A little more talk, and a little less action?
Gam's busy rigging some explosives as Grig is distributing guns. Dhanianna, assisting in that task, turns to Grig and asks, "Do you think Gam will use a gun in this situation?"
Grig shrugs his shoulders and answers, "I don't know. He swore he'd never use one, but this is a shade different. These people are already dead. I doubt he will though."
Dhanianna nods and is silent for a few minutes. She then turns back to Grig and asks, "So why doesn't he use guns anyways?"
"He never told you?" Grig questioned back.
Dhanianna shook her head and answered, "No. He took me to a range and made me learn to shoot, fieldstrip, clean, and load a gun, but he told me that I would never use one while under his tutelage. Never made much sense to me. He'll use explosives, throwing knives, bows and crossbows, but not a firearm. He never told me why, but I guess I never asked either."
"Well you know what Gam is, right?" Grig asked. When she nodded, Grig continued, "In one of his past lives, Gam was a conquistador under Cortez. When they fought the Aztecs, a shaman rushed him while he was reloading. By the time Gam fired, the barrel was literally against the shaman's chest. Gam said ever since then, when he fired a gun he felt a little uneasy, but he never really remembered it, or shied away from guns so much until one day some time ago when Me, Gam, and Paladin were in New Orleans."
"What happened Grig?"
"We were tracking an assassin that had completed a contract in Gam's city, when we spotted him. We gave chase, and ended up in a busy park and Gam, overzealous at the moment, shot off after him to engage in hand to hand. The guy was too good for Gam though, and had him on the ground, with a nine milimeter pointed downward at him. Paladin tackled the guy, and he lost hold of his gun. Paladin, being stronger than Gam, was doing better with the assasin, but not by much, and so Gam picked up the gun, took aim, and fired."
"So he doesn't use guns because he killed a guy that tried to kill him?"
"No Dhan, he missed."
"Did he hit Paladin?"
"No. He hit a kid. Gam swore that when he did he remembered the shaman, as if he had been cursed, and he felt all the pain of the bullet that hit the kid."
"Oh..." Dahnianna paused for a moment. "Did he live?"
Grig frowned a little and continued, "She. Yeah, she did. She was paralyzed for awhile, but intensive physical therapy and some very expensive operations got her on her feet again."
"At least she could afford them. I mean, it's still bad and all, but imagine if she hadn't had the money."
Grigori frowned a little more. "Her parents couldn't afford it, Dhanniana. Neither could Gambit, but he payed for all of it. How do you think he got hooked up with Ripper? Because he had to get his hands dirty."
Dhanianna was a little taken aback. "But he did the right thing, so why does he still punish himself?"
Grigori looked at her, almost a little angrily, but then his face softened. "Dhanianna, I know you love Gam. So do I. But make no mistake about it. It was his fault. No one knows it more than he does. He paid his dues a long time ago. The girl even gave him forgiveness. But what he did was foolish; a stupid stupid mistake that cost some poor girl dearly. Love Gam, by all means, but don't make excuses for what he did. He'd never forgive you if you did."
"I understand Grig. I wish he'd have told me though."
"Dhanianna, do you think it's easy to expose your greatest regret to someone that you love dearly?"
She shook her head no.
"He swore he'd never use a gun again that day, because he ruined someone's life, and he knew what it felt like to have a bullet shattering his body. He hasn't used one since. He trains with them, learns everything he can about them, but he's never carried one in battle, and he never will. I Imagine even in this circumstance he won't. To Gam, loyalty to his principles is more important than even his own life."
The two looked over at Gam, and Dhanianna was glad that he was far enough away to not overhear them with all the noise and din of the room.
Gam was still hunkered over a workbench, tinkering with explosives. Thankful that his friends were too far away to notice that he had to tilt his mask up to wipe away a tear.
Grig shrugs his shoulders and answers, "I don't know. He swore he'd never use one, but this is a shade different. These people are already dead. I doubt he will though."
Dhanianna nods and is silent for a few minutes. She then turns back to Grig and asks, "So why doesn't he use guns anyways?"
"He never told you?" Grig questioned back.
Dhanianna shook her head and answered, "No. He took me to a range and made me learn to shoot, fieldstrip, clean, and load a gun, but he told me that I would never use one while under his tutelage. Never made much sense to me. He'll use explosives, throwing knives, bows and crossbows, but not a firearm. He never told me why, but I guess I never asked either."
"Well you know what Gam is, right?" Grig asked. When she nodded, Grig continued, "In one of his past lives, Gam was a conquistador under Cortez. When they fought the Aztecs, a shaman rushed him while he was reloading. By the time Gam fired, the barrel was literally against the shaman's chest. Gam said ever since then, when he fired a gun he felt a little uneasy, but he never really remembered it, or shied away from guns so much until one day some time ago when Me, Gam, and Paladin were in New Orleans."
"What happened Grig?"
"We were tracking an assassin that had completed a contract in Gam's city, when we spotted him. We gave chase, and ended up in a busy park and Gam, overzealous at the moment, shot off after him to engage in hand to hand. The guy was too good for Gam though, and had him on the ground, with a nine milimeter pointed downward at him. Paladin tackled the guy, and he lost hold of his gun. Paladin, being stronger than Gam, was doing better with the assasin, but not by much, and so Gam picked up the gun, took aim, and fired."
"So he doesn't use guns because he killed a guy that tried to kill him?"
"No Dhan, he missed."
"Did he hit Paladin?"
"No. He hit a kid. Gam swore that when he did he remembered the shaman, as if he had been cursed, and he felt all the pain of the bullet that hit the kid."
"Oh..." Dahnianna paused for a moment. "Did he live?"
Grig frowned a little and continued, "She. Yeah, she did. She was paralyzed for awhile, but intensive physical therapy and some very expensive operations got her on her feet again."
"At least she could afford them. I mean, it's still bad and all, but imagine if she hadn't had the money."
Grigori frowned a little more. "Her parents couldn't afford it, Dhanniana. Neither could Gambit, but he payed for all of it. How do you think he got hooked up with Ripper? Because he had to get his hands dirty."
Dhanianna was a little taken aback. "But he did the right thing, so why does he still punish himself?"
Grigori looked at her, almost a little angrily, but then his face softened. "Dhanianna, I know you love Gam. So do I. But make no mistake about it. It was his fault. No one knows it more than he does. He paid his dues a long time ago. The girl even gave him forgiveness. But what he did was foolish; a stupid stupid mistake that cost some poor girl dearly. Love Gam, by all means, but don't make excuses for what he did. He'd never forgive you if you did."
"I understand Grig. I wish he'd have told me though."
"Dhanianna, do you think it's easy to expose your greatest regret to someone that you love dearly?"
She shook her head no.
"He swore he'd never use a gun again that day, because he ruined someone's life, and he knew what it felt like to have a bullet shattering his body. He hasn't used one since. He trains with them, learns everything he can about them, but he's never carried one in battle, and he never will. I Imagine even in this circumstance he won't. To Gam, loyalty to his principles is more important than even his own life."
The two looked over at Gam, and Dhanianna was glad that he was far enough away to not overhear them with all the noise and din of the room.
Gam was still hunkered over a workbench, tinkering with explosives. Thankful that his friends were too far away to notice that he had to tilt his mask up to wipe away a tear.