"No thank you," Halt said coldly.
Will frowned. "Suit yourself," he replied cheerfully. "Let me know when you change your mind." Then he left the kitchen.
Halt rolled his eyes. "Maybe I will change my mind," he said. Then he added sarcastically, "In a million years."
The grizzled Ranger sipped his coffee and sat back. The house was peaceful again. Like the old times. When he didn't have crazy and hyper apprentices. Like Gilan. Will was a bit on the calmer side, Halt decided.
5 hours later...
Will and Gilan were back inside. Both Rangers were sitting at the table and enjoying mugs of coffee. Gilan was happily telling how Bob had fell off Abelard and how he'd gotten a giant bruise on his knee. Will was boasting how he'd gotten ten bull's-eyes in a row.
"...and just like that—" (Gilan clapped his hands together) "—and Bob fell off Abelard, and then he groaned, and then he starting prodding his bruised knee, and then, of course, he asked me to help him up, and of course I pulled him to his feet, and then he asked for some tea, but we'd ran out so I gave him coffee, and then he got all mad and..."
What Will was saying was not one bit more interesting. "...so I just nocked the arrow, and then I pulled back, and then I fired, and not surprisingly, I got a bull's-eye, but then I fired another arrow and got another bull's-eye, and then another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another." Will counted the number of bull's-eyes on his fingers. "Ten," he finished.
Gilan snorted in mid-sentence. "Yeah, right," he scoffed.
Will crossed his arms across his chest. "Follow me." he said.
Gilan followed Will outside and the younger Ranger led him to one of the targets. On it were ten arrows, all clustered in the bull's-eye area.
Gilan's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You—I—that—you—" Gilan stuttered. "—you probably just took your arrows and stuck them on with your hands." Gilan finished triumphantly. He had a defiant look on his face.
Will shook his head. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You'll never know. Unless I tell you. Which I won't. Or will I?"
The senior Ranger turned around with a hmph and headed back to the cottage.
"Hey, Gilan, where are you going?" Will asked.
Gilan paused for an excuse. "I don't want my coffee to get cold," he finished. Then he stomped off.
Will thought about what Gilan had just said. Then he frowned. "He already finished his coffee," Will remembered.