"Okay, I have to remember to talk to her about that." Robin sighed slinging her bow back across her shoulders. It seems Alice's cursing habits were starting to rub off on her. Although that last poorly hit shot had -in Robin's view at least- warranted the use of a few vulgar pirate-like curses as she watched her misfired arrow sail off into the thick tree line instead of hitting the target she'd been aiming for.
After taking a deep steadying breath to calm herself down Robin decided it was time to call her practice session over for the day. The weather was shifting, and she needed to get her latest cash of kills back to camp so they could be properly stored up for the winter season.
But first things first.
"Where are you?" The archer mused resting her foot against a tree stump trying to get a general location on her missing arrow before she ended up using up the rest of her afternoon trying to find it.
"Are you looking for this little fox?" an older man's voice questioned somewhere off to Robin's right as soon as she'd stepped out of the clearing she uses for target practice when she stays at camp to keep Killian company and if she was being honest she stayed at the camp mainly so she could be a bit closer to Alice all at the same time.
Startled the novice archer had another arrow notched and fired in less than a second. The resulting whisper of a curse and the sound of an arrow hitting its mark made Robin grin as she moved with cat-like quiet toward the intruder. "Seems like this little kit had claws." The man joked tugging Robin's arrow free from its place pinning the shoulder of his shirt to the tree he was leaning against. "This was my favorite shirt." He scolded twirling Robin's arrow in his fingers as soon as the young archer came into his sight line. "Serves you right for snaking up on an archer." Robin answered
"All be it a novice archer." The mystery man teased rolling his eyes "a real archer wouldn't have needed two tries to take this guy down." He explained nodding to the deceased buck Robin had been about to retrieve when he'd piped up.
"It's not my fault the wind shifted as soon as I took the shot. It was clean when I lined it up." Robin snapped noting the bow the man was carrying as she took her missing arrow back.
He was around five years older than her just a few inches taller than her as well dressed much like she was his earth-colored clothes letting him blend in with the forest world around them while also showing off his lean muscular build. His hair was cut short, so it seemed to highlight his strong jawline that was peppered with the start of a beard giving him a distinct five o clock shadow look but despite the length in his hair he'd left it tousled and shaggy, so Robin noticed flex of blonde mixed in with what she guesses was his natural rich dark chocolate hair color but there was something about his eyes. A stormy kind of hazel that seem familiar to her somehow the longer she held his gaze.
All in all, had she not already falling head over heels in love with Alice Robin was sure she would have at least swooned a little at the sight of him despite her annoyance with his views of her archery abilities.
Without thinking she lowered her weapon replacing the arrow to the carrier as they stared each other down while she allowed the newcomer closer as she turned her attention to the buck.
"I have some time before I need to meet an associate of mine. I could give you a few pointers." He offered while she pulled the two arrows from her kill. He could be a spy, but Robin couldn't shake the feeling that he truly wanted to help her improve her skills. "And going by the curses I heard you could use all the help I'm willing to share." He added with a genuinely teasing smile bringing the possible swooning feeling back around while Robin leveled her best angry glare at him at the dig.
"I'm still debating on whether I should just turn you over as an enemy spy." The young archer threatened pulling the deer's carcass over her shoulder only staggering once under its weight when she stood up again. "I got it." She huffed when the mystery man made a move to try and help her. "It would be easier if you let me carry your arrows and your bow." He pointed out but again Robin shakes her head. "Like I'd let a spy just take my bow. That's rich." She laughed without humor "I wasn't born yesterday." He backed up his hands raised in surrender "Retract the claws little fox I'm only trying to help." He says gesturing with his chin to the small pile if animals Robin had left on the ground while she handled the buck. "Can I at least carry these for you, so you won't have to make two trips?"
"Thanks." Robin agrees with a stuff node earning a small half smile in answer bringing back the idea that she should know this man somehow. "And can I say that you turning me in as a spy wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me." He laughed collecting the rest of his own gear as well as the rest of Robin's catch or the day. "and I can also assure you it won't be the last." He added with a sly wink before following her back to her little training arena.
"This is quite the catch for a novice." He says as they walk the short walk seeming to take even longer while Robin struggles under the weight of her last kill. He really was a big one. The biggest she'd bagged yet if she was being honest and having all that dead weight against her shoulders was just causing a little unsteadiness while she adjusted her hold. Not that she'd think of complaining when it just means more food for the camp in the coming winter. "I only take what my friends and I need to survive." Robin defended even when she will admit that she walks a little taller at the praise shifting the animal across her shoulders while she navigated around a fallen tree.
"As do I." the dark-eyed man agreed resting a steadying hand against Robin's arm when she had misjudged a small jump and had landed rather awkwardly and would have fallen if he hadn't intervened.
"If your camp is farther than the next clearing I'm taking that deer from you so you're carrying these the rest of the way and I'll take the deer." He warned as if trying to impress her with the act of shivery but only making the younger archer roll her eyes "No way." Robin countered angrily "I'm not walking a possible spy right to our front door." She reasoned
"We have to get this meat back to them before it spoils little Kit." The scruffy-faced man laughed but despite the wording, Robin couldn't detect that he was insulting her with the comment. "I said I've got it and I do." She answers sending a sideways glare over to the still unknown but possibly known man walking beside her. "And stop calling me little I'm five years younger than you tops." She growls stomping ahead of him just to let out a bit of her frustration leaving him to jog after her and laugh.
"Seems fair. Young fox." He relents making Robin roll her eyes at the nickname.
Robin felt a wide smile pulling at her lips when they broke the tree line to find a much more welcome sight then more trees waiting for them.
"I was going to send a search out in two more seconds." Alice scolded her arms folded tightly across her chest while the two archers deposited their kills at the small makeshift workbench she was sitting at for cleaning.
"Call the dogs off Tower Girl." Robin grins rubbing her stiff shoulder while she steps into Alice's waiting arms for a much-needed hug. "What? I was worried something had happened to you alright." The blonde answered with a small shrug putting a bit more distance between her true love and the other archer while snuggling more against Robin's chest. "I missed you Nobin." Alice whispers against her ear pressing a little kiss against her cheek then another against the hollow of her throat "I missed you more Tower Girl." Robin countered breathing in the scent of Alice's shampoo as she hugs her tighter. Part of her knows its possible suicide to let so much of her guard down with a still unknown and well-armed man standing so close to them, but she couldn't help it when her girlfriend was around. Alice just made her feel safe and relaxed no matter the situation. Especially when she's leaning up to press their lips together in their first kiss after weeks of being apart.
"What don't I get a hug as well?" the other archer pouts when the pair pull away from one another with matching blushing yet annoyed looks in his direction and kiss-swollen lips at the loud sound of someone clearing his throat.
"No." Robin and Alice say at the same time the former even going so far as to wrap her arms back around Alice's waist pulling her girlfriend more against her side just to be sure he wouldn't try to somehow force Alice into one at hearing the rejection.
A rejection that for Alice at lest lasted another three seconds before she was giggling at his pouting expression and untangling herself from Robin's protective grip to close the distance between the gaping novice and the smirking archer still leaning against the workbench with his bow leaning at his side and his arms crossed in front of him.
"Nice to see you again Crazy Girl." He greeted holding his arms to her while Alice just scoffed at the nickname and stepped into them as easily as she had moved into Robin's just to end in her punching at his arm rather than hug him. "How many times have I asked you not to call me that?" Alice snapped giving his shoulder an even harder punch than the first when her victim opened his mouth to answer her.
Robin laughed at the action quietly praising her girlfriend on her punching ability but that soon changed when the man's expression changed from humor to a dark scowl. "You asked for it." He warned making Robin jump back into action as soon as she saw his arms closing in around the woman she loved. Her bow and her quiver dropped forgotten behind her as she charged them carefully prying Alice away from the bear tight hold he now had on her while driving the ball of her shoulder as hard as she could into his chest driving him back into a tree with the force of the hit.
Unfortunately for Robin at least Alice jumped between them before she could move in for another attack. "Stop it Nobin he's a friend." She scolds by way of an introduction "You really most not want those archery lessons I offered you earlier young fox." He laughed as he pushed himself back to his feet on Alice's helping arm grinning up at the wild-eyed novice as if he wasn't threatened by her at all. "You didn't need to show your teeth as well as your claws that time." He added with a groan rubbing his chest with a pained hiss as if the pain she'd inflicted was just now setting in as soon as their eyes met over Alice's shoulder.
"Great how about we all compare notes on how hurt we've been in the last few days while we get these supplies back to camp?" Alice jumped in derailing another fight before it could start. "Or I could stay here for some target practice while you two take the supplies back." He backtracked seeing the angry tick in Robin's jaw at the suggestion.
"Got that right." Robin agreed in a protective growl of a voice, but instead of swooning at the dominance her love was showing off Alice only rolled her eyes "I told you he's a friend." The blonde repeated as if talking to a stubborn child rather than her grown girlfriend. "Don't." she says before Robin could defend herself "These aren't going to clean themselves and since you two have waisted all this time horsing around rather than get them back to camp we'll just have to dress them all here." Alice says as she took a seat at the makeshift table. Pointedly on the other side from where Robin was standing having already pulled her dagger from her boot. "I'm not doing this all by myself." She growls without looking up from her work as if feeling the glaring match the two archers were having before they each sat down on their respective sides of the table to help.
"Alright, I expect you two to play nice while I'm gone." Alice says as soon as the last rabbit had been properly taken care of and packed away in Robin's hunting pack having been magickly adjusted to fit everything without being too heavy to carry around. She shakes her head before either archer could think of a reason to make her stay "Play nice." Alice repeats looking from one to the other as she shoulders the pack. "And you." Robin barely looks up with what she knows in a scolded puppy pout at the address when Alice kneels down to her level when Robin didn't get up from the table "Practice those shooting skills, I like you for." The blonde suggests lifting Robin's chin, so they were looking at one another. "Among other things." Alice smiled leaning in for a tender kiss. "I love you Nobin." She whispers against Robin's ear bringing a needy shudder racing down her girlfriend's spin.
"And Rolo." Alice says leveling her steely blue gaze on the scruffy-faced man now pulling Robin's earlier shots out of the 'target' tree "You let anything happen to her you deal with me." Her words earn a two-finger salute in answer. "Outlaws honor Crazy Girl." He says lining up his next shot while Alice steals another kiss from Robin's lips before departing back to her Papa's camp.