a near-miss

[wavesoakedlegs]

Who: Akechi Mitsuhide (wavesoakedlegs) and anyone.
Where: A temporary shooting range, set up in a clear spot on the island.
When: September 29th, late afternoon.
Style: Prose to begin, but I am happy to match anything else.
Status: Open!

~

Mitsuhide had not practised with a rifle for quite some time.

It had only occured to him a few days beforehand that he was neglecting his training in the weapon. No amount of skill would survive months and months without any kind of practise at all, and so, with the help of some locals, Mitsuhide had set up a temporary range. This was where he was currently sat, gun raised and gaze fixed on one of the targets.

Though originally trained in the use of tanegashima, Mitsuhide had now opted to use a slightly more modern flintlock rifle. There were much later, more developed rifle types available, but those were a little out of his comfort zone right now. Better to build up to such things, while practising enough to maintain his good aim.

Once, the Akechi gun-trained units had been somewhat famous. Most of those loyal, skilled men were now lost to the pages of history. Mitsuhide would always feel guilty about the lives that were lost fighting in his own name, but perhaps maintaining his own abilities with the gun would honour his army, in some manner.

Bang!

Even as he pulled the trigger, Mitsuhide knew he was going to miss. Allowing his thoughts to wander had cost him, and as he stood up, he sighed deeply. It was a near-miss, but did it really matter how close it had been? A miss was a miss, that was all there was to it.

"Blast," he muttured to himself. "A foolish error..."

A lot more practise was going to be necessary. For the moment, however, Mitsuhide sat down fully, put the rifle to one side and picked up a bottle of water he had brought with him. His gaze still wandered over the range as he drank, pondering on each of the shots he had made so far. There had been plenty of hits as well, but he was not satisfied with many of them either.

Comments

[warrior_king]

As soon as he heard from the locals of a new shooting range, Gorthan's interest was piqued. The Evronian species was so highly dependent on technology that knowing how to shoot an Evrongun was thought to be a knowledge attained immediately after metamorphosis into the adult stage. However - Gorthan thought as he regarded the sleek, white weapon in his hand - Gorthan knew that things were not that simple. To begin with, Evronians hadn't always relied on their guns. At the time of the great Zartas, for example, the technology enhancing emotional absorption was still experimental and similar to alchemy in nature...

... This and other thoughts occupied Gorthan's mind as his webbed feet took him to the island. And he was so immersed in his own meditations that noticing Mitsuhide actually took him a considerable while.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mitsuhide."

The gun was very evident in Gorthan's hand, and the space conqueror smirked a bit, vainly fancying himself a fearsome sight, the new king of Evron carrying the Empire's signature weapon.

[spiria]

[ She had actually opted to watch from a distance at first, since while she was certain Mitsuhide knew what he was doing, she wanted to make sure. As she watched him practice, though, she relaxed a little bit. When he took a break, Kohaku stepped out and made her way over toward him, plopping down beside him and leaning forward a little to get a better look at the target. ]

Wow, you're pretty good, Mitsuhide ...

[ pretty good, in comparison to her own nonexistent shooting abilities. her own brother was an archer; not quite the same thing, but the same concept at least. she'd never really picked up on it, but she did like watching it. ]

[malik_caesar]

[The sounds from the range had sparked a curiosity in Malik. The sound of gunfire was familiar to him, but this was not quite the same as what he was used to hearing.

I wonder who is firing off weapons?

He assumed it wasn't an altercation, but he decided to look into it just to be sure.

Following the sound was no easy feat, but it eventually led him to the man and the range.]

Hello!

[Malik's voice was strong and friendly as he shouted and waved his hand in the air once while he was still forty meters away. He continued walking closer with a careful eye. Approaching an unknown armed person always warranted some attention to detail.]

[bufudine]

[Serph often comes up to the island, mostly to hit the beach and go out into the water. He doesn't hear most of the shots while he's out at sea, but he certainly hears them when he's back on the shore. The murders and kidnappings have him on edge, so he stills and listens for the next shot, water dripping off him.

When he hears it, Serph silently heads in that direction. But when he sees the shooting range, most of Serph's unease dissipates. While he steps forward into view, he doesn't say anything to interrupt this stranger's practice, quietly watching. It's only when the stranger is done that Serph approaches, his own semi-automatic pistol holstered at his side.

He's not really big on greetings, so he holds out a hand, his gaze flicking to the rifle before going back to the stranger.]

May I?

[He wants to have a look at it; it's a gun, sure, but it looks... well. Something that's from before his time? However, the cloudy weather means that he's still dripping a little from his dip in the ocean.]

[champ_coordinator]

Wallace heard the gunshots and wondered who was firing a gun. Was that allowed in Vatheon? He walked closer towards the sound and spotted a man using what looked like a rifle range. Was he practicing shooting? Curious.

He wandered over carefully and approached the man. He noticed the man's last shot and his frustration of not hitting it. Wallace smiled softly.

"You are a good shot, sir. You nearly had that last target." He smiled.

[silvereclipse]

Guns. So uncivilized. Guns were very much a reality in Arcadia, up to and including rotary railguns mounted on ships and lasers fired the bow of a ship powered by moonstones. Ramirez didn't need guns; he barely even liked using the cannons of the Monoceros, which was why he almost never had his ship engage in ship-to-ship combat when he preferred boarding parties.

For someone who preferred swords to guns, and was able to dodge bullets effortlessly, it seemed like a waste of time. There were very few feelings as indulgent as a blade cutting flesh. You just didn't get that with a gun. And so, as he heard the gun firing and noticed someone hitting a target...

... well...

Have a Ramirez stalking from afar. Mostly out of curiosity; he hadn't seen that model of gun before. Oddly enough, despite the Valuan Armada having some very fancy ship-mounted weapons as well as full-sized tanks... their actual firearms weren't that fancy.

[sonlight]

[Chibi isn't usually one to romp about the island as of late- it brings back not so pleasant memories, not to mention the fact that it's been cloudy all week and he hates not being able to do anything about it. So he's not even sure why he's here, poking around the outskirts of this clearing, beyond the fact that the breeze up here feels a bit more rea--HOLY FISH PASTE THAT WAS LOUD

Our fearless sun god jumps about ten feet in the air at the bang (was it a bang? it sounded like bang, but he isn't exactly sure what things make bang sounds), whirling around as he tries to locate the source. It's... Mitsuhide? Holding some weirdo metal stick?

Hold on dude, while this curious pup comes over to inspect you and see what you're up to.]

[mothersunlight]

[Amaterasu had heard the loud bangs and blasts, and gravitated towards them. They reminded her of a friend once resident in Vatheon, Alucard, and it was curious.

She certainly did not expect to find Mitsuhide! She approaches, curiously, trotting right up to him in his moment of rest.]