064. Down By the Seaside

[samson]

[Dictated somewhat lazily.]

Alright, I haven't mentioned this in awhile and with the like... revolving door policy the castle likes to do, figured I should say something. Name's Brock, I have a little bit of land sort of southwest of the castle, off the main road to the city.

There's a community garden there if you don't feel like wishing for food or paying the townspeople with fake magic money. Which I totally get, by the way; it feels a little, uh... dishonest. Anyway, the garden's there for anybody who wants to use it. Just don't take everything without putting some work in too, alright?

I got a greenhouse too, in case you want to grow something out of season. There's also a smokehouse but I don't want anybody putting weird mystery meat in there so that's sort of off-limits, okay?

That's about all I wanted to say.

[A pause. Apparently he remembered something else, so--]

Oh, uh, if you see a little dude around the garden, that's just Frodo. So don't scare him or anything. He works for me.

[Vereesa.]
Hey. I'm guessing you went with everybody on that expedition, right? You back yet?

Comments

[samson]

[Whoa whoa whoa, if he knew smores were part of the deal, he'd have done it sooner....!]

Alright. I'll be there.

a happy thread in which brock is not dead

[sworn]

[Who arrives first? Either way, Vereesa is outside the shooting range, leaning upon a nearby tree. Elves and their trees, man. Go figure.]

weeps for the past

[samson]

[Probably Vereesa, actually. Elf speed and everything.

Brock rolls up about a minute later, his crossbow slung over his back. He grins when he sees Vereesa, waving.]

I haven't been out here in forever.

gently wipes your tears

[sworn]

And I the same, regrettably.

[She pushes off of her tree, and her eyes zero in on that shiny new toy of his. Her lips curl into a grin.]

That is new, is it not?

uguu valerie-sama

[samson]

[Brock can't help it -- he returns the grin himself, whipping the crossbow into his hands.]

This old thing? Naw.

[Not like he wanted to show it off or anything........]

You ever seen one?

[sworn]

[She gets up close and persona....... with the crossbow. Which is ten times more attractive at the moment. She nods as she examines it.]

I have, though I've not used one myself. I suppose we elves are simply old-fashioned that way.

[samson]

Yeah, it's not as accurate as your kind of thing. But because of the way you draw the bolt back, the trajectory doesn't diverge as much when you're real far away. Like, the bolt goes fast -- too fast for gravity to screw up your aim, you know?

[sworn]

[She definitely likes the sound of this weapon.]

Are we going to continue talking about it, or are you going to give me a demonstration?

[samson]

Well, when you put it that way...

[So he'll just swagger over to the range and nock a bolt. He takes a second to line up his shot, draws it back, then lets it fly. It's fast -- and accurate: it hits the target dead center.]

[sworn]

[NICE. Vereesa is thoroughly impressed by that shot, but can he do it again?]

Again. To prove that wasn't just a lucky shot.

[samson]

Pfft. If you're asking me to go all Robin Hood on it...

[He doesn't want to ruin the bolt by shooting another one straight through it. Even in a magical castle where he can just wish for more, Brock is cheap as all hell.

So he moves to the side to aim at the next target over. Again: dead center.]

[sworn]

[And again, her face lights up. She moves to his side and to admire the target. Very few humans have such true aim, but she imagines this crossbow of his certainly helps those without.]

May I?

[You bet she wants to give it a whirl.]

[samson]

[Yeah, Brock's no slouch when it comes to aiming, but there's no way he'd hit a double bullseye with a traditional bow. Grinning, he hands it over.]

Be my guest. It takes a lot of strength to pull it back, just so you know.

[sworn]

[She takes the crossbow with a light scoff.]

As if I am not strong enough to use such a weapon?

[And then she looks at it. And turns it around in her hands, looking at all of the parts and pieces. Right. She can use this. Totally easy. Okay. Here we go!]

How do I use it.

[samson]

[VEREESA.......]

Ha... okay, here. You put the bolt in the top, in this little groove here. But you have to pull the string back first until it locks in place, so give that a shot. I have a, uh, draw assist tool around here somewhere if you need some help...

[He's not actually being sexist, it has a draw weight of 150 lbs...]

[sworn]

[She straightens her back and rolls her shoulders, a clear sign that says "I got this." She holds the crossbow and reaches for the string in an attempt to pull it back without the use of any tools to aid her.

Oh. Wow. Yeah, that's. Difficult.]

Such a complicated weapon. Where is this assist tool?

[samson]

[Called it....]

Uh, here, it's... [He looks around for a second, but finds it just kind of lying on the ground. It's basically a cord with two clips on it, so she can pull that to bring the string back instead. Once he stoops and picks it up, he hands it over.]

You just kinda clip it on and pull.

[sworn]

[She just sort of gives him a look.]

All of this trouble for a weapon? It's no wonder we elves have chosen to stick with bows and arrows.

[But she's just being difficult as she uses the cord to pull her bolt back and in place.]

[samson]

Well, they make smaller ones... and ones with a crank...

[But Brock likes it oldschool. Plus it makes him feel cool that he can pull it back by himself.

Brock is a macho jerk.]

Okay. So now you just kind of aim at the target and pull the trigger. Like a gun.

[sworn]

[Vereesa nods, and then holds up the crossbow and takes aim. Normally she wouldn't bother to spend so much time lining up a shot, but this is unfamiliar territory. It doesn't feel as her bow does, an extension of her own body. It's clunky and difficult. Then again, she's being equally difficult.

When she's good and ready, she fires the bolt. Bullseye!]

[samson]

[Hooray Vereesa! Brock laughs, clapping her on the shoulder.]

See? Pretty cool, am I right?

[sworn]

[She turns it over in her hands, as if deciding how she feels about it.]

I suppose. One would need to be quick about loading this for it to be effective in battle.

[samson]

Yeah, it's more of a, uh... one shot kill kind of thing. Hunting, or sneaking up on a guy...

[sworn]

More of an assassin's weapon.

[She hands the crossbow back to him, being more delicate with it than necessary.]

It is not for me, but it is quite powerful. You're incredibly fortunate to hold such a weapon in your arsenal.

[samson]

Well, yeah. Spy. [Spy, assassin... same difference.]

Just wanted to show you what you're missing out on.