#tbpdaythree25

training day two & three... 

Stations:

Melee {x}

Trained a bit more at the melee station. I met the girl from Seven, Kiya. I felt a little bad for not remembering her immediately, what with all that fake white hair she had on her had. She seemed nice, though. Too nice. She won’t last long.

Survival {x}

I met another Career that didn’t seem to hate everything and everyone. Hooray! Essa was nice... although I’m pretty sure she kept checking me out throughout the entire session. Despite this, we managed to get things done and I picked up a thing or two.

Fitness {x}

Spent some time at the fitness station once again. This time while I was there, I met a boy named Yule. He was from District Eleven. He seemed nice enough... but he got me thinking about things.

First Aid {x}

Learned some of the basics of first aid. The trainer there was probably one of the more enjoyable ones I had encountered thus far. She was an extremely good educator. I was impressed.

Swing Weapons {x} 

Had a little duel with Majorca. After we came to the conclusion that our fight was a draw, she... well she basically dragged me through the mud, let’s just say that. It wasn’t what I expected it to be though. She said some things that I definitely won’t forget anytime soon.

Aquatics {x}

First time at the Aquatic station was, well, not that great. It ended with me looking like a bit of a fool, but I learned a few things. I vowed to return, and I definitely planned on it. That trainer didn’t believe I would, but I proved him wrong...

Unarmed {x}

Spent some more time at the unarmed station. Most of the time I spent by myself in silent, physical reflection. It was well needed time, though. I honed my skills even more and just, well, thought about some things that didn’t really need to be thought about.

Aquatics {x}

1. Running & Agility

After spending time at the unarmed and swing stations, I know I have to do the one thing I had been dreading- running. Though I was tall and therefore had the ability to take larger steps, I never had. There was no need for running when you could just mount a horse. Horses were faster and more efficient. But there wasn’t likely to be a convenient horse for me to rely on for transportation in the arena.

I start of stretching, knowing that a good stretch was vital before a run. The last time I had run was when Sawyer was still a child and the pain of my abused muscles certainly taught me my lesson then. I take my time, hoping to put off the inevitable, but my plan backfires when the Trainer approaches. In the time I wasted, she finished with whichever Tribute she had been working with and decided to come help me. 

Wonderful.

There was absolutely no rest from that moment on. The woman was loud and aggressive, and then she broke out her megaphone. I was already running on a treadmill, sweat dripping down my face and my lungs burning when she came around with a weighted vest for me to wear. My refusal fell on deaf ears as she physically forced the thing onto me. While I know I could have stopped her, it would have required nothing less than excessive force. 

Just as I felt my legs were going to give out, she stopped the machine and I immediately wanted to walk away. Before I could gather enough strength to do so, I had weights around my ankles and she was shouting for me to start moving, insisting that I move back and forth and side to side and all around, each time screaming for me to move faster.

My patience was wearing thin, but I had no interest in making even more trouble for myself. And anyway, it’s not like I could feel my legs anymore.

2. Strength & Climbing

Having decided I had worked enough on my legs, the Trainer decided that it was now time to move on. The free weights were much easier for me, though, as I already had a lot of upper body strength. She seemed to sense my ease and then all but shoved me over to a climbing wall. While I had plenty of strength in my arms, I was a large and heavy guy. People my size and build are meant to stay firmly on the ground.

My forearms burned as I pulled myself up, closer to the top of the wall where a tantalizing rope hung. A rope that was attached to a bell that, when rung, meant that I could be finished for the day. How she got me strapped in and halfway up the rock wall, I had no idea, but I did know that she was going to keep me here forever, because there was no way I was going to make it any further.

Theres no quit in survive, as the trainer so helpfully informed me from the ground, the sound echoing in my ears even twenty five feet up. It was hardly encouraging, but the desire to get away from this shrill woman and her megaphone was enough to motivate me. Gritting my teeth, I reached up for the next ‘rock’, hauling myself up and making sure to be weary of my foot placement.

1. Weapons Disarming & Wrestling

First things first, I returned to the unarmed station. My sparring match with Ronan had been a good learning experience. My strength, while advantageous, was hardly a guarantee that I would make it out of the Games in one piece, or even pieces at all. 

The trainer went over some basic weapons disarming techniques mixed with some basic wrestling strategies, but seemed to prefer demonstrating- if only because he had a reason to twist my arm and step on my face. The basic defensive sparring was fine, but then the trainer decided it was time to practice with actual weapons. 

“How about we start with this one.” He said, holding up a full sized sword. I figured he was joking, but his face was completely serious.

I blinked, before responding flatly, “No.”

He stared at me a few moments longer, before breaking out into laughter, “I’m just fucking with you, man. Someone at your skill level wouldn’t have a chance. Let’s start with something a little smaller.”

The dagger was a lot more reasonable in size and I nodded my consent. Despite the fact that he was definitely going easy on me, within minutes I was sweating from exertion, two shallow cuts on my arm and a third one coming. 

“Come on, old timer. Get the dagger. Neutralize me. I’m a threat to your life.”

Taking a deep breath, I swiveled as he lunged once more, grabbing his arm and yanking down, bringing my leg around to get him on the ground, the dagger clattering away on the cement. He didn’t stop fighting, though, and I remembered the second part of his challenge. 

He tried to roll away and I did the only thing I could think of. As soon as he was on his stomach, I dropped down, pressing my knee into his lower back, one hand holding his head down and the other pulling back on is arms. HE struggled another minute but I had him well trapped, unable to kick off my full weight and conceded, nodding his approval. 

2. Chain Whips

Tired and sore, I decided to head back to the swing station, deciding to get some more work on distance weapons. I had no interest in ever needing to be that close to an opponent and a solid whip and practice should be able to do that for me.

Picking up the chain whip once more, I started out doing some basic control techniques. Though it was similar to a regular whip, I had only used this once before. Part of me worried for whether there would even be a whip in the arena at all- nevertheless a chain whip- but there was always the chance, so I kept working.

Feeling confident, I punched in a program in the training hologram, setting it on medium, and started. Despite the fact that the holograms were human shaped, the fact that they were coming after me made it considerably easier to defend myself. In the heat of the action, the chain whip was even more comfortable in my hand.

3. Dagger

By then end, I was sweating and panting, my muscles sore and aching, but I knew that I couldn’t end my day quite yet. The lingering doubt that there would even be a whip had increased tenfold and I made my way back to the melee station. I wasn’t feeling up to the sword, so I decided to work with the daggers for a little bit.

I found that I like daggers more than I thought I would. They were easier to maneuver with and were significantly lighter than the sword. In all actuality, the dagger was akin to May's large kitchen knives, so the adjustment period was not long at all.

“Oh, hey, Kira. You’re back again? I guess that’s cool. What do you wanna do?” Lenore asks me.

I think for a moment. I’ve mastered all but tracking at the station, and I don’t plan on learning how to track down a tribute, although I’m sure that if I needed to for some reason, like to help Noor or Yule if they somehow get injured, I could do it. I guess I could just work backwards from covering tracks. I think that the main way a tribute can find a competitor is by following their tracks. But if someone doesn’t leave any tracks, then there’s no way for them to be located. I smile at the thought of remaining hidden in the arena.

As I turn away from the first-aid station, waving to the girl who’s the twin of the girl who killed my twin sister, I laugh at the coincidence of both of us being here. It was very odd though, to see the face of the girl that I thought killed Lakota. I know that I’ve forgiven her killer, long ago. But there’s still somebody who I haven’t forgiven yet, and I know that I need to. 

I spot North at the melee station, and I smile. He’ll be nice to talk to. He was on the first day of training. 

I run across the training center, approaching the kindhearted stranger from behind. Surrounded by lethal weapons, I realize that I’ll have to train with more of them today to ensure that I can defend myself. I sigh, but I call out to North as I come behind him. “Hey, North!” I greet, but when he turns around, I realize that it’s a different bearded man who just happens to have a similar build and hair color. 

While I’m planning not to get into any big confrontations in the arena, my mentor keeps telling me that I’ll need to go to the first-aid station if I want any chance at survival. I suppose that she’s right, I’ve injured myself a few times at home just running around the forest, or climbing trees. And when she says that being weak and injured will only draw other tributes to me, I think that’s she right. 

A woman smirks at me from across the room as she sees me approaching the station, a syringe filled with a mysterious purplish liquid held at the ready. I smile at her, and she sends an intimidating glance my way. I’m sure that she’s nice, though. Once you get to know her. Maybe she’s like Lakota, because Lakota was just like that. She seemed reserved and a bit intimidating at first glance, but she was really a kind soul. 

Another tribute joins me at the station, and I look up at her with a smile. Though I immediately take a step back, her visage pulling a memory from my brain. She was the one who killed my sister, it seems. She must be a victor who was reaped, like Izara. I don’t remember much else from that game, because I stopped watching after Lakota’s death at this girl’s hands. 

“Hi, I’m Kiya. So you won, right?” I ask her. 

Hopefully, I can just stay hidden for most of the game. It would be better that way, nobody would end up getting hurt, nobody would have to deal with the repercussions of killing so early on. Utilizing the skills that I’ve already learned at the station, I quietly move through the foliage, walking from toe to hell while very low to the ground. I breathe in through my nose, out through my mouth, until I come to the edge of the little section. 

Hopping out of the elevator, I head straight to the unarmed station that I visited with Noor on the first day. She showed me how to box, but I really don’t think that’s my style. It’s a little bit too aggressive. I learned how to disarm and opponent, and a few capoeira techniques as well, but there was so much going on in my brain with all the new material, and trying to memorize it, that I didn’t really end up absorbing much at all. With a small sigh, knowing that I’ll have to interact with Rex and his negativity, I step towards him.