Invisible Collars (Adrienne)

Lorilae stomped away from where she had been training. Her new armor weighed her down something fierce and normally it left her feeling fatigued by midday. She would rather do away with the armor and learn how to fight light on her feet. Lately she couldn’t get away from the feeling the world was trying to slow her down and pin her in place. She missed being able to run through the hills or go swimming in a mountain lake whenever she wanted. Now she was stuck in camp and only had free time when she was told she had free time. The entire situation irked her.  Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear she scanned around for a suitable place to take a brief respite. Finding a stretch of shade she made her way over and flopped down awkwardly in the armor. Once she was settled on her back she took solace in the fact that if nothing else. The clouds were still free to move and go where they pleased. She tried to shake the feeling that she was going to be sharing the same fate as the animals in the zoo.

Adrienné thrust her long spear into the dummy before, sure to make her strikes precise. By now, she’d got her spearing skills back to their previous ways. She’d never really been as good at another weapon, though if she had to pick something else she’d go for a set of daggers. They were quick and easy to use and found themselves helpful in a practical situation. She’d used them before, when she hadn’t had access to her spear because she was back in New York. She had to occasionally fight mortals, though it was only was in self defense. Though hopefully a couple stabs from a then-thirteen year old were enough to tell them she wasn’t a force to recon with. She didn’t like being the offensive with other people, it was just not necessary to stir fights. Though, if she was attacked that wasn’t to say that she wouldn’t retaliate. She had merely mixed with the wrong people upon her return to the city, she was a bit shaken and in the wrong places, did things that she shouldn’t have.

The chestnut haired Roman yanked her spear from the torso of the dummy, a clean hole poking through it’s stomach. Adrienné smiled, that was the Adrienné she knew. Back when she was younger, she had been one of the best with a spear for her age. Too bad it wasn’t with something more common like a sword. Not often was there a practical situation where you could yank out a tall spear and find a place to use it acceptably. After all, why would they be training if they didn’t need to use this stuff in real life? Adrienné knew that from first hand experience. She was on her own for a bit, and she’d ran into a couple more unfavourable situations, though maybe you couldn’t tell it by looking at her excitable face. There was always more than what you see to a person, not always were there mistakes as prominent as their smile or eyes.

Adrienné turned, going to set her spear down, perhaps take a break. She had been training for a decent amount of time, and some water would have been nice. Out of the corner of her eye, Adrienné noticed a young girl storm away, still clad in her armor. From merely her facial expression, Adrienné could tell something was bothering her in a more unpleasant way. Adrienné dropped her spear on the rack, and decided to follow the girl out, where she had sat down in the shade, prompting Adrienné to follow. “Hey”, Adrienné called as she waved to the girl. “You alright there?”, she pondered, a look of concern on her face.

Lorilae was less than please that a voice spoke beside her. She had heard someone walk up but had assumed they would just keep walking. She turned to look at the owner of the voice, it was not someone she recognized. Not that she really knew anyone she would recognize her. Still, it was not the older girls fault that Lorilae hated it her. With a soft sigh she smiled at Adrienne, “I do not know. I appear to be alright, sound health and all that. On the other hand my life is far far from alright.” Her words were calm and soft, almost resigned in a way.

Lorilae smiled at the girl again, “I am Lorilae Hade, um Third Cohort I suppose.” It was obvious she was unused to formal introductions but she kept speaking like that hardly mattered. “I’ve been here almost a week now and to be honest I really do not like it here much.” Lorilae studied the girls attire and weapon. She couldn’t figure out why Addrienne got to use a spear while she was stuck with a gladius and shield. Neither of which she liked or felt she was strong enough to use. She wondered if she would be able to switch her weapon style after she had mastered that basics of fighting in the legion.

Not wanting to be rude, Lorilae sat up so they could talk normally. “How long have you been here? Does it get any easier being away from home? If you had told me a month ago I would be going to a Roman style camp for military training I would have called you crazy. Now I am here,” she gestured around with one of her hands, “And I am starting to think the only crazy one is me.” She laughed softly.

“Have you been eating enough pasta?”. Adrienné inquired, raising her eyebrows slightly. “Just kidding..Maybe…”, the brunette snickered, as she sat down next to the girl. Honestly, the only thing about this girl Adrienné didn’t like was the fact that she was so much younger looking than her, and only a few inches shorter. Then again, she didn’t know this girl, and looking past her rudeness would be a bit harder to do. Though, she was a child, what could Adrienné do? She was young, and Adrienné didn’t feel like being rude back to a little girl, that just wasn’t right at all.

“Adrienné Belmonte, from the Second Cohort”, Adrienné greeted, her words trying to contain back some of her excitement. After all, she was very young and she didn’t want to scare the girl, Lorilae. There was definately such things as too much Adrienné, and she didn’t want the new girl to think that everyone in camp was like her, because most of the time, they were not. Though while Adrienné was definitely very energetic, she always did her duties well, sometimes just with a little more… character?

“Well, I was here for three years, but I had to leave for a few because my mom passed away and I went to live with a really close friend and just never found the time to return”, Adrienné said, shrugging. I mean, it was close to the truth. She didn’t want to go much more in depth though, and describe what had happened after the passing of her mother, it wasn’t a bright spot on Adrienné’s path, and she didn’t want to give this girl any sort of ideas on what she was like. What was for sure, was that she had changed as a person. No one could tell her otherwise. “I guess it does get easier, once you find people to make it worthwhile for you”, Adrienné said, her lips pursed into a smile.

“Well, you definitely aren’t crazy. Ya’ know, I actually think you are pretty cool”, Adrienné added, with a small wink towards the girl. “You aren’t phony, that’s always a good quality to have”, the Roman girl said, her legs crossed.

Lorilae snorted and raised her eyebrows, “I doubt I suffer from pasta deficiency but who knows.” She grinned to show she was kidding. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Adrienne. Not too many people stop to talk from what I have seen. Everyone is about duty around these parts it seems.” Normally Lorilae was a woman of few words but the other girls energy seemed to be contagious. She could feel it lifting her mood as they talked. When Adrienne mentioned the loss of her mother the mood dipped however. Not being able to imagine the loss of her own mother, Lorilae felt sorrow for the older girl. Not knowing what to say however she stayed silent and felt a moment of relief when the subject changed again.

Lorilae nodded, “Well that makes sense. Like transferring to a new school; you have to make friends to become comfortable.” She sighed, “It’s just too different from what I am used to. I want to run through the forests with deer. I want to watch a momma bear pulling down berries for her cub. Go fishing, anything but stay in a military camp.” She grinned sheepishly and blushed, “Sorry for the tirade. Everything seems to be getting to me this week. These, “She indicated her armor and weaponry, “Are just really nice shackles weighing me down and keeping me here.” Her words had come tumbling out and she knew she was rambling. They were words that she had repeated over and over in her mind but saying them out loud seemed to offer a bit of relief.

Lorilae leaned back down to look at the clouds again. Feeling calmer she continued, “Do I have to fight with this heavy sword and shield? I am sure you noticed I am not exactly Hercules over here.” She said grinning. She tried to think of a weapon she would like to fight with and none came to mind. If nothing else she could always just fight with her hands. The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea. “O and nobody has ever accused me of being cool. I am who I am though. That much is for sure.”

“You’ll never know, it’s a silent killer”, Adrienné snickered, raising her hands as if they were claws and sticking out her tongue. This girl seemed like she could handle a bit of energetic humor. Adrienné always found it to be almost sad to see a young Roman child too absorbed in their duties to even stray from the arena or barracks. While her childhood may not have fared too well, she had the pleasure of knowing she had time to understand herself as a person, find her own happiness, because it certainly didn’t just come to you. Like everything, enjoyment was a two way street, but that wasn’t to say that you had to sacrifice for something that looked well to a superior or on a paper. Why life for other people, when you were only yourself?

Well, perhaps she had gone a bit too heavy for a first introduction, seeing as the encounter grew silent quite quickly. It would have been best to leave it at that, rather than sugarcoat one of the most catastrophic periods of Adrienné’s life, to be blunt. While Adrienné was generally an upbeat person, she disliked those who were liars, as it was the fastest way to lose a fragile friendly trust.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, duty is certainly important and it shapes us into who we are, but a balance between work and life is more important and certainly worth more. ”, Adrienné added, “A slacker will find satisfaction in life but have dissatisfaction with their work, and someone who’s overworked will be satisfied with their work but little else”, the Roman girl said, a small smile gracing her lips. “Find the middle ground, and you’re golden. Not that you’ll hear that advice much around here. You shouldn’t have too much of a problem with everyone as long as you stay in line and keep yourself in check, that is if you are simply looking to slip under the radar”, Adrienné added, from her own experiences. Well, she had certainly calmed down and gotten her behaviors in check since her troubled younger years, but that was partially on her accord. So far, she’d been on her best behavior, but who knows. Especially now, she was a ticking timebomb, waiting for withdrawals to settle in, and it was up to her to reform herself for the better. That’s why she was here. Her old friends from the old camp were gone, and likely she would have been none but a distant memory shall she had decided on returning. Her decision upon returning was certainly well thought out.

“I’ve never really had the luxury of seeing’ those things”, Adrienné said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m a city girl, New Yorker born and raised. There’s not really a place for a nature reserve in the Big Apple”, Adrienné said, and smirked. “Well, we’re not exactly fighting right now. You can take that stuff off”, she said, snickering.

Adrienné took a quick glance to her weaponry with her hazel-hued orbs. “Well, there’s a reason we all start out on the same thing. It’s the same principle that applies to everything, get the basics down and then you can begin to branch off. You’re still young, you ain’t perfect or anything. No one is. Well, maybe Mars kids. They can practically use anything as a weapon”, the brunette rambled, brushing a curly wisp of bang from her vision. “I’ll let you in on a secret too, I’m not either. I’m not kidding when I say I hurt myself more than the dummies when I first started.”

“Oh, I guess I’m the lucky first then. Nice”, Adrienné said, before she grinned. “Don’t look down on yourself, kiddo. You’re individual, and that’s definitely a better compliment than being strong”, Adrienné added, before laying her back down on the ground, her hands propped behind her head and her legs rested up, crossed.