agogelogs | a brimming glass of spiders

There is something of a chill in the man's words that sets her on edge. She considers and remembers their exact circumstances: it's all part of the competition, isn't it? While she's trained rigorously these last few weeks, Dolores sees no harm in more time learning. There's a vague proverb on the edge of her mind-- learning is never finished... something. It's all so far away now.

"I want to learn about the weapons," she replies quietly, almost surprised with herself. Is it a lie? She isn't sure.

"You'd be a great help."

"You don't know that. Don't false flatter." Hux gave her a sharp look--he is not one to give in to false flattery; flattery he believes, yes. But he has never met this woman before, and he doubts she knows about his ability with weapons. "I could be terrible weapons, and if that is the case, I would be a horrible help, at best."

Still, Hux picks up one of the strange futuristic crossbows; it reminds him of one of the the items some of his troopers could specialize in, but not something he prefers. Still, he trusts he could handle it.

"Luckily, I can help you learn. Pick up one of these." A beat, then, "My name is Hux."

Her stare lingers, wide-eyed like an animal facing down something larger and outside of its understanding. Several seconds pass before she replies in turn.

"Dolores."

He hands flex uneasily at her side. Perhaps it's the idea of him holding the crossbow or just how heavy the conversation seems to sit with her.

"...I'm sorry. If you are terrible with weapons, perhaps you should be in the banquet hall."

Forgive him, Dolores; Hux has never been good at light conversation--most things he does are heavy, even when he is attempting to be something less.

Still, he smirks, and seems to relax slightly, tilting his head to the side. If she just made a joke, he liked it--if it wasn't one, he'll take it as one, instead. "I have already been there, and done well enough. But I'm not terrible with weapons; I'm more than competent. Though questioning skills is always good."

He offers the crossbow to her. "Come, show me how you think to hold it."

This isn't a weapon that she's familiar with. It's far from crude, instead almost elegant and sleek beyond comprehension. Her eyes watch Hux tentatively, half expecting a trick to come into fruition. Perhaps it's an unfair assumption to make so early. He is smiling after all.

Reaching out, she takes the weapon around the foregrip with both hands. A trigger makes it obvious to her which end is which, but the rest of the weapon is a bit of a mess. While the front seems lighter than she would expect, it doesn't seem to have the balance it should. Steading one hand towards the barrel, she struggles to widen her grip and balance the weapon while pointing it at the floor.

"It's very awkward."

If she had mentioned she expected a trick, Hux would have told her that was a good thing--not that he was planning on tricking her, but trust was always a bad thing to have in strangers. Some might think he was wrong for thinking so, but it has always proven to be the case for him.

Watching attentively, Hux gives a slight nod. "It is; I'm not fond of this sort of weapon, in truth. We have ones similar in my world that are exceedingly powerful, but they are as awkward as this--but if mastered can be the edge over a common blaster," then realizing she would most likely not know the term, "gun."

"The ones I use don't have to be reloaded, but from what I can see, this should be a simple reloading process, once you've aimed."

Gesturing towards Dolores to lift the weapon, he steps behind her. "May I?" He touches her shoulder carefully; he isn't one to touch people without permission.

Her brows furrow as she listens to him speak. Her confidence isn't improving with this weapon in her hands. It's impractical and there's no affinity of it with this stranger either. She feels like a fool standing in this position.

As soon as the hand touches her shoulders, she swings around sharply, startled. The weapon bumps Hux with the full force of her hurriedness.

"I'm sorry!"

She's stammering, dropping the weapon not caring to see whether or not his feet are out of the way.

"You frightened me."

Hux flinches when the weapon hits him, and he takes a full step back, biting his lip in a frown to keep himself from telling her off as he would one of his troopers. She was not under his command, and she was just a young woman trying to find her way in this world. Her reaction was natural, as was his--but to yell at her would do neither of them any good.

Taking a deep breath, Hux squared his shoulders and let a breath out through his nose, finding his center, giving a nod of his head. "It's fine, it's fine."

Bending down, Hux picked up the weapon, trying to keep his cool, despite his desire to just leave. "I didn't mean to, I only desired to help. Perhaps if I fired the weapon myself, and you watched, it might help?" Back at task. It would be best. Feelings were a bad subject.

While she's surprised that he's not upset, his feelings don't seem to clear from his eyes. Her first instinct is to take a step back to put some distance between herself and the man should any sudden turn be taken. She can't fault him for any irritation, but it's still too early to tell his exact disposition.

"Yes. I'd certainly appreciate that."

"Of course." Hux seemed to smooth out a bit as Dolores asked him to perform, as if focusing on the task, or at least being able to turn his attention from her, eased out the rest of his irritation.

Checking that the crossbow wasn't hurt in the drop, or that the arrow was dislodged, Hux brought the weapon up to his shoulder, getting it settled securely against the meat of his left shoulder and chest.

His left hand rested towards the front of the gun, balancing, as his right went to the trigger. Letting out a slow breath, Hux focused on the target in front of him and pulled the trigger.

Not prepared for the kick a non-blaster based weapon like this (even more than the sniper rifle he used during the last mission), Hux was set off balance by the recoil for a moment, stumbling back a few feet. While he hadn't hit a bullseye--it hit the target, which was a good start.

Lowering the weapon, he looked over at Dolores. "See? Easier than it looks."

Her eyes widen at the force of the weapon. It's enough to force a grown man from his feet, but the spiders are much larger than most humans. She should have expected such.

There's a bit of guilt in her recognizing her own sense of relief that it wasn't her to have fired the weapon. Dolores doesn't even bother to regard the target nor the accuracy. Instead she focuses on her fellow recruit.

"I don't think that weapon will do either of us any good. It's much too forceful."

"...I don't disagree." Hux wasn't going to make someone use a weapon they didn't feel comfortable with. After all, this wasn't his Command, and Delores wasn't built like Phasma.

"I have a weapon you would be much more comfortable with...but it wouldn't be acceptable here." Hux pursed his lips, glancing over. "Once we are back on the ship, find me, and I'll show you something I think will be much more fitting." A blaster would fit her much better.

Still, the needed to find something. Hux picked up an old musket-style pistol, shaking his head. "All of this is primitive. For all their innovations, I would have thought they would have been farther in this."

a brimming glass of spiders

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i'm so sorry.

never be sorry <3

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