Guns and Dolls

[runmakitarun]

Makita is set up on the outdoor range. The RKG-41 is a bulky weapon. It's designed to survive a lot of abuse, and she's used it to beat people with before.

It also kicks like a mule. Makita's lack of expertise with the thing is pretty evident as she keeps shifting her stance trying to compensate. That and the merely mediocre aim she seems to have with the weapon.

There is an open case of 10mm ammunition on the ground nearby and an awful lot of spent shell casings around her feet. Her frown is a mixture of concentration and frustration. Too many of her shots are missing the target.

Comments

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Still frowning Makita sighs again, "I just... wish I could do something for you. All I ever seem to do around here is have people help me."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"Ah, right. I can see how that could be a blow to the ego."

Goldy ponders the inequity for a short while, trying to come up with some kind of appropriate recompense.

"You could take me to see your war zone and and let me kill a few hostiles?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Goldy gets a very doubtful look, "I don't know that that would be much of a trade." She shrugs, "But if you do want to come sometime, I'm not going to stop you."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"Good. In that case, sign me up for your next trip. You'll be doing me a favor. I could use a change of scenery and a bit of combat-oriented excitement."

Smiling, she gestures at her hunting rifle, still in Makita's hands.

"My sniping skills could also use something more than demon bunnies to keep them honed, so I'm happy to see if I can pick off a few key officers for you and your side."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita eyes Goldy's gun thoughtfully. "If you're serious about that, I'll have to dig you up some new gear."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"I'm always serious when it comes to assassinations," the Fable declares.

Her top lip then curls up. She can't see why her own equipment won't suffice. It has no shortcomings or unsuitability for Makita's world as far as she can tell.

"What kind of new gear? I have everything I'll need in terms of munitions and camouflage."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

The rifle is examined again, "Do you have any Protocol Piercing Rounds for that thing? It's not a standard Red caliber, so I know I don't have any."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"I assume Protocol is some kind of armor." It doesn't occur to her that it could be a magical-based shielding. "In which case, I do have a box of M2 rounds in 30-06 caliber that work pretty well for AP work. 163 grain, tungsten carbide penetrator in a cupro-nickel jacket."

She scrunches her face dispassionately as she gets to the trade-off.

"The added weight means far less range though."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Protocol is..." Makita frowns, "Like magic I think. Maybe it is magic. Anyway, the sorceresses are protected by shields which stop incoming rounds. Even something as big as that."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"...Ah. I didn't realize magic was an overt player in your world."

More face scrunching.

"But, you say that there are rounds that can pierce those shields? So it's just a case of getting our hands on some that will match my gun. Or me working with a different gun."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita digs in her pocket for a moment and comes out with another 10mm round, this one marked with a jagged blue band. It seems to glow slightly, but that could just be the dye.

"We get ours from the Reds. They carry them to take out our own Kasters." She nods, "That's the 10mm pistol round, the smallest caliber that they make. There's also a 10mm sniper round, but I don't carry them because I don't have one of the 10mm heavy rifles."

She shrugs, "Not that I could shoot the thing anyway, even if I had one."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy notes the different colored marking and nods.

"Well, unless you have some different unshielded targets in mind, we're going to have to get hold of one somehow. I'm sure I'll be able to use it. And I can teach you how to as well... if you like?"

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"They're not very common, but I can find you one," Makita's pretty sure of herself.

"And... I'd really appreciate it."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"Happy to help," Goldy confirms, giving Makita a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"I can start you on my rifle. The principles are the same."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Makita nods and tilts her head expectantly.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy beams at Makita's eagerness.

"Let's go to my private practice area. It's much better for range work."

Still toting the unwieldy RKG-41, she waits for Makita to gather up her things, then leads the way towards the tree-line.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

It takes less than a minute for Makita to secure and re-holster all her weapons, toss the boxes of ammunition into a duffel bag, and swing the bag over her shoulder to follow Goldy.

"You have your own practice area?"

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Goldy confirms, throwing a good-natured duh face over her shoulder at Makita. "It was one of the first things I sought out when I arrived here."

She pushes her way through some conifer boughs, onto an inconspicuous and fairly overgrown trail.

"The common area is far too small and far too public. One can't properly practice distance shooting with every Tom, Dick and Harry prone to wandering across your line of fire."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"That makes sense. And there's not really space out there anyway, at least not marked off."

Makita follows closely, and she's not exactly quiet. Forests aren't a terrain type she's all that familiar with. "Do other people know about it?"

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

It's darker under the thick canopy of leaves. The mulchy trail winds around tree trunks of all girths and age, and bushes that are thick with new annual growth.

"It's secluded, but it's no great secret," Goldy replies, shrugging. "I've shown it to a few people: Miho, Jadis, Starbuck, Alanna. And I dare say others stumble onto it from time to time."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita dodges a branch and nods, "How much can you teach me?"

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"I can get you the basics today," Goldy reveals, "and get you working out of the prone position. You're obviously no stranger to guns, so it shouldn't be too arduous of a learning curve."

"After that, you're welcome to use my area to practice and work at the discipline elements, if you can find a gun." Implicit in the statement is the fact that Goldy doesn't loan out her own weapons unless she's present. "I'm happy to spend some time with you each week, to get you firing out of other stances, at different ranges and elevations, with different wind speeds and directions. And we'll deal with moving targets too."

"I will also need to verse you in the physics of ballistics, and show you how to perform the normal range finding and compensatory calculations on paper. You'll need to practice them until you can do them in your head. Without the math to back it up, a good eye and a steady hand aren't worth shit."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita listens carefully. It's something she does well.

There's a frown of concentration on her face, "That sounds a lot more complicated than fighting up close." Which is only true because Makita does that almost instinctively.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Goldy agrees as she continues along the wandering path. "Marksmanship is a pretty specialized skill. But it's also a very effective method of killing, so the learning effort is definitely worthwhile."

"There are aspects I can't actually teach you," she confesses, "such as how to accurately gauge distance, elevation and environmental factors. But there are tools one can use to help with that: laser range finders, portable wind speed indicators and the like."

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Makita nods, "I've seen some of the gear Yarka carries. Maybe I can ask him where he got it."