Pumping steel! [Rina!]

[Rhi-Rhi]

The gym was mostly empty at this time of day, which was both a shame and a blessing. A shame because it meant there were less glistening, busty hot babes and muscle-ripped dudes to check out and show off in front of, but a blessing because that meant there were more machines open for use and less worrying about sitting in someone else's sweat pool.

Towel tossed over his bare shoulder (because, as usual, he was getting away with going shirtless where he could!), he'd finished off his bench presses and headed for the pull-up bar, and as he fell into the familiar rhythm, he realized it was a little tougher this time around than it had been last time. Granted, he'd just finished pumping steel, but endurance-wise? He was already getting tired. Fuck, he didn't think he'd slacked that badly!

He redoubled his efforts, the fear of flab spurring him on--and the promise of relaxing in the sauna after. It was a shame it didn't look like there'd be anyone to share it with, but oh well--being alone there was better than getting crowded by some fat, hairy dude.

Which had happened last time. It was pretty hit or miss, sometimes you got a hottie, sometimes you got a shriveled old thing.

[Anonymous]

Alexis was finally tan again. He had been getting so pasty on the ship, but the second they hit Cancer, he had been in a tanning booth. His dark skin had a hint of pink to it, but he looked good! And he had been hitting the weights with Nathan, so Alexis was feeling pretty damn cut too.

But a well rounded workout was important and Alexis was back at his favorite gym. He was working his legs out, pushing against the weights, far more than a human of his size should be pumping. He had been working for a while and finally, he came to a stop, covered in sweat.

Wiping his face, he headed over to the changing rooms, swapping out his soiled gym clothes for a towel and headed into the sauna. He gave a sigh, inhaling the warm, damp air when the door opened and he waved cheerily, "Hey brah!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Ari froze in the doorway, staring.

He'd finished up his routine and headed for the sauna, wearing a towel, and...well, huh! Not a wrinkly old dude or a fat chick! In fact, it was a well-built, young, hot guy. Score! Grinning, Ari shut the door behind him and took a seat on the bench next to him, reclining with a pleased sigh.

"Well, if you ain't sight for sore eyes," he said, making no effort to hide that he was eying the guy; subtlety never had been his thing and he didn't see the point. "I always get the saggy ones. How's it goin', man?"

[Anonymous]

"Yeah? Thanks man! I'm like totally glad ta get tan again brah! Wicked tats! That's some totally radical ink!" Alexis actually hadn't realized Ari was flirting, he thought he was just being nice.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Now, Ari realized he didn't have the poshest accent ever or anything, nor the prettiest way of speaking (though he had a strong vocabulary when he actually bothered to use it), when the guy actually said more than two words...that was something else. He wanted to laugh at first, realized he was serious, and then realized the guy was complimenting his tats and promptly shifted focus, because he could talk about that for hours.

"Damn right it is! Cost a fuckin' fortune so it better be," Ari said, flexing his arms to show off his sleeves. "It's a work in progress, add a little here and there when I got extra. The body's a canvass, y'know? The sleeves are mostly done, I just really gotta focus on finishin' up my back."

He paused, sweeping another look over Alexis. "Ya been inked any?"

[Anonymous]

"Totally brah!" Alexis pointed to his belly, where a stylized moon surrounded his belly button, "That's all I got though. Your tats are radical! Totally wicked brah!" Alexis beamed, happy to chat about anything. He wasn't anywhere near as dumb as he sounded, but people liked to assume.

"Must be like totally gnarly trying to pay for all that!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Hey, that's cute," Ari said with a grin. Awww, a cute little belly tattoo. It was kind of adorable--but then he had to remind himself that not everyone wanted a significant portion of their body covered in designs and not everyone had that kind of patience, money, or pain tolerance. Ari hated the needles, but after a while the endorphins took care of the pain and left him feeling good and high afterwards.

That was a nice little bonus.

"Yeah, costs an arm and a leg gettin' anything done, but I save up and it's worth it." He twisted a little so he could show off his back, an elaborate--but sadly unfinished--piece that went over his shoulders, down his back, and faded off toward his buttocks. Most of it was just an outline, but some of it had been filled in with color. It depicted a fiery phoenix and a water-themed peacock entwined together and came from a ballet. There were other images surrounding them but they were the focal piece.

"That's my masterpiece. Gonna take forever to finish but it's comin' along. I'm worth a fuckton already."

[Anonymous]

"Whoa dude! That's totally tubular! Radical design!" Alexis's eyes widened and he stared at the tattoo. It was really beautiful and had the promise to look even better, "I wanna see that when its all done brah! Oh! 'M Alexis!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Well, hey. Gimme your number and I'll keep ya updated," Ari said with a wink, sitting back against the wall. He held out his hand. "I'm Ari. Ain't seen you around these parts before, but that ain't unusual. Ya come here often?"

[Anonymous]

"Totally brah! Like, when I'm on the station, ya know? Like, I mean, there are some weights on the ship, but like, gotta get the total tone job!" Alexis grinned, "And radical brah! I'll like, give my digits when we get out, brah."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Hah, I know whatcha mean. Ain't got enough space on my baby for a gym so I gotta make due with what I got and take advantage here," Ari said, then nudged the guy lightly and winked. "And I'm not just talkin' equipment, but hotties, too. There's long stretches before I see anyone but my crew, y'know. You on a crew?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh yeah! I'm like, totally on the Blackjack Diva. She's wicked hot and totally radical. I've been givin' her insides a total re-haul. It was like gnarly in there before I got in." Alexis beamed, happy to prattle on about the ship. He was a little dense when it came to flirting, and totally missed Ari's attempt, "Ya got a ship brah? Like, what's her specs?"