Gravity

[shewhocompels]

Who: Teyud za-Zhalt and you, the reader
When: You know, whenever. The first few weeks after Teyud arrived.
What: Adapting to living in 1G
Where: Cassia
Rarting: PG for now

[Regenerating]

The world Teyud had lived on until a week or two ago was known to her people as Zho'da, which translated in their language as "The only significant place" or "The Real World". Earthlings called it Mars. The thing about Mars, though, is that its surface gravity is only 39% that of Earth's. Teyud was finding adaptation a very tiring process. She was working at it with dogged determination, though. Whatever her course of action ended up being in this strange world, she wanted to be physically fit enough to survive it.

She's spent a good chunk of every day since she arrived relentlessly exercising, with weights (Never heavy weights. Not yet.), with jogging (or even just walking, when jogging is too exhausting to contemplate.), or with whatever else she can think of. She wants muscles.

So throughout your day, you can find a tired woman who looks like someone took a normal person and stretched them out about to a bit over seven feet tall at all kinds of weird hours, working out endlessly. There's no way any normal person could keep up this level of activity. It's almost as if she were subconsciously tapping into her small mana supply as a pawn to heal her body as she beat it up.

That can't be healthy, in the long term.

[Refueling]

The time she doesn't spend exercising or sleeping, she spends in the dining hall of the hall of heroes, shoveling down alarming amounts of whatever the order du jour is while reading books from the library furiously. She wasn't just a thug for hire, she was Thoughtful Grace, the warrior caste who's minds were weapons as much as their bodies were, and that meant she couldn't spend all her energy improving herself physically. She hacked at her ignorance of this world with as much determination as she would an opponent in battle.

The piles of food were because all the muscle mass she hoped to put on had to come from somewhere.

[Recuperating]

No one can keep that kind of pace up ALL the time, though. Eventually, Teyud needed a break. This particular time, she spent it sitting out in a shady spot in the courtyard of the Hall of Heroes with a pair of scissors, a pen, and a pile of poster board of some kind, which she was cutting out into what were clearly pieces for a board game of some kind. The game featured a large octagonal board and pieces marked with strange symbols that are vaguely reminiscent of chess pieces.

Though she's concentrating on her task, there's a certain eagerness about her that says "Please notice me. I want you to join in."

Comments

[shewhocompels]

Less. A bit over one third of what they have here. I feel like I have two skinny sisters sitting on my shoulders at all times.

[suzinkazan]

...Oh, I see.

That's very interesting, I'm only used to places having more gravity...

...That I've heard of, I mean, I've never been.

[shewhocompels]

Do you originate from a version of Earth? My planet is near there.

[suzinkazan]

Ah, no.

Earth is...

It's complicated. I guess you could say Earth exists near it, but it is not the same. [There's planes and stuff, okay.]

[shewhocompels]

An alternate reality, much like the one we find ourselves in now?

[A few weeks ago, she would have been more dubious of such an idea. No longer.]

[suzinkazan]

I suppose that's the simplest way to put it, although I'm certain travel between this place and it wouldn't be nearly as simple as between my home and Earth.

[shewhocompels]

I suspect you would have left by now, were this the case.

[suzinkazan]

....No, no I likely wouldn't have.

Because I just know a certain fool I know who is also here would have chosen to remain out of his sense of Justice, or some such. [She grumbles.] Or just pure academic curiosity.

So I'd have to stay, to make sure they don't get slaughtered.

[shewhocompels]

Sounds like you'd be saving yourself a substantial amount of effort allowing him to be slaughtered. Does he owe you money?

[suzinkazan]

If someone else kills him, I can't do it.

[She says this entirely straight faced.]

And I can't do it HERE because it wouldn't mean anything.

[shewhocompels]

[Why must Earthlings be so weird?]

...I don't understand.

[suzinkazan]

[If only she knew, Susan wasn't from Earth, and is just a little nuts.]

He can't die before I pound his fluffy head into the dirt, and since neither of us have our magic here, I wouldn't feel satisfied. I have to beat him while he has his actual skillset.

[shewhocompels]

[Suddenly this all made more sense.]

Ah! It is a matter of personal pride, then.

[suzinkazan]

Yes.

Also ideology.

I refuse to submit to his blitheringly stupid combat philosophy.

[The salt is coming out in her voice just thinking about it.]

[shewhocompels]

Generally, in my experience, people with blitheringly stupid combat philosophies tend not to live very long. If he lives still, there must be something to it.

[suzinkazan]

He has effectively infinite energy, so it works out for him.

[And that INFURIATES her.]

[shewhocompels]

That sounds most unreasonable.

But also consider: here, he does not. If ever there was a chance to prove the superiority of precisely applied skill over overwhelming force, now is it.

[suzinkazan]

I already plan on doing that, but if I don't overcome him while he has his ridiculous unfair advantage it won't mean as much. [She's a little crazy about this, don't mind her.]

[shewhocompels]

I'm starting to question whether continued struggle is actually worth it, at this point.

But forgive me, I should not speak for you when I do not know your situation.

[suzinkazan]

Part of it also that I have trouble looking at him without wanting to throttle him. He has this perpetually...[she doesn't even know how to describe it...] stupid, happy look on his face.

[shewhocompels]

Hmmm...

[Teyud was not sure how to react to that. This is getting deep into vas-Terranan psychology, which was not a field she felt terribly confident in.

Although. Stupid happy look. Fluffy head. This sounds a bit familiar...]

Out of curiosity, who is this tormentor of yours?

[suzinkazan]

His name is Edward.

Edward Finklestein.

[Her voice is full of exasperation.]

[shewhocompels]

This is an unexpected randomness. I am currently sharing living quarters with Edward Finklestein.

[suzinkazan]

...I am so incredibly sorry.

[She'd grip your shoulders in a meaningful way but she doesn't know you well enough yet.]

[shewhocompels]

He seems very...energetic?

[She's really not sure what to make of Ed.]