Post by joss on Nov 18, 2024 0:41:54 GMT -8
It was Sunday, night of Ignition 1.2. Naturally the trainers, at least most of them, would attend to watch and support the Crucible students, including Kiana Masters of course. As Legion’s head trainer, she wanted to show up for them and make sure they took her presence as something like the motivation they may need.
Maybe she might have missed the bonding sessions with the Legion trainees due to her strict schedule but being there in person at the actual training sessions and shows was the utmost necessity. An uncompromising top priority, as she was often reminded every night. Those calls would come like clockwork and she never missed a single one.
But this time, the call came earlier and she had answered it as soon as she saw her phone screen light up. She was half expecting it. She could tell the excitement through the line and it made her smile too. It was infectious. Kiana herself agreed, Legion was super impressive tonight: Angun Chen and Zxavier Young finally getting their wins after a bad start at the Academy, Boston Finest still keeping it together for the victory, Haven perfectly tapping out Kian and humiliating him, Nathan Callaghan and the rest of The Southie Syndicate, Malice showing powerful aggression necessary for the win and of course Colt being ever a dominant force.
Kiana began. “Angun finally showed up tonight. I can see why you like her. She’s got great focus. As long as she keeps it up, she will go far.”
“She will. I’ve seen it before. She may need a little time so give it. She will get there. And so will Zxavier. He’s got the tools, he just needs to use them better,” said the one on the other end of the line.
“And what did you think of Haven then? She has surprised me the most. Not ‘cause of her skills, that one is to be expected with the way she’s been training. Hardest worker in the academy if you ask me.”
“A real firecracker, that one. I love it. Where has she been hiding the whole time? Perhaps she’s finally growing into her own. Aiden’s a good influence on her then.”
“Plus it’s got Nathan shook, I’m sure.”
“Look after Haven. She’s got something big to prove and right now she may be on a roll but if she trips, the fall is going to hurt and you need to monitor which way she’ll go.”
“Mmhm. Agreed. I guess you can say the same about Summer and Bella? I tried my best to keep them on the same page but Bella is too stubborn. I need to do something before she really hurts the team.”
“Like with the butterfly, you stay out of their way.”
“What? But that’s not—“
“It’s how they’ll learn. You know this. Same with the little imp.”
“The who?”
“Malice.”
“She’s only had one match.”
“It’s enough to tell. Keep encouraging her.”
“What about Sara then? Do I just stand by too as she loses more money or something?”
“Stupid, stupid girl.”
“I know… Guess she’s gotta figure out something fa—“
“No, that one you step in. Guide her. Dumb is not hopeless. She’s just a little lost. With the right motivation, she will do better.”
“I mean, she’s not stupid… she’s just—“
“Doing stupid things?”
“Hmm what about Colt?”
“Cruise control.”
Nodding, Kiana made a note in her book to reach out to Sara, Summer and Bella with an offer to help fix the issues. She flipped the pages and wrote some more, her own thoughts and analysis of each and every member of Legion. There were also notes about the other Crucible trainers, especially the fellow heads. And none of these were ever seen by eyes other than hers. The book was relatively new as she got it specially for this job but its cover was a well-worn leather piece that she reused for her journals over the years. This job had become her life now. The pressure was no doubt mounting every day. But she was determined to do it as best as she could.
“Anything else?” Kiana asked.
“Well, are you doing okay?” There was soft concern in that voice.
“Yeah I’m alright. I'm managing it.”
“Good. They need you.”
“I know and I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
“Talk again tomorrow?”
“…..”
*Click*
The call ended before the answer could come through the line, if there was one at all. Sometimes Kiana found it hard to tell. Though these calls were a fixture in her daily schedule, the person on the other end was not always as reliable. Ironic. But Kiana never took it personally. She knew exactly that it was never ill-intended. Cold and distant sometimes but never meant to hurt her at least.
So she calmly went back to writing her notes and figuring out her next steps. No rest for the wicked, she thought. But there was something ominous about the dead call tone earlier for some reason and suddenly she could feel the pressure to succeed slowly mounting again…
Maybe she might have missed the bonding sessions with the Legion trainees due to her strict schedule but being there in person at the actual training sessions and shows was the utmost necessity. An uncompromising top priority, as she was often reminded every night. Those calls would come like clockwork and she never missed a single one.
But this time, the call came earlier and she had answered it as soon as she saw her phone screen light up. She was half expecting it. She could tell the excitement through the line and it made her smile too. It was infectious. Kiana herself agreed, Legion was super impressive tonight: Angun Chen and Zxavier Young finally getting their wins after a bad start at the Academy, Boston Finest still keeping it together for the victory, Haven perfectly tapping out Kian and humiliating him, Nathan Callaghan and the rest of The Southie Syndicate, Malice showing powerful aggression necessary for the win and of course Colt being ever a dominant force.
Kiana began. “Angun finally showed up tonight. I can see why you like her. She’s got great focus. As long as she keeps it up, she will go far.”
“She will. I’ve seen it before. She may need a little time so give it. She will get there. And so will Zxavier. He’s got the tools, he just needs to use them better,” said the one on the other end of the line.
“And what did you think of Haven then? She has surprised me the most. Not ‘cause of her skills, that one is to be expected with the way she’s been training. Hardest worker in the academy if you ask me.”
“A real firecracker, that one. I love it. Where has she been hiding the whole time? Perhaps she’s finally growing into her own. Aiden’s a good influence on her then.”
“Plus it’s got Nathan shook, I’m sure.”
“Look after Haven. She’s got something big to prove and right now she may be on a roll but if she trips, the fall is going to hurt and you need to monitor which way she’ll go.”
“Mmhm. Agreed. I guess you can say the same about Summer and Bella? I tried my best to keep them on the same page but Bella is too stubborn. I need to do something before she really hurts the team.”
“Like with the butterfly, you stay out of their way.”
“What? But that’s not—“
“It’s how they’ll learn. You know this. Same with the little imp.”
“The who?”
“Malice.”
“She’s only had one match.”
“It’s enough to tell. Keep encouraging her.”
“What about Sara then? Do I just stand by too as she loses more money or something?”
“Stupid, stupid girl.”
“I know… Guess she’s gotta figure out something fa—“
“No, that one you step in. Guide her. Dumb is not hopeless. She’s just a little lost. With the right motivation, she will do better.”
“I mean, she’s not stupid… she’s just—“
“Doing stupid things?”
“Hmm what about Colt?”
“Cruise control.”
Nodding, Kiana made a note in her book to reach out to Sara, Summer and Bella with an offer to help fix the issues. She flipped the pages and wrote some more, her own thoughts and analysis of each and every member of Legion. There were also notes about the other Crucible trainers, especially the fellow heads. And none of these were ever seen by eyes other than hers. The book was relatively new as she got it specially for this job but its cover was a well-worn leather piece that she reused for her journals over the years. This job had become her life now. The pressure was no doubt mounting every day. But she was determined to do it as best as she could.
“Anything else?” Kiana asked.
“Well, are you doing okay?” There was soft concern in that voice.
“Yeah I’m alright. I'm managing it.”
“Good. They need you.”
“I know and I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
“Talk again tomorrow?”
“…..”
*Click*
The call ended before the answer could come through the line, if there was one at all. Sometimes Kiana found it hard to tell. Though these calls were a fixture in her daily schedule, the person on the other end was not always as reliable. Ironic. But Kiana never took it personally. She knew exactly that it was never ill-intended. Cold and distant sometimes but never meant to hurt her at least.
So she calmly went back to writing her notes and figuring out her next steps. No rest for the wicked, she thought. But there was something ominous about the dead call tone earlier for some reason and suddenly she could feel the pressure to succeed slowly mounting again…