fandomhigh | How To Shoot Straight, Monday

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gun range

How To Shoot Straight, Monday

"Your trip is next week," Atton said. "So I think this is as good a time as any to end the block on handguns."

They were in the gun range again. He was waving at... guns, yes.

"I want you guys to team up," he said. "One of you has to get the gun, go through all of the safety measures we've talked about, and score at least twenty-five points on the moving targets at the back of the range. The other one takes notes about their point score and whether they're doing everything correctly. Yes, you're allowed to correct each other, and if the other person does it right the second time, they pass. If the other person then behaves like a stubborn idiot and does it wrong anyway, they lose points."

He clapped his hands.

The little round targets at the back of the range - some marked '1 point', some '5 points', and occasionally, one '10 points' - started moving from side to side.

"When you're done, swap places. Okay, go."

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"Oh, um." Ringo was only sort of sure she'd heard him say to take notes, and even if he had, maybe she'd misunderstood, so she just shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe I misheard him? I mean," she managed a little smile, "I'm sure you're right. I'll just keep score."

Alluka frowned slightly.

"Are you okay, Ringo?"

Ringo had to reach up and feel her face to make sure she was smiling. And she was.

"Sure," she said, trying to sound bright rather than, well, slightly off. "I mean, why wouldn't I be?" After all, you weren't supposed to have nightmares or trouble sleeping after you went and rescued your senpai, right?

That was completely unconvincing--especially with having to check her smile.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Alluka said, watching Ringo. "And, and it's okay if you're not."

A beat.

"Let's head to the range."

The walk over to the range was quiet as Ringo thought about what Alluka had said. She'd tried to put up a front so that she wouldn't worry her friend, but it seemed that that wasn't working and she'd ended up worrying her anyway.

So, well, maybe it would be okay to talk about it, then? She kind of felt like she needed to.

It wasn't until they'd almost reached their destination that she spoke again. "I guess I'm, um, you know, not that okay."

Alluka glanced at her.

"I guessed that," she said. "Um, um, can I help?"

"I don't know," Ringo admitted with an attempt at a grateful smile.

"Do you, um, know of a good way to deal with nightmares?"

Alluka's nightmares had never been dealt with by anyone but her, locked in her room, by herself.

This was possibly not a conversation she was equipped to have.

"I think... I think you're supposed to talk about what's causing them," she said slowly.

"Oh."

But.

"With, um, who? I mean," she looked down at her hands. "I don't want to bother anyone." Or worry them.

Though it was kind of too late for that, Ringo.

"With a friend," Alluka said earnestly.

Though, but, Ringo didn't seem to be comfortable with that.

"Or... Or Papa Hannibal counsels people," she said. "I bet if you showed up he'd help you a lot. So, so you wouldn't be bothering anyone because it would be his job to care."

Ringo looked over at Alluka. "But I don't think my friends would want to hear about my nightmares."

She cocked her head. "I mean, would you?" She asked as if the answer was an obvious 'no'.

Alluka blinked at Ringo.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, confused. "It wouldn't be fun, but they're yours and they make you upset. So I want to listen to make you not upset."

Ringo blinked back, clearly surprised.

"Um. Really?"

Come on, Ringo. Why would Alluka lie?

"Yes, really," Alluka said, frowning at her. "You're my friend. Why wouldn't I listen?"

"Um, well, I mean. It's nightmares? And, you know, stuff like that."

It sounded a little stupider when she said it out loud like that.

Poor Atton, getting this conversation in his class while they were meant to be shooting...

"Ringo," Alluka said, "if you want to talk about it, I want to hear it. Because you're my friend. Even if it's not fun to talk about."

"Oh."

Ringo took a moment to process that, a grateful smile slowly spreading over her face.

She looked around. "Um, I'm not sure we should talk about it during class, but can we do it later?"

"That's better!" Alluka said, and beamed at Ringo. "We'll talk later! For now, shooting!"

Alluka actually did like shooting a lot. It was kind of like her ATs, where she was getting pretty good at it, only shooting had been easier to learn for her.

"Thanks." Ringo leaned over for a spontaneous hug for her awesome friend.

"And, yeah. Shooting." She didn't sound particularly excited, but she seemed a lot more comfortable. Ringo probably would have felt similarly to Alluka about the whole thing if she hadn't grown up in a culture that was very wary of firearms.

Alluka did like hugs, so she hugged back.

"I like it," she said, since Ringo didn't seem excited about it. "It's fun trying to hit the targets."

"I think I'm more interested in the way the guns work." The mechanics were interesting, and Ringo had always appreciated well-made machines.

"Though there are some, um, interesting bits to shooting, too?" Even if it still made her feel weird.

"A lot of the put together pieces confuse me," Alluka admitted. "All the parts. But I like knowing it works when I use it."

Ringo grinned, a lot of her nervousness seeming to melt away. At least for the moment. "It's kinda cool that we like different parts, you know? I mean, I think all the little fiddly parts are neat!"

"Maybe that's why you're better at that sort of thing than I am!" she laughed. "I get bored halfway through."

She grinned up at Ringo.

"Should I get ready to shoot?"

Ringo made sure she had a pen ready to record scores, then nodded. "Go for it!"

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