on the nature of oaths

[zuhrovet]

[In the current move, Sasha has just accepted an oath of service from Jedao, a relationship Reshad believes is coercive. I'm not sure whether this properly counts as character rp or a new half-move, but I think we all need some new space to deal with the fallout!]

Sasha is waiting outside the antechamber. She has tied her scarf again, and looks as put-together as she ever does. "Are we having this conversation in my office?" she asks Reshad. "Or over tea, with everyone?"

Comments

target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[kese_seyli]

Seyli ignores everyone and everything to make their way to the range and arm themselves for the first time during this whole fiasco. They set up to their preferred specifications, make sure the range is secure, and begin unloading their feelings into a target. It's almost like meditation, the whole of their focus on hitting the target, letting the world and their mind narrow down to nothing more than aim and ammunition.

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[mafyyil]

Mafyyil, still unsure what she's supposed to think of kidnapping a saint's - friend? - had just decided to deal with her general confusion in the most appropriate way: shoot some things. Arriving at the range, however, she sees that it's already occupied, and that Seyli seems to need to blow off some steam. She wonders if it's a good idea to offer Seyli some tea and muffins or not. Purely out of habit, she offers a somewhat strainedly-cheerful "Hellooooo!"

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[kese_seyli]

Seyli's finger slides off the trigger immediately when they hear another voice and realize it's the strange Hafn girl. They flip the safety on their gun and holster it, trying not to be annoyed at the interruption. At some point, they'd tugged their gloves off and tossed their uniform jacket off, feeling ridiculous in it again. "Hello, Mafyyil," they say, voice just strained without any sign of cheerfulness in it.

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[mafyyil]

In a rare display of tact, Mafyyil realizes Seyli is upset about something. "Muffin?" she asks. To be nice, she offers Seyli the prettiest one, the one with pink sprinkles. She figures if Seyli wants to talk about anything more serious, they will do so.

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[kese_seyli]

Seyli stares down at the muffin and then back up at Mafyyli, blinking at her. "I..." But the muffin is rather attractive and it does look delicious. "Don't think it's a good idea to combine shooting and muffins." But they *have *put their gun in it's holster and it...is a surprisingly pretty looking muffin. Their stomach makes a sound that reminds them that they haven't eaten in a very long time. Their anger isn't gone, not by a long shot, but exhaustion is starting to creep into it's place.

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[mafyyil]

Mafyyil is not sure she understands the statement correctly - you never know with these barbarians. To make sure, she clarifies: "You're supposed to eat the muffin, not shoot it."

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[kese_seyli]

"I..." An almost hysterical giggle catches in Seyli's throat and once they start they don't stop. They're tired, they're angry, and now a strange girl with flowers growing out of her body is trying to make sure they know what to do with a muffin.

Re: target practice is the same thing as processing your feelings, right?

[mafyyil]

"It has sprinkles." Mafyyil doesn't know what else to say - she certainly doesn't understand why the sight of muffins would upset Seyli so. As far as she knows, these are perfectly acceptable food in the culture she's stranded in. Food she enjoys tremendously, too, although it's much more processed than strictly permissible, religiously speaking. (She feels slightly guilty about that.) Although... Maybe Seyli is more civilized than Mafyyil had previously realized? "I'm sorry I do not know the correct recitals for muffins. Maybe you can speak them, so I can learn?" She smiles at Seyli encouragingly.

muffins and guns are a strange mix

[kese_seyli]

The laughing goes on for some time before it finally stops. Seyli rubs their hands over their face and shake their head, as if to clear it. "No, I'm just being weird," they offer as they reach out and take the offered muffin. "Thank you, I can't remember the last time I ate." They look bone tired, now that they aren't laughing hysterically.

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[mafyyil]

Thoughtfully, Mafyyil finishes her own muffin, which is frosted a suspiciously bright blue that she prefers not to think about, but which nevertheless is delicious. Usually, she would now remind Seyli of the importance of proper nutrition, and add a few appropriate lines of prayer, but ultimately decides against it - Seyli looks too tired, and anyway, it seems a bit hypocritical after eating almost certainly blasphemous pastry. "Actually", she begins. "I was going to clear my mind and just shoot some things, but I see you were doing something similar. Is this also about the saint's friend?" Mafyyil knows she has almost certainly phrased that wrong but is too confused by the whole situation to come up with a better wording.

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[kese_seyli]

"Saint...yes it is," Seyli says, because it's easier than trying to explain anything to Mafyyil right now. They take a contemplative bite of the muffin, which seems to be more of a cupcake, actually. (Not that they would ever complain about a cupcake). "I'll stay with you while you shoot, if you'd like?"

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[mafyyil]

"Oh, that's nice of you!" Mafyyil brushes the last crumbs of her muffin (that's still a muffin, just a Muffin That Horrible Things Happened To) from the front of her dress and puts the weird-looking small blue umbrella that unfolds into a flower (yes, make that Really Horrible Things That Are Not Supposed To Happen To Muffins) into one of her pockets; she fully intends to keep it and write a poem on its petals. She then critically eyes the range's setup.

[What kind of targets are we using, anyway?]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[kese_seyli]

Seyli can’t help but to stare at her, but they try to be discreet about it. Try.

They’d set the range back up for the next shooter so it’s back to a standard issue Kel range. It was small, though, with just three booths, and not much for long distance shooting. But you took what you could get when you were in a moth. It was set with reactive targets at a mid range distance, Seyli's used targets were already disposed of.

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[mafyyil]

Mafyyil frowns and wonders why Seyli is staring at her. Oh, right: she's not supposed to handle guns without tying back her hair and flowers. Her weapon safety 101 instructors had one or two things to say about that. Quickly, she fixes her hair in a loose braid, sweeping the stems of her peonies into it. It means slightly reduced mobility in her left arm, but she can live with that; it's better than strands of hair and petals falling into her eyes at inconvenient times. (Also, it's a really loose braid.) The temptation is high to simply step up to the nearest booth and unpack.

[Let's assume that while Mafyyil's grasp of gun range etiquette is atrocious she knows at least enough to not point her gun at people, even when it's not loaded... Small mercies.]

Before she does that, Mafyyil can't keep herself from being a bit curious, though. "Have you actually seen him?", she asks.

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[kese_seyli]

"Shuos Jedao? Yes, I've seen him," Seyli says with a tight frown as they show her toward the booth and step well back to observe. They don't trust Mafyyil with a gun, but they are extremely curious to see where this is going to go. "He's...a very unusual man." They pause and their lips curl into an amused smile. "I'd like to see what he'd make of you."

[Poor Seyli. First Jedao, now bad gun range etiquette]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix

[mafyyil]

"He would have to be", Mafyyil replies, still frowning. She's not entirely sure whether Seyli is trying to imply an ordinary person could be friends with a saint, or whether Seyli is simply making fun of her. The way this conversation is going, shooting things might be the safer option, though if she can get some information along with that, she'd be much happier.

Mafyyil steps up to the booth and unpacks her things - she miraculously manages to pull her gun from the shoulder holster and lay it down without pointing it at Seyli, which she's very proud of. All those classes have paid off! Also, her goggles go on with minimum hair entanglement; only a few petals are dislodged and fall to the floor. She then starts rummaging through her pockets for ammunition.

Too-casually, she asks "If I decide to write a poem to memorize the occasion, what kind of verse would be appropriate, what do you think?"

[Ahahaha, poor Seyli, indeed! Can I assume we have an infinite supply of targets that are common property? Also: do we already have a written-down version of ingame gun-range etiquette anywhere? Asking because I need to know in how many creative ways Mafyyil can mess up beyond the obviously universally horrifying almost everyone is from different cultures so they might be used to different signaling systems and stuff...]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix [paging zuhrovet]

[yhlee]

[Yeah, you can assume an infinite supply of targets that are common property. As for gun-range etiquette, I'm going to defer to y'all sa to how you want to handle that. The last time I was at a range was like 20 years ago, and it was an outdoors range in the USA, not an indoors one. I actually don't remember much. zuhrovet might have suggestions; I think she has some more recent gun experience.]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix [paging zuhrovet]

[mafyyil]

[Some cursory research shows me that beyond basic safety as in, Do Not Point At People, gun-range etiquette in the USA actually differs in several points from what's usual in Germany even ignoring the fact that Zielwasser is a valid German word. In fact, it looks like some German things will get you in serious trouble at a US American range, and vice versa. But that's okay - it's fortunate that Mafyyil doesn't know anything to begin with, so I'm not worrying overmuch. Anything she gets wrong is perfectly in character.]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix [paging zuhrovet]

[yhlee]

[Tangential but I horrified my rifle instructor, who was a US Marine rifle instructor as well, by showing up to the first day of Riflery class in college and pointing the rifle up UNDER MY CHIN. He briskly corrected me and told me never to do that again.
I don't think even Mafyyil can beat that?!]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix [paging zuhrovet]

[zuhrovet]

[Please don't try, Mafyyil, we don't want you banned from touching firearms forever!]

Re: muffins and guns are a strange mix [paging zuhrovet]

[mafyyil]

[No worries; Mafyyil is a beginner and a bit of an airhead but she takes shooting seriously. By the way: around here, pointing a gun at yourself, even in jest, is a really good way to lose your license, or, if you're in a beginner class, be immediately and finally removed. There's no way the class would have just continued normally after that...]