|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 19, 2010 20:16:42 GMT -5
Ryan was back at the archery fields. He really felt like giving archery up, but it was the last weapon his aunt had taught him. Aside from Dark Fighting, which he totally failed at. He wasn't going to give up on archery, even if it was the last thing he ever did was learn how to do it properly. He could barely hit the target now. He just needed to keep practicing and drilling himself and he'd get it. Eventually. That's had what happened when he was at his aunts. She just gave him exercises and drilling him for two years, more or less, until he got it and was able to fight with the weapon properly.
He notched an arrow and shot it at one of the targets. It changed from the center to the side and it just managed to cling to the rim of the target that he had aimed at. He gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes in frustration. Why was shooting arrows so different from shooting daggers. He could aim and shoot perfectly at a target with a disk or dagger, so why not an arrow? He glared at the target, walked over to it and wrenched it out angrily, still careful to not break the tip. He gripped it and stalked back over to his starting place, ticked at himself. He had been in this camp for three years, why hadn't he improved at all?
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 20, 2010 9:13:09 GMT -5
Basically everything Rion was bad at, the rest of the campers here were good at. Great. All of his life he wasted his time developing skills that wouldn't count for anything! There were no foot races here, no soccer games, none of that. Volleyball, Sword fighting, and... yuck... archery. This was the worst of all. Honestly, a bow and arrow was the worst invention ever in Rion's eyes. He'd never say it though for fear of offending Artemis and Apollo. Hopefully they couldn't read his mind right about now.
A glimmer of hope appeared out of nowhere though as Rion contemplated how long he could avoid getting in his archery practice. An arrow that didn't hit the bulls eye, now this was a change. Rion jogged over to see that it was a boy that he'd seen now and again around camp but never really said anything to him. As he approached he asked two words that may have said it all, "You too?"Rion shook his head disdainfully as he looked down at his bow. He hated these things! Now apparently, he wasn't alone. "Hey man, I'm Rion. Unless something was in your eye, it looks like we have a common enemy" he said with a small chuckle.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 21, 2010 21:28:34 GMT -5
Ryan had never been into volley ball or crafts. He had never done crafts. All he knew was weapons, acrobatics and kungfu and that was it. Mostly fighting techniques. His head whipped up as someone came into the range with him. It was a boy he had seen around, but naturally, he had no idea who it was. He hated archery. Mostly because he stank at it. These were the times he wished he still had his aunt around to push him around and make him be good at different weapons.
He glared at the boy as he was looking disdainfully at his bow and arrow to. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah," Ryan said, glaring at the target he had missed. "Hi," the fifteen year old said, shrugging indifferently. "Well, yeah," he said, scoffing. "You and archery," the son of Ares said, smirking. It was the only weapon that was his down fall and it wasn't like he was going to ask for help anytime soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 21, 2010 21:49:15 GMT -5
Rion and the boy surveyed the arrow one last time. If he was as competitive as Rion could be, this boy was certainly not happy with the outcome. Perfection was key in Rion's favorite sport, soccer. Most of the campers here understood that. From the sound of this guy, he was definitely a son of Ares. Not being proficient at any type of fighting was probably not cool with him.
Rion knew that he was never going to get better at archery (or anything for that matter) if he wouldn't practice. This guy was at least doing that and was definitely better than Rion as it was. "I was beginning to think I was the only one not trained by Apollo himself at this camp," Rion said with a small laugh. "You have a name?" Rion asked bluntly but not in a rude voice. He figured this boy wasn't exactly the talkative kind.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 22, 2010 18:04:25 GMT -5
Ryan was not happy at all that he kept missing. Being a son of Ares sometimes puzzled him. He knew that archery were more Artemis and Apollo, but still, it was a weapon, so he should get the gist of it sooner or later. It was really frustrating him that he wasn't getting it. Him not practicing was all his fault really, so he was more ticked off at himself than at his bow. He really wanted to master every weapon. So that included archery, no one could get good at something by not practicing.
The fifteen year old rolled his eyes and shrugged. "No one can be perfect at everything," he growled. He glared at him. "Name's Ryan," he said indifferently. Well, he was remembering it, which was a step up. Ryan had been really surprised that his aunt had even told him his name. She had never called him by it, so he really had no way of remembering it. He had had to think for the first few times when people had asked him, as sad as it seemed.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 22, 2010 18:56:23 GMT -5
Well, this guy wasn't one for words at all. That's alright, Rion didn't have to have a full length ten hour conversation with the guy. At least he'd introduced himself, a lot of the Ares kids didn't do quite that much. Ohhhhh that was it! Wow, way to come to the party late Rion, of course! This Ryan guy was probably an Ares kid. That's fine, just watch the temper and all should be fine.
"Yeah I guess you're right. Though I've never met anyone perfect at anything," Rion added to his comment. What was the point of being around these people if they didn't want to be around you? Rion tried to figure that out often, but he wasn't going anywhere. He had to get better with weapons because he made a promise to Celeste to protect her. Who could do that with a soccer ball and flying shoes? Well that worked once, but it was time to move past that. The more skills he developed, the better he could protect her.
He had a thought that might spark even a son of Ares' interest. "Hey Ryan, great name by the way, what do you say we compete against each other in archery? We'll do it twice a week when no one else is out here. We'll both make each other better, and we don't have to worry about what the others will say while we struggle. What do you say?" Rion asked as he figured that was more words than Ryan may say to him for the rest of their lives. Whatever it took, he needed friends, and he needed to improve.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 22, 2010 20:26:40 GMT -5
Ryan had never really been the talker. Unless it was insulting someone and was in a temper. Then he would talk, but niceties talking, he wasn't so familiar with. Sometimes he found himself questioning his parentage. His aunt was sort of looking like his mother and he was even questioning (but this much less) if he was a kid of Ares. He had dirty blonde hair, so he had been asked if he was a kid of Apollo once or twice. He'd talk to people, but it'd usually end up with a fight. The only real thing that he thought that showed he was a kid of Ares was his temper. The weapons, sure, he was alright with them, but he sort of gave all the credit to his aunt for that.
The fifteen year old rolled his eyes and shrugged. No one was and that was a fact of life. Even the gods weren't perfect. They had their own flaws. His major downfall (as far as weapons went) was archery. He was pretty alright with his other weapons (once again, credit to his aunt) but he still messed up. He wasn't invincible and he knew it, even if he was a son of Ares and was supposed to be this great fighter who was spectacular at fighting. Aunt Kath had proved him wrong almost every single day of his life.
"Uh-huh," the son of Ares growled, rolling his eyes. "Competing sounds fine," he said indifferently, shrugging. If it was archery, he was going to loose. Well, whatever. Competing, training and sparring was practice and that just helped make you stronger and better at whatever you were competing at. "I don't care what others say about me, but whatever," he snarled.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 22, 2010 20:48:41 GMT -5
Not much of a talker, but his words had a serious impact. Rion was glad that he agreed to compete against him, this would give him more incentive to practice. But the last thing he said stung just a bit. He didn't care what people thought about him. Wow. For a moment Rion envied him.
His entire life Rion had been a performer when it came to athletics. Sure he was trying to win, but playing in front of a crowd for big games naturally made him want to put on a great show as well. How could he be so shallow? Why did it matter what they thought so long as he played his best? Maybe he could learn from this boy who wouldn't speak.
"Well since you don't care what they say, why don't we try round one right now just to see where we are?" Rion half asked, half suggested. At least Ryan knew how to hold a bow. Rion hoped he would go first so he could watch him and at least mimic him to not look super pathetic.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 23, 2010 7:23:32 GMT -5
Ryan had never really cared about who saw him fail or win. Everyone failed at something. No one was perfect. His very big fail was archery. He never had cared about anything or one. Okay, he did care about training and everything fighting related so he could get better, but that was it. If he lost, he lost. The training that didn't kill you helped you get stronger and it helped you improve. If he lost, he'd know what not to do next time, be disappointed and ticked with himself for a minute or two, then get on with his life. If he won, he wasn't the biggest bragger around, surprisingly enough for a kid of Ares. He wouldn't go around with a swelled head, because he knew that there were other people who were way better than he was. His aunt had beaten the heck out of him every day of his life, so he was used to loosing, to a girl too.
When Ryan was in a fight, it wasn't really ever performing to him. It was staying alive and just another big test to see if you could. It had been his life at his aunt's Hades of a house. Survive another day with Aunt Kathleen. Fun, sarcastically. Sure, if it was with a monster or something, he'd get an adrenaline spike, but that was just probably his ADHD and his anger at the monster. He was beyond caring if people judged him. He knew who he was. Sort of. Sometimes he still had the internal conflict and everything, but for the most part, he was pretty stable.
The fifteen year old shrugged indifferently and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever," he growled. He took out his bow and notched an arrow. Yup, that was pretty much as far as his aunt had taught him in two months. How to hold the bow, notch the arrow and aim according to the wind and direction and Coriolis Effect and everything. He had shot an arrow out of the bow for only about a week before his aunt dumped him at this Hades, and, naturally, those first ten weeks were horrible. He missed every single time. The son of Ares pulled the arrow back and shot it at the target. It was off and landed way below the center. Just hanging onto the rim again.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 23, 2010 11:06:11 GMT -5
Two words, that was a start. He wondered if Ryan could get away just grunting and still getting his point across. Something told him not to ask though, because Ryan didn't exactly seem like he was in the joking mood right now. Rion studied his form and posture as he shot it. He looked like he was doing all the right things but it just wouldn't put out the results. Rion knew that this was a sport of adjustments, just like most were. He thought about what adjustments he would make and nothing came to mind. When Ryan's shot hit the bottom part of the rim, Rion knew it was his turn.
He picked up a separate bow with his right hand and tried his best to notch the arrow the way Ryan did it. It was a difficult thing to immitate because Rion hadn't seen anyone do this left handed like he was about to try. Slowly he drew the arrow back, about as far as it could go, and then released it with a loud snap. The arrow went sailing over the target, out into the forest to land Zeus-knows-where. "Well, I'm glad I got it to fly at least," Rion said kind of jokingly. He didn't want to let his disappointment show already.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 24, 2010 19:36:29 GMT -5
(Oh gosh, sry for not replying to this yesterday!!  ) Ryan had never really been a big talker. He wouldn't really say much unless some one insulted him first or he thought of a smart remark to someone else. The fifteen year old had been antisocial for a while, so, naturally, he didn't talk much around others. He liked being by himself and training. That had been his life, so why should it stop just because he was dumped at this Hades Hole? The son of Ares felt the other boy's gaze on him as he shot, he didn't care that he had missed. He had missed plenty of times while people were watching. He had been criticized once or twice, but telling offs and criticism just bounced off him like a rubber ball on a wall these days. He could care less what other people thought of his skills. If he knew that he needed to improve, he'd improve. Which he was trying to do now. He went back to where they had started and watched the boy line up his shot and miss. By a lot. The arrow disappeared somewhere in the forest. Maybe he could find it later, just to pass the time he usually spent in there. The fifteen year old shrugged indifferently. "That is usually the first step," he growled, shrugging. Learn how to hold it, then learn how to shoot it, then practice accuracy. |
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 26, 2010 8:10:12 GMT -5
He half expected Ryan to laugh at him or at least at the joke. That would involve emotion though, which Rion was started to believe didn't exist in this boy. He wondered if he was one of those front line fighter type guys that have no fear but no happiness either. He hoped not. I mean, Ryan was a pretty big kid but no one should be without happiness. Either way, he was sort of glad that he didn't laugh. Perhaps his seriousness would affect Rin's training habits. He wasn't known for being too serious, but maybe he needed to find time to get serious and get things done.
Rion looked over at Ryan and then looked back at his bow before saying, "Yeah alright, step one taking care of, let me try again." Rion notched another arrow, this time aiming considerably lower. He had the string pulled back just as tight as last time because he wanted to keep that velocity, just this time, hit the target with it. With a quick release the arrow went flying... about four feet before it buried itself in the ground. The arrow snapped in half and the back end flew somewhere near the target while the front was probably halfway to Hades. "Well then! Part of it got close, does that count?" Rion said in a disappointed voice. This wasn't going well at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 26, 2010 15:45:40 GMT -5
Ryan had used to be able to laugh and joke off. Used to, it had been a long time since he had though. Most people just had to get used to him showing no emotion. He didn't smile, didn't laugh, didn't tease. He didn't know how to. The only emotion he did show was anger or sarcasm or almost anything negative that you could think of, that was him now. Other people just had to deal with it, he wasn't changing any time soon. He had been happy for a few years, but it had been short lived. After that he realized something that became important in living his every day life. It became one of the major rules he lived by.
"Whatever, go ahead then," the fifteen year old said, shrugging and nodding his head to the target. He watched the boy line up the arrow and fire it. He pulled it back the same amount, but aimed it considerably lower. Ryan could see his aim in thinking. He had done the same after a few trials of aiming high and then the arrow disappearing into only Hades Knows Where. The arrow stopped about four feet from the target, but the tail soared near to the target. He glared at the boy through narrowed eyes as he asked him if it counted. "Whichever. Only if you see it as counting," Ryan said, shrugging.
The fifteen year old detected some disappointment in the other boy's voice. Facial expressions (except disturbance) were foreign to him, he couldn't read emotions off of anyone's face anymore. Vocal emotions, he could read. He had no idea why he couldn't do the facial and only the vocal. Perhaps because his aunt had never really had any facial expressions and always had to make him guess what she was feeling from her tone of voice. Whichever it was, it was.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimi on May 27, 2010 12:59:30 GMT -5
Rion sighed as the boy didn't play along with his joke. At this point he'd tried everything he could think of to get him to talk or at least enjoy some company. Rion was running out of options, and even someone else's misfortunes couldn't get Ryan laughing. Setting his bow down, Rion looked back up at Ryan. "I guess we both have some work to do, but you're definitely ahead of me right now," Rion admitted to him.
With the bow out of his hand, Rion thought of whether or not this guy was even worth talking to. I mean he wanted to be nice but he felt more like a bother than a good thing. He couldn't just give up though, maybe this boy was just a hard shell to crack. He could turn out to be a really good person and Rion would not be the man he thought he was if he didn't find out. "Hey man, do you want to do something besides archery? Maybe we can go grab a snack or something," Rion offered up as a new idea to him. Perhaps Ryan was emotionless, but he couldn't go without food, no one could. Perhaps something as simple as eating could get him to loosen up.
((OOC: Ellie I don't mean offense with Rion's feelings towards Ryan, he's going to keep at it!))
|
|
|
|
Post by Ryan Simons on May 28, 2010 21:44:57 GMT -5
Ryan glared into the distance, wondering where that arrow that the boy had launched first went. Hopefully it hit another demigod and there was one less in the camp. A slight smirk flitted across his face. It was impossible to get Ryan to laugh or smile, naturally and nicely. He hadn't done it for nine years, so even the idea seemed foreign to him. He shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," he growled. Yeah, he was defiantly ahead of the other boy, but then again, he had had two months jump on it. Not that he improved much at camp, but still. The fifteen saw Rion lower his bow, Ryan attached his to his back along with his swords. The boy seemed to be thinking something over. The next thing Ryan had expected was 'Bye' or him to leave. Instead, what the boy asked him, confused him slightly. He wasn't letting his shield down now, not after so long of keeping it up. No way was he going to start to crack. The momentary, confused look on his face cleared a second later. Ryan shrugged. "Fine," he said indifferently. Wouldn't hurt, he had never really had a large appetite, anyway. None that he could remember, at least. Maybe his stomach had shrunk from some of the starvation periods after his run in with the oven. (Lol, none taken at all!  ) |
|
)
)