[center][color=Moccasin][b][h2]Reese Kestrel[/h2][/b][/color]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/KUk5hBd.png[/img][/center]

[center][@Jinxer][/center]

[indent][color=Gray]Had Reese known that the next day was going to be filled with absolute failure, the boy would have properly adjusted his mentality for the humiliation to follow.

The first morning as a soldier-in-training seemed like a fairly standard awakening, for the most part; there was no Schulz barging through their door, ripping the trainees from their land of dreams with loud whistle blows. At the very least, Reese had already been accustomed to waking early, though it went without saying that the usual morning grogginess was still present.

Shaking his hair out and climbing down the ladder, the youth stumbled towards his designated cabinet after a lazy salutation to Tanner, rummaging for his uniform and loosely fitting inside. Reese was quick to groom himself afterwards, adjusting the longer portion of his hair into the usual ponytail. He yawned as he trotted towards the bed of the sleeping giant, throwing a light fist down against Gabriel's chest before he would set out for breakfast after Tanner.

It had come to Reese as a surprise that not many of the trainees had awoken yet, though their schedule was still many clock hands away from their time. The boy wolfed down his share of breakfast, making sure to take as much as he was allowed; he needed the nutrients and sustenance if he sought to outgrow his peers.

And that had been the very last moment that Reese had any spur of enjoyment.

It could be considered an understatement if Reese were to say that the gear compatibility test had been anything but a success. As the lines had shortened and his turn was to come, the boy was giddy with excitement, prepared to show those who had talked him down wrong. Seeing some, including Tanner, keep themselves balanced almost effortlessly only fed into his short-lived ego; [i]this is going to be a piece of cake,[/i] he had thought.

When his time came, and Reese was hoisted onto the harness of the makeshift gear, his moment of glory fell short as his face kissed a piece of the hard earth, the expletives and insults of Schulz dulling out his shame even further. To his elation, he had managed to keep himself balanced for a few seconds, and though he showed promise, the trainees who failed were only giving one last chance at the end of the day to pass; otherwise, they would be sent home.

While this danger of failure fueled Reese into a determination to redeem himself, worsening matters were only beginning. The trainees were shuffled into the second portion of their training; hand-to-hand combat. He knew that, being shorter than most of the boys and even some of the girls, he was not going to be the strongest of fighters, though he figured that it couldn't be too difficult to mimic the techniques that the instructor had demonstrated.

His first partner was Lauren, and to his credit, Reese had [i]exactly zero[/i] knowledge when it came to hand-to-hand combat. This was easily noted through his clumsy take on the combat stance, but through steeling his resolve, he could do anyth--[/color]

[color=Moccasin][b]"Waah!"[/b][/color] [color=Gray]Reese found himself soundly defeated, his weakness fully exploited as Lauren easily disabled his defensive stance and tossed him to the ground. He felt winded for a second, the kick-up of dust causing him to cough a few times as he rubbed the back of his head from the floor. [color=Moccasin][b]"Oww..."[/b][/color] with her assistance, the boy was back up on his feet, feeling dejected.[/color]

[color=SpringGreen][b]"Set your feet firmly."[/b][/color]

[color=Gray]Reese was alarmed by the deep voice, turning to his right as a taller soldier with a similar uniform walked towards their group. The soldier was familiar to the boy somehow, their storm-gray eyes and commanding tone fitting his height. As the soldier stood beside the pair, Reese's brows lit up at the pair of wings on his insignia, realizing that the soldier was from the Survey Corps.

Doing as he was advised, Reese's stance was promptly and properly adjusted by the soldier. Looking between the two trainees, he nodded.[/color] [color=SpringGreen][b]"Grow strong for each other,"[/b][/color] [color=Gray]the soldier said, turning to walk away from them.[/color] [color=SpringGreen][b]"We're all we have left."[/b][/color]

[color=Gray]Figuring that the soldier's words carried a deeper meaning than what was said, Reese was left in his thoughts, as usual. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Lauren, dropping his stance.[/color] [color=Moccasin][b]"Can you show me how to do that?[/b][/color] [color=Gray]the boy asked with a light smile, hoping to learn and sample the technique.[/color][/indent]