The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

24| Getting to know you

"What, so you eat a bagel every single day?" Rosé asked incredulously, chewing her lip.

"Pretty much! Bagels are divine!" Lisa practically had hearts in her eyes for the past ten minutes as she animatedly described exactly the kind of bagel she consumed every day, such that Rosé almost found herself craving to taste and savour the texture of this legendary food.

"Saturdays and Sundays though, we have energy drinks for breakfast," Lisa added with a shrug. "My un-favourite days of the week, no prizes for guessing why."

"Energy drinks?" Rosé asked, aghast.

"Yep! We wouldn't have much in the fridge from like Friday night exceptlike ramne pots but who eats ramen pot niodles for breakfast, ughhh! Plus the energy drinks are reasonably priced. Don't worry, yeah I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day but we have a good tuck-in later at lunch," Lisa explained.

Rosé shook her head, deciding to let it slide. Energy drinks...don't they have a coffee maker? Or a kettle at the very least.

She wouldn't dream of starting the day off without pancakes and a cup of coffee, and she told Lisa so.

"Maple syrup drizzled on them and a handful of fruits, whatever's in season. Strawberries and mangos are the best."

"I love strawberries! Been a while since I had them...and mangos too. I almost forgot what they taste like..."

The two women had settled into light conversation as they went through the exercises, with Rosé inquiring about Lisa's lifestyle in order to pinpoint any possible improvements she could do to avoid stressing her body and mind.

"But... you know...eating bagels all year round...all that cholesterol piling up..." Rosé said hesitantly.

"I burn it up working out all day!" Lisa chuckled. "It gives me the calories I need. I actually have to eat lots of proteins too, so chicken is nearly always what I have for lunch. Need to keep my muscle mass, you know? Don't some people have a full English every day too?"

"Not quite recommended," Rosé hummed as she held on the handle bar and stretched her leg, arching her back and tilting her neck backwards slowly until her crown touched the sole of her foot.

She had her eyes closed so she couldn't see Lisa's expression but she smiled to hear the other girl gasp softly.

"Rosie, stop flexing on me," Lisa whined. Rosé's smile broadened.

"I'm not. I'm just...doing my thing."

"Right in front of my salad?" Lisa chortled as she slapped her own thigh. "Dang, if only Somi was here, that would be three chicken buckets!"

"Somi? Jeon Somi? You know her?" Rosé asked with interest as she lowered her leg down. "She's a nice girl, a dancer."

"Yeah, her dad owns the diner where we get the bagels and she visits the Vault with him all the time. She practically lives with us."

"The Vault?" 

"Our gym, mine and my sister's," Lisa explained. She looked wary when Rosé approached her. "What are you gonna do? No way I can stretch like that, I'll end up with a broken spine!"

"Stop exaggerating," the instructor grinned, "from what I've seen, you're plenty flexible. If you had been more on the skinny side, you would have had a perfect dancer's body. We'll go it slow."

She held out her hand. "I'll be helping you, don't worry. The important thing is not to rush and make sudden movements that would jar—you could tear ligaments and tendons."