Archery for Dummies... [Active]

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

Character(s): The Prince, Belle, and anyone who happens to be around Folio's weapon shop
Content: The Prince and Belle go to purchase a bow and begin archery training
Setting: Folios Weaponry [J5]
Time: Early afternoon, week 8
Warnings: Potential accidental violence, I guess? Oh, and the Prince being misogynistic DX


By the time Prince had found his way to the place Belle had designated, he was drenched from head to foot. The weather in the domes had been unusual of late, and he had been caught halfway to the weaponry by a fierce tempest. Further souring his mood, when he entered, he discovered the weapon master absent and Belle not yet arrived.

Although it was not particularly cold, the Prince found himself shivering as he waited, casting a distracted eye over the displayed wares. They seemed fairly standard, ranging from the flimsiest bows to the most magnificent of swords, but in one corner, he spied weapons he was completely unable to identify. In another, meanwhile, he found soft toys, those one would give to a child, proudly amassed alongside a display of dagger sheaths.

Unnerved, he walked back to the other side of the weaponry to inspect the selection of bows again, determined to set his mind on the task at hand. At length, however, he gave up looking. The Prince was finding it difficult to concentrate, for reasons that had little to do with his physical discomfort or the odd assortment of items to be found in the weaponry. Why are you here? his mind was muttering. How will this aid your quest? This is a trivial pursuit, an unnecessary waste of time! Unsettled, the Prince brushed the voice aside, and continued to examine the weaponry. Silently, he hoped Belle would not be long in arriving.

Comments

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle wasn't long in arriving. The bell above the shop's door chimed, signaling her entrance almost jarringly in the silence of the shop. She paused at the doorway, hands frozen by her head as she'd been about to pull back the hood of her dripping cloak. Eyes wide, she stared at the Prince for a moment -- my, he was intimidating, wasn't he? And he seemed annoyed. Well, of course he is, she thought, moving again to shake out her cloak. A royal waiting for a peasant! I'm surprised he's even still here.

She quickly walked over to Prince, curtsying when she stopped short before him. "I'm sorry that I'm late, Highness," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Thank you for meeting me here."

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

At the sound of the bell affixed to the door, the Prince turned to find Belle at the entrance, staring at him. Her expression was fleetingly fearful, and for an instant, the Prince was disoriented by it. Am I so frightening, then? Inexplicably, this conclusion distressed him. The curtsey and title Belle provided a moment later only compounded his unease.

"N--no matter." The Prince turned back to the weapon's display, trying to conceal his agitation. "Shall we choose a bow to train with, Belle?"

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Gently worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Belle gazed thoughtfully at the expanse of the Prince's back. She supposed that this was the way a royal would act towards someone of little consequence such as herself. As she stepped up to the display as well, she was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. No point in moping about it now, though...he was all business and so would she.

"Yes...I'm afraid I don't know the merits of a good bow, though," she admitted, eyeing the weapons curiously. "Do any meet your approval?"

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"A shortbow, most certainly." The Prince selected a likely looking one and lifted it, running his fingers over the smooth wood. "It will be easier to train with, and lighter for you to lift."

Turning to present it to her, the Prince paused at the expression on her face. True, they had never met in person, but her demeanour seemed so excessively meek that the Prince felt he must be somehow responsible.

"My approval is hardly relevant, Belle," he continued, more softly. Her name was both an assurance and a personal reminder. "Does it meet yours?"

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

With the aristocratic angles of his face softened slightly, the Prince seemed much more approachable. Lips curving into a bemused smile, Belle ducked her head and gently took the bow from him. It seemed so much bigger in her hands, so alien. "Being the only one with experience in such matters, I would say your approval is relevant," she said teasingly, flicking her eyes back to his face. "...Highness," she added. "I would hate for my training to end before it really began due to a poorly constructed weapon."

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"True enough," he conceded lightly, taking a step closer to her. Gingerly, he reached out and closed her fingers over the bow. "Grip it firmly, Belle. Although I know a good bow when I see one, it will do us no good if you will not hold it properly. The size--is it adequate? Not too small or too large? It must feel comfortable to your hands, if you are to use it well."

Turning away from her slightly to allow her to become comfortable with the weapon, he scanned the area behind the display, looking for the merchant.

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Gazing down at the weapon, she blinked as the Prince's hands covered her own for a moment. Startled by the touch, she gripped it perhaps a little too tightly, relaxing when he turned away. Casting a glance at him from beneath her eyelashes, Belle turned away slightly as well, holding out the bow as she'd seen heroes do in book illustrations. The bow string was taut as she struggled to stretch it.

Her soft yelp along with a loud twang broke the silence of the shop. Sucking the fingers that has been bruised by the bowstring snapping back into place, she gazed at her royal companion sheepishly.

so. cute. just. <3

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

Starting at the sound of Belle's yelp, the Prince swivelled to face her, clutching instinctively at his dagger. An instant later he relaxed, struggling to keep the amusement from his face.

"Be careful. These are not toys, nor illustrations in a book of tales. If you shoot carelessly, you'll cause someone harm; as it stands, I am most likely to be your unfortunate victim."

He meant the speech to instil her with caution, but remembering her earlier demeanour, he was careful to keep his voice light. He did not want her any more afraid of him than she already seemed to be; despite himself, he was warming to her company, calmed from his earlier distress by the presence of another person.

*A* Yay!

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Chuckling, Belle shook her hand to relieve the last twinges of pain. "I would hate to injure you before I learned anything useful," she teased, her tone as light and casual as his. Tilting her head, she examined the bow and gazed back up at Prince. "...don't we need arrows?" To punctuate this point, she glanced around the shop, the absence of a shopkeeper pronounced.

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"Before you learn something useful?" The Prince repeated, incredulously sarcastic and smiling despite himself. "It would be of no consequence, then, if you injured me after our training?"

He nodded at Belle's next question, mirroring her to gaze around the shop for the elusive merchant. "Weapons master!" Careful not to damage the wares on display, the Prince banged his fist on the wooden surface. "Where are you? You have customers!"

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle grinned, holding back the retort that came to her lips as the prince demanded attention from whatever elusive shopkeeper owned the shop. Just as she was wondering whether or not it would be acceptable to leave some money and a note, a thin, wiry man pushed open a door from behind the counter and arched a withering look at them both. While he had the clothing and attitude of an aristocratic noble, his fair skin with weathered and scarred and he held himself with the surety of an experienced warrior. Though aged, his blue eyes were sharp and challenging as they scanned both Belle and Prince.

"May I help you?" the weapons master asked in a tone that very obviously implied that he'd rather do anything but.

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

Automatically, the Prince swept a half-bow as the merchant approached them behind the display. He was obviously a warrior, and so similar in face and build to the swordsmaster who had trained the Prince himself, that his irritation at having been made wait waned slightly.

"Yes," he announced stridently, gesturing at the bow Belle still held in her grasp. "We would like to purchase this weapon, and a quiver of arrows with it. Blunts, or judo points, if you have them." He turned to Belle, a sudden though occurring to him. "Would you rather a belt or a back quiver? A belt quiver will no doubt be easier for you to reach, but some find it cumbersome."

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

"Oh..." Belle said softly, glancing down at the bow before flicking her gaze between Prince and the weaponsmaster. "I...suppose whatever would be easiest would be fine. Perhaps once I'm better at one, we can practice with the other." As she spoke, the weaponsmaster slowly shifted his gaze from one to the other, the appearance of great boredom on his features marred by the shrewd glint in his eyes.

"We have both blunts and judo points, sir. Which would you prefer? Or perhaps the...young lady would benefit from both," he said flatly.

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"No doubt," the Prince agreed, struggling a little, now, to keep his voice respectful. Then again, Belle and the weapons master were right, suggesting she might benefit most from having a choice of arrowheads and quivers. Given that coin was not an issu--

The thought stopped him dead. Coin. Paixaon currency. Of which he had none.

"We would gladly take both, as well as a choice of quivers." To his own ears, his voice sounded slightly nervous as he continued. "What will you take as payment?"

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle was growing annoyed with the weaponsmaster and his attitude. The rare moments when he seemed aware of her presence, he stared down his aristocratic nose at her, smiling an unpleasant smile that didn't meet his eyes. It was all too familiar to Belle, the condescending and resentful manner of men who thought she was trying to rock the boat by not fulfilling whatever womanly duties were expected of her. It was profoundly hurtful and disappointing that this new world, which had seemed so forward and free, still held the beliefs that had stifled her for so long.

As the merchant opened his mouth to respond to the Prince's question, she slapped down a generous pile of glittering gold leaves and ruby stones on the counter, face deadpan and eyes uncharacteristically cold and closed off. "I believe this will do?" she asked flatly. A sort of staring contest ensued between them -- if the weaponsmaster was impressed by her show of spirit, he didn't show it. Instead, he slowly turned and withdrew two quivers from the rack behind him, both made from simple, undecorated brown leather. Under the counter, he took out two long boxes and stacked them next to the quivers.

"I believe that will do," he said coolly, taking the "money" and turning away, giving the Prince a significant, women-are-so-annoying look.

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

The Prince couldn't help himself; his eyes widened as he saw the quantity of precious stones Belle tumbled onto the counter. It couldn't have been more unexpected, and although he'd been told, and now remembered, faintly, that glittering items were abundant in Paixao and would be accepted as currency by the local inhabitants, his first thought was that Belle was in fact royalty and had been concealing it till this moment. He was startled by the tone of her voice, too, which had gone from melodious to grating as she addressed the weapons master.

Looking towards him, the Prince was relieved to find that the latter did not seem in the least bit perturbed by Belle's sudden change in behaviour. His hand swept over the counter, gathering up the offered stones, and as he pushed their purchased goods towards them, he met the Prince's eyes, deliberately, the meaning in his gaze unmistakable. "I believe that will do."

Unwilling to respond verbally, the Prince merely bowed his head again, striving for neutrality, and waited until the merchant was gone before turning to face his companion. Awkwardly, he gestured towards the bow in her hands, and the quiver and arrows on the counter top. "Shall we begin, Belle?"

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Wordlessly, Belle nodded, the cool blankness of her expression melting to something sorrowful, pensive. Gathering up their supplies and adjusting her cloak, she walked towards the door. "The rain seems to have stopped," she said over her shoulder, pushing the door open. "Where should we go? There are a few open areas around the city."

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"I do not know the city much," the Prince confessed, unhooking his journal device from his belt and staring at it for a moment before turning to Belle, sheepishly. "Ah--the map function--could you...?"

Partly to cover his slight embarrassment, and partly in an attempt to clear the air of whatever tension the weapons master had sewn, the Prince proceeded to voice his thoughts aloud. "Open terrain, I think, would be best. We can only hope it does not rain again; a deluge rarely makes any task easier."

A-ah, sorry about the delay! DX

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle took his journal and, flipping it open, navigated to the map. She seemed to have a natural affinity for the device, her slender fingers quickly and lightly typing on the keyboard. "I think the best place would be Jogo da Crianca," she said after a moment, handing the open journal back to the Prince. "It's the widest open area inside Paixao, I believe. Though we will have to watch out for passerby." She didn't comment on his lacking ability to use the device. Rather, she simply smiled kindly at him before she began to lead the way.

No worries~ ^^

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"Jogo da Crianca?" The Prince formed the words with difficulty, obviously struggling with their foreignness, before throwing a sceptical look between the journal and Belle, the latter who had already begun to walk ahead.

"Passers-by? In Babylon, in my youth, I trained in areas specifically designed for the purpose of archery practice, cleared of people. Are you quite certain there is nowhere more isolated?"

One-handed, the Prince tucked the device back onto his belt before hastening after his companion. If he were to be quite honest, the training areas with which he was familiar had only rarely been completely empty, as many other guardsmen used it for training. But there was something about this woman, her barely contained eagerness to learn and her thinly veiled aptitude for dreaming, that made the Prince chary. And then there was another thing making him cautious--an odd, leaping feeling of a student suddenly in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar position of being a teacher.

"Well, in any case, I know no better. I shall readily defer to your knowledge of Paixao."

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle glanced over her shoulder at the Prince as she walked, eyebrow delicately arched. "I apologize, sire, but there are no areas in Paixao that have been specifically built for our purposes, to my knowledge. This is a densely populated place, as I'm sure you've noticed, and the park is a public place that many people pass through." She paused her speech even as she kept moving. "...of course, outside of the city, there are wide open fields, completely free of people. But, well...it's very dangerous there. Assuming we could sneak past the guards."

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"Outside the city?" The Prince cocked his head. "I have heard talk of these fields. Are they truly swarming with creatures, as they claim?"

Sighing, the Prince quickened his pace. This woman! So presumptuous, but so unaware and unthinking in her presumption that he could not bring himself to find offence. After all, Belle obviously meant none; after all, had she not come to him for help, for training? The thought soothed him as much as it discomforted; in many ways, it did not feel like his own.

"Very well, then. This park will do. I only hope the citizens will think to clear the area, once we begin nocking arrows."

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry," Belle replied, innocent of the Prince's frustration in her excitement to try out her new bow. "The citizens seem to not get involved with the trespassers unless we involve ourselves with them. They should give us a wide berth."

She idly arranged her items, gazing up at the domed sky above them in thought. "I've never been outside the city since I've arrived, but everyone claims there are creatures called Lumens roaming the fields. I don't know what they are or how they look, but if they're anything like the Heartless, I'm in no hurry to meet them."

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

At Belle's mention of the citizens, the Prince tilted his head to the side, a sudden thought occurring. "The natives of Paixao...what are your impressions of them?"

Belle seemed to know exactly where she was going; the Prince followed closely behind, too curious to feel irked. Everywhere around there were things to look at: the arching domes, for one, but also market-like stalls, and the strange, glittery vegetation Prince had heard passed for coinage in this land.

[beautiful-tale.livejournal.com]

Belle slowed her pace a bit as she considered this new question, eyes unfocused as she recalled her brief interactions with the strange citizens of a stranger city. "They seem...off. Only slightly. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it almost feels as if they're a reflection of a real person. As if they have no real substance." She glanced at Prince, smiling at his curiosity. "Does that make any sense?"

sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry DX

[honourandglory.livejournal.com]

"It makes a great deal of sense." His voice was low; he was thinking back to the sand-creatures and something of a shudder went through him. "There is something unreal about them, but like you, I cannot quite articulate why..."

Abruptly, the Prince stopped. They seem to have reached an area of greenery, cleared away to leave a centre of open, grassy terrain. There were few people about, and the effect was one of sudden space. Prince threw a glance at Belle's direction, gesturing before him with one hand.

"Is this it?"