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[Deleted]

Link never stopped training. Even on days like this where he had the entire day off, he trained. With swords scattered around him and his bo staff leaning up against a wall he worked. Even in these chilly months the legionnaire was sweating from all the work. It didnt bother him though, it was all just repetative though. He wanted more of a challenege, he wanted to test himself. It was no secret he had a chip on his shoulder to prove himself roman. He worked to deserve his place in the legion and that was his plan. Zero distractions, only the goal. He just wanted to be seen as one of them, not be the time trav- no, he didn't have time for this self pity crap. He had work to do.

Being a legionnaire meant being a part of something bigger, he wasnt a one man army he was a one man in a army. He needed to work that way. But his skills said otherwise. As Link grabbed his bo staff he gripped it before focusing and with lighting speed seemed to teleport to the farthest dummy while taking a clean swing at it, nearly decapitating the wooden figure. He couldnt fit into a solid army the way he was.

[Jennifer Kail]

Training was boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring. At least that’s what Jen thought. Why should she be stuck here at the training grounds when she could be in New Rome having some fun? That was an interesting question. She could have been out partying or shopping or gambling and yet here she was fulfilling her daily training regimen to insure that she wasn’t punished by the centurions again. She didn’t even know why she needed training. She obviously knew how to fight and this was just a waste of her time. She was here though and she might as well get this done so she could go have some fun.

Grabbing her sword and shield Jen headed out into the sparring area only to find that she wasn’t alone. Another kid was here tonight and as Jen watched he took a big stick and used it to promptly decapitate a training dummy. Was this dude for real? Kungtaikwondu or whatever made for pretty interesting movies but actual fighting against real people? Jen had her doubts. Still, it did prove pretty effective on stationary targets. “Keep doing that and you might get us all out of weapons practice.” She called to the boy as she clapped her hands. “Actually that’s probably not such a bad idea now that I think about it.”

[Deleted]

Clapping? Link blinked twice before he turned around, seeing a girl standing there clapping. Well that was unexpected. Honestly he thought he was alone in the area, most people took days off seriously. He whipped his forehead as he listened to the girl talk and couldn't help but chuckle. Get them out of weapons practice? "I doubt even Abu could stop weapon practice."  the elephant was a interesting theory though, not that he wanted to stop training. He enjoyed it.  "How long were you standing there?" he asked, mostly concerned about what she thought about his teleporting. The standard roman saw it as sneaky and he was once told he was avoiding a face on battle using it. He'd make it work some how, but as for now it was mostly just when he had the spare energy instead of running. It  was quicker after all. "Practice isn't that bad though, there are worst thing to do"

[Jennifer Kail]

She chuckled at the thought of the war elephant trampling through the training yard. That would end the training real quick but there would be hell to pay for a stunt like that. That was not a gamble she was willing to take. This guy destroying all the dummies with his stick though, a much safer bet. “I was here long enough to see you use your ninja skills or whatever that was on that dummy. What was that anyway? Good trick in any case.”

She didn’t know if it was some kind of super speed or some nifty demi god power but whatever it was she was sure it came in handy. In battle all bets were off and if you had a talent like that you might as well make use of it. No one appreciated that rule more than Jen who was notorious for fighting dirty. One thing she wasn’t fond of however was training and she hoped that this guy wasn’t another dull legionnaire all glory and honor and tis a good day to die. That stuff made her sick. “Bite your tongue.” She said in disgust. “I suppose there are some worse things. Nothing is as bad as cleaning up the shit in the latrines but gods, there are a lot of better things too. Next thing you’ll be telling me that you like formation drills.”

[Deleted]

The girl had seen everything? Ninja skills? Whoever this girl was it was certain that she was not someone that was as serious about standard fighting than the rest. At least those that took the legion seriously, like himself. "Not ninja moves, more like accelerated speed causing rifts in space. Well, I guess ninja skills better explains it." he said shaking his head, he didnt even now how to explain it, how could he expect others to understand.

The solider actually cracked a smile at the girls threats about saying training wasn't that hard. He rested his bo staff over his shoulders, hanging onto it. "Well." he said looking back at the dummies. "Line formations are actually very important. If anyone person is out of place then everything is thrown off." he said before looking back at the girl, walking over with his arms still interlooped with the staff. "besides training is important, It's what sets the legion apart in history." he made it pass the girl and leaned his staff against the wall. "You can't tell that training is on the bottom of your to do list."

[Jennifer Kail]

Accelerated speed? Rifts in space? Who was this guy, Dr. Who? Jen smiled and nodded along not sure if he was shitting her what. In any case the guy seemed to be to be pretty unsure about the wibbly wobbly sciencey stuff involved in it himself so ninja skills worked good enough for her as a description. “Bummer. I was going to ask if you could teach me that trick. Looks like it would be useful getting from point A to B.”

She watched as the guy came over to put away his kung fu stick. He started talking about lines and tactics and history and Jen was barely able to suppress a yawn. Here they went, another dull legionnaire giving her a lecture on history, booooooooring. She expected she would be dozing by the third or fouth sentence but he surprised her by skipping over the lecture and practically calling her out. "Hey now!" She said with a little indignation in her voice. "Training isn't at the bottom. There's other stuff that ranks a whole lot lower like cleaning my bunk in the barracks and making sure my armor is polished. I'm just saying there's more important things. When arrows are flying and people are dying are you going to ask their pardon while you form ranks? Balls to that. By that time you've got to know how to step on toes, knee people in the groin and punch them in the face. Anything it takes to win.”

[Deleted]

A helpful trick? Link chuckled and shook his head. It was a parlor trick that was exactly it. It was a little illusion that gained a upper hand if anything but nothing more. Her response to his comment on the formations almost made him laugh. Almost. She seemed so opposed to them, and very keen on foul language. He didn't know much on war, but what he did know was that their style of war had worked for thousands of years, and always would. Anything it takes to win?   "I don't know about all of that but what I do know is that the romans have survived past their supposed fall living and breathing a working system of being a whole. The drills aren't about knowing where to stand in line and how to thrust a spear, its about knowing that you can trust the person next to you in battle no matter who they are. We all have the same training and all know how to stand by each other. Both psychologically and physically." he said simply and seriously. He knew training meant more than just the outer layer. Romans were a well oiled machine and training meant that they could stay that way.

[Jennifer Kail]

"The legion survived because it knew when to go underground." Jen said with a laugh. "Now there's a tactic they don't teach you about in drill, sometimes it's better to turn tail and run. Live to fight another day." A well-oiled machine the legion might be but fighting smarter as well as deadlier was the real ticket. She wasn't going to just throw her life away fighting an unwinnable battle like some Romans seemed to be content to do. "Knowing your allies though, that's something I can get behind but you don't get that that in a training exercise though. That comes through battle and seeing for yourself the person beside you doesn't swing their sword like a complete ass wipe. I get what you're saying though.”

Jen hadn't expected to get into a deep philosophical conversation on the strategies of the Twelfth Legion today but she found that she didn't really mind. The guy was passionate and that said something good about him. Granted Jen was passionate about living life to the fullest and that also said something her so take that for what it was worth. "Listen we could stand here arguing about tactics all day but at the end of the day I'm just as loyal to the legion as you are. I just don't buy into that morbid sense of honor most seem to have. There are more than enough monsters out there and I do my part to offer up a fitting sacrifice to Mars just like anyone else. If the bloody old bastard doesn't like how I'm doing it he's welcome to come tell me but so far I think he's been pretty pleased. As for me I think I earn myself the right to have some fun every once in a while. No one lives forever after all and we might as well live it up while we're still here." She paused for a moment and looked Link over before continuing. "Besides, surely you're not all Mr. Glory and Honor and Let the Eagle Fly all the time are you?"