She is not a morning person.
Lady Une had met her downstairs with a thermos of hot tea, a toasted bagel, and a banana. She had smiled when Mariemaia had mumbled something resembling good morning and stuffed the bagel in her mouth to eat in the car, and stuffed the banana in her swim bag for later.
"Have fun," Lady Une had called cheerfully as Mariemaia crawled into the back of the car.
Now, she's shivering in the locker room, studying her reflection critically in the mirror over the sink. Her shoulders are still narrow, lacking the power needed to really give her speed in the water. When she turns she can see the surgical scar just peeking out of the back of her swimsuit. She huffs, pulls on her swim cap, and makes her way into the pool area.
Heero and Trowa are on the far side of the pool, talking quietly. They look up as the locker room door swings shut and she makes her way over to them, feet automatically falling into a march. She sees the starting pistol resting on the chair Heero is standing next to.
"I'm here," she announces, unnecessarily.
"You should warm up," Trowa replies, he looks toward Heero. She follows his gaze, notices the stopwatch Heero is holding for the first time.
"Arm circles," Heero decides. "I presume you do that with your training."
"Yeah, and arm swings, lunges, burpees, leg lifts…" she shrugs.
Heero gives a curt nod. "Warm up your arms and legs first. Then, five sets of ten each of burpees, alternating leg lunges, leg lifts, and a 60-second plank to begin with. You can rest thirty seconds before starting over." She blinks at him. "You can lie on your towel if the floor is too cold."
"Wait, you're serious?" She looks at both of them, surprised. "I thought you were just teaching me to dive better."
Heero's eyes roll while Trowa shakes his head. "You need to build your muscles if you want to get the power behind the dive," Trowa explains. He glances at her right leg. "Particularly with that leg."
Her jaw clenches and Heero lifts the stopwatch. "Are we ready?"
"Yeah, fine," she snaps. She throws the towel on the floor and gets ready.
Forty-five minutes later she's lying on her towel, grateful for the cold radiating from the floor. Her legs ache and she can feel a thin sheen of sweat covering her body. "Still with us?" Heero asks, crouching next to her.
"Yes," she manages. She sees him look at Trowa but can't see the taller pilot's expression. "I'm fine."
Heero actually smiles at that. "Come on, pool time." He stands up and she groans, getting slowly to her feet. She jumps into the pool, sighing as the cold water covers her overheated skin. When she surfaces she sees that Heero has sat down at the end of the pool where the dive blocks are, bare legs dangling in the water. "Just swim your warm-up laps."
She falls into the familiar rhythm of pulling herself through the water, legs kicking against the resistance. When she tilts her head to take a breath she sees Trowa pacing her along the edge of the pool. She does ten laps before Trowa calls her over to the side. "That's enough laps," he says.
"Diving time?" she asks.
"Not today." Her mouth falls open and he looks amused. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Same time," Trowa states. Heero approaches them, pauses to grab the pistol and her towel from the seating area. He hands the towel to her when he arrives.
"Wait," Mariemaia complains. "I didn't agree to this."
"Do you want to quit?" Heero asks. He looks bored and she frowns.
"I'm not a quitter."
"Then we'll see you tomorrow morning," Heero replies.
. . ... . .
"How was practice?" Lady Une asks. Mariemaia looks up from where she's working on her algebra and shrugs.
"I survived," she deadpans. Lady Une laughs, ruffles Mariemaia's hair as she moves to the refrigerator. Mariemaia frowns at her guardian's back and runs her fingers through her hair, returning it to its normal state. "I'm going back tomorrow."
"Really?" Lady Une asks. Despite having her head in the fridge she manages to convey the incredulous tone. Mariemaia rolls her eyes, erases her answer and starts over. "Same time?"
"Same time," she agrees. She hears the fridge door close, can feel Lady Une's eyes on her, but she keeps her attention on the math book in front of her. "I already told Henri."
Lady Une is quiet for a moment before there's the click of the stove turning on; the rush of water filling a pot in the sink. "That's good," Lady Une states. "How about shrimp scampi for lunch?"
"Yeah, okay," Mariemaia replies. She erases, starts over again. "Sounds good."
. . ... . .
Heero runs her through the warm-ups and dryland exercises again. She's panting on the floor after thirty minutes and he shakes his head, looking at Trowa. "I don't know if she should work on diving."
"That's what I'm supposed to be working on," she complains. She forces herself into a sitting position, ignoring the way her abs protest the position.
Trowa looks at her curiously. "Do you think your legs can handle it?" he asks.
"Yes," she snaps.
He shrugs. "Okay, get on the dive block." She pushes herself to her feet and walks over to the diving block. Her right leg aches as she steps up onto the block. "Take your mark," Trowa instructs. She bends, ignoring the pull in her muscles, the throb in her abs.
Bang
She pushes off, but it's too slow and too sloppy. She enters the water, swims a couple lengths, and then surfaces. Heero and Trowa are watching her from the side of the pool, talking quietly to each other once again. "I can do better," she informs them.
"I'd hope so," Heero replies. He grunts as Trowa elbows him.
"Forget the pistol this time," Trowa states, voice calm. "Just try and enter the water cleanly."
She pulls herself out of the pool and takes her position on the starting block once more. She tenses as Trowa carefully adjusts her positioning, hands warm on her chilled skin. "Relax your shoulders," he says. She exhales, letting the tension go. "You need to recognize the good tension and the tension that will work against you." She gives a sharp nod and he steps away.
"On your mark," Heero states, sounding bored. "Go."
She pushes off, arms extended and stomach tight. Her right knee bends slightly as she enters the water, but it's better than her last attempt. Heero offers her a hand as she swims back over. "Don't be stubborn," he comments.
She rolls her eyes behind her goggles, grips his hand. It still amazes her how he's able to lift her like she's a little kid. "Better," Trowa comments. "Your right leg was bent."
"I know," she replies.
Heero steps back, eyeing her critically. "You need to build stamina," he states. "You've favored your right too much and now it needs to catch-up."
"Is that what you're trying to do?" she questions, pushing her goggles up. "I thought it was weird Gundam pilot training."
Heero flashes her a smile. It isn't pleasant and leaves her feeling colder than the air in the pool room. "That would require chaining you to the bottom of the pool," he tells her.
"Don't scare her," Trowa mutters. "Do you feel up for another dive?"
"Yeah, okay," she replies. She steps carefully around Heero, not wanting to show he'd thrown her, and remounts the diving block. She pushes off when Heero says go.