Private Tales Nenikēkamen

[Kristen Pirian]

Initiate Kristen Pirian would soon have before her the test which would determine whether or not she would even be eligible to graduate this year.

Her guiding Proctor, Proctor Andre Magomo, stressed mightily that physical training was the most important thing for an Initiate to work on. In his view it was the foundation upon which everything else depended. What did it matter if you could swing a blade with the skill of an unbeaten swordmaster if you could only wield it for half as long as an average Guardsmen? What did it matter if your magics could tear apart a city if the strain of them tore your body apart instead? Of all the Proctors, Proctor Magomo was the most forgiving when it came to academic grades, but when it came to marks in physical training, sparring, weapons practice, and all the like, then he was merciless.

So when Kristen Pirian, a noble girl with a dainty softness the likes of which he'd never before had to contend with, came prancing into his Academy after the Revolution, he specifically made her his special project, claiming her even over the loud protestations of Proctors Kimble and Malaneaux (their goals, of course, far less concerned with shaping her into a weapon and more so crushing her into dust for their cruel amusement). Proctor Magomo saw in Kristen everything he despised: she was a noble, so that was fucking politics; she was unfit, and therefore lazy and weak; she had no mental constitution, and therefore was a liability to every warrior around her. Proctor Magomo swore to Kress and every other dead god he could conjure the name of that he would turn that girl into a soldier, into a Dreadlord, if it was the last thing he did. She would be the most challenging case of his Proctorship to date, and perhaps ever; and he would not fail that girl, leaving her to think as she died miserably on some forsaken battlefield, "If only I had been better trained!" That was not going to happen. Not on his watch. Not one Initiate under his direct Proctorship would ever face that fate.

Therefore, this test. Kristen's time in the Academy was truncated, yes, but the Guard did not need a decade to turn an average Anirian into a fighting man or woman. Kristen had had plenty of time to sweat weakness from her body. Now it was time for her to prove it to him.

Proctor Magomo knew his Initiate, however. He knew she was the social type. Talkative. Encouraged by others. So with that in mind, there was one little piece of help that he would allow. Not direct help. Encouraging help.

And he was about to honor one of Kristen's fellow Initiates by selecting her for this role, thereby acknowledging her physical prowess.

Proctor Magomo was presently making his way through the dormitories. He strode all the way to the door he sought. When he arrived, he pounded on the door with a furious strength.

"INITIATE ST. KOLBE! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Another relatively boring off day passed in peace and silence within her own dorm room. That was okay, though. Zinnia may have been trying out the whole "extrovert" thing, but the odd day to herself to recharge was something she enjoyed every now and again. A spot of cocoa and a book would do her well, plus she could let her hair down for once.

"INITIATE ST. KOLBE! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

...Or not. Zinnia scrambled up, pulling a knit cap on and getting herself to her door. The latches came down and she cracked the door open.
"Y-yes, proctor?"

Ah! Proctor Magomo! Zinnia smiled and opened the door wider, standing at attention. Much as she was loathe to give up her rest time, Magomo was one teacher at the Academy that had her utmost respect. In fact, she'd modeled her own work ethic on his example. Zinnia couldn't keep up with the relentless perfection demanded by Proctor D'Amour, but she could match pace with Magomo's demands for his students.

"What can I d-do for you, Proctor Magomo?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Proctor Magomo flashed that grin which Kristen would have been very familiar with; a rare sight, and one characterized by a certain intensity, latent or otherwise, that made the gesture seem more explosive than genial.

"Initiate St. Kolbe! Are you the best godsdamn female physical specimen this Academy as ever seen??"

Proctor Magomo didn't give a damn if it was the truth or not. All he wanted to hear was resounding, RESOUNDING, motivation.


Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia went even more rigid, her eyes went wide. What was this about? She recognized the enthusiastic (if aggressive) grin that Magomo wore, but how was she supposed to answer here? She couldn't stay silent for long, no time to deliberate or surely she'd be punished. All Zinnia could do was commit to something!

"...uuumm...y-yes? Yes! Er, I t-try my very, very hardest to be, sir!"
Ugh. Humility was a good trait, right?

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"I think I'm going a bit deaf, Initiate St. Kolbe."

Proctor Magomo whipped a hand up to cup around his ear and he leaned it toward Zinnia.

"LOUDER! I can't HEAR you! Are you or are you not the pinnacle of peak female performance?? Say it with your chest!"




Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

In the brief instance that followed, Zinnia was glad that Magomo was not looking into Zinnia's eyes. She felt like a woman possessed as breath filled her lungs, and then...

"Y-YES SIR! I AM THE PINNACLE OF PEAK FEMALE PERFORMANCE, SIR!"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Gooood," growled Proctor Magomo with a kind a feral satisfaction. Then he slammed a heavy hand down on one of Zinnia's shoulders and started hauling her along down the dormitory hallway. "Because I've got a certain female Initiate for some of that to rub off on."

Proctor Magomo let out a singular bark of a laugh. He was in quite the good mood today.

"She's gonna need it. Or else she's not graduating this year."

And as much as Proctor Magomo loved his "quality time" with the Pirian Initiate, she needed to get her ass out into Vel Anir at large and do some real work. Didn't matter that she had one-third of the time most Initiates had. Too bad. She was of age. So her ass should belong to the state now, as was only right.

* * * * *​

One of the key nuances of being a Proctor was knowing your Initiates. Knowing them inside and out. And one of the things he knew about Initiate Pirian was that she liked to sit in the main quad during the free period, reading. Now, Proctor Magomo had no issue with that, reading, expanding your knowledge; but that wasn't Initiate Pirian's problem. Her problem from the day she entered the Academy was her physicality. She'd made immense strides (not that he'd ever praise her directly for that) since that first year, and the time had come to prove that, not to read about whatever subject had her liking.

And there she was. Sitting on one of the stone benches. Her back to Magomo and Zinnia both and her nose practically buried in some tome.

So Proctor Magomo marched right up behind her. Then yelled, "INITIATE PIRIAN!"

She flinched so hard she dropped her book. She was, however, up and onto her feet, having faced about and standing at attention so quickly that one might even think she was an actual godsdamn soldier and not some stuffy noble; almost brought a tear to Magomo's eye.

"Yes, Proctor!" she said.

Proctor Magomo sliced a hand sideways in gesture toward Zinnia. "Initiate St. Kolbe is going to see you toughen up. The test is coming, Initiate, and St. Kolbe is going to help you along and you're going to pass it. You might even make Proctor D'Amour proud."

Kristen, halfway poised to say Yes, Proctor again, stopped in the motion thereof and a mask of confusion settled upon her.

"Oh, you don't remember?" Proctor Magomo had never actually told her about this final physical test. "This is it, Pirian. Your strength and endurance is going to be proven. Pass or fail. Fail, and you get to spend another year here with me. And neither of us fucking wants that, do we, Initiate Pirian?"

"No, Proctor!"

"Gooood." Proctor Magomo clapped Kristen so hard on the back that she almost stumbled forward. "Work on that upper body and abdominal strength and endurance first. The test is coming. Soon."

And, without any further explanation of any kind, Proctor Magomo turned and left Kristen and Zinnia to their own devices.

Kristen watched him go for a moment, then looked to Zinnia, "This...is all very sudden, is it not?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

With no real idea of what she was being pulled into, the demure initiate gave a rigid salute and followed Magomo. Whom, exactly, was the proctor about to shove Zinnia on?

---

Zinnia watched the show unfold with confused bewilderment. Proctor Magomo shouted at Kristen Pirian for a few seconds, explained nothing, then left. She had hoped that things would become clear once they'd arrived, but if anything Zinnia was now more in the dark than she was before.

"Hey Kristen...n-no kidding," "I g-guess we're supposed to work out together? I d-don't know if there are any f-free weights out here, but I can show you some callisth-thenics, I guess..."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen still looked baffled. Proctor Magomo came in one of two dispositions: either he explained everything in exacting detail (as was the case in her Impaler training with Marcella), or he did...this, keeping an ominous air of mystery by giving her only enough to get started in the generally correct direction.

"Oh..." she said. "I suppose then that Proctor Magomo did not deign to tell you any more than he did me."

Though Zinnia did have the "generally correct direction" figured out, and she had stated it succinctly: work out together. Not entirely unlike working with Sable or Zael on her swordsmanship, save only that this was a purely physical, not martial, endeavor.

They started walking.

"Has Proctor Magomo made you do something of this sort in the past? Is that why he chose you?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia tried to lead as they walked, but Kristen absolutely towered over her. Rather quickly, she wound up trying to match the long-legged noble girl's much longer stride instead.
"He...reeeaaally didn't..." she confessed, rubbing her arm. "Any g-guesses? I'm...admittedly k-kinda stumped."

She gave some thought to the second question Kristen had posed, eyes wandering over the distant free weights stored in the quad.
"N-not really, no. I've spent some t-time in his classes and I...k-kinda put a lot of attention on training, but that's as m-much as I can think of. I'm...really n-nothing special."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"I...assume that this is to be a test of some kind." Kristen grimaced. "One of much greater import than those that have come before it. Failure means..."

She sucked in air through her teeth. Failure meant another year spent at the Academy. And though Kristen at times was prone to much worrying, much cause for doubt, over her relatively short time spent at the Academy (even though that was the point of her special enrollment), the other side of that coin was that she didn't want, through negligence or error, to fumble this and end up staying for another avoidable and unnecessary year.

And as well, there was the simple and personal matter of proving herself, of making her father Neil and her mother Josephine, her uncle Tobias, her cousin Val, Evangeline, and of all House Pirian proud.

I'm...really n-nothing special.

Her modesty was quite endearing. Kristen didn't know much of Zinnia, having but one mission together with her, but at every turn she revealed herself more and more to be a woman of good character.

"Out of everyone Proctor Magomo could have chosen, he chose you," she said, offering a slight smile. "That's noteworthy indeed."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

The demure girl brushed some stray hair back into her hood and smiled at the ground ahead of her as the pair walked.
"I...s-suppose that's true..." she admitted. Truthfully, Zinnia wasn't wholly sure how to handle praise or acknowledgment. She wasn't, and had never been, a proud person. She only ever did what she felt she should, for the sake of her family and her home.

"Um, well, i-in any case, let's get to b-business, shall we?" she asked as they approached what would be as good a workout spot as any. "Is there anyth-thing you, uh...s-struggle with, I suppose?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen broke into a full smile, and then a grin, chuckling lightly. "Gosh, a year ago this would have been a trivial question to answer: everything."

Around them were tools, implements, equipment of all sorts, all of it heavy or built in such a fashion as to allow one to test their strength with precision: things to lift, things to climb, things to push or pull, things to wield, all manner of structures and simple devices meant to target specific muscles of the body. This little area of the quad, close in proximity as it was to the sparring arenas, was known by a few different names, the "Sweat Square" or "the Pit" being the foremost among them. Those names and the few others were all aptly deserved.

"As I am now, I would say my arms, the upper portion of my torso. In practice fights these days it is less a matter of becoming winded and more so that my arms themselves tire, that I sometimes lack the strength to meet my foe's own and find myself overpowered. I shall never be an example of sheer brute force—such a thing is reserved for other Initiates whose gifts make them more than human in that regard—but becoming able to at least compete competently with an opponent of similar stature as I is a goal of most worthy pursuit."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Ahh, the Pit. Zinnia had spent more hours here than she could recall, such that she could almost ignore the overwhelming scent of sweat and body odor. Or maybe she'd come to enjoy it? Thoughts to unpack at another time, perhaps.

Zinnia looked Kristen over as she delivered her self analysis. "Competing competently with an opponent of similar stature" was going to be easier said than done for someone of her height and build...
"That's...admittedly g-going to take a f-fair bit of work. Most f-folks of your 'stature' are gonna be guys, and, well...we're k-kinda at a natural disadvantage there," she explained, then furrowed her brow. Perhaps that sounded overly dire... "N-not to say it's impossible! We j-just have to work harder for it. Ummm...here!"

She gestured to and walked towards the object they'd be utilizing first, at least until Zinnia could gauge exactly how much work they were going to have to put in: a simple pullup bar.
"Have you ever done p-pullups? They work...well, p-pretty much your whole upper b-body."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"A fair bit of work," Kristen echoed, smiling humbly. "The Academy has, at least, taught me the value of this."

Zinnia was right, of course. Even before enrolling into the Academy, in bearing firsthand witness to some of the most physically impressive men from the entirety of the Republic, Kristen had been astounded even by the feats of her elder brother Pedrig, how things which were abominably heavy to her were to him no great chore to lift or carry or maneuver. Kristen knew intuitively that she would never be a powerhouse the likes of Edric or Caeso or Sable, but as for what capacity she did have? It would be naught but good to hone it.

Have you ever done p-pullups?

"Ah...yes...pullups," Kristen said, a little embarrassed. "Proctor Magomo hounded me until I could at least do one. I am capable now of two consistently, though he has been demanding five for quite some time, but..." She sucked in air through her teeth. Then, immediately afterward, she shook her head and dispelled that doubt, saying, "...but I should offer no excuse—instead, results!"

* * * * *​

Days and days of training followed.

Pullups were the goal, and the strength training was based around it. Zinnia was quite knowledgeable—and her ability was astounding! Kristen at several points was just overcome with awe watching her, this girl smaller and slighter than her (slighter in weight only, for the formation of her arms were as though crafted by a sculptor with an eye for physical prowess). In watching someone like Zael or Vance or Leander, or truly any of the boys train and practice, it was easy to go beyond that feeling of awe and into a kind of meek despair: I can never achieve such heights. But in seeing Zinnia? Kristen felt not despair, but inspiration. She could do this. Though Zinnia was blessed with an athleticism likely superior to Kristen's own potential, this mattered little, for there was a sisterly connection that she felt with her, this connection necessarily absent whilst observing the boys at work.

Sometimes missions would interrupt them, missions either for Kristen or Zinnia or both. Fortunately, no grand expeditions were these, like that one far-flung affair to Tyr last year. In cases where Zinnia was gone but Kristen was not, Zinnia left for Kristen plenty of suggestions to add to their training regimen, and Kristen dutifully kept up in her absence.

A great milestone was achieved when Kristen, unassisted, did three pullups. Three!

One day, in preparing for her push for four, they had a guest in the Pit.

Zinnia

 

[Remi Serran]

Remi had been advised by Proctor Melina that, to best reintegrate, he ought to say that he had been gone on a long mission; not entirely unlike the one bound for Malakath in which Lothar, Ivan, and Henk would come to find themselves embarked upon in the future. Remi's own absence had been for just such a length, as it happened, and it wasn't all that far from the truth, so Proctor Melina had said.

Still, Remi felt a certain...frigidity within himself, a stiffness and an awkwardness toward many of his once-again fellow Initiates—this even so now that, as misfortune would have it, they were the only family he had left. The twist of fate: his own family, his own people, considered him an exile now, and it was Vel Anir that reached out to accept him back.

An opportunity for some manner of interaction (in his mind if not in theirs, a reintroduction) presented itself one day in the Pit. Zinnia and Kristen were there, and the latter was preparing to jump up and grasp the pullup bar again. Zinnia had been helping her, holding her feet to assist in her doing pullups.

Remi didn't know the context, but on a whim, he approached them.

"Would you like some help?"

Kristen, a bit surprised and glancing to Zinnia briefly, said to him, "Oh! Remi. Well...sure! It is my aspiration to reach seven assisted pullups, despite the fatigue of my arms. You could hold one of my feet, and Zinnia the other?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Despite everything, Kristen was making incredible progress. With the right regimen and a few dietary changes, it seemed like the world was the Pirian girl's potential oyster. Going from barely one pullup to three in a single sitting was no small feat. And...admittedly, Kristen was rather likeable. She had been a blunderer and an record-breakingly late entry into the Academy, but Kristen really had stuck things out. The noble girl had to try harder than anyone here, and she actually...was. There was no riding on the coattails of her status, she actually was trying her hardest to be what she should: both the pinnacle of humanity's capability, and part of the Dreadlord family.

While all of that gave Zinnia a sense of secondhand pride in her newfound companion, it also shot pangs of guilt through her heart. Zinnia had regarded Kristen so harshly, lumping her in with so many of the other worthless nobles that failed to meet her expectations, those that did not deserve their titles. That hadn't actually been the case with Kristen, and Zinnia was beginning to see that she had been wrong to think that way of her.

It didn't hurt that, unlike the majority of her uppercrust kin, Kristen was actually nice. She didn't just seem to tolerate Zinnia's presence, rather, she actually seemed to light up when Zinnia approached her for their daily routine.

Today's session, however, was interrupted by someone Zinnia had no recognition of. Someone who offered to help, strangely enough.
"Um, h-hey...yeah, sure Kristen!" she both greeted the newcomer and answered her partner, going ahead and grabbing hold to aid her. It wasn't how Zinnia preferred to do things herself, but maintaining the routine was more important than doing things exactly her way.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

And so Remi came over (pleased, though his normal impassive expression did not portray it well), holding Kristen's right foot as Zinnia held her left. She and Zinnia had done a fair amount of training today, but with the assistance Kristen felt she could squeeze out some more effort from her arms before the day was done. She'd a bit more to give before her strength reached its limit!

As she was in the endeavor of these assisted pullups, however, some unfortunate timing happened.

Flavien, the vastly unlikeable Initiate with the platinum blonde hair and the ego which practically qualified him to be an honorary Urahil, came around the corner and entered the Pit and saw the three of them there. He laughed loudly at the spectacle.

"It takes two of you?" he said of Remi and Zinnia. And then to Kristen specifically, "Wow, have you been sneaking out seconds in the dining hall, Pirian? Putting on a little extra chub there?"

Kristen, essentially at her limit anyway, dropped down, her face red with indignation and pinched with the same, "You! You with your...with your unseemly insolence!"

Flavien just chuckled again. Remarked to Zinnia, "Hey, was it difficult? Holding Kristen's fat ass up there?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Flavien. Also known as "Leander lite," at least so far as Zinnia was concerned. His very presence was generally enough to get her eyes rolling. The primary difference between Flavien and his nicknamesake was that Leander at least tried to put a little effort into his insults and usually bore them out of his own superiority complex; Flavien was just an abrasive idiot. She really had no tolerance for either of them.

Something funny happened as he made his presence known, however. If he'd stopped just to poke fun at Zinnia, she'd have likely ignored him and let the insults ride. Instead, he directed his malice towards Kristen. For some reason that irked Zinnia far more than if he'd just gone after her. Perhaps it was because Kristen was too prim and proper to properly stand up for herself.

Zinnia moved in front of Kristen, putting herself between the noble girl and Flavien. Today she was feeling uncharacteristically bold. Maybe it was the adrenaline and endorphins from working out.
"I d-don't know, was it difficult when Soleil made you b-bleed out your backside?" she glanced back at her friend and gestured up and down at her before glaring back at Flavien. "Have you l-looked at Kristen? Are you being s-stupid on purpose, or did the sand d-damage your eyes as well as your colon?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Soleil?" Flavien huffed. Laughed. Laughed again, spiteful little ha's (with the tiniest tinge of uncertainty). "What's she got to do with anything?"

It had to just be blind luck, Zinnia throwing darts at a wall with her eyes closed and by sheer chance hitting a bullseye. Yeah, there was that one time Flavien had the shits so bad he couldn't get started on a mission on time, but...Soleil? That dumb ditzy girl? She was even less there than Zaire, spacey and aloof all the time, and she didn't even do drugs. No. No. It was just something that he ate, that's all.

"Besides, Zinnia," Flavien said, putting a harsh emphasis on her name as if it were a slur, "how can I take you s-s-seriously with that stut-tut-tutter you have? Some Dreadlord you're gonna be. Maybe you can make some Fellowship elves collapse with laughter, and then Kristen can sit on them with her big fat ass and suffocate them. Ha! Look at that. You two do make a good team!"

And now it was Kristen enflamed to come to Zinnia's defense. "And what of you, then, Flavien Ambustus Goman? For all your arrogance, what credit do you even have to your name? Your reputation is one of stunning mediocrity and nothing more!"

"Says you," Flavien said, deflecting, though he was unavoidably a bit chafed by that. "I know why Zinnia likes you, Pirian. It's because she was the biggest fuck up until you failed out of Edric's class and joined us."

"That's not—!" Even what happened, she intended to say, but frustration and ire collided with her explanation and she ended up growling in contempt.

Zinnia

 

[Remi Serran]

Remi's gaze shifted from Flavien to Kristen to Zinnia, each in their turn as they spoke. He was essentially a passive observer, watching as the scene unfolded as if he were detached from it.

Oh yes, now he remembered. Now he knew why Elbion, for his short duration there, felt so different. Remi had grown quite accustomed to the natural and heightened aggression which could be found all around the Academy, making what was otherwise uncommon at best elsewhere in the world into a commonplace feature.

Also, Flavien's arguments and jests had provable flaws. Firstly, Kristen wasn't fat; Ignatius was fat (though he and his class were now gone). And Zinnia could be taken seriously by any enemy the moment she used her magic; only a fool would think that just because she stuttered that they therefore wouldn't get burned, or frozen, or shocked by said magic.

Remi continued to watch. He didn't have much reason to speak unless spoken to or otherwise drawn in.

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia leveled a flat, annoyed glare at Flavien. This was already going too far, and if he kept running his mouth Zinnia was liable to attack him. Where did that animosity come from? Who could say? She only knew that someone was antagonizing her family, and that was enough to get her riled up. The comments on the stutter she could do nothing about didn't help his case, either.

"Kristen has had to t-try harder than anyone to play c-catch up with the likes of us. I think she's doing a p-pretty good job of that," she spat at the boy. Then she leaned her chin back a bit and smiled, a confidence unbecoming of her usual nature setting a fire in her chest. "But l-let's play your game, Flavien. If you're so g-great, let's see how m-many pullups you can do. S-surely you can outpace a 'screw up' like m-me, right?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Flavien snorted. Snorted again. And then his snorting morphed into a kind of overbearing laughter and he with a pompous swagger started to march forward. "You're damn right I can outpace you. Of course I can. You're just a girl, and you haven't got any magic to help you with your strength. Prepare to be amazed by my excellence, Zinnia." A quick shot at Kristen too. "And that goes double for you, princess."

And one at Remi as well, as Flavien was approaching the bars. "Out of the way, short-stuff. And don't touch me with your filthy hands—you're not even a real Anirian."

Remi had taken a step back, coming up beside Kristen where she now stood. Kristen whispered to him, "Do not let his vitriol diminish you. You are to me as much an Anirian as I am myself."

Remi, with the hurtful weight of having been exiled from his own people so recently laden still on his heart, looked up to Kristen with a small outward hint of gratitude, "I...yes. Thank you."

Flavien clapped his hands together. Rubbed them vigorously. Snapped a smug look over to Zinnia and said, "Ready, wallflower? Ready to wilt?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia, for the first time she could ever recall, smirked. She, too, got ready to grab a bar.
"S-sure, Flavien. Amaze me."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Alright, wonder girl, let's go!"

The competition, like any physical competition, started off with much vigor, almost a sense that Flavien and Zinnia could continue on with pull-ups into perpetuity. Though neither had any magic which directly enhanced their physical strength, perhaps a fuel which could aid nonetheless was their shared drive to claim the glory of overcoming the other, tasting that sweet thrill of victory.

Up. Chin above the bar. Down. Flavien versus Zinnia. Pull-ups on the one side matched by pull-ups on the other

Kristen was fully in the throe of the competition, and she cupped her hands beside her mouth and shouted with great enthusiasm, "COME ON, ZINNIA! YOU'VE GOT THIS!"

Zinnia