literature

Mei at the gym

Deviation Actions

BaiSuzhen's avatar
By
Published:
2.4K Views

Literature Text

Mei went to knock on Zoey's door, and then remembered she had a key.

"Hey Zoey." she called out, letting herself in. "You ready to go?"

"Just give me a second!" came Zoey's voice from the bathroom, followed by a few splashes. Mei followed the direction of the noise, and saw a bathtub full of chocolate-brown liquid.

"Zoey, as much as I love taking a bath in you, it'll have to wait."

A pair of golden eyes opened in the surface of the liquid, and rippled. They were followed by a mouth, which said "Aww, come on, just a bit? I need to dry out before I can lift weights anyway, or they'll just splash right through me."

"You planned this didn't you? Well, this time, I'm a step ahead." Mei reached into her gym bag, and took out a thick tube. "This is a survival straw. It's got so many filters, nothing but water gets through."

Mei dropped the end into the tub, and sucked. Zoey rippled again, and her waterline began to lower, though Mei tasted nothing but water.

"Oooh, you cheater." accused Zoey, though her tone clearly sounded pleased.

Mei sucked a little more, then stopped. "There, that looks about right. Unless I go a bit more? Dry you into a powder?"

Zoey reached out of the tub, forming arms, a head, shoulders, body and legs until she was sitting on the side, naked. "Promise me you will another time. It sounds like fun." and then leaned forwards to kiss Mei. An action greatly appreciated, and returned.

When they pulled apart, Mei giggled. "You taste of soap."

Zoey laughed too. "Of course I do. You only pulled out the water.". She blew a kiss at Mei, which took the form of a heart-shaped soap bubble, and popped on her head. "Ooh, I like this. Want to see where else I can blow them from?"

"Later. We really don't want to be late."

Zoey shifted herself some gym clothes, and took Mei's hand. "There, all set. Let's go."



As they walked, Zoey blew more bubbles, morphing her mouth into unusual shapes as she did so.

"Seriously, this is cool. Check it out."

She blew a long, spiral bubble, filled with smaller ones that scattered when the outer bubble popped.

"Well, next time we'll add more soap to you. See how big you can get them then. Just... try not to blow yourself into a bubble. That would be messy to clean up."

"I make no promises."

After a few more steps, Zoey asked "So, why are we going to the gym? Other than to bounce on the treadmills?"

"They're teaching a women's self defence class today, with a focus on morphers."

Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Mei, I've seen you lift a car."

"It was a small one. And besides, what if I'm defending myself against someone who can also lift cars?"

"Run away?"

"OTHER than that. And what if it's you, too?"

"Hmmm... I'd probably melt and escape."

"Oh, that's your solution to everything."

"Because it works."

"Well, what if-"

"Mei. If you want to learn some fighting so Kiki doesn't keep beating you, that's cool. But I don't really think it's me. I'll cheer you on though."

"Thanks, Zoey. Anyway, it's just an intro class, it won't be that bad, surely?"



Once in the gym, Mei went to the locker room. Zoey went straight on through to the main gym, as she hadn't brought anything that wasn't a part of her, but Mei didn't have that option.

There was one other woman in the changing area when Mei entered. She would have minded her own business, but it was hard not to stare. The other woman was tiled, the same tiles as the floor, complete with lines of filler in a regular pattern. Then, as the woman pulled on a t-shirt, the tiles rippled and shifted, softening and turning black, the many lines replaced by sewn seams running down her sides.

Mei watched for a little more, before realising she was staring and moving on in to change herself. Hearing this, the woman turned around, nodded at Mei, and then frowned.

"Something wrong?" asked Mei.

"I'm not sure... have we met?"

"I don't think so... I think I would have remembered you." The frown intensified, making the woman's sewn face looks like it needed ironing. Me quickly tried backpedalling. "Maybe you've used my business? I run a courier firm-"

"That's it! You're the cyclist who used my fire truck as a ramp!"

"I... uh, I had an urgent delivery, and it's not like the siren was on..."

"You landed right in a muddy puddle, got it all over me!"

"It's just a little mu...oooh." As Mei talked, the woman was putting in piercings, through her ears and eyebrows. It looked about as difficult as pinning a badge to clothes, but after the first few her form rippled again, and smooth steel replaced black cloth.

Mei tried again. "At least you got it all off?"

"My foot went through the pedals! I had to have someone else park my truck!"

"I... uh, I'm going to go change over here..."

Mei backed away sheepishly, and selected a different locker to use. She didn't leave until after she heard the other woman do so.




The self-defence lessons were starting up by a wrestling ring, with crash mats spread out around the edge. Mei took a seat on one at the far end, and the pierced metal-woman at the other.

Standing in the ring was a woman who seemed to Mei to be entirely different shades of pink and red, from her purple dress, pink hair and faintly rose-coloured skin. At least, Mei thought it was skin.

When everyone seemed to be settled, the woman addressed them. "Greetings, students. My name is Kinetic Automative, Transfigurative, Embodiment. You may call me Katelyn. I am here to instruct you in the basics of self defence where shapeshifters, morphers and other powered individuals are concerned. I shall begin with a short presentation on health, safety and acceptable behaviour."

With that, Katelyn turned her back on the group, to face a blank wall. The lights dimmed, and she bent forwards, her body shifting. Arms lengthened and became thinner, as did her legs, strands of maroon matter weaving their way between the limbs. Her torso compressed, becoming more angular and her head shrank almost entirely into it, until a single eye was poking out, on a short tube. There was a flickering light, and then the eye projected an image onto the wall. "K.A.T.E. Information Films Presents..."

The projector woman then led the class through various warm-up exercises, demonstrated by a cartoon of herself on the screen, and went through the do's and don'ts.

When the film was over, the lights came on again, and Katelyn stood up again, her old self, save for her head, which was still a projector.

"Now then, we're going to begin with breaking out of being grabbed. If I could have ordinary humans on my left, and everyone else on my right, then pair up. One human with one powered."




The class did as instructed, but Mei got turned around in the groupings, and every time she approached someone, someone else had stepped in. Eventually, she was the only one without a partner.

"An extra powered? We usually don't have enough. I was ready to ask for volunteers for division. Well, I'll need someone to volunteer for a demonstration, anyway. Come up here."

Mei clambered into the ring, under the bottom rope, and stood facing Katelyn, who then turned her projector-head to the class.

"Remember, we're here to train, not fight. Introduce yourself to your partner, and shake their hand." She turned back to Mei, and extended a hand. "Greetings. I am Kinetic Automative, Transfigurative, Embodiment. You may call me Katelyn."

Mei shook Katelyn's hand, noting that it felt like metal. "Um, you said. I'm Mei. Good to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too. Now then, pay attention everyone..."




And so Katelyn began teaching the class a few basics, about how standard moves were less effective on morphers, but being disoriented weakens them, making it harder to hold a cohesive shape.

"Now, if we move on to-"

"Um, excuse me, Miss Katelyn?" came a voice from the students.

Mei, and several others, turned to see a woman standing over a green puddle. "I think it worked a little too well on this one... is she ok?"

"She is fine, don't worry. A small application of Lury water, and... Ah. The vending machine appears to be out."

Katelyn stepped out of the ring, and down to the puddle. Morphing her arm into a long tube, she began to suck up the liquid, and then ejected a filled canister from her body.

"I shall take her to another source. Is anyone here trained in first aid?"

Both Mei and the metal punk raised their hands.

"Then you are in charge until I return. Carry on with the exercises I have shown you."

As Katelyn left, the punk climbed in to the ring.

"Come on, out, she left me in charge."

"What? No way, she left me in charge!"

"You're kidding, right? I'm emergency services, a trusted authourity figure!"

"Yeah, but she showed me all the moves first-hand!"

"You're a hooligan, you'll probably break something!"

"You're a punk, you'll get your face-bling caught on things!"

The two were squaring off at this point



As Mei and the unknown woman argued, a voice came from somewhere in the audience.
"Fiiiight!"

Mei smirked. "Well, that would settle-"

And the other woman hit her.

Mei staggered back a few steps, the side of her head concave from the steel-fisted punch. She shook her head to clear the dizzyness, and prepared to fight properly.

"Get her, Razor!" Came a cry from the audience.

"Really? Your name is Razor?" Mei taunted.

The apparently-named Razor yelled, and rushed at Mei, who was ready this time. She crouched and lifted, to use the charging punk's momentum for a throw.

About half-way through, Mei realised many techniques work better on people who aren't apparently solid steel. So instead of throwing Razor, Mei was forced to leg go half-way through, and drop her opponent to the mat. She landed with an enormous thud, but seemed otherwise unharmed.

In fact, Razor didn't even seem dazed. She grabbed Mei's ankle and tugged, forcing her off balance and to fall backwards on to the mat. Even as Mei landed, the metal woman was standing, and jumping.

Mei rolled to one side to avoid the plummeting elbow, which smashed a hole in the ring with a loud crunch. As she stood up, she saw that Razor was having problems freeing her elbow from the hole.

"Not so easy without gravity, is it?" She said, winding up for a punch.

"Bite me." Replied her opponent.



Mei's punch struck Razor dead centre in her face, producing a loud Clang and knocking the metal woman backwards. She just laughed at it, as the force pushed her free of the hole, and Mei's fist collapsed into wet clay.

"Don't punch metal, sweetie. You'll only hurt your- huh?"

As Razor taunted, her body rippled, and black cloth began replacing polished steel.

Mei held up her messy hand, along with a dozen pins, rings and studs. “Looking for these?”

The punk felt her face, and sure enough, her piercings were gone.

“Advantage, Me.” declared Mei, before dashing forwards, jumping and landing a flying kick on her cloth opponent, pushing her to the ground, and crumpling her up. Mei punched downwards next, the tud into the mat muffled by the padded cloth. Finally, she stepped back. “Had enough?”

Razor popped back into shape, and growled. “Bah, like punching a pillow. You still can’t hurt me!” She retreated back, out of the ring, bending herself strangely to fit between the ropes without touching them, and picked up a pair of weights, her body turning into the dull iron as she did.

Mei waited by the ropes, ready to attack when her opponent came back in. The audience were cheering, and she flexed, and nodded to them. A few booed, a few cheered louder, most were just interested in watching.



Mei turned her back on Razor to show off to the rest of the crowd, and felt a thud in her back. This was quickly followed by a ripping noise, and a sudden draft, as Razor’s thrown weight punched through Mei’s back, out her chest, tearing off her shirt and carrying it across the room.

“Gah!” responded Mei, covering herself with one arm, and stepping away from the edge of the ring. Razor climbed back in, thudding with the weight of her iron form, still holding the other weight.

Mei growled, and scooped a handful of clay-like mass from her new chest-hole, and used it to make herself decent again, and free up both hands.

Razor rushed forwards, weight held back, ready to swing. Mei waited, ready. As the two passed, there was a flurry of motion, and they were apart again.

Mei had a large chunk of her shoulder missing, her arm hanging by a thread, and Razor was covered in the clay remains. Held in Mei's good hand was a black, torn shirt. It was Razor's turn to cover herself, dropping her weight to do so, and Mei lunged forwards when this happened.

"I've got you now!" She declared, as Razor once again rippled and changed materiel, this time looking tan, soft and slightly drippy. As her opponent turned into soft clay, Mei grabbed her around the waist, and squeezed hard enough to nearly snap her in half.

Instead of snapping Razor in half, Mei bent over backwards, sharply, bashing her opponent's head into the mat, where it made a satisfying splatting noise, and spread out. Mei let go and stepped back, wet goop that matched her own skin had come off of Razor, painting a shillouette on Mei.

"And this one for the title!" Declared Mei, climbing the turnbuckle, and launching herself at the dazed Razor in a belly flop.

Once again, there was a satisfying squashing noise, only much louder and drowned out by the cheers and boos from the audience. Razor was reduced to a large splat on the floor, with dizzy looking eyes on opposite sides. Mei stood up again, covered in her opponent, and bowed for the audience.

"Now then, I believe there was a lesson?"



"Got next!" Came a voice from behind Mei, who turned, and saw a rapidly-descending foot heading her way.



Some time later, Kayelyn surveyed the ring. It was covered in mud, most of it in various shades of skin tones, but some in more unusual colours. It wasn't just the ring that was covered, a very satisfied looking woman was lying on her back in the middle, completely obscured. Underneath, her features belonged to at least five different people.
The cheering crowd was gone, most of them having decided to join in at one point or another.
"Oh my... I hope I brought enough water."
Mei attends a class at the gym, and a new twist on an old sport is invented.

Part of the :iconmorphermanor: setting, Katelyn belongs to :iconsageikoma: and is used with permission.
© 2013 - 2024 BaiSuzhen
Comments4
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
saralexxia's avatar
Isn't turning from an ordinary human to a morpher as easy as touching a special kind of stone? Are there really that many people who'd prefer not to?