[open-ish post!]

[ravkanwitch]

Nina's been wearing more modern clothing recently - especially after she figured out the solution to her bone knife dilemma, a holstered rigging that she can wear either on her upper arms or her legs. And after her encounter with The Darkling, she's been wearing them more blatantly and currently has them strapped to her upper arms, on top of her shirt.

She's found a couple of revolvers similar to what she was used to shooting with Jesper* and set up some empty bottles in a makeshift shooting range as far away from the mansion as she can. Yesterday, she sent both Janet and Laertes a note with the location and time, hoping they can easily find her.

Nina is frowning. She just fired a test bullet and it zipped right between two bottles.

*Instead of a Zemeni revolve with inlaid pearl, it's probably closest to a Colt Single Action revolver with six bullets, where you reload it with a cartridge rather than single bullets in the cylinder.

Comments

[sorrowandsorrow]

Normally, Janet instinctively chafes at taking orders from anyone, no matter how trivial. But Nina? She likes Nina, an incredibly pleasant surprise. She's reminded of the pleasant surprise of realizing she liked Poppy after all.

"Yes, ma'am," Janet says, only a little teasing. She does as she's told for once, squaring her stance and taking a deep breath. She pictures the Beast, then she pictures Umber. She clicks off the safety, she aims, she fires.

It's not a perfect shot, but it lands close enough, and the bottle shatters.

[timebethine]

"Well done!" says Laertes, turning to her with a grin. "If you would glory in your superiority, you will never have a better chance." Then he returns his attention to the bottles, gazing at them for a few long breaths before he raises the gun in both hands and thumbs the safety off.

He trains his gaze on both notches, focus drifting first close, then far. One breath, and then another.

He does not permit himself to imagine a face there, for fear of what he might see.

The bullet digs a notch in the top of the fencepost and shatters the bottle from its thick base upwards.

[ravkanwitch]

Nina turns the safety of her revolver back on and carefully sets it down, lightly clapping her hands.

“Are we ready to take down a horde of volcra? Maybe not. Maybe if they were grounded and also blinded. But you both improved!” Her tone is happy, proud.

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet smiles, despite herself. She even tips a few seconds of that smile toward Laertes before it's gone. "That felt pretty good. Good thinking, Nina."

[timebethine]

Clicking the safety back on, Laertes grins at them both. He wants to jump and scream--Did you see that? Did you see it shatter?--but he tamps down the wild energy boiling inside him. "I've never yet been steered wrong by thine advice. Thank thee, Nina. Truly, thou art a queen among women. And you, Janet--you are a diamond among queens."

[ravkanwitch]

Amidst her worries about "Yuri" and the issue of the jurda parem that is constantly in the back of her mind, Nina feels a little happiness bubbling up inside of her. "I will defer to Queen Janet if needed," she says diplomatically, solemnly, "but my royal decree is that we all go inside for a snack now. I'm starving."