[center][color=000fff][b]Abel Fulgurate[/b][/color][/center]

From an early age, Abel harbored an unusual interpretation of the idea of 'stress'.  Shortly after beginning his training as a guardian in Palisade, he came to the conclusion that stress was a poison.  It built up inside someone who didn't know how to deal with it or didn't have the time, affecting that person's abilities and attitude, all the while slowly eating away at his or her soul.  Like certain diseases, though, it didn't ultimately kill by itself, but instead allowed other malevolent afflictions to get their time in the limelight.  Someone choked by stress might not notice an extra Grimm coming in at the side, or be so tired that a sudden gust of wind might blow him or her over the wall.  This rather odd notion, combined with Abel's methodical nature, meant that he always took pains to alleviate stress whenever he felt it bubbling in his veins.

No normal person would have made a beeline for the gym after only half an hour of post-mission rest, but Abel did exactly that.  His reasoning was simple: through rhythmic, repetitious exertion, he could shed away his worries like scratching away so much dead skin after a sunburn.  Some people lost themselves in music, or in a book, or in the bottom of a shot glass, but Abel chose to run himself so ragged that he couldn't bring himself to think about the past or future.  After arriving, he did not throw himself into frenzied exercise, but measured himself so that he could go for a long time.  Jogging around the perimeter, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, crunches, balancing, lateral raises, stretches, piston punches, kick drills—all served to tire him out and help him forget.  He became sore quickly, but after that became numb.  The knowledge that such exhausting work would make him stronger and more useful in the future, along with clearing his head, sustained him, though he did make sure to visit the drinking fountain often.  Occasionally his stomach troubled him for food, but he didn't really distinguish it from the plethora of other troubles aching his body now.

Eventually, Abel just stopped moving.  He lay motionless on a floor mat, waiting like a salivating dog for each cool drift of air from the fan far above.  Fatigue made every motion a chore, but despite the state of his body, the guardian was happy.  Paradoxically, he never felt in a more peak physical condition than when he'd just finished an extensive workout.  Though he moderated his thoughts, he absolutely felt as if such great exercise was proof that whether or not he did well in a certain situation, he could be formidable and helpful no matter what.  [i]I can do it[/i] echoed through his mind.

A beep sounded out through the quiet gym, originating from Abel's phone.  He laboriously pushed himself to his feet to check the device.  “Twenty minutes ago...?” he frowned, looking at his Scroll.  In his singleminded dedication to working out, he'd toned out the sound that heralded a message's arrival.  So Shiro wanted to go for pizza.  “Sure, I could eat,” he matter-of-factly informed himself.  First things first, though; as elated as he felt now, he also felt disgusting.  He'd need to get clean and changed pronto before he could even think about reintegrating into human society.  The guardian headed for the gym's locker room and spent a little more than five minutes in the shower, scalding away his exhaustion with hot water.  When he got out, he discovered that Gren had replied to the group text and named a restaurant.  Abel recognized the name and nodded in approval.  Only after putting the Scroll away in his pocket did he realize that replying would have been a good idea.  With that in mind, he whipped it out and got to work.

[quote]
[color=000fff]To:[/color] Gren Orchid, Kuhaku Shiro
[color=000fff]From:[/color] Abel Fulgurate
[color=000fff]Subject:[/color] Re: Good pizzerias?

Top.  Let's smash it.
[/quote]

His finger paused over the 'send' button.  [i]Wait, didn't I just type 'Great.  Let's do it'?  Why'd it autocorrect to that?[/i]  Shrugging mentally, he sent it anyway.  The new phrase worked just as well.