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 Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 12:56 pm
"Well, I don't like to brag..." Nick flashed her another grin but added a wink this time. If a human being could channel the essence of Old Man Coyote, this strange young man would be one of those avatars. His warm laughter broke the look, however, and he gave a little shrug to the redhead. "Who am I kidding?" he continued. "What guy doesn't like to brag a bit? Especially to an attractive female holding a nice little pistol and learning to shoot? Okay. So maybe that last part is more specific to me. But, yeah, I'm pretty good. Probably the best on the force around here." He unhooked one hand from his belt loop to give a general sort of circular motion as if indicating the entire police presence in Destiny City. Then he pointed at her weapon. "I had to work a little more with the handguns, though, since it was rifles that I had been using as a kid. A pistol has a different weight and a different way of aiming. Different power, too. Nothing that rivals a shotgun unless you're using highly illegal loads." The last bit held strange emphasis. It didn't come across as him accusing her of being illegal but still... Nick relaxed back against the partition, a wicked twinkle in his eye like he was sharing a secret joke with her.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:37 pm
Prudence had never thought of rifles or shotguns as being that different from pistols, but listening to Nick talk about them, she supposed they were. What she knew about guns she could fit in a thimble for ants. So when he said that he was possibly the best on the force, that left an impression. If he'd been shooting since he was a kid, then yeah, he was bound to be expert in guns. She flinched slightly when he referenced highly illegal loads, but quickly realized she wasn't talking about her or her gun. "You mean there are… loads," she said with a bit of hesitation, not sure what he meant by that, "that are bigger than… um… what I'm using?" Prudence had no clue what she'd just said, but she hoped he understood that she was trying to talk about what he'd been talking about. And he was still grinning, so that was good. She hoped. "Maybe you could teach me some things," she asked hopefully. She had Ed showing her some stuff, sure, but this guy was a cop and a pro. Maybe she could learn more.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 1:50 pm
"Maybe I could." Somehow his voice skirted mimicry and just provided her with the sense of easy-going good-nature. This was backed up by his immediate nod of assent. "I wouldn't mind at all," he continued. "If people are going to go around owning guns, after all, it's best that they know how to use them right. Besides..." He winked. "You already have a pretty good handle on it. I don't think it'll be painful at all, you know, hanging out with you." Was he flirting? Who knew? Especially when he followed his comment immediately with, "For one thing, you have a good respect for your gun. I noticed you kept it pointed at the ground when you weren't shooting and then you pointed it down-range when you set it down. That's all good stuff. Good instincts, Pru-girl." Shifting his weight, Nick tugged a phone from his pocket. The battered protective case served as one more clue to his harum-scarum self. "So now I get to ask for your number and not be creepy about it," he announced with a chuckle.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:11 pm
At first Prudence thought Nick was mocking her, but that thought was quickly vanquished when he praised her on her gun etiquette and respect for the weapon. She blushed hard enough to make her freckles fade. Was he flirting with her at the same time? Part of her thought he might be, but part of her wasn't sure that wasn't just his basic nature showing through. He seemed like the type to take life by the horns and consequences be damned. One more layer uncovered! She'd have him figured out eventually -- she was nothing if not determined. "Thank you," she nodded with a smile. "And yeah, you can have my number if I can have yours. Not to be bold or anything." Laughing lightly to hide her slight embarrassment and shyness, she took the phone from his hand and entered her phone number into his contacts, resisting the urge to see who else he had in there. She handed his phone back to him, then pulled hers out of a back pocket. "Here you go." Looking around while she waited, she noticed the gun range was empty except for her and Nick. "Um," she started, "I think it's getting a little late. I should probably head out soon -- I have work tomorrow, and I'm sure you do too." She smiled up at him. "Thanks for the lessons. Hopefully there will be more to come."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:33 pm
"You bet. I have your number now, after all." Nick handed back the phone with another one of his 100% grins. "Maybe next weekend. I know I have off duty so it's all up to you then." He looked around, following her gaze. "And, yeah, we better head out before Luther comes back here and kicks us out. This is the only decent range that's not associated with work so I'd like to keep my rights to come here." With neat, efficient movements, Nick packed up his pistol and cleaned his station. Retrieving the final paper target, he gave it a cursory glance to gauge his success, he then tossed it into the nearest garbage can. It was near perfect. Nick picked up all of his stuff and gave Prudence a warm nod. "Call me," he said. "Or text. Whatever. I'll get back to you pronto. More than likely." A quick wink and he sauntered out of the shooting range and disappeared through the door to the lobby and the great outdoors.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 8:38 pm
Prudence watched Nick leave, a quizzical expression on her face. He was an odd one, even if he was terribly cute (in a bad boy-ish sort of way). Either he had so many layers he put an onion to shame or he was exactly how he presented himself: nice, but incredibly weird. She'd definitely be giving him a call, if for no other reason than to further satisfy her curiosity. Humming to herself, she carefully packed up her gun and the spent clips into the box they'd come in and shoved the box back into her backpack. She made a mental note to get a proper case for it someday, like Nick had for his; it wouldn't do to continue to keep it in a box. With a cursory glance around her station to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she slung the backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the lobby. "Night, Luther," she waved at the manager before she exited the range into the night. The parking lot was mostly empty as Prudence started across the blacktop to where she'd parked her motorcycle. Her mind wasn't really on her bike, however -- she was still thinking about Nick, trying to puzzle him out. He sure wasn't like any cop she'd ever met, and she had met her fair share both at motorcycle rallies and at DC Iron Works. She wondered more about his background, which he had only hinted at. What was a guy from the desert doing in Destiny City? What had happened in his life to make him move here, of all places? How long had he been here? Did he know about the monsters yet? That last thought made her glance around the parking lot. She'd been advised by several people, from that pretty knight in the park, Hvergelmir, to Ed, that it wasn't safe out at night. No monsters tonight, though, only a bunch of kids laughing (and probably drinking) near a car on the other side of the lot. She gave a little shake of her head and continued on toward her motorcycle. Lost in thought, she didn't pay attention to the car doors slamming and the engine revving loudly. Before she could react, the car with the kids was squealing its tires and speeding across the asphalt directly toward her.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 8:47 am
"Look out!" The shout echoed through the lot, loud enough to cut through even the noise of the car, and Prudence felt something solid and large slam into her. It gave, however, and did not feel like angry-cold metal but there was no time to process exactly what was happening before she felt herself embraced, twisted, and brought to the ground. She did not hit it, though. Not directly, anyway. Something that grunted as the impact came and she found herself horizontal. Whatever had broken her fall soon began cursing under his breath and she noticed that what surrounded her was arms and there were metal things pressing into her back and gravel rubbed into one palm and... "What the hell was that? Idiot kids! Watch where you're going! Dammit. Ow. Ow, that hurt. What the hell, I can't, argh."
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:12 am
The last things Prudence remembered before the world stopped spinning was the sound of an engine revving and the glare of headlights in the darkness and a shouted warning. After that it was a slow-motion confusion of arms and metal and a solid thud as she was knocked out of the way and to the ground by... someone? A person? Who somehow broke her fall. As the car sped away and she laid there atop her savior recovering from the tackle, she saw scruffy blond hair and wide shocked golden eyes in a face that seemed really familiar but she couldn't quite place. Her hand hurt from impacting the pavement, but otherwise she was okay. Alive. She could have been killed… "Thank you," she managed to get out. "I don't-- I can't imagine-- You saved my life." She looked at her rescuer in bewilderment. Why was he so familiar? Even his voice was familiar as he swore a blue streak at the kids in the car. Somehow though she just couldn't place him, and it was starting to bother her. Pru moved to push herself up, but the strange man's arms were still around her. "I think I'm okay, just a little stunned. Are you okay? Thank you again so much...." The one question she didn't ask, just yet, was who are you?
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 8:04 pm
The blond man beneath her paused in his cursing to blink up at her owlishly. Slowly, he drew a breath and then, with an easy (and more than slightly worrying) display of strength, he sat up and took her with him until she found herself still cradled in his arms but now firmly sitting on his lap. He frowned. Then he grinned suddenly and it was like sunshine. "Oh, I'm just peachy," he answered with the sort of cheer that belied the sailor-level swearing he had just been airing. "How about you?" His hand brushed over her forehead before dropping to cup her chin and lift her face so the parking lot light hit her square in the eyes. "Did you bang your head? Can you move everything okay?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:57 am
Prudence blinked under the brightness of the light in her eyes. She was not used to strange men so casually manhandling her, but under the circumstances she wasn't going to complain too much. She did squirm a little bit, however. It was then that she noticed the outfit he was wearing -- not normal street wear by any stretch of the imagination. Was he on his way to some costume party? It wasn't every day that a strange man in what looked like Roman gear rescued you from being hit by a car, after all. ...Or was he a knight, like that pretty Hvergelmir was? Stranger things were possible in this town. "I'm totally fine," she said as he examined her. "Maybe a little shaken up, but I'm okay otherwise." Looking into the strange man's golden eyes, she once more pondered where she had seen him before. She was sure she had. "Thank you again for saving me… um… what was your name again?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 7:24 pm
"Saguenay." As soon as the strange word tripped off his lips so easily and blithely, he paused and blinked again. "What the..? No, never mind, that's not it. Geez. I'm talking like I don't know my own name. Nick. I'm Nick. Maybe I hit my head. Do my pupils look enlarged to you or anything?" He released her chin but immediately brought his face closer to hers and tilted so she could better inspect his eyes in the light. They glowed golden, flecked with deeper amber and alive with only life and laughter - not a bit of concussion seemed to be lurking in their depths.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 12:21 pm
Nick? This wasn't Nick. Nick was the guy Prudence was just inside the range with, the detective who knew more about guns than she ever would. No, this guy was someone else. It was weird that he seemed to know her, though, and he did seem very familiar. She just couldn't wrap her mind around who he was and how he knew her. Maybe she'd been shaken up more than she thought by almost getting run over and the physical impact of her rescuer… Saguenay. But who was this Saguenay guy? She felt pretty sure he was a knight, like Hvergelmir. And probably related to Mars somehow, by the symbols all over his strange outfit. Only… he didn't seem to know who or what he was. Curious. "Your pupils look fine," she finally said after dutifully examining his eyes. "I think you're okay. And I'm feeling okay too, so I should probably get going." Bracing her hand on his shoulder, she struggled to get to her feet from her awkward position in Saguenay's lap. "Thank you again for saving my life."
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:26 pm
"Oh, hey, you're welcome." His grin grew impossibly wider, white and shining in the dim light and so charming that it might have been illegal. Then, watching her struggle, he quickly set his hands at her hips to make her pause. "Hold on there. Let me help again," he chuckled. With almost worrying ease then, he shifted his hold on her and bounced her up to her feet. Once she was safely steady, Saguenay scrambled to his own feet. He stretched, grimaced a bit, and then glanced back to the ground where they had landed. A long-stemmed clay pipe lay miraculously unbroken. "This must have been what was poking me! Stupid thing. I wonder where it came from?" Even as he continued talking, though, he had bent to retrieve it and, the moment his fingers closed on its smooth surface, he fell quiet. "... Huh."
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 1:39 pm
Prudence allowed herself to be manhandled again, this time with a small squeak as Saguenay effortlessly lifted her onto her feet. She wobbled a little, but he held on until she was stable and standing on her own. How had he done that? Must be a knight thing, she decided, convinced now more than ever that he was in fact a knight. She would have to tell him about Hvergelmir -- maybe she would be able to give him some guidance.
Before she could mention the other knight to him, Saguenay had bent over to pick up a strange object. She cautiously approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning in so she could see better. It looked like a pipe of some kind. He paused, still bent over it, fingers wrapped around the stem. Strange.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:00 pm
"Huh?" He looked up from he pipe in his hand but his attention seemed off-balance and his smile only the automatic charm that seemed to come naturally to him. Then he shook his head, held up the pipe, and chuckled. "Maybe I hit my head, after all," he suggested. "I dunno. I feel okay, though. I would ask if this was yours, Pru, but I know it's mine. It has to be. Damned if I know what it does but that sounds about right with this whole thing." With an absent and unnerving ease, he twirled the pipe between his fingers. His grin had renewed itself with more brilliance and he seemed at ease again suddenly. "So are you going to be okay to drive home or do you need a ride?"
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