Choices ||Closed||

Corey was nervous. Well, nervous, was putting it lightly. Her heart was racing as she limped toward the Hub, her eyes cast downward. Her appearance was normal - Abnegation was her faction and they were selfless. As selfless as they came. She drew in a deep breath as she came to a stop outside of the Hub, finally looking up to the large building that her fate would all be decided it. It was her one chance at getting away from her home, and yet, the prospect of being in any other faction was enough to make her want to run and hide forever. But, she had hid for her entire life - from her father. She was done hiding. Or, at least, she was hopeful that when she walked out of this building today, she would be free from Marcus' house.

Clearing her throat, she prepared herself and headed inside for the choosing ceremony.

(her limp isn't too noticable, she's still able to walk/run, obviously.)

---

Eric had not moved in thirty two minutes and twelve seconds. He had chosen the spot he did because he could keep track of everyone around him at the moment. No one to fear, they were all Dauntless leaders. But a discovered threat was far easier to deal with than a surprise one and so, he stood and counted. Second by second, time passed and soon, his eyes caught sight of the train that was barrelling toward the group of leaders. A smirk found its way onto his lips, he always enjoyed watching transfers making the job - they fumbled and rarely landed on their feet, always with a dishevelled look. Enough to pick out the first few he was always so sure would not last long in Dauntless. They were always so... clueless to what they had gotten into but at the end of their training, most did enjoy the change. It was just a matter of making it to the end that half of them struggled with.

@ varkatzas.

Riley stood at the entrance to the dauntless compound, looking around at all of the new transfers surrounding her. There were of course a few she had seen around before, but for the most part she hadn't cared enough to remember faces. Unless of course they were dauntless faces, she had wanted to be dauntless for as long as she could remember. And now the day was finally here, after eighteen years of living in amity, a faction living in ignorance, she was finally going to be a part of dauntless. There was no way she was going to blow this. "First jumper, any takers?" she heard the voice of Four, one of the dauntless instructors, ask. She of course new who he was, for a while she had even had a school girl crush on him, but she wasn't concerned about silly things like crushes anymore. The silence surrounded her, one boy cleared his throat and looked around nervously. "Oh, fuck it," she muttered, taking a step forward. "I'll go first," she said clearly with a smug grin. Four, made a gesture with his hand, telling her silently to go on. She was a little nervous, but new she couldn't let it show. When she was right at the edge of the building, she closed her eyes tight, and jumped. She felt the wind leave the pit of her stomach, but kept her mouth closed as she fell, eventually falling into the net and letting out a long breath.

xxx

Eric sat in the front row of seats with the other dauntless instructors, right next to his best friend, and because competitor, Four. He tapped his hand against his leg absentmindedly, as the ceremony began. He had been to these so many times that the thought of doing one more literally killed him. It was always the same, most people would staying in their factions, and the people who didn't would be nobody he knew anyway, and therefore no concern to him. Four shoots him a glare and knocks his hand off of his lap. "Can you quit that," he grumbles, "It's not like any of us want to be here, but it's in the job description so shut up and act like you like it." Eric hated nothing more than when Four tried to act superior to him, and it took everything in him to simply roll his eyes and lean back in his chair.

Eric had decided that he would switch position, after all, it would be a bit interesting to be the first face that transfers saw once they made the jump. Or didn't. Of course, if they didn't, well, they were the newest addition to the factionless. And no one wanted to be factionless. It was an awful life to lead, indeed. So he had switched with Four and when he heard the man's voice faintly in the distance, he moved from his spot against the wall and stood beside the net. He raised his gaze just enough that he could watch as the first person jumped. And jump, she did. He was silent, a bit surprised when he was close enough to realise it was a girl. An Amity girl, at that. Not someone he expected to be the first jumper but you could certainly colour him surprised, almost impressed. But rarely was ERic impressed. He reached forward, his hands scooping around her waist and quickly lifting her from the net. "Name?" He asked, eyebrow quirked as he studied her features.

---

Corey's stomach was in knots was they slowly moved through the first faction in alphabetical order - Abnegation. Her faction. And soon enough, "Corey Eaton," was called out. Her stomach dropped to her feet and she hesitated long enough to lhear the speaker let out a noise of frustration. Enough to spur her on, she rushed to stand beside. Her eyes shifted from her feet to her father slowly and swallowed. A thin layer of sweat had started to break out over her forehead - she was a wreck of nerves. On one hand, she wanted to leave. Because that would mean she never had to fear her father again. Never. Not one more time in her life. And yet, the idea of being a transfer was enough to petrify her all the same because Abnegation had been all she had never known. She took a deep breath and glanced toward the speaker, "A transfer is in order, to Dauntless you go," was called out. And just like that, her heart stopped. She gripped her dress tightly, as cheers erupted from the faction she now belonged to. "Thank you," she mumbled under her breath before turning to scurry on over to the Dauntless set of seating - the leaders in the front and the Dauntless born behind them, awaiting their own fate. Her eyes were on the ground as she moved, unsure of what to expect.

(I'm playing it like Corey doesn't know Four is Dauntless, just that she knows he transferred. Marcus wouldn't have told her)

@ varkatzas.

Riley let out a squeak of surprise as she was rolled out of the net and into the strong arms a very good-looking Dauntless leader. She had seen him around before, but certainly never this close up. He had menacing features, especially with all of his piercings, they made him look almost shark-like. But underneath all of that it was obvious how incredibly handsome he was, her breath hitched as she fought to find a response to his simple question. She was never at a loss for words, in fact one of the many reasons she didn't fit in in amity was because she had too much to say. After clearing her throat she answered in as tough a voice as she could muster, which really wasn't very tough. "Um... names Riley, mind letting go of me?" she asked, blowing a strand of dirty blonde hair out of her face. She new she shouldn't be rude to a dauntless leader, especially when her position in dauntless was on the line, but she also wanted there to be no mistake that she was tough and fearless, even if she did come from a faction that was all about peace.

xxx

Eric's attention was drawn back towards the stage as a pretty abnegation girl walked up to the seat. He didn't know why, but he found himself interested in her, she looked familiar, kind of like somebody he knew, but he couldn't pin point who that was. She looked nervous, more nervous then the other initiates, although they all looked very nervous. He just had a feeling that there was even more on this particular girls mind. He especially taken aback when it was announced that she would be dauntless, he looked beside him to his friend Four, about to make a comment about the girl, but stopped when he noticed Four's face had gone completely pale white. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, and was following the girl with his eyes as she walked into the crowd of cheering dauntless. The two boys were the only two not cheering, and Four quickly looked to the floor as she got closer, as if to avoid eye contact. "Something wrong with you bud?" Eric asked, nudging his friend in the arm. Four shook his head and walked away, towards the door where they were supposed to exit once the ceremony was over. Eric followed him with his eyes as he left, in stunned silence.

(Okay, sounds good!)

Eric quirked an eyebrow when Riley spoke, amused both by her tone and her words alone. He made a show of dropping his hands and studied her then, awaiting her answer. As patiently as he could, anyway. "One comes from a peace faction to a warrior faction, I'm betting you won't last long," he spoke lowly, a smirk twisting it's way onto his features. His eyes narrowed a bit before he motioned for her to step aside as the next initiate came hurtling down toward the net.

Once they had finished and the rest of the leaders had joined them, Eric cleared his throat, looking toward the rest of the transfers. "Transfers, you're with me. Dauntless born, follow Four," he called out before turning and making his way first toward the Pit, not waiting to see which initiate would be intelligent enough to follow him first.

---

Corey glanced up as she heard footsteps, tensing on instinct. The footsteps sounded irritated and irritated usually never went over well for her. She had only seen Four's back but it was enough to cause her to freeze in place. Her eyes had widened a bit as she took in every bit of Four from the back that she could. She couldn't be certain that it was Tobias though... It had been so long since she had last seen him and the man looked so different. She shook her head and quickly moved to the seat that had been emptied in the middle of the row for her. Her mind was miles away, thinking of all the possibilities of what could happen today - had she really been transferred to Dauntless of all factions? She couldn't figure out why, not really.

@ Life is a Cabaret.

@ varkatzas.
Riley stared in silence at his words, she knew to expect some insults because of where she came from, but a little taken off guard to hear it from one of the leaders. If this was any indication as to how her time here would go she was in for a surprise. Once she got over the shock she yelled over, "Think whatever you want, I'm gonna prove you wrong," put a hand on her hip and walked farther into the room indignantly. She watched as the rest of the initiates transferred in and quickly began talking to a pretty blonde girl called Ellie and her friend Tyler. They had both transferred from candor. Once all of the initiates were finally in, Eric explained what they would be doing next. Smiling at her new friends she followed Eric in the direction he was headed. "He's just a ball of sunshine, huh?" she asked her friends as they reached the spot they were headed to.

xx

Eric shook his head in confusion and turned back to the stage to watch the rest of the people get chosen, trying to get his mind off of what had just transpired. But once the last girl had gone through (an erudite) and the crowd began moving through to the exits, he tried to find the girl again. He usually ran up ahead at the choosing ceremony, trying to get to the top of the building before the initiates did, but this time he followed after the girl. He didn't know why his friend was so upset by this girls presence, maybe he had a crush on her or something, and if that was the case there was a part of Eric that was determined to win her affection before Four could. He followed her as she ran towards the train, jumped on, and until they had jumped onto the roof of the building. He landed on his feet and stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but all he needed was a moment. Shortly after he was up and walking through the group of young people, who all parted around him as he walked through. "So..." he began, pausing for dramatic affect and looking around at all the blank faces, a smirk spreading onto his face. "Who's going to jump first?" he asked.

"good luck, Amity," Eric called it in reply, a smirk twisted it's way onto his features as he watched her walk off. He wouldn't ever deny it if he was questioned, there was a certain attraction he held to her. Shaking his head as he turned to follow his initiates. He glanced over to his friend, Four, who was glaring quite menacingly, if Eric could say so himself. All he did in return was shrug his shoulders. If Eric wasn't messing with the transfers, everyone who knew him would think he was sick, surely. And unfortunately, he wasn't.

When they reached the pit, Eric turned to face the transfers with a look that was just shy of a glare. Unimpressed, perhaps. "This is The Pit, this is where you come to get to know your other transfers. This is where you come to go to any other part of our home. As initiates, you will live in one room," he spoke as he turned to lead the way to the bunk room they would all live in.

---

Corey stood toward the back, her eyes wide as she watched someone step forward and volunteer to jump first. There was no way she would jump first, her body had started to shake the slightest bit as she watched each person jump off the side of a building. She had no clue what would happen once they leapt, but then when it came down to her and the leaders, she had no choice but to jump. She stepped up to edge and holding onto her skirt, she glanced behind her to make eye contact with Eric before she jumped. When she landed, she was panting a bit - her eyes wide as she stared up at the sky above her. It wasn't until she heard cheering from the others that she was pulled out, slowly scooting to the edge of the net before she was lifted up by far too familiar hands.

Eyes wide, Corey looked up to Four and eased his hands from their grip - his fingers pressing into a welt on her back from Marcus' belt. She cleared her throat and quickly stepped back, not sure what to say or if she should even do anything in acknowledgement of her brother.

(Sorry they suck, I had a reply typed and then hit the wrongs button on my phone )

@ varkatzas.
[That is literally the worst when that happens, I'm so sorry But they don't suck at all!)

Riley and her friends stayed near Eric, probably all for the same unspoken reason, to show him that they weren't afraid. She listened to him explain what the Pit was and lead them to the dorms they would be sleeping in, and didn't hesitate to make eye contact with him. Their little conversation earlier was all it took to make her determined to prove his, and everyone else's, opinion of her wrong. She thought about what it was like living in amity, how she was different then everyone there, how she didn't fit in. She refused to live the same life in her new home, she was gonna fight to be at the top of the rank, she was going to get a kick ass job, and she was going to be dauntless. She glared at Eric the whole time, her eyes occasionally travelling up and down his body. He was beautiful, there was no way around it. His body was muscular in all the right places, no doubt from all the fighting he participated in, and he had this bad boy thing going on that she never saw in amity boys, but which had always drew her to the dauntless. She tried to suppress these feelings though, he was the last person she should be drawn to. But she couldn't feeling some kind of sexual tension between the two of them already.

xx

Eric waited for the girl to jump. He wasn't surprised that she didn't jump first, she seemed to smart for that, the braveness it takes to jump first usual comes from a place of stupidity. But she wasn't the last person either, and he respected that. Right before she jumped her eyes caught his, and his heart made a sudden movement which he had never experienced before. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned, he needed to get himself in control. When everyone had jumped, he stood on the ledge and jumped himself, not giving it a second thought. He had done it so many times that it was second nature to him at this point. When Four gave his hand, he pulled himself up with it and shot him a smirk. "How chivalrous of you Four," he chuckled, standing up and dusting himself off. "So, why'd you run out of their so fast, something bothering you?" he asked, in a joking way, trying to keep it light. "Now's not the time," he said roughly, "You're taking the transfers this year," and then he turned around and told the dauntless born to follow him. "You heard the man, transfers follow me," he said and turned towards his initiates.

(I know I was so mad because usually my phone saves it but nooo, not this time ...I wonder if there's a religion in the factions? )

Eric was not of the stupid variety, he didn't miss a single time that Riley's eyes travelled down his body. That was a pro to being Dauntless, you grew accustomed to watching everyone around you all while pretending like you were clueless. You never knew when your life could depend on that ability. Each time she mad eye contact with him, he couldn't help the smirk on his features. What else could you expect from a cocky Dauntless like him? "Get changed into the clothes provided on each bed, your name is on each bed. I trust you'll be able to find your own way back to the Pit," he spoke, his eyes switching to Riley for a moment. He raised his eyebrows as if to challenge her alone but was silent until he turned to exit the bunk room. He wasted no time in making it back to the Pit where he met up with Four - who was already testing the Dauntless born. Eric frowned slightly, crossing his arms as he watched them train. This should all be easy for them, they had grown up with the training after all.

---

Corey was watched Four when Eric fell into the net, a frown forming on her lips. He looked like he was going to run but when Four spoke, her frown deepened. By what they were talking about, she was under the impression that Four was supposed to take the transfers. And now he wasn't. She was under the impression she was at fault and she almost called out to him but thought better of it. Something had curled into the pit of her stomach - something akin to fear but there was no way she was afraid of her brother, right? He had protected her every time their father became abusive until he transferred, he wouldn't hurt her. She was sure of it. But by the way Four was acting, doubt had curled into her stomach and she was completely confused. When Eric spoke, she quickly began to follow him. You didn't need to tell her twice to do something, ever. She had learned long ago that the second time wouldn't be nearly as nice and it was just best to avoid the trouble that it could cause. Clutching at her dress, she quickly followed after Eric. She was slowing down a bit until she was at the tail end of the initiates, trying to take in everything about the Dauntless quarters.

@ varkatzas.
[That's so annoying, I'd be pissed. That's a good question actually... hmm... I don't know. Actually now that I think about it, it's seems like most distopian books don't even mention a religion.]

Riley could have sworn that a couple of times Eric caught her look, and quickly she would look away and focus her attention on something else. She listened to him speak, and tried her best to take in his words. Before he left the room he shot her once last meaningful look, that she knew there was no mistaken was meant for her. She was so confused, she didn't know what to make of this guy, but she was definitely intrigued by him. Once he left the room she looked around until she found the bed her name was on. She was sharing a bunk with Ellie, while Tyler was only two beds over. Ellie snickered, as she climbed onto the top bunk and grabbed her clothing. "What?" Riley asked, pulling her shirt over her head, growing up in amity people didn't worry about things like modesty. "It's nothing... it's just... Eric totally kept making eyes at you that whole time." Riley felt herself blush, and looked down at her hands. "Nice tits amity," some asshole called Dave said, putting a hand on her back as he walked by. "Fuck off," Ellie yelled, throwing her shoe at the back of his head. "Thanks..." Riley muttered, pulling her new dauntless shirt off, and then quickly changing into the rest of her clothes. "Eric wasn't checking me out, don't be ridiculous," she said, earning a noise of disbelief from Ellie as she hopped down right as Tyler walked over. "Want to head to the Pit?" he asked, looping his arm through each of the girls. "Sure," Riley replied, shooting a dirty look at Ellie as they started to walk off together towards the Pit.

xx

Eric went through the usual spiel, showing the group of transfers to the Pit first. "This is the Pit, I hope you're not afraid of heights," he said with a smirk, as he gestured around him. "There's no way to avoid this place, you can't get to almost anywhere without walking through the Pit. You'll get used to it... hopefully," he finished before turning and walking on, not waiting to see who would follow after him, he knew they all would if they knew what was good for them. He liked that kind of power. Next, he led them to the room they would be staying in. "This is your living quarters for the next couple of weeks, assuming you last that long. Beds have been assigned to you with a set of clothes on them. These are yours. They most likely come from past initiates who didn't make it into dauntless, but don't worry, I'm sure they've been washed," he chuckled, but he seemed to be the only one who found his joke to be amusing. "Go ahead and get changed, and then do what you feel like tonight. Starting tomorrow you'll be more than busy." He finished his speech and watched as the initiates quickly dispersed. He watched Corey head to her bed, and got an idea. If he couldn't figure out what was going on from Four, he would just talk to the source. He walked over and leaned against the bunk bed. "So, want to tell me what's going on with you and Four?" he asked, playing at nonchalance as he looked firmly into her eyes, refusing to look away.

Four glanced over at Eric with a raised brow before back over to the training Dauntless born, his frown only deepened. "Why are you treating the Amity girl so harsh?" He asked, shaking his head at the thought. Sometimes Eric could be a bit harsh, sometimes he didn't think his friend realised it either. "She pressed my buttons. She's gotta learn her place if she wants to make it through Dauntless initiation. You should know that," Eric muttered with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't see why how he was treating Riley was that big of a deal. After all, if she wanted to make it through the next few months, she would have to. She didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. She would have to toughen up to make it all the way and become a real Dauntless, she knew that certainly. Right? The sound of approaching footsteps caused them both to look up at the same time, eyes catching on the transfers that were all reaching the Pit together. Eric turned toward them, his back to Four now. "This should all be easy for most of you, I would hope," he said, motioning toward the dummies that were all wired to gather information about each initiate's punches, their weaknesses and the strengths and what they needed to work on.

---

Corey's eyes wondered as they stood in the pit, her eyes wide. Everything was so... high. She couldn't quite wrap her head around how they are were wondering around so effortlessly on high cliffs and by the looks of it, some of them were quite skinny. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and quickly followed after Eric and the other transfers, fumbling with the edge of her dress. When he mentioned their outfits, she tensed at the idea of having to change in front of everyone. There was no way that she was going to be able to change in front of everyone and no one would see her bruises... or the scars on her back. She had visibly paled as she walked toward the bed that had her name on it. She had leaned down to reach for the pants, only to jump out of her skin when Eric walked up beside her. Her eyes widened as she looked up to him, opening and closing her mouth multiple times. She had no idea how to answer him so she decided to play dumb. That was the best bet... right? She hoped he wouldn't call her out on it. So Tobias had changed his name... the idea was enough to twist her stomach further. "I don't know a Four," she answered, quickly ducking her head to do as she had been instructed, slipping her pants on once she had taken her old ones off. She clutched the shirt in her hands, staring down at it as if she could magically come up with a way to put it on without taking off her dress.

@ varkatzas.

(here you are, sorry )

Eric's arms were crossed as his eyes roamed from initiate to initiate. His eyes lingered on each and their form and when he felt one needed a correction, he was quick to step up and offer that correction. He took hi time working his way through them, finding a sick joy in how Riley seemed to grow more and more annoyed the closer he got to her. So when he finally reached her side, he stood silent for a moment before clearing his throat. "Anger is not going to help you win any fights, you need to focus. Focusing is key," he said almost quietly, his hand shooting out and catch one of her flying fists. "Relax. Take a deep breathe," he spoke sarcastically, his eyes narrowed a bit. "And then focus on your target. If you don't focus, you risk making a mistake. A mistake can mean the difference between life and death," he spoke, taking a step back and nodding toward her. "Come on now. Give me something that might actually impress me."

---

Corey's face fell at Eric's words and she visibly paled - refusing to look up to make eye contact with him. She was scared of him, there was no doubt about that. She chewed on her lip, watching after him for a moment before she turned and rushed into the bathroom to change her shirt without anyone seeing the marks on her body. She had no explanation that she could give anyone that would make sense.

Four knew that knock anywhere (when you'd been best friends with someone for years, you knew all of their mannerisms by heart). He groaned when the other spoke, not particularly fond of the idea of spending time with Eric. He knew shit was going to come out because that was just how Eric was. The bastard needed to know everything or he wasn't happy and fuck if the drinks wouldn't loosen his tongue. He forced a grin to his face and nodded, reaching to the hook beside his door to grab his jacket. Slipping his arms into it, he walked out and shut his door. Wrapping an arm around Eric's shoulders, they began their descent down to the bar. "Do you even need a reason to celebrate, Eric?" He asked teasingly.

@ varkatzas.

Eric's face was completely blank of any and all emotion as he stepped back and laced his fingers together, behind his back. He studied Riley's form this time, his eyes still slightly narrowed. The only reaction she got from him was a slightly raised eyebrow and his chin tilted down a bit - as if he was telling her he told her so. And he was. He offered a shrug when she looked as if she wanted to say something. He wasn't going to fight her on her questions but certainly, he was going to enjoy the moments that she questioned him without saying a single word. Partly because he felt the same tension that she did but he had worked long and hard enough to have learned how to control his emotions. Some little amity girl wasn't going to mean his destruction. Nope. No way in hell. So he turned and moved on to the next person, his demeanor still the same.

A good half a hour later, Eric stood in the front of the room. His face showing off how eager he was to get off of this room. It was almost over. He didn't have to spend much more time witht the transfers. Until tomorrow. "Some of you have done well today. Some of you have quite a bit of improvement to work on until you even have a chance at passing initiation. I expect all of you back here tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock sharp, not a minute late. I'd hate so see the consequences of being late..." he trailed off with a sick sort of smirk twisted onto his features. He turned and left the room without so much as another word.

---

"Sure. If you want to tell yourself you have no problems, by all means, go ahead. I won't stop you," Four countered with a laugh and a shake of his head. All too quickly, he was sitting at the bar beside his friend and a drink was placed in front of him without him ordering. It was always a bourbon that he started with - it loosened up the tension that had worked into his muscles and it was just the thing that he needed. Four picked his glass up and sniffed the alcohol, swirling the amber liquid around so the ice clinked against the edge of the glass before he took a long swig of it. It would be easier if he just put it out there now - so Eric didn't get agitated so he would just leave the questions for the rest of the night. "I knew Corey before I transferred. Just didn't... think I would be seeing her again. Ever really," he answered quietly with a shrug, his gaze lowered to his drink. He focused pretty hard on it so that he wouldn't have to see whatever questions were building in his friend's mind. With Eric, they were inevitable. Even if his friend was no longer Erudite, he still had tendencies that he couldn't out run.