Fandom High School

The Danger Shop was in its usual setup when the students came in - targets and bows and Clint with his arms, oh my - and Clint looked like he'd almost caught up on his jet lag. Thank goodness the weekend was coming.

"I don't know about you guys, but the end of this session kind of snuck up on me," Clint said as everyone filed in. "I'm not going to make you take a final or anything, so just keep practicing like you've been doing. Try to challenge yourself if you want to and if you need any help, I'm right here."

Clint's smile might have looked a little forced this morning but it couldn't be helped. He was trying to project an aura of good mood though, and there was one foolproof way for him to do that. If he wasn't going to be around for a while--or at all anymore, depending on how his mission went--at least he had the chance to leave these kids with something useful to think about.

"So, I'm sure you guys have noticed by now that sometimes this place gets hit with weird stuff," he said. "I wish I could prepare you for every possible thing that might come along, but I can't. I can, however, introduce you to the idea of having a creative arsenal." For this, Clint grabbed his own quiver and a duffel bag, holding them out for everyone to see. "In my line of work--the one that's not here, I mean--I never know what I'm going to run into, so I've got to have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. That means having an arrow for just about everything, and when I say everything, I mean everything," he said, showing them the contents of the bag before pulling out some of his favorite arrows to show off. Oh boomerang arrow, he'd have a use for you someday.

When he was done talking, he left everything out for the students. "I want you to come up with a kind of trick arrow that might be useful for you, and then you can try out any of these that aren't explosive or sonic." Just because he was fleeing, that didn't mean he wanted to get fired.

If anyone had told Clint, when he first got to Fandom, that he'd be looking forward to teaching, he probably wouldn't have believed it. And yet here he was, counting heads to make sure everyone was accounted for as the students filed into the Danger Shop. He'd gotten pretty good at the controls over the last few weeks, and had what he considered his standard setup going - a sunny outdoor field--with much cooler weather than whatever was actually going on outside--with a row of targets lined up and a table of bows and quivers.

"Hey folks, welcome to archery," he said once everyone was there. "I'm Clint Barton, and it's really nice to have you here. I know you're probably tired of introducing yourself but I do want to make sure I learn your names. So, let me know who you are and why you decided to take this class, and maybe how much experience you have, if any. If you already know what you're doing, feel free to take some time to practice. If not, I can help you get started."

"I don't know about you guys, but the end of this summer session kind of snuck up on me," Clint said as everyone filed into the Danger Shop and got set up with their bows. "I'm not going to make you take a final or anything next week, so just keep practicing like you've been doing. Try to challenge yourself if you want to and if you need any help, I'm right here."

Honestly, watching them was getting to be a lot of fun. Who knew that could happen?

Today's class was set up the same as last week's with everything the students might need to practice shooting, but there was also a table set up with some paper and markers.

"Practicing anything over and over the same way can get kind of boring," Clint said, "so when it comes to shooting, you've got to find ways to change things up. One way is to give yourself something specific to shoot at, like a picture of someone or something you don't like." He grinned and motioned to the table. "Draw yourself a special target, tack it up to the regular target, and see if that helps you improve."

When the students arrived in the Danger Shop today, they'd find a row of targets set up, some further away than others, along with the bows from last week, and arrows! Gosh, Clint loved arrows.

"Hey guys. This is probably the most talking I'll do all summer, but it's also really important," he said. "If you already know how to shoot, congratulations, you've advanced today, and you can go ahead and grab a bow or take your own and go to the far targets. For the rest of you, let's go over some of the basics of shooting."

Clint got everyone lined up in front of the rest of the targets, and went over all the important basics - general safety so they didn't accidentally hurt themselves (he liked the Danger Shop but he still wasn't 100% confident about the technology), the proper stance to take when shooting, and most importantly, how to actually fire an arrow without dropping it.

"I want you to work on your stance and form first," he said when he was done. "Get an armguard and pick a bow you like and practice drawing it until you feel comfortable. Then, if you're feeling up to it, try shooting and see how it goes. I'll be here if you need any help."