asthehawkflies | [#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

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[#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

[It's a routine they indulge in whenever they're in the same place for more than a couple of days. This seems like a good enough time to pick it back up, test each other a little, and they claim one of the rooms in the Battle Dome, equipping it with mats and padded walls because while the simulation won't allow them to get really hurt by weapons, Clint isn't sure that it can make getting slammed to the ground any less painful.]

Ready, Tasha?

[He's grinning, as much a mask to hide his intentions as her blank expression. They take up position on the mats opposite each other, and there's no bowing, no politeness, just stillness.

He strikes first, a punch that she blocks, returns with a blow of her own, and then they're fighting in earnest. It's vicious, both of them making use of every move at their disposal, a brutal mix of martial arts and outright brawling, dirty tricks and all.

A throw sends Clint sprawling, hitting the bench where they'd left their stuff, and his journal falls open, starting to record the rest of the fight. To anyone not familiar with them, it does look like they're genuinely trying to kill each other. Neither of them really believe in pulling their punches and they're eerily silent while they fight, neither of them making any noise besides grunts of exertion.

They seemed evenly matched for the most part, Clint's size and strength well matched by Natasha's speed and agility and the training she'd undertaken since childhood. Eventually though, one of them comes out on top, and it's Clint who ends up floored and winded, laid out on his back, Natasha above him, pinning him down and her elbow pressed against his throat.

He groans softly, and then smiles.]

I yield.

[OOC: Responses will be answered by Clint, or Natasha, or more likely, both.]

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I had one like this.

[Custom made. Meant just for her. As much as she wishes it was her father's bow that came to mind first, it isn't. That bow had never been made for her. He never had the chance to craft her her own adult bow before his death.

But Beetee had. Beetee had made her that beautiful Mockingjay bow. The one that responded to her voice, that had all those little enhancements to make her already excellent aim even better. And the arrows he had crafted to go with it...

She doesn't miss most of the Mockingjay costume. But she does miss that bow.]

It hasn't shown up here yet. I don't know if it will. [She slips her own bow form her shoulder. A simple wooden thing, nothing nearly as good as his.] I got this here. It works well. [And then, a quick, prideful grin fills her face.] I even succeeded in taking down my first solo dear with it.

I'm lucky in the resources I have, who I work for.

[SHIELD's R&D department were good at what they did, and creative. So different to when he'd first started shooting with a cheap second hand bow.

He takes a look at the wooden one that Katniss shows him. It's nothing as fancy as his with it's electronics and enhancements. But... it's still a bow. People used them to deadly effect for centuries.]

If it works, then that's all you need. [He grins back.] Sounds impressive.

[She was lucky to have Beetee. Maybe. He had been so valuable to the uprisings. More valuable, she thinks, than she ever could have been. But in the end, the bomb that killed her sister - that snare - hadn't just been based on a design thought up by Gale. Beetee had helped, too. It had been the two of them together.

She would trade a million amazing bows, even freedom from President Snow and the Capitol, just to have her sister alive again.

Pushing aside thoughts of resources and technology, she pulls an arrow from the quiver on her back. It's the start of a smooth, quick, and efficient motion. There's a difference, in the end, between bragging and showing. In a matter of seconds, the arrow is notched, the string pulled and tensed. She aims at one of the targets, exhales, and sends the arrow flying.

Bull's eye.]

[He folds his arms over his chest, watching closely as she draws the arrow and shoots. Perfect form which is something that only comes with a lot of practice. The arrow flies true, hits dead centre, and he can tell that it's embedded deeply enough that it would be a kill shot.

He doesn't wait, draws an arrow himself and nocks it, aiming for the same target, and releases.

The arrow hits as close to the first as it's possible to get.]

[Her proud grin only lasts until she notices Clint pull an arrow from his own quiver. Then, her attention remains solely on him. She watches, admires the way he pulls back the string and aims just as smoothly as she had. Quickly diverts her attention away from the man and to the target, just in time to see it embed so close to hers that she has to walk over to double check that he hadn't split her arrow in two.

The precision is amazing. Better, she's almost reluctant to think, then her own. She pulls both arrows out of the target and turns back to nod at him.]

You are good.

[He can feel her eyes on him as he draws and shoots, but doesn't let his attention falter. It's a clean shot, he can tell without going up to the target, but he leaves that for Katniss, and lowers his bow instead, checking it over out of habit.

He smiles slightly when she speaks, and nods. It not smug or condescending, just satisfied. He knows he's good. People believing is nice but doesn't change the truth any.]

You're not exactly bad yourself. Seen worse from professionals in competitions.

[She returns his smile with something similar. Not exactly bad, in her eyes, is a little bit of an understatement. She had to be good if she wanted to bring food home to her family. Otherwise, they would have starved. Would have lacked the protein so sorely needed. As proud as Katniss is of her skills, it still remains that she had little choice in honing them. Not with a catatonic mother, a dead father, and a sister too young to be expected to support the family.

Maybe it was for the best, though. Would she have survived the Hunger Games were it not for her skill with a bow?

Her eyebrows raise in question.] I'm better than "not exactly bad."

[He chuckles softly at the rebuke, giving a little nod in agreement. It's pretty refreshing to have someone contradict him, to insist on their skill as an archer.]

You're brilliant.

I'm a master of understatement. 'Not bad' from me is pretty much the highest praise.

[That, she can accept. The questioning look fades and her smile widens just enough to indicate her approval and satisfaction. She'll remember that then, that master of understatement thing. Just in case she ever earns any further praise from the archer.

Her eyes flicker down towards his bow.] What else can you do?

[That's better. He didn't want to offend someone accidentally because they think he isn't impressed with their skills. Giving out praise is just not what he's used to. Receiving it either.]

With or without a bow? I can throw knives. I can shoot moving targets. I don't have all my arrows here or I'd show you the exploding one.

[At the mention of his exploding arrow, she can't help but smile again. This time, the smile is slightly tinged with grief. This archer isn't the only she's known to possess explosive arrows. She, too, had a quiver filled with some once. Beetee had made it for her, for the Mockingjay.

But she's not in the mood to show weakness today so she forces that grief back and quirks an eyebrow.]

I've seen exploding arrows before. I also had incendiary arrows.

[Oh well, that changes everything. He grins, reaching for the grappling arrow and holding it out.]

Grappling hook. I spend a lot of time in high places. EMP to knock out electronics. Acid arrows are pretty fun. For me. Not for the people I'm shooting at.

[She takes the grappling arrow and looks it over thoughtfully. She's never seen an arrow like this before. In fact, before Beetee's ingenuity, she had never realized that her weapon of choice could become so technologically complex.]

Beetee only made exploding and incendiary arrows. He would have liked these others. They would have been useful. [Katniss passes the arrow back to him.] Can you show me how it works?

[It doesn't look much when it's inactive. Not much different to any other trick arrow he might have. He lets her look it over for a moment.]

Friend of yours?

[He takes the arrow back and nods. The grip of his bow is as familiar as breathing as he presses the right combinations of buttons. The arrow head springs open to reveal the claws of the grappling hood that can dig into almost any surface.]

Ally.

[It's a minor correction. Maybe at one time, she even would have called Beetee friend. She had wanted him and Wiress as their allies in the 75th Hunger Games, hadn't she? Had admired the tributes from District 3, even enjoyed spending time around them. And then, much like her friendship with Gale, whatever had existed between them shattered with the explosion of a bomb.

But she doesn't speak of any of that. Doesn't say or do any more except watch with an impressed look on her face as the arrow head opens. And then, the pleased grin is back on her face.]

I think I would have liked one of those.

Right.

[He can appreciate the difference there. He considers most of SHIELD to be allies, but he would never consider them friends. He thinks there must be a story behind Katniss's correction, but he doesn't know her well enough to pry into the issue.

The arrows are much more fun anyway.]

They come in pretty handy. Got me out of a few tight scrapes. I try to keep one in reserve.

[She nods, glancing at the arrow again with an impressed grin. It's easy to imagine how helpful an arrow like that could have been. In the Hunger Games, in the sewers below the Capitol. How many lives could have been spared in her assassination attempt if she had been better equipped with some of Clint's arrows?]

I would, too.

Well, I've got a spare you're welcome to, although I'll have to change a few things to get it working without my bow, but I've made changes to the arrows before. It's not so hard.

[And he likes her already. He'd feel better if she had a backup plan.]

[Her grey eyes go wide at the offer and for a moment, she wonders if she even heard him correctly. An extra? One she's welcome to? If she had any arrows like his, she wouldn't part with him. Let alone for an archer that she had only just met.

It's a little embarrassing, in retrospect, the way she squeaks out:] Really?

[The excitement at the offer takes him aback a little, but maybe it isn't so surprising. He just... he knows he could have used some of his toys when he'd been her age, and alone.

And after the last draft, he's quite willing to help out.]

Really. Give me a little while to work out how to mod it and it's yours.

[She doesn't know him well enough to hug him or really offer gratitude in any obvious ways. Because even a thank you almost seems to make her feel as if she then owes him something. Rarely is something given for free, even a gift.

A nod seems simple enough. And a small smile. But the offer means more to her than her expression indicates. A grappling hook arrow. Why hadn't Beetee thought of that?]

[The nod and the smile are more than enough and he grins in return, sliding the arrow back into the quiver carefully, a slow where he'll be able to pick it out easily.]

I'll get it to you soon as I can. I hope it'll serve you well.

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[#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

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