The sun had already hung high above the cloudless horizon once all sixteen of the children had arrived, who lined up next to one another along the wooden makeshift fence; heads tilted down slightly in order to allow their hats and bonnets to provide shading for their young faces. Through squinted eyes, they watched Byleth, the newly appointed deputy and teacher for the youngsters, as he finished setting up the table before them. With a sarape draped over the top, he placed 3 weapons down upon it: a revolver, a repeater, and a double-barrel shotgun. Byleth lifted the end of the quilt and reached under the table, pulling out three ammunition boxes. After placing them on the corner closest to him, he turned back to the group before him.

Without so much as looking at them, he pulled out a match and a cigarette. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, he lit the match- using his free hand as cover to allow the tobacco to catch before stomping out the light. "Good morning," He said to them in a somewhat bored tone.

"Good morning, Mr. Eisner," Some of the children greeted back, while the rest simply said, "Good morning," or merely nodded.

The deputy puffed on the cigarette. "Now then," He began, observing the group, "As you're all aware, Mayor Seiros has asked me not only to act as a deputy here at the town of San Garreg, but to also provide all of you with the education needed since there's no one else with the time nor qualifications to do so." He places his thumbs into each pocket, pulling back his black overcoat. "Also, I've been instructed by the Mayor to ensure that each and every one of you are at least familiar with a firearm in case, by the off chance, you or the town were to be attacked by..." He stopped suddenly and glanced over at the only two Native Americans near one end of the line. "...by any individuals that intend to do you bodily harm."

One of the boys, the one with short sky blue hair, shot his hand up into the air. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Deputy?"

Byleth nodded his chin up at him. "What is it?"

The boy's hand went down as quickly as it had come up. "So, um, Mr. Deputy, you are talking about Indians, right?" He asked with a tinge of excitement. "Like the Comanches or the Apaches?"

Byleth let out a half-annoyed, half-amused scoff. "I'm teaching you how to defend yourself against any threat." He clarified. "However, Indians are essentially the least of your problems for the time being. Ever since your Mayor signed the treaty with their respective tribal leaders, the number of raids that had been reported in this region had dropped to nearly zero, which I'd say is a damn miracle in its own right. But that also means that there was a major spike in reports of bandits raiding stations wagons between here and the Glenn Canyon."

"Oh," The boy said, looking slightly disappointed.

"Let me make one point absolutely clear," Eisner continued, "None of you are here to learn how to go out looking for a fight. The point of today's exercise is so I have a clear idea of what you're already good or familiar with and how we can compensate for any disadvantages. And from here on out, unless I deem you worthy of it, none of you will be allowed to carry while in town unless I grant you permission to do so. Am I clear on all of this?"

"Yes, sir," everyone answered.

The Deputy nodded. "Alright then, so..." He turned to the table and picked up the revolver. "Who here would like to go firs-." By the time he'd turned back around, a young girl just over half his height with tan-orange hair was already standing directly in front of him, catching him by surprise.

"I'll go first!" She exclaimed with an aura of confidence.

Unlike all of the other girls that had attended, (excluding the only female Native American) instead of being dressed in the usual blouse, walking skirt, bonnet, or straw hat, this one was fully fitted in a male's Coulter button-up shirt, mud brown trousers and suspenders, white cowboy hat and paddock boots.

"Huh," Byleth mused dryly, looking down at the young woman with expressionless eyes, "Well, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting any of the gals here to come running up first, so this is a welcomed surprise. What's your name?"

"Leonie Pinelli, sir." The girl's freckled face smiled, thrusting her shoulders back proudly and causing her pigtails to sway behind her.

"How old are you, Leonie?"

"Thirteen."

"And what do you do? Actually, no- what do your parents do?"

The girl bounced on her heels. "Well, my family works in the wrangling business, where we domesticate some of the wild horses sold here in Glenn Canyon."

Byleth pulled out his cigarette. "Do you have any brothers?"

Leonie looked slightly surprised by this question. "Y-Yeah, I have four older siblings- Leo, Leroy, Lenny, and Lesley."

"All boys?"

"Yes sir."

"No younger siblings?"

"No sir, Leo is next to being the youngest, and he just turned eighteen."

"Well, that does certainly explain a lot about you so far." Byleth nodded, holding out the revolver for her to observe. "I assume you're already familiar with these?"

"Oh, absolutely!" The girl turned her waist to the side to reveal her own pistol tucked between her pants and shirt. "Lesley taught me how to use it. He's one of the best shots out of everyone in the Glenn Canyon!"

"Is that so?" He raised a brow, although he looked unimpressed. "In that case," he placed his weapon back on the table and motioned toward the open field where a series of improvised shelves and targets made from broken fences and junk sitting at varying distances in front of them. "Why don't you demonstrate everything he's taught you?"

Leonie looked elated. "OK, sure!" She stepped to the table and pulled out her sidearm. "You see after my parents had Leo, they actually weren't big on the idea of having a fifth child, but shortly after, my mom decided that she wanted to try one more time in hopes that they'd have a girl- someone who can stay in the house and keep her company, you know? But it was so boring in there that I eventually left the house where my brothers showed me how to wrangle, and I eventually got so good at it to the point where- HEY! OW!"

While Leonie had been busy talking and fiddling with her revolver, a pair of incredibly strong hands grabbed the pistol she was holding and suddenly found herself falling hard on her rear end. She looked up to the Deputy towering over her, who broke the gun open and began to remove the rounds from its cylinder.

"Hey!" She cried out angrily, "What the hell was that... for?"

Her voice trailed off into a near whimper when Byleth's eyes met hers with a deathly cold stare. His eyes were still completely devoid of emotions, and yet the manner in which he stared down at her seemed to have brought upon a dark aura that accompanied his shaded face of absolute serious proportions, with only the smoke emitting from the cigarette that hung from his lips being the only form of movement.

Without taking his gaze off of her, he then finished the task of removing the bullets before reaching under the table and pulling out an empty box. Placing it on the table, he deposits the revolver that he'd confiscated, then takes the cigarette from his mouth and motions towards the girl while addressing everyone else. "Now then, thanks to Miss Cowgirl over here, I think I'll skip over the first rule of handling your weapons and go right to the second. You don't ever- and I mean ever," he scans each and every student in front of him with laser-like energy, pointing at them with the tobacco wedged between his fingers, "Point your weapon at anything that you don't intend to shoot." He then brings his attention back to Leonie, who picked up her fallen hat and shakily pulled herself to her feet. "And as for the question of, 'what was that for?' I'll tell you. While you were busy flapping that tongue of yours and checking to see if your weapon was even loaded, you were oblivious to the fact that you just flagged- not just me- but every single person around you while also having your finger placed on that trigger." The deputy took a strong huff on his cigarette. "I was hoping that you would be a good example to everyone else about the proper handling of a firearm, but now I figure having you as an example on what not to do will work too." He pointed to the far side of the line where the students were lined up. "Get back in line," he ordered her. "You'll go last so that way you get every opportunity to learn from your recent incompetence."

Leonie looked as though she wanted to protest, but the look that the deputy gave her eliminated any courage that she would have of doing so, and trudged slowly back to the group, with her hat in hand.

"So now, as for the other two rules," Byleth pushed on, though the incident never even occurred, "The first one that you need to know and drill into those thick heads of yours is that every weapon you handle must be treated as though it were loaded. It doesn't matter how certain you are, no matter how many times you've checked to see if it's unloaded because pointing any of these at another person is a good way to get yourself shot; regardless of the circumstances. And even then, you should never, ever do it in the first place because these are not toys. They are instruments that have been designed for one purpose- and that is to kill."

He stomps out the cigarette. "Now, we've gone over the second rule thanks to Leonie's brother, Lesley," There was a chorus of laughter among several of the children, including the boy with the sky blue hair, and the girl's face turned red in embarrassment.

But Byleth continued. "So let's go over the third. Keep your finger off that damn trigger unless you intend to fire. I've had plenty of privates who were fresh off the farmlands thinking they were hotshots with hunting coyotes before they were placed into my company; some of whom ended up getting dismissed the same day that they were conscripted and went back home with their tail between their legs. Now, I know that this isn't the same as an organized militia," he nodded towards the orange-haired girl, "but that doesn't mean that I won't use whatever force necessary to ensure everyone's safety. Now with all that said..." He placed his hand on the box next to him. "For everyone that is currently carrying, go ahead and line up to turn them in. But wait until you're at the front of the line before you pull them out and start to unload them. And don't worry, you'll get them back once you're all dismissed."

Ten out of the sixteen students lined up in front of the deputy and began the process of turning in their weapons, all of whom were carrying pistols. The first was a young man with light wavy orange hair, whose posture was that of a proud stature, smiling nervously yet eagerly as he handed in his pistol. Next was a blonde boy, with a tall and largely built African American man following close behind him.

The two individuals that came after were a young woman dressed in a rich black and red dress, which indicated to the deputy as someone of high status. Closely behind her was a tall and slender man with raven black hair that nearly covered his right eye. He seemed to look deeply uncomfortable under the hot sun because unlike the rest of the boys, he was the only one dressed in a black and white suit and hat as though he'd been pulled right off the streets of a highly populated city.

Next was the same boy who'd raised his hand earlier, and then another with long deep blue hair tied back into a bun. The person who came after him was a young woman with baby blue hair. At first, she looked up at the deputy with flustered brown eyes and began stuttering apologetically as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small over-barrel pistol the size of her palm.

She broke it open and unloaded the two small-caliber rounds before handing it over to the man, who looked at it with a slightly curious gaze.

"Have you ever used this before?"

The girl stuttered, "Oh, um, no sir."

"But you know how to use it?"

"Y-yes sir, my adoptive father bought it for me. For protection."

"I see," he huffed before placing it in the box, "We can talk more about that later, but for now, go join the others."

She nodded once before dipping her head and hurrying back to the fence.

Finally, the two Native Americans were the last to step up; one boy, and one girl.

The boy had a lackadaisical expression and was dressed like all of the other boys in the group, however, his darker skin and messy dark hair were all that was needed to make him distinct from the others. The girl however had a lighter tone in skin, yet still comparatively dark. She was dressed in an article of distinct tribal clothing that Byleth was familiar with, yet didn't quite recognize, and her long violet hair was tied back into one long and large braided ponytail.

Instead of brandishing a pistol as everyone else did before her, she instead unslung a bow from her shoulder and placed it on the table along with a quiver full of arrows. She had turned to leave to join everyone else back at the fence before she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see the deputy looking down at her with moderate sternness.

"When I say all weapons, I believe that means all of them." He nodded down towards the hunting knife that was strapped to the back of her waist. After a short moment and a look of utmost reluctance, she pulled it out and handed it to him.

The deputy inspected it. "This is a delicate tool you have here." He looked up at her. "What's your name?"

"I am Petra Macneary, of the Nez Perce tribe," she bowed slightly.

"Nez Perce, huh." He repeated thoughtfully. "That's in Idaho territory, right? You're a long way out from home. What brought you all the way out here?"

"I have been going exploring..." She stopped herself, as though realizing what she'd just said, and closed her eyes as she reiterated, "I have been exploring the western frontier upon my parent's wishes."

"For what purpose?"

"We have been facing much pressure from many parties of interest as of late, and I am hoping that I can learn enough so that I may serve as an ambassador and representative of my people."

"That's quite an admirable goal," he put away the knife. "But we can talk more about your ambitions another time once I've gotten accustomed to all the other trouble-makers here."

Once all of the other children had retreated back to the fence, Byleth lit another cigarette. "This is going to be a long day," He muttered to himself. "Alright," he announced with a deep sigh, "so, who here has never held a gun before in their lives?" There was a pause among the students as they looked between one another before a sandy blonde woman- seemingly the oldest out of the group- raised her hand. Eisner motions for her to step forward. "What's your name?"

"I am Sister Mercedes," she answered tenderly, with a courteous nod. "Mercedes Martritz."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Martritz. And 'Sister,' you say?"

"Yes, from the Sisters of Charity. I had traveled here all the way from Cincinnati to assist Pastor Seteth in providing to those in need, improving relations with the local natives, and spreading the gospel as far as the eye can see!"

"Huh, that's a very noble position you've taken. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"And I take it that you're not actually from the U.S.?"

The nun looked flustered. "Oh, um, yes-no, I was actually born in the outskirts of Paris before I moved here with my mother when I was five years old. I even served as a nurse for the Red Cross during the Civil War before I joined the Sisters of Charity. How could you tell?"

"I recognized the accent. Had a Corporal who grew up in a deeply Catholic family that had also moved here from France, and that's not something you tend to forget easily when he's the one carrying out your orders." He tapped the ash of his cigarette to the ground before putting it back between his lips. "So, why are you out here rather than helping build huts or setting up soup kitchens?"

"Oh, well- as you see, I dislike violence with the utmost extremity, for reasons I'm sure you would understand, and the thought of holding what you defined as an instrument for killing just never sat well with me."

"But...?"

"But... Pastor Seteth has assured me that it would be in my best interest to learn how to defend myself in the event where I would have no choice but to use it. And given everything I've heard about the rogue natives that have been roaming in the fields outside of Glenn Canyon and the bandits, I finally had to come to terms with it considering that this is the closest to danger I've ever been in in my career."

"Well, your pastor was right to do so. And don't worry, we're not going to try to make you a famous gunslinger or an expert marksman. The whole point in today's lesson is just getting you familiar with the firearms." He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a wad of cotton, tore off two small pieces from it, and handed it out to her. "Here, you're going to want to stick these in your ears. Constant exposure to gunfire is a fast and easy ticket to losing your sense of hearing."

She took them and did as she was told. and Byleth then turned to pick up the pistol on the table and gestured for her to step up closer. "This here is a six-cylinder, single-action revolver." He explained presenting the weapon for her to see. "It fires a total of six .44 magnum rounds, which look like these." He opened the first box on the table and withdrew a single round that was the length of his thumb and the width of his pinkie finger. "This is pretty much the standard pistol that you'll likely come across often, so this is what we're going to get you started with."

After several minutes of Byleth showing her how to load the gun, the proper stance, and the proper way of holding it, the deputy then placed a single round in the chamber before carefully handing it off to the nun, who held onto it tightly enough to make her knuckles white. "Alright, now I want you to aim for the target closest to you. Don't worry if you don't end up missing by a foot or a mile, just practice focusing on where you want to shoot."

Mercedes did as she was instructed. Her entire scrunched up into a squint as she closed her left eye and she jabbed the gun out in front of her with her arms stretched out as far as she could extend them. At first, she leaned back as though she were trying to put as much distance between herself and the gun, and the nun would've ended up falling backward had Byleth not placed a firm hand on the center of her shoulder blades to prevent her from doing so.

"Remember, at the peak of your breath, hold it in just long enough to squeeze that trigger. Inhale, hold and squeeze."

The gun in Mercedes' hands wobbled as she tried to keep her breathing under control. Until at last, after a long moment, she squeezed both eyes shut the instant before she pulled the trigger, and the gun went out with a loud pop as though someone slammed a steel hammer onto the rail of the train tracks. She let out a gasp in shock as the weapon recoiled and almost fumbled it in her hands, causing her instructor to reach out instinctively in order to grasp it, but ultimately, it still remained firmly in her grasp.

"Oh!" She exclaimed though she couldn't help but smile. "Oh my, I was not expecting that at all!"

"So you're alright?" He asked.

"Yes, yes, quite alright, thank you. Um…" Mercedes looked out onto the field where she'd shot. "Did I manage to hit anything?"

"The ground. Well, eventually anyway." He huffed on his cigarette and presented another round to her. "Wanna try again?"

To his surprise, the nuns' eyes narrowed in determination. "Yes, I would very much like to." She allowed the deputy to reach over and chamber the bullet while she held onto the gun, and then immediately backed away again once he'd cooked the hammer back.

"OK, you're hot. Let's try it again.

She took her stance again. Only this time, her face was much more relaxed, and was no longer leaning as far back as she had been. Instead, she leaned forward into it just as she'd been taught, and the revolver no longer shook in her hands.

The weapon let out another roar as it went off. It recoiled again, but the young woman expected this and still held it within her control. Almost thirty yards out, a small patch of dirt exploded right next to the base of a wooden post that held an empty bottle of booze closest to Mercedes.

Byleth, who'd absentmindedly pulled the tobacco from his lips, stared at the girl next to him. "I'll be damned."

"Oh, did I do something wrong, Mr. Deputy?" Her eyes shot with concern.

"Other than a slight yank of the trigger and closing your eyes again, you did all of it almost perfectly."

He held out his hand for the gun, to which Mercedes immediately obliged as her jaw dipped slightly in shock.

"I did?"

He nodded. "It shows that you have a great capacity for listening, once you've learned to overcome your fears or discomfort. At least now I won't have to worry about telling you anything twice."

"Oh, well," the girl flushed as she stroked her long pale-blonde over her shoulder. "When you're a nun for a charity organization, it really pays to be able to listen to other people's woes, especially when they feel as though there is no one else in the world that genuinely cares about their problems."

"Hmph," Mercedes was surprised to hear the deputy scoff. Not the kind you would expect when someone is simply going along with the conversation, but an actual scoff. "But you do?"

The young woman couldn't help but stare at the man who was possibly no more than a couple of years her senior. "Well, the truth is," the nun admitted, "most of the other Sisters don't truly believe that they have the power to help others overcome their demons" She looked down as she spoke but then raised her gaze to make direct contact with Byleth's. "But I do."

An awkward silence fell over as the deputy regarded her with his stern and seemingly unconcerned eyes, as though he wasn't even aware of the insinuation that Mercedes had made towards him. The other children looked amongst each other nervously as though trying to figure out who would have the guts to speak up, but thankfully, they didn't need to.

"You can go ahead and join the others," Byleth muttered, turning his attention away from her.

Mercedes quickly turned to do as she was told, but then abruptly came to a stop after a couple of steps and turned back towards the man.

"Actually, Mr. Deputy?"

"What is it?"

She pursed her lips. "Could you… perhaps show me how to use…?" She pointed to the double-barrel shotgun resting on the table. "...Show me how to use that?"

His eyes went from her to the weapon she was referring to. "This right here?" He gestured with his cigarette hand. She nodded. "I dunno about that; have you ever felt the kick from a 12 Gauge before?"

"No," She said pointedly but stood her ground. "But I know that Pastor Set-." Mercedes stopped herself before speaking in a lower tone so that the others wouldn't be able to hear. "I know that Pastor Seteth keeps one beneath the church altar. I've never seen him use it, but I think it would be in my best interest to learn how to use it, should anything happen there. And besides…" She met his eyes with equal intensity. "As you said, I'm a good listener."

The sincerity and the eagerness to learn was all that Byleth needed to be convinced, and consequently, nodded his head. "Very well." He stopped out the lit tobacco despite the leftover amount that remained before opening the second ammunition box. Unlike the first box which had been filled with pin-fire rounds, this one had an array of items including one-inch cubed wax papers, corks, brass caps, a powder flask, and a smaller box containing tiny metal pellets roughly half the size of a marble.

"So this right here," Eisner began, holding the shotgun diagonally towards the field. "Is a 12 gauge muzzle-loaded percussion cap. Unlike what you just shot earlier, the rounds you use don't come pre-packaged for your convenience, and instead of shooting a large lump of lead, this tool fires dozens of either buckshot or birdshot- depending on what you're shooting at. However, don't let the name fool you. The buckshot only has a maximum effective range of fifty yards, but these things can tear up almost anything if you're at a close enough distance."

He quickly loaded both barrels with fast and fluid movements as though he'd done it hundreds of times before finally placing a brass cap over the nipple connected to one of the barrels. "Remember, even if the barrels are loaded, you won't be able to ignite the powder under normal circumstances if you don't have a firing cap." Mercedes nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'm going ahead and taking the first shot so that way you know what to expect; I don't want this one flying out of your hands, because these things can kick like a mule."

Mercedes instinctively covered her ears with the palm of her hands as an extra layer of protection on top of the cotton protecting them, and the deputy wasted no time as he brought the butt of the gun to his shoulder. The explosion that followed soon after was that which sounded more akin to a miniaturized cannon, and fire flared from the left barrel for a brief instant as the weapon broke Byleth's stiff stature as it pushed his upper body back slightly. About twenty-five yards down the dried-up field, a cloud of dust erupted as dozens of pellets pounded into the dirt.

Once again, the girl flinched as the silence was cut off for a brief moment as the shot went off and echoed throughout the open land. Certainly, even though she was once a nurse for the Red Cross during the war, she'd never had to hear these sorts of things at such a close distance, and though she never once saw what a tool for war could do to a living person in real-time, she had had countless opportunities to witness the full extent of the damage they were capable of.

Byleth lowered the gun and blew away the smoke that funneled out from the end of the barrel before turning towards the former nurse. "So," he said, eyeing her with a discerning stare. "Are you ready to shoot with the big boys?"

Unable to contain a smile this time, Mercedes said nothing and stepped up as she took the long gun in her hands. The deputy then showed her the proper stance and showed her the proper place on her shoulder for where to place the stock. Once she was in a position that he was satisfied with, Byleth then took another brass cap and placed it over the nipple of the other barrel for her, and immediately stepped back. "Alright, you're hot. Remember, keep the stock tight against your shoulder and only place your finger on that trigger until you're ready to fire."

Despite her cheek resting on the butt of the gun, Mercedes was able to make a slight nod with her head without having to move the gun with her. She spent the next moment or so taking deep and slow breaths before she finally brought her finger onto the trigger that would drop the hammer and set the weapon off, which she did not a second later.

The shotgun recoiled at a near forty-five-degree angle up in the air as another combustion of the powder deep inside the barrel nearly sent the young woman staggering backward. The post that she'd been aiming at earlier splintered as pellets ripped into the old and decaying wood, and the whiskey jar that it rested on exploded into hundreds of tiny little glass shards.

The deputy was there to support the nun immediately after he saw her struggle to keep her balance, and the girl sucked in a breath as though the impact of the recoil had sucked the air right out of her lungs. "Are you alright?" He asked soberly yet did not seem to look all that concerned.

"Yes, yes, quite alright," she affirmed with a deep sigh of relief. "Although that of course, I was not expecting."

"Well, I did warn you."

"Oh, but that is nothing to be of concern now." She handed off the weapon to the deputy and began to brush off her dress. "I'm just glad that I was able to finally familiarize myself with these… tools, but as I have said before, I can only pray that Lord will never have me put into a situation where I'd have to use it."

"Fair enough, I guess," Byleth mused as he placed the gun back on the table, closed the munitions box, and pulled another cigarette from his shirt pocket. "Alright, that does it for today's lessons for you. Go ahead and join the others." There was no hesitation this time or even a pause for comment as the nun bowed her head in thanks and walked briskly towards the other children who were patiently waiting for their turn.

"Now then," he regarded the line of students standing before him as he lit his cigarette. "Who's up next?"