With a letter of recommendation in hand and the pressing realization that Beacon's staff aren't as balanced in their coverage of combat topics as it would at first appear, Jules sets out to find another student who can teach him the fundamentals of using a Sniper rifle. A quest that leads him to the dormitory of team DARK...
Posted: Sun May 30, 2021 2:48 pm
tab Jules looked again at the letter he held in his hand. It was a bit strange to think this was the second time he was delivering one of these to a possible mentor. How many of these was he going to end up couriering at this academy? Regardless. Jules looked up at the door of the dorm he'd been told was current residence to the individual he was looking for. Dormitory #6, the residence of team DARK, and more specifically, Azura Knight, the sniping expert that Professor Geremald had recommended Jules seek out as a mentor. He'd made sure to bring his satchel of inventions, His armor, the refurbished pistol he'd acquired from Geremald, and what was honestly a really poorly aged bolt-action rifle that had ended up as hand-me-downs from the Vale Military. Still, it was what Jules had to work with. So with a deep breath, he raised a hand and knocked on the door before speaking in a nervous tone. "Uh... Excuse me- Is anyone here? I'm looking for a Ms. Azura Knight." He really hoped he had the right room and wasn't just making a fool of himself
x x x x
xxxxxxxxxxxLOCATIONXTeam DARK's dorm roomxxxCOMPANYXHopefully someone is actually in the roomxxxPOST-COUNTX32/Thirty-twoxxx
Lucky for Jules, Azura had returned to the dorms an hour prior to him knocking on the door. She had spent the morning doing volunteer guard duty out in the agriculture district, making sure the fields were free from Grimm. In the afternoon she planned to hang out in the arena, where Cecil would practice sparing while she studied. For the moment though, was lunch! Team DARK gathered around the table, Adam with no less than 4 empty plates stacked up near him, while he was working on his fifth. Azura wondered if he was charged more for tuition, or how the team would afford his eating habits once they graduated. While Ridley and Adam traded barbs in their usual fashion, Cecil was uncharacteristically quiet at the table. A wound only time would heal.
There was a knock on the door, which caused everyone to pause and look at the door in confusion. Was anyone expecting visitors? Then a timid voice came through the door.
"Uh... Excuse me- Is anyone here? I'm looking for a Ms. Azura Knight."
"I guess I'll get it?" Azura was clearly confused as she rose from the team's lunch table to answer the door. The raven-haired girl pulled open the door to see a blond boy with a visible faceplate at their door. If Azura had to guess, he was a new student, though why he was asking for her while clutching a note in his hand she had no idea. "I am Azura Knight. Can I help you?"
Semblance: 0/(5/4/3) Cooldown: 0/4 Backpack: Dust Bullets: Raw Dust:
Post Count: 158+1
KnightsRoyal
Lasting Legend
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:01 am
Cecil was currently at the table, eating his made for lunch since his left arm was currently casted up once again. He seemed to have a habit of breaking his arm in rash decisions as he held it up and took a bite from the turkey sandwich. He was thankful that Azura didn't heat the sandwich beforehand but something was on his mind. 'I ******** up that day....' He thought to himself while he ate the sandwich, looking to his teammates as Adam and Ridley were being their cheerful usual selves as he then looked to Azura. Just as he was about to say something, an apology more likely, the door was being knocked on followed by a voice who asked for Azura. He heard her response as he got up from the table to follow her to the door. ""I'll come with." He told her calmly while walking with her as he placed his casted left arm into its resting sling instead of resting it at his side as he got to her. side. He saw the student and raised an eyebrow at them as he looked to Azura and then back to him. "You look like a cyborg....which some dumb people would insist on calling you an android." He told the lad himself with his eyes showing lack of interest but his mouth kind of smirking at his reference to an old tv show he watched before Beacon.
Semblance: Inactive|| Weapon: Reiterpallasch(Unsheathed) || Currently Holding: Reiterpallasch Temp Gear on Hand: Backpack: N/A Post Count: 219 || Quest Points: 3 || Current Quest: Medicinal Class
tab Jules was greeted by a young woman who introduced herself as Azura, and a man who referred to him as a cyborg, which was technically correct, and then an android, which wasn't. He looked back to Azura and handed her the letter from professor Geremald which read "Attention the only Sniper Duo of the school, this student is wanting to know how to shoot a gun... if you can teach him to shoot even a pistol it will be a massive improvement but don't waste time teaching him the techniques that are deemed too advanced like your running reload or quick reloads... Just get his aim to at least adequate levels." Jules hadn't read the letter so he just stood there for a bit while they had the chance to read the letter. "I got into beacon under special circumstances... And Combat was never something I excelled at, But I want to learn how to use firearms so I can help my team from a distance, and Professor Geremald told me that you were likely the best candidate to teach me how to use a rifle." It wasn't that hard to figure out, after all, Jules wasn't carrying a transforming weapon. Just a severely outdated Bolt Action rifle that had clearly seen a lot of use and poor handling before ending up in the young man's hands. "With that said... Would you be willing to teach me how to properly use a rifle?"
x x x x
xxxxxxxxxxxLOCATIONXTeam DARK's dorm roomxxxCOMPANYXCecil and AzuraxxxPOST-COUNTX33/Thirty-threexxx
KnightsRoyal
Deadly_Tiger
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2021 4:06 pm
Azura looked wide-eyed at the letter wordlessly held out to her before slowly taking it with an air of great uncertainty. Several thoughts rushed into her mind all at once. Had he taken offence to Cecil's cyborg comment and that was why he wasn't speaking? Why was he giving her a letter? Had something horrible happened to one of her family members? With the death of Cecil's father as a fresh reminder of such things Azura opened the letter with slightly trembling hands. The words on the page brought equal amounts of relief and confusion. "Only sniper duo?" She repeated softly, clearly perplexed by the phrase, holding the letter for Cecil to read. Surely there were other snipers in the school, even if she couldn't think of one off of the top of her head. "I would be happy to help." Inside her mind panic alarms were going off. Her? Teach? "We are eating lunch, but I can meet you in an hour? Would you mind sharing the arena Cecil?" It was Azura's most desperate wish that he said yes. She didn't want to attempt teaching someone she didn't know by herself.
Semblance: 0/(5/4/3) Cooldown: 0/4 Backpack: Dust Bullets: Raw Dust:
Cecil looked over Azura's shoulder as he read what the letter had said from Geremald, a teacher whom he had never met before as he tilted his head. He could see her hands trembling, he brought his right hand up to pat her back to help calm her down while he looked to Jules after Azura spoke. 'And I got in academically...' He thought after Jules spoke about how he got in via special circumstances. When Azura chose to accept his offer, she was then asking him to share the arena, causing Cecil to nod his head. ""I know how you are alone, so it's better I come with to the arena. But Lunch is important right now, meet us there Jules." He told the young man, choosing the faster approach as he backed away to return to the table and eat.
Semblance: Inactive|| Weapon: Reiterpallasch(Unsheathed) || Currently Holding: Reiterpallasch Temp Gear on Hand: Backpack: N/A Post Count: 219 || Quest Points: 3 || Current Quest: Medicinal Class
Toryuuku Shinjuku
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Deadly_Tiger
Alysian Virago
Lasting Legend
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'Thought' = #85a1c1 xx"Speach" = #274b69
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:16 pm
tab Jules listened as the two suggested he meet them at the arena about an hour or so later. Nodding to this Jules responded. "Alright, I'll see you both there. Sorry to have interrupted your meal." He gave a respectful sort of half-bow, something he'd learned from the various staff at his uncle's home, before departing to make his way to the arena. He needed to start getting a feel for the space he'd be working with for this training, and he wanted to be at least somewhat prepared. So Jules went about spending the hour examining the Arena itself, curious as to its capabilities. He'd heard that a long time ago they used to hold the Vytal tournament in arenas like this so he was quite interested to see what such an arena could achieve. Might also give him an idea of what the training would be like too.
x x x x
xxxxxxxxxxxLOCATIONXTeam DARK's dorm room > The ArenaxxxCOMPANYXCecil and Azura > currently no onexxxPOST-COUNTX41/forty-onexxx
After closing the door Azura let out a big breath and gave Cecil a hug. "Thank you for coming with....and letting me commander your arena time." She let go of Cecil to look him in the eyes. "There really aren't any other snipers at Beacon?" She asked fully expressing her doubt.
The rest of lunch was spent in a state of mild panic. Azura trying and failing to convince herself that teaching someone to shoot was really no different than helping Adam or Ridley with their homework. Of course, she knew Adam and Ridley and not Jules. And homework was a lot different than trying to teach a skill. She knew where she wanted to start though...that poor battered rifle.
Azura arrived with Cecil, carrying a briefcase along with her famous backpack. Inside were the supplies she used to clean and maintain Crimson Regret between missions. In her other hand was a regular rifle she had borrowed from the armoury. "What do you think the special circumstance he got into Beacon under were?" She asked Cecil as they approached the arena. "Based on the staff they hire..." Azura couldn't help but wonder if he had some sort of underworld connections. At least he didn't hit on her like Professor Daisetsu or try to eat her like Professor Anderson....yet. "If it wasn't something insidious he would have just said right?"
When the pair finally made it inside Azura was surprised to see the underclassman already there. She made a habit of being early for everything and was almost always the first person anywhere. "Hello," She began when they reached him, "I thought we should start with how to keep your rifle maintained and clean. Perfect aim won't help you if your trigger gets stuck!" She began in a nervous rush of words. "Uhh...also...you didn't tell us your name." To be fair, Azura had been such a nervous wreck over that letter she had forgotten to ask.
Semblance: 0/(5/4/3) Cooldown: 0/4 Backpack: Dust Bullets: Raw Dust:
Post Count: 158+3
KnightsRoyal
Lasting Legend
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2021 8:01 pm
Cecil felt her giving him a hug as he held her back, smiling faintly before he patted her back as she asked about there being other snipers. "Not anyone who has been here longer. Almost none of the current teachers utilize it as a primary firearm." He told her calmly while he walked with her back to the table to continue eating as he was still recovering, not confident in his ranged combat and needing to train regardless. Being stuck with one arm in a cast and split was definitely a downer for the month as he had plenty of time to prepare. 'Guess I can't use a sniper rifle but I can try to prepare with an IOF 9mm at least.' He thought to himself as he walked away after lunch to get prepared.
Some time had passed before he walked with her towards the arena, he carried with him another briefcase as they arrived at the arena, making their way towards him, Cecil heard her question. "Probably another academic prodigy. Would explain his cybernetics and his lack of firearm training/" He told her as he walked with her before he chuckled a tad and shook his head. "I doubt he's a villain sweetie.... that teacher was just weird I can assume." He told her with a smile as they walked.
Once they walked in, he blinked as he saw the man was there before he nodded his head and listened as she spoke about weapon maintenance. He blinked and looked to her as he spoke. "Isn't that done primarily with the Weapon and Maintenance class anyways sweetie?" He asked her softly while he listened to her as she asked the male for his name as he nodded his head at Jules, wondering who he was.
Semblance: Inactive|| Weapon: Reiterpallasch(Unsheathed) || Currently Holding: Briefcase containing an IOF Pistol 9mm Temp Gear on Hand: Backpack: N/A Post Count: 219 || Quest Points: 3 || Current Quest: Medicinal Class
tab Jules looked up as Azura and Cecil arrived. Oh good! He was beginning to feel he might've somehow frightened them off. Still. They were here, and he was to be on his best behavior as a result. Setting his old war-weary rifle down on a table that was set up for weapons testing and firing downrange. "Hello!" He said in response to Miss Knight's greeting. Though when asked about his name, he internally panicked. Had he been so over-eager that he'd forgotten a critical part of basic etiquette? He brought his organic hand up to his face and hit his palm against his forehead in annoyance. How had he made such a stupid mistake?! Still, he gently shook his head to refocus himself before looking up. "Apologies, It seems I forgot some of my etiquette training in my excitement. My name is Jules Maxim. It is nice to properly meet you both." He said, giving a polite half-bow of sorts, with his, again, organic arm crossing his chest as he did so. Just as his uncle had taught him over the past few years. When weapon cleaning and the "Weapons and Maintenance" class was brought up, Jules spoke up once more. "I've actually been taking that class with my team recently. Professor Geremald was the one who directed me to where I could acquire this old bolt-action rifle. Its not in the best shape anymore, but at the very least I can take it apart and put it back together again without issues." He brought his cybernetic hand up, scratching his cheek a bit as he somewhat awkwardly pointed out. "Despite that... my experience with rifle weapon care is somewhat limited... I've only properly cleaned and maintained a pair of old handguns. Neither of which I'm much good with." He reached beneath his lab coat to where he had holsters on the sides of his custom armor, withdrawing them both, facing away from Cecil and Azura, before setting them beside the rifle. These were quite clean and well maintained compared to the rifle, but the age of the weapons and their 'hand-me-down' nature was very much visible. "Should I assume it's A fair bit different for rifles?" x x x x
xxxxxxxxxxxLOCATIONXThe ArenaxxxCOMPANYXCecil and Azura > currently no onexxxPOST-COUNTX45/forty-fivexxx
KnightsRoyal
Deadly_Tiger
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Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:00 pm
"Maxim? As in Maxim Technologies?" Her eyes went wide at the name. It seemed Cecil's suggestion was a lot more accurate than her conspiracy theory. In Azura's defence, she was both terrible at reading people and recently traumatized by the Omega cave mission. Her eyes travelled to the old beat-up bolt-rifle. If he was the hire to Maxim Technologies surely he would be a lot more comfortable with something high-tech. Or at the very least could afford a new high-end rifle. Questions she felt would be rude to ask given she had only just learnt his name.
Azura could feel her cheeks grow warm after Cecil brought up weapons and maintenance class. "I figured since Professor Geremald didn't know how to teach rifle shooting, he might not know how to maintain one either." She admitted softly, though thinking back on it, the professor might have taken the time to learn how to maintain a rifle without learning to shoot one. Luckily Jules bailed her out by explaining while he had taken the class, he had only cleaned a pair of handguns. She gave a nod at his question about handguns being different than rifles. "Rifles are easier actually."
Kneeling on the ground, she opened the case she had brought with her. Azura started by going through the kit, explaining all the different pieces. Bore guide, one-piece cleaning rod, cotton cleaning patches, bronze brush, jag, cleaning tools with different pointed edges, foaming bore cleaner and Duke Darrell's Complete Gun Treatment. A few tangents were involved about the pros and cons of one-piece rods versus 2 or 3 piece rods and different brands of cleaning products. Then came the practical demonstration. Azura pulled Crimson Regret out of its holster strapped to her waist and transformed it into rifle mode.
She showed him how to spray the foam from the muzzle down the chamber. While that soaked, loosening up any carbon or copper stuck in the barrel, they used the cleaning tools to scrape out the crevasses in the bolt action, which had to be taken out. That followed by giving it a brushing with the bronze brush and then a good wipe down to remove the carbon. A quick spray of Duke Darrell's and another light wipe down to smooth out the action. Wipe down the magazine - if you are going to have a jam, it is going to be because of a dirty magazine - inside the magazine well, receiver and where the bolt action went. More lubrication with Duke Darrell's.
"It's been about 20 minutes, the foam in the barrel should be ready." Attaching the jag to the cleaning rod and placing a cleaning patch at the end of the jag she pushed the patch from the chamber to the muzzle. It came out pretty clean, but she instructed Jules to keep running patched throw until his came out clean as well. Then you guessed it. More Duke Darrell's down the muzzle. One more cleaning patch for the excess and..."Ready to try shooting?"
Semblance: 0/(5/4/3) Cooldown: 0/4 Backpack: Dust Bullets: Raw Dust:
Cecil nodded at Jules as he spoke to them directly, a slight smile from him as he spoke. "Good way to greet any mentor, hello." He stated calmly before Azura reacted to the man who spoke himself and revealed his name, causing Cecil to raise an eyebrow. He didn't know who the Maxim people were but as Azura mentioned, he now knew they were a bit of a big deal. 'Tech giants from the sound of it, but if that is the case... why is he holding an older Rifle. If memory serves me right... that is an Arisaka Type 30.' He thought to himself as the male showed it to the two of them. "At least he knows where to find the guns at the school, that's a relief but it is wise to know how to take it apart and put it back together again without a guide." He told Jules with an approving smile before he looked to Azura as she seemed flustered when he corrected her on the class itself before he chuckled and shook his head. "A teacher who lectures about the importance of maintaining one's weapons also doubling as Firearm training? I think that would be out of his Salary" He told her and laughed a bit from what he thought was a funny joke as he was trying to distract himself at this point.
He listened to how Jules and Azura talked, with Jules saying he only handled handguns during class while Azura told him that Rifles were easier to manage before she knelt down on the ground. Meanwhile he set the briefcase down, unlatching it as she pulled out a gun maintenance kit for the rifle and used her own weapon to clean as Cecil pulled out the IOF Pistol 9mm he had brought to the range. He closed the case while watching, seeing how quick she worked to clean the barrel and after she was finally done, she informed him that in 20 minutes the foam would be ready. He shook his head, shaking his head as it seemed like a lot to listen to as he watched Jules begin mimicking the motions and doing the same exact thing. When it was FINALLY all said and done, Cecil sighed and looked to her and him and spoke. "If we are, the arena thankfully has two areas where you can practice practical shooting, and spot shooting. It has no shooting range, nor clay pigeons to practice with the Rifle and in the real setting, your target could look like anything. Azura, did you at least bring some cans or am I providing the targets?"
Semblance: Inactive|| Weapon: Reiterpallasch(Sheathed) || Currently Holding: Briefcase containing an IOF Pistol 9mm Temp Gear on Hand: Backpack: N/A Post Count: 219 || Quest Points: 3 || Current Quest: Medicinal Class
Toryuuku Shinjuku
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Deadly_Tiger
Alysian Virago
Lasting Legend
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'Thought' = #85a1c1 xx"Speach" = #274b69
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 4:12 pm
tab Jules listened attentively to every step of the process involved in cleaning and maintaining the rifle, replicating it with his own weapon when allowed to do so by his instructor. At the point where the jag, cleaning rod, and cleaning patch, Jules had to take an extra five or so minutes before the weapon barrel was clean enough that the patch came out unstained. It was clear this was the most attentive care the old weapon had received in years. With the weapon properly cleaned and prepared, Jules looked to Azura and nodded at her question. "Of course. Out of curiosity... Is there a major difference associated with which hand you use as your dominant hand while shooting? I didn't notice much difference with my pistols, but as I use one in each hand, I don't need to really use my other hand for any interaction besides a brace for reloading the weapon quickly when the magazine is empty." He had a definitive preference for performing non technologically oriented tasks in a manner that was left-hand dominant. If only because he did not want his cybernetics to be seen as a crutch that compensated for things people should be good at doing without it. Jules had no idea what type of targets they'd be shooting at, but at the very least it would be an interesting first time experience considering he had previously only gotten to utilize his pistols in a situation where he basically was shooting at an impervious shield of a human, namely the professor himself. As well as his 'Niece' and her mech. Though these were unnecessary details for today's session, so Jules would keep his eyes on the prize, listening as Cecil spoke of spot shooting and practical shooting. The latter sounded more useful for combat scenarioes, while the former confused him a bit. Was it like those carnival games with cap guns where you have brightly colored targets? Or was that something else? x x x x
xxxxxxxxxxxLOCATIONXThe ArenaxxxCOMPANYXCecil and Azura xxxPOST-COUNTX46/forty-sixxxx
Azura gave a nod to Jules question about hand dominance. "Eye dominance is the most important factor for rifle shooting. You want to use whichever hand has your dominant eye looking through the sights. Hold up your hands to make a triangle and look at a distant object through it with both hands. Then close one eye. If the object is still in the center of the triangle, the open eye is your dominant eye. If it isn't then your closed eye is your dominant eye." As Azura explained she held her hands in front of her and made a triangle with her thumbs and fingers and centred the hole they made on a post on the other side of the arena. Then she closed one eye and then the other before dropping her hands. She was curious how having a cybernetic eye would affect eye dominance. "If your lucky your dominant eye will match your dominant hand. If you are cross dominant we'll need to train either your non-dominant hand or eye."
"You know I am always prepared Cecil...unless you want to use your semblance?" She asked after a brief pause, as it suddenly occurred to her that maybe Cecil was implying he wanted to. She was forever second-guessing herself about things like that. "But I think clay pigeons would be a little advanced for the first day. I was thinking something a little more stationary to start." She pushed a few buttons on her scroll and the arena started to rumble. The ground of the far half vanished and soon after the earth biome rose out of the ground. A mini-mountain range with a few sparse trees populated the biome. There were advantages to being an honour student. Azura pointed to the closest tree and said "Try to hit the trunk at chest level."
Semblance: 0/(5/4/3) Cooldown: 0/4 Backpack: Dust Bullets: Raw Dust:
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