Astarion looks over at her hand and nods approvingly.
"You do. Now the arrow -"
He demonstrates, showing her how to nock an arrow and line up the
fletching. Then he draws.
"Bring your arm horizontal - it'll feel unnatural at first," is he
remembering that? Has he overheard other people say it while teaching, more
recently? He has no recollection of learning how to do this. "You get used
to it. Aim down the shaft. At longer distances you'll have the arc of the
arrow to think about, but that can come with time."
It is not, in the end, so different from her rifle; figuring for windspeed, distance, gravity. For movement of the target, and imperfections in the material. The calculations will be much different and she has no idea how to do that yet, but the mechanics are the same.
She levels her arm, draws back the arrow, and sets her sight line. She asks, "Do the purple ones explode?" and lets fly at one accordingly not too far away, large enough not to miss, close enough she's sure of that.
Astarion shakes his head; the purple ones do not explode. And she doesn't
do badly for a first shot with a new weapon, skimming a chunk out of the
fungus.
He nods his approval.
"Very nice. If that was an animal, you'd have at least annoyed it."
"That's what I do," she chuckles, "Annoy, at the very least."
She pulls another arrow, sets it up from memory this time and tips her hands towards him for approval on her grip before pulling the string back again for her shot.
"Longbows, shortbows, and hand crossbows - though I prefer the former," he
admits, holding up his own weapon. "This was a gift, actually. It has the
Belmont crest etched into it because that bloodline is cursed to think
they're funny."
"Just a second, though. I've chosen to limit my dealings with Richter to baiting his ancestor by threatening to sleep with him," Astarion says lightly, and aims his next arrow at an orange mushroom. This one does explode, and sets off a bit of a chain reaction with those around it, but it's far enough away that it just looks impressive.
She doesn't jump - doesn't startle - but the explosion has her attention immediately, catching her by surprise and putting her on alert. When she connects the dots though she's able to just watch and appreciate both the distance and the chain reaction.
"Nice," she mutters, and shares her head. "Was that decision made before or after he gave you a bow with a crest on it?"
"And you're still using it," she points out drily. She's not precious enough to clutch pearls at a bribe, nor keeping a useful resource, so she smirks.
"I need to talk to him about the sword. We'll see if what I said before stuck, but. Hoping is how you let people disappoint you."
"I can use a machete just fine, and it's not like I can't work out how to get by, but it's not the same. Also, I want to see if he understood what I was pissed about or if he just knows instinctively when to use the puppy eyes."
"Diplomatic is not something I've ever been called," she chuckles. She can be the person in the group most willing to give others a chance sometimes, but no, diplomacy is not her strong suit.
"I'm not afraid to put in the work. I have a... friend... back home that uses a crossbow. He'll have ammo long past when the bullets run out."
"I want to learn to make whatever I can," she admits, firing another arrow, trying to move a little faster this time and paying for it by going wide. Her next one goes slower again.
"No one back home does this anymore. I don't know where to find a store that might have one, so. I need to make the bow, and the arrows."
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His grip is a little different than she's learned, though, and she's quick to make adjustments to match, her hands arranged the same as his.
"Okay. Got it."
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Astarion looks over at her hand and nods approvingly.
"You do. Now the arrow -"
He demonstrates, showing her how to nock an arrow and line up the fletching. Then he draws.
"Bring your arm horizontal - it'll feel unnatural at first," is he remembering that? Has he overheard other people say it while teaching, more recently? He has no recollection of learning how to do this. "You get used to it. Aim down the shaft. At longer distances you'll have the arc of the arrow to think about, but that can come with time."
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She levels her arm, draws back the arrow, and sets her sight line. She asks, "Do the purple ones explode?" and lets fly at one accordingly not too far away, large enough not to miss, close enough she's sure of that.
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Astarion shakes his head; the purple ones do not explode. And she doesn't do badly for a first shot with a new weapon, skimming a chunk out of the fungus.
He nods his approval.
"Very nice. If that was an animal, you'd have at least annoyed it."
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She pulls another arrow, sets it up from memory this time and tips her hands towards him for approval on her grip before pulling the string back again for her shot.
"How many different kinds of bows can you use?"
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"Longbows, shortbows, and hand crossbows - though I prefer the former," he admits, holding up his own weapon. "This was a gift, actually. It has the Belmont crest etched into it because that bloodline is cursed to think they're funny."
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"Richter?"
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"Richter," he confirms. Trevor gave him a sword? Very strange. "Did he give you a deadly weapon, as well?"
He nocks an arrow and aims high, spearing through a narrow stalactite and sending it plunging into the darkness.
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She pauses, listening for the stalactite to hit, lips curving slightly.
"I've been annoyed with him though, and it took a while to make it to me. Deadly weapon and all. I haven't tried to talk to him about it."
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"Is this about his collusion with - ugh, I don't know his name. The annoying self-righteous one with the hair."
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She's too used to focusing past annoyances so her aim doesn't go wide, but she does fire sooner than she might have.
"He was being an ass. But he did eventually seem to at least listen for a second."
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"Just a second, though. I've chosen to limit my dealings with Richter to baiting his ancestor by threatening to sleep with him," Astarion says lightly, and aims his next arrow at an orange mushroom. This one does explode, and sets off a bit of a chain reaction with those around it, but it's far enough away that it just looks impressive.
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"Nice," she mutters, and shares her head. "Was that decision made before or after he gave you a bow with a crest on it?"
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"I honestly don't remember. It wouldn't have made any difference, anyway, I'm not that easily bribed."
Not that he sounds in the least bit offended - or like he can't be bribed at all.
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"I need to talk to him about the sword. We'll see if what I said before stuck, but. Hoping is how you let people disappoint you."
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"Oh, I try to avoid that altogether," Astarion agrees. "What is it about the sword that requires a conversation?"
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"I can use a machete just fine, and it's not like I can't work out how to get by, but it's not the same. Also, I want to see if he understood what I was pissed about or if he just knows instinctively when to use the puppy eyes."
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"Exceedingly diplomatic of you. Unnecessarily so, one might say, but I suppose I can appreciate a need for closure."
He takes aim at another stalactite and releases.
"...Your aim will improve over time, by the way. Some bows can have sights attached, I believe, but instinct will serve you better."
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"I'm not afraid to put in the work. I have a... friend... back home that uses a crossbow. He'll have ammo long past when the bullets run out."
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Astarion nods.
"And if you can learn how to make arrows, you'll have as many as you can find sticks and sharp stones to make them with. Ideal, really."
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"No one back home does this anymore. I don't know where to find a store that might have one, so. I need to make the bow, and the arrows."
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"A useful skill for yourself, and a marketable one in your dealings with others," Astarion agrees. "Especially when the bullets run out, as you say."
He draws back and looses an arrow at another purple, non-explosive fungus.
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She glances over at him after firing again herself, hitting this time. "Can I bring you some prototypes? See what you think?"
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"Of course, darling. I've had to lay my hands on some absolute trash when I've been in a bind, so I have a feel for good and bad both."