thecapitol | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"My world, too, had similar corruption," He said heavily. But it wasn't about money. It was about power.

That being said, however... "I cannot imagine why a man would make a child into a soldier from such a young age."

Oh, there was always power. They both pretty much went hand in hand.

And we were back to this again. The short answer to that was revenge. But he probably wouldn't want to hear that.

"To make someone strong, you have to start early. You have something to prove, you keep going. Most kids probably wouldn't have taken to how I was trained. But as you can see, it has its up side."

Maximus wasn't sure he agreed, at all. He was trained from a young age, himself, as all boys were, but 'young' and 'old enough to walk' was a completely different matter. He considered Mindy's age already young.

Even if he had trained his son to fight from such an age, he still would have died.

Nothing would have been gained, save for the loss of the boy's childhood.

"No training makes a man immortal." He said, stiffly. "And I think we have a very different opinion of what is considered 'early'."

"You got that right. It makes me good, but only I can make sure that I can be great. I've come close to death, on my world, twice. In my first Arena I met and stalked death. It's only because of their sport I'm still here."

She shrugged. "But I was also given a reason to want to be that strong. That made the difference."

"It is indeed that which keeps us alive," Maximus agreed. "Doubt can take down the strongest of men." It had nearly took him down, after all.

"I will spar with you, if you wish, but I fear there is little I could teach you. You will have to learn to hone your abilities simply through practice."

Mindy never doubted, not where death was concerned. Regret, certainly, but when death was at her door, she met it head on. It's the only real way to do it, in her book.

"I don't know if I agree with that. I watch the tapes. I'm not where you are yet, but someday I'd like to be."

"And I was never a young woman," He offered.

"I could not move the way you just have - and you could not use the weight or strength that I do. But you do not need to. There is strength enough that is yours alone, and while I cannot teach you how to use it better, I can help you hone it."

Mindy nodded. The praise was definitely appreciated, and she could see exactly what he was saying.

"In that case, if you're offering, I would love to learn from you."

There was no wariness here: she could see someone who'd had hard met battles in his time. There was not but respect for him here.

"Of course," Maximus said with a stiff bow. "I'll show you my training regimen."

[ooc: feel free to skip ahead until after they're done training!]

[Gladly!]

A hour later, Mindy's hair was out of place, her clothes a bit dirtier, and her hands feeling significantly bruised. Obviously, she was smiling after, her heart beating fast in her chest.

"Whew," she said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "That was more intense than I thought!"

Maximus was still in good shape - he was much more used to the regimen, after all, so though he displayed a sheen of sweat he looked otherwise unaffected. He smiled at her warmly.

"You did very well," He said proudly. "I have seen men beg for their mothers half way through a session."

Mindy shrugged. "Never met mine, but I have more than enough drive. Meant to see this through, so I did. Still feels good to get some validation anyway."

So thanks for that Maximus. Mindy reached over and took a long drink of cold water. "How many men have you trained?"

He frowned as he tried to think.

"Hundreds," He offered eventually. "I cannot recall. Once I was made general, it was no longer my duty, but I often helped men train regardless. And the gladiators, once they were convinced, we all trained together. I could not start to count the men with whom I've fought beside."

See this, Maximus? That is the look of barely contained awe. Mindy liked some of the adults, obviously, and cared for more, but ones that just had her respect were hard to come by and Maximus just had hers.

"So you're back from that long ago. Shit. As much as I rag on being here, I'm pretty lucky to earn from someone who's earned his status there and here. The Games for you must have been just another kind of an arena, huh?"

He nodded.

"One I did not understand, at first, since I could see no stands for the crowds." He had no idea what a camera was, when he had entered his first one. "I found myself in a barren field of ice, and though I was told that my deeds were watched, I could see not a single pair of eyes."

"... It has been a long time, since then. It may as well have been another life."

Mindy nodded. "I can understand that. I mean, in your time who could even imagine something like cameras, and having that stuff transmitted to people at home? But its the best way to keep control if you think about it. As far as I know, you can record and there's a delay if you need to edit something, and the Capitol probably does that. Just in case some things get too real."

Another life. Mindy was definitely familiar with that feeling. She'd had it once her dad was gone and she was brought here. New York just made her think of him, and having to deal with the Capitol and the Arena and training had actually been a welcomed distraction.

"I am sure they have ways of engineering that I could not possibly begin to understand or imagine," Maximus said gruffly. He had no ideas how cameras worked beyond the basics, and no really interest in learning.

"I want to imagine it." Mindy said it, low, but there was no mistaking her meaning here. "If they can create it, if they can do it, I'd like to know, just so I have an idea how much can happen."

"Then your imagination must be better than mine," Maximus said heavily. But he knew better than to get into that particular conversation now.

"If you wish to continue your training, you're welcome to join me. I run through my drills every day shortly after dawn."

"If that's true, you must get great sleep at night," Mindy quipped.

She nodded. "I can do that. I meant to have a set schedule to do this kind of stuff to begin with."

"Good," Maximus said with a warm smile.

"Then I shall watch for you, in the mornings."

"I'll be there." She smiled. "And thanks. It means a lot you'll take the time to bother. I hear mentors prize their free time."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(no subject)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wrap this here?

Totes fine!