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 Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 5:11 pm
Who: Phoenix and Nell
Where: Port City Athletics Club
When: Early morning, somewhere between the early early morning crowd and the pre-lunch crowd
Today was something of a rare treat for Nell. Her first appointment wasn't until the afternoon, which gave her the morning to do whatever she wanted. Since she generally didn't have mornings to herself, though, she was at a bit of a loss of what to do, and after taking her time getting reading and grabbing some breakfast from a nearby restaurant, she still found herself with a couple hours to spare.
So with a lack of anything else to do, she just headed to the gym early in the off-chance that it was slow enough she could hop on one of the machines for a bit. Luck was on her side for once, and she managed to grab one of the treadmills for a bit before her coworker managed to convince her to watch the desk for a bit while she grabbed some food.
Oh well, she still had an hour or so before she actually had to get work, and there were only a couple of people in the gym at the moment, nothing that she couldn't take care of.
Idly she kicked the edge of the desk, sending the chair she was sitting in (and herself) spinning in a slow circle.Not the most interesting of things to do, however, especially when she was still brimming with energy from her interrupted workout.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 8:11 pm
Phoenix Argyris was nothing if not a perfectionist. And when it came to his health there were absolutely no exceptions. Ambrosia, for example, was a reflection of sorts of his own diet -- fresh as can be and exceptionally healthy in every way possible. And exercise? He had kept up a strict regime for years, ensuring that was always in top condition. This was as much for the sake of showing off as it was for his own health, of course, but his motivations were irrelevant.
He had never been to Port City Athletics Club, however. Phoenix had been a member at an entirely different gym for the past year, but that membership had recently come to a close. Feeling it was time for a change, he'd looked up other locations in the area. Port City was his first stop. While generally he showed up at work before opening most days, Ambrosia still didn't open until late morning, making trips to the gym perfect at that hour. It certainly kept him going, too -- an added benefit on top of everything else.
When he arrived clad in workout gear (an astonishing change from anyone who knew him regularly -- the man was almost never seen wearing anything less than dress slacks and a button-up dress shirt), a bag with a towel, water and change of clothes thrown over his shoulder, he figured he had about an hour after potentially signing up for a membership before he had to bail. He had a wide, toothy smile spread across his dark features as he approached the desk and the spinning girl behind it. "Morning!" He chirped, dropping the bag at his feet and leaning forward to prop one elbow on the desk.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 6:52 pm
It wasn't the most dignified of first impressions, that was for sure. She noticed someone walking in just a second too late, and had to turn a bit back in the other direction so she wasn't looking over her shoulder at the newcomer. However, a smile that rivaled Phoenix's seemed to indicate that she wasn't too bothered by that.
"How's it going!" While she certainly didn't have the finer points of reception work down, she at least tried to make up for it with more enthusiasm than strictly necessary. "What can I help you with today?" Clearly he was here to work out, and from the looks of it didn't really need any help doing so. But while she was at the desk (here her eyes ticked over to the door to the staff room, which showed no signs of conveniently opening) she would do her best to at least seem like she knew what she was doing.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 7:08 pm
Oblivious to the fact that the woman's own workout had been interrupted, Phoenix glanced around the gym. "You free for a tour, maybe help me sign up?" Had he known she was only filling in, he would have insisted on waiting for someone else. A tour would take a bit, as would getting the paperwork together if he decided on sticking around.
Not that there was much question to it, really. As long as they had the right equipment and didn't charge an arm and a leg in membership fees (not that it mattered, on his salary) he was pretty much already sold. But he figured it best to check it out first anyways, rather than jump head first into a contract he'd have to pay off to escape if he didn't like the place.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 5:27 pm
"Sure am!" She heard the telltale click of the break room door opening as she grabbed a few sheets of paper from the desk and stuck them on a clipbaord. She gave the returning coworker a sunny grin as she stepped out from behind the desk and gestured for Phoenix to follow her. The receptionist gave her a vaguely confused look as she settled back into her chair, though she leaned over in her chair slightly as Phoenix walked by. Some people had all the luck.
"I'm Nell by the way! Was there anything you were looking for in particular?" She had turned so she was mostly facing Phoenix and walking mostly backwards as they moved past the entryway.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 7:06 pm
Sweeping his bag off the floor with one hand and swinging it over his shoulder, Phoenix took off after Nell, completely missing the exchange between the two women. He kept pace with her, grin ever present and even wider at watching Nell walk backwards through the gym.
"Phoenix!" He introduced himself enthusiastically. "It's a pleasure, Nell." He added genuinely. He honestly loved meeting new people. At Ambrosia he made a point to socialize with the guests as much as possible, and outside of that he was just as friendly, even if chances were he'd never see them again.
Phoenix shrugged at the question. "Just an all-inclusive workout, really. I had a membership that just ended at another gym. I don't have the time for classes or anything, but as long as you guys have a good variety of gear I'm easy!"
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 1:17 pm
Phoenix? Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix. An unusual name, and one that she was sure she had heard somewhere before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Well, it'd come to her eventually.
"Nice to meet you too!" It was always refreshing to find someone who was as cheery as she was in the morning rather than having to deal with the usual batch of grumpy half-asleep group."And I think we got you covered for that," she added, gesturing widely to the room behind her that was filled with various workout equipment.
"We open at five on the weekdays and seven on the weekends, and we're open until eight most days. There's pretty much always someone around to lend a hand in the off-chance you need help with something, um." She paused for a moment, trying to think of something else to add that would attract a seasoned gym-goer. "There's the usual lockers and showers, we have a lap pool as well if you're into swimming. The place got remodeled a couple of years ago so everything's still nice and new for the most part!" The nagging sense of familiarity of his name was still bugging her, though she did think that she remembered reading that name somewhere.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 10:19 pm
As Nell spoke, Phoenix listened intently. His gaze also traveled across the room while they walked, occasionally moving back to the woman to nod. When she mentioned how the gym had just been remodeled he let out a long whistle of approval.
"That all sounds excellent, I've gotta say." His eyes shifted back to all of the equipment, surveying it critically to make sure there was nothing missing.
Satisfied with the tour, he cocked his head at her. "Shaaall we talk membership fees?" Phoenix was eager now to get to his workout, and the gym itself had passed the test with flying colors. Now came the boring part, but at least he had someone equally as chipper as him to walk him through it, which would make it a lot less painful.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 11:30 am
"Glad to hear it!" she said with a bright smile. "Our fees are pretty much comparable with the other gyms in the area, so nothing too surprising, and since you said you didn't want anything fancy that'l help the price too." With that she held out the clipboard to him with the various terms and conditions laid out on them, with the membership fees and places that needed his signature helpfully highlighted.
And as she was handing over the clipboard, something in her brain clicked into place. "Oh! Oh!!" Somehow she managed to not drop the clipboard as she fumbled around with her free hand for her phone and began to scroll through a few things with a frown of concentration. After a long moment of silence, though, she held up her phone to Phoenix with a triumphant 'a-ha!' Displayed on the screen were a list of names and contact information, with Phoenix's right down there at the bottom.
"Knew I read that name somewhere! You're with the Lab, right?"
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 11:53 am
Still nodding, Phoenix had been about to grab the clipboard from Nell when she started so suddenly. At first his expression went to one of concern, while he slowly took the clipboard and watched her fumble about.
Before he could ask if everything was alright, she found what she was looking for. He squinted at the phone, then straightened up with a hearty laugh. ”I guess it's not a common name, is it?” He grinned, secretly glad that she had remembered his middle name and alias and not his first name, and didn't comment on it, either.
It took him a minute to realize that if she had his contact information, that meant she was also with the Lab. ”Yes!” His eyebrows raised in surprise. ”You are, too?” What a small world, that he would go to sign up at a new gym and of all the people that could have helped him, it would someone with whom he shared such an important thing in common. ”That's outrageous!” His smile was big enough that it threatened to stretch right off his face.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 12:50 pm
"Hah! What are the odds, right?" She wasn't going to bring up the fact that she had already met a couple of people from the lab through work as well, apparently it was a pretty small world where the lab was involved. Thankfully, though, her guess as to where she knew his name from was right, because that could have gotten pretty awkward pretty quickly.
"Yeah, I sent everything back to them, uh, let's see, eight-ish? Months ago, so I'm hoping to hear back from them soon." She rocked back and forth on her feet, anticipation and a bit of nervousness clear on her face. "What about you?"
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:33 pm
He hid it well, but a small wave of disappointment rushed over Phoenix. Eight months? The five since Zeke and Anya had first come to visit him at work had been torture enough on Zoe. He wondered if this was usual, deciding he would keep this tiny bit of information to himself. He didn't want Zoe to anticipate a long wait when she was already so down about things.
”Congratulations!” He gushed with genuine happiness for Nell, giving her a reassuring smile, seeing the look on her face. For her it was just playing the waiting game now. He hoped it wouldn't be much longer for her.
”You're a step ahead of me. I haven't even got a Soul yet.” Zoe wasn't taking that fact lightly, either. He'd never seen her so openly upset about something. ”But all things come in time.” He said this as much for Nell’s benefit as he did to lessen his own guilt.
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 5:20 pm
Truthfully it hadn't seemed that long to her, the last few months seemed to have flown by without her noticing in the slightest. But if nothing else she just kept on reminding herself that it was about the same waiting period as an actual child and that getting too anxious wouldn't speed things along at all.
"Thanks! Though I hope they don't take too much longer, I'm already starting to second-guess everything that I've gotten ready so far..." It was precious little in her mind, a basic set of furniture, bare walls, pretty much only a space they could call their own. But again, worrying wasn't going to help anything, so she firmly pushed those thoughts to the side.
"And I wouldn't worry too much! From the people I've talked to, most people didn't set out with a certain soul in mind and one just kinda happens to them." Hers included.
"What essence did you get? If you don't mind me asking!"
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 12:15 pm
Phoenix laughed. "Hey, don't stress it too much. I've got a kid. When it's crunch time you start to do that with everything, but once it's all said and done you'll just be glad you had everything ready to begin with." He smiled warmly. During the months leading up to Zoe's birth, Phoenix had been a wreck trying to make sure everything was in order. He'd easily stressed out more than her mother had, that was for sure, and for more reasons than one. But that all seemed to melt away when it was over, and the months of fretting over having all the right things felt like nothing. "I'm sure you've got everything just right," he added kindly.
At her question his grin grew again. "Perpetual Sandstorm." God, how many times had they sat there just watching the beautiful shapes it made? "It's always moving, always making things. It's sweet." He tucked the clipboard under his shoulder, having completely forgotten his business there for the time being. "You?"
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 4:20 pm
"Well thanks for your vote of confidence," she said with a laugh. "I think it's the thought that they're already going to have preferences and be effectively mostly grown is tripping me up, really. I don't want to leave their room empty but I don't want to put stuff into it they wouldn't like, y'know?" Considering that he apparently had a child, then he probably did in some way.
However, that was momentarily forgotten when he described his Essence. "Ooh, that sounds awesome! Mine wasn't quite as, um, sweet? They called it a cursed hag stone, it's um. A stone that has a hole in it? It's supposed to show you what's actually there but it..." she trailed off a bit as she wrinkled her nose, searching for a way to accurately describe it.
"Didn't. Very much didn't."
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