Raph drew in a deep breath through his nose as he listened to them talk.
"It's broken," he finally said. "They waste people. It takes a long time to learn how to fight well."
"How did you learn?" Tris asked. "You're a transfer but you haven't lost a single fight."
"I'm wondering the same thing," said Christina. "How did you learn to fight like that?"
Raph had already thought this one through. With how well he fought there was no way to claim he was a transfer without having an explanation. He, Cassie, and Kon had all come up with excuses.
Raph made a little clicking sound with his tongue.
"If I tell you, you gotta keep it a secret. It's not exactly illegal, but...it's something of a social no-no. Etiquette, y'know."
Christina held up a hand as if swearing on a Bible. "I solemnly swear to not tell a single soul."
"Same," said Tris, looking curious.
"I have to confess, I've been wondering about that, too," said Will. "You use moves they haven't even shown us yet. It's not even the same style that they're training us in. Similar, but not the same."
"And there's no fight training back in Candor," said Al, shaking his head. "Of any kind."
Raph crossed his arms.
"When I was little? After my dad died my mom, she just...wasn't all there. So it was mostly just me and my brothers. I was always the restless one, you know? Picking fights all the time. I used to run off anytime I fought with my mom and wander around places that weren't exactly the safest for a little kid. When my older brother Leo switched over to Abnegation, I got even more out of control. He was the one that'd always kept me in line."
"You mean, you went to where the factionless were?" asked Tris.
"Yep. And I'd pick fights with factionless kids. Won a lot of 'em too. I've always been like that. Always looking for a fight." He went on, "One time, I was about seven and I got ganged up on by some older boys. They were beatin' the tar out of me but I still kept fighting back, kept dragging myself up off the ground. This older guy, this factionless guy saw me, saw how stubborn I was, and knocked the kids on their butts and sent 'em packing. Patched me up as best as he could. I never found out his real name but he called himself, uh, Splinter. And he was...interesting. He had all these stories about crazy stuff he used to get up to."
Raph uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting them on his knees.
"He told me that he could tell I was meant for Dauntless. He also told me he could teach me, so that when I switched factions someday, I'd be on just as steady ground as the Dauntless-born. I needed it. Needed to learn to focus it, you know? All the anger. All the restlessness. It helped having somewhere to direct it all. I needed the discipline."
"Who was he?" asked Al. "Like, really? If he was factionless how did he know all that?"
"He never told me how he knew all that stuff but what I think is...I think he used to be in Dauntless. When people in Dauntless get old, they either go factionless or die, right? I think he was someone from Dauntless that went factionless in old age. I don't know why he taught me. Maybe he wanted to feel useful again or somethin'." He shrugged. "But he trained me from when I was seven 'til when he passed away last year. And he was right. I tested for Dauntless just like he said."
He raised a eyebrow.
"I was always gonna wind up testing for Dauntless. So here I am."
"Wow," said Christina. "That sounds like something out of a story."
"Like a really cool story," added Tris.
"I can't believe you even survived out there among the factionless," said Will, shaking his head. "They're practically animals."
"First of all, no they're not. They're desperate. There's a difference," Raph insisted. "Second, who says it was easy? I almost didn't. That's how I got so good. You pick fights with people like that and you either learn or they stab you in the kidney."
no subject
"It's broken," he finally said. "They waste people. It takes a long time to learn how to fight well."
"How did you learn?" Tris asked. "You're a transfer but you haven't lost a single fight."
"I'm wondering the same thing," said Christina. "How did you learn to fight like that?"
Raph had already thought this one through. With how well he fought there was no way to claim he was a transfer without having an explanation. He, Cassie, and Kon had all come up with excuses.
Raph made a little clicking sound with his tongue.
"If I tell you, you gotta keep it a secret. It's not exactly illegal, but...it's something of a social no-no. Etiquette, y'know."
Christina held up a hand as if swearing on a Bible. "I solemnly swear to not tell a single soul."
"Same," said Tris, looking curious.
"I have to confess, I've been wondering about that, too," said Will. "You use moves they haven't even shown us yet. It's not even the same style that they're training us in. Similar, but not the same."
"And there's no fight training back in Candor," said Al, shaking his head. "Of any kind."
Raph crossed his arms.
"When I was little? After my dad died my mom, she just...wasn't all there. So it was mostly just me and my brothers. I was always the restless one, you know? Picking fights all the time. I used to run off anytime I fought with my mom and wander around places that weren't exactly the safest for a little kid. When my older brother Leo switched over to Abnegation, I got even more out of control. He was the one that'd always kept me in line."
"You mean, you went to where the factionless were?" asked Tris.
"Yep. And I'd pick fights with factionless kids. Won a lot of 'em too. I've always been like that. Always looking for a fight." He went on, "One time, I was about seven and I got ganged up on by some older boys. They were beatin' the tar out of me but I still kept fighting back, kept dragging myself up off the ground. This older guy, this factionless guy saw me, saw how stubborn I was, and knocked the kids on their butts and sent 'em packing. Patched me up as best as he could. I never found out his real name but he called himself, uh, Splinter. And he was...interesting. He had all these stories about crazy stuff he used to get up to."
Raph uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting them on his knees.
"He told me that he could tell I was meant for Dauntless. He also told me he could teach me, so that when I switched factions someday, I'd be on just as steady ground as the Dauntless-born. I needed it. Needed to learn to focus it, you know? All the anger. All the restlessness. It helped having somewhere to direct it all. I needed the discipline."
"Who was he?" asked Al. "Like, really? If he was factionless how did he know all that?"
"He never told me how he knew all that stuff but what I think is...I think he used to be in Dauntless. When people in Dauntless get old, they either go factionless or die, right? I think he was someone from Dauntless that went factionless in old age. I don't know why he taught me. Maybe he wanted to feel useful again or somethin'." He shrugged. "But he trained me from when I was seven 'til when he passed away last year. And he was right. I tested for Dauntless just like he said."
He raised a eyebrow.
"I was always gonna wind up testing for Dauntless. So here I am."
"Wow," said Christina. "That sounds like something out of a story."
"Like a really cool story," added Tris.
"I can't believe you even survived out there among the factionless," said Will, shaking his head. "They're practically animals."
"First of all, no they're not. They're desperate. There's a difference," Raph insisted. "Second, who says it was easy? I almost didn't. That's how I got so good. You pick fights with people like that and you either learn or they stab you in the kidney."