Grounder

"Think what you will, but don’t discard my ideas just yet, Echo." Guinevere replied, and a small amount of gentleness graced her features. "If not me as a person, then my intelligence, as you say, is at least worthy of respect." After she has spoken, her expression again shifts into its original look of diffidence. Echo’s last words, Gwen disapproves of. The look she gives deliberately sours. "You say possibly— as could anything else possibly get us all killed one day. That’s something we don’t know, and I’m shocked that you would disregard my previous victories for… theories you’ve dreamt up.” Guinevere clears her throat, and says nothing whilst a few others walk by them. When they are left alone again, she folds her arms and continues. “As a skilled fighter, the General’s Second, and most importantly one of us, for you I harbour great appreciation. As a person, not so much.” 

"There is more to life than fighting, just as I already know that there is more to life than writing. But that’s your job and this is mine. The only difference is that I can learn how to fight, but alas, for you, appearing to  be more intelligent will never make it so." Guinevere turns at the last minute to add. "—I won’t offend yours if you don’t offend my own." She hadn’t realised that Echo had started to follow after her, so having turned she nearly bumped into the woman. Her lips formed a straight line as she made some space between them, and there’s a horrible taste forming on her tongue that she eventually manages to swallow, and replace with a tight smile. "Ink that’s kept you and all the rest from possibly dying in another fight." Guinevere dabs at her own forehead then, as if trying to feel for something. "And look, I didn’t even have to break a sweat doing so." There’s a pause before she sighs, losing the airiness to her words. "Your job is very important, Echo. And, you know, despite how insufferable you are as a person, I am grateful for your… skills at… bashing in skulls.”

"My problem with you isn't because you're intelligent, Guinevere; it's because of your unrealistic ideals." Echo frowned in annoyance, knowing very well that her job was important. But the admittance on the last part threw her for a spin, not expecting that at all. "In a barbaric sense of the job, yes. But your ideals will possibly get us all killed one day." It was why she always challenged her. Echo didn't understand why anyone would want peace with those who had taken so much blood from them.

"I’d rather have my leg gnawed on by a Reaper." Gwen says, barely withholding a greater look of disgust than before. She shuffles her papers and stands, hoping that today, of all the days, Echo decides to cease her relentless teasing where Gwen is concerned.

Except Echo wasn't an idiot, and she knew Gwen at least knew that much. Anyone who actively sought out Reepers had a definite death wish. "Just one round. You could stand to learn a few things. Real life, for instance. Instead of having your nose shoved into those papers." She grabbed hands with a few of her fellow soldiers, pulled forward and clapped them on the back as she walked over to Gwen and the sparing continued; she wasn't the only one who liked to teach the kids how to fight. Walking right over to the other woman, she shook her head. "Why the General tolerates you doing that is far beyond me, Guinevere. Everyone here has a job. One that's important to the colony. A useful one. But you? You play with ink all day. Useless."

Echo

Faceclaim: Summer Glau Age: 23 Preferred Pronouns: She/her Gender: Female Sexuality: Pansexual

About

Skills: English; combat/weapons; limited healing knowledge What is their primary ‘role’? General’s second Camp: Military

Biography

Echo’s parents were both military, so that’s the camp and tribe she grew up with. There was her older brother, Tycho, who lived up to his name meaning and then some. Growing up, however Echo was more interested in training to become a healer, and enjoyed helping take care of her little sister’s, who seemed to just keep coming. Tycho was always training, and often trained on Echo, much to her despise. However, one day when she was twelve, she bettered her older brother, and the thrill and power and confidence she felt in doing so lead her to stop studying to be a healer and pursue the military career. It was evident right from the start, that Echo had stunning flexibility, reflexes, and memory muscle, and quite soon, was no longer ‘Tycho’s little sister’ - no longer his ‘echo.’ She was catching up to her brother fast and hard, making not only him, but her parents proud of one of their little girls.

The eldest daughter of the five children never stopped training as hard as she could and pushing herself what seemed farther and farther each time. She had all but given up a caregiver role to her sister’s, letting her parents take care of that as she focused on her military career - and had given up healing all together; all in just her first year of training. Except nothing stays the same, and after her youngest sister was born when she was thirteen, everything changed. It was a rough childbirth and their mother passed away, leaving Echo as the ‘woman’ of the house. Refusing to give up her late dream, she trained whenever baby Leda slept, and trained when she could get Althea to take a break from her own healing training to watch her. There was no grieving in the family - death was part of life, and their mother died with honour of giving a new life.