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[ It's his heart; of course he'd know, and that at least makes sense. Noire's dealt with enough curses to know the improbable can definitely happen. But the more she hears of this, the less she likes of it. If that had happened to her... losing her mother for a second time, a mother she'd vowed not to fail like the one now gone forever, had damaged her enough. And Morgan's love for his mother-- for Kite to take advantage of that, and then to say that, that he only had a day?

Something inside of her turns chilly, that ice spreading through her veins in a way her anger usually did. But this wasn't fiery.

And her eyes are dark when she straightens up with her bow-- and abruptly turns on her heel, looking for all the world like she's going to hunt down Kite and murder him.

She really wants to. ]

[ Wha... Her sudden standing and about face surprises him, though his reaction is subdued. He isn't sure what he expected her to do, but this is... a little puzzling. He follows after her slowly. ]

Noire? Where are you going?

I think I'd like to hurt somebody.

[ in a very soft voice, no less. ]

[ ... well, alright then. ]

You're scaring me a little... but I think I could go for some of that too. Just let me gather Sir Wallop up first...

[ Depression and rage are good and important, but you can't abandon a faithful friend...! ]

[ That much, at least, makes Noire pause. She's angry - she recognizes it, chilled as it is - but Morgan's the last person she wants to scare. So she takes a deep breath, letting some form of apology seep into her tone. ]

... Sorry. I didn't mean to-- it's just, you and your mother were both suffering all this time, and knowing him, he probably enjoyed every bit of it... I can't stand that.

[ He holds up a warding hand. ]

Don't apologize. I'm... certain you're right.

[ Kite leaning over Sonia, saying those horrible things... The amount of sadism in that man was repulsive. Will he have to see Kite again when (if) he gets his heart back...? ]

Actually, could I get a shot or two in before we go hurting anything? It's good for my focus.

[ And then he can murder all the better. ]

Ah-- sure! That's fine with me... we should get our practice in while we can.

[ and she shouldn't lose her temper like that, gosh-- ]

[ If the person she plans to murderate is either Kite or Masaomi, he won't complain too much about lost tempers. He nods and holds a hand hand out for her bow. ATTEMPT #2. ]

[ She can't murderate Masaomi, he kind of saved her life. But Kite is totally fair game.

But for now, she offers him the bow. ]

Just remember, it needs to be pulled back by your cheek.

Got it.

[ The response comes seriously, because if there's one thing he can calm down and concentrate on, it's learning. He takes the bow and nocks an arrow to the string. Then he inhales and lifts, drawing the arrow back to his cheek as directed, and takes aim at the dummy. He holds there for a moment so that Noire can correct his form if need be, arms shaking badly from both the tension and the fact that he hasn't eaten much in far too long. ]

[ It's something Noire can hardly miss, but even as she frowns, concern evident in her eyes, she takes archery and teaching Morgan how to do it very seriously. So she nudges his back foot to get him to slide it further back, checks to make sure the arrow is level, and rests her hands under his arms briefly, to help steady them. ]

Breathe out, slowly. If you're too tense and your breathing is too shallow, you'll lose your focus on your target.

[ He fixes his back foot and tries to relax a little, feeling how unsteady his arms are on top of Noire's hands. Then he exhales slowly... and releases.

The arrow misses Wallop's head by a good foot. Not good... even for a second-rate archer. Morgan frowns and reaches for another arrow, disappointed but determined to do better. ]

[ That dummy must be breathing a sigh of relief right about now. Noire won't offer advice, simply watching his stance, and correcting where she sees a need for improvement. But-- ]

Did I ever tell you that when I first started out, my aim was completely off, I couldn't hold the bow right, and I shot an arrow into a river, instead of the target? I was so worried about losing it that I tried going in there to find it, and I wound up with a cold for a week.

[ He fires a little more smoothly with each arrow, though his aim still isn't up to par with his usual ability. But he does smile at Noire's story, a bit of the stiffness leaving his shoulders. ]

That does sound like you. Always putting everything else ahead of you.

[ She smiles then, shaking her head. There; he's looking a little more relaxed now. That ought to help. ]

In the end, I was more of an inconvenience than anything. But it really taught me to treasure my weapon more-- and to do that, I had to make myself stronger.

[ Finally, an arrow thunks into one of the dummy's eyes. He fires another arrow smoothly to pierce the other eye (imperfectly, but good enough for today), then aims next for the dummy's heart. ]

And look at how far you've come, huh? Now you've got a pupil of your own.

I'm really honored! [ And she means it. He's definitely improving. ] You're the first I've ever taught before.

[ His exp climbs steadily higher...! ]

The honor is all mine! You're a natural teacher. You make everything so clear and simple, you know?

Well, there's not really any difficult techniques behind it... and you're a very fast learner.

[ guys stop praising each other already. ]

[ it's better than moping, at least?? After he lets fly the last arrow, he taps his head. ]

I guess there's so much empty space up here that there's always room for more. And it's all about the technique! That's the difference between your ability and mine, right?

There's that, yes... I'm just lucky archery doesn't have as many styles as sword users have to deal with.

[ He walks on over to the target board and starts tugging arrows out. ]

But then you have to worry about the wind, ammunition, leading your target... getting whapped in the face by the bowstring. [ yeah ow. ] When it comes to swordplay, all you have to do is be better than the person you're fighting. But when it comes to archery, you have to be perfect every time. And that's pretty impressive!

[ Here, she'll help. Poor Sir ~~Wallop~~ Wallace, he really did a number on you. ]

It's more of a relief when you can put some distance in between you and the enemy... but I'm also impressed by the way all of you can engage them so fearlessly. [ Without resorting to BLOOD AND THUNDER, anyway. ]

Still, it's good to have some experience in several types of fighting, so I'm glad I can help this much. Even if we really need to get you a bow of your own.

That would help. But then I wouldn't have as much excuse to bug you for practice! Ha ha.

[ Dropping a handful of arrows into her quiver... ]

[ She'll look them over later, make sure she doesn't need to sharpen the tips. They can get a bit blunt, with enough practice. For now, she merely blinks at him. ]

I could still... um, offer advice? I don't consider it being bugged at all.

[ Noire, don't take him seriously. ]

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