the coldness runs through my veins you know my name || OPEN

[unhand]

WHO || Hook and WHOEVER'S HANGING AROUND THE CASTLE
WHAT || Playing with guns
WHERE || Shooting range
WHEN || 2/28 daytime
HOW || WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT.

♬ Chris Cornell - You Know my Name

Hook still was getting used to this new world. He hadn't given up his usual black leather apparel, and he hadn't gone for some sort of new fake hand that may have been more functional or at least more normal looking than the hook.

What he had gotten used to was guns.

The Excalibur Pistol was simple enough to use, and amazingly powerful for such a little thing. Hook had decided pretty quickly that he liked it.

He leveled it at the target and shot. It clipped the edge of the target (atk 9). He frowned, readjusting the pistol. As simple a thing as it was, it seemed it would actually need some work for him to get actually good at using it. No matter, he had time to spare. He readjusted his gun and shot again (atk 11). It hit the target. Outer edge, but not bad for a man from a world where these things don't exist.

He held up the gun again, aiming carefully. Unbidden, he thought of Gold, the man Emma said he wanted to kill.

He pulled the trigger. The bullet sank into the dead center of the target (atk 23).

Well, now. Maybe he could get the hang of this thing after all.

Comments

[uncurse]

"You don't have much sense of a lot of things," Emma returned scathingly, because he wasn't known for his ability to be sensitive, and that much was even more clear now. Whether Faye would be bothered or not, he obviously hadn't cared enough to ask and confirm that she wouldn't be slighted that she was a stand-in for another. "And I'm still not interested." Because, newsflash, Hook: this is not the way to make her change her mind on that.

[unhand]

"So I'll still seek other companionship." He shot her an annoyed look. "Shouldn't you be pleased I'm going after other women? Instead of finding every possible excuse to disapprove." Yes, the fact that they had sex in her bed is definitely an excuse.

[uncurse]

"I don't care what other women you go after, just don't chase them into my bed!"

Genuine offense entered her retort, because it wasn't even a matter of jealousy at this point. It was honest-to-God bafflement that he wasn't seeing the real root of the issue here, because he wanted so badly to believe it did have something to do with jealousy.

[unhand]

"That was an honest mistake. Wouldn't have done it in there if I knew it was yours." Admittedly, he hadn't much time trying to figure out whose room it was once Faye got him there. He was a bit distracted, really.

[uncurse]

"How reassuring," there was sourness in the way she said it, but she just rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned away from him to once more look down range. "Get lost. Find someone else to teach you; I'm not interested."

[unhand]

"Emma..." There was a certain vulnerable note in his voice. A note he didn't often let through, and one he certainly didn't want to let slip now either. But he also didn't want Emma to be mad at him.

He'd made the wrong move at the party. He wasn't certain how he thought things would play out, if he thought Emma would get jealous and prove she wanted him, or more likely, he hadn't thought much at all past pretty girl. Whatever it was, he was pretty sure it hadn't been worth it.

"I don't know what you expect of me."

[uncurse]

The sound of his voice crept under her skin, gnawing at her reason. It was the same tone he'd used when he demanded to know, couldn't possibly understand, why she was leaving him behind on the beanstalk. When she'd hurt him, and given him cause to hurt her back.

"Right now, I mostly expect you to walk away."

She kept her voice even, but she couldn't stop herself from looking at him. She didn't want to see the look in his eyes. Didn't want to dare touching the vulnerability because it'd only bring her closer to him and lessen her resolve. It had been hard enough leaving him up there, but it'd been the right call. She had to believe that.

Except she couldn't avoid that closeness entirely, because her words had an added meaning she hadn't meant to slip through. That was the whole problem. He was too much like Neal, too stark a reminder. And she just kept expecting he'd turn around and walk away one day, too. That expectation continued to hold her back.

[unhand]

Instead, he moved closer, lowering his voice to hide some of the vulnerability. "Suppose you've made that all too clear. Too bad for you, I excel at being unexpected."

He turned slightly, aiming his gun at her target while still standing far too close to her. He squeezed the trigger. It was a good shot (atk 18), thudding hard into the target near the center. Then he looked back at her.

"Besides, I was here first."

[uncurse]

Her eyes followed the shot down range, and she assessed it for a moment before looking back at him.

"Looks to me like you don't need a teacher." It was a non-sequitur, but she wasn't going to bother with his closeness and his bedroom voice or addressing anything he'd said in it. It all meant letting him set the terms for the conversation, which Emma had no intention of doing. She surveyed him, eyes raking over his body, then she grabbed her gun and stuffed it into a holster at her hip.

[unhand]

He couldn't help smiling a little at the compliment, but he still didn't back up.

"You're changing the subject." And apparently running away, if her holstering her gun meant anything.

[uncurse]

"I'm getting rid of the subject." She offered a tight-lipped smile and gave him one final look, then turned to head for the exit of the range. If he wasn't going to leave, she would, and she'd return later.

[unhand]

"You're avoiding the subject!" He called after her. But he didn't follow. She could run away, but he was hardly going to let her do it gracefully. Not without calling her on it.