Eric Coulter Imagines

jealousy, jealousy

You have been through quite a lot as a member of Dauntless. You passed your round of initiation with flying colors, you survived a couple years taking on the most trying jobs you could, just to match that same rush of adrenaline. Now, as per usual, you're looking to make life even harder for yourself. You're going into your first year of teaching initiation.

By all accounts, being a training leader should be easy. You're just yelling at transfers all day, right? Wrong. It's common knowledge in your faction that being stuck leading initiation after graduating is like hell on earth. The amount of patience it takes to corral dozens of newbies into some semblance of a proper Dauntless is unmatched by most people here.

Yet for some reason you think you can manage it. Maybe your own success in initiation will help you lead a new round of kids to greatness, maybe not. If anything, it'll give you a chance to relieve some stress by yelling at people who mess up in front of you. It's all about the small victories, you know?

It's not like you're going to be alone in this, either. You'll be sharing the role of training instructor with Four, a good friend of yours, and Eric Coulter, someone who you could probably consider a friend were it not for his habit of trying to stay away from any sort of relationships at all costs, be them platonic or otherwise.

In all honesty, you're kind of looking forward to it. So, by the time the first full day of initiation rolls around, you arrive at the training room with a fair amount of pep in your step.

Eric is already there, starting to set out some rows of punching bags. "Don't you look excited about all this? Don't worry, the enthusiasm wears off quickly."

You laugh and begin to help him. "Oh, I'm sure it will. Let me have my moment, though."

Eric hems and haws, but he backs off for the time being. "Have you seen the new trainees yet?"

You drag out a row of targets from a storage room, then nod. "Yeah, I dropped by while they were jumping off of the roof. Most of them looked scared out of their wits, but a few seemed more confident than others."

Eric looks pleased with this. "Gotta say, the first couple hours are some of my favorite parts of initiation. Seeing their faces drop when I tell them they have to fall over the edge never fails to make my day."

You snort. "Never let it be said that you don't have a heart. You've done this for what, a couple years now, and it never gets old?"

Eric chuckles fondly. "Seeing a new group of kids who are going to be nothing but a pain in my ass for the next couple of months, and getting a chance to scare the hell out of them? Lightens my mood like nothing else."

You can't help but laugh at that. Across the room, a door opens to reveal the final training leader, Four. He raises an eyebrow at the two of you.

"Never thought I'd see such a pleasant atmosphere in here," he says through a subdued grin, "But I'm not sure that I mind it."

You move the last of your targets, then head to the door, slapping Four on the back as you pass him. "We're only happy because you're not here, trust me. I'll be nothing but miserable from here on out."

Before you go, you hear something that sounds suspiciously like a laugh from Eric, although he does his best to turn it into a cough. You're going to have fun during this round of initiation, aren't you?

You head to the trainee dorms, and bang your fist loudly on the door before heading inside and shouting for everyone to get up. You're greeted with more than a couple angry stares, but who cares? The initiates can hate you as much as they want for disturbing their beauty rest, but that doesn't mean you're going to go any easier on them.