What does it take? [Open]

Career Training.

Or as Carver liked to think of it, Government appointed athletics. In truth, the training of careers was not exactly mandated by the Capitol, but it was encouraged in the upper districts, something that 2 had taken to heart. In any case, It was not difficult for him to uphold this odd value; for he enjoyed it immensely, but it grow tedious after awhile. Though muscular and in good shape he was not one given to parading about and comparing biceps to other people in training. Stay quiet, stay in line and do what they tell you and you'd find yourself near the top. It was a simple thing to do, and Carver never understood it when other teens refused to play along.

He kept himself to strict regimen that included the lifting of weights, runs and the occasional attempt at swordplay; his diet consisting of the most nutritional things he could get his mother to buy. Nut ask anyone you like, Carver could care less about the games, could care less about being a career, and could care less about becoming a Victor. For he wished to attend the peacekeeper academy as soon as he was able. The illegitimate son a deceased enforcer himself, Carver kept a journal filled with the crimes he had witnessed in his pocket, wanting the credit for their captures when they were taken down.

This particular day, Carver had completed a workout session early, and was headed home by a familiar route; everything was scheduled in his mind, and he disliked anything that could impede his going to and fro. Enter the obstacle currently in front of this career. A girl who was slowly ambling her way down the sidewalk in front of him. His practiced eye and attention to detail told him several things about her. For one, she had just taken a shower, or perhaps gotten out of a pool; her hair was noticeably damp, clothes further darkening the black around the top of the back of her shirt, the fabric clinging to her shoulders in damp spots.

In shape, as were most young citizens too. She hadn't yet done anything to suggest a crime to report, but he was always eager to keep an eye open. Might have to open a file in his journal. It had been sometime since he had held a conversation with someone, not since stopping that runaway fruit thief, suffering injury to his person as he did so. But this one did not appear to be among those that he would have to throw against a wall to get a straight answer out of. Nor did she seem like the type used to honeyed words. Best to just initiate conversation and see if it was worth the time. Pulling alongside her, Carver made his presence known.

"Excuse me miss? Mind If I walk with you?"

Carver Predd

Yawns were contagious, as Carver soon found out, stifling one of his own as his strides matched up with the the steps the girl was taking. "Sorry about that;and sure, feel free." An admirable response, not the kind that he had gotten recently, like the smart-mouthiness of that Malloc boy, or the cultured flirting of the smarmy Ms. Grant. No, this one was simply being polite, something that was hard and rather uncommon to find among careers. Perhaps there was more to this girl then met the eyes. "My name's Jayden. I've seen you during training, you're a really good runner."

Interesting, she had watched him at the training centers a few times, and he had not caught her doing so. She appeared to be one of the ones that did not take training all that seriously; at least, that was his first impression as she seemed to be rather tired. The key was to pace yourself so that you didn't burn out, it's why he alternated his regimens every other day. Half of training was mental, and if the mind was weak, the body would not benefit much.Thank you, Jayden. I do try my best. "I'm Carver." Eyeing her damp hair again, he decided to risk unsettling her for the sake of keeping the conversation going."I suppose training went well for you today? How was the shower?" Smiling inwardly, he waited to see her reaction. This could be fun.

Carver Predd

"Well as far as showers go...I'd say nice and normal." A shot of glib humor. How refreshing. "So, I never see you talking to anyone? Don't like the other kids?" A question he had heard many times before, and one for which the answer was nearly always the same. There was no way fro him to explain what he saw in people; no way to tell someone nicely that he considered everyone to be guilty until proven innocent. No, his dark thoughts were better left alone."If there is nothing to be said, I see no reason to speak."A minute or two passed in silence as he debated his next course of action. There was always the option of increasing the speed of his strides and leaving her behind, but he felt he had already invested too much time into seeing what she was up to to give up now.


"So...Jayden. You seem tired. Rough day of training?"There was not much else to discuss unless Carver wanted to talk about himself; which he didn't. Best to ask her about herself, get her to open up, and see if she merited an entry in his journal.

Carver Predd

The girl laughed low and darkly; was she feeling some form of dismay at thinking about training? It sounded like she was not pleased at all with being a career. Carver could understand that, the daily toil did get droll after awhile. It's one of the reasons he found other things to do. "You could say that I guess. I train when I get home too. The only break I get is to sleep and eat."Jayden yawned again, and before he could help himself the contagious motion was mimicked, proving that yawns were usually unavoidable."A worthy endeavor, to improve oneself inside the gym and while at home. Always nice to meet someone who takes training seriously."The duo ambled along for awhile longer, neither really saying anything until they passed by the peacekeeper academy.

Past the giant metal gates, Carver could see dozens of raw recruits going about training exercises, doing push-ups or jumping jacks in neat and ordered rows. Somewhere, a veteran PK yelled at some people to complete what they were doing, and even more trainees ran circles around the inner perimeter of the complex."Nothing better than watching our law enforcement hard at work."

Carver Predd

Carver supposed she must have been watching his face for any sign of an inclination towards Panem's Protectors, for her question caught him off guard. What did he think about them? They were everything he strove to be, and everything that he wasn't. Not yet. At least not by his garb or his manner of working. In spirit, and in thought, he felt as though he was in fact one of them already. They would learn to appreciate his genius, or they would be swept away by the oncoming tide of time. His time. But there was no way to succinctly describe this to his unlikely companion without revealing his intent, so he had to be satisfied with a reply that said nothing more or less than he wished her to know about him, and yet still explained his feelings.

"I think... that people do not give them enough credit for the amount of work they do. That they are misunderstood and under-appreciated. After all, they are only helping us by punishing the guilty."

Carver Predd

Had his words betrayed that much about his thoughts? Was he that readable that this Jayden could garner that much from what he had thought was a carefully guarded opinion? Mulling over her words, he had to disagree with most of what she had said. Abusiveness was simply a tool for the peacekeepers. In any other hands it would be a crime, but in the grasp of those in authority it was a weapon meant to strike fear into the hearts of those who harbored guilt. For it was only the guilty that had anything to fear. If they weren't, then even the harshest of treatment would have no effect on their spirit. Saying that the authority was capable of twisted nature was anathema to Carver. That was a crime in of itself, and the keepers were not the criminals. Ranks of the unworthy? Jayden didn't know the meaning of the word.

The unworthy were the ones that cowered in the alleyways, the ones who stole food where it was readily available, the ones who sold themselves away by their actions or their words. They were the ones that were slowly infecting the district with the poison of self-deprecation. His father had dealt with these malcontents before his demise; and even he had been guilty of a crime, but one for which Carver could hardly fault him, as his fathers misconduct had given life to his very self. Illegitimate he may have been born, for the keepers were not meant to have families, but the elder Predd had still come by every now and then, handing off money to the mother, or something to Carver.

Though Carver had always had a strict sense of justice, it wasn't until the day a drunken brawler had claimed the life of his father that he truly understood the depths of depravity to which the citizenry could sink. They were all guilty of something, a secret that they hid or an event they never wanted to bring to light. The dark look began to take over his eyes as he felt the heat of his temper rising. Who was Jayden to judge the judgers with her clenched hands and pouted stare? Fixing her with an evil glare, he passed a sentence in his mind.

Guilty.

Guilty of secreting rebellion against the Capitol in her heart. She had just earned a page in his journal; but he would add to it right now, not when she could see it. His hand shot out to grip her wrist, the fingers digging in. "Harsh words concerning our protectors. And If I began to hurt you? Would you still want someone with a twisted nature to help? Or would you not cry out, fearing that the protectors would do more harm than good? Hmm?" Carver smiled, but it was not a kind action, rather, it was as predatory as his name.

Carver Predd

Infuriating. The majority of her words fell on deaf ears, Carver's quick temper only hearing the tone, and the unadulterated challenge that brazenly came with it. It was tough, examining his options at that crucial moment. Part of him wanted to snap her wrist and beat some good old-fashioned sense into this miscreant and her dangerous Anti-Capitol heresy. Was she not a fellow career? Did she not understand the reality of the Arena, the need to keep the weak in check lest they begin to think otherwise? How sad for her to lie to herself in such an undesirable way. She wasn't fooling anyone, Carver least of all. The haughtiness in her voice stung, and he reluctantly released his grip on her arm.

Would he back up his words, oh he certainly would, if only given the opportunity. If only he had some way to record the venomous words and deliver them to a Peacekeeper. He'd have to be satisfied with opening up a new page in his journal; for exacting his own specialized brand of justice would be frowned upon in such close proximity to the true justifiers of the district. Nor did he have the hard evidence he needed to march her right up to the gates."You're an odd one Jayden." he managed to mutter. "Watch yourself Jayden. This kind of talk is ... frowned upon."Turning to leave, he shook his head before shooting her a darkly bemused grin."I'll be watching you."Quickly speeding up his strides, he vanished around the corner with a mocking wave just as fast as he had begun to walk with her.

***

OOC: I think that's a good place to end it. =) My apologies for the delay.