Ask Onderon More Target Practice

[Kliedden Raxx]

​

Klied sat at a table within the Raxx Estate arsenal, one of his old slugthrowers half disassembled and laid out on a fine cloth before him. He lightly turned over one of the pieces in his hands, blowing on it gently before rubbing it over with another cloth. He was dressed in a plain white shirt and dark pants, the doors to the arsenal left wide open as he awaited his guest. He had invited Ali to join him for a bit of target practice. He and Aska both agreed it was long past time she start being outfitted to join their ranks properly. Aska was taking care of getting her some armor, on his credit of course, and he would be showing her how to shoot like no one else could. He paused briefly in his work to look over the assembled firearms. Most were rifles, something he didn't expect Ali to go for. He had taken the liberty of laying out a number of smaller hand blasters on the table beside him, a way for her to dip her toes in and find what worked best for her. He then turned his gaze to the melee weapons. In his travels he had acquired a variety of swords, knives and polearms as well. Perhaps she would turn out to be the type that liked to fight up close and personal? He wouldn't bet on it, but it was a possibility. It was always useful to have some hand-to-hand skills in case your target got a little too close for comfort.

He went back to his cleaning, a slight frown forming on his lips. He had hoped to have Tegan here as well, but the boy was still sulking over the incident a few days ago. He certainly knew how to hold a grudge, and now he seemed to hold one towards all of them. Ali for choosing her bonds over freedom, Aska for holding someone in bondage, and Klied for not telling him about it. Of course Klied hadn't been aware, but he didn't seem to care about that detail. Earning the kid's trust had been hard to begin with. Now it looked like it would be even harder. The Onderonian just hoped the kid would loosen up in time to get some practice in before they went to Dxun. He'd definitely need it. The hunter paused again in his work and looked up at the doorway, thinking he had heard someone approaching.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The frame of Alisaah appeared in the doorway as Klied sat, polishing his half assembled slugthrower. Her green eyes were immediately drawn away from the Onderonian to the extensive armoury he was sat inside. Weapons of every kind adorned the walls and surfaces. For a girl so opposed to violence even just being near these weapons made the Togruta feel a little intimidated, but Klied had asked her to come here and her mistress had told her it was a good idea. Ali had kept to herself quite a lot since the incident in the wine cellar with Tegan, more out of shame than anything else. The slave felt that she was causing grief just by being there and that she had disgraced her mistress somehow. Ali had been around when Aska had asked of her, as was her duty as a slave, but the rest of the time she had rarely been seen without Meela being present, trying to cheer the girl up.

Today though, Meela was not there. The Twi'lek, like Aska, had told her it was a good idea to go and spend time with Klied alone, to try and get to know each other better and perhaps then the feelings of guilt and shame might subside. The Togruta was dressed in her usual attire, the crop top, denim shorts and choker - nowhere near as smart as the head of the Raxx household. Timidly stepping inside she approached the table where Klied was sitting and bowed her head as a show of formal respect.

"Y-you wanted to see me Mr. Klied...?" she asked, clearly nervous. The Togruta did not want to get into any more trouble whilst she was staying in the Onderonian's mansion.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied offered Ali a friendly smile as she stepped inside. He still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the girl. She was sweet, but the circumstances of her being there didn't sit right with him at all and it could be difficult to hide. Even though he didn't hold it against her, or even Aska, the whole revelation had spun him around and left him more than a bit confused. But he at least wanted to make the Togruta feel welcome. As she approached he quickly set the weapon in his hands down and stood up, smoothing out his shirt as he maneuvered around the table to greet her.

"Yeah," He answered in a slightly awkward tone, although he maintained the cordial expression. "I was thinking you and I could head out to the range and get a feel for your aptitude with a blaster." He leaned back against the edge of the table, putting his palms down on the surface. "I know it's not exactly your forte, but everyone should know how to defend themselves. And the better you can defend yourself, the better you can defend others." He inclined his head slightly. "Like Aska." He hoped at least that would pique her interest on the topic. But as he thought it over he put his tongue in his cheek and his brow furrowed slightly. That didn't sit quite right either. He sighed and gave the Togruta the same sort of apprehensive look.

"But only if you feel like it though." He insisted. He hated the idea of coercing her into anything, even if his personal beliefs called for this type of thing. Everyone should want to be self-reliant right? "How have you been?" He asked finally, in a more gentle voice, trying to get a feel for her current mindset. "I know not all the people here have been the most appealing. Have you enjoyed the house at least?" He offered a small smirk with the question.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

When Klied announced he wanted to assess her shooting skills, the Togruta got a little worried. The only person who had shown her how to shoot a blaster before was Aska and even though she'd had a number of lessons with her, Ali was still not comfortable even holding one, let alone using one to shoot at things. It was just not natural to her and she could never really shake the violence that these weapons represented. Timidly looking at Klied, she knew that she must be able to defend her mistress. It was the only way she could stop that awful vision she had been shown in the holocron from happening, but it still pained her. All she really wanted was to be happy and safe with her mistress and her friends.

The Onderonian spoke as though she had a choice in the matter. As far as Ali was concerned she did not. It was her duty to learn how to protect her mistress, even if she had not specifically commanded it. It was implied, expected of her, so to Klied's comment she did not react and continued as if they were still going ahead with the plan. Kind as always, Klied then asked the Togruta how she was doing. His voice was gentle and he had always spoken to her in a soft and considerate manner. Ali respected and very much liked Klied for this reason. She felt safe around him, even if what they were about to do would make her feel a little uncomfortable. "Y-you have a really lovely house, Mr. Klied... I like it here very much" she said, complimenting the estate, "I... uhm, I've just been trying to keep out of everyone's way... I don't want to cause any trouble..."

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied hesitated when Ali didn't acknowledge his comment about her feelings on whether or not she wanted to take up the blaster. But he didn't want to press the girl on the subject, she'd had a hard enough time as it was the last few days. Instead he maintained a warm smile as she spoke about her efforts to avoid causing any more problems. "Oh you're no trouble at all Ali." He insisted. "It's not you it's... I know you don't look at things the same way we do, and I know you're happy with Aska. It's just that things work a certain way within the Republic and... Well it can ruffle feathers, seeing someone in your situation." He sighed and averted his eyes momentarily, scratching the back of his head, then looked back at the young Togruta.

"I want you to feel welcome on this estate at least. If Poffo or that idiot Dug or any of the staff give you any kind of trouble you tell me and I'll sort it out." He told her. "Especially Tegan. If he talks to you like that again I'll wash his mouth out with soap. Teach him some manners." He added with a grin. With that said he clapped his hands together and stood up, turning to face the table with the hand blasters laid out and gestured for Ali to come forward.

"Now, here take a look." He said as he leaned over the table and put his hands down again on the surface, eyes briefly scanning over the firearms before turning towards the Togruta. "Any of these pop out at you? Just pick one, and we can give it a try." He knew Ali could be quite timid, but he was hoping once she had the opportunity to actually shoot a blaster a few times at an inanimate target she would start to loosen up a bit. From his own experience at least he remembered that when his uncle first started teaching him how to shoot he fell in love with it. He figured anyone should be the same, but then, he wasn't exactly a people person.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Ali's green eyes lingered on the Onderonian's smile. He was a rugged man, tough and had to be in order to hunt, but there was a warmth in his smile that only solidified how much more comfortable she was around Klied than she was pretty much any other man she knew. Poffo was a friend too, but his way with women did not exactly endear him to the Togruta in the same way, and at this point she hardly knew Poogulga and Tegan; though the latter had made it abundantly clear that he did not like her one bit. The slave listened to Klied as he explained his point of view on the matter. Though she was still struggling to understand why her position was a problem, it was at least a relief to know that Klied understood that no matter what her status, she was happy being around Aska and did not want to be parted from her.

The lord of the manor then made his feelings known about her presence in his home. As always, Klied was gracious, telling the slave he wanted her to feel welcome and that if she ever had any trouble, she should find him. It made the Togruta feel looked after and safe. The only other people she ever felt like that around was Aska and Meela. Ali felt that Klied was someone she could truly rely upon, even after thinking she had damaged her relationship with everybody by referring to Aska as her mistress a day or so earlier. The hunter had also brought up Tegan. The boy had lashed out savagely at Ali upon finding out she was a slave and had chosen to remain attached to Aska. The clone had, in her own way, tried to address this and teach him some manners, but Klied had stepped in before she had done anything she might later have regret. It was clear from what the man was telling Ali, that he did not approve of the way Tegan had spoken to her, and in his soft, friendly manner reassured the girl that he would handle the issue if it arose again. "T-thank you... I really appreciate it Mr. Klied..." responded Ali, nervously playing with her fingers.

Moving over to the table nearby, the hunter asked her to review the weapons laid out for her. There was quite a variety and Ali was never in a position to make choices like this. She chewed on her bottom lip, looking anxiously at Klied again before turning attention back to the arsenal on the table. Aska had shown her how to shoot a blaster before, but the one she currently had to use was quite large and powerful. Ali was uncomfortable with it, and if she had to use a blaster, she would have preferred something smaller and lighter. There was a DC-17 hand blaster on the table which looked small enough, but Ali had no clue about blasters so was completely guessing. She picked it up. It wasn't too heavy but did feel a little bit clunky. "Let's try this one" she said, looking at Klied. He would notice that her tone and body language suggested that she was seeking some sort of approval from him as to whether this was a correct decision or not.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied couldn't help but chuckle as Ali referred to him as 'Mr. Klied' yet again. She really seemed persistent with the honorifics. "It's just Klied Ali, please." He implored her. It was uncomfortable enough to have the staff calling him 'lord' and 'sir' all the time. Ali was someone he considered a friend, and wanted her to view their relationship as that of equals as well. He watched the Togruta as she looked over the assembled weapons, giving her a smile and reassuring nod as she looked to him anxiously. The girl seemed quite nervous, especially when Aska or Meela weren't around. Hopefully that was something she'd grow out of the more independent she became.

As she picked up the DC-17 and turned to him the hunter gave an approving grin. "The DC-17, good choice." He'd say, and extend his hands, asking to be given the weapon. Once Ali handed it over he would briefly look over the blaster, speaking as he opened the weapon up and took out the empty power pack before clicking it back into place and pointing the pistol towards the far wall, looking down the sights. "Clone Wars era. Sturdy, reliable, compact, and a high capacity as well." He would then hand the weapon back to Ali before moving to one of the ammunition crates by the wall. "That is a blaster you can rely on." He returned with a few items, a belt and holster for the Togruta and a box full of power packs. He collected a few more blasters he thought the girl might try as well, just so they wouldn't need to make multiple trips back and forth, and then turned to make for the doorway, carrying the ammunition as well. "Come on, let's step outside and see how you like it."

The firing range was in the backyard of the estate, a short walk away from the arsenal. On the way there Klied would walk beside Ali, continuing to speak with her. "Now I don't know how much Aska has shown you." He explained. "So why don't you tell me what you already know about blasters, and I'll answer any questions you have." The Onderonian's demeanor was quite a bit brighter than usual, not the quiet, reserved attitude he normally displayed. It was obvious this was a subject in which he held great interest, and enjoyed talking about.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Not for the first time, the Onderonian told the Togruta to drop the titles when speaking to him. Ali was just used to treating her superiors with respect and formality, she did not realise that it was making him feel uncomfortable. She very much wanted to avoid making the others feel uncomfortable after what had happened in the wine cellar, and took Klied's request to heart. She owed him that much for allowing her to stay in his home and for being so wonderfully kind despite her lowly status. It would take time for her to adjust, not calling him Mr. Klied anymore, but she squared it away with herself by reasoning that he had instructed her to do it, and that a good slave should do as commanded. "Okay K-Klied" she stammered, her brow even wincing a little bit as she attempted to undo years of psychological conditioning. Ali considered for a moment afterwards that just calling him 'Klied' did not sound right. It did not have the right kind of ring to it. The Togruta would chew over this until she thought of something more suitable.

The hunter took the DC-17, examined it and explained a little about the weapon before handing it back. Klied then gathered up various other items, including more blasters before they head out. One of the blasters the Onderonian had picked up was an ELG-3A blaster pistol which Ali had neglected to noticed on her first review of the weapons that had been laid out in the armoury. Soon enough the pair found themselves in the backyard of the Raxx estate walking towards the firing range. Klied was walking alongside Ali as they went and it was a pleasant day outside. "Well... she showed me how I should point and hold it" explained the Togruta in answer to Klied's question, "And how to aim, fire and reload, but I'm not very good at... at aiming..." Ali glanced at the man next to her with her big green eyes and blushed. It wasn't always easy to tell with Ali when she was blushing since her skin was naturally red anyway, but the warmth in her cheeks still shone regardless. "Can you show me how to aim?" she asked naively.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

As usual the weather in Iziz was fantastic. The sun was high in an almost cloudless sky, and the temperature was pleasantly warm. The estate's gardens had been cleaned up very nicely since the last time Klied was home, and the pool actually looked quite appealing now, the water crystal clear and the blue tile within free of any grime. But that wasn't the reason they were here. A hundred meter long firing range was off to their left, with five wooden stalls from which they could fire.

As they approached Klied chuckled good-naturedly at Ali's shy request. "I'll see what I can do." He replied jokingly as he entered the stall and ushered her forward. The stall was wide enough to accept two or even three people. He set most of the weapons down on the table before him, only keeping a Glie-44 in his hands. As he began his explanation, his voice quickly took on a more serious tone.

"Now first thing to remember is not to point this thing at someone ever. Not unless you're prepared to shoot them." He emphasized the point strongly. "Doesn't matter if it's loaded or not, safety is on or not, do not point a blaster at someone unless they are an immediate threat. Alright?" He turned his attention down range and opened up his weapon, checking to make sure the pack was empty before raising the gun to eye level and aiming down range. He wrapped both hands carefully around the grip, then spoke aloud each action as he performed it to set an example for the Togruta. "Half of how accurate you are is in the stance, so, plant your feet firmly on the ground. Shoulders straight, facing down range. Arms straight out. Both eyes open. Focus on those sights, put the one in front between the two on the back, line up your shot and-" Klied pulled the trigger, being answered with a simple click. He then stepped aside and gave Ali some room.

"Now you try. Just like that." He wanted to make sure the girl's form was correct before proceeding. She said Aska had shown her how to do as much already but... Well... Aska was Aska. Her style might have been a bit more unorthodox. And that was fine for a genetically engineered killing machine. For a normal person? Not so much.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Ali enjoyed the short walk to the firing range with Klied. Though work had been being done on the place, the gardens looked stunning. They were unlike anything Ali had ever really seen before. The Togruta's eyes caught a glimpse of the crystal clear waters reflecting the sun's rays and her heart leaped. She would definitely like to take a dip in the pool, especially when the weather was so nice. "Mr-- uh.. uhm... Klied? Maybe when we're finished shooting, we could go for a swim? The water looks lovely today" she suggested, stumbling a little over the honorifics again, having to force herself not to use formalities with him anymore.

The pair eventually reached the firing range and entered one of the stalls. All the weapons Klied had brought with them were laid out on the bench, except for the DC-17 in Ali's hand and the Glie-44 in Klied's. The Onderonian had the slave's undivided attention as he explained the rules of using a blaster. Rule number one was something she could not quite recall her mistress ever mentioning explicitly in previous lessons, as she was a shoot first - ask questions later - kind of woman. "I would... rather not point one at anybody at all" said Ali innocently. It perhaps did not need reiterating, but her point was simply that she would have no issues at all abiding by Klied's rule #1 of blaster use. Her green eyes lingered on the hunter as he took aim with the Glie-44 and demonstrated the correct posture and positioning before firing his weapon. He made it look so easy and although the Togruta was adverse to guns because of the violence they represented and caused, she was impressed by him and his abilities.

When he had finished his demonstration, Klied expected Ali to have a go herself. Looking down range, she planted her feet on the ground similar to how the Onderonian had done, stood up straight - which came effortlessly to her as she was a dancer - and held the DC-17 out. Her wrists were a little shaky from nerves and although she had good posture, her positioning was not particularly good. Klied would be able to tell that she was very inexperienced, despite Aska's attempts at training her, and would need to step in to put her right before moving on. "I-is this... okay?" she asked uncertainly, "I think I might need help..."

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Again Klied chuckled at Ali's more obvious interest in taking a dip in the pool as opposed to weapons training. "Once you show me you can hit one of those targets sure." He replied with a grin, nodding down range. That wasn't a particularly difficult task. Even if Ali wasn't the best shot odds were once she had a basic understanding she should be able to hit something.

As he explained his first rule again the Togruta voiced her aversion to shooting people in general. Klied could understand that. For a long time he had avoided killing sentients as well. It struck him as an absolute moral evil, one his uncle never would have approved of. But time and experience had changed his mind, and he was certain the same would happen with Ali. "Right..." He agreed with her, trying to think of a diplomatic way to impress the importance of learning to use weapons nonetheless. "But when someone wants to hurt you, or someone you care about, you don't really have a choice do you? There's nothing wrong with trying to avoid or talk your way out of a fight. But you're not always going to be able to do that." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. "No matter how charming you are. Some people are just looking for trouble. And in those cases it's best to put them down before they run into someone else that can't defend themselves you know?" He leaned back and grinned. "Plus, sometimes just showing that you have a blaster and know how to use it is enough to convince folks to back off. It's not about this," He said as he lifted the gun in his hand before lowering it again and tapping the side of his head. "It's about this."

With that being said the hunter fell silent and patiently observed Ali's stance, closely analyzing her form. Her posture was good, everything looked fine, but judging by the shaking hands it was clear her anxiety was effecting her aim. As she asked how she was doing the Onderonian stepped forward and grasped her hands, trying to hold them in place. "You've got the right idea but you're not going to hit anything like that." He explained. "You need to calm your nerves first." He stepped back again and raised his hand to pantomime a breathing motion as he spoke. "Take a minute to just breathe, easy, in and out. Find your focus. Then when you're ready to fire take a deep breath and hold it. That should help you aim better." Again he would fall silent and cross his arms as he watched to see if she improved.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The option of being able to take a dip in the cool enticing waters of the pool on a nice sunny day was good motivation for the slave. She would much rather be swimming than handling weapons, but she knew the others were keen for her to learn. Klied had also listened to what she had to say on the matter of turning a gun on someone and raised strong points to her about using it in times of defense and to protect people. These were at least noble reasons and Ali was reminded of the horrible vision she had been shown by the holocron. The Togruta's pupils shrunk, picturing her mistress laying motionless in that muddy puddle in the jungle, her grip on the DC-17 had tightened. If Alisaah was going to use weapons, there was nothing better to convince her than the prospect of protecting those she cared for. What good would it be to swim in that pool without her mistress and her friends? A sad and lonely existence, devoid of everybody that had helped her or ever shown her compassion. The slave was determined now, more than ever, to hit that target - for their sake.

One thing that Klied said stood out to her among his teachings. "Y-you think I'm charming, Kly?" she asked innocently, her red cheeks going that little bit pinker. Since she could no longer speak to the hunter in formalities, simply calling him Klied did not seem right, Ali decided on the fly that 'Kly' sounded better. It wouldn't matter what the others thought of it, Ali would be Ali, and if she had to abandon her slave conditioning, this was what she was comfortable with.

The Togruta stood there waiting for the hunter's assessment of her stance and aim. As usually was the case with Ali, her nerves were hindering her. Klied had a patient and understanding way about him. His voice remained calm, where Aska may have gotten frustrated. Listening to his advice, the woman inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to steady her shaking hands. Air escaped her lips as she breathed out. Her green eyes tried to line up the sights on the blaster and then she fired her shot. A flash of blue erupted from the tip of the pistol and flew off down the range. It burned a mark into the wall behind the target, having not made it anywhere close to where Ali had meant to be shooting. After firing, the Togruta lowered her weapon and looked at Klied. "I'm not very good at this..." she said, looking a little disheartened.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

This time it was Klied's turn to be a bit flustered as the Togruta pointed out his comment about her being charming. "Well... Yeah, you know..." He replied awkwardly as he looked down range and scratched the back of his head, suddenly not as good with his words as he had been before. "When someone like you speaks, people listen. Trust me." He chuckled a bit. "You should try it some time. You sell yourself way too short too Ali." Klied was quick to fall silent again after that exchange, eager to focus on the Togruta's training. And Kly? Where had that come from?

Ali took his advice to heart, but still missed her first shot be a wide margin. The young Togruta was immediately discouraged by this, and Klied couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Oh come on now, we just got started," He teased her lightheartedly. "I'm not expecting you to be Preef Callo here. Just take it slow. See?" He pointed to the spot in the wall, still smoking and black from the shot. "Now you've got a point of reference to go off of. Make the necessary adjustments and try again. We got all day here, there's no need to rush."

He stood back and crossed his arms again, giving the girl another reassuring smile. She really seemed to lack confidence, more than he thought at first. That could just be her not liking blasters in general, but Klied had a feeling it had more to do with her upbringing as a slave. No doubt Ali had been treated to a very perverted concept of her own personal value. That was something she would need to break free of if she was ever going to make it anywhere. Thankfully she had plenty of friends close at hand now to help her along that path.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The Togruta wondered what Klied meant about people like her. He couldn't possibly mean slaves, because people did not care what they thought or felt about anything. That just wasn't how it worked. But then, Aska cared about what Ali thought and how she felt. So did Klied, Poffo and Meela. It was certainly unusual, after all these years of slavery to have people like these around. To have friends. A family even, of sorts. Klied's slightly flustered response to her question was noticed prior to firing the DC-17 down the range, and Ali thought it very genuine and sweet, though she did not comment any further before pulling the trigger.

After firing her shot and missing, Klied had, as he always was, been encouraging. Even though she missed by quite a way, he had advice for her that she could use. He was calm and patient in his approach, telling her not to rush. The Togruta took a deep breath, still trying to conquer her nervousness over using a blaster, checked her posture again and raised her arms to look through the sights. Ali grit her teeth this time, concentrating hard on lining up her shot and steadying her hands. The DC-17, although a small pistol, was still relatively chunky for what it was, and very block-like. Though her hands were not jittering as much as the first attempt, Klied would have been able to see that the Togruta was not comfortable with the size and her grip on this gun. She kept readjusting her fingers as she aimed, and when she fired for her second attempt, the same flash of blue light exploded from the gun barrel and flew down the range. She had missed the target again, but this time the scorch mark was located a few inches below the target.

"Hmm, I missed again..." she said softly, furrowing her brow, "I definitely lined the sight up properly this time Kly..." The Onderonian would be able to tell, that even with her lack of experience, she was trying to figure out what it was she was doing wrong. In Ali's world, when your owner (or their friend in this case) asked you to do a task, they expected you to do it well. The dancer clearly was not achieving the goal set for her, and knowing everyone wanted her to be able to do this, she was focused on making sure she did do it. She had to if she was going to protect her friends. She also had to if she wanted to have a swim too.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Once again Klied observed the Togruta closely as she lined up her shot, a neutral expression painting his face as he analyzed every minute detail of her stance, eyes only briefly glancing towards the target occasionally. As he noticed her still handling the gun a bit shakily his brow furrowed. Too heavy perhaps?

Ali fired, and while she was much more on target this time, she still missed by a bit. Again she looked to him, seemingly a bit frustrated. Klied remained silent a few moments, thinking as he glanced at the weapons on the table. Then he stepped forward. "Here," He said, and reached down, grabbing the ELG-3A and offering it to her, raising his other hand so she could hand him the DC-17. "Try this. ELG-3A. Doesn't pack as much of a punch but it might be easier for you to handle." Once the weapons were exchanged he would unload the DC-17 and place it down on the table before stepping back and crossing his arms again.

"Take another minute to reorient yourself before firing. Feel the difference in weight and balance." He advised. "Then give it a shot when you're ready. Remember to breathe... and be patient." He would wait to see the results of her attempt, but he had a feeling this one would suit her better.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Ali handed over the DC-17 when prompted by the hunter. Taking the ELG-3A in hand, the weight was roughly similar but already the grip fit in her hands much better. This blaster pistol looked a lot sleeker and much less block-like. According to Klied, this blaster wouldn't do quite as much damage as the other one, but as far as Ali was concerned this was only a good thing. As long as she could use it to hit the target and try and save her friends, it would do just fine. Her hands were still shaking a little, but not quite as much as before.

The Togruta gazed over at Klied, listening to his advice about what to do now she had changed weapon. "Mm... Kly? When you're nervous, what do you do to calm down?" she asked innocently. The slave was very often flustered or worried about something, particularly since Aska and the others insisted upon her following them into dangerous situations that she was not used to. "I... get scared a lot... but I can't help mistress, or my friends, if I'm frightened..."

It was clear that Ali trusted Klied, at least enough with this question, because the slave never really went out of her way to ask for advice like this. It was a fairly broad question, but the Togruta knew that if she was worried about simply firing a gun, she might not ever be able to look after her friends, her family. Klied was an expert hunter, he knew everything there was to know about shooting weapons, plus he was nice and always had been to her, so maybe he knew a technique she could use to calm her nerves.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied was visibly taken aback by Ali's question, his eyebrows quirking up in surprise. Caught off guard, he stumbled a bit, hesitant to reply. Slowly he put his hands on his hips, averting his eyes to look down at the table. Nerves. Fear. He didn't think he experienced them quite the same way as Ali did. He certainly felt the presence of danger when he was in the midst of it. It put him on edge, made him alert, but it never made him afraid. If anything it excited him, made him feel more alive than anything else could. He exhaled slowly, unsure how to answer the Togruta's question. Blue eyes shifted back to meet hers, lingering on her face with a neutral expression as he tried to think.

"Well..." He tried to start, then stopped again and leaned back against the stall wall, huffing a bit in frustration at his lack of words. He averted his eyes again, still deep in thought, before looking back at Ali. "What I do, is I detach myself." He finally replied. "Look at my situation like pieces on a dejarik board. Here I am, here's my opponent, what do I need to do to win? What's the smartest move?" He shrugged. "It's all just math Ali. And getting all worked up won't make you any better at it. You just need to say to yourself: Okay, my brain is telling me to be scared because I'm looking at a problem. But being afraid won't solve that problem, so I'll just put that aside and think about it rationally." He tilted his head, grimacing a bit. "Does that make sense?"

Somehow he felt he was speaking a different language. He had the feeling that essentially telling the Togruta to just 'get over it' wouldn't help her very much. But he didn't have anything else to offer. He had been doing this since he learned to walk. He didn't really have the right advice for someone at entry level.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

It seemed that her question caught the hunter off guard. Perhaps it meant she was unusual or strange to be this worried about things. Ali started feeling a little self-conscious, but listened to what Klied had to say anyway. He explained that in his experience he would look at thing in a systematic and logical way, almost like it was a game and he just needed to think about outsmarting whatever challenge he faced. The Togruta was unsure how this would necessarily apply to her general anxiety, but something Klied said about getting worked up did start to make some sense. Worrying about the problem won't fix it - doing something about it will.

"Mmh... I think so" she said, with visible signs on her face that she was trying to understand his meaning sincerely. She valued Klied's advice and if he really did not know how to answer her question, she did not wish for him to feel bad about it. Ali did not expect the Onderonian to know the answers to everything. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her stance again, the Togruta aimed down range, lining up her shot just as Klied had shown her. Her hand was wrapped much more comfortably around the handle this time, the ELG-3A looking much less weighty in her grip.

This time, a flash of green shot from the barrel of the blaster pistol. It flew down range, striking the target at the end with a satisfying crackle. It had not been a direct hit by any means but there was a visible scorch mark on the top right hand side of the target. Ali's eyes lit up. Despite not liking weapons, she was excited because she had made progress. "Look!" she gasped, lowering the pistol and pointing, "I did it Kly!"

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Whether or not his advice was of any help, Klied immediately noticed Ali seemed more comfortable with the ELG-3A as she lined her shot up. He observed her quietly as she prepared to fire, and smiled when she hit her target. Her childlike excitement over the accomplishment was infectious, and the Onderonian couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she pointed out her success.

"Nice work." He replied with a warm smile as he stepped forward and leaned against the table, looking down range. She was off a bit, but it was clear progress. And despite her personal feelings, fast progress. She was better at this than she gave herself credit for. He looked towards the Togruta again and continued. "Feels much better than the DC-17 doesn't it? Try again, see if you can hit it a little closer to center."

He was aware Ali would be looking for her reward, especially since she didn't much care for blasters, but Klied figured it was better to keep going while morale was high. A few more landed shots to be sure it wasn't a fluke and he'd be satisfied.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

In her surprise at hitting the target, Ali had almost forgotten about her reward of going in the pool. She could very well have just given up shooting and insisted that she and Klied head inside to change, but for once, the Togruta did not immediately give up. Seeing Klied's positive reaction to her success spurred her on to do some more shots. He had looked down range to assess how she had done and complimented her work. "It's because you helped me" she said sweetly, "And mistress helped too. I would be even worse at it if she did not show me anything before." The slave felt it would be unfair not to give Aska credit for what she had tried to impart on Ali. The clone was a highly trained assassin, she knew what she was doing with a weapon, but her personality perhaps was not always the right kind for teaching - at least for someone with as little confidence as Alisaah. Klied's calm and supportive approach was perhaps more effective at getting through to her, but they had both contributed to her experience with a blaster.

"This one fits better in my hand. It's light and... it looks prettier" she said, putting her body in position to take some follow up shots. Ali followed all of Klied's previous instructions again. Took a deep breath and tried lining up her sight again so that she would hit closer to the target. Pulling the trigger, the same green light burst from the end of the pistol and struck the target. It was another hit, but still not much closer to the center. The Togruta did not stop this time. Encouraged by a first and second hit, she tried again. The third shot burned the target a little further out, so she adjusted her grip, her stance and her line of sight and tried again. The fourth struck the point between the center of the target and the outside. The Togruta was getting better and the less gaps there were between her shooting, meant that because she was maintaining a good posture, she stood a better chance of landing hits.

Ali fired two more shots after that. The fifth hit the furthest point to the right of the target. The sixth and final shot landed just inches away from the center on the bottom left. The slave lowered her weapon and looked to Klied for reassurance. "Did I do okay Kly?" she asked, "I didn't get the middle, but I feel like I did lots better..."

@Reyn