In the Courtyard

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Ingress sets tin cans along one of the lower walls of the courtyard. The labels represent a wide span of time, and all have dents. She's waiting for Laura to come for lessons, and Ingress has something to show her

Comments

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X's appearance is quiet -- silent, in fact.

She makes no move to approach Ingress.

She just watches.

And waits.

Maybe it is a test.

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After a few moments, Ingress feels someone watching her. In the Underside, this sense is a survival skill. In Valdemar, it will be even more so.

She picks up the slingshot and carefully loads a pebble into the pocket and pulls it back. Then in one movement, she turns, stands, and aims. She's off by about ten feet.

Not that she'd really shoot at Laura. It's just practice.

"Hi, Laura."

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"Hello, Ingress."

X did not even bother to dodge.

"You are practicing."

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"I thought I could tell where you were. I got kind of close."

That's not too bad.

"I haven't shown you these. They're my slingshots."

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X slips closer at that, head tilting slightly as she studies the indicated weapons.

"You are very good with them?"

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"I haven't practiced in a while. So I got some cans to hit. That's how Cuthbert taught me. You didn't know him, did you?"

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"No. He was your friend?"

X is curious.

Friends are important.

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"He was. He and Susan were. He was a gunslinger, too, and that's kind of like a Herald. This was his." She hands Laura the slingshot for closer inspection. "It was really special to him, and he'd had it a long, long time, so he gave it to me when he left for the Clearing."

She picks up the one Eddie gave her. "And this one was Eddie's. Eddie Dean. He carved it for me. He was one of my very favorite people in the whole wide world."

She frowns. "He died doing something to save people. He was a gunslinger, too. I miss him. He told really good stories. He didn't teach me how to fight, but he told me about 'Riza plates."

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X's head tilts more than imperceptibly.

"You know Susannah, too? She is a gunslinger. And Rose."

Beat.

"But Rose does not come to Milliways. I do not think she can."

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"I know Susannah! I don't see her much anymore, but I know her because she was married to Eddie. I don't know Rose, I don't think. Why can't she come to Milliways?"

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X shrugs, one-shouldered and quick.

"I do not know."

Beat.

"She knows about it."

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"Oh, she's Susannah's daughter, right? Susannah showed me pictures. She's all grown up, right? Maybe she just hasn't opened the right door yet."

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"Yes. She is my friend, too. Rose."

The part about opening the right door, X ignores.

Magic is not what she is good at, anyway.

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"Maybe I can meet her sometime. I knew you were friends with Susannah, because of the pictures we took for Christmas last year. But I didn't think you knew Eddie, since he went away so long ago."

She turns towards the cans and aims at one. She draws the pocket back and lets go. The pebble dings the can, knocking it off the wall.

"Got it!"

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X does not voice any approval, not least because she is not built for it.

But --

"You are working on accuracy?"

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"Yeah. It's important to hit something right where it gives the most damage. Like, for people, the eyes. If you use little metal ones, it's better than pebbles."