[ dec / open ] what even is the point of december without christmas presents?

[princessvegas]

WHO: Julie + others
WHAT: December catchall
WHERE: Places
WHEN: December
WARNINGS: Language, etc. Specific cws in subject headings.

[ ooc: dec catchall, starters in comments, bitchcraft or bitchcraft#2753 to plot. ]

Comments

[princessvegas]

Yeah, no foolin'. It's pretty common, where I'm from, for kids to start huntin' and fishin' around that age, 'specially the boys. My daddy wanted boys and he wasn't about to let the fact that he only had one girl stop him from doin' it too. [ Hunting had been the only thing Julie ever connected with her father over. If she hadn't been a natural shot, she's not entirely sure that her father would have even remembered her name.

She offers the gun, now loaded, to Ciri, along with the earmuffs. ] Here, wear these and give it a try. No sense in you blowin' out your hearin' too. Mine's long gone.

[wiedzminka]

Mm. I see.

[ Ciri doesn't quite grasp that the acts of hunting and fishing aren't as necessary to feed their families where Julie's from as she's envisioning, but it makes her smile that Julie had proven herself despite her father wanting boys. That is an unfortunately familiar sentiment across their spheres, women being discouraged from weapons. Just as familiar is a woman's refusal to listen.

She takes the gun, holding it carefully, gauging the weight of it. The pink earmuffs get a look, but Ciri puts them on as bidden. Julie could have made them look less silly, but she doesn't point that out. She glances at Julie for confirmation as she tries to emulate her position, holding the gun up braced against her shoulder as Julie had. Right now, she's not trying to aim very seriously; she won't be able to judge that well until she can feel it firing. Anywhere out toward the targets will do.

Unsure how much the strange ear covers will muffle her hearing, Ciri decides to ask anyway: ]

How's this?

[princessvegas]

[ If it makes more sense, it's not that Julie hadn't grown up eating hunted meat. It's just more that her father wouldn't have taken her if she wasn't a crack shot from a young age. So see, Ciri? It's just good old-fashioned sexism, not modern conveniences. It is also modern conveniences.

This is one of those times where Julie doesn't particularly care what someone who comes from before invention of the concept of safety thinks about the precaution -- on a range at home, Ciri would be in eye protection too, so Julie can't see anything to complain about. Julie just doesn't do it herself because she's a redneck dumbass and she's been going without since she was a small child

She gives Ciri a thumbs up and a smile, gestures for her to go ahead. ]

[wiedzminka]

[ On Julie's go-ahead, Ciri does her best to line up her shot before squeezing the trigger. Her mouth drops open in surprise at the kickback, stronger than she expected, rattling her body and making her flinch. The bullet goes wide, hitting nothing.

After a moment, she takes a breath, braces herself more seriously, and fires again. Still no hit, but she handles it better this time. ]

[princessvegas]

[ Julie laughs at Ciri's expression, but cheers encouragingly anyway, clapping and whooping. That shock is familiar, appears on everyone whose first shooting experience is as an adult, but it's still very funny.

Julie grabs some more shells, gets ready to reload the gun for Ciri, but pauses after the second shot, making a vague gesture in the air with one hand as she speaks, slightly loud to counter the ear protection, her tone encouraging. ]

It's fast than an arrow, you don't have to compensate so much for wind drag. You can go straighter'n that and it won't go as wide as you think it will.

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri nods, expression set in concentration as she continues her practice. When it's time to reload, she lets Julie help her and watches, then tries again, each time learning a little more about how to fix her aim.

When she finally hits one of the cans with a loud ping, Ciri almost starts waving the gun around in her excitement. She bounces up on the balls of her feet, gesturing for Julie in a universal look! motion, pointing at the empty spot where the can had fallen. ]

Ha! I got it!

[princessvegas]

[ The furious, heartbroken feather duster is nowhere to be seen now, shut away in one of the mental boxes that Julie compartmentalizes pain into. Instead, there is now only a cheerleader, all applause and hollering, jumping up and down with excitement.

Is it healthy? Absolutely not. Is it what's happening? Sure is.

Still laughing delightedly, she cracks open a beer and offers it to Ciri. ]

There we go! See, ain't it fun?!

[wiedzminka]

[ Compartmentalizing and choosing violence is the only way Ciri knows how to deal with her own heartbreak as well. Unfortunately, Julie's not going to learn any healthier coping mechanisms from her (and potentially less healthy ones, in fact). But as far as distractions go, Ciri has to admit this is a good one.

She grins back, taking the beer to reward herself with a long swig. For now, she slides the ear protection down to her neck as well. ]

It is. [ She sounds a bit surprised, but pleased. Not going to beat a sword in her book, but it's still pretty satisfying. ] Glad you showed me.