At The Range |
Summary: | Kitty happens upon Kai at the small arms range where the CAG offers her a bit of advice on her shooting technique, the pair eventually joined by the TACCO. |
Date: | PHD 129 (8-25-2009) |
Related Logs: | None |
Players: |
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It's a lazy afternoon at the ship's firing range. MOUT's just let out for a handful of sweaty, rifle toting marines, and the private in charge of collecting spent rubber rounds is just finishing signing off on the quantity in his bucket. In the third booth down, a dark-haired officer is working on his target practice, standard-issue pistol clasped in both hands while he sights downrange. He's wearing the snazzy orange goggles and bulky ear protection that are required in here, of course.
Katherine doesn't often find herself here but has let her skills with the pistol grow woefully unpracticed, necessitating a round or two to be shot at one of the targets. The appropriate gun is held in hand, it currently unloaded, as well as ear- and eye-protection, the JiG more than willing to comply with the regs. "Okay," she grunts to herself, falling into the habit of talking to herself while taking up space in the boot to Kai's left, "…let' see if we remember how to do this, Kitty." The protective gear is donned and then she starts loading ammo into the clip (assuming it is clip loaded), the self-directed conversation silenced as she focuses on what she's doing.
Kai's already plugged his own target with more than a few bullet holes. He must have been at this for some time. Three shots are squeezed off as the jig steps into the booth alongside his; the first two shred the paper between his target's eyes. The last one pings off the glass enclosure at the back, probably a misfire. Just to be sure, he safeties his weapon and sets it down on the table to take a look. A brief glance spots Kitty getting geared up nearby, though he doesn't interrupt her.
It doesn't take Kitty long at all before she is set, the knowledge of what she's supposed to do coming back to her readily despite the fact that this is the first time she has shot anything in months. Kai is noticed and she nods a hello but, like him, she keeps the greeting silent as not to be a hindrance, the bobbing of her head perhaps going unnoticed if he has already looked away. Her feet are now held at shoulders' width apart and the safety thumbed off although she waits for a moment before sending a round towards the target which it hits but only marginally as it clips the left edge of it; definitely -not- a killing shot.
Despite this being a duty setting, it might be a little awkward to salute with a live firearm in hand. The Captain seems unbothered, either way. He watches the young woman for a few moments, then her target, then drops his gaze to the task of dismantling his gun. The slide and firing pin are detached, followed by the chamber itself. He peers inside, then digs a rag out of his pocket and starts cleaning it diligently.
Kitty finishes shooting, the clip emptied in a rather short amount of time; not aiming for accuracy at the moment, she is trying to familiarize herself with the feel of the weapon first and then will work on the other aspects next. Safety thumbed back on, she makes sure a round hasn't stayed in the chamber before taking the clip out, that quickly reloaded. "Having a problem with your weapon, sir?" The tone of the question is merely conversational, nothing about it mocking, the ECO simply wishing to chat while between rounds of shooting.
"Yep," the CAG answers curtly, voice low while he finishes pulling the rag through the chamber, setting it aside, and slotting everything back into place again. A man of few words, it would seem. Rather than load in a new clip, he holsters the weapon and catches up the rag on his way around to Kitty's booth. "Your shoulders are too high," he explains, nodding toward her target to indicate what he means.
A noticeable tilt of her head has Kitty look like a curious animal when she hears Kai's advice, that something she takes a second to process before she nods. "I think that's been a problem of mine for a long time although no one ever bothered to bring it up until now. Thank you for mentioning that, sir." With the Captain in such close approximation to her Kitty refrains from shooting again, the weapon left to sit where it is, unloaded. "Is there anything you might be able to suggest trying so I can fix that, sir?"
Kai hesitates a moment, then steps in behind the ECO and places both hands on her shoulders. "Here." He attempts to ease them down a little, though he's not the gentlest of sorts. One palm travels along her arm to the elbow, and straightens it slightly before moving to her wrist. "Keep this solid. When you want to aim, target with your shoulders, not your wrists." His voice husky, and touched with an accent distinctive to Sagittaron's southern continent; it makes his words sound coarse and almost abrasive.
There is a sight exhale of air when Kai physically shows her what to do, the sharp expel of air borne from the surprise that brings into being. It takes her a little but she eventually regains her composure as she attempts to dedicate that to muscle memory along with mental, wanting to make it become instinctive eventually. "I see what you're saying now." Pursing her lips, she imagines sending a round downrange only to hit the target square on, that making her grin broadly. Once that is done she steps forward and begins to reload the gun, blushing as she does. "Shall we see if I got the hang of it, sir?"
Kai removes his hand and takes a step back, in order to give her room to take her shot. "The trick's to keep your sight steady without tensing up. And remember to breathe." His lips twitch a little when she grins, but don't quite form a smile. "Go ahead. I'll watch." He leans a shoulder against the dividing wall between her booth and his, eyes shifting from the target, back to Kitty again.
Kitty tries to do what Kai suggested, her arms kept relaxed while her shoulders are held at a lower level than before. Three shots are taken and this time there's noticeable improvement, each one hitting a bit closer to the middle of the target than her last try. "You're right. That does help." It is going to take a lot more time spent here to get to where Kitty will be able to feel more confident. "It'll be a while before I'd be any good against a Cylon but at least I might be able to hold my own against something a bit less…deadly."
"Like a sheet of paper?" the Captain suggests dryly, nodding toward her silhouetted target at the end of the booth. He looks a little amused, though it's difficult to tell with certainty. "Lieutenant Ajtai, right?" They haven't really had a face to face before. But then, Kai's busy more often than not.
"I was thinking wet toilet paper, actually, sir." When Kai asks her name she nods, Katherine pleasantly surprised. "Yes, sir. That'd be me." She pauses and then has to laugh. "To be honest I am surprise you would know that. I have been kind of keeping…" 'Aloof' is what she almost says but Kitty doesn't want to give the wrong impression, opting to just shrug instead.
"To be honest," Kai answers, tone wry, "I passed by you in the corridor the other day, and had to sort through the duty roster and cross-reference it with service jackets, to figure out who you were." He's still leaning against the dividing wall between Kitty's booth, and the one at the end that he was using a few minutes ago. His sidearm, a standard-issue picon fifty-seven, is holstered at the thigh of his blues uniform, arms folded across his midsection while he regards the ECO. "I've tried to catch up with everyone at least once, but a few slip through the cracks."
The hatch opens and subsequently closes, announcing the arrival of the tactical officer. The words exchanged between Kai and Kitty fall upon his ears, a slight quivering of the lips when Captain Marek went digging through the roster instead of just…you know, stopping to say hi. Praxis straightens his hair, the pilot wings on his uniform, and smooths out the wrinkles in his blues before proceeding further. "Greetings. Captain Marek. Lieutenant Ajtai." he mentions before moving to obtain his eyewear and hearing protection.
That surprises her and for a moment Kai gets stared at, Kitty awed over how he'd go through that kind of effort just to learn her name. "Not a lot to be found in my records, I have to confess. Been a fairly non-descript career so far." Having spent the majority of her time in service either training or on a research station, the ECO has yet to really earn anything such as awards or anything like that. Having her back turned mostly towards the entry hatch, Kitty has to turn when they are greeted, the sight of the TACCO making her relax some. "Hello, sir. How are you?"
Marek's a social failure. Of course his first thoughts didn't run to stopping in to say hi. As the TACCO steps through the hatch, he slants the man a brief glance, and a curt nod. "Evening, Lieutenant," is offered without so much as a hint of a smile. "I'm not sure the past few months would ever go down as non-descript, so I trust that's turned around for you," he mentions to Kitty blithely. The young woman's stare is met with a wink so brief, it might just have been a bit of dust in his eye.
"Very well, thank you. And yourself?" Having affixed the appropriate equipment, Praxis also retrieves a firearm, also a standard issue five seven. I guess that's why they call it standard issue. He locks and loads with some rubber bullets, slipping the clip into the handle and pulling back on the slide before heading towards the range. "It is a wonder how the destruction of all that we know and love suddenly makes our days that much more remarkable." he comments, pointing the sights down the range from his booth. "I believe Captain Marek had said it best when this situation has required and made all of us exceed the call of duty. Lieutenant, I am certain your visage will be known through the test of time here. Everyone's is, would you not say, sir?"
Kitty frowns, having misworded her thoughts. It's only the way Kai and Praxis reacts to her having said the wrong thing that keeps Kitty from blushing although she still mentally berates herself for being so clumsy. Thankfully Praxis has provides her a question to answer, that a distraction from her embarrassment, or at least it is one for as long as it takes her to speak. "I am doing well myself, sir. Thank you." A more casual posture is assumed, now, her body slouched a bit, trying to make it look like she's fine and calm instead of fighting the urge to flee. "I didn't mean to imply that, sirs. My time in Fleet has been anything but non-descript. It was a poor choice of wording on my part. I do apologize."
"Nothing to apologize for," the CAG offers mildly, and after checking his watch, finally pushes off his perch. To Praxis, he ventures, "For better or for worse. I do believe so, yes. Enjoy your evening, both of you. I'm afraid I've got a CAP to prepare for soon." He touches Kitty's shoulder lightly, then starts trudging away while tugging off his ear and eye protection.
"I second that," Praxis says about an apology, keeping from firing at the range to look over his shoulder and watch Kai leave. "Sir, Command has been rather quiet this past week or two. I don't know what they're cooking or why they're not feeding me any intelligence - but at any rate I hope to see you at the next operation planning phase. I've still got several more thoughts on Solon II -" He stops himself right there, he'll get the chance to convey his restless thoughts later. "Farewell, Captain." He then looks to the range and begins to fire at the target. For some strange reason, he exhibits skill in this particular action. "Katherine," Demitros begins, referring to her by first name. "I noticed the other time in the library you were reading a book on history, more specifically on Caprica. I didn't know you had an interest for such things."
"Take care, sir. Stay safe." Kai is watched, the Captain given a look of admiration and respect, that same look one Praxis is given as well. The TACCO is observed quietly, allowed to shoot without verbal hindrance from her, the conversation paused until he resumes it once again. "Ah. I didn't realize you had noticed," Kitty starts to say, "But I guess that one in your position is chosen for the ability to notice even the smallest of details." The gun she had been shooting is taken into hand but she doesn't move, most likely done for now. "I wouldn't say I have an interest, exactly so much as a diverse taste in reading material."
Kai pauses by the hatch, hand dropping to his sidearm to double-check the safety's off. He turns slightly when Praxis speaks, though not quite enough to face the man. "I don't have anything on my plate at the moment, aside from some training exercises for the wing that I've been mulling over, Lieutenant." He hesitates. "But we'll talk. Sure. I'll drop by CIC in the next day or so." When the tactical officer returns to his shooting, Marek takes the opportunity to duck out.
Praxis is about to reply to Kitty, but over the intercom it's broadcasted, "Lieutenant Praxis Demitros, report to CIC immediately. Pass the word, Demitros to CIC at once." A sigh runs through him as the conversation and the shooting is cut short, the TACCO scrambling to put his gear away. "Sorry Ajtai, we're going to have to resume this conversation another time." he murmurs. With that said, he's retreating out.
Kitty nods. "Yes, sir. I'll be around." Alone, now, she finds herself no longer wishing to be here so she turns her gear and weapon in and leaves herself, the aimless wandering beginning.