Working out is harder than expected

In less than an hour, Weiss was completely exhausted. It was to be expected though. Despite being a huntress-in-training, she wasn't exactly the most athletic of her peers. Her fighting style reflected her delicate build; fast, elegant, and aimed at hitting vital spots with quick precision strikes using her rapier. Nothing like the brute **** that someone like Yang relied on.

You didn't need lots of stamina when you were able to end a battle quickly. Plus, her glyphs already boosted her speed, while her expertise with dust made up for several shortcomings. The heiress was good at playing a supportive role, utilizing said abilities.

Her lackluster physique wasn't one of such, sadly. Weiss panted as she sat down in a chair, face flushed and sweat dripping down her brow. Hardly a fitting image of a Schnee. Both her father and mother would be appalled with her current state. Well, her father would rant about the Schnee reputation, whereas her mother would be too drunk to even care. Winter would probably approve; being part of the military, her sister had gone through grueling physical training befitting of a specialist and huntress.

It was a bit shameful, to be honest. Huntresses were supposed to be in tiptop shape. Weiss wasn't weak by any means, but she wasn't as strong or robust as someone of Yang's caliber. A poor comparison, considering Yang's status as a brawler and tank, yet even other students at Beacon were in better shape than she was; people not as physically active as the Y in team RWBY. Even Ruby was more athletic!

She really needed to fix this, didn't she? But that was but an afterthought as she tried to control her breathing. The white-haired girl had tried her hardest; keeping up with Yang was all but impossible, but that hadn't stopped her from doing her best. A few sets later, and she already felt a burning sensation in her arms and legs. That was supposedly a good sign.

There wouldn't be any results yet. Even Weiss knew that. Visiting the gym one day didn't lead to instant gains – it took time. However, she disliked that all her efforts weren't showing anything yet. Only her sitting in this chair, completely spent and ready to fall over, while her teammate kept going. The huntress-in-training’s stamina was acceptable. Yet the pain in her arms prevented her from continuing, though.

"It's... unfair..." Weiss panted softly.

Okay, maybe not. Yang did work out a lot, not to mention that she'd been at it for far longer than her. It was only normal for the outgoing teen to be in better shape. Weiss doubted anyone in their year, except for maybe Pyrrha and Nora, could match Yang in the gym. Those two were also ridiculously strong. And speaking of which, how did Nora maintain that figure when she easily devoured enough pancakes to feed an entire Beowolf pack?!

But wasn't that incentive enough to try harder? Weiss tried to make herself believe that, even if it wasn't working as well as she’d liked. Catching up to Yang was out of the question. Simply impossible. She should be trying to reach a more realistic goal for now, and worry about herself instead of others.

Once she caught her breath, of course. Any second now.

"Here. You might want to use these."

Weiss blinked, staring at the small towel and bottle of water in front of her. She looked past said items to see tanned arms, and then the youthful face of a boy.

Or, well, not exactly. He just looked like a boy. One that was already old enough to have se– to have intercourse. But he was short, and his boyish features didn’t help. Weiss guessed he was eighteen, which meant he was Ruby’s age and two years younger than herself; as well as the other members of her team. Still, he looked younger.

The boy’s skin was quite tanned, as if kissed by the sun, and had admittedly adorable freckles on his face. What stood out the most to her were his eyes though. Hazel, with the main iris being forest green, along with accents of burnt orange and yellow around the pupil; a unique combination. Not unappealing.

His hair was dark and short, with bangs. It was a bit messy, but not to the point it made him look bad. Aside from the obvious, and as previously stated, he was short in stature and not really much taller than she was. Maybe 1m60 or something?

It took her a few moments to realize she was staring. Only the discipline drilled into her by Winter and her private tutors allowed her to save face. She recovered from her surprise, and nodded graciously.

"Thank you. That is very kind of you." Weiss said, accepting the items.

"You're welcome." The boy smiled. "You looked like you could use something refreshing. Oh, my name's Oscar."

"Weiss. Weiss Schnee. And yes, I am quite thirsty. It's my first time at the gym." She wiped away some of the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead, sighing at the pleasant sensation. Then she froze as the implications of his words hit her. "Please tell me I don't look to awful..."

Oscar laughed heartily. "Not at all. Trust me; we've had people lying on the floor from exhaustion before. You look a bit flustered, but a few minutes of rest and you're as good as new."

"I'm relieved to hear that. Do you work here, then?"

"Only for about a month or two, since turning eighteen. My uncle owns the gym, and I'm helping out." Oscar explained, unknowingly confirming her earlier suspicions. He was friendly, for a stranger. Easy to talk with too. "Before this, I worked at my parents' farm in Mistral. They decided it would better if I go to school here, however, so here I am."

Weiss nodded. She opened the bottle and drank, almost sagging in relief as the cold water went down her throat. By the gods, she was so thirsty! Oscar was already scoring more points than Yang was – the friend-abandoning fiend.

"A farm in Mistral? Vale must be quite the change then. Or have you visited the city before?" She asked, genuinely curious. Plus, she appreciated the small talk. It drew away attention from her exhaustion.

The boy shook his head. "Not at all. It's my first time; kind of like you visiting the gym. And yeah, Vale is very different from the farmland. A lot busier and noisier, mostly."

Weiss smiled gently. "I can see why you'd say that. I'm from Atlas myself, but I'd already visited Vale before entering Beacon."

"You're a huntress?!"

"In training." She corrected him, holding up a finger. Weiss took another sip. "I'm only in my first year though."

"That's so awesome! I've never met someone who can kill Grimm." Oscar's excitement didn't diminish in the slightest. "I mean, we've had huntsmen visit the village before, but I could never get a good glimpse of them. Mom never let me outside whenever there were reported sightings of Grimm."

"Smart woman. They're not to be underestimated."

Weiss raised an eyebrow as he scratched his cheek nervously. "T-true. We've had small Grimm step onto our farmland before, and they were pretty dangerous despite weak. But if you're a huntress, then you're here to train, I guess?"

Trying and failing. Weiss' cheeks burned with embarrassment. She didn't really feel like an amazing huntress right now, being so sore from exercising less than an hour. Calisthenics she was used to; weightlifting not so much.

"My teammate dragged me here, yes. She's the loudmouth over there."

Oscar followed her gaze, spotting Yang as she showed off in front of several guys. They looked like regular gymgoers, with their defined and bulky physiques. Unfortunately for them, Yang was stronger than she looked and easily outlifted all of them. The humiliation on their faces was as clear as day.

"Oh..." Oscar's eyes widened. When he stared for a bit too long, he suddenly broke away, blushing fiercely. "Um, I mean – sorry!"

Weiss chuckled at his cute reaction. "It's alright. You're not the only who acts like that around her. Besides, you didn't bring her any water or a towel, right?"

"Ha, guess so. Thanks." He sighed in relief. Smiling rather adorably, however. "But you wanted to get stronger too?"

"Yes. As much as I loathe to agree with Xiao-Long, I am struggling in the strength department. I tried to keep up, but looks like I'm not quite there yet. Working out is more complicated than I thought."

"Hmm, that's true. Maybe I can help you? Only if you want, of course!" Oscar offered hurriedly. "I mean, I know a thing or two by now. Uncle isn't around much, seeing as he's cooped up in his office, but he's given me pointers before. I can also help you with your diet and stuff."

Weiss considered his offer. While she wasn't keen on accepting offers from people she'd just met, Oscar wasn't someone with ill intentions. He hadn't given any indication of recognizing her family name, nor had he made any advantages towards her. He was just trying to be helpful. She glanced at the towel in her lap, knowing she'd already made her decision.

"That sound wonderful. When can we start?" Weiss asked, smiling.

"Great! Whenever you want, really. We're closed tomorrow, but you can come by at two in the afternoon. Uncle won't mind us using the gym then."

"That's good enough for me." Weiss grinned happily. This was her chance to show Yang what she was made of! "I'll be there."