Dhampirica

XX

ON SATURDAY MORNING, in lieu of his usual fencing class, Lord Dante asked Yvanna to train him. Though she had warned him that she normally woke up at 5:00AM to go to the gym, he did not protest the idea and chose to accompany her.

Yvanna slipped on her gym clothes which were not that much different from her usual wear — a breathable long-sleeved shirt and leggings, all in black — and tied her hair back into a ponytail. She met Lord Dante in the hallway outside their rooms. He was dressed in similar wear — a crew neck shirt and shorts, also in black. They made their way to the gym.

When they arrived at the peak of the stairs on the fourth floor, she was suddenly unsure of how to go about this. "So," she said awkwardly, putting her hands on her hips. "What type of exercises do you dislike?"

He leaned against the handrail, crossing his arms. "I'm up for anything."

"Good," she said, and then repeated herself by saying, "That's good."

The corner of his mouth curved up. "I am yours to command. No need to hold back."

"No, you're not," she corrected him hastily. "But I'll go ahead and take the lead, if that's alright. Since we both know your cardio isn't in question, we don't have to worry too much about that. But I recommend you do a half hour run on the days you don't have other training or sports activities scheduled. I usually go first thing every morning. After that, I hit the gym and do resistance training."

"Noted."

"So... I guess we'll start off with a few laps around the house. After that, we'll come back here and work on your strength."

They went back downstairs and then outside. Fortunately for them, the snowfall was light and would not be much of a hindrance. The freezing winter air pinched at Yvanna's cheeks as she watched Lord Dante run laps around the house. She would have joined him, if not for her leg.

When her watch started beeping, signaling the end of his run, he stopped for a drink of water, after which they went back to the gym. Yvanna had him do push ups and sit ups at first. When she saw that he was already adept at those, she tried him on deadlifting next and showed him how to maintain proper form. She started him on traditional bar lifting, then lifting with squats, and then bench presses. Though he did not complain about her instructions, he appeared to be struggling quite a bit with executing them. 

"This might seem difficult, but it's beginner stuff," she told him. "You'll get better with practice. If you like, you can try my workout routine next time."

After he had completed his 10th rep of his 10th set, Lord Dante stood up shakily, "I don't know about that," he huffed, bracing his hands against his thighs. "How are you even able to do this? I think the room is spinning for me."

"Dedication," she answered, crossing her arms. "Nothing more to it. You keep at it, before long, you'll be better than me."

"Doubt it," he snorted, straightening up. "You're way too competitive. I'm sure no matter how much training I do, you'll be there doing it double time."

"I'm not that competitive," she disagreed, immediately uncrossing her arms. "I was just raised differently to you. Dhampiri are trained to be fast and strong and effective in a fight. It's important to avoid getting exhausted or dizzy."

He shook his head in amusement. "Never off-balance, are you?" he said, more as an observation rather than a question. 

"Well, we're trained to not be clumsy..." Yvanna's words slowed as she spoke them. Not clumsy, she repeated in her mind. Dhampiri were never off-balance, because they were trained to be as least intrusive to others as possible. They were supposed to be quiet shadows to their nobles, ever-present but never in the way.