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

[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.

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Ingress walks back to where the pebbles are stacked. She knows Laura is waiting to see what she can do. One thing about Laura is you don't really do things for fun. It's all very serious. The armsmaster at the Collegium is much the same.

She gathers enough pebbles in her hand to fire at the cans quickly. She goes too quickly, though, loosing the pebbles from the slingshot in rapid succession. Her accuracy suffers, and she only hits three of the cans. Only one falls off the wall.

"I think I could do better. But I'd like to be fast, too."

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"You cannot do both. Now."

Beat.

"Start with accuracy."

X goes back to waiting.

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"Why not?" she asks, genuinely curious. She doesn't make it a practice to sass back to her teachers. "I mean, why can't I do both now?"

She goes over to the wall to collect the cans and set them back up.

[cutting_edgex23]

"You do not have the technique."

It is the easiest way X can think of to explain it.

"Speed is useless if you cannot hit your enemy."

Or whatever is being aimed at.

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"That makes sense. Like I said, I haven't practiced in a long time. But I'm pretty good with archery. You'd think it would the same kind of aiming."

She takes a long time this round, but she knocks more cans off and hits all of them.

"I'm slow as a turtle."

[cutting_edgex23]

"The aerodynamic properties are not the same. The method of delivery is different, too."

X is good at matter-of-fact.

"Do it again."

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She does. She's a little quicker this time, but she misses one can.

It's about now that she thinks Maybe this time I'll ask if we can stop early. She often thinks this during lessons. She rarely asks. She's not six playing with swords. She's ten. She'll be a Herald before she knows it.

"Again?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X just nods.

Sometimes words are superfluous.

(Most times.)