christina wants to go home (canada; freezes time) (freezeframes) wrote in invol_rpg, @ 2013-01-04 16:41:00 |
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“It’s funny,” Leigh said quietly, “when you’re a petite girl, people seem surprised to learn you can do things like shoot a gun.” She was standing on the outskirts of the rescue group, waiting to be dismissed by Rathbone and the other officers in charge. Finding Astrid and Vanessa had been a small success for the American team, but search and rescue efforts were being adjusted and improved after the debriefing following their recoveries. Glancing sideways, Leigh gave Chris a crooked little smile to punctuate her comment. She didn’t know the other girl very well, but she thought Chris might appreciate the sentiment, especially since they were on a rescue team with guys like Sam, Vic, and Omar. It wasn’t hard to be overlooked, especially in a testosterone-fueled pissing contest. Leigh never said that out loud, though. Besides, she knew very well that the students with defensive powers would pick up the slack in useful ways. She could withstand tear gas, smoke, and extreme temperatures. She could shoot a gun. Granted, she’d only used a gun during target practice and game hunting, but she could use one, which was more than some people could say. “Or maybe,” she added lightly, “that’s just outside of Montana.” Chris appreciated that not everyone on the rescue team was who you’d stereotypically expect - a few smaller girls, and even a hippie, which she didn’t expect most militaries had much of. Her power was definitely what qualified her for the team, as she didn’t have any extraordinary strength or skills, but she was glad to be included on the merits of her power anyways. “You learned how to shoot at home?” she asked, racking her brain to confirm the idea that Leigh was from Montana. Her power had something to do with adapting to her environment, she thought, though she wasn’t entirely sure how it worked. “I only just learned this year. In the... the dreams, really,” she said, never entirely sure how to refer to that experience. “I’m not really good, but I learned how to handle one, at least? How long have you known?” “Mmhm.” Leigh nodded, ponytail bouncing behind her. “My dad loves to hunt. He took us out when we were young.” Militarized training was different, of course. Leigh had picked up bad habits, apparently, including some issues with trigger control, her sight picture, and alignment. They were techniques she’d learned without giving much thought to them, and some of them she’d picked up naturally - using Kentucky Windage to aim at a target, for instance - but the trainers here expected her to readjust her gun mechanically. There was no room for mistakes. It was a pain in the ass, and she grumbled internally every time she was corrected, but she was still a decent shot. That made her proud. “Did you really? Jimmy used a gun in the dreamscape, too. That was just...” She shook her head. The dreamscape had been crazy, but the kidnappings had instilled a new sense of fear, especially since Providence had already died. “Anyway, if you can handle one, that’s a good start. And your aim will get better with practice. Especially here, with the boys-” --Sam-- “-and Rathbone breathing down our necks.” She scrunched her brows together as she tried to recall when she’d started shooting with her dad. “I was eleven, I think? Maybe twelve. But that’s pretty common in Montana.” “Wow, eleven,” Chris said, suitably impressed. She didn’t really know anyone back home who had a gun, though she expected that life in Montana was probably different from life in suburban Toronto. All she really knew about Montana she’d learned from movies and this conversation. “Was it for hunting, then, that you learned?” She tried to think of what there might be to hunt in Montana - probably not bears, but maybe deer? Deer hunting seemed like an American thing to do. Or antelope or some other North American animal. “Mostly,” said Leigh. “I mean, my dad keeps a few guns for self defense in case of disaster, but it’s mostly hunting. Deer or elk and sometimes turkey.” She paused. “Although honestly? Once I was older I wanted to go to the mall instead.” She looked at Chris, expression perking with interest. “Your power would make hunting really easy. Once you spotted the animal, anyway. All that extra time to aim and fire is nice.” And it was especially nice in terms of rescue efforts. Leigh had already developed an appreciation for other vol powers, but using them as a team - for a purpose - was invigorating. They could find the others. They would. “Yeah,” Chris said, nodding a little enthusiastically. “Actually, I think that’s what helped me learn. Like, if my only options were shooting moving zombies, that was pretty intimidating - I’d have just run. But once I could freeze them...” she shrugged. “It was a lot easier. Same with the kids at the end. So I kind of hope that I can use it in the field. If I have the opportunity, at least.” “But,” she started, and then hesitated for a moment before continuing, “since you’ve been doing it so much longer than me, if you have any suggestions or advice, I’d be open to it? I mean, I know there are other people I could ask, but, I don’t know, some of them are kind of intimidating sometimes?” “I hope you can use it in the field, too,” said Leigh. She had winced as Chris described shooting zombies and children, but really, incapacitating kidnappers had more purpose -- maybe it would be easier. “Your power will be a real asset.” Sometimes she wondered if everyone appreciated each other’s powers enough. Willingness to let other teammates take the reins was what made a rescue effort really work. Occasionally -- well, more than occasionally -- Leigh thought people got too wrapped up in their own powers. (And mostly, she thought it was the boys. Girls were more inclined to work together. Sometimes she thought the military had a chain of command so that guys were forced to listen to someone else rather than split off in a dozen different directions to do their own things.) “Yeah.” She fixed Chris with a knowing look. “They’re intimidating all right.” She thought for a long moment, recalling all the tips she’d ever been given. “Gun safety--but it’s not like they haven’t drilled that into our heads. It’s easy to get panicked and shoot quickly at something, too, but always place your shot. You can even buy yourself extra time for that, so take advantage. And even after you’ve shot your first round, don’t drop your placement. You might need to shoot again.” She paused, then offered, “If you ever want to do target shooting, I’d be happy to go with you.” “Yours too,” Chris said, nodding. “Really, we have a lot of good powers in the group - I think we have a good chance,” she said optimistically. Already some of them had proven helpful during the rescue for Astrid and Vanessa, so hopefully they’d continue to be with what was left to come. At the offer of target shooting she perked up a bit, nodding. “I’d really like that. After dinner maybe? Or tomorrow? I figure the more practice I can get in, the better, really. And I’d much rather with you, especially since you seem to know what you’re doing. More than I do, at least.” “How about both?” suggested Leigh. She hoped Jimmy wouldn’t mind her spending more time in training, but time was ticking down and they needed to be as prepared as possible. “I could use the extra practice, too. Our chances will be even better then, right?” She smiled, internally willing it to be true. “Yeah, definitely,” Chris said, copying Leigh’s optimism and confidence. More practice meant they get better. Getting better meant they improved their chances of succeeding. And that was really why they were here, wasn’t it? “I’ll catch you after dinner then. And... thanks. I appreciate it.” |