[GP] training day

[st_oryinsilence]

There was a trope that in prison there wasn't much to do except work out or read. As colorful as Madonna Inn might be, it was still a prison. And look, somebody had put together a library.

Put fifty some people, many of them military, adventurers, vigilantes, or superheroes of one stripe or another, in a prison with none of the urgent missions or near-death experiences they were used to, the fitness center was going to be a popular place. Maybe almost as popular as the bar.

... Probably not quite that popular.

There were free weights and weight machines, treadmills and ellipticals, yoga mats and exercise balls. A room set aside for classes, if someone decided to lead. A large square had been taped over an area of the floor off to one side as a make-shift sparring space. Sports equipment had been brought back from Bonesville for those who preferred more organized games. And those who had been stuck here longest remembered there hadn't always been a salmon ladder.

In other words, something for just about everybody. And you could usually find someone in there if you were looking for a spotter, workout buddy, sparring partner, friendly competition too.

Comments

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

Sam eyed the salmon ladder as Alec jumped off. No, he hadn't bothered to spray and wipe it down. Why would he? Dean wouldn't, and Dean thought Alec was the next best thing to pie or something.

He grabbed a spray bottle and stray towel, wiped down the rungs he could easily reach, and flipped the towel over his shoulder. He'd catch the others on his first pass. That turned out to be harder than it seemed, but Sam managed, then tossed the towel down -- and in Alec's general direction (mostly unintentionally).

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

Alec had to side-step not to get a face full of Sam sweat. "Dude." As in to say 'um, I'm standing here, thanks."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Yeah?" Sam swung his way up the ladder again and the yeah came out as a grunt like maybe if you don't like it you ought to clean up after yourself. Which, admittedly, was a lot for one word, but if Alec actually was anything like Dean, he'd read it all in the bitchface that went with it.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

He rolled his eyes.

"You sure you're related to Dean?" Because... fire and water.

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"You sure you're not?" Sam shot back when he hit the bottom of the ladder. He wanted to make a few more passes, but he jumped down and stood to face the guy.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

Damn, the guy was tall.

"Nope. Probably have part of his DNA in mine if we're sharing stories and being honest." Though Alec was telling the truth, it came off a little glib.

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

Sam considered that, ignoring the glib because he'd actually met his brother a few times. He nodded. Being full of shit apparently ran in the genes.

"What'd he tell you about us?"

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

He shrugged. "You guys hunt things, there are big bads in your world. He's better at it than you are."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

Sam rolled his eyes. "Of course did." Never mind that Sam was from five years earlier in their shared timeline. "He probably didn't mention that he'd never find a big bad if it weren't for me."

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

"Didn't come up, no." Alec smiled wryly a bit. "Sorry. But that's good. Everyone needs a map guy."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Research. Not navigation." Even though he did that, too. "What's your story?"

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

"Do I have to have a story?" Alec looked at him casually with a slight eyebrow raise.

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"You'd rather have an epic poem?" Sam rolled his eyes and didn't say that no one got an attitude like he had without a story. It was both too personal and too obvious.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

"Overrated." He could thank his training for Rachael for even knowing what an epic poem even was.

He shrugged. "I was a soldier. Now I'm not. Not much to tell." Liar.

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Soldier?" That caught Sam's attention. The guy didn't look old enough to have served, or not for long. But if he was from a world different from theirs, that might not mean much of anything.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

"Y-eah." He gave Sam a bit of a look like 'are you hard of hearing?' "Why? You got something against soldiers?" Not that Alec would blame him, really.

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"No. You just look young." Sam wiped both his hands on a towel and looked around for the next machine in his circuit. "And most soldiers I've met, they get that attitude beat out of them."

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

To be fair, Alec had gone through a lot of reprogramming in his day, but it was more for acting the way Sam would probably encourage than the way he was acting right now. "Believe me when I say, in my world, we start out young." Like newborn young. You didn't get conditioned to the cold on your own.

"I'm not one anymore though. They sort of.. disbanded."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Children's Liberation Army?" Sam looked worried and felt guilty. He didn't mean to be a dick to a guy who had a rough life. Attitude like that could be a defense mechanism. It was with Dean.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

Alec looked a little confused. "Uh. I have no idea what that is."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"You would if it applied," Sam said, since he'd been talking in the abstract rather than a specific liberation army.

He shrugged and started toward the next open spot on his circuit. "People with a war to fight have the hardest time settling in here, usually." Implied was the question of how Alec was doing, but since Sam had no real reason to care beyond common humanity, he didn't feel compelled to ask outright.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

Sam was a little like Logan who seemed to like asking questions through statements. "This place has reliable electricity, free hot water and food. I'm settling in just fine."

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Glad to hear it," Sam said, and he was. Even if Alec reminded him of the worst parts of Dean, he didn't want to see anyone suffering here. At the moment, he wished he reminded himself more of Dean, better at pleasant small talk.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

Alec leaned against one of the machines. "So you're the one officially sleeping with Bo, huh?"

Re: OTA

[st_andingtall]

"If by official, you mean we're dating, I guess so," Sam said mildly, refusing to rise to the bait. Dating Bo meant accepting that people were going to have opinions about who else either of them slept with. And since Alec had been the one she'd specifically asked about, Sam figured he was likely to have an opinion.