forgivetheinsubordination | IC Contact

No, really.

[There's bitterness in his voice.]

Good to know you can just decide not to do that. Some of us haven't evolved to that point yet. And you shoot things by learning the gun, learning how to aim the gun, taking the safety off, and firing.

[If you want to state the obvious, Erin, you can get some obvious statements right back.]

Do you wanna tell me my mistakes, or do you wanna learn?

I'm still here, so I wanna learn. Where's the safety?

[Don't you buzz at her like that, Garrus, she's helping distract you!]

Stand up straight.

[Telling him he shouldn't have fallen in love with someone who didn't love him back isn't helping, in his opinion. He already knows he'd been stupid.]

The safety's on until you're standing straight and holding the gun right, and then it can come off. Speaking of, you hold it like this.

[He takes his own rifle and models how to stand. There's some annoyance in his subharmonics still, but at least he's not dipping back into the sadness.]

[She makes a face at the continued tone of his subharmonics, but she stands up straight and mimics the way Garrus is holding his own weapon.]

Like this?

[She lets it dip--deliberately sloppy? Maybe.]

[He just wants to be loved back. That shouldn't be too much to ask. Except it is, and he shakes his head before reaching over and gently correcting the way she's holding the gun.]

If it's too heavy, we can work on weight training instead.

[There's no judgement to that. She's not used to dealing with weapons, and weapons are heavy.]

[More things she knows all too well. Someday she'll tell Garrus about Garrett, but now is not that time.]

No thanks. I do weight training and suddenly I can't slip into the small places anymore. I'll pass.

[She lets Garrus correct her and...then holds it slightly sideways.]

Better?

Better, but not there yet.

[He's not sure if she's doing this on purpose or if she's just that bad with weapons. It's not annoying, but it does make him wonder if she's trying.]

Here.

[He shifts her hands again.]

Feel the weight of it, just like that. Let it balance in your hands so that you can hold it steadily. You don't want the gun shaking or loose.

[The more he has to correct her, the less he talks about things she doesn't want to hear. So that's good.]

I'm glad mine is small.

[She holds it loosely, not enough to drop, but definitely too loose to be safe if she actually fired--yes, Garrus, this is definitely deliberate at this point.]

Small, but still dangerous if you hold it wrong. Are you trying to learn, or not?

[Garrus puts his hands over hers, tries to tighten them around the weapon.]

Be safe and secure, Erin. Don't handle a gun if you're not gonna pay attention.

I'm learning.

[She was less difficult with Garrett, years ago, but she was smaller and shyer then, too.

Still, she is paying attention, and she lets Garrus correct her as needed, holding it properly at last. Almost comfortably. She'll pick this up quick once she deigns to put her mind to it. Better?]

[She is, and his mandibles draw in again. He's being harder on her than he tends to be, and while a fraction of that is because of what she'd said, most of it isn't her fault.]

Right. All right. And that looks good. Take a minute, get used to the weight of the gun there, yeah? Because once you are, we'll move to looking through the scope and finding targets, but I don't wanna rush.

I thought it would be harder than this.

[She says now. She'll change her mind after she fires it and experiences an actual firearm's recoil.

Experimentally, she looks through the scope, sights down it toward a distant stump.]

How do I take off the safety? I kinda want to shoot something.

[It'll be fun.]

[This is going to be a disaster. But at least it could be a controlled disaster. Garrus reaches over and turns the safety off.]

Like that, but keep your finger off the trigger until you've aimed, and breathed. Once in, once out, then fire.

[He's not sure she'll listen.]

[Miracle of miracles, she does actually listen. For all that Erin is a difficult child sometimes, she is aware of the fact that Garrus is experienced and she knows jack shit about this thing in her hands. So she takes a breath, lets it out slowly, and just like a crossbow, squeezes the trigger.

On the upside, she hits the stump.

On the downside...yeah, remember that thing about thieves and sudden loud noises?

Judging from her yelp it's probably an even bigger miracle she didn't drop the gun.]

[Garrus jumps at the yelp, moving forward on instinct to put one hand under the barrel of the gun and his other on Erin's back as he tries to figure out what just happened. She yelped. Why? As soon as the moment of shock and reaction is over, he's... not sure. He blinks and tilts his head at her.]

Uh. You okay?

[If it was possible for a person's face to resemble an emoticon, she's definitely a 8C right now. Eyes wide, mouth somewhere between pout and frown.

...She's embarrassed.]

I'm fine.

[Ok, if she's snapping at Garrus that badly, she's really embarrassed.

Thieves and loud noises. Bad combination. And, okay, yes, she's technically already heard this brand of loud noise, but it was her causing it this time, and it's just different okay?! Don't judge her.]

[Garrus slips the safety back on.]

Let's call that an end to the lesson for today. We can give it another go tomorrow.

[Because she's snapping and probably won't be in a learning-more mood, and he's not sure how much patience he has after the day's earlier events.]

[That is probably for the best. Erin is clearly going to need a little more time to get used to weapons that make loud sounds. She makes a soft, frustrated noise, but doesn't stop Garrus from slipping the safety on. Ending the lesson there is probably for the best; she really isn't meant for this kind of weapon.

Her poor crossbow.]

At least you know I'm not gonna be shooting anyone in the foot anytime soon.

[She could always see if there's someone who doesn't mind parting with theirs. Like Temeraire.]

There's that, at least.

[Provided she keeps the safety on and handles the gun with care.]

I'll expect you to remember how to hold the gun at next lesson.

[No backsliding allowed.]

[The frown is back.]

I'm not a child, Garrus. I won't forget.

[He crosses his arms.]

Students forget things sometimes. Doesn't matter if they're adult or child. That's why teachers review at the start of lessons, a lot of the time, but we didn't go over much this time. Next one will be more difficult.

[Terminology, and how to take the gun apart and put it back together.]

[...This is reminding her of Garrett and in all the wrong ways. She pulls a face and turns on her heel.]

It's cute how you even think there will be a next one.

[So he can add Erin to the list of people he's messed up with today. Good. He'd needed that to get longer. Garrus sighs.]

There will be. Because you need to know how to fight, because things are going to be dangerous. Call me when you're ready, Erin.

[He'll leave it in her hands.]

Edited 2015-02-10 08:48 (UTC)

I don't need to fight, I have you.

[A pause, while she picks up some of her pride and swallows it. Garrus, you are one special son of a bitch, savor what's about to happen.

Erin sets the gun on the ground (gently!), safely pointed away from anyone who might be walking around and turns again. Garrus is still close enough that she can stand on her very tiptoes and fling her arms around his neck--and if he doesn't bend down when she tightens her arms, he's going to end up with her literally hanging off him.]

I have a lesson for you, too. [Her voice is soft, for his ears only.] Don't fall for people who don't love you back. It's not worth it, believe me. Love the ones who love you first.

[He watches her, contemplating saying something about maybe not always having him, and then she's embracing him and he's bending forward so she doesn't wind up straining her back or shoulders. He swallows as he gently puts his arms back around her middle.]

I...

[His eyes close.]

Thank you, Erin.

[There won't be another falling. He'll guard his heart, the same way Noh does. Garrus won't go through this again. But that doesn't change the fact that it's good advice, and probably advice he should have sought a lot sooner. Hindsight is 20/20, and all that. His voice is exceptionally gentle with the faintest whisper of subharmonics as he continues talking.]

And I've got your back. Which includes teaching, for when you don't have me.

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