Early Morning Blues

The Tension training facility was quiet on the weekend save for a few souls looking to get a quick workout in on the equipment in the spacious gym. The off-book hours when people were on their own time and didn't feel the need to hammer in training. It was also a bit earlier in the morning, for her at least. Much of her time spent here was in the afternoon hours, mostly because her brother and sparring partner Edgar hated getting up “early” which was pretty much any time before noon. She had woken up and just felt the urge to do something and running around the cramped apartment wasn't cutting it.

The training ring normally needed to be booked by the hour but she had been able to find it abandoned so she took it upon herself to claim it. Running simple ring drills like moving through the ropes between the apron and inside ring various ways to sharpen her muscle memory, getting up and down the turnbuckles, and even practicing a few free falls to the canvas to work on landing better for when she ate a move in the ring. Simple stuff, but she had worked up a decent enough sweat to earn herself a small break.

Leah plopped herself down in the corner and eased herself back against the bottom turnbuckle to rest as she dabbed herself off with her overly flashy gym towel. It was relatively new, plastered with bold jagged text for some sentai show she was unfamiliar with. The characters looked pretty cool though so she had bought it for that reason alone, thankfully it turned out to be a really good gym towel too.

Waltzing in... It had been a bit of a while since Jasper had done anything for AFW, he'd been on Holiday in and around Japan, exploring the sights and generally having himself a good time as he ventured forth from his usual Kyoto stomping grounds and found himself enjoying the many shops around Tokyo that catered to his niche hobbies and interests but after a month or two he'd grown to miss the action, and the excitement of the ring and the thrill of wrestling where he'd pit himself body and mind against an equally strong or cunning opponent in a battle for dominance in the squared circle!

Sure, he'd scored a few street fights in an unofficial league and even dabbled in a few Indie wrestling matches as a guest wrestler, but nothing compared with the excitement of the arena...

So with that all said Welsh lad was once again in Kyoto after his Holiday, waltzing into the Gym and taking a deep breath as he remembered all the times he sparred against the trainers and met other wrestlers and chatted, Good times sure, but today he was going to work-out so he'd be ready for his next match, his next appearance on AFW and his next win!

And thus, changing out of his usual daily outfit the Lad switched into his classic two-piece attire, the version he wore being a back-up he had in the off chance his attire was damaged in the ring and was lacking the red-dragon emblem typically found on the left-hand corner of the top... But it didn't really matter as he wandered around the empty Gym and then saw a girl leaning against the corner post of the practice ring in the Gym... walking over and greeting her in a friendly manner as he climbed into the ring.

"Shwmae!... H-Hullo!" He said, she looked familiar to him... He just couldn't exactly remember where, but someone to work out and train with is certainly better than no one. "Are you using this ring, cos well, ...If not then can I use it too?" He said with a chipper, playful tone with a quizzical tilt of his head as he awaited her response, He knew her from somewhere, but he just couldn't remember where exactly...

Leah's mind wandered freely as she sat, trying to recall the contents of the fridge back in her apartment, the world around her a distant backdrop to her thoughts. The morning had been so quiet, Jasper's approach went unnoticed at first, his words slipping past her like whispers in the wind. Lost in her own reverie of plans for something sweet upon her return home, Leah didn't register his presence until he had already climbed into the ring, his purposeful stride drawing her attention.

Turning towards him, Leah's eyes met Jasper's with a quizzical gaze. He seemed to be waiting for a response, his expression carrying a hint of expectation as if he had just imparted something crucial. Only then did Leah realize he had been speaking to her, though she had only caught the tail end of his inquiry. Something about using... something?

Furrowing her brow, Leah's imagination kicked into overdrive, attempting to piece together what Jasper might have asked of her. Then, like a bolt of clarity, the answer dawned on her, illuminating her features with understanding. It was an odd request to her, especially considering how fresh Jasper appeared, but she was hard pressed to tell someone “no” in many cases. So Leah was unfazed by the peculiarity.

With a gentle shrug and a smile, she responded, "Yeah, sure." As she spoke, Leah reached for the ends of her fabric, giving them a gentle tug before flicking her wrists to flop the towel up from behind her, allowing it to cascade down into her lap. Gathering the colorful printed cloth into a ball, she lightly tossed it towards Jasper, her assumption clear in her actions, she thought he had asked to borrow her towel, not the ring.

Leah then shifted her position, pushing herself up from the corner of the ring with a soft groan, the sound a testament to the intensity of her training. Arching her back slightly, she stretched her muscles. “I always try to come prepared.”

Jasper couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as Leah tossed the towel at him, the way she seemed initially confused at his appearance in the gym, well... that was nice but not really what he wanted. "Oh, that's lovely that you always come prepared..." he said in a somewhat puzzled tone as he watched her stretch and show off those muscles, his face flushing a subtle light shade as he was impressed by her muscular but subtly curvy build, that cute face... Yeah, he was sure impressed ...and maybe a smidgen jealous at her abs, but he was quick to regain his composure and finished his sentence.

"But... I asked if you were using the ring, I'd like to use it for some training myself." He stated in a slightly blunt if polite manner with his arms crossed, not particularly sure how the Blonde American would react, and frankly... There was a small part of him wouldn't have mind if she reacted poorly... He did always love getting into fights.

...It was something of a hobby of his.

Afterwards, he would fold the towel over his arm and then leaving it hung out on the ring-ropes closest to him, then with a playful smile the boy would begin his own stretches where he'd show off his own musculature with eyes closed as he prepared for his workout and ringside training routine, awaiting her answer.

Mid-stretch, Leah paused, her movements arrested by the clarification of Jasper's request. She regarded him with a puzzled expression, akin to witnessing an eccentric act, like pouring orange juice into a bowl of Cheerios. Her head tilted slowly to one side, her nose scrunching slightly as she mulled over his words. Had that actually been what he said? Upon reflection, the request seemed marginally more sensible than soliciting a stranger's sweaty towel. A giggle bubbled up from within her, abruptly ending in a soft snort.

"Ohhh! Uh, yeah, sure, sure, that's fine," she chimed in, her tone laced with a chipper energy. "I was just practicing bumps and some ring drills... You don't look like you'd take up too much space anyway." Leah's attempt at banter carried a playful undertone, though devoid of any genuine malice or intention. After all, compared to the towering figures that frequented the AFW, both Jasper and Leah were far from being among the ranks of the monolithic titans on the roster. With a beaming smile directed at Jasper, she turned on her heel to survey the area where she had been seated, mentally retracing her steps.

"Did I... do that? Yeah, I think... still need to... hmm..." Leah's voice trailed off into quiet murmurs as she ruminated aloud, piecing together her training routine. It proved to be a challenge to maintain her usual pace without her brother's presence to guide their sessions. His breakneck, no-nonsense approach to training, when he actually partook in it, far surpassed her easygoing speed. Suddenly, an epiphany struck her, prompting her to glance back at Jasper, who remained in the ring without any indication of departure. Of course, why wouldn't he still be there?

"Sorry, I'm being a big rude dummy, aren't I?" she apologized, half-turning to address Jasper, her hand reaching up to sweep back a few stray strands of sweat-dotted blond hair from her brow. "I'm Leah, by the way. A bit out of it today. I'm not used to training solo when it's so quiet here." She gave him a small apologetic smile, that somehow managed to retain her genuine sweetness.

Jasper let out a contented little sigh as he finished his stretch and took a subsequent deep breath, opening his eyes to see Leah giggling at him softly in a way that he just couldn't help but find very endearing, a soft giggle of his own being let out as the Welsh boy heard her little quip about how he didn't take much space... "Heh, And you don't take up too much space yourself bach." he replied in his usual happy-go-lucky manner, the Welsh boy preparing to do his own series of ring-drills but keeping an eye on the Blonde girl.

There was something charming he had to admit about her, that friendly tone she had, the humour and the friendly eyes... He liked that, it was fun... He never always had the chance to meet and befriend other wrestlers in his downtime or during his exercise time, he always wanted to make a new friend at the gym and well, it seems he's getting just that as Leah turned around to face him suddenly.

"Ohh! Oh no bach, you're fine! The Welshman said with a soft, friendly laugh as he placed a hand behind his head, scratching it gingerly as she introduced herself in that friendly tone he liked, that sincerity was just, Oh! it made him happy and -Oh? Leah...? Leah something... Where has he heard that name before? ...he KNEW her from an event that occurred before he signed on with AFW and the name of the event escapes him but, that didn't matter now as the boyo suddenly extended out his hand for the girl for a friendly handshake.

"Jasper... Jasper Rhys, from the Welsh Valleys at your service bach and that's funny, I'm used to training on my own, it's not so bad really!" he said with his own brand of cheerful rural Welsh sincerity that was as cute as it was amusing, finishing off his sentence with a playful giggle.

“Yep. I always used to have the best hiding spaces when I was younger… but I was even smaller back then now that I think about it. Imagine that... super tiny. Still, I can probably fit in some pretty cramped spaces.” She trailed off on that thought, lost for a moment on an unintended tangent before returning back to the meeting at hand. She made her way over, taking a small detour to collect her towel and tossing it over one shoulder to hang.

She dismissed it the first time but couldn't help but notice he kept “bah”ing at her. It didn't seem like the “Bah Humbug” sort of thing she was familiar with. Was this some sort of strange Welsh verbal tick? A mispronounced word? Was Jasper actually a pokemon whose real name was “Bah”? She didn't really know. Her face had a goofy look of amusement and confusion plastered on it as she spoke, easily amused by the way he talked. Accents were always a bit funny to her, though her father had taught her to keep things like that to herself to keep from causing issues. She had been all over the world in her youth thanks to his career so she had certainly run into her fair share of good accents.

“That’s an England place, right?” Leah inquired with a bit of hesitancy. Geograph had never been a strong subject for her but she was almost certain it was. “I lived there for a bit… like a long summer. England I mean, not in Welsh Valley.” She gave a small nod, reaching out fo take the offered hand and give it a firm shake.

Jasper couldn't help but tilt his head quizzically at the tangent she went off on... especially given the height difference the two had but, he didn't really mind it, the Welsh boy found it cute the way she spoke of her youth, though it did confuse him a little bit... Regardless, he watched her grab the towel and hang it over her shoulder, with the blonde girl giving the Welsh boy an amused look that mildly puzzled him further.

...Was it something he said? Was it something he did? did he smell? He didn't really know until she asked him a rather peculiar question, one that he answered pretty quickly. "Ah... no, Wales is a separate country of it's own within the United Kingdom, just that England invaded it a bunch of times." he said with an awkward smile and soft laugh, again scratching the back of his head absent-mindedly with his free hand before then asking "...What part of England if I may inquire?" with an innocent, friendly tone as she finally grabbed his hand and the two had a nice, firm handshake.

There, as the two shook hands and conversed face-to-face, Jasper would subconsciously size himself up with Leah and subtly looked up and down at her and well... He had to admit, she was quite a pretty girl, a perfect balance of muscular and subtle curves that simultaneously was nice and slim all topped off with a very pretty face with friendly blue eyes that he could stare into all day...

“Oh…” Leah grimaced at her blunder, seemingly having had no idea that was the case. She commited Wales to memory though as a place instead of the fictitious “Welsh Valley '' place she had conjured in her mind. As she conversed, or more accurately, rambled, she was incredibly lively. Her face was expressive, making small gestures with her hands when free, and seemingly incapable of keeping still as she shifted her weight. In all of that, if she had caught Jasper sizing her up it hadn’t come across from her body language.

“Cambridge, like the school. We were there for a few weeks then we got moved into a place into uh… something heath place, like the candy bar. We were there for a few months. My dad worked at a base there.” She gave a small nod of affirmation as if she was double checking the details in her own head. “That was a pretty long time ago though… one of our neighbors had sheep.”

"Oh, Cambridge...? I've never been that far into England... I think the farthest I've ever gone is like Merseyside?" He said in reply to Leah. "And base? You mean like one of those American military bases they have all over Britain?" he finished with a curious look on his face as he kept an eye on her... finding himself more and more endeared, the blonde girl's movements though when she mentioned one of her neighbours, he couldn't help but crack a big smile.

"Sheep? I'm quite familiar with those! My family runs a sheep farm down in the South Wales Valleys, around the Rhondda Valleys, beautiful place it is." He said with some noted enthusiasm to his voice, it wasn't often that he got to talk about sheep and how to care and raise them in the world of professional wrestling and fighting so to him, this is quite the treat. "Sheep are fascinating animals though, they're a lot more troublesome than they seem, but the baby lambs are sooo cute!" He finished with a light squee of joy, likely remembering how much fun it was to care for lambs when he was a boy before cheeky thought crossed his mind with a playful smirk forming on his face, his warm and friendly Hazel eyes getting a glint of mischief to them as he placed a hand on his hip and softly, somehow humbly and most of all playfully boast about his strength.

"...And I frankly wouldn't be as strong as I am now if it weren't for all that hard work on the family farm." He said with a confident tone as with his left arm placed on his hip for dramatic effect, he raised his right-arm and began to flex it... Somehow, all the while still coming off as something of a cheerful goober as he tried to impress the taller girl by showing off his subtle muscle.