Kenoma Team Training

[lachtara]

WHO: The Kenoma
WHAT: Training Activities
WHERE: Starts at the Citadel, varies per activity
WHEN: Starting on 6/4
WARNINGS: None yet...?

After a period of relative quiet, the Kenoma will receive a Communion post of utmost importance:

"Good day, everyone. This is Ciel. We may have received a passing grade from the Regent following the events in Venera, but they have sorely underlined how ill-prepared we were for a proper mission on Horos. Emet-Selch, Eustace, and I are in agreement, thus we have organized a series of training and teambuilding exercises. We ask that you all please attend, there will be... prizes."

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OVERVIEW

When trainees arrive in the Courtyard after the Communion, a plethora of training activities await them.

The courtyard itself is sectioned off into areas, one for each training activity for the day. The activities vary from one subject to another, and still manage to be related to their tasks as a Kenoma while still leaving room for "fun". Weapons training, tag, survival training, and strength training are all provided. Kenoma is also welcome to spar on their own if they so choose. (This is not included as a specific prompt to avoid too much PVP, but you can add it in a TL if you like.)

Instructions on each activity will be provided to the participant before they begin. For those who can’t participate or choose to show up for moral support or to dodge the activities, water will be provided so that you may gossip around the proverbial "water cooler".

Each of the three trainers are on hand in some capacity or another to provide instructions on that activity or training on a specific skill.

These exercises can be done at any point and do not necessarily have to be done on a training day with the group. Characters can return after the crowd has dispersed to train on their own or with a chosen individual. The equipment will still be there and trainers (or fellow Kenoma) can be brought here at their leisure.

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I. WEAPONS TRAINING

Racks of weapons are lined up on the far side of the courtyard. These range from swords to polearms and rather sizable knives to swords and tonfas. Feel free to grab a weapon of your choosing and have a trainer engage you to show you how to use it. Or, if they have experience, other students may also advise you!

The intent is to train on the proper use of several types of weapons and how to wield them effectively. It may also delve into how to most efficiently disable/neutralize/injure someone in a fight, depending on which teacher you wind up with.

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II. AGILITY

There is an open part of the field that has been roped off specifically for...tag! Rope bridges, mud pits, chest-high walls of rock, and even a large wall of ice (?!) dot the field to give people plenty of places to hide and run. (If you would like your own obstacle, feel free to comment to ask so we can make sure it’s within reason of what our characters could do.)

Participants will be provided with a waxy paint to put on their hands which will stain whatever person it comes in contact with with a very luminescent purple glitter. (It washes out, of course!) The last person standing will get a prize of…dubious worth.

Now get running!

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III. SURVIVAL

There’s two locations for this: the outdoor courtyard closest to the main citadel kitchen, and the kitchen itself.

For the outdoor location, bundles of tree branches and firewood are provided if needed, students are expected to start their own fire and cook wild game with what they foraged.

A - Foraging
Time for a field trip to the mountains and woods outside Achamoth! Students will be taught basic survival skills including: first aid without the use of magic, how to find and create shelter from natural terrain, how to identify and forage for food that is safe to eat, and how to create traps to catch wild game. Yes, you too can experience the joy of floor meat!

All foraged supplies can subsequently be used for Home Ec cooking lessons.

B - Home Ec
For the kitchen, there's a dedicated area where several Aions at once could attempt cooking with utensils and more elaborate ingredients. There are some servants keeping an eye out just in case and could be flagged down for help or assistance if requested/needed, but otherwise, Aions are free to make use of everything available to their own ends. Is this really useful for "training"? Cooking is a science that shapes and nourishes both body and soul, of course, it's important enough to have a part in the curriculum!

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IV. STRENGTH

Step up to the starting line with one partner. One person will carry the other across a small section of the course to the finish line at the opposite end. There are a few minor obstacles such as walls and puddles. Nothing that you have to put too much effort into getting around. The person who can see will guide the person carrying them to the finish line using only their voice. Try not to bump into anything.

If you feel *really* ambitious, extra weights will be provided. Or you can forgo the rules and carry two people (or more?). Your choice, really.

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V. REFRESHMENTS

For those who are not athletically inclined - or claim not to be athletically inclined - a large chunk of ice with refreshments dotted throughout awaits you on the sidelines. They will take a little effort to free them. Most will be freed with a little pull while others are completely encased in ice and may not be worth the effort.

Feel free to hand out refreshments, gossip about the participants, or scheme to your hearts' content.

Comments

[sterngaze]

[Surprise registers on his face when Ciel inquires after his health. Does he really look that haggard? He wonders if concern for his well-being has been on her mind for a while now, or if training has been more rough on him than he realized.]

I'm well, [he assures her. But, because he assumes she wouldn't have asked unless she judged him as looking especially sickly, he adds,] My health can be somewhat inconsistent, but I promise that I've been taking care of it. Thank you for asking.

[There's no need for him to go into excruciating detail over a polite inquiry. The truth is that Liem's eating and sleeping habits have never been ideal, and the new situation he's found himself in hasn't helped any. Nonetheless, he's had enough practice managing his "condition" to know just how far he can safely push himself. He wouldn't still be out here if he was in danger of fainting in the middle of the courtyard.]

[expiera]

[It would be unfair to compare him against other regular people, but no one he hasn't spoken to personally would be aware of his exact circumstances. They have been told that their physical bodies are simply containers, it's entirely feasible that he's like this for his own reasons. Still... Chalk it up to her personality, maybe? Probably.]

I see... You would know best, but I can't help but still find it concerning. Your complexion looks worrisome, you always seem to dress so heavily even when it's hot out too. Are you cold, or is it a condition?

[She accepts his explanation, yet doesn't seem to be willing to drop the subject. It IS just nosiness (at least in part), for better or worse...]

[sterngaze]

[Liem frowns when Ciel continues to inquire about his health in spite of his attempt to politely close the subject. He should probably just be honest with her; they're allied, after all. Information about his heritage might be important for her to know at some point.

But it's so demoralizing when people suddenly change how they treat him after finding out. And at worst, someone might share his business with everyone they know. He's never eager to find out where a new person will end up on the scale.

Liem sighs.]

Please be discreet about what I'm about to tell you.

[Ciel seems like a conscientious young woman. Hopefully she'll honour his request.]

I'm half-vampire. I dress this way to keep out of the sun as much as possible. [And also for modesty's sake, if he's being honest.] You don't need to be concerned about it, or my complexion.

[expiera]

[Nosiness aside, the gravity of their situation is nevertheless something that can't, and shouldn't, be downplayed. Neither of them were caught in the worst and most violent of the altercations in Venera, but that first blood had been spilled towards the Pleroma IS a staunch reminder that they are at war. Not taking stock and consideration of their fellow soldiers' more unique circumstances will only put them at greater risk, something entirely avoidable with proper planning and communication.

The shift (something... resigned?) of his demeanor and his plea does have her straighten, shedding aside casual friendliness for something more serious in turn as she nods back at him.]

Of course.

[And it becomes immediately understandable why, once he explains the cause. She simply lowers her gaze and crosses her arms with a pensive expression, there's otherwise no noticeable change in her.]

I see. Would you say your performance is better at night? What about your diet?

[There's no sense beating around the bush. Liem had been cordial and reasonable since they first spoke, and has continued giving her no reason to suspect he may be hiding anything unsavory. She does have experience in that field too, dealing with eccentric vampires who pretend to not be enemies of humanity yet are twisted beyond compare all the same. Here, he's a Kenoma Aion, and will continue to be treated as such in her eyes until she has explicit cause to believe otherwise.]

[sterngaze]

[In this instance, no reaction is about the best that Liem could have hoped for, so he feels at least some small measure of relief when Ciel takes the information without any obvious misgivings. He rests a hand on his hip, resigned for the moment to telling her what she wants to know. He can handle practical questions about his diet and habits as long as she doesn’t ask anything too personal.]

It’s a little better then, or any other time I’m not required to be out in direct sunlight.

[No matter how thoroughly he layers his clothing or how dark his glasses are, being out in daylight always manages to make him feel at least a little disoriented. It goes beyond simply being dazzled in bright light; the touch of the sun feels distractingly hostile. But the shelter of a roof or even thick enough tree cover is enough to solve that issue.]

And I eat regular food. [His tone is firm. Final.] I don’t need to drink human blood.

[Every time he ends up drinking anyway, he always tells himself it’s going to be the last time, that next time he’ll be able to resist—but he’s been doing so well lately. The last time he’d drunk from a human has to have been years ago at this point. He doesn’t need to worry about how easy it would be to find a willing donor in this sin-filled city. He doesn’t. He’s stronger than that.]

So I don’t.

[expiera]

Understood. We'll include a night segment for future training exercises, readiness at any time would be a flexible quality to build. Lower visibility and all the risks and opportunities associated are factors everyone should prepare for, it would do well to acclimate the others ahead of time before we receive any mission that may require us to move at night. I'll speak to the other trainers after this.

[She answers clinically after a short pause, making it a point to highlight the practical aspect over any potential hint that may suggest the decision is done to accommodate his comfort. It may be the same thing in the big picture, but... well.

Her gaze does linger on him for what feels like moments longer than entirely natural after his explanation, the uncompromising firmness of his tone is duly noted. No sense pushing it even if she wants to; he clearly doesn't intend to elaborate any more.]

Hmm. Do you know if your body takes better to specific nutrients? Would food rich in iron be more energizing, for example?

[She's not going to push the "human blood" angle, that is. "Eating well" is still free game, tho.]

[sterngaze]

[He can't help but note the unspoken consideration for his comfort and capabilities, even though Ciel does well to provide sensible reasons to begin holding training sessions at night. It's rare for people Liem knows to go out of their way to accommodate him because of his lineage; rarer still for them to take pains to avoid slighting his pride in the process. The set of his shoulders loses some of its stiffness as he gives a slow nod.]

Let me know if you need any help. If it's convenient for me to be awake at night, so I don't mind filling in if you're short-handed.

[Although he still views the aions from the first wave as his seniors, he's been here long enough that he's become used to the way things are run in and around the Citadel. Now that he can function independently in this place, he feels confident in offering his assistance in this area, which is one that he has considerable experience in.

The matter of his diet, however, is a less welcome topic. His tone is gentle but firm as he addresses it.]

I know you're trying to help, but my diet is my business. I've had every kind of advice you can imagine from doctors, scholars, and priests, and I've been managing my own health for a very long time. I don't need assistance.

[expiera]

Your offer is appreciated. Are there specific powers you have that may be useful for setting things up? Manual labor is always welcome when it comes to moving equipment, but conjuring and elemental manipulation can also contribute significantly, for example. Many of the structures in the obstacle course were created by Emet-Selch.

[It is good to see their peers take initiative, the value in teamwork is important regardless of why they're here. She'll be happy to take him up on his offer, Emet-Selch probably would as well.

As for that... Yes, his clarification is as clear and succinct as his request to stop poking at something he doesn't wish to further elaborate on. Which is a little suspicious in and of itself, in her opinion, but she'll leave it alone.]

Alright. Please take care.

[That said, she takes a step back.]

Would you like to take the offensive first, or shall I?

[Back to business it is, then.]

[sterngaze]

[Ciel's question brings a small smile to Liem's face. He supposes it's a reasonable thing to ask, considering the wide range of backgrounds and abilities that the aions possess. Even so, he wasn't expecting his offer to be received quite like that.]

Only punctuality, organization, and an ability to take initiative.

[That is to say: no, none of his magic is especially useful for setting up areas for training. He's exclusively offering to show up, supervise where needed, and move things with his hands. Hopefully assistance of that nature is still useful.

When Ciel takes a step back, Liem retreats slightly as well, shifting into a more agile stance. He eyes her alertly, considering.]

Attack me first, [he decides.] I'll try to keep up.

[expiera]

[It was a process that took a bit getting used to, changing gears to... not 'adapt', exactly, but treat everyone with the assumption that they can do extraordinary things, in part because they all fell into an extraordinary situation. Still, his answer is straightforward, and she can ask for nothing more as she accepts it with a small smile.]

That's more than enough, thank you. I'll keep you updated.

[And with the pleasantries exchanged, her expression drops to something more serious.]

On your mark.

[That's the only heads-up he gets, before an uppercut aimed at his jawline is swung his way. The strength and speed isn't anything beyond normal human capacity, this IS training and she needs to gauge his capabilities first.]

((OOC: Sorry this took a while! Would you like to thread this out or handwave the spar/rest and settle on a conclusion of what went down? With the event coming up, may be good to wrap this up?))