2024-11-23 - Late Night Weights

A hotel guest, and staff when not on shift, gym in the Storybook Resort and with his shift coming to an end - Casey is taking his time to unwind from the double-shift day. See he was going to only take an eight hour shift. But that became twelve hours when he had to fix up something and he is still begin struck by the curse that he can't say no.

Having left the changing rooms a little while ago, Casey's stretches in the warm-up area were coming to an end. The older man opting for dark blue thigh length shorts along with a white sleeveless top. Tight but breathable for the gym for cardio day and having seen that rock climbing wall... tempting.

The place itself it well lit, bright and welcoming. Although the hour taking very late leaving nobody else around when he was first starting the warm up stretches.

However long ago that was...

Kennedy's arrival isn't too mindblowing. It's the end of her shift, and her last job of the day was a suspiciously smokey kitchen outlet within the resort, so of course she may as well take advantage of the late hour and proximity to a gym shower to both get a workout in and go home not smelling like roast garlic. So after a quick chat with the attendant and a peek into the gym, she heads to the changing room to shuck off her work overalls and baseball cap.

When she emerges, it's with a baggy t-shirt several sizes too large and midthigh shorts, grabbing a water bottle and walking towards the climbing wall... glancing not-so-subtly at Casey when she passes by. She clearly relaxes a little when his face registers, offering a little wave hello.

And then, of course, something starts wriggling beneath her shirt.

"Oh hey Kennedy!" Casey's voice is greeting the brown haired woman with a surprise in his tone as seeing another person at this hour. A surprise in his voice, but a smile sweeping up on his lips giving away that this is a pleasant surprise. His brown eyes for a moment skimming over her, pausing for a moment at the wriggling by the shirt but...

Politeness.

Trained politeness.

"I see you eyeing up the climbing wall as well. First time ever using it?" Approaching across the gym, allowing his voice is lower on down while a dark red towel is being slung over his shoulder.

"Hey... Mr Mateo." Kennedy says, her smile small and a bit nervous, but no less sincere for it. Her eyes dart towards the climbing wall when he brings it up, head shaking. "Nah, it's one of my favorite workout things, actually." She admits, reaching for the hem of her shirt-- and only then pausing. "Uh, do you mind---?"

From beneath the hem of her shirt, the tip of a bat wing points out, apparently ready to lift the shirt, but now just sort of clutching the hem. Glancing down, Kennedy shrugs. "I was hoping to stretch 'em out a little, but if it weirds you out I can keep them close."

A second wingtip emerges, wriggling from beneath the hem to give a little wing-wave as Kennedy turns that awkward smile back on Casey. Hey.

If you visit a twenty four hour gym, very likely in the city centre somewhere there is something strange happening late at night. Casey has done that a few times, shift life, and seen a lot. But, when Kennedy is reaching down to the hem of her shirt, there is a brief pause in him. The wiggling, glanced at and politely noted, not really spoken of. "Mind if you----."

His voice trailing, the wiggling not now being an unknown reason as Kennedy is lifting the hem of her shirt up slightly more. With the first one peaking out, and he's being asked the question, Casey replies. "Whatever makes you comfortable, Kennedy." Sticking to her first name while she's using his title. "Your comfort, is number one."

Kennedy wrinkles her nose a bit, shaking her head, "I mean, it's a shared space. People have to be considerate of one another." Kennedy points out, though she looks even more relieved at Casey's excellent "Minding His Business" manners. Handing off her water bottle to the wing - which does in fact, grip it, her hands and the second wingtip work together to gather up the hem of her shirt and tie it off, giving her effectively a crop top.

Yup. Those are bat-like wings. Right there, agile and flexible, the pair of them. Not very large, nor do they look capable of flight, however. Shifting the water bottle back to one hand and taking a sip, she looks back towards the climbing wall. "Were you gonna use the wall? I was gonna do some stretches first if you want first crack at it." She offers, also not acknowledging her extra appendages. After all, they're right there, why bring them up?

There is barely a line that forms across the top of Casey's brow as he is standing that fraction closer, the wings and their grippers certainly not on his list of things he would expect to see, but Casey has been a concierge for years. He has been asked to find, sort out and arrange a lot in his time. Don't ask questions. Don't ask questions.

"True, so thank you for asking." Sticking in with the politeness. "I was, I just finished up my stretches." As evident with the slight puff in his chest and breath, the fit smoker still breathing, "I'll take first then, while you do the warm up. Then can spot you, if you'd like? I usually don't go with the rope or harness to climb."

The elephant in the room continues to excel in stealth tactics, and Kennedy offers Casey another relieved, friendly grin. "Thanks, Mr. Mateo. I'd appreciate it. Still working on grip strength, you know?" Those bat wings flex, grippers gripping for emphasis, before they give a few flaps, shaking out any tenseness. "You sure you don't need somebody to watch for you, too?" Her eyes dart briefly towards the salt in his beard and then hurriedly, pointedly back to make eye contact, all sincerity and concern.

"It is working out, it seems. You ever try..." Casey's asking questions about the bat wings, and their grip strength, like they are totally normal and -not weird- to see. "Forearm grip exercises on them? Like a walk while trying to hold onto little weights in each?" Towel on his shoulder moving down with his broad hand, holding it against his hip while he is just glancing for a moment across to the wall.

"If you wouldn't mind. Feel free to do your stretches by the bottom there. I'd hate to hold you up from doing what you want to do after." A friendly smile meeting his lips once more, the salt and pepper beard moving along with his facial expressions as he is walking past Kennedy. "Come on. Before my warm up doesn't last."

"I mostly keep 'em out in the tunnels or working out." Kennedy admits, following behind Casey. The wings really do just seem like a pair of shorter, skinnier arms, one dropping to scratch behind her knee. "But maybe I'll try that when I'm in my rooms, or when it gets warmer out."

Settling the water bottle down nearish the climbing wall, she starts her stretches - clearly she has a practiced set of them, too. "It's all kind of experimental with them."

"And, before I ask questions about them, do you like questions about it?" Casey is realising, a little inside, that not talking about them is just as rude possibly as talking about them openly. Or gawking. No. No gawking would be the worst.

"At least when climbing, they would be helpful. Extra set of grips. Feet, hands. Wings." A little hoisting up of his eyebrows, Casey is standing at the front of the rock climbing wall as he is reaching to the side to first palm his hands into the chalk. Shoulders rolling, the outlines of his triceps moving along with his arms as he is getting himself ready for the climb.

Kennedy gives a little half-snort at the question about questions. "I mean. If you asked me six months ago, I'd probably have... I dunno. Cried or something." She admits. "But... I dunno. Dad joke but true, they really did grow on me." She wrinkles her nose in disgust at her own terrible pun, shaking her head. "Now it's kind of just...like...having freakishly long toes. People have 'em, it's not really something you brag about, I don't want them on display or anything, but they're just toes. Or wings, I guess. Tadaa." The wings do their best jazz hands. It's a bit more flappy than one might think.

She does grin at the talk of usefulness, "Half the reason I'm more okay with 'em is they're really useful, you know? Once I got used to them. I can grab stuff while I'm working, and get things done faster. So I mean... if it's somebody from the island," as no one is "from" the island, one presumes she means staff, "I don't mind it as much."

Keeping himself at the bottom of the climbing wall for a moment longer, Casey is turning his torso slightly from side-to-side. Ensuring the older man is staying limber, still keeping the blood going as he is replying. "And grow they did. Do they get longer each year, like freakishly long toes, or do you think they have had their... growth spurt?"

Struggling to think of the right word even, there a nod is following as his brown eyes are obviously glimpsing now down to Kennedy's bare sides, core and those wings on waving show. "Has to be a seamstress on the island as well who could even help with something custom. Wing-warmers."

Inhaling deeper now for a moment, Casey is turning to face the rock wall itself before reaching up to begin sinking his fingertips into the first few rocks. Pulling up, slowly, with a loud inhaling tone coming from his direction.

"They haven't grown for a while, so I'm hoping they just... stay this size." She pauses to knock her knuckles against the floor, even if it's a mat, and not wood. Every little bit helps! She's a little too busy with her stretches to notice the look-over, but she's pretty in shape, though nothing that screams an excessive love of protein powder. "They started in with all the other weirdness."

"I did luck out with my wardrobe, actually. Since they're growing pretty low, I just have to crop stuff if anything. It'd get expensive if I had to ask somebody to custom make all my shirts." Kennedy, clearly looking at the bright side! She continues her stretching, though her attention is now on Casey and the start of his climb, apparently serious about that whole spotting thing.

Touching the tip of his teeth with his tongue at the gaze over, Casey's head is tilting for a moment at his gaze before focusing on the task at hand. Fingertips gripping a moment tighter against the curve in the rock, he is pulling himself up slowly while swinging a leg to the side for a blue coloured stone. Opting for the medium route, avoiding the red harder stones as to not land on his rear.

"Favours. Kennedy." Casey's voice is tugging for a moment as he is lifting himself up a fraction higher. Reaching the third row up while keeping his chin up on the next rounded mark to dig his feet in. "Everything thrives on favours."

Leaning back on her hands, legs splayed out in front of her, Kennedy apparently gives up on stretching to judge Casey's path up the rock wall. "I don't really love the idea of debt, you know? I'm the only one in my family without any, and I like it that way. Like, I don't mind an exchange, or barter or something, but favors feel a little too... hazy, you know?"

"Yeeeaaah." Casey's voice is stretching for a moment just as he is while reaching across one bulbus looking rock to pinch his fingertips into a smaller one jutting out. Struggling to form more than a word as he is gripping that smaller rock tighter, the white chalk leaving prints around it. The older man is using it as the leverage needed to hoist himself up higher, his back flexing in to allow him to drive up higher while his feet are stretching out. Stuck for a moment in a splits-like position, breathing deeper, before touching that top bell.

Riiiing

Exhaling hard, the climb down begins but is no where near as hard as the one up.

"I can get that, I have found concierging has had me living a life of 'I'll owe you one'."

Kennedy applauds at the ring of the bell, calling out a "Nice!" Because encouragement is important! Grabbing her water for another sip, she bounces up, shaking out her limbs (all six) before moving closer. Because sometimes the going down is worse than the going up.

"If it works for you, it works. But keeping tabs on favors sounds exhausting." When Casey's around two thirds of the way down, she leans on the rock wall where it's clear he's not going to be. "How'd you get into it, anyway? The concierge thing. I mean, it's supposed to be more-- complicated I guess, than just being a receptionist, right?" It's pretty clear Kennedy does not actually know much about the gig, honestly.

Casey is getting himself down to the last rock, so about a foot, above the ground before pushing off to land back down on the ground somewhat. Pinching in his hands a little, allowing the blood to flow back to the tip while his palm begins recovering. "Thank you, I'll admit I assume I owe everyone a favour and if they need something? They can owe me a favour for the favour I owed them."

Exhaling a little with the edges of his lips quirking up, Casey's salt flecked beard is moving once more with the smile as he is stepping back from the rock to allow Kennedy the space to climb. "I loved travel and after Business School, thought I'd do this gig for a few years. But the fact every day is a little different kept me hooked in." Lifting his shoulders up for a moment, Casey is lifting a hand up for a moment. "So I just never left it. How about you then and repairing? Guess what could be more thrilling than repairing a rollercoaster sending people spinning."

Kennedy gives a few hops in place, before chalking up her hands and eyeing the wall, before she lays hands and starts a slow, measured climb, also on medium. Her central limbs do, in fact, participate - though it seems mainly to secure and balance.

"Just hated college, honestly. Hated the classes, hated having to do homework, hated the paperwork just to go to college. Tried it for a year and realized I'd do pretty much anything instead of college. Oof." That following a particularly ambitious stretch, but she manages, pausing for breath and to look down towards Casey.

"I always liked fixing stuff. We repaired most stuff at home. So I just went into that, and got into an apprenticeship. And I like how much you gotta know to work at a place like this. There's always some weird new something that you have to get to know and persuade to work again."

Tilting his head as Kennedy's central limps are getting involved in the action already, Casey is watching the little grippers grip on for that security while he is standing a little further away from the wall. His chin lifting up to watch Kennedy head on up, seeing the younger woman climb while talking. His hands at the ready to... catch?! His thoughts running for a moment how he even spots someone climbing up as this wasn't on any gym class instructional he had to ensure guests don't break a neck.

"Fulfilling then, pretty quickly. If you are getting something to work that nobody else can, right?" His eyes still up on Kennedy, watching her move along the rocks. "That is similar to the feeling I get helping someone while they are staying here."

"Yeah. I like figuring out what gets busted and how to get it working again. And you know when it works because it works. Unconventionally, Kennedy goes from the medium-difficulty towards the easier grips, cautiously moving her arms away from the wall while making sure her wings have properly gotten a grip. They don't have the same stretch her arms do, but between the easier grips, her legs, and the wings, she's managing - though clearly the wings are a lot more challenged.

"People are a whole lot harder and hazier than a circuit or an HVAC system, you know? I like helping people, but I like it a lot more if I can do something for them that doesn't involve them."

"And I'm guessing, similar to your new found wings, that there is some sort of connection then between the island and being able to fix things up? I've found myself being here that languages I slightly knew. I know now." A pause from Casey while leaning onto one leg more, watching as Kennedy is moving across as his voice begins stressing a few choice words.

Laughing a little at her comment, he is raising his shoulders up into a slight shrug. "Only a little harder. Most want something, and either do not know how to say it or just outright say it. Especially in service where you have to be problem solver number one also." Tilting his head, seeing the wings grip on once more, "You've got quite the hand with the wings up there."

"I honestly don't know." Kennedy confesses, "I think it's less about fixing things and more about how I have to fix things around here." She looks down again, offering Casey a half-grin before moving on from that. "I get shocked a lot less than I did, though, which is pretty nice."

She's a little slower with just the wings, but still - there's a grace and ease about the movements that clearly gives credence to her familiarity with climbing. So she's still likely faster than a beginner at getting up the wall and using her arms to ring the bell. "Practice. Can't fly with these guys, but they're great for hanging on to stuff."

"You know, we as staff aught to see what we can manage. Train. Problem solving should something happen like for you. An electrical storm. For me, a lost language guest."

Cracking a joke at his own expense down beneath Kennedy, Casey is tilting his head since more while keeping a little grin on his lips. Seeing the grippers from the wings grip on, her reach hitting the bell being applauding.

"Good work. Well done. That was steady, Kennedy. Very smooth."

Turning to the side, a hand and arm preparing itself to be leant on if needed by the soon descending woman. "Hanging on, and holding tools."

"Yeah, they've gotten a lot better." Kennedy says, risking a glance down with a note of pride in her voice - everyone enjoys improvement, after all! There's a smile and a small shake of her head when she notices Casey with his arm out, to subtly refuse his offer.

The way down is speedier than the way up - and two or three feet from the ground, she glances back, making sure Casey's moved from being immediately behind her, before she jumps onto the ground. Her baby wings flap awkwardly when she lands, helping her balance, before she gives them a little shake. "These are stupid useful once you get over... you know. Them existing." She jokes, as the wings settle at her sides.

"I've got a feeling we'll see a lot more lost guests who ain't great at english than big electric storms-- which is weird, considering we're on the lake, but this summer wasn't half bad." Kennedy muses, grabbing for her water bottle. "But it ain't a bad idea for people to test what they can do. It's all kinds of weird and suspicious, but we all might as well enjoy it."

"But translating Japanese into English for people, with the lost guests, is helpful. But controlling electrical currents, repositioning and repairing them is quite life changing." Bringing his hand back down to his side, Casey's other is bringing the towel up to sling it over his shoulder once more. Dabbing it near his neck, around his skin, out of his beard.

"Stupid useful -and- one of a kind. No? Can't say Kennedy isn't memorable. Her and the little wings with grippers on the end." Flashing the whites of his teeth for a moment, Casey is turning to skim over the other cardio and free weights. "And being memorable means a lot."

"Bet the folks who're lost, confused, and distressed in what's probably real far from home, finally able to get somebody to understand them, feel like it's more than just helpful." Retorts Kennedy, pointing said water bottle at Casey before sipping at her water. "Everything I can do, a pair of rubber gloves and some wire can do, probably better."

Her attention goes towards the wall, clearly considering a second go. But then her eyes glance back to Casey, then down at her wings, "It's kind of like a triple-jointed thumb? The grippers. They're not ex*ac*tly like a bat's, but mostly. You planning to do weights? I can spot you if you spot me after." She offers.

"How about this one. I am helpful with people, you are helpful with the things that people have problems with?" Casey replies while his brown eyes are across to the squat rack, avoiding the truth that people also have issues with other people. "And I was. After getting the blood going, the squat rack is calling."

Bringing his gaze back across over his shoulder to Kennedy, Casey is turning on his toes while walking backwards in the general direction of it. "Reckon you would be up for squats then?"

"I'll take it." Kennedy says, setting the water bottle back down again. Then glances at the wall, "How about you do squats, I'll take a second shot at the wall while you're doing them, then we get to the weights?" She counter-offers, giving her shoulders a roll.

Nodding firmly in Kennedy's direction, Casey is setting the towel down by his hip before turning on his feet once again. "Alright. Yell, though, if you feel your grip going." Breathing a little deeper as he is pulling his lips into his mouth, biting on them slightly as his forehead begins wrinkling for a moment with worry. With concern for someone else.

The magic of the place touching that bit of empathy and people-pleasing that thrives within the older concierge's body.

Still, though. He is making his way to the squat rack where his towel heads down by the floor.

Kennedy, in a show of casual dorkiness, lifts both hands towards Casey in a double-thumbs-up, before refreshing the chalk on her hands. She clearly takes the rock wall as challenging play, not just exercise. "Thanks, Mr. Mateo. Yell if you need me!" She calls out, before her attention is back on the wall, reaching for the nearest grip to clamber up again.

She does pause occasionally to check on Casey on her way up, though. Just in case the older man needs help.

"Will do, will do." Repeating himself over, Casey is ducking his head underneath the already set up bar before lifting on his toes to push it up a notch. A little too low for his comfort that first time, the older man is stepping back around the edges as he is leaning forwards to pick up a few of the bottom weights. Taking a hold, sliding them onto the ends and attaching fastenings. Securing them all in place before stepping back underneath.

A hand either side on the bar, resting it across his shoulders just before drawing in a deep breath.

It's fairly clear both Kennedy and Casey are gym regulars, comfortable with their routines. Which is good, as it's late enough no one else seems to be coming in, allowing Kennedy to get a full wing workout in - including her turn on the weights. Her own routine is intense but light, considering the late hour.

But she does offer Casey a fist-bump before she hits the showers, because they're at least gym buddies now. Sort of?

There's the dip from Casey during some squats, an ease down to the ground before back up. Smooth, lighter than his maximum reps since today's routine is just to tick him over.

Then comes to spotting for Kennedy, swapping the weights over for her. Refilling waters, checking her form before the two complete their sets.

"Was good to meet, Kennedy. And hey. If you ever want another session. Let me know."

A faint smile touching the older man's lips before reaching down to take his towel. The fist bumped returned before she is turning to head to the showers.