think fast boy, think on your feet

[invoking]

WHO: BOBBI and GIL
WHERE: Westside Rifle & Pistol Range.
WHEN: this afternoon.
WARNINGS: guns?? I do not know.
SUMMARY: one bird letting off some steam and another bird stumbles across.
FORMAT: it is a mystery.


[ Gil had meant to come here earlier, but the certain other events prevented him from taking some time out of his day to focus on his marksmanship. He thinks he's gotten rusty since late summer, even if his arm had been steady the night Monica had chased down that criminal which had exploded into an all out gunfight between them.

Anyway, it's important to keep up some sort of practice. He's a little confused by all the procedures he needed to go through before being allowed into the range and handed pistols he's not entirely familiar with. They feel foreign in his hands, so his aim is slightly off when he takes the shots.

He's also not very focused, which the employees of the range pressed him about. Accidents can happen if one isn't properly focused, but he can barely contain his frustration over the upcoming auction. Signed up for something he had never heard of and unable to retract himself from it now.

It makes him so agitated, he imagines the bastard's face, the one who did this to him and fires maybe one too many shots at the target, off the mark a couple of times. ]

I'm going to find the idiot and make him pay!

Comments

[mocks]

[Bobbi frequents the range as often as she can. It pays to stay in practice, and she likes the environment and the people who hang out there, so all around it's a good fit for her.

She's approaching the range when Gil catches her eye. She's seen him before, both on the Network and on the Mansion's surveillance footage from when he'd come looking for Bob. It's a coincidence to see him here now, and his aggression and outburst seem especially... odd.]

Easy, tiger. Leave some for the rest of us.

[invoking]

[ He can't hear the woman's voice properly with his ears covered, so he puts down the pistol and lowers the earmuffs around his neck. He's never seen here before, that's for sure. ]

I'm sorry? I didn't catch that...

[mocks]

[She gives him an easy smirk, hand on her hip.]

I said take it easy. You seem a little pent up. Can't be good for your form.

[invoking]

[ Immediately, Gil offers her an apologetic look, the blood rushing to his cheeks. He knows she's right. He can see the bullet holes on the target and some are way off the mark. He's not usually like this when he's practicing his aim. ]

... Sorry. I know the safety procedures, though, if you're concerned about that...

[mocks]

Relax a bit and I'm sure you'll be right on target.

[Her face softens, she wasn't meaning to embarrass the guy.]

[invoking]

[ He doesn't even like wearing those earmuffs. He knows gunfire is loud, however he's more than accustomed to it having trained himself to use his revolvers since a young boy.

He looks back at the target and positions himself. Maybe he wants to prove to her he's not some amateur, so he aims with one arm and fires.

He hits the center without much difficulty. ]

[mocks]

[She applauds politely, though the smile on her face is slightly wolfish. Nick was right about this one. He could have some potential, and he's unassuming enough.]

Bravo. You aced it.

[invoking]

[ He does wonder about it, but he's blushing from the compliment, touched by her kind words. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. ]

Ah... thank you. [ A beat. ] Did you come to practice? If I'm in your way...

[mocks]

You're not in my way. [The smiles fades, but the warmth in her eyes stays.] I'm here to practice, but it's always nice to see good form in motion.

[invoking]

That's very kind of you to say. [ He's surprised; he doesn't know any women besides Monica and the police who patrol around that can use guns or know how one's stance should be. Maybe she's here for sport. ]

[mocks]

Not really. [Her voice was friendly, though on the teasing side, and she strode over to the next booth to settle in for her own shooting. She readied her weapon, hoping to keep Gilbert's attention.]

[invoking]

"Not really"? [ Puzzled by her words, he continues to watch her, curious to see her own form now. ]

[mocks]

[Weapon in hand she takes her aim, firing and easily hitting her mark.]

[invoking]

[ His shoulders rise quickly and his eyes widen. The noise is much more louder in an enclosed space, but it's not that that gives him the scare -- it's how precise this woman's shot was. He stares ahead at the target. ]

A perfect shot...

[mocks]

[She glances over her shoulder at him, ears still ringing from the sound. She smiles, relaxes.]

Practice makes perfect. Nobody's born perfect. You have to work for what you want to achieve.

[invoking]

Of course! [ And he gestures with his hands, trying to explain himself. ] I'm not usually like this, really...

[mocks]

Not usually such a good shot?

[Gun holstered properly, she approaches him again.]

My name is Bobbi. I should've introduced myself before.

1/2

[invoking]

No! I'm a good shot! [ He doesn't often speak so highly of his own abilities, but he knows he is -- second to his brother, of course. ]

[invoking]

Um...

[ He removes the earmuffs from his neck, setting them on a surface before he looks back at Bobbi, offering a polite nod of the head. ]

Gilbert. [ He pauses. ] Er... do you come here often?

[mocks]

Not as often as I'd like to. Just every few weeks or so.

[She feigns ignorance a moment longer.]

You know, you look awfully familiar. Have I seen you before somewhere?

[invoking]

[ He blinks owlishly, shaking his head. It doesn't occur to him (yet) that maybe she's seen his face from the video HABIT made that went viral on the Internet. Back then, it was his first thought when someone said something similar or stared at him too long in public. ]

I'm afraid I don't know. It's my first time coming here.

[mocks]

What about the Avengers?

[Her lips purse slightly as she watches him.]

Do you know any of them?

[invoking]

[ He tilts his head slightly, like he doesn't understand her question. ]

What...? [ He then shrugs. He knows the name, of course, but what do they have to do with anything? He doesn't know Natasha is an Avenger. He doesn't know much about her.

But then he blinks again and he remembers the Sentry for a brief moment. ] There was a man called the Sentry. He's no longer here, however.

[mocks]

Yes, I know.

[Her husky voice drops even lower.]

He lived with us in the Mansion. Was he a friend of yours?

[invoking]

You're part of that group. The Avengers. [ He's not sure why it didn't occur to him till this very second. He's never seen her around or heard her voice, however. She can't be new to this wold, not if she remembers Bob living with her and her allies. ]

He... He was. [ He tries to swallow the lump snagged in his throat. His palms feeling too warm beneath his gloves. ]

[mocks]

He was mine, too.

[And she means that, even as she intends to use this shared connection to her advantage.]

I might be wrong, but I think I saw you on the surveillance footage once.

[invoking]

[ Gil is unable to meet her gaze any longer. He's almost expecting her to say something about the Sentry -- something about him being dangerous or crazy. Who knows. ]

I'm sorry about him, then. [ He says quietly, a touch remorseful. ] He was a good person. [ He quickly adds.

And then he perks up, almost shocked to hear that from her. ]

Survei-- You've watched me before?

[mocks]

He was. He tried very hard. [She says this almost bitterly. No matter how much he tried, some things were unpreventable for Bob.]

We have an extensive security network at the Mansion so that we can keep track of any visitors. You stopped by once, I think.

[invoking]

[ It doesn't exactly ease his tension, but it makes some sense that he nods, accepting her explanation for now. ]

I know he did. [ He remembers Bob's reaction up on the roof. He wanted to stop whatever it it was making him do those things.. ] And yes, I did. I came by to see if he had returned.

But he hadn't.

[mocks]

For what it's worth... [Her voice trails off momentarily, sympathetic smile returning.] I think he would have been glad you came.

We all need friends, you know. People we can count on.

[invoking]

[ His shoulders sag for a brief moment. ]

You don't believe that was him, do you? [ That dark and twisted thing that had taken Bob's place. ]

[mocks]

I think it was a part of him that was very broken and very hurt.

[She draws in a long breath.]

Lots of us have a broken part inside. Bob's was just bigger, and it grew until it swallowed him up.

[invoking]

[ He has to wonder if that will be himself one day. The things inside him he can't be sure he can control or not. All those thoughts that creep forth from time to time. ]

... He doesn't have to suffer anymore, at least. [ "I hope." ]

[mocks]

No. He's at peace now.

[She had to believe that, even though it took a lot of effort to hang onto that belief.]

I'm glad to have met you properly, Gilbert. A friend of Bob's is a friend of mine.

[invoking]

Uh... [ He's taken aback by such a statement. ] It is nice to meet you, Miss Bobbi...

[mocks]

I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other, sport.

[She gives him a cryptic smile and a small salute before heading for the exit.]

[invoking]

Huh...? [ He's too bewildered by that vague answer to follow. Not that he can turn and leave without following regulations here. ] I... I suppose. Good evening, then.