Almost immediately, Mara begins to make changes.
"You'll need to get up earlier to start off with." Mara explains as they walk back to their room. "Roughly thirty minutes each morning is good, but it may not be enough. I'd say thirty minutes more. Oh, and we'll set a schedule similar but not exactly like the one we are on now…"
Paige remembers simply smiling at the time, excited at the fact that this is actually happening I'm actually going to make it….
The next morning, though, is a pain. Mara wakes with a harsh flick of the lights, and she groans as she covers her face.
"Oh no you don't!" Mara pulls the blanket back from Paige, who gasps at the cold and tries to reach for it. "Time to get up!"
Paige sighs as Mara saunters off to the bathroom, hissing as her muscles protest every moment she makes. Because they hadn't done much in the morning, Mara had pushed her that night back in the weight room, not letting her leave until she could do three reps on her own on the bench press. Only then was Mara satisfied.
"Yeah you're going to be sore." Mara sticks her head out of the bathroom doorway, toothbrush in hand. "That just happens when you work that hard."
Paige merely groans as she pulls on a shirt, and speaks after she pulls the shirt over her head. "How are you okay this early in the morning?"
She laughs. "I used to work early morning shifts all the time. I just started waking up this early all the time."
"Morning shifts?" Paige looks up from where she is tying her shoe. "Where did you work?"
"I was a mechanic." She sits down to slip on her own shoes. She laughs as she adds. "Technically still am. Most of the people in our group were under my employment but now I've got enough workers to where they can take the time off to train and take the weekend shifts."
"Everyone?" Paige pauses. It would make a lot of sense; a lot of them were way ahead of her when it came to weight. If they had to lift equipment at their job, then they were accustomed to it.
"Like I said, most. I think you're one of three who isn't. Even Beck used to work there."
"Really? Then shouldn't he be at the same level as the rest of us?"
"No…." Mara can't meet her gaze anymore as she shakes her head. "It's a long story, but what from I put together, he joined one of the very first waves of the revolution, back when the Renegade was an unpopular figure in Argon."
From what she put together….so he never told her?
"Do you think….do you think he could be the Renegade?"
Finally, Mara looks up to her, brow furrowing.
Then, she lets out a loud laugh that causes Paige to straighten and tense. She tries to cover it up, but it escapes her control and she continues.
"What? Was it something I said?"
Mara shakes her head, ridding her laughter with deep breaths. "Beck's not a good planner. He's impulsive, and I'm honestly surprised he's planned things out this far."
"Really?" Mara gestures for her to follow as she opens the door to the apartment. Paige flicks off the lights and Mara closes the door after they both pass through.
"Trust me. I've known him for years. He doesn't think things through."
Paige glances around, as if someone could hear them. "You sure you won't get in trouble for…?" For saying that.
Mara shakes her head as she opens the door at the bottom. "I know you're used to living in Xenon for a while now, but you can say whatever you want here. Besides, it's true."
"...Right."
They delegate to simply walk, instead of tearing off, and do so in silence, to take in the scenery.
Then finally Mara asks: "So...what were you before this?"
Paige smiles softly. "In Xenon, I was a waitress. It was a decent living, I guess; enough to pay rent. Before that…" her smile fades in thoughts Mara doesn't understand. "...before that, I was in training for my medical degree."
"Really?" Mara's eyes shine. "You could still get it now if you wanted! Why go for this instead of that?"
There she goes; Paige turns her head away, showing the side of her face covered by her hair.
"I'm not qualified." She says, and in a final tone.
"Oh." Mara nods, knowing this conversation is over, and instead turns her attention to the doors of the gym. "Let's get started, then."