changing directions {Mav + Svet}

﹙   s v e t l a n a   f o r r e r s t e r   ﹚

there is very little explained to her when she walked on that training center floor. all they tell her is that she needs to learn everything she can about fighting, searching, and surviving. she had the last one down pat, a girl that had been bathed in the disparaging shadow of masculine energy. she felt like she was the only girl in the family that would be ready for something like this.

she is here to make a name for herself after all.

she takes some queue from the trainers, all of which are spread around the floor trying to show everyone something new or different. svetlana had been close enough to the range stations to be able to be pushed into it by one of the trainers. she was not a trained fighter classically, but she was trained on how to hunt. her family had made sure of that much. she knew how to hold an axe, she knew how to swing it and chop a tree. she also knew how to take the head off an animal clean.

now she had to take all of that and apply it to another human being.

most people would wretch at the blood, but svet finds nothing wrong with it. in fact, there is a beauty in the color that would pour from an open wound. she does not bat an eyelash at painful things.

she only sees what is beautiful.

she picked up an axe and decided to move around with a trainer, it felt good in her hands. sure, it was not like the ones back home, the feeling was smooth and metallic, while the ones back home could give you a splinter if it was held wrong. she swung it a couple times the trainer directing her to the targets that popped up from the floor. each one feel rather quickly, parts of them flying around the ground. she controlled her breathing, just like she would when they were on a hunt. the trainer simply stood back and watched.

she had a feeling that he was impressed behind that stoic smile.

she continued to move around the practice field, chopping down new targets as they had popped up. after a few minutes, svet was told to take a moment while they reset the field. she lets the axe rest next to her leg as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. she focuses on her breathing, her ears feeling warm from a slight ringing. it felt like there were eyes on her, but she did not want to acknowledge it right away because she knew that would be a sign of weakness down the line. being self conscious right now was not going to help her in the arena. it was all about how she carried herself.

as the trainer was about to open his mouth, a loud sound had erupted behind her. for a moment, she wanted to pretend that she didnt hear it, but it was almost too distinct for her to not turn around and look. when she did, she realized that there was a boy standing there. the first thing she did was eye the number four plastered on his uniform. "taking notes?" svetlana said, the axe now raised on her shoulder. "the light step station is over there if you needed a little more practice." svet opted to skip that one.

who needed it when you planned on making an entrance anyway.

﹙   s v e t l a n a   f o r r e r s t e r   ﹚

she was trying to convince herself that this was just a fluke. that careers werent already taking note of her abilities. it was like they were sizing her up, and a part of that made her slightly uncomfortable. to be quite fair, it shouldnt have come to a surprise, because the ones from four specifically should not have been trusted. every year, they had been cunning enough to make it farther, and svet could remember vividly that fours had always put sevens in jeopardy before anyone else.

just look at the 80th.

if they were gonna be watching her, then she needed to put on a show. she did not care if people thought of her as a threat. she was here to make a statement after all. life does imitate art and all of that nonsense. the boy from four looking onwards at her was probably just going to be the first of many thorns in her side.

she is watching his mannerisms, and when he goes to pick up one of the blades that he had knocked over, she is slightly confused. she is not chastising him for watching, she is simply stating a fact about what he was doing. even if he wasnt inherently watching her, he was still up to no good, and that was the part that svet was going to call out. there was no use in trying to play things off. svet had been taught to discern many things.

however, maybe she would play a long a little bit.

she steps off the floor for a moment, telling the trainer to hold the spot for her as she knew she wanted to go for round two. "uh huh." svet smirked for a moment. "if that is the perfect weapon you are holding, care to show me what you can do with it?" svet offered him the floor. if he was going to make bold claims, then she was going to see him and raise him the action.

"lets see that confidence at work then." she waited for his response, the axe now resting at the top of her leg, arms crossed and eyes ready to slice through any facade that the boy was going to try to put up.

if he wasnt going to act courageously, then svet was going to apply pressure until he did.