[training log] we are the champions

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Station 72
WHEN: Day :44
SUMMARY: 1988 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

DAY 44 begins without ceremony, the station quiet and still, the murmur of host's minds distant. Even with all of the current new hosts returned from their mission the station is too large to ever really feel lived in. It is almost peaceful, when the call comes.

The voice is nothing like Cathaway's, who is so often in the young Host's minds, but then again Prince was rarely so warm or inviting, and in the days he has had to recover from the Station's recent jumps he has returned to his more stable state, his tone perfectly matched to his speech, seeming as near as if he is speaking just over their shoulders.

'Good morning. I would like to encourage all hosts, most especially those fresh to the station, to join us today in the Training Wing. This resource is not to be underestimated, as it will not be available to you when you are on assignment. Attendance is recommended.'

With that simple message he is again gone from their minds, leaving them alone with their own thoughts- and anyone else who shares them. Left behind is the impression of how to reach the Training Wing, in case anyone is unaware.




FOR THOSE WHO CHOSE to follow the call and make their way to the Training wing, they will find Prince, once again adorned in his traditional uniform. He has beside him a small stack of charcoal grey jumpsuits identical to it beside him, for any host who had not previously made their way to the wing.

For those who are familiar with the space he simply nods to them and leaves them to their own devices, unless they should chose to approach him for more than simple encouragement. For those who are new, he will direct them to the lockers and give them the honeycomb textured jumpsuits, which will fit them perfectly. He will also give a brief explanation of Iota and Rho symbiotic types for those who need it ((as outlined in the setting)) and go into the basics of the specialized abilities all hosts develop. He will not divulge the exact ability that a host possesses at that time, but may be persuaded to with some difficulty. He will then suggest that they set their mind to learning what they can aboard the station, and let each host know that he only teaches the willing.

After that, the space is theirs.

---

((OOC Notes: Welcome to the second training log! Below you will find some information from the first log, which is now also available in the setting section!

The Training Wing is large- bigger than the biggest gym, and it contains a number of specialized spaces for Host’s use. What follows is an (incomplete) list of amenities. Have an idea for another space? Drop us a line in the questions section of the most recent calendar post! The training wing itself is a central hub-type area with a number of hallways that branch out in a vaguely spiraling fashion spanning multiple levels. Below are a list of locations key to this log:

• Lockers - Featuring rows of open cubbies, shower spaces, a bathroom, towels, and sets of shoes for those of you without proper footwear. Hosts visiting the lockers for the first time will receive their station-standard charcoal grey suits, which are tailor fit to their exact measurements. These suits are flexible, strong, and surprisingly breathable, and are comfortable enough to wear all day.

• Track - Centrally located there is a large running track that is multiple lanes wide, the ground of which is coated in some sort of slightly rubbery, gripping substance.

• Gym - Located not far from the lockers is an almost traditional gym space, with a number of pieces of exercise equipment, some of which is familiar and some of which is not. There are instructions that will read in a pleasant voice if you seem lost. You will find both strength and cardio equipment arranged in a somewhat sensible manner.

• Training Hall - A large open space with a number of pads on the floors and walls and a wide variety of dummies and protective gear. This is the space where you will find melee practice weapons ranging from swords and pikes to slightly more exotic weaponry- all blunted or dulled- as well as room for most forms of martial arts.

• Range - Lying closest to the Flight Hangar, this room features a number of targets and projectile training weapons. Here you will find everything from bows and arrows to laser guns. Nothing is capable of doing real damage, but it feels and reacts in a way that’s very real. Handy readouts will tell you exactly how accurate (or inaccurate) you are.

• Pool - It’s a pool, there are lanes, so swim free. Please don’t drown. There is no sauna. There are two styles of suits available, a simple charcoal one-piece with white piping, and an equally simple charcoal swim briefs with matching white piping.

We're in control, body and soul,
We push ourselves to the maximum!!))

NAVIGATION • SETTING • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[deployed]

[ The water's not as cold as he'd expected. Bellamy wades out waist deep, and then stops, somewhat at a loss about what to do next. Maybe the deep end would have been a better starting point. ]

Swimming wasn't all that necessary.

[ And they'd been in the middle of a war. But Bellamy hadn't talked very much to Murphy about the constant stress of trying to keep their people from starving and defending against grounders. It was a thorny subject. Bellamy wasn't interested in revisiting it just yet. ]

You're not coming in?

[wrackful]

[Murphy's mouth tugs, wry.]

Not necessary until it is. Just like everything else on the ground.

[All the lessons they'd half ignored in Earth Skills. And then all the ones they'd never been given. He shakes his head.]

Nah. You look like you're doing fine standing around in there on your own.

[You know. Not actually even trying to swim.]

[deployed]

I'm thinking.

[ Presumably about how to swim, but really about Luna and her idyllic refuge that had been shattered because she'd allowed them into it. The children had all been able to swim, and fish. Bellamy's gut twists, guilty, before he carefully leans back and lets the water take his weight. ]

It's supposed to come to you as you do it, I thought.

[ Though floating is oddly stressful. Bellamy doesn't much like it, but he isn't sure how to maneuver his body to try a back stroke. He's too tense to keep afloat, and it's a quick downward spiral to submerging, tugging hard at Murphy's mind, then standing up, hair streaming water down his face as Bellamy splutters irritably. ]

[wrackful]

[Bellamy sinks beneath the water, and it's a spike of panic even before Bellamy pulls on him. He's taken a few steps closer, stood right at the edge of the pool before Bellamy surfaces again, spluttering. He's fine. Murphy pushes the panic aside - which is easy, with the visual Bellamy makes, annoyed, hair plastered down his face.]

Yeah, I'm thinking you thought wrong.

[Amusement's evident in his expression, in his thoughts. Still, he drops down onto his haunches, hands hanging between his knees.]

You need to get someone to teach you, man. All you're going to do in there like this is drown.

[deployed]

[ The thought presents itself very clearly: the impulse to reach up and pull Murphy into the water with him. Bellamy looks up into his face with full knowledge that Murphy has to have picked up on that in his mind. He doesn't reach up for him, even after he's waded over to the side. ]

I'n not going to drown in the shallow end.

[ Bold words from someone who can't even manage to float properly. ]

I don't want to ask yet. Maybe if I can't figure it out within the next day or so.

[ Or if he can't glean the information from someone else. Aloy and Lexa both come to mind, but Bellamy's reluctant to root around in either of their heads for this information. ]

It isn't urgent. I just wanted a change from pummeling the practice dummies.

[wrackful]

[Murphy's expression turns flat, sharp in warning and caution as Bellamy moves closer. He absolutely does not want to be in the water, and if Bellamy chooses to follow that impulse, he'll make him regret it. Especially because:]

Pretty sure you can drown in a puddle, if you get unlucky enough.

[There's the stir of memory in his head, the kind that bleeds black into a person. But Murphy doesn't let it rise to any level where Bellamy could see it. He sighs, pats the lip of the pool in front of him, indicating like Bellamy should hold on.]

Try laying on your back again.

[deployed]

[ The rising question: is that a threat? passes out of Bellamy's mind easily, replaced by dubious acceptance of Murphy's advice. His brows draw together as he examines Murphy's expression, but resists the urge to latch onto the sliver of memory that had passed through his mind. ]

With my hands here?

[ It occurs, belatedly, that Murphy really could drown him if he were so inclined. Every so often, Bellamy becomes aware of how far he and Murphy have come together. Suspicion and defensiveness don't rise in his mind as he slowly puts both hands where Murphy's indicated and makes a careful attempt to stretch out in the water. ]

It can't be that hard.

[ And it probably wouldn't be, if Bellamy could relax for even a split second. ]

[wrackful]

It's not going to start being easy just because you keep saying that.

[Or words to the same effect. How it was supposed to be, how it couldn't be hard. Maybe if they were still kids, or had ever been in water before. All Murphy has is a couple of conversations with Emori, a feeling of vague understanding at the edges of his mind, and the old logic of walking before you can run.]

One hand. Try just... [A pause. One that stretches, and stretches, longer than Murphy had really intended. Eventually he gives a dry laugh.]

I seriously can't think of another word for floating.

[deployed]

[ No one had asked Flokru how to swim. The desperation of convincing Luna to take the flame had overshadowed every conversation. Maybe Jasper had done, but no one had asked Jasper after the fact. It leaves Bellamy here, attempting to bridge the gap between his own inexperience and what little information the pair of them can cobble together. ]

I have been trying.

[ Bellamy sounds snippy, but he does as instructed. At Murphy's instruction, he grips the side of the pool, leans back and lets the water take his weight. The bond between them tightens immediately as Bellamy pulls on it. ]

It never lasts.

[ But it's lasting this time, for the moment. Bellamy doesn't look all that comfortable, but he hasn't sunk beneath the surface of the pool just yet. ]

[wrackful]

[The renewed tug in his head almost has him roll his eyes. He shifts, reaching down to cover Bellamy's hand on the side with his own.]

I'm not going to let you drown, man.

[There's a flicker of memory, the words painfully similar to his commentary on the clifftop, Bellamy dangling on the end of the rope between his hands. But this isn't the same. There wasn't any pressing danger, and plenty of other hosts around if it turned out Murphy couldn't do anything.]

Do you even know how to relax?

[To stop thinking about how he should be swimming, how floating never lasted. He wouldn't be surprised if the answer was no.]

[deployed]

[ It's hard not to feel dubious about Murphy saving him when he's still crouched on dry land. Bellamy tips his head back a little farther into the water as his fingers flex under Murphy's grip. ]

It's easier to relax when I'm not doing something like this.

[ He keeps having to put a foot down to support his weight and keep from sinking. It's cheating. More importantly, it's frustrating. ]

I'm not worried about drowning.

[ Not technically. Water isn't Bellamy's element. Drowning might not be his foremost concern, but the uncertainty at play keeps him from settling properly. ]

[wrackful]

[Bellamy's body is all lines of tension, neck stiff, legs jerking suddenly to kick back off the bottom, his free arm wheeling in the water. It's so far the opposite of relaxed that Murphy considers it might be a lost cause. But then, he also knows Bellamy won't give up.]

Then what are you worrying about? Because I'd think being in a pool when I don't know how to swim would be top of the list.

[deployed]

[ Maybe he'd missed the window. Bellamy had read a fair amount of myths that detailed how children took to the water. But Bellamy was old, and he'd never quite been a child. The time for learning this particular skill might have passed him a long time ago.

Or maybe what was missing was a real threat to his well being. Bellamy seemed to adapt best when his life depended on it. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, frowning as his knuckles go white gripping the side of the pool. ]

I don't know.

[ He was uncomfortable, but he wasn't afraid. He doubted Murphy would let him drown, even if Bellamy were worried about drowning. He lets his feet drop, standing again and shaking the water out of his hair. And onto Murphy, unintentionally. ]

I think I should try to deep end again.

[ Or see if Cathaway had a swimming tutorial she'd like to share, the way she had taught Bellamy to pilot. ]

[wrackful]

[Murphy looks deeply unimpressed, both for the suggestion and the for the faceful of spray.]

I'm pretty sure in at the deep end is just a saying, you know.

[Though, as a saying, they probably epitomised it.

He draws his hand back, rocking back on his heels to stand again. He'll need to move if Bellamy's going down to the deep end. Still, a further thought:]

But sink or swim could be real.

[Almost definitely.]

eeks out a tiny timeskip

[deployed]

[ It turns out sink or swim is very real, but it isn't particularly helpful for Bellamy, who does more sinking than swimming. Bellamy might have dragged the process out longer, but he can feel the ping of concerned irritation from his brood and that's enough motivation to call it a day. He splashes his way back to the shallow end, trying to ignore his own disappointment. Swimming isn't going to be a skill he miraculously acquired, but Bellamy would have liked to feel like he had a better handle on it than he did.

There are others in the Nest who know how to swim. Bellamy could learn from them the way he learned to pilot from Cathaway. That's a hollow comfort, but Bellamy holds it in his mind as he pulls himself from the pool. Water sluices down his body as he straightens up, shakes his hair like a dog. ]

That's enough for today.

[ Not that Murphy had needed to stay and watch, but Bellamy purposefully doesn't touch on that. ]

Can you hand me a towel?

[wrackful]

[If anyone - Bellamy included - had asked why Murphy had stuck around, he would've easily cited how many times Bellamy had dropped beneath the surface of the water as reasoning. What Murphy could actually do if he failed to resurface was limited, especially with them both being telepathically tied into a network of others who would probably be far more capable, but walking away and leaving Bellamy to almost drown felt wrong. Even if Bellamy was the one stubbornly bringing it on himself.

Still, it's a relief when he finally gives up the exercise. Murphy stands from the spot he'd taken near the edge of the pool at the deep end, turning to grab a towel from the bench.]

You sure? [There are heavy droplets of water rolling down Bellamy's skin, over the defined lines of his muscles, the cuts of his hipbones. Murphy's eyes follow them, openly appreciative for the moment before he catches himself, hastily pulls his gaze back up. Holds out the towel.] I mean, you only drank half the pool. There's still some left.

wrap it y/n?

[deployed]

[ The relief is expected, though Bellamy isn't sure whether Murphy's pleased that he's stopped attempting to swim or that Bellamy's given up and therefore Murphy can go on to do other things. But the appreciation that follows it isn't. It snares Bellamy's attention, and he doesn't catch himself in time to pretend he hasn't noticed where Murphy's eyes had been, the way his thoughts had colored. A half-smile tugs it's way across Bellamy's face as he takes the towel, aware of where their hands meet between the folds of fabric. ]

Next time, [ Bellamy says, serene, because of course he's already considering a next time.

But he's considering Murphy too. The moment had registered, even if Bellamy hasn't commented on it. That awareness lingers between them palpably, even as Bellamy wraps the towel around his waist. ]

Come on. I want to see if there's any of your stew left after I'm dry.

[ He lets Murphy off the hook. It's just as much because Bellamy doesn't know what to say than because he doesn't think Murphy would appreciate Bellamy pointing out his attentions. ]