Closed [Training Grounds] Aim For The Snake Eyes (Asen)

[Garland]

"'Course you'd win in an archery contest. I barely know how to hold a bow, let alone fire it. Care to teach me? It'd be a better idea to have someone teach me than leave me to my own devices. I'd probably shoot someone."

"Pfft... I did hit someone, well... almost..." He said, he had almost hit Gunther that one time he was practicing his bowmanship. Well, he was actually hoping to learn how to use a crossbow instead of a regular bow, it seemed easier than the short bow at least.

"Follow me... Next time, I'll win the spar." He said with a small playful grin. "Actually, I'm not at all good with a bow, I just know how to shoot it, not aim it... Though I think I'll be using a weapon I'm not familiar with, so it'll be fair." He said and walked awkwardly away from the ring.

The two of them made their way to a weapons rack where ranged weapons were sorted together. "I'll take the hand crossbow. Take your pick." He said and grabbed said weapon. He took a small quiver of comparatively tiny bolts for the small crossbow.

After Asen had picked her weapon, the two of them had gone to the shooting range, targets were set up in a row with. "Let's start close, does ten meters sound good?" He asked as he took up positions. He raised up his hand and aimed down the sights of his crossbow. It seemed more natural than using a bow, in his opinion. Hopefully that translates how well his skill with this new weapon works.

With a smile, he pulled primed his crossbow and loaded a bolt in it. "I'm ready, are you ready. Cheater~" He said and stuck out his tongue as a jest. "Just don't shoot me in the balls... I don't think I can take another punishment like that."

[Asen]

Asen rolled her eyes at Garland's comment about winning the next spar. It was almost a challenge. In fact, it was a challenge. A promised challenge, that they'd spar again later. She liked the idea of sparring with the same person several times.

She watched her fellow squire walk away from her and towards a weapons rack that held varying types of bows and spears, amongst other projectiles. The half-Dhani's nose crinkled and she squinted at the bows. She had no clue what to pick.

After roughly a chime of indecision, Asen selected what appeared to be a longbow. It was already strung, and about high as her shoulder. She grabbed a quiver of arrows that looked like they were supposed to be fired from the bow.

The mixed blood had a moment of panic and confusion when she tried to carry everything in one hand, then one thing in either hand. She nearly tripped over the bow -- twice, as a matter of fact -- but made it over to her spot next to Garland.

"Sure, ten meters. Y-yeah." She watched the stockier man load a bolt into his crossbow. It was different from a normal bow, obviously, and since she'd never handled a bow before it left her grasping at straws. How am I supposed to put the arrow on the thing?

Asen frowned and inspected an arrow, finding a notch at the end with the fletching. She fitted it to the bowstring in such a way that it would rest on the index finger of her left hand. She curled all of her fingers -- excepting the thumb -- around the bowstring, testing the draw weight. There was resistance, clearly, but she assumed she could pull the string back without straining herself.

"Petch yeah, I'm ready. And besides, if I aim at you I'm probably going to miss." She'd seen her mother and father use bows before, but their daughter had been so young and small when they'd done so. They never taught her how to use one.

It couldn't be that hard, right?

[Garland]

He gave a smile when Asen gave the ready. He looked over to the snake girl and noticed how she held the bow. "If you're right-handed you hold the bow with your left hand and pull the string with your right, just in case you're wondering."

He had a little practice with the hand crossbow, but it was on the field against a horde of Yukmen, but he has no formal training with it, at best, he shot his crossbow into the horde and hoped that it hit something.

He raised up his arm and aimed down the sights at the target. He had a problem with the shortbow, he was just very bad at aiming with that, his arrow would sometimes slowly inches to the side as he aimed and when he fired, sometimes he would misfire and the arrow would fall harmlessly on the ground in front of him.

He pulled the trigger, and the bolt flew off the crossbow and landed squarely on the target, he was no expert and mostly his shot was mostly on luck and the fact that they weren't very far from the target. Though at longer distances, Asen's longbow would easily beat Garland's hand crossbow, then again, if Asen could get an arrow on the bow.

"Beat that, cheater girl~" He said and stepped off to the side to let Asen take a shot. "Don't worry if you don't get it on the first shot, I mean it's pretty hard to use a longbow so close, but it's not really impossible, go ahead and try!"

[Asen]

Right hand, left hand... Okay. I got that much. Asen shifted her hand positions. She watched Garland fire first, and by some luck he managed to hit the center of the target. She noticed his stance, how his legs were placed.

The half-Dhani mimicked his stance, standing with her feet apart. She turned sideways so she was perpendicular to the target. Her brow furrowed. "I guess it's hard."

She lifted the bow and the arrow nearly fell off, but she caught it and rested the shaft on her index finger. Asen fidgeted for a moment, then began pulling the string back. It was far more difficult than she'd anticipated, her muscles already shivering when the bowstring was pulled only halfway.

She grimaced, working through the obstacle. It took another ten ticks, but finally the string was fully drawn. The bow itself was shaking from her strain. The mixed blood closed one eye, thinking it would assist her aim, and pointed the arrowhead towards the target.

Asen released her grip on the bowstring, but not all of her fingers let go at once. Her index finger was the last to lose contact with the string, pulling it to the side, and the arrow flew. It curved to the left instead of flying straight and true.

The arrow made a dull thunk as it sank into the very edge of the target, almost halfway up the shaft. The half-Dhani's spirits sank. "I missed," she murmured with a sigh.

Well, I might as well keep practicing. No point in giving up, eh? she asked herself. Nocking another arrow, she placed the notched end between her index and middle fingers. She drew the string as best as she could, and aimed at the target once more.

[Garland]

"I guess it's hard."

"Yeah its hard!" He said waving his arms in the air. "It takes a lot of practice to even shoot a bow! It's a long and hard process, learning bows!" He said and crossed his arms.

Just as he said those words, a rather young squire, around the age of thirteen, held a large longbow, as high as he was, he looked around nervously and nocked an arrow on the bow and pulled the string back to his chest, and in one expert motion he fired the bow and quickly nocked in another arrow and then fired that.

"Am I doing it right, Ser?" The young squire asked a much older knight which was looking very surprised. The knight just stared in surprise, his mouth agape in shock.

"You are a prodigy!" The knight said in utter shock and happiness. He coughed and crossed his arms. "Continue..."

Garland utterly ignored what had just happened behind him. "Yup, it would take years for anyone to master a bow." He said and nodded at his statement. "Well... I think it would be easier to use a crossbow at close range than a longbow, so I wouldn't hold it against you if you lose~" He said with a smile and pulled back the string on his crossbow and primed the bow, though he didn't notice that the string was loose.

"My turn, if you're done with your shots."

[Asen]

Asen's spirits were lifted by Garland's words, then they sank. There was a kid who was better than her. A kid!

Petchin' failure, I am. Da would be disappointed. I'm fifty-six, fer Siku's sake! I should know how to do this! The half-Dhani kicked herself mentally, staring at the longbow. Another arrow lay nocked on the string, ready to be fired once the halfblood pulled it back.

"Well... I think it would be easier to use a crossbow at close range than a longbow, so I wouldn't hold it against you if you lose~" said the squire next to her. His words sent a spike of anger through her. There was no need to rub it in her face that she was a terrible shot.

"I en't gonna lose. This en't a competition, either. Sparrin', now that was a competition to see who was better at hand-to-hand combat. I've never held a bow before, let alone tried to fire one, so this is just practice. Once I get better, then we can have a competiton."

She shot Garland a poisonous glare, eyes going to his crossbow. The string looked a bit loose. Ach. If it's loose, it en't my problem. It's what 'e gets fer bein' a bucket o' shyke.

Asen adopted a snooty expression. "Yeah, I'm done with my shots. Your turn," she spat. Prick.

[Garland]

He gave a tiny smile, it looks like he was getting under Asen's skin, and this suited Garland, he would be glad to do a bit of teasing with this girl, she seemed fun to just mess around with, though he should be careful, he doubts that she would slip his throat in the night, but it wouldn't stop her from attacking with a bit more ferocity during their spars.

"I en't gonna lose. This en't a competition, either. Sparrin', now that was a competition to see who was better at hand-to-hand combat. I've never held a bow before, let alone tried to fire one, so this is just practice. Once I get better, then we can have a competiton."

He gave a warm smile and pulled up his crossbow and stepped to get ready to shoot. "Consider it a challenge when you get better then." He then aimed his crossbow at the target, while he was aiming he tensed his finger on the trigger, it was enough to shoot the bolt. He hadn't properly aimed yet, and the shot went wild, sending the bolt pass the target, and embedded itself into the wall behind the straw target. "Shyke..." He muttered under his breath, and loaded up another bolt.

"Pfft, that was a fluke... No it wasn't, I should have checked my equipment before I fired, I'm stupid!" He berated himself and tapped his hard noggin a few times. "Bah, sorry if I'm sounding a bit cocky, its... well... Nevermind, Let's continue and such." He primed his crossbow again and made sure that his weapon was properly. "Maybe I gotten off on the wrong foot." He then raised up his crossbow and properly aimed. He fired and the target was hit dead center again. "This is a bit too easy with the crossbow, I'll move down a pace, if that's alright with you." With that he stepped off and let Asen take the floor.

As she readied her weapon Garland decided to strike up a conversation and get to know this girl that kicked him in the family jewels. "Hmm... Where are you from Asen? I've lived here for as long as I can remember. Well, not here at the dorms here, but here in the city here. You don't look like you're use to the cold yet."

[Asen]

The cold had taken effect again. It sank into her bones and settled there, chilling the squire from the inside out. She gave her arms an experimental flap, disappointed in the unresponsiveness. Still, it warmed them up a bit and the girl drifted away in her thoughts while flapping her arms, still holding the longbow. It certainly looked silly. She seemed to be mimicking a chicken.

She watched the stockier squire as he raised the crossbow in one fluid motion, and she could swear she almost felt his muscles move. However, he didn't take the time to aim properly (like she had struggled to do) and fired too soon, the bolt veering wide and thudding into the wall behind the target.

Another shot, and it hit the target's center. Asen looked at it for a moment, then turned her head to squint at Garland. He was a bit too lucky. Still, he scolded himself a bit and stepped away so she could try her hand again.

She took his spot, still flapping her arms. It only warmed her up so much, and she was still shivering. She rubbed her biceps rapidly, then tested the string of the bow again. The half-Dhani nocked an arrow and raised the weapon, beginning the pull of the string.

I'm probably gonna overwork myself an' pull something. Woop-dee-doo, she thought. When the bow was fully drawn she held it for a moment, then released the string.

The arrow missed just as Garland's had, sinking into the wall behind the target once more. Asen let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. In a fit of frustration she kicked the ground, barely catching the other squire's question.

"Riverfall. I'm from Riverfall. That's south, where it's warmer? Yeah. That's where I'm from. Any other questions?" she hissed at him. He'd gotten under her skin and he deserved the sarcastic tone her words held.

[Garland]

She really seemed cold, like very very cold, even though it was comparatively warmer than the previous days. He gave a small concerned look at Asen and waited for her to finish her turn. He took off his jacket and went over and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Look, I'm not giving it to you, I'm letting you borrow it. Was it really warmer there than here? I mean it seems like you haven't adapted at all since you got here, I mean, I've seen you for a while now, and I know you've been here a while, it just seems very strange for someone to not get use to the cold especially since it's pretty late in the winter."

He shook his head and felt the chill on his neck and arms with his jacket gone. "Brrr~! Anyway, I want it back later, the jacket I mean." With that stepped back a bit and aimed his weapon at the target, it was much more difficult, his hand was a bit more shaky and his the smaller target was really hard to guess where the bull's eye was. His shaky hand was doing no favors for him as well.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and focused, trying to clear his head, but it was very difficult to focus with the cold biting him hard. He opened his eyes again, slightly more focused and with a quick readjustment with his aim, he fired.

The shot flew, but not as straight as Garland had hoped, the bolt flew down the range and barely hit the target at the bottom, barely holding onto the target. The target looked as if it was mocking Garland. The boy sighed and loaded another bolt onto the crossbow. "Told you you have a better a better shot at range. You should try it where I'm standing, I think it would be easier for you."

He aimed his crossbow again, looking through the sights, he was becoming a bit impatient with his shots, the cold was annoying, but not unbearable. He squeezed the trigger on his crossbow and let the bolt free from it's wooden confines. The bolt was completely off course, missing the target and hitting the wall again. "Bah! You're turn, Asen."

[Asen]

Asen nearly jumped out of her skin when Garland's jacket covered her own, the weight settling onto her shoulders. She swore loudly, drawing the attention of several others who were in the midst of their training, then she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Yes, it was warmer than here," she snapped, "An' even when it was cold I could go inside an' warm up a bit. I didn't hafta shovel all this damned snow, 'cause I had my da, too. He gets drowsy in the cold, an' tends to hibernate. I'm the same, but without the hibernatin' bit. So I gotta stay up an' awake in the cold, but at least I could go inside. Here? Nah. Outside, shovelin' snow."

She also needed a new jacket.

The half-Dhani watched Garland, noticing for the first time that both his eyes were opened when he aimed. Would it really improve her aim? There en't any harm in tryin', is there? Not like my aim can get any worse.

She took Garland's spot again. The shivering had subsided, thankfully, and she was warm enough to be able to move her arms easily. She lifted the bow again, drawing the string back until the feathers of the arrow brushed the corner of her mouth.

Asen realized she had one eye closed, and promptly opened it. Her depth perception improved dramatically, and she could aim better. The tip of the arrow was pointed directly at the target -- or so she hoped.

The half-Dhani released the string, hitting the bottom of the target. She was aiming for the head, or the chest, but it flew too low. Still, it hit the target and it made her feel better about her skill.

"What's your history, Garland? I've told you a bit of mine, so tell me yours."