Don't Bet On It // [Maddi]

[rowan]

Rowan ran his hand through his hair with exasperation for probably the fifth time in the last ten minutes as he faced down the younger boy that was his opponent in his current match and although Rowan wasn’t really a mean-spirited person, even his sense of patience and tolerance for mistakes was wearing thin. Honestly he was stuck thinking this boy is seriously an idiot. The trouble with young Mars kids, Rowan knew, was that they seemed to find it hard to use their brains in addition to their swords instead of just swinging like a bull in a china shop. Being the grandson of Quirinus, a war god who believed in strategy as the best way to fight a battle, he found that many campers were prone to this mistake, but usually it didn’t take this much time to beat the notion of “attack first, think later” into the head of his young charges. It was really days like today that made him wish he wasn’t a centurion and that he could just garden or go to the library in peace.

No such luck though. Clearly irritated, Rowan’s Hasta spear, which had a shaft made of bamboo instead of the traditional ash wood for an advantageous medium to utilize his abilities as a grandchild of Ceres, suddenly grew two extra feet in length as he fed it energy to grow and he easily whacked the charging kid in the gut and pushed him onto his ass for something like the tenth time that afternoon. “Seriously Martin, again? Didn’t I just explain to you again that charging a soldier with a polearm from straight ahead was futile?” The kid just grunted, and Rowan pulled his hasta spear back to his side, reducing it back to a manageable height. “Fine, just take a break and try to consider what I said, hmm? I’m really just trying to make sure you don’t get killed in a real battle.”

Once more a grunt came from the kid and Rowan wondered in passing if the kid was seriously a little slow in the head or if he was just really obtuse. At the moment, he found that he didn’t care to figure out the answer to that. Instead, he moseyed towards the wall of the battle arena and picked up his water bottle, taking a long draw from it. When he was finished, he replaced the lid and did a cursory sweep of the grounds, noting the different battles going on. His eyes caught on a flash of blonde hair and stayed a moment, realizing that it was Maddison Petroski, the girl who’s mouth was said to excrete words acidic enough to melt through steel. Personally, Rowan found it mildly entertaining, though he’d never tell anyone. Honestly, he was intrigued by her purposes for antagonizing anyone in sight, but he guessed that she probably wouldn’t appreciate the scrutiny. However, he recalled a time when they’d actually had a conversation where she hadn’t threatened him with a nail file and it was to place a bet on a brewing conflict somewhere on the grounds of Camp Jupiter. For a moment, he was lost in thought, trying to remember if he owed her twenty dollars or not...

Word count: 536
Tag: Maddi
Outfit: Black jeans and a plaid shirt with light armor strapped on over it
Notes: Hehe, this will be fun!

[maddison]

Training with the inexperienced was always a pain in Maddison's side. Then again, there wasn't much at this Camp that Maddi didn't consider to be a pain. Still, this particular thing held a special place in her annoyed little heart. Though at least she was fortunate enough to be a centurion in the first cohort, rather than one of the lesser ones. Everyone knew that the lower the number was, the better the demigods were. So fortunately she was gifted with the more intelligent and skilled bunch of demigods. However...that wasn't to say that they weren't all still morons, because they certainly were. That Edmund boy in particular was lacking in the brains department. Admittedly he was useful when it came to fighting though. Not that she would mention it to his face considering she held a particularly high sense of distaste for him (mainly because he was friends with that obnoxious little Pluto girl for one thing). She doubted little miss Jolly would disagree with her on his annoyance factor either, even though they still frequently bickered over a number of things. Though more often than not, that was Maddi's fault since she was always liable to start a snippy argument.

Right now was even a perfect example of that. She had been arguing with one of her lovely little insubordinates for the past several minutes on stance, because despite his claims, she knew what the hell she was talking about-and she didn't appreciate being told she didn't. Especially not by some snot-nosed, babbling, little Mars twerp. She didn't give two cents if his father was the god of war or not, he was still doing it completely wrong, and he was sixteen so he really should have known better. And she had told him so in a variety of unpleasant words which inevitably reduced him to a stuttering, bumbling mess. And one that couldn't even hold up a sword. "Pathetic...I'm surrounded by incompetence,

[/color]" She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose before fixing the boy with a rather nasty death glare. "Fine, just, GO. Out of my sight, possibly before I dismember you, you know, if you can manage that.[/color]" She snapped, ripping the sword from his grasp and gesturing impatiently for him to leave. Naturally, he had at least enough common sense to scurry away before she had the opportunity to smack the back of his head with the hilt of the sword. Oh good, he's learning, she concluded sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

Sheathing the sword, she gave her surroundings a quick glance over with her eyes. Idiot, idiot, idiot..only partly an idiot. She tilted her head to the side curiously as her eyes caught onto someone looking her way. Typically that would have been their mistake, but he was the one who she had deemed only partly idiotic. Rowan Northwood, she believed. Someone who she had actually managed to have a civil conversation with a few days back, a shocking occurrence for her. Then again, as she had mentioned, not a complete idiot, so perhaps that was why she hadn't immediately taken to verbally reducing him to tears.

Debating whether or not to engage him, Maddison ultimately decided to approach him-confident Petroski walk, devilish smirk, and all. Though if it was any consolation to the boy, the smirk was less terrifying than was typical for her. Still not friendly, but not utterly horrible either-which was something. "I still say there's no way that Remus is straight..Care to up our bet? Or I can always go double or nothing that my little kids are infinitely more annoying than yours.[/color]" She waved her hand, gesturing at their remaining members of their cohorts. "Though, that one of yours does seem particularly dimwitted..[/color]"

tag ;; Rowan!
word count ;; 630
notes ;; she can be civil! goal!
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[rowan]

Rowan could easily admit that most Roman soldiers he trained in his cohort usually had at least a few ounces of sense for battle when it came to when to attempt to dodge, block, and switch tactics. He liked to think that with a little bit of guidance and advising, they too could face at least some monsters if and when they ventured out into the world and bring some honor to the third cohort. He knew that the third cohort wasn’t particularly noted for anything, being the center of the field when it came to the campers that were assigned to him. That meant that pretty much all of them were totally average. Usually they were hardworking and pliable, but most of the time they didn’t show exceptional talent or a bossy arrogance for doing things their own way because they felt they were more awesome than thou, which generally went to the first or second cohorts. Nor were they the not so exciting and fairly untalented ones, or even the campers who had been labeled “problem children” who were usually placed in the lower two cohorts. No, Rowan was responsible for the ones who seemed to fit right in the middle of the road and he was usually fine with that.

But somehow he’d ended up with a few like Martin who someone had apparently thought were too good for the lower two cohorts, and not quite good enough to reach for the top. Secretly, some sardonic part of him agreed with the assessment that they weren’t cut out for the latter, but how he’d gotten stuck with them instead still somewhat bewildered him. Rowan wasn’t prone to being arrogant or impatient, but it was hard not to turn that way a little bit when it came to training campers that were as good at taking directions as a bag of rocks. Frankly, Rowan knew his time could be much better spent reading about herbal remedies for the infirmary’s more strange cases, but unfortunately he was obliged to teach even the most dull-witted kids. oh well, it could be worse, he reminded himself as he slumped against the wall, feeling as if his own IQ might’ve taken a bit of a blow from trying to reason with Martin and his buddies. Trying not to think about that, Rowan instead turned his interest back to the blonde centurion from the first cohort who appeared to be shredding the confidence of one of her charges. Another mean part of Rowan that would never see the light of day flared, a part in which he wished he could be that ruthless with a couple of his own campers, but he simply couldn’t.

He was remembering their bet when he remembered himself, noticing that she seemed to be coming in his direction. Most people would probably run the other way, he figured, but his curiosity and detachment glued him to where he was instead, wondering if this was going to go well or not. He saw the change in her expression to a smirk that might have changed his mind if he were someone else, but he just responded with a mild, curious smile. “You may have a point there, although I’m afraid we have no proof to bolster or negate that claim so we’re still at a stalemate. However, I think I might take that other bet on…” He ran a hand through his hair in an expression of mild exasperation as Martin came back to mind, but he found that his smile grew more amused as she’d mentioned said boy. “Whether I like it or not, I’m afraid I’ll have to agree on that one. I don’t usually lose faith so quickly on teaching my charges, but I think he must have the IQ of a goldfish, or he had head trauma as a child. I noticed the boy you were sparring with must’ve goofed pretty badly because your patience seemed especially thin out there.” He gestured vaguely with his hand in the direction Maddi had just come from.

Word Count: 678
Tag: Maddi
Notes: Begging your forgiveness for the inexcusible delay.. ><;

[maddison]

Being greeted with a genuine smile was something that automatically set Maddi off-balance. It wasn't something she was used to, at least not when the person receiving her wasn't family or someone such as Clare. Of course there were reasons upon reasons as to why no one greeted her with such a welcoming gesture. And perhaps that's why it was just so unusual that she was part suspicious, part stunned into silence. Suspicious because why would anyone be happy to see her? She wasn't exactly known for being the nicest and thus, it wasn't likely for her to receive any niceness in return, so when it happened, she had to question why. Her father, her mother, they were never delighted to see her, and when they were..it was because they wanted something. Or they had some other ulterior motive of any sort. So of course this had led her to the point in her life that if someone was being nice to her, she assumed they had a reason besides they were being nice just for the sake of it. Like that Jason kid for example, he wasn't actually being nice, he was being nice or kind or whatever only because he wanted to get under her skin.

She couldn't ask what this motive was though, because well, that would just make her sound crazy, wouldn't it? And shockingly enough, for once, she might have cared what someone else thought. Because while she was still suspicious about him and his smile, she rather liked him. No, no, let's not get carried away. Instead, let's say, she didn't entirely hate him. Yes, much better. "Fair enough point..though I'm sure at some point..when he's eighty and on his death bed, he'll finally come out of the closet. Though it might be difficult for him to do so, considering, you know, he's so far back in the closet that he might as well be verging on the territory of Narnia.

[/color]" She tilted her head to the side, leaning up against the side of the Coliseum wall to conserve a bit of energy during her break.

Noting the smile again, Maddison decided this time not to question it. He was allowed that one since it was clearly one of pure amusement at their fellow peers' stupidity. "Head trauma? I doubt it. He was just probably the kid in the corner during kindergarten who, while everyone else was doing crafts, he just sat there and ate the industrial strength paste.[/color]" She suggested with a bit of a laugh, before biting down on her tongue. "Yes well, I'm sure you know I don't have patience for much..And when they're that stupid, I have even less patience.[/color]" Maddi explained with a shrug, as if this should have been common knowledge.

"Though if I may, you seem to have equally as little patience. You're just better at hiding it when you deal with them.[/color]" The girl pointed out, brushing some hair from her face as she smiled in amusement. After all, he was the one who had just likened one of his own kids to a goldfish, in terms of their level of brilliance anyhow. Not the kind of rude comment that she would usually hear from anyone besides herself. She liked it.





tag ;; Rowan!
word count ;; 549
notes ;; <3
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