everybody talks --- [open]

Subject: everybody talks --- [open] Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:07 pm

Xander Larkin

Xander didn't normally show up to training sessions of any kind. Ever. That was way too much commitment for the sixteen year old to put forth. He dodged comments about his cowardliness and ran from them, knowing that people couldn't ever know the real him. That would overthrow his whole system of believing that he was actually someone popular and important to camp. Really, he wasn't, but that wouldn't bother the son of Luck today.

With his dagger and shield in hand, the demigod was banging against a dummy, mimicking the person to his left. Xander didn't really know what he was doing, but his strength allowed for that to make no difference in the effectiveness of the drill. His cutoff tee shirt, a faded green color, was clinging to his sweat coated body. As he took a breather, the boy splashed water on his face, shocked that his first training session of the spring was causing this much burn in his muscles.

Before he knew it, break time was over and it was back to training. Xander ran a hand through his damp hair, disappointed in it's lack of volume at the moment. He grabbed his dagger, but was interrupted by an instructor telling him it was time to try throwing knives. With a frown, he picked up a knife, and began imitating the other kids in his row. He soon realized he wasn't accurate, and left the station without another word. Xander was going back to his shield, so he could push it into more dummies. He could actually do that.

However, just as he grabbed his shield, and made a quick practice motion, and must've made contact with something. Or someone. Oops. Xander's brown eyes got wide as he lowered his shield too see what damage he caused. Without thinking, he snapped, "Gods, watch where your going!"

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun Apr 06, 2014 11:45 pm

Sean was what some would consider a senior camper. The majority of the demigods at camp were younger than him, and while that didn't excuse him from training sessions, it did give him some leeway as to what he did in said sessions. While the other campers in the second cohort were bashing dummies with shields or throwing knives, Sean was off to the side with Locus. He loaded, aimed and fired the crossbow five times in succession, hitting the dummy each time.

He walked over to the dummy to collect the bolts, but when he got close he noticed something. Sean took off his sunglasses and saw that one of the bolts had a crack running along it. They were made of Stygian Iron, so this very rarely happened, but there were occasions when it did, this being one of them. "Must've hit the pole..." He murmured to himself, referencing the metal poles that the dummies were placed upon. He placed the damaged bolt in his jacket pocket, making a mental note to bring it to the forges so that it could get repaired by one of Vulcan's children.

Folding his sunglasses and hooking them onto his shirt, he walked back over to where he had been kneeling, only to get bashed in the side by a shield. 5 years ago, when he first got to camp, he would've been thrown to the floor by such an attack, but this was not 5 years ago. He easily grabbed the shield to simultaneously stabilize himself and prevent another bash. When his 'attacker', if you could even call him that, told Sean to watch where he was going, he grimaced. It had to be that kind of person. He gave his assailant a quick scan, before looking him in the eyes and flatly stating "How about you watch yourself." He recognized the boy, making a note that he was younger than Sean. The fact that they were both in the second gave an easy answer to the recognition, and Sean guessed the boy had been here for a few years. Sean very rarely recognized new campers, even ones who had been there for a year. In the past 16 months or so, Sean hadn't spent as much time at camp, going on short road trips every other week or so. He released his grip on the shield, pushing it towards the boy and taking a step back.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:07 pm

Xander Larkin

Xander scowled at the figure whom he had hit, recognizing him from his cohort. Of course he just happened to hit someone who ranked higher than him, how lucky. The blonde gave the older boy a look over, trying to asses him, even though he should've known a little of him by now. After all, the Roman had been at Camp Jupiter for a while now. "Hate to break it too you, but I told you first," he responded, a smirk floating over the edge of his lips.

Backing off to avoid taking his shield to the face, the boy lowered it, frowning at the boy in front of him. Normally, Xander would just leave without another word towards him, taking the 'passive aggressive' route over any other one. However, this person kind of insulted him, and Xander decided that maybe, just maybe, he could prove himself to be the better out of the two of them. "I'm not sorry that you got in my way," he added, motioning with his shield, and the action he intended to make. "You should pay attention more often." He raised his thick eyebrows, his smirk growing into a full and obvious display of mock confidence.

occ sorry it's icky i know.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:35 am

Sean rolled his eyes, before locking eye contact with the boy again. "It doesn't matter who said it first. It matters who was in the wrong." The boy was obviously not a senior camper, which meant that Sean was his superior, in ranking if not in authority. The boy's continued arrogance surprised him. Most of the time, if someone bumped into him and acted self entitled like the boy had been, they would've apologized quickly after realizing their mistake. The fact that the boy hasn't was a surprise, to say the least.
"Let me clear something up for you kid" Sean said, emphasizing the word kid to ensure the boy knew that Sean didn't see him as anything close to an equal. As he kept talking, Sean stopped forward, intentionally getting into the boy's space as a small threat. "You were, and are, in my way. I was kneeling here five minutes ago and I'll be kneeling here in five minutes. That dummy over there is my target, unless you want to volunteer yourself as a replacement. I think you'd fit the role well. You're supposed to be throwing knives over there with the rest of your group, not bashing a senior camper with a shield. When you look at it from the perspective of anyone with a brain, you can see that you" Sean took another step forward, pointing a finger and pressing it against the shield "are in the wrong.". While he talked, Sean withdrew a flare from his belt and was ready to activate it if the need arose.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:26 pm

Xander Larkin

Xander wasn't impressed by the boy's eye roll, but was slightly intimidated when they locked eyes. He tried pressing his eyebrows together, and stood up straight, like he could make himself bigger somehow. His shield still dangled in his fingertips, but the boy wished it would make him look more impressive, more of anything really. Xander wasn't impressed by the boy's short moral lesson, and simply cocked a thick eyebrow, as if to say 'is that all?'.

With the word 'kid', the teenager chuckled, tilting his head back as he did so, eyebrows still raised in a challenge. He didn't need to be an equal of anyone, he knew that he was better. At least, that's what Xander told himself all the time. As he felt the guy enter his space, he crinkled his nose, and took a small step back. After the rant session, which the demigod hadn't even paid attention too, he continued to look at the guy with a puzzled or annoyed expression. Some people just had to prove their point. "Yeah, well I'm not throwing knives," he said with a small smirk. Glancing at the flare that he was holding, Xander shook his head.

"Whatever dude," he muttered, crossing his arms. "But hey, if you really need a target, I'd love to volunteer." Xander smirked, raising an eyebrow at the older camper. His heartbeat was pumping in his ears, or maybe that was his arrogance, probably some of both. He wanted to prove that he had enough nerve to be better than this guy. "It's not like you'd hit me anyways, that would be against code - right?" Xander smiled, tossing his shield and weapon to the side of the arena. Running a hand through his somewhat matted hair, he turned back to the older boy, wearing a cocky smile. "Where do I stand?"

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:21 am

Sean was getting frustrated to say the least. This camper had to be the most self absorbed demigod since Narcissus. Sean suddenly realized he didn't even know the camper's name, although it didn't matter much to him. When he flatly stated, with that obnoxious smirk of him, that he wasn't throwing knives, Sean's scowl deepened. This boy was supposed to be a roman. That meant following orders, among other things. Maybe it was time to teach this kid a lesson.

"Oh would you now?" Sean asked, mocking the boy slightly. He noticed another senior camper, the one in charge of the rest of the group, look over, but Sean gave a signal that he would take care of it. Sean smirked, and pointed to the spot on the ground right in front of the dummy. "Right over there Narcissus." Purposefully giving him the name of someone so self absorbed that he died looking at a reflection of himself. Sean couldn't tell if the boy was afraid, but he was certain he wouldn't expect what was about to happen. "If we were in New Rome, yeah, the code would forbid hitting you. But you've offered yourself as a target, and have been insubordinate. I think that qualifies at least one good crossbow bolt into you."

Sean didn't wait for the boy's response. He loaded a small red stick into his crossbow and fired it before the boy had a chance to move. But, he needn't move at all. The stick landed at the boy's feet, smoking some but not posing any danger to him. Sean could almost predict exactly what the boy would do: Laugh at his 'poor' aim, ask him if that was all he had, etc. Sean couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:44 pm

Xander Larkin

Xander noticed the frustration in the boy's face, and smiled at the affect he was having on the older camper. He didn't normally pride himself on being able to piss people off, but this was giving him a sense of pride. Maybe not for the right reasons, but still. He didn't care, if this guy wanted to play hard ball, so be it. He would prove his nerve was superior. Giving the boy a fake smile, he walked over to the place he was told, shoulders straight. "Narcissus was Greek, dude," Xander muttered as he went, rolling his eyes.

Sure, maybe he wasn't the best Roman, but he surely wasn't the worst either. He was loyal to his camp, and that was all that really mattered. At the boy's remarks, he simply rolled his eyes again. "Wow, I'm so offended," Xander countered, a smirk still playing on his lips. His confidence could easily be confused for stupidity, which was probably true. The demigod wasn't thinking about anything but proving that he was right. Normally he wouldn't care, but this time he wanted to are about something.

Centering himself in front of the dummy, he smiled and look at the boy, waiting for the first arrow to be shot. Once it did, his eyes followed the projectile as it landed at his feet. Xander chuckled, a smile filling his face at the senior camper's failure. "Way to teach me a lesson, great job," he joked.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:09 pm

"Well, you're not Roman, so I don't really care." Sean muttered, loud enough for Xander to hear. Sean couldn't help but think 'Wow, what has to happen to a person to make them this obnoxious?'. The flare on the floor was still smoking, but it was a low power flare, not producing much light. Sean let his crossbow drop to his side and raised his right hand. He made a swirling motion with one finger, and the smoke followed suit. It swirled around, collecting into a thick, smoky mass. Sean smiled, an almost evil glint in his eye.

"This is how I'm going to teach you a lesson." Sean stated in a very aggressive tone. He opened up his right hand and thrust it forward, his fingers clenched like he was holding something, or someone. The smoke did the same, forming into a large black hand and thrusting forward, pinning the boy against the wall. The smoke somehow was a solid and a gas at the same time, able to hold Xander to the wall but not able to be attacked by anything else really. Sean grinned as the boy flailed somewhat, his arms passing through the collective mass that held him against the wall. He moved his hand upwards, lifting Xander off the floor so that was suspended in mid air.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sat Apr 12, 2014 12:24 pm

Xander Larkin

Xander frowned at the boy's 'you're not Roman' comment, wishing he could brush it off easily. He didn't take lightly to being overlooked so easily. He was Roman, maybe just a different version than everyone around here was used to. He wasn't the type to prove himself, he just wished everyone acknowledged him as someone who was capable of things, despite the fact that Xander had yet to do anything. The demigod figured he would get around to proving himself eventually, if luck was on his side.

The glint in the boy's eye made him uneasy, but he didn't show it, instead he looked straight forward without saying anything. Whatever this guy was thinking couldn't be good. Xander was about to say something, when he noticed the rather gloomy cloud of smoke neared closer to him. The teenager backed up, his body hitting the target he was standing in front of. Suddenly the mist grabbed him, and lifted him off the ground. Xander gasped and tried fighting it, his hands flailing helplessly against the matter. "What the hell, man?" he called angrily.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Mon Apr 14, 2014 8:25 am

When Xander showed a look of his distaste at Sean's questioning of the boy being a true Roman, Sean couldn't help but scoff internally. Being a Roman meant something. Romans were respectful and disciplined. This boy was... not. Sean could tell something was off. There was definitely a mask there, but hiding what? That was a question for another day. For now, maybe Sean could help the boy become what he claimed to be, at least in a way that entertained him.

"What the hell indeed." Sean mocked him, grinning and admiring his work. "Or, Hades to be more exact. One of the perks of being a son of one of the many different gods of the Underworld." Sean walked towards the boy, taking his time. "Before we continue our lesson on what being a Roman really means, I think we should be properly acquainted. My name is Sean York, son of Laverna. And you are?" He left the question hanging in the air for a moment, giving the boy a chance to answer, before leaning down to pick up the still smoking flare. Once he had it in his hands, he drew the smoke that was holding Xander to the wall away, collecting it around the flare and compressing it into a small sphere, ready to use at a moment's notice.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sat May 03, 2014 4:24 pm

Alexander Larkin

Xander frowned, clenching his jaw and tightening his facial features as he tried to struggle again. However, it was of no use as the dark shadow continued to hold him up, for some reason unknown to him. All he knew was that he was annoyed before, and now he was pissed. Being made an example of wasn't exactly something that he intended to be. "Hades is Greek," he hissed, obviously annoyed about the constant references to the enemy of the Legion. The slow walk that the older boy exhibited only made the son of Luck's blood boil that much more, because he was a victim. Maybe he had it coming to him, but that made the situation no easier.

Sean York. The name seemed rang a bell, but a bell that Xander didn't care for. "Alexander Larkin, Fortuna," he responded coldly, his voice steady. There was no way that he would give the boy his actual name, because Sean didn't deserve to know. 'Xander' was meant for his friends, and there was no way that this smoke-making son of a gun was going to be his friend.

He gasped as the smoke was withdrawn, and he fell back to the ground, catching himself from face planting by the use of his palms. The grave caused a few scratches, but Xander ignored them as he got to his feet, wiping the rocks out of his hands as he did so. He raised an eyebrow at the smaller sphere that Sean was containing in his palms. "Would you mind telling me what you tried to strangle me with?" The demigod asked, crossing his arms.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun May 04, 2014 12:52 pm

"I know, but I was referring to the place, not the god. Regardless, I honestly don't care. There's not too much of a difference in the first place." Sean explained himself as he walked.

At the mention of his name, a brief flicker of recognition crossed his face. He had heard of the boy, but not much. Even if he had, Sean doubted anyone could give him a description that matched what the boy really was. "Isn't it Xander? Or is that just reserved for the select few?" He asked. It wasn't exactly a difficult observation to make. Every time the boy had been mentioned by someone, it had always been with what Sean assumed was his preferred name.

Sean chuckled a bit at his question. "It's just smoke. I simply have the ability to control it. See?" As he finished his comment, he shaped the condensed smoke into the shape of a sword with the flare as the hilt that Sean could hold. "It's a power given to me by Laverna." He gave his new sword a few experimental swings in front of him, showing it off to Alexander.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun May 04, 2014 7:20 pm

Alexander Larkin

Xander rolled his eyes as the boy's response to the still Greek name. It probably wouldn't bother most people, but everything about Sean bothered him. The idea that he was so much better than Xander, for example, really pissed him off. The anger was still pumping in his veins, but it had slowed some, making it seem not as obvious as before, when he was being ambushed by smoke. At the mention of his preferred name, the boy's eyebrows knitted together. "Alexander," he corrected, the name feeling foreign in his mouth. Most of his friends went with Xander, just because it was easier to say, and it fit the boy better. Alexander seemed almost sophisticated, while Xander was more casual.

As Sean explained himself, the boy tried not to be impressed. Fortuna hadn't given him any great powers to show off to people. He was stuck with his self confidence, and really, Xander would have preferred a power. Anything, but no, it was not to be. "Great," he muttered, eyeing the smokey swords and their strikes.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun May 04, 2014 9:30 pm

At 'Alexander's correction, Sean simply shook his head with a small smile. "Whatever you say kid." He watched as the boy became more frustrated as time went on, and honestly it was entertaining.

"Yeah, it is isn't it?" He smiled as he replied to Alexander's obviously sarcastic response. "So, you ready to show your stuff?" Sean challenged, grabbing the boy's shield and weapon and throwing them to his feet. He swung his smoke sword, still getting the hang of holding it. He had never tried this kind of thing before, so it would take him a while to get good with it.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun May 04, 2014 10:01 pm

Alexander Larkin

Xander didn't like the smile on Sean's face as he corrected him. However, he figured that if he was getting so much enjoyment out of his frustration, he better calm down. Trying to unclench his facial features wasn't very difficult as he tried to steady his breathing. Simply rolling his eyes at the boy's sarcastic comment, he uncrossed his arms. When his weapons slid to his feet, the boy smirked. Finally, something he was decent at.

Sliding his shield on, he smiled, clenching and unclenching his fists to make sure that the straps were fitting nicely. Then it was time for his knife, shining in the sunlight. "This is blessed, and luck," Xander explained, holding up his shield and knife accordingly. A smirk floating on his face, he added, "But you should know I don't need the luck." The smoke sword wasn't something he was used to going against, but the idea of beating it fueled him. Relaxing his grip on the knife, he stepped forward, taking an experimental strike at Sean.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Sun May 04, 2014 11:48 pm

"You have a shield named blessed?" Sean asked incredulously. He shook his head with a small grin that said 'I can't believe this guy'. He raised his smoke sword and started circling Alexander like a shark in the water. When the boy took an stab at him, Sean stepped back, avoiding the blade. He then did turned slight and took a step forward, slashing at Alexander's midsection. He made sure to stay as far away as possible. If Alexander was able to step in and get close to Sean, the difference in the lengths of their blades would turn the fight to Alexander's favor.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Tue May 13, 2014 7:42 pm

Alexander Larkin

Xander frowned at the boy's accusations, shaking his head, but not keeping his eyes off of his target, If there was one thing that he learned in New Rome, it was that one shouldn't ever take their focus off of the thing that they mistrusted; and he definitely didn't trust Sean. "It wasn't my idea," he snapped irritably. The smoke curling around him, the boy's gaze flicked between his opponent and the smoke. Part of him was tempted to call Sean out, saying that it was cheating by using godly powers. Then again, he wasn't going to, it would be lame on his part.

Tilting his shield to block the coming attack, Xander grunted at the impact. He blindly took a stab at the older boy, preferring to use the more Roman stabbing version. "At least I don't need smoke to fight," he muttered, going back on his previous thought. Maybe he couldn't resist pointing out the inequality in their fight.

Subject: Re: everybody talks --- [open] Tue May 13, 2014 11:01 pm

Sean couldn't help but tilt his head up and give a short laugh. "I don't need it either. I just don't have a sword handy, and this is much easier than borrowing someone else's." He stated, countering Alexander's point. Sean continued circling the boy, analyzing his fighting stance and technique. Despite Sean's claims at Alexander not being a true Roman, he definitely fought like on. A fighting style based off of stabbing and jabbing instead of slashing. "And for the record, the smoke doesn't give me an advantage in a sword fight if I don't use it for anything but the actual sword." He would've stuck his tongue out if he wasn't in a fight against someone he generally disliked.

Sean took a step to the side when Alexander stabbed at him again. He didn't really understand the boy's fighting technique. Alexander wielded a dagger and used a Roman fighting style. Anyone who understood those two facts would deduce that he would try and get into Sean's space, under the range of the longer smoke sword and able to actually reach his opponent with the short dagger. Despite this, Alexander didn't move. All he did was spin, facing Sean at all times, never taking a step forward. Sean took a step back, contracting his back leg slightly. After a short moment, he sprung forward, his leg extending and pushing him forward like a spring. Sean seemed to be aimed directly at Alexander, but in reality he was aimed slightly to the side. Sean drew his sword and held it out to the left, meaning that it would slice into Alexander on his way past. He felt it come into contact with something, although he wasn't sure whether or not it was the boy's body or his shield.

Once he arrived at the other side of the arena, he stood up straight and turned 180° to see the result of his latest attack.

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