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 Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:28 am
"My father's name was Guild, so my last name is Guildson. It's something to do with Sweden and Norway and Iceland...their ways to name...families from places or the same name from an ancestor. Some inherit their mother's first name, others their father's. My family always followed the father's first name to form their last name. Guildson just means 'Son of Guild.' Yours would be Josefson, if you were me. "
He smiled. Whatever else he was...Johnny was cute. He would always be a sunny ball of energy. No wonder he had trouble sneaking...how did you hide a sun? "Oh, I can and have to eat a lot. But I love a lot of kinds of food. Pastas, fish, sandwiches...anything with pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts...like fancy salads, since that helps the lettuce a lot. I don't like plain vegetables much. I love to try new things. Eating is a necessity...but.."
How to explain it? "Some people eat to live. I live to eat."
"Do you like cooking? You don't have to cook for me, but if you like it I am glad for it. I can pitch in too, since I eat a lot...it is unfair to expect other families to have to support me in their budget."
Food and diet were intimately connected to fitness, "...That would be a good place to start you, too. Starting today, you have to eat at least 2500-3000 calories a day. I will buy the whey mix, it is for mixing with shakes. You can mix it with soy, or milk, add fruit, whatever you like. But you have to try to drink at least one shake a day. Breakfast is best. One container should last you about three months. It will give your muscles what they need to be stronger."
He didn't know how much Johnny normally ate. Whatever it is, looking at him, it wasn't enough. For as much energy as he had, and as thin as he was, he probably had the metabolism of a rabbit on speed. Johnny would need more calories if he had any hope of gaining some muscles without tearing himself down.
He herded the smaller boy out and along again, right out the door. The Nutrition place wasn't too far of a walk from there, and it would be better to send him off with it in hand. A present and physical reminder to keep the day's memories and experience grounded. Björn was worried this might step on toes, but just a present of nutrition couldn't be too bad in a parent's eyes, could it? While the agreement was made with Johnny, the boy still couldn't be that old, which meant his parents really needed to be asked about this. Neither of them were really authority enough to be making these decisions in stone.
If they'd even trust Björn to be Johnny's friend.
"Do you have parents?" It was the best first question. Not everyone had both. "Would they mind me coming over to meet and talk to them someday soon? I could meet them, we could ask if it is okay for you to train with me. You need to see what days you are free, too. "
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:49 pm
The scrawny boy stood in rapt attention as Bjorn explained how naming works in his family. The whole thing really came together when he said that Johnny would be Josefson since his father's name was Joseph. He naturally concluded that his kid would be Johnson, which made sense. It was like a lightbulb went off in his head. Brilliant! And as soon as the big guy admitted that he lived to eat, Johnny thought that, in that very moment, his life was complete. The Circle of Life was blaring in his head and visions of Pride Rock and booming vocals and the whole shebang was happening all at once.
"You, good sir, are in luck!" he started, eyes shining like tiny suns. "I love to cook. I have a special apron and everything for it! I cook all the meals at home because dad is sick a lot and mom's always working so we can pay for doctors and stuff." The boy bit his lip while he created the addendum to that statement. "I would get a job but someone's gotta look after dad and the house! I bet dad would love to meet you! You're so cool!"
Johnny had no doubt his father would be reduced to a squealing fanboy in Bjorn's presence since Joseph was such a huge devotee of all things Strongman and manliness. And NASCAR. Once the blond started on calories and diets and things, Johnny derped out for a moment. "Does pie count as 3000 calories? I really like pie. I bake it a lot. Everybody likes pie!" He threw his arms up in the air with delight as emphasis. He didn't even realize he was being herded again until it was all said and done, but the bluenette didn't mind in the slightest. "You could always come over whenever you want! Mom's always saying I should bring home more friends anyway, and we have a car you could pull if you got bored!"
Ah, what were friends for?
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:50 pm
Björn laughed, "Pie has a lot of calories. I don't know how many, I have a little book I have to look at every time I want to add things together. But I'm sure you should eat plenty of pie. It is good you like to make it."
The NutriStop was like a store with split-personality disorder: half sterile looking, everything with hard lines and bold, primary colours, and the other half entirely in greens, tans, and eco-friendly, recycled paper textures with soft typefaces and smiling mascots. Björn led them to fitness and training side, stopping at the Fitness Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein 2lb. containers, "Would you prefer to mix vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or malt in with other stuff?"
"I don't like the strawberry so much, it tastes like fake food flavouring. The malt is good if you like milkshakes. "
"It is good to hear that I am welcome." He smiled, but he still wasn't sure. At least Johnny was enthusiastic. He wasn't sure the boy was an authority on anything....well...except maybe ninjas? Though he learned from video games. Maybe on video game ninjas. That would work.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:21 pm
"Whoaaaaaaa."
The real gravity of training went right over the boy's head when it was first mentioned. Johnny had montages of Rocky movies flashing before his eyes, but with Bjorn in place of Rocky. He imagined running up steps in sweatpants and a hairband, jumping up and down when he reached the top. He thought of eating raw eggs and punching meat with nothing but tape around your knuckles. That's what he imagined when he thought of training with Bjorn, and about fitness and wellness. Obviously Rocky had to know what he was doing. He was the Italian Stallion!
But whey protein and shakes and malts and all that? Completely new. Johnny didn't know what to make of any of it, so he stood there, blinking at the giant container of protein powder. Or whatever it was. He couldn't even fathom an answer to Bjorn's question. It didn't even look like food! How was he supposed to train eating nothing but powdered shakes and things? Bleh! Once the mighty blond came over to his house, Johnny would show him was real people food looked like! And tasted like! Just because pie had a lot of calories didn't make it bad. Pie was good for the soul!
"Uh... Bjorn? Um. How is this going to make me a better ninja?" came a meek question from the boy. Just the size of the container made Johnny look even smaller than he was. Having to choose a flavor may have short-circuited him. "Do I mix it in with real people food and it makes me big like you?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:12 pm
Choices were apparently bad. How to explain the use of nutrition powder? He certainly didn't know the science and biology of how everything in the powders worked with fitness and health. He could admit to himself that he himself had blanked out when his trainer had tried to explain it to him. They had settled for 'just do it, it works' which had been good enough for Björn since it was his trainer. His trainer knew everything.
From the dubious looks he was getting, and the sort of pitiful eyes, he didn't think 'just drink it' would really work for motivating Johnny. Whey powder....drink powder. Björn liked hot cocoa mix...and in winter would sometimes mix the two. Okay. That was a start. ChocoQuik? Ovalmalt? What about those Chrysanthemum Instant Breakfasts?
"You know drinking chocolate powders? Like..ChocoQuik? This is like that. You mix it like that and drink it. Use milk, milk is 'real food'. " He paused to let the process of how to make it sink in, before continuing on why it was a good thing. Fantasy stuff always had magic powders and potions, right?
"But this is a secret formula that gives you energy. It will give you more energy to train longer, run faster, be stronger. That is how it will help you be a better ninja. But you have to drink it once a day. Special Training Energy powder to make training potion."
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:26 pm
Things slowly began to sink in for Johnathan once the analogy of ChocoQuik came into play. Now that he recognized. Nodding vigorously, the boy held onto the protein powder mix with renewed fervor. "Right! Right! I think I got it! And once I have more energy to train, I can run longer and faster and maybe even keep up with you! And then I'll be a great ninja!" If he could jump around with that huge container of powder, he would have, but it was much too heavy. Instead, Johnny took to bouncing a little in place to show his excitement. The boy sincerely hoped Bjorn would train with him because the boy would no doubt get distracted or confused during the training regimen.
"Where do you train, Bjorn? Do you have somebody that helps you get big and all that? To train for the Strongest Man competitions? Are you even old enough to do that? Do they have age requirements? Do you have to pass a test? I know you could do it, no problem! Just bust right in there and show all of them who's boss!" Bjorn's tiny companion rattled on and on like the Nord's biggest fan, gushing about how there was no doubt in his mind about Bjorn's abilities. He was simply amazing and no one could tell him otherwise. Simple as that.
Things like paying for his training powder and whatnot would come later, once herded in the right direction and prompted. Johnny meant well, but got so caught up in other things like idolizing great Bjorn, the strongest man in the whole universe! "He-Man has nothing on you, no sirree. Not even Hercules! You could snap the guy in half!" he continued, a grin plastered on his face.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 12:37 pm
Success! And encouraging bouncing that meant not only did Johnny understand, but he was excited enough he might actually use the drink. Björn beamed and herded the little ninja to the counter, giving a wave to the clerk whom he'd started to get to know. He paid for the powder without question to Johnny, and started to herd him out the door again while trying to field as many questions as he could keep track of.
"Right now I do training around the city parks. I've started filling out papers for membership at CityGym, and I hope to work something out with the gym teacher. A personnel trainer is usually necessity, but since I am at a boarding school...I think must settle."
"To enter THE competition, you have to do well and score high in the qualifiers. I do not think I am old enough yet. I think I have to graduate high school first. But I can enter other competitions and get medals against other school students. Community competitions, like highland games at fairs, they usually have money prizes. I can enter those, since anyone can enter with parent's consent and no bad health."
"I dressed as Conan for Halloween a few years ago. He-man is a good idea to think about for this year. Once school starts, the holiday will not be long away. "
Once they were comfortably on the sidewalk and walking, Björn considered if the boy would be safe to leave alone and at large. He obviously was just so often enough, to be trailing bad guys. He still didn't like it. Johnny was like a well-meaning, darling village idiot. He didn't want the boy to come to actual harm, and was beyond starting to feel protective. A warhorse in a strange land with no knight trying to escort a simpleton back to the safety of his village. He tried to think positive, but it ended up being fatalistic: This can only end 'well'.
"Do you think you can find home from here, or where you planned to go after stopping bad guys? It is getting dark. Ah, here. I should give you my cell number. You can call me, and we can set up when I can meet your parents and when we can start training." He took out his planner, jotted down his name and number, and put it in Johnny's hoodie pocket since the boy's hands were occupied with the whey container.
Repetition was the key to memory, so he repeated again after mention of the number, " But you need to start drinking that tomorrow morning, even if we don't start training immediately. "
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 11:44 am
Johnny was happy, incredibly impressed and very overwhelmed all at the same time. He was trying to protest when Bjorn, his mentor and totally awesome guy, paid for the super duper powder himself and then ushered the boy outside. The bluenette somehow managed to not fall to pieces when he couldn't dig out his cellphone from his pockets. They whey container kind of took care of that. When finished, the boy stared in wide-eyed awe at Bjorn. Would he really one day be as totally amazingly awesome as him? Supder duper strongman of epicness?
Maybe, with a great deal of help.
"Yeah yeah! You're right - I should probably just go home. Besides, if I find the baddies again and I have this powder stuff... it'll just slow me down and then I wouldn't catch them at all. That would really suck." Blinking, the boy thought a moment about putting down the protein powder and then trailing the bad guys, but then his trail of thought derailed, crashed and burned in a horrible coal fire. Johnny's trains of thought were ancient locomotives like that, not the spiffy modern ones. "But anyway, thanks so much Mr. Bjorn! You're totally awesome and you'll make the best Conan He-barbarian of Castle Greyskull EVER."
Now that he was mixing his media, it was probably best to go home and rest for the evening. "I can get home, no worries! If anybody tries anything, well... I'll throw the drink stuff at 'em and hope it doesn't spill cuz I gotta use it in the morning. Right? Right!" With a decisive nod, Johnny toddled off in the direction of home, shooting various complements over his shoulder at the hulking older boy. "Tooootally awesome~ Bestest guy in the whole wide world! Strongest guy too! Eats baddies for breakfast...!"
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