Modern AU by @ichigo-otaku for @thekingofcarrotflower
He had taken Sera’s recommendation more seriously when he realizes most of the gyms in the area were much less accommodating than he’s used to. Not only that, but many of them are owned by the same company, Ferelden Fitness, and because he’s been banned from becoming a member at any facility owned by them, he has limited options.
Sera highly recommends the small and almost impossible to find gym when they talk over drinks. She’s got a girl in her lap and she takes her attention away from the conversation long enough to giggle and kiss her between sentences. “Just sayin’, fancy britches. The place is the best, run by a freaking beast of a lady. Woof,” she snickers. The girl in her lap, Dorian learns eventually her name is Dagna, doesn’t seem to have any complaints, too busy downing her own drink. “They’ve got great snacks and wickedly amazing showers. The shower heads are detachable too…”
Dagna giggles into her drink, and Dorian decides he’s had enough of the conversation.
He can’t deny he’s interested though, which is what brings him to a place called “Buff Bodies and Buddies.” It seems like a more intimate sort of crowd as he walks into the doors, paying close attention to the people operating various exercise equipment just beyond the front desk.
A girl is
ready to greet him, a smile almost too cheery on her face. “Hello, welcome to
Buff Bodies and Buddies!” she exclaims. It’s almost alarming to Dorian, but he
doesn’t let it show. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before. Are you a new
member?”
“Actually,
I haven’t signed up yet,” Dorian says. “I was rather wondering if I could get a
tour or perhaps meet with a personal trainer, to see if this is the right sort
of fit?”
“Oh, absolutely!” she exclaims, turning at her desk and nearly running to the office just to the right. Dorian can’t help wondering how he didn’t notice it before, the door wide open. “Bahie, we have a new client that is interested in a tour of the gym. Would you like me to show him around?”
‘Please no,’ Dorian thinks, and already he’s sighing at his own reactions.
“Actually,
I’ll do it. I need to take a break from all this paperwork, it’s giving me a
headache.”
The girl nods, bouncing back to her desk before the other person emerges from their office. Dorian nearly chokes when he sees a qunari woman walk out, wearing casual businesswear instead of the usual gym set or anything remotely fitness related. She stands just a few inches taller than him, and horns that stick out to the back but twist towards the end. Her hair is short, pulled into corn rows that fit tight to her scalp. She wears just a tad too much makeup in Dorian’s opinion.
“Bahie Adaar. Welcome to Buff Bodies and Buddies,” she says, extending her hand as she walks closer to Dorian.
He tells
himself not to show intimidation. He has seen a qunari or two since leaving
Tevinter, but he hasn’t interacted with anyone other than humans or elves for
the most part (with an occasional dwarf here and there). Bahie seems to sense
it though, giving him a warm smile and a laugh. “It’s alright, not a lot of
people expect a qunari when they first arrive. I promise I’ll go easy on you.
I’m not one of the trainers, I’m just the owner.”
“Dorian Pavus,” Dorian says when he finally reaches out. Bahie grabs his and shakes just twice before letting go. “I have heard you have one of the best gyms in the area. I’m rather impressed, as I couldn’t find much information upon further research.”
“Ah, yes, that’s mostly because it’s a somewhat new gym,” Bahie explains. “I’m the second owner, actually. I’m afraid we haven’t quite mastered the art of social media.”
“Not a problem. I’m appreciating the smaller crowd the longer I am here,” Dorian says. “Care to show me around? I’d like to see more.”
“Absolutely,”
Bahie nods. She acknowledges the girl at the desk before leading Dorian to the
main room. Dorian can tell the equipment is mostly organized by use, seeing
more weights on one side of the room while the other is used for elliptical
machines and treadmills.
“We don’t
have much room as of yet. The gym itself mostly consists of a few rooms
available to the public, but it prides itself in being very friendly towards
customer needs and expectations,” Bahie explains while they walk. Dorian does
his best to pay attention to her words while he looks around the room, taking
note of the type of clients the gym catered to. For the most part, he isn’t
surprised to find more people that he’d consider common at one point in his
life. Everyone seems friendly as well, waving if they catch his eye or calling
out to Bahie as they pass.
“The people here seem to rather enjoy themselves,” Dorian says.
Bahie
swells at the compliment. “I do my best. I don’t want people coming to a gym
they don’t enjoy. What’s the point in bettering yourself if you’re not enjoying
it, am I right?”
Dorian has
to agree, and he follows Bahie into a smaller room. This one is much smaller
and has fewer equipment, but what it contains mostly looks like yoga mats or
small hand weights.
“This is
where we teach some of our classes. It’s a newer thing we’ve started,
actually,” Bahie says. “I don’t know if you’d be interested in anything like
yoga or dancing, but the classes are free with membership.”
“Interesting.
I’d like to look into them at one point,” Dorian says. “I do have a question
for you though. In my research, there was a note about personal trainers, or
rather the lack of them. Is there a reason for that?”
Bahie seems
to blush at the question, her hands rubbing together while she clears her
throat. “Ah, well… Again, it’s a new thing we’re trying out, but we haven’t
had much luck keeping many,” she explains. “We do have one that a lot of our
clients regularly visit. He didn’t originally start as a trainer, but he’s
rather good at it, so until we have more professional help, he is filling in.”
Dorian
claps his hands together and smiles. “Excellent. I’d like to become a member,
if I could possibly have a chance to work with the personal trainer,” he says.
“I usually go into this sort of thing alone, however I’d like to try something
a little different here. Perhaps having a trainer will keep me out of trouble.”
With a
smirk, Bahie extends her hand once more. “I’m sure we could keep you in line.
As long as you don’t spend too long in the bathrooms,” she says. She can’t help
laughing when Dorian gapes at her, sputters over his words while he tries to
formulate a response. “I apologize, I should have told you sooner that I’d
heard your name. You’re the same man who was banned from Ferelden Fitness for
lingering in the locker rooms?”
“I-I-It’s
not what you think!” Dorian exclaims. His response sends Bahie into another fit
of giggles, which makes him blush in turn. “Vishante kaffas…”
“Don’t
worry, Dorian. We don’t judge here,” Bahie says. “I won’t discourage you from
whatever business you have, however I do request that you take care of it when
you or anyone else involved are alone.”
Dorian can
hardly respond, just covers his eyes with one hand and takes a deep breath
through his nose. Bahie’s hand touches his shoulder and gives him a reassuring
squeeze. “We’d be happy to have you here. If you’re interested in joining
still.”
“Do I
really have any other choice?” Dorian mumbled. Bahie doesn’t respond, but he
sighs and nods. “When can I start?”
“Let’s go
back to my office and figure out your membership plan,” Bahie suggests. Dorian
follows her back towards the main entrance, passing the main locker rooms once
more.
They aren’t
able to get very far, a voice booming from inside. “Boss! You out there?”
someone calls before the door bursts open. It nearly smacks Dorian in the face,
but he’s able to step back and avoid it. Bahie simply reaches out to stop it
with one hand, as if she has practice with it.
A man steps
out of the women’s locker room, oddly enough. Dorian immediately thinks the man
is a pervert, but given Bahie’s response, he tries not to let his first
impression linger. He peers around the door only to feel his assumptions melt
away, gaping as he sees the man behind it.
It’s
another qunari, this one standing much taller and broader than Bahie. He has
two horns, both sticking out and points to the ceiling. An eye patch covers
what Dorian assumes is a mess of scars where his left eye should be. He’s
wearing a tank top, sporting the gym logo and a pair of jeans that may be too
tight. Dorian swears he won’t stare at them.
“Ah, Bull,
perfect timing!” Bahie exclaims, and she moves the door so Dorian can come into
view. “I just took one of our newest clients on a tour around the gym, and he
mentioned wanting a personal trainer. You up for taking on another client?”
The man,
Bull as Bahie had called him, gave Dorian a glance. He stalled for a few
seconds, looking Dorian over before he smiled. “Sure. Haven’t trained a vint in
a while, Krem’s still taking a break from his routine.” He takes a step
forward, Dorian unconsciously taking a step back. The man is intimidating in
size alone, and with Dorian’s lack of experience with qunari…
Another
hand is extended towards him though, this time attached to Bull. “The name’s
the Iron Bull. The “the” is important,” he explains. “I hope you’re ready for a
workout! I don’t go easy on anyone.”
(Part One/Three!)

