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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 14:42:28 GMT -5
This finally seemed to perk the males attention, and he turned to face him, head tilting almost like that of a puppy. 'Ah, yes. I forgot how much the romans enjoy theatre.' He said, a hint of playfulness in his voice. 'Shall I pretend to fall on my sword at the start of my debut as gladiator?'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 14:45:41 GMT -5
Aedan smiled a little "Well, at least you seeing this as somewhat of a joke is a start. I cannot teach you how to appeal to the crowd or be a successful gladiator, but I can give you pointers and stop you from making mistakes. But you have to learn all of this for yourself. But this morning, we start with physical training. I, for one, hope they start you off with a training dummy and not a person"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 14:58:23 GMT -5
(Awh man my reply didn't send)
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 14:59:23 GMT -5
A wide grin spread across his lips. 'There won't be any training dummies left.' He joked, before falling quiet and glancing around. 'Did they mention my parentage at all when I was brought in? I couldn't understand their accents.'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 15:06:17 GMT -5
Aedan shrugged "No, I don't think they did. They were too busy hauling you in, I'd wager. But I only know so much Latin, so even if they did I might not have understood everything they said"
It was awkward, the first time he mentioned that he wasn't Roman, even though it was perfectly obvious. It was as if it was something he wasn't supposed to talk about.
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 15:16:28 GMT -5
Damianos nodded, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Aedan was foreign. 'What happens this morning then?' He inquired. 'Are we leaving soon?' He strained against his cuffs and listened to a very satisfying groan from the metal; sleep had given him back at least some semblance of his strength. He felt them bend a little and then hold. They wouldn't give today.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 15:21:12 GMT -5
"Yes, the guards will come and wake the others up right about now," Aedan commented, and right on cue footsteps sounded on the stone passageway nearby, and the shapes of guards rounded a corner.
A few shouts and clatters later, everyone was awake and unchained.
"Just so you don't get yourself killed," Aedan began as they were led out into a large outdoor space, with several training dummies and spaces for human sparring rounds "there are archers everywhere who can shoot you in a second if you try to run. They hide everywhere there are good vantage points"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 15:25:18 GMT -5
He watched the guards unchain him with the cool gaze of a predator, satisfied with how they skirted around him as they made him join the group. He immediately sped up to Aedan, having found he liked this man. His words peaked his interest. 'Archers?' He asked, looking up to try and find them. 'They evidently know they couldn't contain you all if you rebelled.'
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 15:26:23 GMT -5
He rubbed his wrists and stretched his arms above his head to remove the aches and pains in them, sighing deeply with the relief that came with his current freedom.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 15:30:55 GMT -5
"Of course they couldn't," Aedan shrugged "If we all rebelled. But there are some who enjoy the violence too much to care for escaping, and there are many more who are simply too afraid. There are too few who would actually be willing to try an escape plan. Trust me, do you think in five years I have not tried almost every possible way of escape? "
He watched as other gladiators either paired up for sparring or approached one of the battle dummies.
"Like I said, until you learn how to hold your strength back, you should probably start with a training dummy and not a real person"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 15:34:16 GMT -5
Damianos rolled his eyes. 'If they can't take me they shouldn't be here.' He said, curiously looking around. 'What happens if I don't move or do anything?' He inquired, raising his eyebrows at the celt.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 15:37:17 GMT -5
Aedan didn't reply to his question with words, only turned around and pulled the back of his tunic down a little with one hand, revealing a spider's web of silvery scard, clearly caused by the crack of a whip.
"Not all of these are for not practicing," Aedan explained "I learn my lessons a lot more quickly than that, but you get the picture"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 15:46:58 GMT -5
'Fair enough.' Damianos nodded, examining the scars with respect in his eyes. With that he slunk off to a training dummy, grumpily taking out his annoyances on the inanimate object. It took a full hour for him to start to wear down, and he noted with immediate, innate worry that the other gladiators- the more seasoned ones- were still going with barely a sweat. 'Damn, I guess godly blood doesn't count for much if you don't train it to its limits.' He thought to himself, wiping his brow with his arm and brushing his hair from his neck, as it was sticking. A nasty scar ran the length from his ear to just above his shoulder on his left side, and looked to have been caused by a sword or knife of some kind. He cast his eyes around to search for Aedan, wondering how he was getting on.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 15:53:52 GMT -5
Aedan had been circuiting around, going from fighting his fellow gladiators to the training dummies. He had just finished a fight against an Egyptian man, a wily fighter, but Aedan had secured for himself a close victory. With that fight over, a slight sheen of sweat showing on his skin, he moved over to a training dummy, neighbouring Damianos.
He looked at the other fighter before he began "You're getting tired because you need to adjust your swing, not because you need practice" he explained "your swing is probably too wide; try a shorter one and keep your elbows in"
Having said this, Aedan set to work on his own dummy, keeping his swings short, but mainly keeping to stabs, since that was how Romans fought and it was what they expected to see in fights.
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 16:03:16 GMT -5
'I fight pankration.' He mumbled, speaking of an Ancient Greek sport and extremely violent fighting style, where the only rules were to not gouge eyes or grab privates- of course, that applied only in practice and sport, not battle. 'I'm more used to wrestling and kicking than punching.'
Although he complained he followed his senior's advice, glancing at him every so often to ensure he was doing it right. He felt a sudden well of anger in his gut as he thought of home, and there was a loud crack as he slammed his fist into the centre of the dummy, the wood splintering beneath his fist. He took deep, shaky breaths as he struggled to calm himself down, closing his eyes tightly. 'damn it, Mitera, why'd you let them through the gates?' He said under his breath.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 16:07:57 GMT -5
"Try with a sword, then. There are some wooden swords over there. Most of us just train with our fists because we use many different fighting styles and so if we all punch in practise it makes practise fights more equal." Aedan paused for a second "I'm an ordinary sword fighter myself, but sometimes they make me a chariot fighter. Perhaps you should try throwing the sword at the dummy and seeing if it sticks; they might make you fight with a sword and a net"
He hated the sword and net. Getting trapped in the net was the worst feeling, claustrophobic and primitive, making you feel more like an animal than any years of slavery could.
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 16:13:09 GMT -5
'I can handle most any weapon.' He replied, calming at Aedan's voice, then perking up when he saw the swords. He walked over and curiously examined them, finding the correct weight which balanced in his hand, before returning to the dummy. He slid his feet apart and into a steady stance, then began to train with first the flat of the wooden sword, and then the 'sharp' edge, swinging it harshly at the dummy. It stuck into the side with a dull thud, and he awkwardly looked at it as he strained to pull it out. '....uh.'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 16:16:11 GMT -5
Aedan couldn't help but laugh, and moved to help the newcomer extract their weapon from the dummy.
"Remind me not to make you angry" he commented with a raised eyebrow "because I think you just won your fight with one swing"
This man certainly had a lot of promise - more promise than Aedan had shown when he came, though perhaps his area to work on was the people skills, not the fighting. Aedan already knew how to win the crowd - once he came around to the idea of slavery. But maybe this was the other man's weakness.
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 16:19:58 GMT -5
His cheeks reddened and he rubbed the back of his neck. 'Thanks, I guess...?' He replied, unsure if what Aedan had said was a compliment. His stomach then growled at him insistently, and his cheeks reddened even further, betrayed once again by its incessant begging for food. He coughed, then awkwardly continued to train on the dummy, glancing hesitantly around at the other Gladiators. 'So... what did you mean earlier?' He hesitantly asked, 'about the crowd? Are they not pleased with the bloodshed alone? Surely the death of a man is enough.'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 16:36:39 GMT -5
Aedan shook his head "These people like to see a show. Yes, they want bloodshed, but a fight that is too drawn out or too short is boring. Your job is to make sure the fight is entertaining, even if it comes down to make sure that you die in an interesting way. If a gladiator wins quickly too often, the crowd grows bored and they often kill the boring gladiator. Basically, you have to be good, but not too good. Think of it like theatre"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 16:40:03 GMT -5
'I hate theatre,' he sighed, looking at the other male glumly. 'what do you do to rile them up?' He glanced up when he saw a soldier approaching, and swiftly continued to train, not about to get wrong on his first day.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 16:43:11 GMT -5
Aedan returned to training too, but continued to talk while doing so.
"I like to try and big myself up as a fighter. It gets the crowd really excited if you act like you're an amazing fighter, especially if you have a weakness your opponent manages to exploit - they like underdogs, and sometimes you don't get to play the underdog role"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 16:51:16 GMT -5
Damianos frowned. 'Allow yourself to be hurt?' He questioned, not quite understanding. 'That seems pointless and dangerous.' He swung his sword and got it stuck again, staring at it blankly. '... why.' He asked it, yanking on the handle. 'Why must you do this.'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 16:55:06 GMT -5
"Everyone gets hurt doing this" Aedan explained "And one day you're going to get hurt and you might have to as the crowd to vote on whether you should live or die. That's where it's important whether they like you. If they like you, you live. If not, you die"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 17:01:32 GMT -5
He blinked slowly as he took in what Aedan said. 'Have... you ever been in that situation?' He hesitantly asked, his predicament finally seeming to fully sink in. Concern rose in his eyes, and he managed to yank the sword out of the dummy, which was pretty pummelled by now. 'I'm not exactly the most likeable person.' He then tenses up and frowned. 'Do gladiators in the same...' he waved his arm around, unable to find the correct word for their group; 'fight each other in the arena?'
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 28, 2016 17:10:32 GMT -5
"Yes." Aedan replied "both in the Arena and real life. We've all been in a situation where we've had to yield. You'll know it one day."
At his second question, he paused "Sometimes. Not usually, because we train together and we know each other and our fighting techniques too well. We know how to fight each other. The Romans don't like that. They like new psirings"
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 17:28:36 GMT -5
(Sorry for disappearing I decided to draw Damianos ahaha)
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 28, 2016 17:30:40 GMT -5
"Yes." Aedan replied "both in the Arena and real life. We've all been in a situation where we've had to yield. You'll know it one day." At his second question, he paused "Sometimes. Not usually, because we train together and we know each other and our fighting techniques too well. We know how to fight each other. The Romans don't like that. They like new psirings" His hand moved subconsciously to the scar on his neck as Aedan spoke, and he relaxed at the second answer. 'That's good.' He said, nodding. 'I wouldn't want to fight you.' He said, grinning. 'You'd obliterate me with your theatre.'
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Post by Bloodrose on Nov 29, 2016 10:50:22 GMT -5
(Heyyy)
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 29, 2016 11:02:12 GMT -5
[Heyy x]
Aedan laughed "The theatre saves your life it it comes to it, but it does not win the fight. You, with some training, could likely win a fight against anyone."
Aedan's eyes moved to the scar on the Greek man's neck as his hand went to it, and Aedan couldn't help but ask "An old battle wound?"
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