[Lorden's Apartment] A Body in Motion

[Lorden Ladis]

3rd of Spring, 515 AV

Lorden lifted his right arm straight up over his head, and reached, stretching his fingers for the ceiling, of his small apartment. Taking a breath, the knight moved his left arm up to meet its twin, and wrapped said appendage's palm, around his right arm's elbow. Exhaling the twenty year old folded his dominant arm in, pushing it behind his head. Meanwhile, as the arm he was bending touched his bare back, the knight's other arm which was holding the bent arm's elbow, pushed down and to the side; the action pushed the man's hand down along his spine. As Lorden stretched, the knight found his movements eliciting a familiar, and pleasant, feeling of release, which permeated his dominant shoulder's muscles. The swordsman sighed.

Stretch Lorden, you'll be able to do more, if you only but stretch, the knight reminded his impatient mind. He was tired of being small, and ready to move on. Not small in height, he had a plenty long enough body; in fact he towered over most people. No, it was his lack of anything but natural definition that irked him. A knight needed to be strong, intimidating. Additionally, a bachelor needed a strong body, if he wanted to cure himself of his condition.

It's my goal. My resolution. To be stronger, firmer, better, the knight resolved, as he repeated his overhead stretch, but with his left arm, this time.

If the new year gave him anything, Lorden hoped it would give him this goal. He hoped, it would give him the determination to stick with a routine, and the insight to make said plan be efficient. But most of all, he hoped his body would respond to whatever training he put it through; after all, he'd been a knight for two years now. And through those two years, through all the trials, Lorden's body had only defined itself, just enough, to survive. And thus, the man had ample reason, at least in his own mind, to doubt, to fear, to look on at his new hope with trepidation.

Lorden shook his head, trying to push away the doubt. What man was immune to exercise? What being couldn't become a tower of strength, if they poured their heart and soul into their body? Surely, even the darkest of gods wouldn't be so cruel, as to allow such a poor example of life, to be birthed into this already cruel world. And surely, if such a fluke of natural selection did exist, there was no chance it would be him. Right?

Aw, just do the damn exercises, and shut up, Lorden interjected into his musings, addressing his drifting mind, as he dropped his arms down to his side. He'd never tone up, if he didn't actually do the work; that wouldn't exactly be 'pouring his heart and soul' into it.

Determined, the knight tarried himself into a forward knee bend.

Almost done, Lorden confirmed to himself, counting the ticks, that he figured he'd need to stretch for.

And then the real work begins, he mused eagerly, a smirk, and a bit of trepidation framing themselves on his face.

[Lorden Ladis]

3rd of Spring, 515 AV

Lorden looked down at the stone floor of his apartment somewhat meekly.

I did want to hurry, and get to this part, the knight reminded himself, as he slowly bent down to one knee.

Taking a breath, Lorden folded his other leg to the ground, and lowered his palms to touch the cold stone flooring of his apartment. The knight breathed out, using the force of his exhale to stretch his feet out behind him, and push down against his hands. As he assumed the position of the most basic of exercises, a push up, his stomach tightened, and a thought occurred to the knight.

How many am I doing? Lorden's mind trailed off. The man had never really done push ups on his own accord. When he was a squire, and was told to do any exercise, he just went until his Patron told him to stop, or his body demanded it. And of course, there had been those moments of weakness when he had made out, like the latter situation had occurred, just to get an undeserved break. Irregardless, the point was, he didn't know how many push-ups he could actually he could do.

I need this more than I thought, the knight scolded himself, as realized he had done nothing with his body, outside of combat training, for the whole time he had been a knight. And that, he knew, that was simply unacceptable.

Resolving to just go until he couldn't, perhaps out of a subconscious desire for punishment, the knight bent his arms, before pushing back up. Feeling no real pain, the knight shook his head mentally, a determined scowl flashing in his azure eyes.

Deeper, faster. Be better dammit!, Lorden directed himself harshly.

One, two, three, the determined swordsman counted his dips and ascents. By five sweat was coalescing from his brow, and his stomach was clutching. The knight was glad he had decided to work out shirtless; he hated the feeling of sweaty flesh, brushing against cloth; additionally, it tended to make the clothes smell. By ten dips, his biceps were screaming for reprieve. Lorden, in a tick of weakness, and with a gasp, slipped down to his right knee.

Five more, he told himself, pushing back up. The knight pushed through the aching in his calves.

Up, down, up down, he couldn't stop counting if he wanted to. The next few repetitions were even harder than the last, they took longer, and most dreadfully of all, they hurt more. But eventually, Lorden did indeed reach five extra push-ups. He made it. But he didn't stop.

Still gotta get those five done, the knight lied to himself. Fifteen wasn't enough, and he knew it. And thus, Lorden lowered himself down.

Up... down.... UP... DOWN!, the pain was practically unbearable now, to the knight's unconditioned muscles, as he just kept working them mercilessly.

One more set of five, Lorden thought through the drum beat of his temples, and shrieking of his arms and chest.

One, Tw- the knight faltered, falling to his knees. This time, he didn't raise himself back up; he simply couldn't.

[Lorden Ladis]

3rd of Spring, 515 AV

Water, Lorden thought, his throat practically begging for the subject of his mind's wandering. The knight reached down to his belt, feeling for a leather bag, that just wasn't there. Looking up, from where he sat slumped on the floor, Lorden's azure eyes drifted around his meager abode. He didn't want to move, not unless he was doing his next exercise, but his parched body all but demanded it; and a part of him could onyl guess, that it would only get worse from here. With a sharp exhalation, Lorden pushed himself to his feet, his sweaty palms propelling him from the floor, and up into the air.

The knight's room wasn't dirty by any means, he didn't have enough possessions for it to be un-kept. The apartment was bare, of all but the essentials. The only part of the room that was not actually void of everything but old furniture, was his bed; around and on which, sat just about everything he owned; including a large sleeping deerstalker.

Where the Hai could I have put it?, Lorden thought, as he drug his bare feet, from where he was standing, near a small oak table. The knight cut across the room in a diagonal. As the man approached his bed, he reached out for the brown bag that lay flat on it. Pulling the satchel to the edge of his bunk, Lorden flipped the leather container open, and peered inside. The knight shook his head.

Nothing but the books, he thought, closing the bag, and allowing it to fall back on the bed. Lorden began to turn, but was stopped by an abrupt, and long-winded, humphing sound. The knight dragged his blue eyes and head over to the foot of his bed, a loving glare flashing in his eyes, as he caught sight of the white beast that now stared up sleepily at him.

"Aye boy, it's just your men ol' pop waking you up," Lorden couldn't help but reach out and pet the dog, as he smiled and spoke to the white deerstalker. Still, as the man spoke his words, as warming to his heart as they were, they did nothing to quench his growing thirst, or strengthen his body, as he had planned to do that night.

"Go back to sleep baby," Lorden said, as he gave a parting scratch to Sarorus's ear, and allowed his hand to fall back down to his side. With a growing suspicion the knight turned from both the dog and the bed; and reached under the latter.

It must be in there, Lorden thought, referring to his water filled wineskin with his thoughts, as he looked on at a small canvas backpack, that lay slumped against the leftmost log posting of his bed. The knight bent over, reaching for the pack as he did, as his hands wrapped around the bag, he hefted it up to his chest; the man began to unbend his torso, as the bag drew closer to his own form.

The knight placed the backpack on the edge of his bed, plunking it down right beside his fallen satchel. Ticks after he had set it down, Lorden eagerly undid the buckles that held the backpack closed, and flipped its light top, up and over the bag's back. Reaching in to the bag's lightly-lit depths, the knight grasped around inside the bag eagerly.

Finally, Lorden thought, as he wrapped his right hand's fingers around a squishy, leather bag. The knight was quick to pull his arm from his bag, and reach his left hand up to the wineskin he had just withdraw along with it. Removing the cap that held the water container closed, Lorden's left hand, quickly fell from the bag, which just as quickly shot up to the knight's lips. The man's spine tingled as refreshing liquid rejuvenated his parched throat, it was at that moment he learned the first tenant of bodybuilding.

I'm going to need water every time I do this, the knight looked down at his half-drained bag, which had in but a few ticks, become much, much, lighter.

A lot of water, the twenty-year old observed.

[Lorden Ladis]

3rd of Spring, 515 AV

Placing his rear on the floor, Lorden allowed his wineskin to slip from his dominant hand, off to the side of his body.

"Alright," Lorden breathed tiredly, in a quiet whisper, as he crossed his arms over his chest. The knight's core began to ache, in what he could only assume was fearful apprehension, as he lowered his back to the floor.

"One," the knight said, as he threw his head up, his torso following. He had given up counting in his head, his temples were pounding too hard for him to hear most of his thoughts.

"Two," Lorden continued, his head pulling up his torso, with its momentum.

"Thre-," the knight stopped, refraining to lower his back down to the floor.

This is too easy, Lorden thought, as he felt his abs's meager aching. Some part of the knight told him that it should hurt a lot more, or at least be somewhat comparable to the pain he had felt, when he had forced himself through the pushups.

Am I even doing it right, the shirtless swordsman pondered. Curiously, the knight looked down at his sweat-drenched stomach.

I'm working my abs. So..., the man mused, before falling back on to his back. Slowly, Lorden pulled himself up, allowing his head to lean back this time; the knight noted that it acted as somewhat of a counterweight. As his stomach was forced to haul the brunt of his torso, Lorden nodded mentally at the budding aching in his abs. This was going to be much harder, he could already tell. A part of the twenty year old wanted to smirk at his success, in remedying his bad form; yet, something about the nature of the pain it was beginning to cause him, quelled that desire quite quickly.

"One, Two," Lorden began to count again, as claws began to slide against stone, approaching him.

"Three, Four," as the knight spoke, he ruffled his brow, as a wet tongue brushed up against his shoulder, when he raised himself from the ground. The knight stalled, propping himself up against the stone floor underneath him, with his left hand. Meanwhile, a not-quite-annoyed Lorden, stuck his dominant arm out to his side, to push away the furry beast, that had just assailed him with its pink tongue.

"Back boy," Lorden addressed the pushed-back Sarorus, as he brought his arms back to cross his chest.

"Fiv-," the knight once again pushed away the furry beast.

"Boy, what is with you?," the knight said, staring the dog in the eyes.

"Just let me do my business. Alright?," Lorden half-asked, half-commanded. Sarorus didn't do anything he didn't want to, unfortunately.

This is going to be a long night, Lorden thought, as he once again attempted to execute his sit-up. The whole while, the knight felt obliged to keep one eye on the dog, that simply starred, panting at him, as he exercised.

[Lorden Ladis]

3rd of Spring, 515 AV

Lorden ruffled in his bag, sweat dripping from his brow, as he pulled a small hand-sized sack of trail rations from out of his pack. The knight undid the drawstring of the small bag, and looked inside wearily. The swordsman sighed, at the sight of the dried oats that brimmed to its top.

Will this even help them grow?, Lorden thought, referring to his muscles. With his mind already set to canter, there was no stopping it.

Meat is muscle, or at least it has it in it, the knight mused, as his line of thinking began to yield fruit.

So it should help me build it. Right? Lorden looked down at his bag of oats. There was only one problem, what he held in his hand, was clearly not meat.

Ehh... Should be better than nothing. I guess, the novice bodybuilder thought, as he reached into the bag. The knight hesitantly brought a dash of dried oats, up to his open mouth.

As he chewed, the twenty-year old moved himself over to the side of his bag, and slipped down against the wall there, allowing himself to fall all the way to the floor. With nothing better to do, the knight continued pondering what his new year resolution would consist of, diet-wise.

I guess this means I'll have to hunt, Lorden observed. It wasn't as if it was that big of an issue, he had planned to sharpen his bow skills anyway. Now, he just had an excuse to go prancing in the woods.

Of course, I'll need a bow, the knight thought to himself, with a weary laugh, the action spilling his loose food down from his lips. As he dusted crumbs off his shirt, the thought of the stringed weapon, had another thing occurring to the knight.

And arrows, yet another thing he'd have to buy, Lorden noted. Everything was coming together, including a shopping list. At least his payday wasn't far off. Being a knight had its perks, the swordsman admitted to himself, as another hungry individual walked up in front of him. Lorden raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe you actually like this stuff. It tastes like sun baked, stale bread," the knight informed the dog, that had just come up, expectantly. The knight sighed as he reached into the bag, scooping a handful of oats, he reached the grains out towards Sarorus.

"You're going to have to come get it, Lorden said. Of course, the dog was already up and moving towards his food-filled palm; the hound knew Lorden couldn't resist sharing his food with him, he always did after all.

Come to think of it, Lorden realized, Sarorus might be one the reasons he was so thin, practically half his food went to the dog. The knight closed his eyes, as the dog drug his tongue against his flesh, inhaling and and ruffling the oats resting thereon. It didn't matter, hunting was practically free, he'd have enough meat for the both of them soon.

[Sayana]

Lorden Skills: Skill EXP Body building +4 Planning +3 Endurance +1 Observation +2 Animal husbandry +2 Lores: Body building: Basic stretching exercises Planning: New year's resolution of a stronger body Bodybuilding: Importance of Hydration Bodybuilding: Push-ups and sit-ups Bodybuilding: Diet with lots of meat Shield Points: Shield Points Earned Reason +1 Training Total: +1 Shield Point Comments : Great thread. I liked how thorough you were in discussing all aspects of body building. Also, his dog is adorable. =) Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.