Welcome to Gaia! ::

The girl followed the other trainees like cattle being rounded up into a pen. If the last exercise was harsh then this one would be even more excruciating because you had to basically turn on your own teammate. None of the trainees have had a lot of time to bound, but at least had time to look over everyone. In a since, remembering facial features at the moment. Alice only knew Cole for the most part and knew he just acted lazy to brush off responsibility. However, he looked as stiff as a board and she figured strenuous combat wasn't his forte. Of course, being his friend she would tried to be paired with him and take it easy on him. This sounded like the right or friendly method, but the boy would never truly learn hardship which would be wrong on her part.

She was a little terrified herself of this exercise because she didn't have time to observe others strategies. The farm girl seriously doubted that any of the soldiers-in-training were to keen on this activity. Most of them, including herself, kind of went along with the flow hoping to breeze through the course and earn their ranking. Only the top ten students receive the honor of assuring the position of a real soldier in the three following groups, Garrison, Survey, or Military Police. Neither position was demeaning or bad, it just depends what your up for or how well you score. Hopefully, she would be able to wiggle herself into the group she desired.

Alice took her place by Cole scanning the current area. The field was rather open, but bare with small patches of somewhat dead vegetation. A fence supported by wooden poles served as the boards for the area. She assumed that trainees from before had strayed to far when they fought so the "arena" had to be contained? Zoro certainly found the poles comfortable. Strange, but maybe the dirt element can be used to some advantage. Blinding an opponent with sand is the oldest and dirtiest tactic in the book practically, and she would honestly advise against it.

The blonde let out a small sigh seeing the weapons they would use were dull wooden daggers. She didn't want to hurt anyway of course, but she wasn't very handy with that instrument. Give her a pitch folk, wooden for the exercise, and she could kick a** any day...maybe. Again, she wasn't a particular violent person, but that could change in the heat of battle.

She leaned over to Cole and whispered in his ear to relieve the silent tension to her and him. "Don't think about it to much and do your best." Afterwords, she erected herself and solutes like "Miss Purple" to set a good example.

The female contained her laughter when Cole admitted he was a city boy that couldn't lift anything that weighed more than he. She shook her head before reconstructing her composure that he almost diminished. She wasn't exactly laughing at him, but his thought of the exercise. Alice leaned close to his pale elf-like ear once more and said, "It's not about strength. Close range combat is more about wit and strategy. Study your opponent and at the right moment use his/her own weight against them. Maybe assert the elements around you into your fighting style. The weapon is to help you remember that the blade, gun, or whatever is an extension of yourself. You flow with it and don't let it control you."

Alice was no martial arts or weapons expert, but she have knowledge about the two from her sister. The sibling studied, trained, and whatever else she could to join the military and pass without complications. Some of these practices she tried out on her when they had free time. A couple of tom boys, but at least they didn't have to depend on someone saving them anytime soon.