z_jay | Luceti | Appointments

[She nodded. Friend, tribute partner. Lover. There were a lot of words that could describe what Peeta Mellark was to her. Most of the time, she had no idea which word to use. The one that didn't hurt the most, she decided. And lover still hurt too, too much.]

Friend from home. He... he was here for a while. [She paused, reaching back into her quiver for an arrow. She's not good at opening up to strangers. Not about matters of importance.] But he lost a leg when he was sixteen. Which is why he had the prosthetic.

[Just because he had something in common with a friend of hers wasn't obligation to open up, however, and sensing discomfort, Eugene wasn't about to press the issue. Besides, if he lost Jack here, he wouldn't be much for conversing about him, either. Shifting to take hold of his bow he tried to mimic her-- unsure as to whether or not the lesson was beginning]

Sixteen-- that's young. I lost mine a little over a year ago. Fell, which is a kind of a lame reason, but it did enough damage.

[Not that he was wanting to talk about himself or his circumstances, but if it took the conversation away from delicate matters, he was all for it]

How long have you been shooting arrows?

[She looked him over up and down when he mentions that year. He couldn't be all that much older than she was. In a few months, she'd be nineteen. In even less than those few months, she'd have been here for a year.

In her opinion, he lost lost his leg at too young an age, too.

Noting his attempt to mimic her posture, she walked over to correct how he held the bow.] Most of my life. My dad started teaching me when I was seven.

[If he even had an idea of her comparing years, he'd be incredibly flattered. Shifting to accomodate her correction he kept his eyes focused forward, wondering if he should try to put an arrow to the bow and attempt shooting at anything.

Needless to say he was fully prepared for some teasing]

At seven? Is all of your family into archery or something?

[Even if he knew little of her, he knew even less about the world she called home]

Hunting.

[She says the word quietly as she circles him, inspecting his posture thoroughly. She could say more. Elaborate and mention how scarce the food could be in District 12, especially within the Seam. How the Peacekeepers didn't really seem to care all that much about the poaching her father did to keep his family fed. Poaching she and Gale later continued. But she's already shared enough with this stranger.

Without asking, she reaches out to straighten the elbow pulling the string back.

Then:] That looks good enough. Do you know how to string an arrow?

Hunting-- my dad did some of that, too--

[Mainly in the capacity of recreational hunting. Eugene had tagged along on occasion, but it wasn't something that he had felt compelled to pursue. That, and it was with firearms and not a bow and arrow deal. Though the sudden movement had his wings flapping and body trying to adjust for the change in balance-- the tension helping him succeed in keeping upright. Best not to let how much effort that took show or she'd think less of his capability.]

Ah-- no. I'm afraid it's from the bottom up with me.

Okay.

[She nods thoughtfully, pacing around him in a slow circle once again to investigate his posture. He's still holding it. Good. Maybe he'll be able to do this even without two legs to stand on.

It's impressive. And she smiles just enough to reflect that thought in her features. But quickly enough, Katniss becomes all business once again.]

Watch.

[As soon as she has his attention, she holds up the arrow so he can see it, bow already in her left hand. Then, she takes a stance much like the one he had him stand in. She leans the arrow against the rest and uses the three fingers of her right hand to hold the arrow against the string. All motions are exaggerated, conducted slowly with care.]

Following so far?

[The approval-- he wouldn't let it get to his head-- but he felt relief where tenseness had helped him keep upright before and he nearly stumbled over from it. But maintaining his cool, he held the position and turned to watch when she demanded it.

Really, he hadn't expected the movements to be graceful, but Katniss made this look simple, like she'd been born into this. Though this also meant he was less paying attention to form, than how she looked placing and shooting the arrow she was demonstrating for him. Belatedly, he tried to focus, but by then it was too late]

Ah... mostly. Show me again?

[And this time he'd pay attention.]

[She notes his stumble from the corner of her eye but doesn't give it much regard. Either he'll figure out how to work with his disability or he won't. It doesn't matter much to Katniss either way. She said that she'd teach him and she has no intention of going back on that promise.

At his response, she lets the string tension loosen rather than fire the arrow. The arrow is placed back into the quiver and she turns to look at him. Then, she nods.]

Watch closely.

[And she repeats her previous actions as slowly as possible.]

[This time he focused on what was important, keeping his mind on the movement and trying to mimic it. Sure, he wouldn't be perfect on the first attempt, but his upper body strength was coming in handy here, at least for how securely he held the arrow and strung the bow back.]

How do you aim?

[The question came before he thought about it, but surely she'd teach him that soon enough... right?]</small<

[She pulls the string back and then carefully lets it loosen again as not to send the arrow flying. It's an important enough question, considering how much it does tie into stance.]

See how I'm standing right now? Perpendicular to that target over there? Stand like that. Focus on your target and fire.

[A shrug.] It takes practice, but you're not always going to have the option of having a sight to assist you. I didn't growing up.

So just a matter of tension and a good eye...

[Moves to pull his shoulders further apart-- they'd bunched up with the effort to hold the bow upright properly and he felt that this was a little less cumbersome than prior. Another glance her way and he tried to copy her stance. Shifting, his wings spreading out and back a little for balance's sake, he closed one eye and set his theoretical sights on a distant tree]

So when you release the string, how do you do it? Just pull your fingers apart, or pull back...?

Luceti | Appointments

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