"How long has she been at it?" Badou asked, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets.
"Few hours. On and off." Heine replied. His gaze was unwavering from Naoto and the spent casings across the table. He did not bother counting how many rounds or magazines she chewed through. Nor did he interrupt often to offer some ways of advice.
"What brought this on?" The red head added turning his sights to improvised targets. Then back to Naoto as she loaded another magazine. No different than seathing a blade he supposed. Her devotion to the practice was unsettling for the level of focus.
"She wanted to learn to shoot." Adamant to learn how. "Told her that sword is better against my kin." A simple leap in logic if the bite hurt him, then it should do the same to any of his ilk. The lesser copies included.
"More than your kin are at our throats." Badou said within a sigh. Those on the normal side of humanoid got felled by a few bullets.
"Ask her, if you're itching to know and willing to chance getting shot." The dry musing cracked the usual flat line of his lips. The task of picking up a gun seemed more so to sate curiosity and have some time put in if things ran sideways.
"Pass. She's decent by those groupings. Probably all the weird you-know?" He gestured by lifting his jacket with his pocketed hands. Less said, better.
"More lethal. It's not her thing." Heine ignored the lesser said, eyeing her unload a magazine in short order. The flicker of disdain got noted. Meant more than irritation at hitting a learning plateau.
"Isn't that your gun?" Try as he might to hide it, Badou's piqued curiosity painted the question.
"Yeah. So?"
"Just- never thought you'd let anyone use it."
"It's convenient." An answer on its own. The unsatisfied expression on Badou's face spurred further reasoning typically unwarranted. "Caliber is smaller, less recoil, and ammo you can scratch up."
"So it's common." By that point curiosity waned and the want for nicotine took its place. The fiddling in his pockets procured cigarettes and lighter. It made for a minor distraction. Enough so Naoto had stepped up closer with a separated Luger and magazine.
"Feels overheated again." For the little Naoto knew of firearms, how quick they were to overheat proved a weaker point in their usage. Her finger throbbed and wrist felt loose after repeated abuse at the harsh halt end of recoils. Heine's meager advice alleviated the worst of both troubles.
"Speaking of- I'll leave you to it." Badou rushed to say. A perched unlit cigarette signaled an out to the conversation. One better unsuited for his presence. Once out of sight, Naoto presented the pistol back to Heine with the empty magazine slid back in.
"What was that about?"
"No idea, he seemed spooked you were shooting. Probably thought you might shoot him."
"I never understand him." She mused as her hand tensed and stretched.
"Me either."
Hey look, an update. Request are back open! Since this series is on hiatus still (some five years running) and I've been dwelling on the lack of any end in sight, here's some drabbles to hold us over. Suggest your ideas, songs, quotes, kinks, or what have you, and I'll try to get something about these two.