Weiss was having some serious second thoughts right about now.
It wasn't even her idea in the first place, but she found herself standing outside of a black and gold building with the words "Gold's Gym" boldly sprawled down the façade. It was in a different part of town, the bus to get there was odd and unfamiliar, and she wasn't even sure if Ruby gave her the right address. All these signs were screaming at her to turn around and head home.
So why am I still here?!
Indeed, Weiss came all the way out to this place after Ruby kept nagging her to do so. Her roommate had good intentions – something along the lines of "exercise will turn that frown upside-down!" – and they were warranted, but Weiss felt uneasy about it all. It's one thing to talk about working to change yourself, but it was an entirely different issue when she, well, actually tried something.
Some of the passerby on the sidewalk were starting to give the petite girl strange looks. They were almost silently urging her to make a decision: go or stay, just get out of the way! They probably weren't really thinking of anything in particular, but that's how Weiss was feeling at the moment.
She turned to look back at the bus stop just down the block from the entrance and could spot the arrival time of the next bus: B Line – Beacon University: 4 minutes. That wouldn't be too much longer of a wait for her. Four minutes and Weiss could return to her dorm, give Ruby some excuse about how the gym was closed but how she really tried, and that's what counts, right?
Still, something within Weiss knew that she needed this, no matter how new and different it all might be. It was her final year of university, and yet Weiss was still working herself to the bone. The nights got longer and longer, her physical condition got worse and worse, and it was all reaching the point that if she kept pushing herself academically, Weiss would actually start performing worse in school.
No, Ruby was right, something had to change, but… this? Weiss was well aware of the benefits of working out, both for the mind and body – heck, she even wrote a paper about it once – but standing in front of those glass doors in the middle of the sidewalk, she felt as if this was just a place she didn't belong. Weiss could take a peek inside and see the strong, muscular forms of the people within and she knew that she wasn't one of them.
I will never be like any of them.
Weiss shook away the thought furiously. Oh, no you don't! she scolded herself. You are Weiss-damn-Schnee, and I'll be damned if I gave up right here and now. I haven't even started! Who knows, maybe I'm actually cut out for this whole exercise thing? A fire lit in her eyes and filled her with burning determination. At last, she moved her spot on the sidewalk and strode confidently toward the doors.
Alright, Gold's Gym, you better be prepared for the strength of a Schnee!
Weiss very quickly learned that the strength of a Schnee did not amount to much.
Quite frankly, not even the brain of a Schnee could help her. From the moment Weiss entered the gym, it was painfully clear that she had no idea what she was in for. Still, it was too late to back out – she already set foot inside of the place as a proclamation of her resolve, and she'd be damned if she didn't approach this new world with the determination of a Schnee. Weiss passed the front desk, ignoring the receptionist there, and headed straight into the belly of the beast.
Though it didn't look it from the outside, the gym was deceptively vast, filled with all sorts of equipment from the simplest weight rack to some of the more intricate-looking machinery – Weiss would be avoiding the latter for now. Everything starts simple, she thought as she stared at the long line of dumbbells and picked up the first pair she saw. She did not, however, notice the bold label saying "35" on it and almost dropped the weights on her foot.
"Eeeeep!" Weiss yelped, attracting the attention of some of the others around. They gave her a curious look before returning to whatever exercise they were doing. Great, I've already brought attention to myself, she groaned. She was already well aware of how out of place she was at Gold's, so Weiss was in no mood to have judging eyes watch her. The petite girl decided that in order to not embarrass herself further, she ought to seek something that wouldn't break her bones if something went wrong.
After scanning the room for equipment she could try without looking like a complete fool, Weiss found something that looked like it would work out her legs – a "leg press", as so labelled. Weiss might not be the strongest, but she did learn in her anatomy course that the legs are some of the most powerful muscles in the body, so this machine should prove to be more fruitful. She seated herself in the proper position, as shown in the diagram by the leg press, and pushed forward as the instructions directed.
To her surprise, Weiss actually managed to push the platform forward without too much trouble. A confident smile crossed her face. See, this isn't so bad – I've got some muscle in me after all! However, after six or seven repetitions, her legs began to weaken and wobble. Try as she might, Weiss could no longer hold her legs out and, in one sudden action, relaxed her legs. A resounding "clang!" echoed across the gym.
…alright, never mind, still making a fool of myself, Weiss bemoaned as her face reddened with both frustration and embarrassment. Perhaps I should try something less strenuous? Within seconds, she spotted a line of treadmills and other cardio machines – strength might not be easy to come by, but surely, running couldn't be too hard?
Well, there's someone you don't see every day, Yang mused as she followed the newcomer with her eyes.
She immediately knew that this girl was out of her element. Sure, the petite girl certainly looked the part of a regular, with her high quality gymwear – brands that even Yang couldn't afford with her paycheck – and a steely look of determination in her eyes, but something was off. She looked around the gym floor with a certain trepidation, uncertain of where to go. Yang returned to her squats, but she made it a point to keep tabs on this girl.
Her initial impression was quickly proven correct. Yang watched the little princess move from machine to machine, her determination quickly deteriorating into frustration as she attempted to use the equipment. It was as if she had a vague idea of what people do in a gym but had never seen the equipment before, let alone entered a gym. All that fumbling about amused Yang, who tried her best to keep her giggling to herself, but she quickly stopped herself. C'mon, not everyone gets it the first time, Yang reminded herself. If you keep poking fun at the newbies, they'll never le—
Yang lost it, however, when she noticed how angrily the girl glared at the treadmill from her spot on the floor, sprawled out as if she had be launched from a cannon. Did she actually- no, no one is that uncoordinated that they fall off the treadmill. You have to be a dunce to let that happen to you! It seemed that this girl was genuinely lost in this gym. Yang got up from her bench with a knowing sigh. "Well, looks like it's time to do my job," she said to her herself with a grin.
Upon noticing the blonde's presence, the face of the girl on the floor shot up to gaze at the newcomer and her expression shifted from frustration to mild embarrassment – clearly, the little princess wasn't keen on being seen in such a degrading state. Though amused at her effect on this girl, Yang paused when she took a closer look at the klutz; her eyes had just the slightest hint of shadow under them, the kind you get when you start losing sleep, and a scar, well-hidden under makeup, sliced over her left eye. There's certainly more than meets the eye with this one, the trainer thought with a flicker of a frown.
"How's the floor treating you?" Yang asked. She was concerned about this girl, but Yang's humor always found a way into any situation. Unsurprisingly, her comment earned a nonplussed glare from the girl on the floor.
"No one asked you," the white-haired girl snapped before getting back on her feet.
"No, but generally, people don't try to fall on their asses, especially not while running on a treadmill." Yang glanced at the display on the treadmill to see what kind of program that girl was attempting and found quite a surprise. "10 miles per hour is a little ambitious, don't you think?"
"I… may have set the speed a little higher than I expected," the girl admitted, but she soon returned to her standoffish state. "Anyway, thank you for your unsolicited concern, but don't you have something better to do right now?"
"I could ask you the same," Yang retorted.
The way the white-haired girl paused seemed to indicate that she doesn't normally get backtalk from others. "Excuse me?"
"It's just that I've been keeping an eye on you ever since you came into the gym and seeing you go from place to place, and – how should I put this – you seem kinda lost. You sure you know what you're doing?"
Yang did not expect the white-haired girl to let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her remark. Did she not want to be here? "No, not really," the girl said with resignation, picking herself up off the floor, "but my roommate wouldn't shut up until I went to the gym."
"What, did she need a workout buddy?" the blonde asked, inquisitively scanning the room for anyone about college age that would fit the bill.
"Does it look like I came here with somebody?" the princess replied with annoyance. Yang stopped searching. "No, I came here because… never mind, it's not important."
"Important enough for you to hide it," Yang interjected. She really shouldn't be meddling in other people's business, but something about this girl compelled her to.
"Who asked you?" the girl quickly snapped. "Why do you care what I do?"
"I care because it's my job to care for anyone who enters this gym – especially if that certain someone leaves out the weights they've used."
Realization dawned on the other girl's face. "I'll… I'll clean that up on my way out! I'm sorry that I left such a mess."
Whoops, played the authority card a bit hard, didn't I? "Ah, don't sweat it. Besides, I ain't done with you yet."
"E-excuse me?"
"I'm still curious as to why came here in the first place, since whatever you do here is my problem. I get that your roommate was bugging you to do it, but she'd have to have a reason why." She really didn't have any right to barge into this girl's personal life, but Yang had a hunch
Yang could visibly see the girl rolling the words around in her head. Finally, she settled on her answer. "Well, if you must know, she was… worried."
"Worried? What for?"
"Let me put it this way – when you work out, your body is supposed to release chemicals that make you feel good, right?"
"Yeah, endorphins! Those guys are awesome!"
"Right. Well, let's just say that I need something like that."
There was a long silence afterward, during which Yang ruminated on what this girl had just told her. Sounds like she's in some deep shit, almost… depressed? Sadness wasn't a particularly familiar feeling for the blonde, but she could spot it immediately in the people around her, and boy, did it hurt to see such a nasty emotion. Granted, this little princess seemed to hide her feelings quite well, almost as if she had been practicing for years, but it colored her voice and her expressions a shade ever so slightly darker. Good grief, what was her life like that she had to bury her emotions in such a way?
I can't let her go.
"Well," Yang piped up, her usual grin growing back on her face, "your roommate sure told you to come to the right place! In the gym, there's nothing to hold you back or put you down – only cold, hard iron, begging to be thrown around by the raw power of your spirit. To enter the gym… is to enter your own mind." While she was impressed with her final sagely declaration, she could feel the girl's eyes roll, so she cut to the chase. "What I'm trying to say is that I can help out – for a small fee, of course!"
Either in spite of or thanks to her corny speech, the white-haired girl's frame seemed to relax. "I suppose I ought to try this place in the proper way," she said with a sigh, though this time she sounded less resigned. "And don't worry about money, that of all things I can manage. By the way, I didn't manage to catch your name."
"Oh yeah, how rude of me! My name's Yang Xiao Long; professional trainer by day, professional heartbreaker by night," Yang proclaimed, "but to you, I'm just Yang. What's yours?"
"Weiss." The other girl paused for a moment, seemly having something else to add.
"Weiss Schnee."
Yang's hand was still reached out for the welcome, her face dropped her usual cheerfulness and adopted a new expression of confusion. "Hold on, is that... Schnee as in Schnee Tech?" Schnee Technological, Incorporated was perhaps one of the most prolific companies out there, being responsible for many of the innovations in electronics that most people in Remnant used on a daily basis. Heck, the scroll, TV, and computer Yang owned all ran off of software developed by Schnee Tech. Come to think of it, she kinda does look like a Schnee, the trainer thought to herself. Does that mean...
"Yes, I am the same Schnee. My father runs the company, and that makes me the heiress," came the canned reply, infused with a hint of disappointment. The blond noticed the darkening mood and immediately made a move to lighten it.
"And here I was thinking, 'Man, doesn't she look just like a little princess?' I guess I was half right."
"I am not little!" Weiss shouted with indignation, "And besides, it's 'heiress', not 'princess.'"
Yang laughed at the little outburst. "Well, I'm glad that you let the entire gym know that you're conscious of your height." Weiss's pale face swelled with crimson embarrassment upon revelation. "Anyway, it's cool that you're a Schnee and all, but don't think that because you're from a rich family, you get to miss tomorrow."
"W-wait, what's tomorrow?"
"Your first day to the gym, silly!"
"I never agreed to this!"
"Look, tomorrow is Saturday, so I know that you don't have classes. Beside, this place isn't too busy then, so we'll have the freedom to explore all the equipment together!"
Once again, Weiss found herself unable to find words fast enough to keep up with the racing pace of her new trainer's mind. She opened her mouth in protest, but she instead surrendered and said weakly, "...I'll be free tomorrow from 2 until 8."
"Cool! Let's do… 3 PM then? That should give us plenty of time to figure out your goals for your time at the gym and how to achieve them." Yang then added with a grin, "Oh yeah, and I can show you how to properly operate the machines here."
"Oh, ha ha," Weiss replied sarcastically, but a faint smile betrayed her amusement at the joke. "Right, so… 3 it is."
"Yep!"
"Alright, I'll be there." The heiress started to head out, but before reaching the door, she turned around and called to the blond. "Oh, and Yang?"
"Yeah?"
"It… it was nice to meet you."
"Likewise. See you around." Yang couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something special about this Weiss.
BETA: Jefardi
EDITOR: Just_one_more_
Hello there! I hope you enjoyed this first little dip into our little Freezerburn story. It's going to be a slow burner (heh) with some fluff and likely more feels, so be prepared for anything ;)
That's all for now!