(no subject)

[gluteus]

Who| Maximus and YOU, OPEN for Mingling - All District 3 will be 'Asked' to attend, but everyone else is welcome
What| Come get Combat Training from the Cyborg Gladiator
Where| The Training Center
When| Two days after the Motorcycle Races
Warnings/Notes| Nothing so far! Maybe violence, but nothing with gore since it's just training weapons.

Maximus was a regular in the training center, but today was different. Today he had set up a good portion of the hall exactly as he wanted it - a large training mat (one of the better inventions in the last few millenia),  a large rack of swords, shields, and spears. He couldn't find pilla, but spears would do well enough. The day before, he'd gone around to each of the rooms in district 3 and told them to report to the training center the next day, or face consequences. He also, however, asked Wyatt to attend, and mentioned it to anyone else he thought could use some training.

It didn't really matter who showed up, he would treat them all the same.

It took more than a day to make a soldier, but perhaps at least he could begin to get some of the tributes thinking like one.

Or maybe they would start seeing the benefit of working together.

His Sabertooth Tiger, Ferox, prowled around the edge of the training mat, watching the tributes as if one of them might make a good dinner, and occasionally coming up to rub its large head against Maximus' prosthetic leg.


[OOC note: Each tribute will be greeted, have a rough assessment of their skills taken, and then given a series of instructions for training. Trainees of a similar level will be grouped together, for team activities. Feel free to either tag in for the greeting/assessment, or create an open post for other people to tag you for mutual training.]

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[gluteus]

He'd been hoping that Cuthbert would arrive first, or at the very least, early. He had more than a few words for the boy, and the training center gave him an excuse to put them across a little more physically than was acceptable in the District.

So when Maximus spotted him, his expression turned stony, and he walked straight over to him.

He didn't even wait to talk to him before smacking him upside the head, like he might a rebellious child.

"You will not disrespect Wyatt again; do you understand me?"

[tis_allgood]

Bert took the hit like a boy who was used to this sort of thing (which, as most people could guess, he was.) He did look entirely offended after that, but at least no other tributes were around to see.

"The man killed me, is that not punishment enough?"

Because deep down he didn't think Wyatt deserved his respect.

[gluteus]

"After that sorry display any man would be well within his rights to kill you," Maximus said in a growl.

"No man would let such dishonour sit. And in a place where death means next to nothing? No. I do not think it is punishment enough. You will apologize. Here. Now. And you will mean it."

[tis_allgood]

"And if I don't?" Cuthbert's resolve was already crumbling. This sort of angry yelling usually got to him, he just really didn't want to have to apologize to Wyatt. It was silly and childish, but he still felt like he was in the right to look down on Wyatt for not being more like the Gunslingers he knew.

He threw and angry glare in Wyatt's direction for good measure.

[gluteus]

"Then I will make his honour my own," He said bluntly. "You're lucky I have not already done so, and sought to defend it. If you truly will not take back the disgusting words you said, then I will have no choice but to prove them false."

Basically, he would beat him to a pulp.

There were few things as important to Maximus as Honour - his, Wyatt's, and Cuthbert's.

"No honourable man taunts as you did, no man faces battle like such a boy."

[tis_allgood]

Cuthbert looked away and finally looked ashamed. He respected Maximus too much to want to face him directly, no matter what he thought of Wyatt.

"I cry your pardon, I have forgotten the face of my father."

And with that he turned and headed to give his apology to Wyatt, hanging his head the whole way.

[the_marshal]

Until he'd shown up, Wyatt had forgotten that Cuthbert was one of Max's tributes. He couldn't say he much enjoyed the thought of Max teaching him better ways to kill him, but he knew how deeply Max's loyalty ran - how beholden he was to his tributes - so when Max started over, Wyatt let him go.

Sighing, he'd turned away and ducked into one of the other stations well out of the way.

He was trying snares with nimble, capable hands when the shadow fell over him.

Not expecting Cuthbert, he spoke before he looked up - "What can I--" only to break off as soon as he realized who it was.

"Allgood."

[tis_allgood]

That meant that Wyatt had missed Cuthbert being smacked and yelled at, for which Bert was grateful at least. He still looked suitably contrite when he reached Wyatt at his station.

"I'm here to cry your pardon. Cry it deep. I have forgotten the face of my father, and grieve for the wrong I've done you. I have brought shame on you, myself and my teacher, and I wish to beg your forgiveness."

All of it was painfully sincere, and he didn't once smile while saying it. He also wouldn't meet Wyatt's eyes, as he wasn't sure he could recite his apology properly when he was still angry with the other man. He just craved Maximus's forgiveness more than he wanted to feud with Wyatt.

[the_marshal]

One of Wyatt's eyebrows jumped toward his hairline, arching in surprise as Cuthbert spoke. Shifting on his heels, he leaned to look one way, then the other - wondering maybe if this wasn't some joke at his expense. Spotting Max across the room - feet planted, shoulders square, watching intently - he put it together.

Exhaling a long, slow breath, he rose out of his crouch to meet Cuthbert square.

"Ya mean that, son? Er are ya jus' sayin' it 'cause he told ya to?"

[tis_allgood]

"I would not be here crying your pardon if I did not mean what I said." Cuthbert was trying very hard not to bristle and complain about being accused of lying. He should know by now that he'd earned that reputation.

[the_marshal]

Wyatt studied him, blue eyes intent on Cuthbert's downturned face. He wasn't sure he bought it, however sincere the young man looked on the face of it, but assuming Max had sent him over here it was clear the Roman wanted them to play nice.

And Wyatt would do anything for Max.

"They were jus' words," he said finally, extending a slim olive branch. "Ugly words, but jus' words all the same. No harm done."

[tis_allgood]

"Then I am forgiven?" He finally looked up at Wyatt, trying to figure out whether or not he was being tricked. He didn't believe he'd be forgiven easily, and part of him was hoping that he'd be turned down so he could return to Maximus and place the blame at someone else's feet.

"Can we walk away without scorn?" Cuthbert offered a hand, it was the best peace gesture he could offer, and he knew Max was still watching them.

[the_marshal]

"If yer willin' to leave it here, then so am I."

Wyatt's hand lifted, and took Cuthbert's in a firm grip, eyes just as steady on the younger man's.

"But I'll tell ya now, son, 'cause I'm forgivin' doesn't mean I'm forgettin'. Ya ever talk to me like that again, an' I promise ya, ya won't like what happens."

[tis_allgood]

There was something a little sinister about the look Bert gave him in return. His handshake never faltered, it only grew stronger as he spoke.

"Sai, I promise that if we come to the same end as we did so recently we'll neither of us like what happens. And my fool tongue will be the least of our worries."

He glanced back at Maximus. "Now I would consider it a sign of our new peace if you would tell your lover that we've buried our differences."

[the_marshal]

"I ain't the one who's got somethin' to prove," Wyatt rumbled, stones turning low in his throat. Like the ground threatening to quake beneath their feet as he took his hand back. "You tell him yerself."

Wyatt would hold up his end, but he wasn't about to lie for Cuthbert.

[tis_allgood]

The smile vanished quickly after that and Bert turned away so Wyatt couldn't see the remaining hate on his face.

"Fine. I will."

And with that he returned to Maximus to tell him that they had made their peace. It was close enough to the truth for two men who would never see eye to eye.

[gluteus]

Maximus hadn't been listening to the exchange, but he'd kept an eye on them. It still looked tense, but they had shaken hands (odd, to him, who still shook everyone's forearm), and it seemed as good as he was about to get.

So he let out a hard breath and nodded.

"Good. Then let's get to work," he said, happy to set that behind them for the present. He grabbed Cuthbert a sword. "Show me what you can do with it."

[tis_allgood]

He wasn't quite in the mood to train yet. He just wanted to go back up to his suite and lick his wounds. So when he picked up the sword it was not with the intent to defend himself, he just held it aloft like he was waiting for someone to take it from him.

"I can hurt myself with it, of that I'm quite certain."

[gluteus]

The petulance wasn't exactly hard to read, but Maximus knew wounded pride when he saw it - and since Cuthbert had done as he asked, he saw no reason to poke at the wound.

"That is not exactly a difficult proposition," He murmured. "Take a fighting stance," He said, before grabbing his own sword to demonstrate one.

[tis_allgood]

"Any fighting stance?" He grinned wide as he set the sword down and put his fists up. He definitely didn't feel like himself yet, and training while he was this off would only lead to disaster anyway. Might as well have some fun with Max, that was what he was best at.

"Then put them up, let me see what you can do."

[gluteus]

He raised his eyes as Cuthbert put down his weapon and put up his fists. He'd meant to train the boy, not fight him, but if this was what he wanted....

He set down the sword, and readied himself - his own stance much less like a boxer. He was accustomed to fighting with weapons, not without, so he kept his hands almost nearly at his waist, rather then up at his face.

"What I can do?" Maximus murmured. "I would have thought that was a matter of public record."

[tis_allgood]

"Oh, now that is a low blow, sai. Insulting a man for not killing enough, when I've already had to grovel on your orders for being too much a killer."

Bert wasn't as upset as his words might have made him seem. At least, the smile was still on his face and he took a couple of experimental hits at Maximus, trying to figure out if he could defend himself properly or not.

[gluteus]

"It doesn't matter to me how many lives you take," Maximus said sternly, not smiling back. He didn't move to strike Cuthbert. In fact, he barely moved at all - only doing so to efficiently block Cuthbert's attacks.

"What matters to me is the respect you give those who live."

[tis_allgood]

Cuthbert lowered his fists at that, suddenly quite serious.

"Is that what you think of me? That I have no respect for the living? That I am just some mindless, rabid curr?"

[gluteus]

"Was your treatment of Wyatt in the arena what you would call respect?" Maximus asked, just as seriously. He would hardly call Cuthbert mindless, knew the boy to be capable of great respect, but it didn't translate to everyone.

And apology or not, if Cuthbert didn't understand the message, Maximus wasn't going to let him off easy for it.