Show Me Your Moves [Brittany]

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

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Show Me Your Moves
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The gym was empty and that seemed to be a norm these days. Maria was alone and the quiet surrounded her. Diligent as she was, the Cadet continued her own exercises alone. Day by day and night by night, she found herself busy and many situations required effort both physical and non-physical. The solitary woman was decked out in light gym attire. As she was still doing push-ups while having her entire body in the air. Slowly, but surely her body was going up and down with each deliberate push and pull. Ankle weights were strapped to her legs and she felt the burn beginning to sear in her muscles. Just one at a time, up and down. Up and down. Up and down...

Maria believed herself to be alone, and that was fine. After being so busy nearly every day, it was just almost stifling to not have her moment of solitude and respite. But too much of it can get boring. Little did she know, someone was coming...

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

Day by day, Brittany made it a practice to arrive at the gym earlier than programmed to train alone. Usually the gym was so empty at early hours of morning she found in it the perfect opportunity to make up for the lack of regular attendance in the schedule rehearsals of her cheerleading squad. Acknowledging she hasn’t been the best in the team for a while by now had a weight in her formerly clean conscience. So, nothing better to redeem herself than to put an effort into training to compensate for her lack of discipline. With, of course, the help of a good big cup of coffee (you know, the source of energy for adults past certain age) and make up. Being a student and model by day and an outlaw at night has done nothing but to drain her physical disposition, concentration and, naturally, her face looked like she had been on drugs for the latest three weeks. Or so would Daisy say if she ever saw how deprived of sleep Brittany looked without a good primer on.

The good thing about being alone is the perfect opportunity to concentrate on training. The bad thing is… being the social butterfly she is, it doesn’t quite apply to Brittany herself. The more she spends time on her own, the more her mind wanders to thoughts she’d rather not think about. The isolation might be a plausible resource to handle the depression for those suffering from it, but not Brit; to her, being surrounded by people was therapeutic even. That’s probably why she opened the earnest smile upon spotting the body outlines of a figure known to her, no other than Maria. With the backpack on one of her shoulders, the other free arm promptly waved in the air but stopped shortly after upon a more careful inspection. Wow… She did know Maria had a good body but she didn’t know it was was THAT good. Really, you gotta have one hell of a physical constitution to be able to do push-ups in succession. Now, should she bother with disrupting Maria’s training session? She wasn't that inconvenient, or rather, she shouldn't be… and Maria looked so concentrated Brittany opted to simply watch until being noticed.

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

While she continued her exercise, Maria finally opted to switch from her palms to her mere fingers, her index fingers to be exact. It was getting a little difficult now. She could feel her digits scream in pain, but no pain no gain as Father Jorge once claimed. Maria continued the exercise, albeit slowly. Her fingers were starting to get red after a couple of repetitions. Just as she pushed herself up for the last time, Maria noticed someone was here. She paused, despite the aching pain, and saw a familiar figure.

"...oh! Hey, Brit!"

She flicked out the rest of her fingers to the floor before finally pushing and launching herself in the air to somersault and then landing smoothly to her feet. The Cadet grimaced, still feeling the sting of pain through her fingers. She began to shake her hands and digits to the side to help ease off the pain. Despite all of it, Maria gave a rather awkward smile at the cheerleader. Brittany's arrival was unexpected by all counts, but it was well-received.

"How long were you there? Did I make you wait too long?" she asked just as she grasped the hung towel over her nearby coffin leaning against the wall. Maria tried to keep it all nonchalant as she began to dab off the perspiration on her body. She initially wondered why Brittany was here, but the attire the cheerleader wore reminded her even she trained too for a school activity.

"Are... are you okay? You look kind of tired."

The look of concern was clear on Maria's face. Brittany looked like the usual Brit she knew. But this time, something felt a little off. The usual radiance the cheerleader emanated felt as if it was dimmed. Was there something wrong with Brittany? Did something happen at her work?

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

"Wooooow!", Brittany clapped after Maria landed. It was impressive, to say the least. Were nuns always that cool? In her mind, nope in the slightest. The image of a "nun" to Brit was either a frail lady with gentle eyes and infinite patience or the exact opposite, a devilish witch in disguise under an habit. Maria was neither, being close to just a regular girl with her own interests, including physical activities, and this was cool enough in its own merit to earn Brit's admiration. "Oh I just arrived! I came because, you know, I haven't been doing well with the cheerleader training, so I decided to wake up earlier and train for myself before the regular rehearsals... Gotta step up my game or else I'll be replaced!"

Despite the rather grim conclusion, Brittany faced it with good humor and class as always. She wouldn't mind being replaced if that meant she was underperforming compared to before, or even to other fellow cheerleaders. However, she'd rather have a chance to make up for past flaws and mistakes before being cast aside as a lesser member of the squad. That said, Brittany glanced back at Maria with a mix of confusion and surprise. "Uh? I'm fine! Why, is there something in my face?", she placed one hand over her cheek before going on. "Oh my gosh, I've put less make up than usual, right? I knew I should have used more base! I can't relax a bit or people will, like, think I'm not taking care of myself enough! But worry not, I drank a full cup of coffee this morning! Actually... two! I usually don't drink coffee, you know, it feels, like, too heavy on my stomach. Oh and it gives me gases! ...okay, that's, like, kinda oversharing, but you get it! But yeah, coffee is great! I feel so electric today!"

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

"T-thanks," Maria glanced back sheepishly at Brittany's praise. It wasn't anything special, just some of the normal stuff that can be easily done by a good chunk of the Church personnel on their best day. But then again, the standards there were different from most other places now that she remembered watching the athletic sororities in the Academy. So much of them were at best acolyte-tier, nothing worth mentioning. The fact that they needed to remain as fit as possible to deal with demons was a significant factor.

She found herself blinking at the cheerleader's explanation. It was a cause for worry, especially when it meant losing out on meaningful participation in the sport. But it did seem to explain why she seemed so off today. She continued to look on with concern as Brittany dismissed her worries. Electric or not, not everyone can put up a positive facade for long. "I... I see. Then, do you want me to help you train somehow? I'm here anyway, so I might as well make myself useful, ha ha..."

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

“Dawwwww, you’re worried about me! You’re such a sweet, Mary girl!”, Brittany said, placing both hands over her chest in a rather theatrical, playful manner. “Almost makes me feel bad of interrupting your training, you know. Yes, I said almost because, well, if you thought I’d be interrupting anything, you wouldn’t have offered in first place, ha! Besides, yeah, I might need some help. I mean, most I can do alone but one part is something I need a second person to help. Actually… uh, I kinda need three people, but can do with you. Like, you are strong enough, com’on, look at those arms. Even the guys in my team don’t have biceps like yours, for real!” Winking teasingly to Maria, Brittany gracefully walked off to another direction, adjusting the tiara on her head so no hair strands would fall in front of her vision while training. The same routine she tried the days before, even when she met Joseph at the very same gym: front handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, full twisting lay out. And again, her physical prowess turned the task into an easy one, until the last part that was naturally the most complicate. At least this time she would have help.

“So, here’s the drill: you’re gonna use your hands to lift me in the air so I can perform a full twisting lay out. I’m gonna use the palms of your hands as a platform to get a boost, jump in the air and do the acrobatics. Gotta watch for the timing, it has to be precise, when I get close to you, you prepare, okay? Ready when you are!”

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

All Maria could do at this point was chuckle and scratch her head sheepishly. She didn't exactly want to just agree with her and come off as tad arrogant here. But was she right? The Cadet didn't exactly hang around with the more physical-oriented sororities herself due to her duties to the Government and the Church. Hearing what Brittany had to say about her routine, it seemed actually simple. Nothing complicated and difficult on her end, especially when Brittany was very likely to be light in her hands.

Maria lightly began to hop on both feet and then relax her entire body before stopping to bend her knees with both feet square on the floor. She had a ready look on her face with her hands held up.

"I'm ready, let's do it."

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

“Alright, time to get serious. Here I come!”, Brittany shouted, shaking her head slightly to concentrate herself, stretching her arms behind her back a little bit...and then running in Maria's direction. Lifting both hands in the middle of the run, she took an momentum against the ground before starting, her body lowering height and doing the first part of the routine, the front handspring. Her movements in succession were not aggressive, but soft and swift, given the steam she took from distance and the naturally aerodynamic body frame of Brittany, advantages of being on the lean side of the physique spectrum. Finally, if everything went right, she'd be ready to just use Maria's hands as platforms to leap high in the air and perform pirouettes before a perfect landing. Nothing could go wrong now.

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

Maria braced herself the moment Brittany made clear her intention to start. It shouldn't be hard and she was ready. But it made her admire how graceful her friend was moving. Just as the cheerleader was getting closer and closer, the Cadet already had her hands folded together accordingly to her directions. A significant, but soft weight pushed down her palms. She was light as expected and Maria boosted her up as to be expected. What came next would impress her and perhaps become the cause for her marvel.

"...Wow."

It was like ballet, really. Ballet in the air. It brought back childhood memories where she unsuccessfully tried to simulate the same kind of movements from television. But Maria still had her eye on Brittany and was ready to move in to catch her should anything go wrong.

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

Being in the air... floating, or rather, dancing... They say it's the closest humans can get to their unattainable ancient dream of flying, and they're true. Brittany felt like flying, with the breeze from her movements fluttering her long, voluminous hair as she performed twirls with such mastery. Felt like being free like a bird. She wondered if that's how Bernie, her bird pet, felt when she flew high up in the skies of Endymion.

Being free... in Endymion... Would they ever be? Could they? Not while the Queen is around, and her District Heads. Like Invidia, from the previous night. Maybe he too wanted to be free, in his own, malevolent way. Maybe he was as innocent and had this... eerie, angelic and twisted figure inside of him. Maybe... But she would never know, now that he was dead, thanks to her group. Thanks to her. The man might be long gone, but the ever clear images from last night's assassination were still in her mind everytime she closed her eyes, be it while sleeping, be it while flying high before landing back to the gym's ground, landing back to the sour reality of her secret identity. In both cases, Brittany felt like she was doomed to fail despite the optimistic exterior. The moment her heels touched the ground again, she woke up from the memories, albeit too late to keep her balance; in a risky maneuver, she turned her thin body only a bit to prevent the fall from being more violent than it would, therefore dropping her weight over her shoulder and causing the girl to release a high pitched scream of pain.

“...argh...”

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

Maria was so sure that Brittany could do it. Her movements seemed so assured that it would have a perfect landing. After all, she was part of the entire cheerleader team, right? But man, she was really and awfully wrong about it entirely. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers when Brittany didn't land on her feet. Instead, her shoulder hit the ground first. "Brit!"

She hurriedly sprinted towards her fallen friend. The worry on Maria's face was palpable as she slid half way to get on her knees near Brittany and try to see what she could do to assist.

"Are you okay?! How's your shoulder? Do you need me to get some ice?"

Idiot! Maria cursed at her carelessness. She should've known Brittany wasn't tough as her. And now her friend was hurt...

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

The same result from time to time again: failure. She had been trying and training this move for a while and it always ended in a fall. With an displeased expression of pain with gritted teeth, Brittany managed to sit on the floor, the free hand holding the hurt shoulder.

“...aw gee, this is gonna leave bruise marks...”

Even trying to softly touch the affected area with her fingertips would cause a painful discomfort. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed past her own limits... Not after spending the night away chasing danger and after the lousy conclusion of her outlaw adventure. “It's okay. I'm okay. I'll get there eventually... Not sure if it's in time for our next presentation, but it's alright. Just need to, you know, keep trying and concentrate more. Like that song, work it harder, make it better, do it faster, make us stronger!” Clearly, Brittany's giggle indicated she was facing this with good humor and shrugging it off with her carefree attitude, but of course she was disappointed with another failure. Or maybe there was something else in her mind... “Gee, I don't even remember when it was the last time I got screwed this hard after a fall! You know, I took so many cups of coffee to try and improve and this happens!”

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

Despite Brittany's reassurances, it was difficult to believe it. It almost felt like she has this facade to wear on her face, reassuring others that she was okay, very much like Maria does. She looked hard at Brittany for a moment and then heaved a small sigh. Was there anything she could do at this point? Like Brittany, she wore a "mask" as well. It would be awfully hypocritical to try to tell her to take it off.

"We can try again, if you want. But not until you tell me what's going on with you.
Or otherwise, you're going to keep getting yourself hurt. And I don't want that. I don't think you do either."

Posts : 992 Join date : 2015-10-07

For a moment, Brittany didn't know what to say. Of course she could tell Maria was concerned about her well being after such an ugly fall, but still... It wasn't the kind of topic to cover with anyone. She couldn't simply confess to Maria she was worried about the city, about her true identity as a criminal and about the blood in her hands after the murder of one of the most important political figures in Endymion, the reason behind her obvious lack of proper sleep. With a sigh, Brittany glanced to her own knees before breaking the uncomfortable silence and starting to talk again.

“...Well, I guess I'm not concentrated enough. Turns out the people in my team have been complaining I'm acting more airheaded than before. They say I always have my head in the clouds but it's starting to affect the team or so. So... Daisy got me replaced by Mellany a couple days ago. She said it's not definite. Yet...”, Brittany shrugged, still not making visual contact with Maria. It was tough to admit that she was disposable. Still, she wasn't apparently sad nor frustrated. In fact, her tone was pretty much laughable about the whole issue. “It's not the first time I end up falling trying to do this move. It happened before, but it wasn't, you know, this heavy... I dunno, I thought if I kept pushing forward, eventually I'd be able to get there. As in, it's just a matter of practice, right? But it's, like, not working... Maybe it's just a bad phase, or maybe I'm not that good at cheering people up anymore, whatever. But... this is what I do. This is what I like to do, to make people happy even for a bit...”

"And I'm failing at it..."

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

For a moment there, she was a little speechless from what Brittany had to say. It could be interpreted that she was staying silent for her to finish her piece. Maria wouldn't really be surprised by Brittany's words. With always such a glowing demeanor shining all the time, it gave her some kind of doubt in their mind that the cheerleader was hiding something. But at the same time, there was a feeling of kindred there and a feeling of respect. Sure she joined the Cadets out of altruism and duty, but it wasn't just out of that. In that way, Brittany was already person than she was since she joined because she solely wanted to make others happy.

Maria held out her hand towards her friend to gently help her get onto her feet. What would Father Jorge say in this situation? He was a talkative old man, but he had good words to say when the time necessitated it. It was a moment when she truly began to be envious of his wisdom. She hesitated in speaking her next words, but finally brushed aside the doubt. "Well... You've made me happy. Bringing me with you to shop and saying that I'm actually pretty... You made me happy. Being your friend made me happy, Brit. So... don't be too hard on yourself."

"We all fall down from time to time. But even with that, it's important to keep believing in yourself.
I think that's what matters the most. Don't you think?"

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