| Stronger Than You Realize |
| Summary: | During treadmill time, Jason and Maia have a talk. |
| Date: | 08/April/2013 (OOC Date) |
| Related Logs: | Nothing Directly. |
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| Fitness Center |
| Smelling of sweat and grease, the Fitness Center is a place where individuals can come to work out or just work off stress. The area closest to the entrance is taken up by two very large sparring pads with a pathway down the center, each pad removable to reveal a Pyramid court beneath. The walls beside the pads hold lockers for everything from pugilist sticks to boxing gloves to rubber guns, though deadly weapons are strictly prohibited in here except by authorized personnel such as on-duty Military Police. Standing goalposts for Pyramid are also kept against the wall. Past the pads are a vast number of nautilus machines as well as free weights to lift. At the back of the room are workout bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, and stairclimbers. There is an entrance to the pool at the rear as well as a locker room to the side. |
| AWD #92 |
Just about that time of the day, Maia has made her way to the fitness center wearing her workout clothing, namely what she usually spars in. At the moment though she's on the treadmill, but she's looking for someone else to enter so she can spar.. if she can find a match.
Stepping in from the outside, Jason looks around a bit thoughtfully, before he heads over in the direction of the threadmills as well now. Expression a bit thoughtful as he spots Maia, he doesn't say anything yet, just offering a quiet nod now.
Maia glances over at him and offers a smile, "Hey Superstar. How's it going? You doing alright?" She increases the pace to a jog, wanting to get her heart rate up.
Jason shrugs a little bit now. "To be honest… I don't really know. I'm trying to hang on to what little sanity I've got left." A brief pause, as he starts walking on a treadmill himself. "You know, with all the people that was saved…" He trails off, shrugging a little again.
Continuing on her jog, Maia looks over at him as her legs and arms pump with each move. "You're as sane as the rest of us Superstar. What about the people we saved? It was all team work you know. We did good, every one of us. What's up?" Increasing the pace again, she jogs faster.
"Am I a bad person for being relieved I didn't find any relatives of mine there?" Jason asks after a few moments of pause, still walking at a relative slow pace so far. Looking around the room very briefly.
The answer is immediate and swift. "Nope, you're not, I feel the same. I think my family is old enough to take care of themselves if they survived. I'm on my own now, me against the world. Why?" Maia looks over, her breathing increasing as she runs now.
Jason shrugs a little bit. "Well, I haven't had anything to do with my father since he left my mother. We barely spoke at her funeral." A brief pause, as he lets out a bit of a sigh. "I've found myself hoping he didn't survive…" Speeding up into a jog now as well.
By now, Maia is running, so her words are interspersed with timed breathing. "I don't guess I wished my parents dead. To wish someone dead means they mean something to you. The opposite of love isn't hate, Jason. It's indifference." Huff and puff.
Jason pauses a little as he hears that, shrugging a little bit. "I don't know… Up until this started to happen, I didn't care for him one way or the other." A brief pause, before he adds, "Mina, on the other hand. My sister, that is." Another quiet moment, before he adds, "I guess there's only one person I've been hating…" Going quiet again now.
"So, what do you feel now about your dad? Hate, dislike? Cause obviously he still matters or you wouldn't think about him all the time. And as long as you allow him to matter to you, he still has power over you." Maia slows her machine now for cool off mode. "So who do you hate, other than yourself?"
"Only dislike. Wait, that's not true. Disgust and dislike," Jason replies, after a few moments of pause, before he grimaces at the last question. "Nobody else. Only myself." A brief pause, after he said that. "Which is probably why I'm still here, I guess."
"You were a kid Jason. A damned kid. What were you supposed to do? You can't control your parents, it's quite the opposite. Up until the time we turn eighteen our parents decisions form us. After that magical age, we're responsible for our own choices. Our own decisions. You can blame your anger all you want on your past, but that's all it is. Blame and Past. You have to deal with the present now and why you allow him to still control you even from beyond your bubble. It's hard to respect yourself when you can't control your own life. Hard truths, but trust me, they are truths. Man up, chin up or shut up." Maia says as she continues jogging.
Jason continues on his jog, shrugging a little bit. "Do you know why I did it? Why I hid in that bubble for all these years?" A brief pause, before he adds, "I was afraid of ending up like him… After all, some things are passed down from parents to children, right? What if always messing up the important things are like that too?"
"You don't realize it Jason. If you end up like him, it would be a decision you made to do it. You're strong, Jason. Stronger than you realize. You are man enough to see how he was and avoid being like that because you choose not to be like him. All you can do is your best. Can't ask any more of anyone, yeah? So just accept who you are, who you were and focus on who you can be." Maia offers a smile as she continues her jogging, but she slows it down a little more.
Jumping to the side of the treadmill, Jason stands there for a few moments, considering all of that. "I don't know if I'm strong enough." Turning off the mill, he steps back to the floor now. Looking in deep thought at the moment.
Finally, Maia turns off her machine and steps off. "Oh you are. Every day that you wake up alive is testament to that." Reaching for her duffel she smiles, a little more gently this time. "Just think about that tonight. You're a survivor of childhood pain. You already did the hard part, the rest should be an easy ride." Winking, she tilts her head, "I've got to go to the head and shower for some late night plans, but I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
Looking a bit unsure of what to say or do now, Jason suddenly seems to have decided. Moving over to Maia, he hugs her, just standing there hugging her for a few moments. "Thank you…" he says, words barely above a whisper now.
When he moves to her, Maia wraps her arms around him tight, returning the hug. "I believe in you," she whispers softly, "I'll always be here for you, Jason. That's what friends are for and I consider you a very good friend indeed."
"Thank you, for being here. And being you," Jason says, as he lets go of the hug now. "And thank you, for listening…" Taking a few deep breaths now, quietly.
Once he lets go of the hug, Maia tiptoes and brushes her lips over his cheek. "I mean it, any time, day or night, you need to talk, you know where I am." Patting a hand on his chest gently, she smiles and stands flat footed again. "I'll see you really soon, okay? I mean that, any time."
Jason smiles a little now, nodding. "I will remember that." A brief pause, and a grin, "Just remember that if I suddenly end up waking you to talk about something, okay?" A brief pause, before he adds, "Just so you don't punch me or something then. I know how hard those punches of yours are." Looking towards the exit again. "I should get going. Need to think about a few things…"
"I won't forget." Maia makes a cross over her heart with her finger, "Cross my heart." There's a playful grin that follows that part. "No more swinging punches at that face. I'll see you later."
Jason smiles, "I appreciate that," he offers, before he heads for the door. "See you later."