Don't Cross the Archer

[Ruth Mason]

Thunk! It was a satisfying sound. Especially since the arrow went right in the middle. Ruth smirked. her practice was paying off. Obviously.  She pulled out another. Nocked the arrow and aimed down the shaft. There was something about the motion of pulling the bow back. Something about the control she liked. The ease. The strain. She breathed in. Held it. Then let go. Thunk! Another perfect shot. Almost right on top of the other one. The smile grew to a grin.

It was a shame they didn't let her practice closer to the school. At least she'd thought initially. She'd gotten used to the quiet. The way she could do what she wanted. No disturbances. No interference. She was completely alone with her thoughts, bow, and target. All which she owned herself. The school didn't have any. She had to buy the target. It was her family's brand. The irony wasn't lost to her. Yet it was good quality. It withstood a lot more damage than she expected. Although the middle was getting worn. Evident by the multiple arrows protruding from it. She was out, so she went to retrieve them. She could go a few more rounds. How long had she been out here? Ruth honestly didn't know. Or care.

[Blair Da Costa]

Blair didn't consider herself as an outdoorsy type, which, she supposed was ironic, given that she now lived in Greece. Staying indoors with this kind of heat was normally a pain in the ass. She'd spent most of the day studying and finally, the heat had gotten to her. She couldn't be bothered to wait for the air condition to cool down her room and had rather opted for finding somewhere the shades would offer the solitude her skin now craved.

She found herself walking further and further away from the school and only stopped once she heard the sound of something gliding quickly through the air and then hitting something further away. She stopped then, her brown eyes scanning the area and finally, landing upon a girl - likely a fellow student, given the circumstances.

"How you can do that in this heat is beyond me," she said, loudly enough for Blair to announce her presence.

[Ruth Mason]

There was a voice. Ruth turned her head. A girl. Easily could be labeled pretty. Her age? Seemed like it. Ruth watched her. She still retrieved her arrows. But she was intrigued. Why was the girl out here? It wasn't that close to the school. She marveled at how Ruth could stand the heat. She shrugged. "Thin layers and shorts." She responded. Heat didn't typically bother her. She'd worn much more when she actually hunted. This was just practice.

She pulled out the last arrow. Returned to her spot. Yet she halted. The extra presence made her curious. "So why are you out here?" The question asked, Ruth started again. The methodical process. Nock. Pull back. Aim. Thunk! Dead center again. She was getting better. Ruth smirked. She couldn't help but be pleased. But she didn't forget. "Trying to find some good shade?" It was a good reason. Ruth chose the spot to avoid the sun. Hide from the glare. It could hurt her shot.

[Blair Da Costa]

When the girl finally turned, Blair offered her something of a smile. A small one, naturally, but a smile nonetheless. "Of course," she replied simply, though shorts and a t-shirt generally didn't make the heat any less unbearable. Blair supposed she'd ought to be used to it by now, being from Italy and all. But ah well.

Blair's brown eyes followed the arrow to its target. Then she spoke. "Something like that," she replied as she looked over at the girl. "Couldn't be bothered to turn the aircondition on and wait for it to cool down my room." She offered the other brunette a simple shrug, as if sayin 'what can you do'.

[Ruth Mason]

She smiled. Ruth returned it. Only somewhat. She was polite, but not overly friendly. She replied. Of course. Yet it didn't sound too convinced. There was something in her voice. Something Ruth caught. Doubt? Who knew. Ruth didn't care too much. She nocked another arrow. Thunk! Middle again.

She spoke. It was something like that. She couldn't be bothered to wait for her air conditioner. Ruth smirked. "Makes sense." It did. Ruth would've been outside even without her archery. It was nice out. Hot, but still beautiful. "I had to come out here because apparently they're afraid I might shoot someone." Another arrow. Thunk! Dead center once again. "I think someone just doesn't like me."

[Blair Da Costa]

Doubt was never something that colored the brunette's voice. She usually seemed to carry her voice with a certain confidence as if she knew every piece of the puzzle. Now, she didn't regard the other girl to be of any kind of political interest. This was nothing more than a friendly chat between two students.

Blair chuckled softly, a smile reaching her deep brown eyes. This time she didn't follow the arrow. Instead, she watched the girl curiously. "Well, at least you're important enough to have someone dislike you. No great women or men have ever gone through life being liked by all." In a way, Blair supposed it gave you power, having someone care enough to dislike you. It gave you an in and an up.

[Ruth Mason]

She chuckled. Even smiled. Ruth was curious. She could feel eyes on her this time. Not the arrow. The girl was observing. Searching. For what? Ruth didn't know. Did she want to find out? She wasn't truly sure at this point. But she spoke. Ruth had to be important if somewhere cared enough to dislike her. No great man or woman was liked by all.

Ruth glanced at her. Was that a compliment? If so, it was an odd one. And an odd statement. It gave her a sort of power. One she didn't know what to do with. Yet she wasn't unnerved by it. Merely curious. Intrigued. Like she was of her. The girl still sitting. Ruth didn't even know her name. Yet she already had a read on her character. The air about her. The way she spoke. Acted. There was something. "I take it you've got people who don't like you too?"