( closed ) operation: arrow appraisal

[warfed]

Who: Petra Macneary & Claude von Riegan
When: Early February
Where: The desert outside Cadens.
What: Claude is looking for some feedback from a fellow expert.
Warnings: None!

[While their various responsibilities have made finding a day to follow up on their arrow-oriented plans a touch difficult, an afternoon finally arrives where both Petra and Claude are available to dedicate the kind of time to this research that they'd like to. It goes without saying that shooting arrows just for shooting's sake will need to be done outside of the city, but they're both familiar with the desert and a number of the outposts by this point, and finding a place to test Claude's work is simple enough.

They end up halfway between Cadens' gate and the nearest outpost, where Petra now stands with her hands on her hips, chin up as she surveys their surroundings. They've remained near the road for the time being, but the area is clear of other people for as far as the eye can see at the moment, no merchants, travelers or hunters in sight.]

There!

[She smiles, pointing to a wooden post in the distance that marks the edge of the path.]

We can be using that post as a target for now. Or maybe a cactus? Something stationary, before we move on to live prey.

[They have to be methodical about this!]

Comments

[warfed]

[She waits until his arrow hits its mark to say anything more, offering a satisfied nod of approval as she lowers her bow and gives an easy smile. They are well-matched, as ever, though working with a stationary target is perhaps a bit too easy for the both of them.]

If your battalions cannot be slaying cacti, then I am very worried for the fate of the Alliance.

[She laughs as she approaches him with her bow in hand, her gaze intent, propping a hand against her hip as she sees fit to offer him a new challenge.]

If we are going to test ourselves as well as these arrows of yours, however, we should be finding some live prey. What do you say, Your Highness?

[Here, when it's just the two of them, she feels at ease gently teasing him without letting his secret slip— it's not hers to reveal, after all, but a point of commonality that she cannot help but take pleasure in now that he's entrusted her with his identity.]

[godshattering]

Oh, I think the Alliance is in good hands. Not mine anymore, mind you, but they'll make it without me gracing them with my presence except for now and then.

[ Said blithely like it's of no importance, but: what's the point in hiding that detail when he's already told Petra he wasn't staying in Fodlan? Something else small (or not that small, given the implications) to let go of holding in like he has been, and in the company of someone he trusts.

The title gets a crooked grin from him that he doesn't bother to straighten out to let it stay as something authentic for once. As averse as he is to titles and their usage, this feels different. It's an in joke between the two of them - something to share. Something that applies to them both. ]

I'm up for it if you are. Let's go, Your Royalness.

[ He says it teasingly, and yet an echo of another time comes forward of calling other royalty that - Dimitri. Who's no longer alive in his time, and Claude's not about to ask about Petra's. That's firmly on the list of questions waiting to be asked at some point that he's putting off indefinitely. Either way, the ghost of that is something he banishes away from their day in the present. No room for it here as they go to retrieve the arrows before starting their search for something that'll be more of a challenge. ]

How've your jobs out here been going lately? Any good tips for where we should be looking first?