Know your enemy | Open post!

[clarityinchaos]

Who: Armin Arlert and YOU!!
Where: District 8 common room and the training facility
What: Armin is studying up! Both putting in some training room time and looking at records from old Arenas.
Warnings: None! But let me know if I've got something off in a world sense.

Since that affair with the Aliens was resolved, for good or ill, he supposed it was time to move on to preparing for the next battle ahead of him: His first Arena.



A
But fortunately, he had plenty to go through. He sat at one of the consoles, flipping through footage from previous Arenas. Just how much of it was recorded was mind-boggling. Friends and lovers calling after each other, helpless to save each other. People trying to make it on their own falling victim to whatever traps the Gamemakers had created for them.

One thing he hadn't been prepared for was just how cruel the Arena itself was, not just the other competitors. Even without the other tributes in the picture, the land was just as likely to kill you. Much more painfully, even. This would be worse than any battle against Titans. A smarter enemy, working collectively.

"What a waste..." he muttered to himself as he switched to another area. He was adjusting quickly to the technology around him, but his fingers did sometimes still hesitate over buttons before he pushed them, as though he wasn't sure it was right.

Using this brought back unpleasant memories of the creatures in the tunnel He'd sat there safe at that machine while people died in that tunnel. He'd done what he could to warn, but even in the most controlled battlefield, it's controlled chaos at best.

B

Eventually, he had enough of the carnage. He left the common room, and went down to the training room. Since the 3DMG was gone, he would have to find something else more suited to his abilities. Not that he was ever a capable fighter, but he had to at least be able to defend himself. He couldn't count on Eren being there all the time. Nor did he particularly want to shoulder that particular blow to his self-esteem.

He inspected the various types of swords available, and a strange curved one caught his attention. He took it off the rack and pulled it out of its sheath. It looked a lot like what he was used to at home, more meant to slice than stab. But still, without the momentum generated by the wires and barbs, he didn't have a lot of power.

So he went over to the projectile weapons. Slings, bows, crossbows, as well as a few strange things he couldn't identify. He took up the bow, and started stretching it experimentally. This could work. He collected a quiver, and took up a position near some of the targets. This was going to be a long day, he expected.

Comments

B

[wantwhatiwant]

Training with a hangover was never fun but it was far from the first time Ian had done it. And he had to admit punching things until his fists ached was better than lying in bed with a headache hating the whole world himself included.

He was still sore from the alien attack, nothing major just a load of bruises, a potential broken rib. He'd gotten worse from pissing off the wrong people before and since he hadn't expected to survive a fight with aliens, he was pleasantly surprised.

He saw the blonde kid trying out weapons and frowned. "You're better practicing with a knife, most things can become a short blade, not many bows and arrows lying around unless you've got lots of sponsors."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard knows what his strengths are. They are not weapons, except for his ability to use a knife. He can hardly lift some of the swords here, the spears and bows are too much taller than he is, and the club would dislocate his shoulder just from holding it.

But he is good at running, and he's rapidly improving at climbing. He's racing up and down rope ladders and firemen's poles when he sees Armin enter. He hangs out at the top of one of the ladders, swinging slightly and watching as Armin sets up a shot on the bow.

"Boo!" he yells, just as an arrow flies.

Re: B

[clarityinchaos]

Armin nodded at the other tribute's advice. He wasn't sure why it was given, but he supposed he wasn't the only one that felt the way he did about these games. "I've had two years with swords and that hasn't made much of a difference," it was kind of a disgrace to admit it, and he was under-cutting himself. But not by much. "A few days with other things probably isn't going to make much of a difference."

[clarityinchaos]

Armin had been focused on his shot, to the exclusion of everything else. He'd shut out the other background sounds from the rest of the training going on, but Howard's outburst made him jump. Fortunately, it didn't seem to have affected his shot. Not that it was all that great of one in the first place. He was having trouble holding it steady because he was only barely strong enough to bend it.

He frowned, and sighed. He went to go retrieve the practice arrows for the next person. He supposed he'd have to try something else... "Were you waiting for these?"

[wantwhatiwant]

"Oh." Well that sucked, "You any good at running then?" His voice was friendly though. But it was clear he didn't think much of the other boys chances. It made him angry how many they brought who just weren't up for it.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Nah. Far as you know, I suck with long-ranged weapons." Howard scrambles up the rest of the rope and locks his legs in at the knee at the top rung, hanging upside down. His sweatshirt is pulled by gravity to reveal his skinny stomach, and blood rushes to his head. "You new?"

[clarityinchaos]

He nodded. "I'll remember that." With some, that might be delivered a bit more lightheartedly, but Armin wasn't in a light kind of mood. With all he'd watched earlier, it was weighing him down a bit.

He put the bow away. He decided climbing might be something he could try, and followed Howard's path up the rope. He did that well enough, after a bit of a warming-up period. Heights didn't really bother him, and his balance was excellent, thanks to the 3DMG back home. But he also nodded to Howard's question. "I suppose so. I got here right before the mission in the tunnels with the aliens."

[clarityinchaos]

But he knew exactly what he was getting at. "Yeah. I've gotten good at that. Sometimes even that won't save you." No, he wasn't feeling good about his chances either. Not after what he'd seen in those records. "But you either fight or you die."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Good times, good times. I hung out in the back with the radio." And it seemed like his team didn't see much action anyway, which made for nice quietude with him.

"Hey, wait-" Howard scrambles across one of the beams, keeping a distance between him and Armin. "I ain't playing tag."

[clarityinchaos]

"Me too. I wish I could have done more, though." He slipped his small body between some narrow bars and kept going up, taking another track once he was in the midst of the bars and beams.

"I'm not trying to make any trouble. I'm just trying everything. Maybe there's some kind of fighting in here I'll be good at." He wasn't holding his breath, but it was possible. Being up off the ground seemed to help, too. He hadn't spent so much time off-duty since he'd enlisted. He was getting antsy.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah, pretty much." He looked at him again, "The death doesn't stick, if that helps at all." It really didn't, in Ian's opinion.

[clarityinchaos]

He shook his head. "No, not really. I never could have imagined humanity fighting each other like this before I came here."

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian frowned, "What?" What kind of world did he come from that this shit wasn't even imagined. "Don't they have wars and shit in your world?"

[clarityinchaos]

He shook his head. "Yes." He answered quickly. "We're fighting something that's not human. As terrifying as they are, I don't know if they're scarier than other humans could be." Perhaps he was speaking from some of the calls he's had to make. He'd never admit to it to a stranger, though.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Something not human?" He didn't sound too surprised, he's seen a lot since coming here. "Like those aliens or something?"

[clarityinchaos]

"No, though they were terrifying in their own way," he admitted. He considered a moment, but decided he'd said enough. "I'd rather not drag all that up. I have enough to focus on with an arena coming without bringing up bad memories."

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian frowned but nodded, understanding why he wouldn't want to deal with shit from home when stuff was pretty shit here too. "Yeah, best you stay focused."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"What, you some kind of do-gooder?" There's a certain sneer to Howard's voice as he says that, even if he doesn't register it on his face. He scrambles on hands and knees along a beam, keeping a more-than-healthy distance.

"Hey, if not, you can always try running. But you seem a little too gooooood for that," Howard says in a mocking sing-song.

[clarityinchaos]

Armin settled into a seated position on one bar, holding onto another just over his head. He frowned, looking back down at the ground. Howard's critique had cut through more deeply than he'd perhaps intended. "No," he finally answered. "Running won't even save you sometimes."

He started climbing again, going higher, ready to ignore Howard for a while.

[clarityinchaos]

"Have you been in the arena before?" he asked, just kind of settling in to the conversation. He seemed to have abandoned any pretext of doing something else at the same time.

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian nodded again, "Yeah I was in the last one. It was shit, before you ask." He smiled, to show he wasn't being nasty.

[clarityinchaos]

He wasn't sure how the arena could be anything but that, but he kept that to himself. But he nodded. "I looked at some of the recordings from old Arenas. It's hard to know what to prepare for..." There were so many possibilities. And, anything he could 'prepare' for wouldn't do him any good beyond a certain point of reference. The technology being the way it was here....

[wantwhatiwant]

"Not sure we can prepare. The whole point is entertainment, so it has to be different and unpredictable." He shrugged, "I don't think anyone had bet on half of being killed off and put in a different arena completely last time. Just remember to be prepared for anything. And don't attempt the Cornucopia." Unless he had majorly underestimated this kids ability, it was probably the best advice he could give him.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Well, no shit," Howard says, as much to himself as to Armin. He stands up, balancing on the beam.

"So what's your name, fresh meat?"

[clarityinchaos]

He shook his head. "I'm in no hurry to die. I already knew the Cornucopia was a slaughterhouse," he answered. He had to switch to another feed once he realized what awaited that half of the group. He had seen a lot of horrific things in his young life, but that was not something he was ready for. Even if it were on a screen.

[clarityinchaos]

"Armin," he replied simply. "Yours?" He remained where he was, though he was looking up to see what was coming ahead.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Howard." He drops down into a squat to keep from unbalancing. "I done four of these."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah..." Ian shrugged, "So if you know that and can fight even a bit you're as ready as you can be. You just have to hope to be entertaining enough to get sponsors."

[clarityinchaos]

He nodded. He started climbing again. He moved decisively, as though he'd already planned his route and had no doubt he would reach whatever point was his next goal. "It must be obvious this next one is going to be my first."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Yeah, a little bit obvious, by your fuckup with the bow." Honestly, Armin had done better than Howard could - he can barely pull the arrow far enough back to fire - but that doesn't mean Howard won't go for any attempt to undermine people.