asthehawkflies | [#000] Appointments

[Perhaps Clint is too used to relying only on him to keep himself safe. Natasha can't always be there to watch his back, after all.]

It's a Glock 17. Pretty common in law enforcement. Reliable. 17 shots per magazine.

Yeah, this should work pretty well for you.

[The differences between a trained assassin and a personal assistant.]

I've really only shot a gun once. Well, seventeen times, but I was just shooting at a tree. [Before the draft had really begun, with Tony watching. She gestures toward the control panel.] I think I found a program with a firing range.

That tree must really have pissed you off.

[He flashes a smile and then takes a look at the control panel. He pulls up a copy of the gun, because there's no sense in wasting ammo, and makes a couple of adjustments.]

Looks good. You want some company? I'm here to practice myself.

It was in Vaskoth. [A target for her to try firing a gun at, for all the good it'd ultimately done.

She watches Clint make his adjustments, committing the commands to memory. When he offers his company, she nods.]

Sure. I'll apologize in advance for how bad I am at this.

That's a pretty good reason.

[After what had happened, shooting up Vasakoth sounded pretty good to him.]

Everyone's gotta start somewhere.

[She leaves it with a nod, more than willing to drop the topic of Vaskoth and the draft at that point.]

Right. Well, I guess we should get to it. [Pepper motions for Clint to take the lead, since they're walking into an environment much more suited to him than to her.]

Yeah, sounds good.

[He heads inside, taking a look around the shooting range for a moment, checking that everything is set. There's a bench nearby with a couple of guns and ammo set out.]

You said Tony had taught you the basics?

[Pepper heads to the bench when she sees it, nodding at his question.]

Yeah. How to load it, how to fire it. [She glances at him, wondering how much more there is.] It seemed pretty straightforward.

[She reaches out, carefully picking up a gun. Even knowing it isn't real, she treats it as if it's something delicate.]

[He picks up one of the guns, a replica of his own, and checks it over before loading the magazine.]

Firing it is straightforward. Hitting what you want to hit consistently is a little more tricky.

[He sets down the gun and takes Pepper's hand carefully, wrapping it firmly around the weapon.]

It's not gonna break. You could drive a tank over it and it would still work.

Edited 2012-12-16 19:22 (UTC)

[Pepper stiffens when Clint touches her hand, but doesn't resist how he has her tighten her fingers on the gun. In truth she knows this; even without personal experience, Pepper worked for a weapons manufacturing company for a long time. But it's different when the gun is in her hand, and not simply being talked about.]

Right. Sorry. [She gives herself a moment to breathe, and to simply hold the gun. Even if it's not her first time any more, it's still something she needs to get used to.]

Is it already loaded? [Might as well ask Clint; he's the one who programmed it.]

[He feels her stiffen and steps away with an apologetic look.]

Sorry. Normally when I'm doing this it's with recruits. [Where he's expected to fix their stance and grip whenever necessary. Pepper isn't an agent of SHIELD.]

No. It's not loaded.

It’s okay. [Pepper manages a small smile, trying to reassure him.] I’m just a little nervous. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need the help. [Quite the opposite; the push probably would help her get it faster.

When he tells her the gun currently lacks bullets, Pepper nods, then looks it over as she mentally walks through the steps Tony had shown her before. It feels like a lifetime ago, but after a few seconds, she releases the empty magazine.]

Nervous isn't bad. Being wary means you're not gonna forget safety precautions.

[Cocky people got fingers blown off or other embarrassing injuries.

He watches carefully as she releases the magazine, and pushes a box of ammo towards her.]

[Or that I won’t shoot when I need to. But Pepper keeps the thought to herself, along with the lingering regret over what had happened. She’d promised Rogue to think about it, but Pepper can’t break away from the simple fact that if she had acted differently so many times over, she might not have gotten infected. Certainly not in moments like these, with the picture of Tony giving up the fight for her safety is still fresh in her mind.

At least her hands don’t have to be idle; when Clint offers her the box, she starts to carefully load the bullets, silently counting them off in her head as she pushes each into place. Seventeen, and then she finishes the reload, the magazine clicking into place before she gives him a look, waiting for his appraisal.]

[She's definitely had practice with loading the weapon at least. Good. He gives an approving nod, and a small smile of encouragement. He'd heard what had happened, even if he hadn't seen it, and he can guess where this new found need to fight came from.

He holds out a pair of goggles and earmuffs towards her.]

Looks good. Shall we?

Yeah. [She takes the offered items, fitting each of them on easily enough. Although there’s generally only so much a person can expect to figure out either on their own or from movies (and their way of subverting realisim), it seems pretty straightforward at this point. So she moves to one of the shooting stations, then gives Clint another glance.]

Just point and shoot, right? [Pepper pushes back the earmuffs so she can hear his answer.]

[Clint takes his own gun, a replica of his preferred model and slides on his own goggles before heading up to the shooting station.]

Pretty much. Feet shoulder width apart, left foot slightly forward to keep your balance.

[He demonstrates, although it means aiming with his off hand.]

The sights should be aligned, but it's the front one that should be clear in your vision. The front should be just below where you want to hit.

[Okay, so there's more than just point and shoot. She mimics Clint's positioning, glancing at him and then down at her legs to make sure she's gotten it right. Once that's set, Pepper raises the gun, not to fire, but to just get used to aiming like he's described.]

And people actually get good enough to do this without thinking. [She shakes her head, already questioning if she'll ever get to that point herself.]

[He looks her over, checking her stance and then nodding. She picks things up quickly, although it takes a while for it to become second nature.

He gives a soft laugh at her question and nods.]

Yeah, hard as it might seem now. I learned with a bow first so switching to firearms took a little getting used to.

Are they that different? [Since Pepper's only barely learned the one and never touched the other, she really doesn't know.] I mean, I imagine shooting an arrow would be harder, since it's not just a matter of pulling the trigger.

[Which Pepper notably isn't doing while she's talking. It's not like she can listen and have her earmuffs on at the same time, after all.]

[He doesn't mind talking for a while if it's going to set her at ease. The more comfortable she is, the more comfortable she'll be shooting.]

It's... a gun is a weapon. It's something separate from yourself. My bow is more like an extension of myself. It's part of me, we're one thing.

[He gives a soft laugh.]

More usefully, a bow is a lot more effort to shoot.

Actually, it is pretty useful. This isn't the first time I've heard someone say something like that.

[I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one.

It helps Pepper understand, at least to some degree, just what Clint means.]

Sometimes I have to wonder if that isn't a bad thing. How easy it is to fire a gun, I mean. Not that I really have an easy time with it, but--you know.

Yeah? I've been using a bow since I was ten or eleven. It's kind of second nature by now. I can't imagine not being able to.

[Even if he lived long enough to retire or take a desk job, he could never give that up.

He's silent for a moment when she says that, thoughtful.]

Maybe. I've seen innocent people get killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and certain parties didn't care who they hit.

Having a weapon makes some people think they're above everyone else.

Considering how long it's been, I can definitely see that. Tony's only been Iron Man for a few years, but he already feels the same way.

[Has even within months of inventing the suit. Pepper might be more reluctant to share that much, except Tony made it a matter of public record in their world, and she gets the feeling she can trust Clint besides.

The image he describes is exactly the same as what Pepper has in mind, and she nods in silent consideration. Again, it's a subject that hits pretty close to home for her, considering what Stark Industries used to be famous for.

But Pepper doesn't have the problem he describes; instead, her issue right now is hesitance. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, even if she can easily see where it might be necessary. It makes her take a longer look at the gun in her hands.]

I'm starting to wonder if this was a good idea after all.

Quite a difference between sticks and string, and the Iron Man suit, but some situations mould you, forge a connection.

[A suit connected to the most advanced AI the world has ever seen. He could see how you would feel a connection to something like that.

He frowns a little when Pepper voices her hesitance, and his expression softens.]

That's not necessarily a bad thing. No-one wants you to be in a position to need to use this. And honestly, it isn't a fail safe. Weapons never are.

It's up to you.

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