open ♔ may castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || Any time during May/June [ forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:
Vi @ the desk
Klaus @ the desk
Maxwell @ the desk
Aurelius @ Dragon's Fire wing
Gar @ the library
Dovan @ 2nd floor pub
Mark @ castle grounds
Lila @ the firing range
Abigail @ library/grounds/kitchen/training rooms
Spike (Kyp) @ people's rooms
Mars @ the library
Sebastian @ front steps
Alaric @ Dragon's Hoard wing
Myri @ cleric's wing, etc.
Spike @ infirmary/kitchen/outside/etc
Elena @ her room
Buffy & Kyp (and Fred) | Closed
Jack @ the cleric's wing
Kyp @ the dungeon
Spike, Buffy, & Helen | Closed
Rose @ various
Lila & Hook | Closed
Han @ the firing range
Brantley & Andrew | Closed
Vi & Des @ the garden
Failboat @ pancake brunch | Closed
Faye @ the library
Alanna @ the firing range
Jaina's induction party
Alex & Abigail | Closed
The Doctor @ the castle grounds
Elena & Helen | Closed
Dumage & Damon | Closed
Lila, Sylar, & Helen | Closed
Damon @ the bar/various

Comments

open ♕ firing range

[trebond]

[ alanna starts the clip off firing fairly well (atk 19, 19).

things take a turn for the worse as she gets cocky. in theory, she'll make her field qualification to take a gun out into the world instead of fussing with it here; she's grown rather tired of leaving her sword in the car. her next shot flies off the paper (atk 9).

she stops, lowers the gun, takes a deep breath. there are still 5 bullets left in the bloody thing and she's not going to scamper off with helen to shoot at any more cans to improve. steading herself, she takes another go and finishes off the clip—with each bullet hitting the target in a neat cluster (atk 17, 19, 18, 22, 16).

alanna rips her earmuffs off after setting the empty gun on the counter, huffing out an exaggerated sigh of relief. ] About time.

[theminotaur]

[ abigail has no friends yet so a lot of her time is spent alternating between the movie theater and the firing range. mostly because the firing range feel safe to her since she has a weapon on her and because small talk can stay just small talk.

she glances over at the woman shooting, pulling her legs up on the bench where she is sitting and cleaning her rifle, the edge of her perpetual scarf brushing against the familiar feel of the barrel as she cleans. ] You're a good shot.

[trebond]

Something of a new development.

[ she smiles as she turns around, and her eyes get big, brows arching, when she spots the sizable gun abigail is holding. she didn't know they came that big. ]

I'm inclined to believe the same isn't true for you. [ she approaches, taking a look at the rifle with some curiosity and then looking back at abigail herself. ] You seem to know your way around that.

[theminotaur]

My dad taught me. [ she looks down at it sheepishly. fred teased her too, so she's used to being an anomaly. she would use the hand gun but all she can see is will holding it at her as her dad's arm curled around her neck. she hasn't quite gotten over it yet. ]

[trebond]

Good man. [ alanna's grinning, actually. she'd had to learn weapons from her guardsman—coram was wonderful, and had been able to teach her plenty, but she can't feel as if she's missing a whole lot in forgetting her father if she had plenty of others to raise her and teach her the important bits. ] Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two, then. [ she gestures at the rifle. ] Why make them so large if you don't have to? [ she imagines there's a perfectly good reason, she just doesn't know what it is. ]

[theminotaur]

[ she only just manages a weak smile at the idea of anyone calling her father a good man. standing, she tucks the greasy cloth in the pocket of her jeans. ] I guess I could. It's for hunting, mostly. [ as she approaches, she pulls one of the bullets from her other pocket and holds it out. it's about the size of her palm. ] Bigger game.

[trebond]

A longbow? [ she waves a hand. ] Or its equivalent at the very least. Incredible. [ she plucks the bullet from abigail's hand and turns it over in the light. it's only about three times the size of her own rounds, but there's no doubt in her mind that it packs a much bigger wallop. ] Is that why your father taught you? Has the knight you're squired to warned you about the animals in the woods around the castle? [ not all of them are bad. don't shoot gus' bear. abigail's sheepishness makes her easy to pick out as a squire. ]

[theminotaur]

Fred told me. But I stopped hunting. [ she waffles on the why, but in the end goes for the same answer she gave fred. it was easiest without giving too much away. ] Bad memories. Now it's just the weapon I'm best at.

[trebond]

Does it do all right when you're so close to the target? It seems more and more that this world has forsaken close combat.

[theminotaur]

It does alright. Messy. [ very... very messy. ] It's more for long range.

[trebond]

Thought as much. [ she hands the bullet back. ] I don't mean to have so many questions, but no matter how many years I spend at this castle, there's still a great deal that remains new to me. I came from a Shadow World with very little in the way of technology.

[theminotaur]

[ she curls her fingers around the bullet, but doesn't put it back in her pocket, nor does she load it into the rifle. ] It's alright, I'm used to questions. [ thnx jack and freddie. ] You can keep asking stuff, if you want.

[trebond]

I'll settle for your name, if you're giving it.

[theminotaur]

I'm Abigail. [ she smiles slightly, tiny and fragile, but she knows how it's done, being polite. ] Abigail Hobbs.

[trebond]

Beautiful name, Abigail. I'm Alanna. [ she returns the smile with a beaming one of her own. alanna does nothing by halves. ] Of Trebond, though it's not quite a last name so much as a fief. [ there weren't really last names in tortall. that's the closest she had, so it had become her legal name in this world. ] How long have you been with us?

[theminotaur]

[ all of the color drains from her face and her pale eyes grow huge at the sound of the redhead's name. she knows alanna has said something else, but she can't quite get a grasp on it, hands starting to tremble. alana. all she can see is the familiar dark hair, confusion and betrayal etched across her features. alana. the bullet tumbles out of her hand and clatters against the floor as she reflexively backs up. ]

[trebond]

Abigail?

[ she takes a step forward, reaching for the girl's arm, brow furrowing. ]

Are you okay?

[theminotaur]

[ swallowing, she shakes her head before it turns into a nod. after a deep breath she manages to get a handle on herself, stooping to retrieve the bullet to fluidly get out of alanna's grasp while she schools her features into something more neutral. a for effort kiddo. ]

I used to know someone with that name. Sorry. [ she stands and pockets the bullet. ]

[trebond]

Used to? I'm—I'm sorry, did she not come through the Veil with you? [ alanna doesn't really know what else to ask; abigail is obviously shaken, no matter how she tries to disguise it now. alanna drops her hand to her side, pressing her lips together. ]

[theminotaur]

No, it's not that. [ she shakes her head again. ] No. I've... I've been here a couple weeks. [ that's what she'd asked before, right? even if it's not, abigail is struggling to claw her way to something she can talk about. ] Nearly three. I'm supposed to be squired on the first.

[trebond]

Oh, you haven't been squired yet? Well, you should be the one asking me questions.

[theminotaur]

I don't-- I can never think of anything to ask.

[trebond]

Well, if you do think of anything, you're free to come find me. There's no hurry.

[theminotaur]

Thanks. [ she manages to lift her lips in a semblance of a smile. she's trying, son. trying so hard. ]

[trebond]

You are more than welcome.

[ she watches abigail for a moment longer, then glances back at the lane she'd been firing down. ]

I'm all but ready to wrap up here, if you'd like to show me how that one works, or we could go to the kitchens for some tea.