~Doctore - At the training grounds~<br/><br/>Gaius stood in front of the crowd of assembled gladiators, sweat from the heat of the sun glistening down his chiseled muscles, patiently allowing the new assembled troops to be situated.  It only made sense to give them the chance to rest from the difficult journey, to eat and to be ready for training.  He needed to see what they could do under peak conditions.  They would learn what their true potential was, and they would be broken from it, forcing them to surpass it.<br/><br/>As he noticed one of the gladiators starting to check out a few of the girls, the whip suddenly unfurled from his meaty fist like a venomous serpent, splaying back with a swing of his arm and exploding with a Crack upon the gladiator's shoulder.  The tip of the weapon circled around the boy's arm, and the Doctore yanked him back into focus.  "Pay attention, fool.  Three years in my service and have I taught you nothing?"<br/><br/>The boy jumped with shock, gripping his training weapon a little tighter, a hand going to his arm.  "But...but I..."<br/><br/>"You are here, on the training grounds, fool.  Your mind must be here as well, for when you are in the Ludus, your mind must never waver."  He stepped forward, staring down at the boy without patience or lenience.  "Do you think there will be no distractions in the arena?  Do you think the pretty girls will not be there, watching you, making eyes and lusting for you?  The time for pretty girls is not when the weapon is in your hands.  Even that woman understands why she is but one of the soldiers.  Why cannot you?"<br/><br/>"I...but she..."  The boy tried to answer, but only ended up stammering.  The Doctore's whip snapped once across the boy's side, drawing a flesh gout of blood.<br/><br/>"I've seen more young fools die to the eyes of a pretty girl's distractions than to the lions, arrows and blades combined.  You must come to understand that this is life, that the Ludus does not leave you time for you to collect your thoughts, to kick back and relax.  While you are here, you will learn to live, and you will learn to fight, or someone else will teach you to die.  That training, you'll find, is much simpler."<br/><br/>The Doctor's eyes glanced over the battlefield to notice that they were listening to his lectures at the cost of the battle.  "Raise your swords!" he commanded.  "If you don't already know this, you'd best learn to listen while you fight.  Pretty girls are not the world's only distraction."