the_lawless (the_lawless) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-11-12 21:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 22, gregory blair, leo parker, | greg and leo |
Week 22 - Thursday
Characters: Greg and Leo
Location: Farmstead
Summary: Leo gets distracted from his duties when he spots Greg with his bow and arrow out in the pasture. The two make small talk and Greg gives Leo some welcomed advice.
Rating: PG for minor cursing.
With the weather having taken a turn for the worse, dumping several inches more snow on the ground, Greg had reluctantly abandoned any archery practice atop Gustav. It was just too dangerous for both horse and rider to try and do the maneuvers in this environment, and Gustav was probably the only trained warhorse left in the world considering they hadn’t been numerous even before the plague. No, he’d just have to practice his archery skills on foot until the weather improved.
To that end he’d nailed three targets to trees at the edge of the pasture where he wouldn’t have to worry he might accidentally hit a person or livestock, then paced off seventy five yards. He could hit a target further away, of course, but this was about effective range where if he shot at an animal or person he could be damn sure he’d put them down.
On the other side of the pasture, Leo had been put to work cleaning out the barn, hauling wheelbarrows of manure out into a wooden pit so that it could later be used for fertilizer. As if handling the shovel and wheelbarrow wasn’t already torture on his hands, now he had more snow to contend with. Despite the weather, Leo felt like he was on fire, but fearing any illness that might impair him or make him look weaker in Tom’s eyes, he didn’t dare strip off a single layer of winter gear.
A trail of footprints in an otherwise pristine blanket of white quickly caught his attention, and Leo searched off in the distance. A figure near the treeline, stoic and poised with bow and arrow in hand; it could only be one person. Leo smirked slightly and set the wheelbarrow down. He hadn’t spoken much with Greg since they’d arrived at the farm house, which was unfortunate because Greg was one of the few who had no reason to harbor any sort of resentment toward him. Casually, Leo made his way across the field.
Thwack! A third arrow joined its two predecessors on a single target, and Greg was already pulling a fourth from the quiver to send toward the others when he noticed Leo’s approach out of the corner of his eye. The Chevalier lowered the bow and turned toward the other man, nodding. “Leo.”
The two men hadn’t talked much since the two groups had merged just prior to Christmas the week before. Greg had meant to check on him in the time in between, but time had slipped away from him. “How are you?”
Leo nodded a silent greeting and tugged off his gloves, shoving them in his pockets so that he could breathe hot air on his numb fingers. His attention lingered for a long time on the target, quilled now with three arrows. He loved the sound that the arrows made as they whirred through the air, and even more so he loved the sound of their impact. They hit with such finality; so unlike a bullet.
“I couldn’t complain,” Leo finally answered. Really, he couldn’t. Even if he had something to complain about, he’d keep it to himself. But that was nothing new. “Are you staying here, then? Through to Spring?” Greg had only briefly discussed whether or not he would stick around, before they’d arrived, but Leo believed he’d have to be a mad man to leave this place just when winter was really turning ugly.
Greg hesitated at Leo’s question. Part of him wanted to do just that, with so many people being cooped up under one roof it made him restless. Yet this place was warm and dry, and had plenty of food. It would be good to keep the horses someplace where they weren’t having to struggle to survive over the course of the winter as well. Besides all that there was one more reason for him to remain...
“I suppose I will.” He said at last. “At least until the spring thaw.”
“I’m glad.” Leo’s smile was slight, but earnest. He slid his gloves back on and took a step back, gesturing for the other man to continue what he was doing. “Never shot one of those things before,” he admitted. Gazing out toward the target, it was obvious in his expression that Leo was impressed by Greg’s marksmanship. “You long you been.... you know... shooting arrows and riding horses and all that?”
With Leo a step back Greg refocused his attention on the target. “I’ve been practicing archery almost as long as I have the sword, since High School.” He judged the wind and notched an arrow before raising the bow up, aiming high and to the right. “As for horses,” the string was swiftly drawn back in a smooth motion until the feathers on the shaft were next to his ear, then released “my parents had me riding almost before I could walk.”
The arrow swiftly made its way toward the second target, shooting up into sky then arcing downward to impact the wood board with a solid thwak!. Leo had been holding his breath since the moment Greg had pulled the bowstring back and let the arrow fly, as though the slightest sound would derail the arrow’s course. He exhaled a sigh at the moment of impact, eyes narrowed slightly in peaked interest and the corners of his mouth were very subtly quirked upward.
With his hands in his pockets he looked to Greg, offering him a small smile and a half-nod. “Nice shot,” Leo almost whispered. The soft white snow around them seemed to muffle the other noises on the farm and a raised voice suddenly would have seemed intrusive. Jarring.
“Thank you,” Greg replied seriously, a slight smile crossing his face at the compliment. “It takes plenty of practice to stay this good, and I shall need to work on my mounted archery skills again once the weather breaks. Trying to shoot from a moving horse is much more difficult.”
He turned to the other man. “And how are you settling in? Are people accepting you back?”
“Not especially,” Leo answered honestly. If only to avoid looking Greg in the eyes, he stared out toward the arrow ridden target in the distance. He tried to stay in good humor, but his expression had sobered considerably within a few second. “But I haven’t been thrown out on my ass, so I guess that’s a start. If it wasn’t for Walker, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been allowed to set foot anywhere near this place.”
“Then you’ll have to let actions speak instead of words it seems.” Greg frowned somewhat at the other man’s words, and turned to send another arrow racing to its target before returning his attention to Leo. “It hasn’t even been a week yet, hopefully they will accept you once more time has passed and you’ve proved your value to the group. How is young Jamie adjusting to being back among everyone again? I don’t see him shadowing you today.”
Leo nodded, the mention of Walker allowing that ghostly smile to return to his face. “He’s very happy.” Really, in the end, that’s what appeared to matter most to the man. “It’s too cold for him out here. The doctor said he needs to stay warm and dry. His feet weren’t in the best of shape.” Leaning against a stray wooden fence post, Leo stared at the ground. “He’s busy visiting, anyhow.”
“And what about you?” Greg privately thought that if the boy were in bad enough shape to need to stay indoors then Leo was probably worse off. “Have you been following Dr. Smith’s instructions? I’d hate to see you have problems with your hands and feet long term.”
With a little shrug, Leo glanced briefly at Greg. “Between you and me, the doctor’s instructions and Tom’s instructions sorta clash.” It was an obvious choice --though maybe not a rational one-- whose instructions would be more adhered to, in Leo’s mind. “But I’ll be fine. I’ve managed through worse,” he added. “We all have.”
“Tom seems a reasonable man.” Greg frowned. “If you explained to him what Dr. Smith told you do you really think he’d hold it against you?” It didn’t quite jibe with what he’d gathered about the man from interactions with him and others.
“No.” Leo shook his head and scowled a little at nothing in particular. “But how am I supposed to ‘prove my value’ to everyone when I’m laid up ‘cause my hands hurt.” He nearly rolled his eyes at the prospect, his excuse sounded that pathetic and ridiculous. Imagined what some of the others would say. What would they think? There was obviously a pride issue involved here, too.
“I don’t really have a whole lot to offer these people. I’m not a doctor, can’t cook or build anything...I-I can’t shoot a moving target from a moving horse with a bow and arrow,” he gestured vaguely in Greg’s direction. His tone shifted then, growing quiet and defeated like it was before. “Workin’ hard, and doing what I’m told... that’s all I’ve got right now.”
“You think they really value a skill they haven’t seen?” Greg challenged, turning to give Leo his full attention. “Shooting an arrow from a horse isn’t as important as being able to help construct a building or just contribute to keeping everyone alive. Yes I have unique skills, but my ability to stand a watch and work hard when the situation requires it is what they value.”
He put a hand on the man’s shoulder and looked at him intently. “They’ll come around given time, once they see you’ve been pulling your share and contributing to the common good. But you have to see to your own health at the same time before you suffer permanent damage. If you let yourself go too much then you might cut your value to the group and run out of the time you need to prove yourself again.” He could easily see Tom’s hand being forced, the man being new to his position and the situations still fluid. If Leo let himself go to the point where he became a liability, there might not be any choice in the matter as to whether he stayed or went.
Initially, Leo had tensed as he felt the weight of Greg’s hand on his shoulder, but he never pulled away like he might have had it been anyone else. If anything, the reassuring contact was encouragement for him to meet the other man’s gaze, if only for a moment. Maybe Greg was right. The winter wasn’t going to be over with any time soon, and the cold would likely only get worse before it got any better. Leo nodded --thoughtfully at first-- before he finally found his voice again. “Okay,” he nodded again, as though confirming himself. “I’ll think about that.”
“Good.” The word was spoken quietly and confidently, and Greg dropped the hand away from the other man’s shoulder. “If you need a hand with things, say the word and I shall gladly assist you.”
“Okay,” Leo repeated. A slight, subtle smile returned to his face, one that seemed to reflect Greg’s confidence, and he nodded one last time. Though, he wasn’t sure which was worse: confessing he couldn’t do something, or asking for help? It seemed that he’d have to make that choice sooner than later.
“I’d better get back to work.” Straightening himself out, Leo turned and headed back toward the barn, pausing to glance over his shoulder to one of the targets. “Maybe one day you can show me how to shoot,” Leo suggested, a hopeful tone to his voice.
“Start working on your upper body strength then,” Greg replied as he nodded his agreement. “These type of bows look slight, but they are powerful and require a good deal of strength to pull. We’ll talk about it soon.” A smile and a slight wave and the chevalier returned to his archery practice.