SCRAB? CRABS? O_o (Basic Training - attn mcs)

[Nynaeve]

Evelyn sat on the ground in the training yard, meditating. It was becoming more and more of a habit for her to have private sessions with one recruit at a time, instead of a group, because recently recruits seemed to trickle in, rather than arrive in chunks. And it was starting to irritate Evelyn to no end. Not that she didn't take joy in breaking recruits, but it seemed to be more enjoyable in a group formation. When it was a one on one lesson, taking out her student meant the lesson would have to be prolonged further for it to be finished. Not an optimal outcome.

 

So she waited until the set time she was told to be there. She eyed passerbyes, wondering when her student will finally arrive. As if summoned by her thoughts, a young man approached her. Evelyn stood up and dusted her pants."Morning, Kollan. Thank you for taking the time to join me today." The sarcasm in her tone was quite notable. "Lovely morning, is it not? Celebrate it with a run. Yes, you heard me right. Start running in circles around me. Wide circles, though. I like my personal space." Evelyn spoke loudly as Kollan began running. "I will be your instructor today. My name is Evelyn, but I got by other names I'm sure you'll soon learn." Evelyn smiled to herself.

 

"Today you will learn about the concept of SCRAB. Stamina. Courage. Resistance. Agility and Balance. Traits you are expected to either possess or attain. You made the first step of joining the Children of the Light. But you have yet to prove whether you deserve to be here or you're better off running back to your mommy. I will be the judge of that. So, what I want to see is determination. Drive. I want it to be abundantly clear that you want to be here. If you have any complaints, worries or concerns... I don't want to hear about them. I'm not your mother, your father, you sister or your lover. I'm not here to cuddle you and tell you it's going to be okay. I'm here either to break you or make you stronger. It is your choice which of the two it'll be."

 

Evelyn seated herself on the ground. "Your stamina is put to the test. You run until I say otherwise. If you falter, that buys you an extra hour of running. So just a fraction of a second before you decide you cannot continue and you're about to fall on your face... do yourself a favor and... refrain from doing so."

 

 

 

OOC: Okay, mcs! It's a hot day, which makes this task harder.

RP your character's emotions and thoughts. You can have him speak to Evelyn through it if you like. Whatever you feel like :) (try not to NPC her saying something, unless it's really minor. If you feel you need it for your RP, PM me what you want her to say and I'll let you know if it's alright).

 

 

 

 

Evelyn

Cranky head

[mcs0083]

"Lovely morning, is it not? Celebrate it with a run. Yes, you heard me right. Start running in circles around me. Wide circles, though. I like my personal space." Evelyn spoke loudly as Kollan began running. "I will be your instructor today. My name is Evelyn, but I got by other names I'm sure you'll soon learn." Evelyn smiled to herself.

 

Kollan began to run as instructed, and could most certainly think of a few names he wanted to call Evelyn at the moment. He expected no less of an instructor of the Children, but this was ridiculous. More talking perhaps, less smart remarks, and talking of the instructional kind. So far she had told him nothing he already knew, which was his second highest annoyance next to being told things he already knew.

 

And SCRAB? What a pathetic nick name for things he already knew he must posses as a soldier. Was it not common knowledge? Maybe it was just him, but this woman seemed to be the captain of the obvious, not of instructing recruits. He could also think of something she may have that rhymed with this concept, and maybe that was the reason why she was so cranky.

 

But all these things paled in comparison to when she began to mention his family. He had not mentioned his family to anyone since he'd arrived, so either she was a mind reader, or her breeches were riding up to much. As thoughts of his father brandishing a knife over his dead mother and sister filled his mind, it consumed him with rage. Rage that he wanted to use against this absurd woman by striking her square in the jaw. But he used it to not falter in his running, so he could prove that he belonged here. For in the end, he really had no where else to go.

This woman would NOT break him.

 

"Your stamina is put to the test. You run until I say otherwise. If you falter, that buys you an extra hour of running. So just a fraction of a second before you decide you cannot continue and you're about to fall on your face... do yourself a favor and... refrain from doing so."

 

"I don't intend to" said Kollan in between breaths. Let me know when YOU get tired.

Kollan Gaireth

Recruit of the CotL

[Raeyn]

 

Dodging a determined runner, Lydia walked up to the woman standing nearby.  "Are you Evelyn, ma'am?  I was given this note and was told to give it to you.  I think I'm supposed to be training under you today?"

 

Wiping her brow, she watched the guy running around in circles around herself and Evelyn.  He looked like he'd been at his task for some time, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was going to get a taste of the same.  She wasn't a huge fan of running, but she knew that there was a lot of tasking things she was going to have to do to prove her worth to the Children.

[mcs0083]

As the girl approached the "circle" in which Kollan was running, he tried his best to avoid her with out "faltering". He felt sorry for her, knowing that she wouldn't be treated any differently because of her gender. Even if she was, he wouldn't let it affect him. He had to focus on HIMSELF for the time being, for only he could achieve what was set before him. He had no time to complain about the treatment of others. And even more so now that there was another recruit, for he had to prove to this instructor that his place was at the Fortress. He was NOT going to let this girl get in his way.

 

Kollan Gaireth

Recruit of the CotL

[Nynaeve]

Evelyn read the note. She blinked and then read it again, half muttering to herself. She was so tired of getting dragged around this way. She yearned for more freedom, but to have that you needed the rank and that only came after much hard work and a growing irritation to match. Sighing, Evelyn nodded half to herself. "Go on, then, start running."

 

Looking at Kollan, Evelyn mused. "Kollan, continue running, but do it backwards. And maintain the speed, I don't want to see you lagging." Crossing her legs, she repeated what she said earlier to Kollan, for Lydia's sake. Evelyn was perhaps known for playing hard ball, but if there was one thing she never conveniently forgot about was making the rules explicitly clear and letting the recruits know exactly what she expected, even if sometimes it was exaggerated.

 

"Remember that stamina isn't a constant. It grows or it withers. You need to push yourselves beyond it to achieve anything, otherwise you might as well quit now. Nobody will try to stop you and who knows? it might beat the alternative." Evelyn retrieved a skin from her pack and drank thirstily as she watched the two running. A while later, she instructed Lydia to run backwards as well, while contemplating whether or not she should tell Kollan to stop. He did start running earlier. Oh well, he will have to continue running while she figured it out.

 

 

Evelyn

Meanie pants

[mcs0083]

"Kollan, continue running, but do it backwards. And maintain the speed, I don't want to see you lagging." Lagging? Kollan did not know the meaning of the word. He knew her type, with her haughty gestures and higher-then-thou attitude. He'd come across many of the kind in Caemlyn, those who demanded more of others because they were upset with themselves. A small part of him felt sorry for her, for many of those people that he knew were either in serious trouble or dead.

 

He continued to focus on his running, now backwards, as he had been for some time now. It was quite simple really. He just put the weight on his toes and kept pumping his legs. His calves had began to burn sometime ago, but he chose to ignore it. He did not want Evelyn to give him another needless tongue lashing.

 

A few minutes after the girl Lydia started running, Evelyn started yammering about stamina and how you had to work for it. It WAS a constant inside of him. All of his life he either had to have it or suffer, and lately he either had to have it or die. He saw Evelyn take out a skin full of something and drink it. Certainly it wasn't intoxicating :-\ She then told Lydia to run backwards as well. He had certainly lost track of time at this point, and what did it matter. His biggest wish was that Evelyn would wipe that contemplative look off of her face.

 

Kollan Gaireth

Recruit of the CotL

[Harnan]

He walked through the yard nonchalantly, avoiding the clusters of trainees being battered and berated by the grizzled trainers. His eyes were fixed towards the horizon and his expression was serene and unconcerned. It had reason to be. Oram had learnt first hand the uses of weapons and other aspects of fighting. He was not a warrior or soldier by any account. But he was more dangerous than his thin frame would suggest. He had behind him the weight of experience. He had no concerns whatsoever concerning the training. He would triumph over whatever obstacles were thrown his way, without doubt. He smiled grimly as he neared his destination.

 

He dodged the backwards running couple and walked up to the woman in the center - a woman with a most severe expression on his face. It baffled Oram as to why those in the Fortress were not more happy. Even among the Children, the Light did not shine on all.

 

He walked up to the woman and bowed. "May the Light shine upon you, esteemed instructor. I am Oram Volden, new recruit to the Children." Saying it never failed to give him a thrill. "I have here a note for you from the Master of Arms. I believe you are to be my trainer for the duration." He extended one hand. His fingers lightly held a strip of paper that fluttered gently in the breeze. He waited with infinite patience.   

[Nynaeve]

Evelyn snatched the note out of Oram's hand. She read it once and crumpled the paper in her fist. She was so bloody tired of the Master of arms piling her with more recruits without any notice. They could bloody well wait for the next training done by the the next instructor. She was going to have words with the man later on. He was pushing it.

 

She turned to Oram with an icy glare. "We follow the training summarized with the initials SCRAB. Today we've started with S. Stamina. Now join the rest and run. Don't falter. You won't like what happens if you do. Start, NOW!". Evelyn sat down and watched as the bunch ran in circles around her. Unfortunately for her, they held for quite a while, even though she could tell they were struggling. When she decided it was getting way too hot for her, she called them to an halt.

 

"Well, I am not entirely thrilled with the way some of your performed today. However, you've all did what was required of you. For that, you deserve time to regroup. We'll meet tomorrow bright and early. Until then..." And with that she was gone.

 

OOC: This goes for Harnan only. Hon, in your next post dedicate a few paragraphs to how your character feels while he runs and how it's becoming a strain the more hours pass (you're the only one who hasn't RPed it out, hence me asking :) ).

 

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IC:

"Good morning ladies. It is quite a beautiful morning, isn't it? A clear sky, birds chirping, a soft breeze. A perfect day to be outdoors and enjoy nature. Unfortunately, we will be training indoors today. So take one last look around and follow me." Evelyn led the pack of gits to one of the practice halls within the fortress where she set up a human sized wooden box.

 

"Today we're going to cover the letter C. Courage. Fear can sometimes be our allay. Every person experiences fear. Whoever says otherwise is lying. It is no crime to be afraid nor does it label you a coward. The trick is to learn how to control your fear and use it to your advantage. This is where most people split into two groups. The first would be the group of frightened little prancers. You do not want to be in this group, trust me. And than there's the warriors' group. The group you want to find yourself in if you wish to join our ranks."

 

Evelyn stood next to the box and pointed at it casually. "This lovely contraption holds many surprises within it. This exercise will not be physically demanding, as the one you went through yesterday. It will consist of each of you entering the box and staying confined within it for two whole hours. Aside from the small space, stuffy air and lack of light, you will find yourselves entertaining some company as well. Conquer your fears and you will pass this test. Go into the unknown and prove to yourself, and most importantly, to me, that you belong here."

 

Evelyn scanned all the recruits, making sure all of them were paying attention. "If you come out of the box before the two hours are complete, you will have to renter it once everyone else is done and start over. I will not lock the door. You are free to run out like ickle spoiled babies at any point. It is your decision and under your consideration. However, I would advice against it."

 

Evelyn leaned back on the wall and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Any questions?".

 

"What exactly is in the box?", a voice of one of the recruits pierced through the silence.

 

Evelyn grinned. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you now, would it? In any case, I'll infer that there are no questions worth answering. My advice is... Stay as still as possible so as not to disturb your guests. And when you think you cannot possibly endure any more, suck it up and stay put. Now, lets begin!".

 

 

OOC:

 

The box contains creatures within it. Lizards, spiders, crickets, flies and various other insects (you can make some up. Go crazy ;)). Bear in mind that they will be making noises... flapping of wings...communications of any kind... which I'm sure will go nicely with some of your terrified shrieks. ;D  It's mostly a psychological test... some characters might be more inclined to be scared of the bugs, some of the lack of light, some of the closed space... I don't want to see a character who feels absolutely comfortable and overjoyed in this situation. No one would feel comfortable, even if they're not phobic of any of the things they endure within the box.

 

So, RP it out... and work it!  ;)

 

 

 

Evelyn

Head Biatch ^_^

[mcs0083]

Well, a box eh? Kollan was not exactly sure what was in it, but it couldn't be too bad. He was sure that her superiors would not let Evelyn put anything life threatening in the box, so how horrible could it be? Climbing into the box, he couldn't help but wonder what had made Evelyn so up tight. Perhaps she had had it rough in her basic training, and was using this as a punching bag of sorts, because the experience had stuck with her. Or maybe she was only trying to make an impression on them now so they could be the best they could later. At least she was nice to look at...

 

He wasn't able to see what was in the box, but he could certainly hear noises. A slithering and buzzing is what he immediately heard, but that did not make him timid. He would just grit his teeth and take it, waiting for that woman to let him know his time was up. He settled in the boxes interior, feeling the lizards in snakes, at least thats what he guess they were, rubbing up against him. The bugs crawling on him, trying to get into his ears and nose. It wasn't his idea of doing something fun for the afternoon, but that wasn't really up to him.

 

He then discovered Evelyn's ace in the hole. He hadn't notices the feces until he'd had fully relaxed himself in the box. It has grimy and sticky, and was even in his hair. This was truly designed to be a trial of the senses, save for sight. Oh well. He would just deal with it. It was uncomfortable to be sure, but he may have even been glad to see Evelyn after this.

 

Kollan Gaireth

CotL Recruit

[Nynaeve]

Evelyn had to suppress a smile when Kollan walked out of the box. He didn't break. So a little credit was due. Only a tad, mind. There was still a lot to face and passing this class, in itself, didn't mean much. She didn't say a word to him, though. She usually had something to say when someone failed, but little to none when someone did what they were supposed to.

 

"All that have went through the trial are excused for the time being. We meet bright and early tomorrow."

 

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Evelyn sat crossed leg at the training yard, her mind blank. She had been trying to increase her meditating skills for quite a while but it seemed to be a painfully slow progress that was frustrating her to no end. When Evelyn finally opened her eyes, the recruits were standing in a row, awaiting her instructions. Not that she was going to give anyone props for that.

 

"Today we will move on to the letter R. Resistance. This lesson is not going to be easy. It will be difficult as the previous ones, only more physically demanding." Evelyn smiled as the recruit's faces grew dark. "I feel the need to remind you that this is not a tea party, ladies. If any of you is displeased with the situation..." Evelyn pointed towards the Fortress' outer gates. "...you're more than welcomed to excuse yourself and go buy some herbal tea in the nearest inn. I hear the prices are very appealing."

 

"To the ones of you who choose to stay, you better pay attention. Resistance is a very important attribute for a warrior. It shows how much you can take before collapsing. It's true that every person has his/her own limit. But the harder you push yourself, the higher that bar is and the better chance you have to survive when you're fighting for your life and the lives of others. You're expected to be capable. Strive to higher levels. You must invest everything you have in you to accomplish this. And that's exactly what's going to be put to the test today."

 

"Each of you is going to choose a stance. The one you feel you're most comfortable with. Keep in mind that you'll be on your feet for a prolonged time, so choose your stance wisely. Once you do so, I will use chalk to mark circles around your feet. You are not allowed to move your feet out of that circle, nor up from the ground." Evelyn walked to the right and stopped next to a pile of metal bits, each tied to straps. "These, ladies, are weights. Women will start with one weight, men with two. Whenever 30 minutes pass, I will place another weight on each of you. All you have to do is stay on your feet the longest possible. I want you to find your limit, but I also want you to push it further. As far away as possible. And that requires vast concentration. That's the key. And remember, don't let your body win over your mind."

 

Evelyn waited until all the recruits found their stance, marked the circles and hung the weights accordingly over the recruits' shoulders. The first few hours were to be relatively easy. The extra weight wasn't that extensive. But when the weight grew heavier and exhaustion would start to kick in, that's when the challenge really started.

 

And so Evelyn sat down comfortably, this time with her eyes wide open, observing the recruits.

 

 

 

OOC: I think my post is pretty self explanatory. Just RP your character reacting to the weight being added and the hours passing... have him collapse at some point, because you're not a superhero ;)  You can choose when you want to give in. Whether it happens quickly or not, you will pass the test, so don't worry about it.

 

 

 

 

Evelyn

CotL

[mcs0083]

Kollan chose quite a simple stance, not like some of the other trainees. He had spread his legs shoulder width apart, bending his knees slightly, balling up his fists, turning them upside down, and putting them by his hips. The other trainees, well the male ones anyway, had chosen complicated and difficult stances. One had his hands together like he was praying, and his leg lifted up. Another, had his hands on his head, and had crossed AND bent his legs, which looked quite ridiculous. He could only think of one reason as to why they we're doing it: to impress Evelyn. Perhaps because she was their superior, perhaps because she WAS quite attractive, but she was more sour than stale ale, and had no want of impressing her. Kollan just wanted this training to be over with. That is when Evelyn decided to stop talking, finally, and put on the weights. They were quite heavy, but Kollan was sure he could hold out longer than the others. The first half to full hour was a breeze, for Kollan in any case. That was around the time the others started to quiver, sweat rolling down their faces because of the extra strain. Not long after the first fell, or abandoned his stance rather. Others followed every twenty to thirty minutes, finally giving in and letting their muscles rest. At long last after four hours, it was down to Kollan and one other recruit. It was the one who had decided to bend and cross his legs with his hands on his head. It was obvious to see that he was struggling, but so was Kollan at this point. Oh the sweet relief when he could move again, being able to wipe the sweat from his eyes and forehead. And to top it all off that woman was still hurling insults, and asking if they were tired. But louder than her was his brain, which was screaming at him to move, to be at peace and not have to deal with this any longer. He looked over at the other recruit again. Kollan did not remember his name, but he DID know that it was the recruit that Evelyn had been ripping on the most. He then got an idea in his head that he at first thought was crazy: give in so that this guy would be the last one standing. This might make him that woman's new favorite target, but he figured that it was worth it. So Kollan, you had laughed inwardly at this other at first, gave in so that the other would be the last one, and gain the pride that came with it.

 

Kollan Gaireth

CotL Recruit