agogelogs | [OPEN] gotta get that

WHO? Aloy and YOU
WHAT? It's time to make sure we don't die during the real thing!! aka training
WHEN? During the general pre-mission training time
ANYTHING ELSE? usually I have to put warnings here for my bad taste in characters but aloy is a good child and I still don't know how to deal with that

I. training montage

[ The physical training isn't something Aloy really minds, save for digging the trenches. That part she could definitely, gladly leave behind. Everything else, though? It's not too difficult for her, though sometimes a bit awkward and unnatural, as is the case with things like the push ups or other exercises... ]
a.
[ So the first day that they're all on this regiment, it's pretty clear that they're not something Aloy has done before, uh, ever. They've gotten their instruction, but her form is... pretty bad, actually. She's doing her best to figure it out from the people around her, since honestly, what even is this, but she could use some help. If you don't mind her potentially snapping back out of being a bit embarassed, she could probably use a little more instruction on form. ]
[ But the rest of it? It's basically her element. Sprints, cover runs, and long marches basically cover her day to day back at home, so she has no problem there. But the one that Aloy excels at are those wall runs. ]
b.
[ Her first ascent is easy and smooth as she parkours up the wall, since she's climbed much higher with much less to grab onto. This is actually a bit easier, since the hand hold is obvious. There's something a bit scarier about ascending a mountain's face where the paint-marked handholds have been weathered away. But hey, she's made it this far. The gun in hand is a bit awkward, but Aloy still manages. Climbing is her strength out of all the physical training they're going through here. So if that six foot wall is giving you some trouble, Aloy notices, and as long as the other person seems somewhat amenable to it, she'll ask: ]

Need some help?
II. boom boom pow
[ After seeing all of the options they had avaliable to them to specialize in, Aloy had picked the mortars. She wouldn't have guessed she'd pick this, but with the other two options... Surprisingly, this one had been most familiar. The machine guns were more basic than the ones she could shoot off of machines and use, and sniping with the gun was nothing like sniping with the bow. She's pretty sure Petra would be delighted at her ultimate choice here.

Whether you've also chosen mortar duty as your specialty or are just dropping in to check it out, you'll find Aloy there trying to figure it out. ]
a.
[ Early in the training process, there's still parts to be figured out. They've gotten their instruction on how they work, but Aloy is especially interested and set on learning that part. She'd taken what Petra had said at face value since she didn't have much time to really question it, but now there's a bit more of it. The mortar and the physical part she gets no problem, but she's taken an interest in the actual shells. Aloy is handling them carefully, since even if they won't actually kill her, she's still not keen to make it simulate the experience. She shifts it between her hands with a doubtful expression, then looks your way. ]

So... How big of an explosion do these things actually make?

b.
[ No better way to answer the question than actually trying it out, naturally. Since mortars are a two person job, looks like you've been paired up with Aloy. Just respond telling me which role you'd like your character to have (firing vs. targeting), and I'll write you a custom starter using that! ]
III. wildcard
[ Choose your own adventure! If none of these prompts appeal to you, make one up or hit me up to discuss a custom one. Alternately, leave me one of the training sections you're interested in, and I'll write a custom prompt! ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[merlin made the same choice, and for the same reason. his head is spinning with all the weapons that he's learning about, all the things that make it so much quicker and easier to kill another man. he tells himself that it's still not so different from a sword or even magic, it's all about whose hands its in.

but when he saw something that looked like a cannon, he was quick to sign up for it. merlin is crouched beside one, standing and looking her way when she speaks.]

Uhm...I'm not sure, honestly. [he looks down at the shell in her hands before stepping closer.] I'm just thankful they're not as heavy as cannonballs.

[ Aloy makes a soft "huh" noise at first, because she'd been kind of expecting him to know. It's not quite anything about him really, but just in general, she's found herself behind almost everyone else. Maybe it's a good thing to be paired up with someone on her level here. At least for the time being. ]

No kidding. Dragging around the bags is bad enough.

[ She can manage, since she's used to lugging things around, but, you know, not this much. And her stuff is at least useful, unlike this bag of literal weights. She turns the shell in her hand, then offers it for him to take a look at. ]

I assume the answer is "a big one." Otherwise they probably wouldn't simulate it blowing up in our faces.

[ Which is of course a very encouraging thing to say as you hand it off... ]

I think they want to prepare us as well as they can.

[merlin can only hope that it will be enough. while he doesn't hesitate to take the shell, he does do it as gingerly as possible. this isn't the time or place to be clumsy.

he looks up after a moment.]

Perhaps we should give it a try?

[which could be a very bad idea, but they haven't exactly been sent into this completely blind. waiting for the actual battlefield doesn't seem like a good idea either.]

I can load.

[ He wouldn't say he has trouble scaling walls or doing wall runs, but the weight of all his gear and overall fatigue from their less-than-enjoyable conditions does create a handicap he's not fully used to and sometimes slips up on his grasps. Otherwise, he seems pretty content with it. Stamina runs and marathons were always his stronger suits versus heavy lifting and powerful hits. He wasn't really built too muscular.

Hanging onto the footholds to catch his breath for a second, he looks over at her and grins tiredly. ]

Ach— unfortunately, all I could really ask for is less weight and junk.

[ He notices that Aloy seemed very much at ease with the wall climbing, though. ]

Seems this is right up your alley, eh?

[Mortars are where Travis had wound up settling. He's never had a taste for firearms of any sort-- swords just feel better, more respectful in whatever bastardized version of honor he has rolling about in his brain-- and though mortars aren't any less confusing... maybe a big boom'll be fun. Or something.

Aloy's voice calls him away from peering down the mortar's iron shaft. He shrugs, uncertain himself: history's definitely never been a strong suit.]

Dunno: these are way old school. Guess we're gonna find out, huh?

Probably.

[ She huffs out a dry laugh as she moves to crouch in a better position to aim the mortar. It's not incredibly heavy, but it still takes some effort to move and adjust. It's clearly her answer to the question and the role he suggests, since she doesn't have much of a preference herself. ]

With all the training we're doing, it seems like it's going to be a ton of fun.

[ This is clearly very, very sarcastic. ]

[ Aloy laughs lightly at his answer, but she ends up placing her hands on her hips as she shrugs helplessly. ]

Yeah, I don't think I can do anything about that part. If I could, I'd be asking for the same thing.

[ She's not really a fan of it either, especially since Aloy may understand why they need to carry all this weight around, but it doesn't mean she agrees. She doesn't have a good mental picture of the kind of place they'll be going, since it's so unlike anything she's encountered, so she's under the impression that she'll be able to scavenge things she needs. So overall, she'll be happy about this later. Or at least less annoyed.

She nods to the second part as she looks to the wall. ]

It's more normal than a lot of things. I— [ She pauses, but only very briefly. It's dipping into a story that still stings, but she'll just firmly stay away from those parts. ] I grew up at the top of a high cliff, so I've been climbing pretty much since I could walk.

[ She can at least guess from context what "old school" is supposed to mean, though it still gets her to huff out a dry laugh. Aloy has gotten better at picking up words from other people, since there is definitely a lot of slang that's completely new to her, but so far, she hasn't had to look stupid by asking obvious questions. ]

Seems like it. I guess I should be happy we're not using the real thing, but "we're gonna find out" still isn't what you like to hear with explosives.

[All of this is more-or-less just a low-tech rehash of boot camp he went through, once upon a time. It's nothing he hasn't done before, and he'd of course kept up with a training regimen throughout the course of his career, but it's been a while since he's had to push himself through something of this caliber. He's not as young as he used to be, and he supposes he has the government to thank for the fact that he can keep up.

His own compartmentalization ability helps too, especially during rote, mindless tasks like digging or endless pushups. He isn't so caught up in himself, however, that he's unaware of how the rest of the team is doing--perhaps an old habit left over from when he commanded an organization of his own. There's still a part of him that wants to make sure he isn't dealing with any liabilities--not that bad pushup form is a liability, but it's easy to see that not all of them are accustomed to drills like this.

So, mid-pushup, he tries to offer some encouragement, though it's more of a grunt than anything.]

It gets easier.

[Perhaps that's supposed to sound reassuring, but he's clearly used to doing excessive amounts of pushups.]

[ He grins then hops off his foothold, landing a little too heavily for his liking next to her. ]

Ah, a natural climber, that explains a lot. I'm more of a fencing and fancy footwork sort of person myself. Too bad that won't come in much handy during a war.

[ A wry grin at that. He doesn't know much about being in a war like World War I, but he knows his current skill set will be of little use out on the front lines. In some ways, he's grateful for this opportunity to work himself to the bone. It's been a long time since he's had to train like this. ]

It can't be any worse than emptying chamber pots.

[he tries to sound optimistic about it, despite knowing that it actually can be worse than that. that as unpleasant as the aforementioned task is, at least it's more familiar to him than a war with the entire world as its battlefield.

merlin handles the shell carefully, taking a deep breath before looking at her.]

By the way, I'm Merlin.

[seems as good a time as any to introduce himself.]

Oh, yeah. That's probably true, huh.

[DON'T BE SO CASUAL ABOUT IT TRAVIS.]

That's why we're learning, though, isn't it? Maybe they'll let us fire off the real deal at some point later on in the training.

[A beat. He casts an uncertain glance into the shaft again.]

Once we know we're not gonna blow a hand off.

[OPEN] gotta get that

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