With a sharp inhale she would draw her bow, her breath steady while the wind kissed her flushed cheeks. The target before her was further then she usually placed it, and after a couple of misses she found herself growing irritable. How was she to get better when every time she took one step forward she was set two steps back? She released the pull, the arrow whizzing through the air and again missing the target. "Ugh," she groaned, moving forward to collect the scattered arrows amongst the ground as she placed them back in their sheath. She moved back to position, inhaling a deep breath as she drew another arrow, steadying her breath, pulling back and...

Whiz!

A thud on the ground. Another miss.

"Whatever," she grumbled, collecting the arrow once more, but this time she did not return to the shooting area as she instead took a seat upon the bench in defeat. "Perhaps again tomorrow," if she was in the mood of course. The grumbling of her stomach was a solid reminder that skipping breakfast had not been wise. Fingers wrapped around the bench, her legs kicking idly into the air.

She would go eat.

In a minute.

Black Hearted Angels Sunk Me With Kisses on My Mouth
There's Poison In This Water, the Words Are Falling Out 
This Air Is Getting So Thin
Go Down, Go Down, Go Down

 
He'd come to visit, a knock at her door ending in empty lack of greeting. She wasn't home, or so he hoped the answer was that simple. Being this close to the Crue Efros capitol made his skin crawl, a feat he would easily admit. Any of them should, and he worried for her living in the shadow of that cursed domain. The sharp whir of air drew his attention as he had started to leave the town, a frown woven onto his mouth with the thought of having missed checking on her.

Deciding to investigate as the second disturbance came, he was glad he did. Rounding the corner, he was just in time to see her figure deflate with irritation. Retrieving her arrows, she would sink onto the bench nearby, an action he was quick to mimic with an exaggerated sigh of relaxation. A teasing wink and the familiarity of his rugged smirk slicked his countenance. His arms rose, settling along the back of the seat, stretching lazily to encompass her as well should she not object.

"Ya know," he began, his drawl reflecting the same leisure of his expression, "I could give you some... lessons." He couldn't help the impish tease as he crossed his ankles languidly. He was relatively well versed with a variety of weapons, the bow among them, an extremely handy tool when it came to survival in the wilds. Wilds which looked after him relatively well, he had to add. " 'less of course you've got other plans now?"

!

The frustration settled in relatively quickly, a bad habit of hers, but it was a habit none the less. Perhaps if she had found the patience to practice more then she would have not been missing the targets as much as she was. Setting the bow at her side the sudden relaxation fell upon her shoulders in the form of sitting, and also in the form of Lif. His fiery locks caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and so he settled himself down comfortably next to her which caused a smile to tug against plush lips. His arm lazily wrapped around the back of the chair, encompassing her every so softly and she did not move from the embrace. "Lessons huh?" She snorted teasingly, "I've never even see you shoot a bow, how do I know you're not worse off than me?" She cocked her head at him quizzically before shrugging her shoulders softly.

"Hmm, now that you mention it," slowly her hand guided over to his, the one draped along the back of the chair. She lifted it, bringing it to her lap before placing both of her own hands on top of his own. "I had a booked filled with penis appointments," she almost choked on her words, "but I guess I can squeeze you in." The smile tugging against her lips was almost hard to bite back on. She rose from the bench, brushing off her shirt and grabbing her bow once more. "So where do we start?" In truth she was excited to grow more comfortable with the weapon as it was one that could defend her stealthily if needed. Poison was often slow acting, and harder to execute so that was not always a reliable option. It was comfort knowing that he was willing to help, though she was rather embarrassed that he would also see that she was not so great with weapons at all.

Black Hearted Angels Sunk Me With Kisses on My Mouth
There's Poison In This Water, the Words Are Falling Out 
This Air Is Getting So Thin
Go Down, Go Down, Go Down

 
"Lessons huh?" At her humored intonation and the accompanying scoff of laughter, he would feign hurt, the arm not draped leisurely across the curve of her lithe, girlish shoulders pressing a hand to his chest. One that turned shortly into a slight rub and long sigh. Truly, he worried for her, loathing to be this close to the capitol of ticks. A fond moniker for what was the city he was born in. Where his family home had been. To the fond days of his childhood eaten like holey clothes in a moth riddled closet by flames and the lifetime's worth of bitterness that shortly followed, nipping at his heels. "I've never even see you shoot a bow, how do I know you're not worse off than me?" He offered her a soft laugh, gaze drifting away teasingly. "There's plenty of things you've never seen me do." With the last, he would bring his peripherals back to her countenance.

However, as always, she was quick with her sharp tongue, an endearing quality he had found about her. Like whiskey. The burn and sear at first, followed by the sweet cloak and lacquer of honey to soothe away the initial shock. His favorite poison. "Hmm, now that you mention it," the words accompanied the maneuvering of his arm, and he allowed it, coiling his fingers softly against the softer, smaller form of her thumb as it slipped just between his own and forefinger. "I had a booked filled with penis appointments," he stared at her a moment, a brow cocking lightly as he tried to maintain the stern expression of detachedness, "but I guess I can squeeze you in." He barely muffled the groan of laughter that threatened to burst through his quirking lips.

However, she gave him time to compose himself as she rose from the bench, and he would avert his gaze, the rough pad of his thumb giving a nudge to his own chin as he shook his head slightly to clear away the mischievous smile that lingered on his expression, to no avail. The crooked smirk merely grew as he followed her lead, getting to his fee, his hand heavy for a fleeting moment on her shoulder as he gave it a soft squeeze. "Good to know you're willing to fit me in." The hungry, soft purr was accompanied by the departure of his grip as he adjusted his gloves nonchalantly. He made way to a nearby bale of hay, settling on it as steady gaze would fixate on her, drinking in the details of her visage without restraint. "Let's start with your form. Show me how you shoot."

!

She had become familiar with his touch over time. The firmness of his hand against her shoulder was a reminder that in his presence she always felt safe. Though it was not something she admitted to him often…or ever, actually, but it was enough to want him around every so often. Being a creature of habit had flaws often those flaws came with the desire to not keep too many people around. The less company in her life, the lesser chance it would be that she got hurt. Her mind drifted for a moment, but she was snapped back into the reality of his presence when his voice graced her ears. She flicked her gaze over her shoulder, a smirk touched her lips as she scoffed at him jokingly. “You act as though it would be such a hard thing to do. As though you would take up too much space.” Eyelashes battered, giving him one good look over before she turned her gaze back to where it all started. 

That damn target. 

Some arrows still scattered the floor, but most were tucked away in their pouch. She stood before it, grabbing an arrow and drawing her bow. Her fingers rested against her cheek, but her shoulders were perhaps more slouched then they should have been. She drew back the bow without shooting, her breath steady as she looked at the red circle in front of her. The bullseye. The one damned thing she could never hit. Faina waited for his further direction, hoping she was not too far off from what he expected her form to look like. Though she knew if it had been any cleaner then she wouldn’t have been missing her targets as often as she did. 

Black Hearted Angels Sunk Me With Kisses on My Mouth
There's Poison In This Water, the Words Are Falling Out 
This Air Is Getting So Thin
Go Down, Go Down, Go Down

 
“You act as though it would be such a hard thing to do. As though you would take up too much space.” He couldn't help but mirror her mischievous smirk. "Well, there must be some reason you're willing to cancel an entire book full of private business for me." he teased in return. Despite his expression remaining rather unchanged as he crossed his arms over his chest, he would watch her with an attentive eye. He rubbed his chin slightly, getting up once again to pick up one of the previously loosed arrows that lay scattered around the area.

"Not bad," the praise was well given, she'd obviously been well at practice, for how long, he was uncertain, but there were few small tips he could offer. One of which came as he placed the fletched shaft at her feet. "Toes to the line, if you would, m'lady." As he spoke, he would motion to the target before them. "Aim at the target, make sure to keep your back straight, feet shoulder width, don't lean into your bow, keep your shoulders and your hips aligned with one another. When you feel comfortable with your aim, close your eyes and try to hold that spot. We may have to change your footing a bit, if your aim is off when you open your eyes again."

!

The original quip had been nothing but a joke, so when he spoke of her canceling an entire book of plans aka “dick appointments” she found herself deep in thought. In truth she had nothing else to do, but if she did and he wished to hang out with her for the day she found her answer would have been the same. She would have canceled the things she was doing unless it was life or death important and had his company instead. “There is,” she shrugged her shoulders at him and added nothing more, letting the simple answer settle in his mind instead. She had grown fond of his company and more so comfortable in it as well. She was allowed to be herself with no judgement, and he was always a listening ear if need be. It was easy to be around him, thankfully so, as it was hard for her to confide in just anyone. 

Her feet straightened, toes pointed as he lead, her ears listening for the further direction. She closed her eyes and straightened her back, aligning her feet with her shoulders she pulled her elbows back and kept the bow at her face. Her arms felt light, but sturdy and she made sure to take a breath of air before her eyes opened. She looked at him for confirmation, not fixing the bits of her stature as she felt it was more comfortable then her prior shooting stance. 

With one more inhale she drew back the arrow, releasing it from the soft of her finger tips while it whooshed through the air. It didn’t hit the bullseye as she wanted, but it had been damn near close to it. ”That felt better then the last time,” she admitted before resetting her stance, distancing her footing just a bit more before pulling the bow close to her cheek again. She rolled her shoulders, inhaling a sharp breath of air as she pulled back and released the arrow once more. 

”I did it!” She looked at the arrow that so comfortably sat at the very center of the target, a soft smile tugged at her lips as she jumped in excitement and went to wrap her arms around him in a hug. “That wasn’t so bad, thank you! I will keep working at it.” Her grip would release if it had been wrapped around his neck to start, her stomach grumbled after all the excitement. ”Have you eaten anything yet?” If not she had little hole in the wall place she knew of that served some rather tasty food.