It's hard to be brave (Lily/Open)

[Liam Dalton]

"It's hard to be brave" Said Piglet, sniffling slightly "when you're only a Very Small Animal."

It was something so little - taken straight from the pages of a children's book, but the lines from Winnie-the-Pooh stuck with the Prefect nonetheless. They were like glue. And he certainly wasn't rubber. The passages of stories didn't bounce off Liam. Instead they stayed with him, and echoed within his skull for what felt like eternity. Not that it exactly bothered the young adult. Rather it was strangely comforting to him. It was like white noise. Soothing and relaxing. Drowning out the whispers he had begun to hear in his head. The messages passed through books typically helped him. Typically....

With the memories of the tournament still fresh - the words of Piglet had never felt more relate-able. He thought he was strong enough to breeze through the rounds, and that he would take the belt without killing a single person. However, in the very first match he had been met with Marcus. They waged their battle. Heavily damaging each other over the course of the match, and Liam had been pushed. However, in the end Liam forfeited the match. He didn't have the strength of character to seriously wound the Green-Haired Punk, let alone kill him. He was afraid... Terrified. after all, he was just a very small animal fighting a beast. 

However, underneath his fluffy bunny exterior was a lion waiting to get out. He could feel the tension in it's muscles like it was ready to pounce at any given moment. It's lips curled back in a snarl whenever it was awake. In all honesty, it was utterly frightening. The only real question was - is Liam brave enough to open the cage, and rely on what was within him?

"No." He muttered under his breath as he moved his head to the left. Easily avoiding a punch another Prefect had thrown at him. With one swift motion, Liam grasped the boy by his arm, and tugged while he kicked his feet out from underneath him. Sending the young male flying forward into the practice mat. "No! No! It's like you guys aren't even trying." He said with a small sigh as he turned to face the other three Perfects. His lips curled in a disappointed frown as he placed his hands on his hips. 

"Why do we even need to learn hand-to-hand combat?" One of the Prefects whined, the only girl in the entire group, as she watched the boy that Liam flipped picked himself up. An annoyed expression on his face while he glared up at Liam, and got ready to strike. "Because you can't always rely on your powers." He stated matter-of-factually as he turned to the side. Causing the boy behind him to fly past him when he dashed forward with hopes of catching the dual-colored hair boy off guard.  However, due to Liam's quick movements, all he ended up doing was losing his balance, and sliding across the mat face-first. "Alright guys, break times over. Back into formation." The three trainees groaned in protest, but got into their places nonetheless. A moment later they all charged Liam. All of them, including Liam, not noticing the door slamming shut.

 

[Felicia Blackwood]

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection. -Thomas Paine

Felicia had always seen herself as a somewhat brave person. Or, at least, she could be brave in the midst of a fight. She had broken up many brawls in her time as a prefect, and usually, she fought to resolve situations peacefully. Of course, there were fights that ended with her and one of the participants locked in combat. Anyone who was there, whether they liked prefects or not, could attest to the fact that she was able to hold out until the end, even if it meant pushing herself beyond her comfort zone. After all, she knew exactly what her powers could do and honestly, it frightened her a little bit. She would never admit it to anyone, not even the people she considered the closest to her. She could easily kill someone if she was not careful enough, and maybe that was why she had zeroed her attention in on her hand-to-hand combat. Her telekinesis was a powerful thing, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt any innocent people. She shook the thought away and headed out, grabbing a water bottle and her room key off her dresser.

The whole tournament situation had not helped Felicia’s already caffeine and sleep-deprived state. She had only been keeping guard over the students who were not participating, but that had not meant that she was immune to the sense of darkness that pervaded over the whole situation.She secretly wondered if there was something underneath the surface of what seemed to be nothing more than a preening contest. The participants were merely peacocks, trying to show off the most attractive set of feathers to win the heart of a mate. Tch. What a metaphor, she thought to herself. She knew this certainly was not the case, but, whatever it was, she would do whatever it took to stop the looming threat that some people were talking about. I just hope it’s all bull… She brushed past a few students in the hall and beckoned to a young man, who seemed to be waiting for her. She apologized to him for being late and they headed into the gym. The young man politely held the door for her and she had to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. She could hold the door for herself, thank you very much, but she did not say anything to him.

The two prefects walked around the other group that was training, and Felicia could not help but notice the boy at the tip of the triangle formation. She had not know Liam Dalton for very long, mainly because he had been added to her team right after a flurry of activity, mainly the students preparing for the tournament, had occurred. The few times she had interacted with him, though, he seemed rather timid and quiet. It was quite clear that he was a little bit more outgoing and loud when there was a fight involved. It reminded her of someone, but she brushed the thought away. The combat was where the similarities began and ended, that was for certain. She huffed slightly and shifted into a fighting stance, glancing at the young man across from her. “You know, I don’t usually hit women,” the young man said with a frown. Felicia sighed and shook her head, aiming a kick at his stomach, “The opponent is still going to attack, regardless of gender.” Her words were harsh, but true. There seemed to be a somewhat equal amount of male and female students at the school, so it was likely he was going to encounter a female in a fight at some point. She seemed rather pleased when he managed to slither out of the way of her kick, but that did not stop her from swinging her leg around again and catching the young man behind his knees. He fell down onto the mat, but managed to catch himself with his hands. “Never let your guard down,” she said sternly as he pushed himself up, using the momentum to swing a punch at her. She almost effortlessly spun out of the way, as if she were wearing ballet shoes on a dance floor.“What, are we in ballet class or something?” she snapped, using the momentum from her spin to deliver a left hook to his jaw, “I know you can do better than this…”

After a few more blows and dodges swapped back and forth, the young man huffed. “I can’t do this anymore!” he exclaimed, “You’re being too critical!” Felicia sighed and looked up at him with hardened, ruby eyes. “It’s my job!” she insisted, trying to keep herself from disturbing the other sparring group, “I’m trying to help you!” “You’ve got a funny way of showing it, commander,” the young man replied before storming out of the gym. Felicia huffed impatiently and tucked her hair behind her ears again before heading over to a punching bag that was suspended from the ceiling. She started by punching it as hard as she could and, at some point, she decided to kick the crap out of it instead. Clearly, something that did not breathe or talk was a much better opponent than someone who was.

[Liam Dalton]

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Lessons from Winnie-the-Pooh certainly had a funny way of applying to situations in the Prefect's life. As the quote ran through his head, he found himself glancing at each trainee in accordance of the passage. All three of them stared back at Liam with varying levels of commitment to the training, but they still were willing to take the challenge in stand up. They stilled whined of course, but it was minimal. They were still relatively new, and had no where near the level of professional training that Liam processed. There may be three of them, but they might as well have been ants standing before a dinosaur. Even so, they refused to back down, and still stood before him. A small smile formed on his lips out of proud. These three already processed a strength of character that Liam lacked and feared. 

However, they still severely lacked the discipline, and overall power to overcome their teacher. Even with all three of them attacking him simultaneously it didn't take much for Liam to evade their blows, and flip them over onto the mat. Resulting in dull thuds, and low groans filling their portion of the gymnasium. That was until it was cut through by the conversation at the other end of the gym, and shattered by the slamming of a door. It snapped Liam out of his trainer mode, and brought his attention over to the girl punching the bag. Once he made out who it was, he let a small sigh, and turned back to the other Prefects. "That's it for today guys. Go shower, and get some rest alright?" He said with a warm smile.  

Once the trio had left, Liam let out another sigh, and glanced over at Felicia. Who was currently laying into the punching bag with so much frustration, he was sure she was gonna pull a Rex, and send it flying through the wall. He shudder at the image before pulling a book out of his bag. Dusting off the cover of the children's book, he glanced at it, and then look up at his Commander. "Here read this. It might help calm you down." He said in a quiet voice, yet kind voice as he handed over the Winnie-the-Pooh book to the female. It was a little strange, but Liam found that reading often helped him whenever he felt angry, or frustrated. With simpler, and lighter stories typically lightening his mood. 

Once the exchange had been completed. He sat down on the the bleachers, and let out a sigh of relief. "I know it may seem childish, but you'd be surprise at the deeper meanings found in a child's story." He lifted his hands to his head, and started to pull out the bobby pins that were holding his hair up, and out of his face. His black fingernails creating a sharp contrast between the white in his hair. "Winnie-the-Pooh especially." He stated matter-of-factually. Once he had finished speaking he pulled a water bottle out of the cooler, and unscrewed the cap before taking a sip. Then offered some to the beautiful woman in front of him. It was only polite. 

[Felicia Blackwood]

The greatest obstacle to being heroic is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one’s self a fool; the truest heroism is to resist the doubt; and the profoundest wisdom, to know when it ought to be resisted, and when it be obeyed. -Nathaniel Hawthorne

Training with new recruits was something Felicia found strangely difficult. It was very true that she was often critical and tried to push everyone to do their best, but it was only for their safety. Or, at least, that was what she told herself; maybe it was she who was in the wrong. Maybe she expected far too much from people that did not have the same overachieving attitude as herself. She tried to be reasonable, but maybe her version of reasonable was impossible for others. She continued to dodge and hit gracefully, processing these thoughts in the back of her mind as she did so. Of course, it did not take long for her trainee to storm out on her after her admittedly harsh criticism. Her short huff of frustration seem to be absorbed by the walls instead of echoing off of them, and, besides seeing the group upon her arrival, it was how she knew she was not alone. She decided it would be a good idea to take her anger and frustration at her trainee (or maybe it was more herself) on a punching bag. The dull thuds from across the room reached her ears, but most of the time, they were blocked out by the noise of her fist or shoe against the worn, leathery material of the bag. She focused all of her attention on attacking the object as if it were an enemy, and hardly noticed anything else until she started to feel her hand sting. She pulled her left hand back and shook her head, holding it in her right hand. Her knuckle was slightly red, but she could tell it was more from friction, than anything.

The floors underneath her feet were padded, so, when Liam came over to Felicia, she was caught just a bit off guard because of it. She blinked slightly at the book was extended to her, but she took it with a weak smile. Her ruby eyes scanned the cover as she spoke, “Thank you, Mister Dalton. And don’t worry, I wouldn’t have punched that bag through the wall. I’m not that strong.” A small chuckle slipped past her lips as she gently ran her index finger across the cover. There was something vaguely familiar about it, almost like she had seen it before, but she could not remember where. “Maybe… one of them read it to me?” she pondered aloud, stepping away from the bag to turn the pages of the book slowly while scanning it. The wording was familiar too, as if she had heard it. She could not place exactly which foster parent had read it to her, since she had gone through many before she was adopted by Romeo and Donna, but she was sure that at least one, if not more had.

After a few more moments of scanning the book, Felicia closed it carefully and headed over to the bleachers herself, sitting a few feet away from Liam. She balanced the book carefully on her lap as she reached over and grabbed the water bottle she had brought with her. “You can find deeper meaning in any story, really,” she replied, placing the water-filled object she was holding next to her. “These stories can also help with lessons in life too,” she added. She let out a soft sigh and politely shook her head when Liam offered her a sip from his water bottle. “No thank you. I have my own.” She smiled a little bit at him, to let him know his offer was appreciated and, as if to make a point, she took a sip from her own water bottle. For a moment, she stared at the empty gym around them. The bag she had been laying into earlier still swayed, as if there was a breeze rushing through the room and making it swing. She let out another sigh and leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. “You know,” she said, running a hand through her hair, “Sometimes, I wonder if I’m actually cut out for this job.”

[Liam Dalton]

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude."

When he had first created that wanted-ad Liam was admittedly more-than-a-little-scared that nobody would respond, and absolutely terrified that it would backfire. Blowing up right in his face. Leaving him with a scare that was visible to all due to his own arrogance. And in all honestly, he still kinda was. Yea sure, he had managed to find the guts to actually hang it up, but now it was like he was sitting, waiting for a ticking-time-bomb that may, or not explode. It made his heart feel tiny, fragile even. However, as he waved to his pupils, and Kia looked back to give him one last good-bye, it made him thankful that he went through with the idea. The soft smile broadened into a warm grin as they walked through the doors. Letting out a sigh he made his way over to Felicia. 

"I'm sorry." Liam apologized politely, having caught Felicia apparently off guard with his muffled footsteps, as he tried not to laugh. "And you're very welcome." As the gift was given, an encouraging smile formed on the boy's lips. Growing in response to the weak one that graced Felicia's. But at the ends of her thanks, she tacked some kind of strange comment onto it. What did she mean she's not strong enough? His face contorted into confusion as he mused over the thought. He was pretty sure that he hadn't shared the idea out aloud. After all, the nurse did say he hadn't suffer any brain damage from the tournament. Just some minor hearing loss.

In fact, he had only imagination it within his head.... "You can hear my thoughts..." His eyes widen slightly as he registered the idea. He was dumbfounded by it. She was telepath! The idea of someone possessing psychic powers was incredibly exciting to him. The possibilities were as vast as the sea, but just like the ocean - something about the idea made him anxious. As if it was stirring something deep within him. Unbeknownst to Liam, a muffled voice seemed to reach out for Felicia the moment she made the telepathic connection. Sadly, whatever it had said were lost in the caverns of Liam's mind, but it might have felt familiar to the woman. 

"Yea, you're right about that." He said with a nod, agreeing with her comment about the morals taught in stories. "Hm?" He perked up at the 'You know," before a somber expression formed on his face. Liam didn't have a yes, or no response to that. He might think that Felicia was more than capable at her role, but he was still new the school. He hadn't the chance to see how her decisions worked out. Not to mention he had never been in that same of position before. However, he did know of someone who could relate to her. "Did you know that King Arthur had doubts? He would often question himself, and wonder if he was making the right decisions for his people." Again, stating it matter-of-factually as he scratched the back of his head. "Especially when it came to his sister; Morgan Le Fay." His eyes glued to the floor, as kept speaking - recalling on the countless Arthurian legends he had read. "He would constantly worry if he had what it took to be a King. After all, he was only a peasant boy when he pulled the Sword from the Stone...." He trailed off for abit as he looked up at Felicia. "But we know that he was one of the greatest. I see you in the same kind of light."

[Felicia Blackwood]

At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lit the flame within us. –Albert Schweitzer

The apology that fell from Liam’s lips was almost automatic, as Felicia had come to expect from the timid prefect. She shook her head slightly before reassuring him. “It’s fine, Mister Dalton. I’m just used to hearing people when they approach, I suppose.” It did not take her long to gather her composure from being slightly surprised. Such a phenomena was common for the prefect commander. She liked to think she bounced back from situations with relative ease, and usually, that was the case. However, she felt strangely bogged down and, for the life of her, she could not really understand why. She was not entirely sure if it was the self-doubt talking, or if she had been brushing off far too many things emotionally and it was starting to get to her. Regardless, the simple act of receiving a gift, albeit a temporary one, made her feel just that much better, even if her smile was weak and fleeting as she gingerly ran her index finger along the front cover. The little yellow bear and his tiny, pink friend were turned away from her (or really anyone holding the book) and facing what looked like a blank area. The possibilities of where they’re going are endless, she thought to herself, before thanking the young man who had loaned her the book temporarily.

Liam’s confused words caused Felicia to look up from the pages of the book and blink slightly. She had almost forgotten that her powers were not really common knowledge. She supposed it was the fact that she was so used to them, so she forgot that other people did not know what they were. “Ah, right… My apologies. I tend to forget not everyone knows,” she replied apologetically. She scratched the back of her neck slightly, as if she were embarrassed, though a look that would indicate such an emotion did not cross her face. A slight amount of surprise did, though, when the young man seemed to perk up and become excited about something. She was half tempted to ask what it was, but for some strange reason, she thought she heard a muffled voice trying to get through to her. What the voice was saying, she was not entirely sure, because it seemed to be lost in the recesses of her team member’s mind. Her ruby eyes glanced about the room and her brows pulled together in confusion before she shrugged slightly. Clearly, if someone was trying to get her attention, they would choose a better channel, or at least, use an amplifier or something.

Felicia had not really been looking at Liam when she started expressing her self-doubt aloud. Normally, she never would have admitted such things to much of anyone, but for some reason, she had this gut feeling that she could trust him. His kindness reminded her of another young man who was always kind to her, though they had been children when he had first shown this quality. An image of a ground covered in new fallen snow and a little girl letting said snow fall through her fingers alone while her peers played flashed in her consciousness, but she brushed it away. Liam addressed Felicia directly, and she shifted her eyes up to meet his, seemingly slightly baffled when he mentioned King Arthur. She wondered where he was going with what he was saying, but she quickly received her answer. She supposed the parallel was not all too unfitting, though she hardly thought of herself as royalty. Still, the reassurance was appreciated, and she smiled weakly again at the young man. “Thank you, Mister Dalton,” the young woman said politely, “That’s very kind of you.” She looked back to the wall that stood before them. There was nothing really special about it, but she recently found herself staring off and getting distracted more and more lately. She wanted to blame her lack of sleep and caffeine, but she was not really sure that was it. She brushed the thoughts away and spoke off-handedly. “You did a pretty good job with those trainees today.,” she said. “They’re going to need a lot more work, but it seems you’ve got a better handle on this trainer thing than I do,” she added with a wry chuckle.

[Liam Dalton]

"We''ll be friends forever, won't we, Pooh?" asked Piglet. "Even longer." Pooh answered.

"She bounced back so quickly..." Liam thought to himself, as his eyes widen slightly, and his eyebrows raised behind his bangs. The untamed wall of black-and-white hair concealing them. Given their position, and the rumors that surrounded the the C-team Commander, Liam had expected Felicia to be in control. Just not in the way he had just witness. She had just brushed off what was essentially an accidental jump-scare, something that would leave most people with an accelerated heartbeat/shortness of breath, like it was no big deal. As this realization of her character hit him - he thought back to his first encounter on the island, with a girl named Camila. 


“Well, I find myself looking over my shoulder a lot more than I used to.... ....Probably more because I want to gauge whether they’re dangerous or not.”


The girl's words echoed within the confines of his mind. Glancing up at Felicia, he wouldn't help, but wonder if she held the same habits. "I guess you can say I have padded footsteps." He quickly pushed the thought out of mind. Dwelling on the sorrows of others wasn't going to help either party, so he would joke. Share some of his amazing comedy bits, and puns to help lighten the mood whenever possible. 

"Sometimes a smile can help more than any amount of sympathy, and advice." He stated matter-of-factually as he shrugged his shoulders, and reached over to the tap the cover of the book. "They can go anywhere, but they make sure to smile at each other. Encouraging each other that everything will be fine." He paused for dramatic effect, and pulled his hand away. "And I think that's more important then where they go." Another smile found it's way onto Liam's gentle features as he looked up at the girl. Trying to do the same for her that Pooh, and Piglet had done for each other. 

A small laugh escaped through the young man's lips when Felicia apologized. Not in a snotty or mocking way, but with a more carefree attitude. Hearing the Commander say sorry was one thing, but actually seeing her do it was entirely different. The tone, and most of the body language was there - just her expression didn't seem to get the memo. "It's fine." He said with a small chuckle. Responding both her apology, and her gratitude. "Yea... The government really pounded the value of teammate into me." He said with a small sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

"If I may speak freely mam... You're not a trainer. You're a Commander." Voicing his opinion like this in-front of a superior wasn't exactly easy for the young man, but he pushed through. His hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head to comfort himself. "You're strength lies in leading us, and making sure we all get out alive." He reached over hesitantly, and gently placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Trying to comfort the girl to the best of his ability. "And I can think of no one better than you to guide us." He said kindly with a warm smile. 

[Felicia Blackwood]

The language of friendship is not words, but meanings. -Henry David Thoreau

Felicia blinked slightly, noting the surprise on her team member’s face when he saw how quickly she recovered from being caught off guard. The young woman figured that it was her background that allowed her to be so fast at processing things. Then again, she was rather smart and intuitive, so maybe that had something to do with it. Still, it could be the fact that she had become accustomed to happenings on the island. Whatever variable it was, it really did not matter. She recovered rather quickly, and that was what really mattered. After all, she had to keep her composure; people were counting on her and looking up to her, so she had to be at the top of her game and be one of the strongest around. She chuckled at his words quietly and shook her head a little. “Or you’re light on your feet,”
she replied with a shrug, “Both can be a possibility, though, now that I say that out loud, they might be the same thing.”

Felicia glanced over at Liam, blinking slightly. Very few people had ever tried to befriend her like it seemed he was trying to. She supposed it was only fair; she did look rather sour and cross most of the time and people probably thought she was rude and unkind. “You’re definitely right,” she replied, watching his finger as he tapped the book lightly. The blackened color of his nails hardly matched the pale skin that covered his hands and, for just a moment, she was tempted to ask how they had become that way, but she pushed the thoughts aside. It was not right to bring up any kind of wounds or scars: physical, emotional, mental, or otherwise. She chuckled slightly, shaking her head a little. What he described sounded exactly like her relationship with another young man, one that she had left behind. Ever since the day they met, he had encouraged her and helped her, even when things were really hard for her. His smile always caused her to smile too, even when she was tired and upset. “As a matter of fact, when you put it that way, it reminds me of my friend back at home. He always encouraged me and did his best to make me feel better, even when I was at my worst.” As she spoke those words, her hand automatically reached for her father’s dog tags and it curled around them, clutching them loosely. She never really liked talking about that down period in her life; or, at least, not without an anchor to keep herself from dragging up that awful day from her memory banks.

Felicia blinked slightly when Liam started laughing. She was not entirely sure if he was laughing at her, or if he was laughing because her expression was odd. She assumed it was the latter, because she did not always express her embarrassment the way most people did. She made it a point to keep herself from being self-conscious around anyone, especially her team members. “It’s good to have the value of teamwork,” she replied, smiling a little at the young man, “But don’t forget to look out for yourself, too. It’s never good to have too much of one thing.” She believed that life was all about balance, after all. Being too kind would allow people to take advantage of someone, but being too mean could cut one off from other people, for example.

Felicia could tell that Liam was a little afraid of being completely honest with her. She figured it had something to do with the fact that he felt that he was disrespecting her. In all honesty, if he had been, she would have cut him off and probably chided him, but, she merely listened to what he had to say. She seemed slightly surprised when he mentioned the he could think of no one better to be a leader. Not many people said such a thing to her, and it made her think a little bit. There were times when she was far too hard on herself and expecting nothing but perfection. She glanced at the hand on her shoulder and her cheeks dusted a light pink color for a brief moment. She was not used to be touched very much, unless it was a handshake or the like. “Thank you, Mister Dalton,” she replied, coughing slightly into her fist between her sentences, “That’s very kind of you.” She let out a soft sigh, glancing back at the bag she had been attacking earlier instead of the wall. “In all seriousness, though, thank you for helping me out. You seem to be pretty natural with the training,” she said, glancing at him with a small smile, “And who knows; you might even make friends with them, too.” She knew that he was a rather shy person, and she wanted to subtly encourage him to come out of his shell a bit.