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Post by Mass Struction on Jan 4, 2018 1:10:02 GMT -5
Bad weather, old trees, and muddy socks? Fitting, given that this entire fiasco was a survival exercise. The drill sergeant made it explicit that everyone who passed basic training still had to toughen themselves up. Which meant everyone had to rough it out in some nameless backwater island in the Grand Line where everything wanted to either eat you, or kill you. Even the dumb rocks littered everywhere wanted to squash the loser that stumbled in to their territory. A fact that Mass went through, zipping and rolling like a demented chimpanzee to avoid being said loser. And no matter how good he had been at basic, the redhead felt what his grandpa must have in the mornings.
No wonder the old geezer was such a grump.
The new kid adjusted the standard issue bag. Had a bottle of water and some cardboard tasting bars to help him get through day one. Everything else? Well, living off the land wasn't too new of an idea for him. A foot planted itself against the base of a gigantic root before it pushed and allowed Mass to hustle over to the other side. One that made him shiver as even more cold mud splashed against his trousers. He groaned, a rumble deep in his throat, before slogging past the damn thing and into another pile of equally morale crushing mud.
And then another, and another, and this entire area probably didn't have solid ground to walk on. A reality that Mass noticed when he was already ankle deep into this mess. Grimy fingers ran across sweat matted hair, his Marine cap long since lost in a freak weather incident the day before. Swears only known to seamen flooded out as he stomped around and headed back to somewhere hopefully more solid. The disgusting feeling of whatever kind of dirt he was wading through was bullied, pushed, and jailed in the depths of his mind.
Mass had dreamed of taking down dumb pirates. Kicking ass and taking names. Rising through the ranks in a blaze of glory. That dream had utterly been dragged through the mud like he was. There wasn't even anything to fight around here! Nothing but dumb plants and dumber rocks that just wanted people dead. No super animals, or even jungle people he could Punch to blow off steam.
Screw it. He didn't know how many days left there was to the exercise, but he sure as hell was gonna complete it. Kicking off the mud and passing by what looked like the same root as before, the redhead ventured onwards with nothing but fantasies of Punching pirates to submission to keep him going.
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aka Yo-Yo Guru
Played by Trav
Cash
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Post by KIPPER PRONTO on Jan 6, 2018 16:34:27 GMT -5
[googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900] [nospaces] [attr="class","jartox"] [attr="class","jartoxpic"] [attr="class","jartoxlyr"]
Pain: Weakness leaving the body [attr="class","jartoxpost"]
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Kipper's father had insisted that he started his SERE training at the ripe age of six years old. It was mild at first, his father sticking close by to step in when needed. He was often needed. By the time Kipper was ten he had completed his first SERE on his own. It stood for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. All of which were incredibly important should the worst case scenario ever occur. The survival was first. His father never left him with food, something the instructors were kind enough to give him. Then came the evasion. At first it had just been himself and an imaginary pursuer but after several years his older brother excitedly took that roll. Resistance came when he was found, he had to fight off his brothers attempt at capturing him. Unfortunately as they had gone through the same training it rarely worked in Kip's favor. So when he was captured came the escape. Their impromptu POW camp was not for the faint of heart. His father insisted on being as real as reasonable and it quickly whipped the childhood out of the young would-be Marine.
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Now he was almost there. He had passed basic training with flying colors, his father's preparation had made sure that there were no subjects untouched. Now all that was left was the survival exercise. A hell week of sorts and Kipper was excited to get started on his career. Soon they'd be shipped to Marineford where the Admiral would give his address and go off on their assignments. But for now Kipper Pronto sat up in a tree.
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The man who prepared them for their journey had left Kip with his Yo-yo's. Probably not seeing them as weapons for the other boys he had seen had been given the same basic survival knife that he had. It made getting to the high vantage point little trouble. A quick sip of water washed down the tasteless MRE's they had been given as he watched a red haired boy run underneath. Recruit Struction if his memory served him right. It normally did. Though he hadn't quite spoken with him much during boot camp. He hadn't spoken to anyone really. Recruits tended not to like legacies. Assuming they were cruising through on their families merritt, seeking special treatment and slacking where at all possible. None of those things held any interest in Kip. He wanted to make his own path and really show that he was worth the name and not some layabout.
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It was then that he saw they boy passing by underneath again. He looked like he was having a rough time, as anyone does when forced to trudge through the mud. Kip wasn't immune to the horrors of the rough island environment they were left in, simply used to the unsavory conditions.
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"Recruit! Kip called down from his perch in the tree. Hoping to catch the boys attention before he kept moving in his loop through the mud. "You keep going in circles you know that right?" Kips muddy keep kicked slowly back and forth over the edge of the branch as he looked down. He spoke in a soft but sure voice, his eye focusing with their usual cold and calculated look void of much emotion.
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Post by Mass Struction on Jan 7, 2018 0:49:41 GMT -5
Flick to the left, and a feint to the right. Bam, bam! Uppercut right in the jaw! Mass saw the imaginary pirate lose their imaginary teeth, his own imaginary fists bloodied with victory. A hard fought battle that would have made gramps proud for sure. Unfortunately, as it was imaginary, there was actually very little to be proud of. It did, however, aid the redhead in getting past the dumb mud and back unto something a bit more solid.
Both in that literal and vague figurative sense.
He tapped the heel of his foot against the packed earth. The texture so much different than how it was seconds ago. Little marks he left behind brought back the mental map, and a few seconds were used to double check that he was, indeed, at the right place. Mass' little mental exercise halted, muscles tensed, as narrowed eyes zeroed in on the source. A hint of recognition passed, as the hamster in the chore boy's head recorded details.
Ah, too far for a lunge to reach. Mass clicked his teeth as he adjusted the bag on his person, another grin already half formed. "Oii!" Greeted the redhead, a hand already raised with a V sign. "And one's gotta go in circles too ya'know? How else are ya gonna see everything else?" Laughed the new recruit as he hopped back and balanced on the upturned root. Difficult for most. Child's play for Mass.
"And get down here, man! I'm gonna get a crick in my neck if I have to keep looking at you like this that much longer!"
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aka Yo-Yo Guru
Played by Trav
Cash
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Post by KIPPER PRONTO on Jan 8, 2018 0:47:49 GMT -5
[googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900] [nospaces] [attr="class","jartox"] [attr="class","jartoxpic"] [attr="class","jartoxlyr"]
Pain: Weakness leaving the body [attr="class","jartoxpost"]
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Kip let out a chuckle at the boys justification for running in circles. Perhaps he was mapping out the area or to proud to admit being lost. Even Kipper wasn't sure where everything was on the island but he knew enough to be able to survive.
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"Fair enough. I prefer heights myself, take it all in at once." Kip looked out at the expanse around him. From his vantage point at least twenty feet above Mass he could see plenty. When the other recruit asked him to join on his level Kip nodded in response. His hand feel on his white Yo-yo deep in his pocket, finger falling instinctively into the metal ring at the end of it's cord. With a swift motion the young Marine cast out his hand sending the Yo-yo wizzing through the air and wrapping around a low hanging branch.
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His feet left the safety of the bark after wrapping his hand around the cord and Kipper swung. Landing nimbly in the mud next to Mass he retracted his Yo-yo. Bobbing it a few more times for fun he placed it back in his pocket. It took him a moment to regain his perspective. Of course it didn't take too long. Kip was short. He'd always been short and now the boy who seemed a small figure from above towered over him.
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"Why try to map out the island?" He asked. His cold eyes examining Mass's mud drenched uniform. His was similarly distraught but he had been careful to keep mud out of his messy white hair. "Most we have to do is bunker down and wait the way I see it. They even provided us dinner." Kip patted his own standard issue pack full of MREs.
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"First time stranded on an island?" Kip asked leaning up against the tree that had just been his perch.
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Post by Mass Struction on Jan 8, 2018 13:48:47 GMT -5
Habits kicked into gear despite the friendly's face. Eyes swept what it could. Looking at things that made sense to him. Mass' smile widened as he tapped a foot on his perch. The idea of a fight almost made his blood run but Basic Training wasn't completely useless, and somehow instilled in him some semblance of discipline. So instead of launching himself to cut apart the string, Mass squatted and sat on his haunches.
The redhead kept his eyes on the toy though. Even when his fellow Marine failed to splash any of the mud around. It took a moment for Mass to remember that talking to people usually meant looking at them. A grin already adorned the red head's face before their eyes made contact. As per tradition, Mass snapped his fingers and pointed a finger gun at the new arrival.
"Besides it being fun?" Asked the teenager as he tapped his chin. "Makes it easier to know where to go if you were looking for a fight. I think." At the new kid's comment though, Mass shook his hand out. Back, forth, and around. Somehow. "Gehahaha, surviving is pretty boring though! Thriving on the other hand? So much more exciting!"
The marine on the root swayed and slipped himself off, and back unto more solid earth. The upturned root had enough height on them that looking underneath still gave him a full view of Whitey. "And this ain't what I'd call stranded." Grin in place, Mass patted his own standard issued supplies. With his point more or less made, the redhead moved his mouth to speak before the hamster in his head reminded him about etiquette.
"Ah, crapbaskets, almost forgot." Called out the redhead as he extended his hand. The clean one too. Probably. Really hard to tell sometimes. "Name's Mass. Mass Struction." And ala signature ala grin. "Recent Graduate from Basic I may be, but I'm definitely aiming for the top!"
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aka Yo-Yo Guru
Played by Trav
Cash
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Post by KIPPER PRONTO on Jan 9, 2018 13:58:11 GMT -5
[googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900] [nospaces] [attr="class","jartox"] [attr="class","jartoxpic"] [attr="class","jartoxlyr"]
Pain: Weakness leaving the body [attr="class","jartoxpost"]
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An eyebrow lifted up towards Kipper's hairline as his cold gaze examined his companion and fellow recruit. He was a peculiar individual. Seemed more concerned for some future fight he had in his mind rather than the task at hand. All too common for most youths to go straight for the glory without taking the right steps. Something Kipper wasn't going to do.
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"Well I've found it's easier to 'thrive' after one has first 'survived'." Kip's words carried a warning tone as though he were correcting the other Chore Boy's incorrect way of thinking, in Kip's mind anyways. "This isn't a challenge though. Father was much more harsh with my survival training. They just gave us a nice day in the wilderness as far as I'm concerned." There was a slight air of confidence with a bit of a smug overtone in Kip's voice. Pushing off the tree his hand took Mass' as he introduced himself. He seemed to be goal driven as well. Kip could respect that at least, he had big dreams himself.
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"Kipper Pronto. I saw you in Basic." He somewhat hoped his familiar military name would go unrecognized. When the shake was finished Kip's hand returned to his pocket and his chest swelled as he stood up and spoke. "I'm going to be Admiral one day." He nodded as though he had already taken the title for his own. It was good to see he wasn't the only one with high aspirations. That meant competition and rivalry. Someone to help push himself all the further.
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"Guess that mean's we're both aiming for the same goals." Reaching into his pack Kip pulled out an MRE. WIth a swift motion he tore off the top foil and shoved it back into his pack before starting to eat. "Where are you from Mass?"
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Post by Mass Struction on Jan 11, 2018 1:31:05 GMT -5
Mass grinned and just shrugged. Far be it the first time someone called him out. Still, the kid could give out a good handshake. Gramps always said that a brat who couldn't shake hands properly wasn't worth anyone's time. The dream, or goal Mass should say, was pretty nice too. Given how things were, they'd probably end up competing for it. Not that the redhead was gonna let himself lose that race.
"Good to meetcha again then, Skip. Always a good thing, having people to compete with." The redhead nodded, his hands held to the side as he continued to stretch. As his eyes traced the ration bar the younger Marine bit into, the older teenager couldn't help but scrunch up his forehead. Those rations tasted far too horrible to be justified as 'food.'
"Me?" Parrotted the redhead as he began to do squats. "Just some Island. No where special." At least, that's what his memories told him. Besides Gramps, there wasn't anything super interesting about the island anyway. And even gramps only got away with being interested cause he was family. Even with the question however, Mass still couldn't help the annoyance that burned in his chest at a fellow Marine willingly subjecting themselves to food-related torture.
"Urgh, alright, I can't take it." Spouted the redhead as he pointed at the ration bar in Skip's hand. "You. Me. Back to my cave. We're getting something that's actually worth eating!" And without so much as even waiting for a response, Mass turned about face and stomped his way towards some seemingly random direction. If all the markings left behind told him something, it was that the red head definitely knew where they heading to.
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aka Yo-Yo Guru
Played by Trav
Cash
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Post by KIPPER PRONTO on Jan 12, 2018 22:52:32 GMT -5
[googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900] [nospaces] [attr="class","jartox"] [attr="class","jartoxpic"] [attr="class","jartoxlyr"]
Pain: Weakness leaving the body [attr="class","jartoxpost"]
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A visible wince crossed Kip's face as Mass mispronounced his name. It was short lived however, he had grown used to that particular mistake. Letting it slide like a duck shed water from his feathers. The boy watched as his companion stretched himself out. He was dismissive of where he was from. It happened when you had so many different islands on the Grand Line. Some lived in infamy, others went on with nary a notice.
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"I'd hardly know what that's like. Marineford is far too busy for that." He spoke on his own home dismissively. Though his companion seemed to have little interest in their origin stories. It was his rations that seemed to take up his attention. It was only when he let out an outburst declaring his hatred for the food that Kip cracked a smile. He couldn't lie they were incredibly lacking in taste but the boy proposed a whole new challenge that was surely promising.
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"Alright I'm..." Kip went to agree when he realized the boy was already well on his way. "Oh I don't have a choice. Okay then." With a sigh and a dismissive look at the tree he followed. One bonus of Kip's small frame was that it made him much quicker than his taller counterpart. His small feet barely sunk beneath the surface of the mud as he padded after him. At first it seemed like they were going nowhere in particular. Sure the boy had said something about a cave but he couldn't know where he was going if he was lost. A scratch in a tree caught Kipper's eye, and another and another.
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"You were mapping the island. What could you hope to gain from that?" The question was an earnest one asked between quick breaths. He had always been so concerned with concealment and survival in his training growing up. It was a strategy he hadn't thought of before. He'd be sure to note the boys techniques and planning as they conversed, it was something new he could use.
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Post by Mass Struction on Jan 14, 2018 7:37:09 GMT -5
The quiet always disturbed the red head. Gramps said it was a bad thing if one couldn't hear anything besides themselves. Specially when going around places they knew nothing about. Sure, Mass could still hear the slight shluck of his own feet sinking against the softened dirt and the little pitter patter of Skip's own footsteps coming after him. Anything beyond that though, well, it was certainly becoming a lot more quiet.
"Huh?" Grunted the redhead as he looked over at his teammate. "Didn't I tell ya already, Whites?" Questioned the new graduate with a grin. "Gehaha! Guess yer white hair ain't all just for show." The taller of the two made to bump sides with his companion, eyes alight as the smile on his face never left. "And like I said, mate. You gotta run in circles if you wanna see everything!"
At that, Mass chucked a thumb towards their left. "That way leads to a really deep ass crack." Now to the right. "Circle around there and you'll get some super clean water." And then straight ahead, past a couple of rope like vines. "Past that in a bit more's the cave. Careful where ya step though, Whites. It getsa lotta steeper." And though he the redhead made to move forward, something in his gut stopped him from taking another step.
"Yo, I know we're doing an exercise and all but..." It was way too quiet. "You feeling anything weird here?"
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