Circe's Manor

[Circe]

That's one possibility for how you'll turn out, at least... If you want to have that body for real, I'm sure you'll need to put some kind of work in.

[AmbushCat]

*A MIDI-esque rendition of Beethoven's 1st symphony is heard from the dressing room. Ellen looks up in that direction briefly, then ignores the song until it cuts off.*

Ellen: ...Indeed. After this wears off, I'll talk to Aldonza and see if she can suggest a schedule for me.

[Circe]

She does seem like she'd be a good teacher... *Circe follows Ellen's gaze to the changing room.* Your phone?

[AmbushCat]

Ellen: ...Yes. I'll get to the voice mail later. *experimentally lets go of the board, trying to float without it* ...Okay... so long as I don't get unbalanced, I should be alri--- *

*Ellen is distracted when one of the plastic rings gets caught on her foot; when she tries to shake it off, she loses her balance and very nearly drops beneath the pool's surface. As it is, she spends the better part of twenty seconds trying to get the water out of her eyes.*
... ...It's just as well that I don't know who was responsible for Murphy's Law, because I have a serious bone to pick with that person.

[Circe]

Bravo... *Circe claps sarcastically.*

[AmbushCat]

Ellen: *just as sarcastic* ...And a 2.6 from the Manor judge. *removes the ring from her foot, hurling it over the volleyball net and across the pool*

[Circe]

Heh... That was a nice throw, at least.

[AmbushCat]

Ellen: ... Okay... so this is what it's like to not know your own strength. ...Like I haven't experienced it a few times already today. *checks her immediate surroundings* Anything else I should watch out for? Any more rings? A stray pool toy? *annoyed sarcasm* ...A rubber shark that likes to chew on kids' toenails?

[Circe]

Well, there's that volleyball by your right arm...

[AmbushCat]

Ellen: ... *takes the volleyball* Well, I might as well adjust to the increased strength. Want to toss this around a bit as we talk?

[Circe]

*Circe shrugs.* I don't see why not...

[AmbushCat]

*Ellen grabs the board with her free hand, using it to aid her in backing off a dozen feet or so. With that done, she commences the back-and-forth by lightly throwing the ball at Circe one-handed.*

Ellen: ...Something I've been wondering for a little bit. Is it true that the Manor's larger on the inside than it looks?

[Circe]

*Circe catches the ball and tosses it back.* In places, yes. The Manor does seem to be bigger than it looks.

[AmbushCat]

*And so the game of catch goes on.*

Ellen: ...I ask that because Callista once compared the floor space at ground level to that of a hypermarket. ...But on the outside, the total area seems the same as that of an average K-Mart.

[Circe]

*Circe chuckles.* Of course she'd bring shopping into the comparison...