anti-OTP: Sam Spade/Vera

[naturestrangled]

The sound of gunfire can be heard, coming from somewhere on the grounds. Vera has chosen a tree and drawn a target on it with a bit of chalk, and is practising her shooting with a rather antiquated (though fine for her time) pistol. She pauses to reload and shoots again, intent on her task and unlikely to notice much else for the moment.

Comments

[mancalledspade]

"What is it women have against trees today?" he asks, wryly and without preamble.

[naturestrangled]

She jumps, startled, but lowers the gun once she sees who is speaking. "Well, today it is the fact that they're actually dreadful for target practise -- it doesn't do much good to shoot at something that cannot move for practise when anything you'd need to shoot for real can."

[mancalledspade]

"Well, start where you can, I guess." He half grins. "Unless you want to start pulling animals or small children out of the plothole."

[naturestrangled]

"Oh, but I should hate to hurt a helpless animal," she says dryly. Not that we dislike children at all.

[mancalledspade]

He snorts. "I'm sure you could manage to find something suitable."

[naturestrangled]

"No doubt." She reloads the pistol, then -- "Excuse me a moment --" turns away for the sake of modesty (primness is overrated, in Vera's opinion, but one does pick a few things up living in the nineteenth century) and tucks the gun away in a garter. The movement is smooth and familiar, suggesting that this is its usual place.

[mancalledspade]

"Don't believe in holsters, baby?" he asks, mildly amused.

[naturestrangled]

"It attracts attention when a woman openly carries weapons," she says, simply. "With a price on one's head, one gets in the habit of not attracting attention."

[mancalledspade]

"Fair enough. And surprise ain't to be scoffed at either, I suppose."

[naturestrangled]

There's a flash of a smile, quick and sharp. "No, it certainly is not."

[mancalledspade]

"What do you do with yourself, here?" he asks, a bit out of the blue. Or maybe not, really.

[naturestrangled]

"I read a great deal, and write a little. I practise my shooting, and try not to get stabbed or shot any more often than necessary." Vera shrugs. "I should like to get in more practise with blades, but it is terribly difficult to find a sparring partner. Why do you ask?"

[mancalledspade]

"Well, I figure if it's hard for me to keep busy as a private eye, gotta be harder for a revolutionary with a government to go toppling."

[naturestrangled]

"True. I spend most of my energy on Russia, and there isn't a great deal I can do there at the moment," she admits. "The story of my death is fairly well-known by now, I am told. It would unsettle people."

[mancalledspade]

"Maybe just a bit," he chuckles.

[naturestrangled]

"Still, it might be interesting. I would not exactly mind putting a scare into Kotemkin . . ."