Ch 7
The sounds of rifle shots echoed from the shooting range. Aang and Ursa grabbed a slot and looked at a paper target, 400 yards away.
"This is a Carcano 38/41 carbine. Has a range of 1000 yards, and the small length means it's very good in close quarters combat." Ursa said.
Ursa opened the bolt and put in six bullets, then closed the bolt. She aimed the rifle and pulled the trigger. The bullet went near the X on the paper.
"Your turn." Ursa said, handing Aang the rifle.
Aang looked at the strange weapon, then took it. He copied Ursa's movements and looked down the sights. He pulled the trigger, and his shooting was off. He cycled the bolt and fired again. Ursa watched as he finished the clip, not even hitting the X.
"You're too tense. You need to relax and focus." Ursa said.
Ursa stood behind Aang and moved his posture to better suit shooting a rifle.
"Eyes down the sight. Take three deep breaths, and on the third one, exhale all your breath. Proper breathing is necessary for accurate shooting. Squeeze the trigger, don't just pull. Lick your trigger finger." Ursa said.
After licking his finger, he exhaled his breathing and squeezed the trigger until the gun fired. The bullet came close to the X, near Ursa's shot.
"Very good. Again." Ursa said.
Aang fired the trigger, only to hear a click. He opened the bolt and saw there was no bullets left. Chuckling, he loaded another clip and continued shooting.
When they exhausted their bullets, Ursa gave the rifle back and walked away with Aang.
"Just remember, it takes years to be a good shooter. And like all other skills, it must be practiced to be maintained." Ursa said.
"So, what's next on the agenda?" Aang asked.
"Nothing today. Just eat, drink, and be merry." Ursa said, pulling Aang close to her.
"More like eat, drink, and fondle each other." Aang sarcastically said.
"Well, there's that." Ursa said.
Aang looked at Ursa with surprise.
"Something's wrong with you." Aang said.
"You're right about that." Ursa softly said.
Entering the palace, Ursa was approached by a servant and told she had to attend a meeting.
"By the way, Aang, in my room is a book about puberty. It'll give you all the information you need." Ursa said.
Entering her room, Aang found Ty Lee sitting in a chair.
"So, Ursa is in a meeting?" Ty Lee asked.
"She is. And what are you doing here?" Aang asked, as he grabbed the book and started to read it.
"Just bored, Aang. Stretching seems to help. Might join the circus." Ty Lee said.
"As an acrobat. Sounds like something you'll enjoy." Aang said.
"Maybe you can join. You seem quite flexible yourself." Ty Lee said.
"I think Ursa has my future planned out. I've just been at a firing range; Ursa gave me some tips on that." Aang said.
"That's nice of her. I knew you two would be a good choice for each other." Ty Lee said.
"Ty, that's not going to happen." Aang said.
"And your aura says otherwise." Ty Lee said.
"Get out." Aang said, as he buried his nose in the book.
"Maybe I should talk to Ursa about you two." Ty Lee said.
"Ty, you're talking about the fire nation leader. If she wants to, she can exile you from the country. I think." Aang said.
"You're right about that, Aang. Okay, I won't breach this matter again." Ty Lee said, leaving the room.
Aang spent the next two hours reading the book. While it was informative, he was also uncomfortable researching the changes in the human body, the changes that he would go thru because of time and biological fact.
"Spirits, there are times I just hate this job. We need funding for this military project. We need to increase taxes to sustain the war effort. Blah, blah, blah. I just want a fucking vacation that will last a full year. Get away from all the madness. If the war were to end tomorrow, that'll be a big weight off my shoulders." Ursa said.
Ursa proceeded to remove her clothes, down to her under clothing, and plopped onto the bed next to Aang.
"I take it things aren't well." Aang said.
"No, Aang. They aren't. Right now, I just want to destress." Ursa said, turning over and lazily tossing a leg and an arm over Aang.
"The book I read. When will I experience those changes?" Aang asked.
"You're approaching 13, so I'm guessing soon. It's not set in stone for every person. Some encounter puberty earlier or later than others. That's up for your body to decide, and you can't do anything about it. Just wait and let nature run its course." Ursa said.
"Do you know how to read aura's?" Aang asked.
"Aura's?" Ursa asked.
"Ty Lee. Aang said.
"Oh. That's something you'll have to ask her. Don't know a thing about that." Ursa said.
"It seems like everyone here is keeping secrets. Want to know about aura's, talk to Ty Lee. Want to know about puberty or state secrets, talk to Ursa. Hell, later it'll be 'want to know about sharpshooting or being a fighter pilot, talk to Aang.'" Aang said.
Ursa could only laugh at Aang's rant.
"It's funny because it's true." She said.
Ursa pulls the covers over the pair and leans in for a kiss. They barely touch when the door is knocked on.
"Damn it." Ursa said.
