In the Courtyard

[smallestopener]

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

[cutting_edgex23]

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.

[cutting_edgex23]

"You do not use them for practice? The metal ones."

It is important to adapt to circumstances, true.

But it is also important to have muscle memory.

And pebbles are not the same as metal.

[smallestopener]

She scuffs her foot against the ground.

"I put them away somewhere safe, and now I can't find them. So I collected the pebbles instead."

[cutting_edgex23]

X blinks.

"Lost is not the same thing as safe."

[smallestopener]

Ingress bites her lip. Laura is right, and she knows it.

"I know. I'll find them. But I can still practice. The pebbles are good for aim, too."

[cutting_edgex23]

"It will be better to practice with both. Next time."

Beat.

"Iron is not useful? Or silver?"

Varying the metal types might be useful, too.

In case.

[smallestopener]

"I'm not sure. I don't know what metal it is. Cuthbert gave me what I have. I was pretty little when he taught me."

Ingress aims at another can. She misses. She's rattled, because Heralds should be more prepared than this.

[cutting_edgex23]

X's attention sharpens. Fractionally.

"You can get more from Bar. With specific metals. And someone can analyze the ones from Cuthbert. When you find them."

There is no doubt in her tone.

This may be deliberate.

"Do not let me distract you."

Beat.

"I am not relevant."

[smallestopener]

She frowns again, not really sure what Laura means when she says that kind of thing. Maybe it has to do with not being distracting.

"Pebbles can still hurt an attacker. If you get them in the eye. Maybe I should paint eyes on the cans."

She aims, shoots, and another can whizzes off the wall.

[cutting_edgex23]

X offers a slight shrug.

"Maybe. Or Tom can make stones that mark where you hit. So you know."

She is not sure if magic can do that. But asking should not be problematic.

Tom likes Ingress.

[smallestopener]

"That's a good idea. You want to try?"

She offers Laura a pebble.

"I bet you can make the pebble go straight through one."

[cutting_edgex23]

"If there is a hole already," X says.

"The pebble is not dense enough."

It takes her two tries to successfully hit a can -- the first shot was to get the feel of the weapon.

[smallestopener]

Ingress is extremely surprised that Laura didn't hit the can with the first pebble. That makes her feel a little better about her own skills. She's ten. It's the little things that count.

"Anyway, I just wanted to practice a little since I hadn't in a while. If you want to do a different lesson, we can."

[cutting_edgex23]

"We can continue with this. For a while."

Beat.

"It will be helpful to see how good you are."

[smallestopener]

There are two more cans on the wall.

"Okay," she says with a smile, and she picks up two more pebbles. The first one dings the can but does not knock it off. The second hits the can on the side and after a moment of wobbling, it falls off.

"Now I have to go set them all back up."

She walks over to the wall and begins picking up the cans.

[cutting_edgex23]

X does not help.

She just waits.

Again.

Maybe she is studying the arrangement of cans as Ingress sets them back up.