice for matches. Again, the rule of lock applies: if you want privacy, lock yourself up. If you see a locked door whoever’s there wants privacy. Unlocked doors are invitations to join to whatever is going on inside, so be ready for anything. Any questions so far? We’re almost done with the tour, just another main area before we’re over.”

[Galactic Thing]

The further explanation seemed to calm down the pink haired and crimson cheeked newcomer, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The more intimate aspects of a more active wrestling scene were something she always shied away from, and here would be no different. When it came to showering, she'd likely triple check to make sure the lock was working, in order to avoid any uncomfortable situations. Plus, as Anne had mentioned, it was by far not the only place to go.

Then, they continued, Anne still guiding the quite eager Salem through the mystical halls of LAW...well to Salem they were mystical. A huge sight for her was the pool, bigger than anything she possibly imagined. It was something she really hoped was here and was suitable enough for a lot of people, and Salem considered herself more than satisfied with these findings! She tried to count just how many people could swim in here without even interacting with another person, but she lost count quickly. "I've always wanted to get more into swimming! Y'know, whole body exercise and all that. But this is...wow!" She couldn't put the words together, especially when Anne turned to point out the saunas! Salem had never heard of any sort of practice in the saunas, but she figured some found the high heat and smaller space a good place to get really into it. Again, maybe not for her, but the service would amazing.

"Nope, no questions!" the eager woman shook her head at her guide before correcting herself, "Well, at least for now, I'll think of something when we finish definitely!" The thought of asking questions wasn't able to fit her head at the moment; it couldn't squeeze between her looking forward to swimming and thinking about what the last place they were going was.

It was a shame the tour was almost over, but she was still incredibly grateful. Anne didn't need to do this, but she did so anyways likely with some level of sympathy. "Thank you again for this by the way, I know you must be busy when even on your weekend you head to the org's gym!" Salem gave her best smile, trying to really show her appreciation visually and verbally.