Gobstopper (D4, MA)

[Phoebe Wren]

It was a lazy day for Phoebe. Even when doing her leg-day today. She was taking a bit longer breaks than she normally would between each push on the weights, and when she finally finished the set, she broke open a bag of chips on her way to one of the benches.

"Blergh..." she puffed out a lot of air from her cheeks as she sat down. Salty chips and water was good on a day like today.

[Axel Ward]

Axel wandered in, dressed in his usual tank-top and work-out fatigues. His color was a little better than before. Less sallow sick, more healthy pink. Still, he moved a little more ponderously than even his usual.

He grunted as he walked towards the heavy bags, giving Phoebe a nod, but then paused.

"Wren." Axel rumbled. "Need a spotter?"

[Phoebe Wren]

Phoebe chewed thoughtfully on the crunchy chips. "Nah, I'm good. Lazy routine today." Then she followed up with a sip of water.

"What about you?"

[Axel Ward]

Axel considered it for a long moment. Then, nodding, he moved over to the weight benches, sitting down on one of them.

"It's probably not a bad idea." His lips curled up, just a little, threatening a smile. "If I dropped it on my head, no problem, but it might land on my neck. Better safe than sorry, huh?"

[Phoebe Wren]

"Not sure if dropping it on your head would make any sort of change though," she smirked, "I mean, it couldn't possibly hurt your thick head."

Salty fingers were wiped clean on her sweatpants as she put away her small snack and moved over to the weights to assist Axel.

"But as you say, better safe than sorry."

[Axel Ward]

Axel snorted. He shifted, loading some weights onto a bar. He waited until Phoebe was in position before lying down once more.

"Okay, ready." Axel grunted, nodding. He gripped the bar with both hands, waiting for Phoebe's assistance easing the bar off the rack.

"So... what do you think about all this?" He asked before they started.

[Phoebe Wren]

"'bout what?" she asked for specifics, though she had a hunch Axel was speaking in the more broader terms.

"The clan? What we did yesterday? Or freeing those slaves? Or...?"

[Axel Ward]

The answer would have to wait. Axel grunted as he pumped the bar, again and again, grunting as he did so. He grit his teeth as he pushed up, his muscles flexing finally.

Finally, panting, and with Phoebe's help, he replaced the weight on the rack. Panting, he shrugged.

"Dunno." Axel finally said.

[Phoebe Wren]

She grunted softly as she helped him place the weight back, taking note of how good shape he still was in, and how much more he could press than her.

"Geez, that's a great help, Axel," Pheebs rolled her eyes. "If you pick a place to start, I'll do my best to answer."

[Axel Ward]

Chuckling, Axel sat up, still breathing heavily. "What, you need my help to figure it out?" He teased.

His brow furrowed as he considered the question a little more. "I don't know. All of it. The clan. What we've been doing? Where it looks like things are going?" He shrugged. "Maybe I should have asked how you feel about it, what you think about it. I guess that's what I really want to know."

[Phoebe Wren]

She sighed, brushing her bangs back away from her face. There wasn't really one single easy answer.

"I dunno, mate," Phoebe gave a shrug. "The clan, or rather, the Laerrins... they're good people, I think. Maybe some growing pains still, like yesterday, maybe? But I think it's going fine...? Or, as well as one can hope for, when so many different people are coming together in these circumstances?"

[Axel Ward]

"Yeah." Axel nodded, his brow furrowing more. "I think some are gonna take longer than others. Like Riza. She's still learning how to be part of a unit. But yeah, seems like we're fitting together okay."

He started to lay back down, but paused. Instead, he turned, giving her a curious look. "What'd'you mean about yesterday?" Axel asked, frowning.

[Phoebe Wren]

"You know..." her lips pursed in thought as she glanced to Axel, "in the cargo hold? The prisoner?"

She looked away. "Maybe it's just me then."

[Axel Ward]

"Oh." Axel grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "That." He was silent for a time.

Again, he looked at her curiously. "Did it bother you? You've killed before. I've seen it. But this was different." It was half a question, half not.

[Phoebe Wren]

"It's not the... kiling, in itself, that bothers me," she shook her head, with lines forming on her forehead.

"I dunno. It felt too much like an execution to me. Not something I've really done."

[Axel Ward]

Axel grunted, nodding. Again, he was silent for a little while.

"It's not the how that's ever bothered me. Or not bothered me." Axel said suddenly. His eyes narrowed, seemingly studying the far wall. Or nothing at all.

He looked at her. "It's always been about who it is. You think it's worse that he died the way he did, instead of at the moisture farm with the others?"

[Phoebe Wren]

"I feel like it was different. Since he was cooperating under the belief he'd survive..." and because she had contributed to that belief.

"Not that I think he wouldn't be going back to terrorizing folks and capturing people into slavery though. Maybe it was for the best that Kairi did what she did."

[Axel Ward]

"Belief. Hope, more like. I'd bet he knew the score." Axel frowned, sounding a bit uncertain.

"Maybe." Shifting, he lay back down on the bench. He didn't take the weights again, though. "Before this, I was trying to get away from that sort of thing, though."

[Phoebe Wren]

"Mm," she nodded, being familiar with some parts of his reputation as Breaker.

"So how did that feel for you, if that's the kind of stuff you want to put behind you?"

[Axel Ward]

"Like nothing." Axel growled as he took the weight into his hands again. For a time, there were no more words, just the rattling of weights and the bench, and Axel's heavy breaths as he exerted himself.

With a groan, and Phoebe's help, he set the weight back on the rack. "But..." Axel panted, still out of breath, "-I guess I feel like I should feel something. That's what I was trying, when I stopped." He frowned. "I guess. I don't really know."