Marionettes / Cato

It's just another day standing inside the training center listening to weapons clang against one another as people shout when they lose a spar or whatever match they're practicing for. I've never been one to stand before people showing off what I can do unless someone specifically asks me to. Even then, it's not my top priority anyway especially today. Training, learning, improving, making sure I am ready for whatever is thrown my way is important. Most sessions are spent with a sword, but today a set of knives sit beside me, and one sits in the palm of my hand. Throwing is tough sometimes, especially with a moving target, but this is for learning and challenging myself every single day. While moving targets make it more difficult, it becomes more realistic because someone isn't going to just stand around and let another person throw a knife at them.

Usually it's easy to ignore people, but today someone is getting louder and louder with each passing second forcing me to stop what I'm doing. For a moment I feel like a brawl is starting, and preparing for it is important in case they try dragging me in, but it's more than that. People are wrestling, and this one girl is shouting for another guy to tap out. With a shrug of my shoulders, I turn back to what I was doing before. Eyes lock on a target, and the knife flies from my hand with ease landing on the arm of the moving target. It's not the best shot in the world, but it gives me something to learn from. Something to improve on. At least I'm doing better than the guy sparring with the lady because he tapped out, and that's something I never would've done.

Nothing ends there, though. The girl stands triumphantly and is begging for someone else to fight her, but nobody is answering. Why waste my time? I could beat her if I actually wanted to, but the desire isn't there. So I turn around back to the knives, but I don't think it's quick enough because soon she's right up on me, talking to me, and she seems a bit awkward. It's hard not rolling my eyes because everyone is strong here, everyone can train, everyone is capable of doing what she just did, but I think it hasn't clicked with her yet. On top of that, it seems like she wants to talk about it more than anything because she asked if I had watched. "I may have caught the ending of your match." I answer unamused.

She just doesn't stop though, and while I'm trying to remain friendly, it's hard to do. It's hard to keep my mind focused on anything right now. A simple day of training is all I ask for, but even that is too much. When she asks if I can teach her a move or two, I feel myself growing more and more inside. Showing off isn't my thing, but doing so in a way of teaching is fun. "I could show you a move, but you're doing fine on your own." A soft grin spreads across my face and for the time being, I'm content. I turn towards the mat wondering if this is truly what I want to do. "But what if that move was with throwing knives instead?" Genuine curiosity fills me to the brim, and maybe I won't have to face potential embarrassment like the poor guy she sparred just moments ago.

Turning back to her wondering if she's even interested, my thoughts come to an abrupt halt. Introducing myself is important, and while one day we're potentially enemies, it doesn't hurt to have a friend now. "Name's Jericho." The words are firm and for the first time aren't completely emotionless. "But I go by Phenom." It's a name my friends call me. A name I want the world to call me. A smile spreads from ear to ear as I hold out my hand hoping she'll take it. Together our strength can become one nobody can outmatch. Maybe she's someone that will stay by my side until the day we're torn apart.

This girl is definitely an interesting one, at least from what I see now. It’s hard to really take her in without staring at her, but I feel there’s more than meets the eye. She has this aura about her that draws my attention away from whatever I’m focusing on. It doesn’t seem right, and yet in the blink of an eye, it drifts away. She’s definitely proven herself a worthy opponent, and in my mind it makes me never want to fight her, but this opportunity to show off is somewhat of a desire. I just have to make sure I don’t show her everything I know because then it takes away the element of surprise.

For a moment, I feel as though she’s not going to take my hand and leave me hanging. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but right now in the midst of everything, it just feels so strange. We’re meeting for the very first time, and after introducing myself to someone, it’s polite for them to return the favor, and finally she takes it. Only she doesn’t respect my name. Many times I tell people to call me Phenom. Sharing my name isn’t something I do often, and right now she’s just going along with the first words she hears. Typical. It seems that very few people are capable of comprehending a simple sentence, but it does have a nice ring to it.

”Sure, why not?” I shrug my shoulders before looking a bit more at ease. ”Has a nice ring to it.” I smile, and then she’s running towards a bench wanting me to show her some moves. It’s all happening so quick, and I haven’t even caught her name. Sometimes having a nameless face isn’t the end of the world because those nameless faces become the enemy, and I am not one to fraternize with them. Only I ask anyway. ”And what’s your name?”

I take a couple knives, holding them loosely in the palm of my hand prepared to launch them at any given second. The machine whirls on, and the targets are moving around. All I can do is keep a steady eye as a knife flies from my hand embedding itself into the neck of the first moving target. I throw the next knife immediately after, and even though it didn’t land where I wanted to, it still would’ve severely wounded the person standing in the way. Chest shots are meant to slow people down. Not kill. "Good enough for you?"