Title: Figures
Author: Marcel Bestebroer
Spoilers: Through Terra Firma.
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Not mine and I make no money with this.

Notes: This old fic was written in response to a Terra-Firma Workout Challenge, back in 2005. No beta's were harmed and nobody dies (couldn't find a way to do that).

"Hi, Aeryn."

Aeryn nodded. "Olivia."

"Listen, I'm on my way to the gym, and I was wondering if you wanted to tag along."

Aeryn furrowed her brow. "I didn't know you were in the military."

"Military?" Olivia was a bit confused at first, but then realized what Aeryn meant. "Oh, no. This is not combat training or anything. I go to the gym to keep my figure."

"Ah, I see." She pondered a bit and then shrugged. "I could probably do with some exercise, too. I'll get my workout clothes." She left the door open, went back inside and returned with her workout pants and shirt in a bag.

The trip to the gym was short, and less than a half-arn later Aeryn found herself in the exercise facility. There were quite a few devices in the large room, many of which seemed dangerous to her. She followed Olivia's lead and started a warm-up exercise similar to John's sister.

To Aeryn, the warm-up was quite a bit longer than she was used to, or actually needed. Once Olivia was ready, they walked to a device that had a flat, round surface and could pivot. Aeryn watched as Olivia demonstrated its use.

To Aeryn it didn't seem much more than another warm-up exercise, but she decided to try it anyway on an identical device next to Olivia's. Indeed, this required little effort, and Aeryn took the opportunity to have a better look at all the equipment. There were a few things she'd definitely wanted to try.

Just across from her, a male was holding rings, attached with cords to weights, in his hands. Pushing his hands to the front lifted the attached weights up. The male was clearly putting every bit of strength in it, while trying to appear as if it was hardly requiring him to put any effort in it.

Olivia tapped her arm. "Nice view, huh?"

Aeryn raised an eyebrow at Olivia and looked at the male. He had quite some muscles, but he wasn't really attractive. She turned back to Olivia. "I have to assume you're referring to the equipment."

Olivia smiled. "Well, I wouldn't mind getting acquainted with his equipment." The statement was followed by a wink.

Aeryn shook her head, wondering if all Earth females were so easily impressed with muscular looking males. The fact that he wanted to appear stronger than he actually was, was enough to put him all the way at the bottom off the list of men she'd like to frell. Actually, he wouldn't be on the list. No one was allowed on that list, except John.

Aeryn let her gaze travel the room once more, her eye falling on a male lying with his back on a bench, lifting a bar with weights up from his chest to as far as his arms could stretch. Another thing she'd like to try. And another male attempting to pretend it wasn't taking every bit of strength in his arms.

Aeryn looked around the room again and it finally registered with her that the strength requiring exercises were mostly done by men only. The women seemed only interested in the lighter things like the various alternative warm-up or stamina building exercises.

Aeryn stopped the second warm-up when Olivia ended hers. As she followed Olivia to the other end of the room she tapped Olivia on the shoulder and asked her, deliberately in the best English she could muster, "Olivia, why do the men here pretend their workout doesn't take much effort?" With satisfaction she saw out of the corner of the eye the man with the rings in his hands glare in her direction, nearly letting the weights drop back down.

Olivia must have noticed the response of the male as well, as she started to grin. "Mostly to impress us women."

Aeryn turned to the male. "Does it work?"

"Lady, I'm not trying to impress anyone. It just doesn't take me much effort to pull these weights."

Aeryn raised one eyebrow. "So, if you add one more, you'd have a bit more trouble, but you could still pull these weights?"

The male seemed taken aback by the question, and hesitated slightly. "Sure."

Aeryn smiled. "Right." She walked to the back of the device and quickly determined how to add another weight to the stack that would be lifted. She walked back to the male. "I've added one more. Show us."

The male looked back at the device, scratched his head and finally took his place. When he pushed, he lifted the weights barely two denches, before letting them drop again. He looked at Aeryn.

Aeryn nodded. "That's what I thought. The previous amount was all you could do."

"Well, I just lifted the weights quite a few times."

Aeryn shook her head. "Pathetic."

"You think you can do better?"

Aeryn took his place and placed her back to the machine as she had seen the male do. She grabbed the rings and pushed them ahead of her twice and stopped. "It needs some more weight."

After adding two weights, she tried again. "Much better. This is what I call exercising." She looked up in time to see the male turning and walking away. She turned to Olivia who was trying her best not to laugh to loudly. "Your brother didn't like it either when he found out I was stronger and faster than him."

Olivia nodded. "Figures."