#8152 LOG / CADET TOBIAS STRAUSS
Oct 28, 2022 21:21:51 GMT -5
Post by calla on Oct 28, 2022 21:21:51 GMT -5
Eighteen in six months. Booyah!
Victor sat me down two weeks ago with all that Zeus Hollistero money to fill out the Academy paperwork. I signed my name all nice and everything, a flourish on all four s's.
See, a lot's happened since the last time we talked. Octavia did actually end up winning that election, contrary to popular opinion, but she ended up going pretty nuts and we all know Victor killed her and then Killian cleaned it up and now they're the ones in charge.
Now Strauss means something again.
And I should know! Out of all the kids in that house I was the one that was there the longest. I lasted. The older ones got themselves dusted and the younger ones sat on the stairs and sucked their thumbs and I did the hard work. Nine years, baby.
Nine years in that funhouse.
Meredith dead and Liza dead and Silver probably going to die - she's a new one so it barely counts anyways. Stupid for Victor to bring in a bunch of new snot-noses, he's got me doesn't he? I'm the one he's investing in anyways. But I'm GLAD to be out of there; Liza's replacement was a boy from way past the commercial district who had a chipped front tooth and I killed him last year.
I'd been so mad my name'd been drawn for that fight - me, their best shot, and him the one who'd barely been there long enough to claim a bed. Idiot could barely even hold a sword yet. Victor just said he knew I'd come out on top and it was more of a training exercise than anything. I told him I believed him but I think it was obvious I didn't.
I think he was just bored.
Because now Declan's ancient and liable to die of old age, Elijah finally got some sense beat into his head but then it slipped right out again, Finn got boring because he got depressed and Linus actually managed to grow up without ever growing a spine. The only one that turned out normal was Izzy, and I only say that because she liked to watch when I fed Arson his flies and she was so jealous I was going to the academy that she didn't talk to me for two blessedly quiet weeks.
I was horrible and awful and I guess I still am. Wretched, Octavia used to call me, and it always made me laugh. An anklebiter but literally, baby face until I open my mouth, running up the walls and kicking over cans and never ever playing nice with others. Perfect little soldier - I know.
They broke the mould after they made me.
So YEAH I guess you can say I'm important. Cadet Strauss has a real nice ring to it, bet it'll sound even better at the end of the year, moving on up; corporal, sergeant, officer, BOOM!
Victor sat me down two weeks ago with all that Zeus Hollistero money to fill out the Academy paperwork. I signed my name all nice and everything, a flourish on all four s's.
See, a lot's happened since the last time we talked. Octavia did actually end up winning that election, contrary to popular opinion, but she ended up going pretty nuts and we all know Victor killed her and then Killian cleaned it up and now they're the ones in charge.
Now Strauss means something again.
And I should know! Out of all the kids in that house I was the one that was there the longest. I lasted. The older ones got themselves dusted and the younger ones sat on the stairs and sucked their thumbs and I did the hard work. Nine years, baby.
Nine years in that funhouse.
Meredith dead and Liza dead and Silver probably going to die - she's a new one so it barely counts anyways. Stupid for Victor to bring in a bunch of new snot-noses, he's got me doesn't he? I'm the one he's investing in anyways. But I'm GLAD to be out of there; Liza's replacement was a boy from way past the commercial district who had a chipped front tooth and I killed him last year.
I'd been so mad my name'd been drawn for that fight - me, their best shot, and him the one who'd barely been there long enough to claim a bed. Idiot could barely even hold a sword yet. Victor just said he knew I'd come out on top and it was more of a training exercise than anything. I told him I believed him but I think it was obvious I didn't.
I think he was just bored.
Because now Declan's ancient and liable to die of old age, Elijah finally got some sense beat into his head but then it slipped right out again, Finn got boring because he got depressed and Linus actually managed to grow up without ever growing a spine. The only one that turned out normal was Izzy, and I only say that because she liked to watch when I fed Arson his flies and she was so jealous I was going to the academy that she didn't talk to me for two blessedly quiet weeks.
I was horrible and awful and I guess I still am. Wretched, Octavia used to call me, and it always made me laugh. An anklebiter but literally, baby face until I open my mouth, running up the walls and kicking over cans and never ever playing nice with others. Perfect little soldier - I know.
They broke the mould after they made me.
So YEAH I guess you can say I'm important. Cadet Strauss has a real nice ring to it, bet it'll sound even better at the end of the year, moving on up; corporal, sergeant, officer, BOOM!
There's a kid in the barracks with eyes too big for his face. He reminds me of Callum if Callum suddenly got two feet shorter and lost his ability to act like a neanderthal.
The first day I walk in there Big-Eyes' spots the S-T-R-A-U-S-S on my uniform and he loses his god-damned mind. His eyes get even bigger, "Your sister got reaped." He says all shocked, real quiet like it's supposed to be a secret even though the room is full of other guys just staring at us now.
And normally I'm one for a big scene. A little attention? Nothing wrong with it. But not for this, because the longer he stays standing there like an idiot the louder the silence gets and the more my bunkmate starts to look real shifty.
I just scowl at the kid, channel my inner Killian, "She's not my sister." because she's literally not?
Fucking idiot??
The first day I walk in there Big-Eyes' spots the S-T-R-A-U-S-S on my uniform and he loses his god-damned mind. His eyes get even bigger, "Your sister got reaped." He says all shocked, real quiet like it's supposed to be a secret even though the room is full of other guys just staring at us now.
And normally I'm one for a big scene. A little attention? Nothing wrong with it. But not for this, because the longer he stays standing there like an idiot the louder the silence gets and the more my bunkmate starts to look real shifty.
I just scowl at the kid, channel my inner Killian, "She's not my sister." because she's literally not?
Fucking idiot??
TRANSCRIPT #052
COURTYARD, EAST
BASIC DRILLS, 1:34 PM
REQUESTED BY OFF. MORANN
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Hey.
[...]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Strauss.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: What?
[CDT. O'RILEY]: I thought you had to be eighteen to get in here.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: You do maybe.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Yeah, but you look twelve.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Fuck off.
[OFF. TACKET]: STRAUSS!
[UNINTELLIGIBLE]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: What's so special about you then?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Have you seen me?
[OFF. TACKET]: [BACKGROUND] Again!
[...]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: [MUFFLED] It's because your dad's the mayor, right?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: He's not my dad.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Is [...] true that he murdered the last mayor?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Probably, yeah.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Huh.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: She was a bitch, so.
[OFF. TACKET]: [BACKGROUND] Again!
[CDT. STRAUSS]: And it's not really that hard anyways.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: What's not?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Killing someone.
COURTYARD, EAST
BASIC DRILLS, 1:34 PM
REQUESTED BY OFF. MORANN
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Hey.
[...]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Strauss.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: What?
[CDT. O'RILEY]: I thought you had to be eighteen to get in here.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: You do maybe.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Yeah, but you look twelve.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Fuck off.
[OFF. TACKET]: STRAUSS!
[UNINTELLIGIBLE]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: What's so special about you then?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Have you seen me?
[OFF. TACKET]: [BACKGROUND] Again!
[...]
[CDT. O'RILEY]: [MUFFLED] It's because your dad's the mayor, right?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: He's not my dad.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Is [...] true that he murdered the last mayor?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Probably, yeah.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: Huh.
[CDT. STRAUSS]: She was a bitch, so.
[OFF. TACKET]: [BACKGROUND] Again!
[CDT. STRAUSS]: And it's not really that hard anyways.
[CDT. O'RILEY]: What's not?
[CDT. STRAUSS]: Killing someone.
Big-Eyes' name turns out to be Billy, which is fitting and stupid and I make sure I tell him that a lot.
He's kinda awful at being a Peacekeeper. He can barely even be a Cadet right. He cries at night and his bunkmate always shakes the ladder to try to get him to stop but he doesn't. He can't run for shit and everytime he has to spar he ends up forfeiting about thirty seconds in.
We all knew he was never going to amount to anything, even he knew that, it was just a matter of time before he either dropped dead or got kicked out. But the ungrateful asshole actually ends up graduating first.
He throws up when it's announced and they hand him a proper helmet and then the next day he's on a train to 6.
He's kinda awful at being a Peacekeeper. He can barely even be a Cadet right. He cries at night and his bunkmate always shakes the ladder to try to get him to stop but he doesn't. He can't run for shit and everytime he has to spar he ends up forfeiting about thirty seconds in.
We all knew he was never going to amount to anything, even he knew that, it was just a matter of time before he either dropped dead or got kicked out. But the ungrateful asshole actually ends up graduating first.
He throws up when it's announced and they hand him a proper helmet and then the next day he's on a train to 6.
The Academy gets real quiet real fast.
Billy leaves and then the next week about a dozen guys follow him. Even the big burly guy that came from 6 has to go back - and usually they don't pull that shit, you never ever get stationed where you're born.
It's like going from big fish in a little pond to big fish in an empty pond and suddenly there's no one left to boss around except the janitor and I'm pretty sure he's getting mega tired of me.
It's not quiet all the time though. Usually at the beginning of the week they'll bring a bunch of recruits in and watch them beat each other up for a few days, then they'll ship out the ones with the least amount of bruises and the other ones have to try again next week.
I end up banging on Morann's door almost every morning to find out when it's my turn.
Because it's only fair! How the hell did Billy get out of here before I did? He's a bed-wetter HELLO?
Morann's frosty as hell though, he's like Killian but colder, and whenever he deigns to open the door I never actually get a straight answer. And believe me, I've been trying!
Maybe I'll end up annoying him so bad that he'll be forced to let me graduate early.
Billy leaves and then the next week about a dozen guys follow him. Even the big burly guy that came from 6 has to go back - and usually they don't pull that shit, you never ever get stationed where you're born.
It's like going from big fish in a little pond to big fish in an empty pond and suddenly there's no one left to boss around except the janitor and I'm pretty sure he's getting mega tired of me.
It's not quiet all the time though. Usually at the beginning of the week they'll bring a bunch of recruits in and watch them beat each other up for a few days, then they'll ship out the ones with the least amount of bruises and the other ones have to try again next week.
I end up banging on Morann's door almost every morning to find out when it's my turn.
Because it's only fair! How the hell did Billy get out of here before I did? He's a bed-wetter HELLO?
Morann's frosty as hell though, he's like Killian but colder, and whenever he deigns to open the door I never actually get a straight answer. And believe me, I've been trying!
Maybe I'll end up annoying him so bad that he'll be forced to let me graduate early.
RECEIVING:
STRAUSS, VICTOR. RES. Q, D2.
DISPATCHING:
STRAUSS, TOBIAS. ACADEMY, D2.
STRAUSS, VICTOR. RES. Q, D2.
DISPATCHING:
STRAUSS, TOBIAS. ACADEMY, D2.
Victor, you'll never guess. They've decided to move me up two THREE whole months!! Apparently there's some spots in 5 that need to be filled pronto and it's sounding pretty bad? There's a group that just came back and they said ever since Valferna Valfierno died people have been losing their minds. They need the best and the brightest to pick up the slack - no wonder they wanted me, right? Sounds like we'll be leaving in a few weeks so I can't get any time off to say goodbye to you guys. If you want to come here, I think that would be allowed. Only if you want though. It's fine if not.
Toby
Toby
RECEIVING:
STRAUSS, VICTOR. RES. Q, D2.
DISPATCHING:
STRAUSS, TOBIAS. ACADEMY, D2.
STRAUSS, VICTOR. RES. Q, D2.
DISPATCHING:
STRAUSS, TOBIAS. ACADEMY, D2.
Hey Victor. Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving tomorrow. Officer Morann said a bunch of new reports came in and they need more people than they thought, so there's a bunch of us heading to 5 now. I know you're pretty busy with the mayor stuff, so don't worry about responding. I think all your other letters got stopped anyway, something about the Academy filtering.
I'll see you when I'm back.
Tobias
I'll see you when I'm back.
Tobias
