eyes on target // archery w/ mom, open

[blake k.]

She stood in the gym, dressed like she would when she went to train, whether it fighting, working out, or practicing her archery. But that had happened, she did what she could to train but for now, she decided to make herself useful before her stomach got huge and she'd prefer to sit on the couch. She wasn't really showing yet.

"Alright, anyone want to learn how to shoot an arrow? Or perfect whatever technique you think you have?" She spoke up, glancing around to anyone that was in the gym. She made a similar speech upstairs. "Change and meet me outside. I'm only an available teacher for a few months." She joked before vanishing upstairs.

Later on, Blake would stand outside with what bows and arrows she could find for people to use, she also went through the trouble to set up some type of targets that could be used. She stood with her hands in her pockets. To most, she seemed normal, fine, but Blake's body language told another story. Blake looked to those that showed up and smirked "Those that have shot before, grab a bow and try it out. I'll stop by to help you out if I think you need it. Those that haven't, come on over to me, okay?" She raised an eyebrow before waving her hand in a dismissing motion, the signal to disperse and do what matched them according to what she said.



[spoiler=TAGS 3/8]
One taught me love — general
▪ Blake Kegan | Blake, Blakie | open to nicknames
▪ AFAB | Identifies as Genderfluid | she/they
▪ 20 | Born July 26th | ages real time
▪ combat | member of Flintlock Lodge

One taught me patience — physical
♦ Health: 100%
— They stand at 5'9" with semi-long wavy ginger hair. She has a rose tattoo and a few scars from past events. She's closer to an athletic build and is on the thinner side.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

And one taught me pain — important info
▪ Broad Australian accent
▪ She's either your mom, sister, or wife friend
▪ If you find a cat in the lodge it's probably somehow hers

Now, I'm so amazing — personality
— I like to think Blake is a good example of the whole "strong, independent woman" thing even if she doesn't identify as a woman. She has a short temper and what I gently put as homicidal tendencies. She will gladly fight someone, regardless if they're bigger than her or not. However, she's also rather maternal and is more likely to protect a child than anything. Her maternal side has massively shown itself since the twins were born, though that leaves her more violent side to be overlooked or forgotten.
— Maternal, "Strong Independent Woman", Protective
— Violent, Homicidal Tendencies, Short Tempered

I've loved and I've lost — relationships
▪ Ryan Kegan x Katherine Kegan
▪ Pansexual | Panromantic | Polyamorous
▪ Single | Crushing on no one | Maybe Crushing on no one
▪ Ex-wife of Edmund Moray
▪ Mother of Thomas Moray and Charlotte Moray

But that's not what I see — interaction
— Physically very hard | Mentally intermediate
— Uses combound bow and arrows
— Also skilled in hand to hand combat
— No killing and ask before major injuries or major interactions
— To attack, [member=9567]Noccy[/member] & attack in #B34600
[/spoiler]

[aspen]

[align=center][div style="width: 480px; text-align: justify; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8pt; color: #484848; word-spacing: 4px; line-height: 22px;"]
five-three, aspen was short enough that life was inconvenient at times, but tall enough that she couldn't quite get away with complaining about it. still, she was five-three in a family of men who towered over six feet, and even her ten year old brother stood taller than her. keeping up with them meant staying in good enough shape to withstand cutting down trees, carrying logs, and quite literally keeping up.

she'd been on the hip abductors when blake put out her call for... archery? she'd grown up in the woods, and as aesthetically pleasing as bows and arrows were, they hadn't ever been effective enough out there. you'd need too many arrows to protect yourself against the things that went bump in the months-long night, and she'd been raised with knives and axes, true to her father's career as a lumberjack. still, even if she wasn't sure she'd ever use it, learning a new skill couldn't hurt, right?

so she hurried to her room, pulling a sweater over the sports bra, and opted to head out in only it and the leggings. she figured freedom of motion might be important, and the insulated sweater was warm enough, if a bit baggy. she made her way out, eyeing up the scene with curious cognac eyes, listening carefully to blake. though she was tempted to play cocky and act like she knew what she was doing, one glance at the bows and arrows had her brows furrowed; how the fuck did you even hold it?

[color=#4a4e54]"zero experience," she relented as she approached the woman, shrugging awkwardly, [color=#4a4e54]"i grew up with axes, not these things."

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— bow and arrows weren’t his first choice of weapon, he had to admit that. it wasn’t because he didn’t know how to use one; rather, he found them more inconvenient than others. why put so much energy into drawing an arrow back, trying to focus on the target and then hoping the person would get hit by the arrow when it was so much easier to simply bury a bullet in their skull? fred liked to think guns were better for those quicker, heat-of-the-moment situations where every second mattered. but still, the idea of nailing someone with an arrow was pretty entertaining to the dirty blonde.

after changing into better clothes, he stepped outside just in time to hear blake’s rundown for the archery training. eyes wandered around those nearby, seeing who was experienced with shooting an arrow and who wasn’t. he didn’t wait for any other words of instruction from blake before going and grabbing a bow and a quiver, placing a few arrows inside.

he wandered absently to stand in front of a target, reaching back to grab an arrow and load it up. he didn’t think many knew about his weapon mastery - really, it seemed like most only knew that alfie had wiped the floor with him that one time - but maybe it was time some people did. drawing the arrow back, he bit briefly on his tongue as he lined up his shut. then, as he let out a deep, calm breath, he let go of the arrow. it just missed the bullseye.

he stretched his arms absently, looking around for that sweet validation he deserved. eyes landed on the person next to him, grinning innocently as he explained, “i’m a little rusty.” the little shit.

[blake k.]

She looked to Aspen when she approached her, explaining she grew up with axes and not bows and arrows. Blake smiled, she could understand that, she didn't really grow up with them either. "That's fine, I don't mind teaching" she assured the other woman "Go grab a bow and some arrows and find an empty space to practice, yeah? I'll be right over to teach you. It's really easy - I promise."

She figured this way Aspen wasn't completely bossed around, plus this way Blake wouldn't force her next to people who were really good if she didn't want to be. Though speaking of - she looked towards Freddie and rolled her eyes "If you can hit the target hit it, either way, check your ego, Freddie." she warned, arms crossed over her chest.

[spoiler=TAGS 3/8]
One taught me love — general
▪ Blake Kegan | Blake, Blakie | open to nicknames
▪ AFAB | Identifies as Genderfluid | she/they
▪ 20 | Born July 26th | ages real time
▪ combat | member of Flintlock Lodge

One taught me patience — physical
♦ Health: 100%
— They stand at 5'9" with semi-long wavy ginger hair. She has a rose tattoo and a few scars from past events. She's closer to an athletic build and is on the thinner side.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

And one taught me pain — important info
▪ Broad Australian accent
▪ She's either your mom, sister, or wife friend
▪ If you find a cat in the lodge it's probably somehow hers

Now, I'm so amazing — personality
— I like to think Blake is a good example of the whole "strong, independent woman" thing even if she doesn't identify as a woman. She has a short temper and what I gently put as homicidal tendencies. She will gladly fight someone, regardless if they're bigger than her or not. However, she's also rather maternal and is more likely to protect a child than anything. Her maternal side has massively shown itself since the twins were born, though that leaves her more violent side to be overlooked or forgotten.
— Maternal, "Strong Independent Woman", Protective
— Violent, Homicidal Tendencies, Short Tempered

I've loved and I've lost — relationships
▪ Ryan Kegan x Katherine Kegan
▪ Pansexual | Panromantic | Polyamorous
▪ Single | Crushing on no one | Maybe Crushing on no one
▪ Ex-wife of Edmund Moray
▪ Mother of Thomas Moray and Charlotte Moray

But that's not what I see — interaction
— Physically very hard | Mentally intermediate
— Uses combound bow and arrows
— Also skilled in hand to hand combat
— No killing and ask before major injuries or major interactions
— To attack, [member=9567]Noccy[/member] & attack in #B34600
[/spoiler]

[EDMUND.]

Despite all personal relations - or lack thereof, nowadays - Eddie still had a job to do, even if it involved interacting with his former wife. It had only been short of three weeks since they had ended their marriage; three weeks of Eddie inadvertently avoiding Blake in any way he could. But, they still had to continue on with their days eventually - they still lived under the same roof, after all. And, a key part of Eddie’s job was to monitor those in the lodge, including sessions such as this archery lesson.

And so, gloved hands in his pockets, Eddie strolled over to where he saw a couple of people practicing archery, Blake teaching a couple of them, and he chose to remain silent as he observed. He didn't have to involve himself. Only observe the efforts made by everyone at the session.

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 03/06]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ captain of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: n/a
⋟ mental health - 60% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ ex-husband to blake kegan // was caught cheating
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0pt; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify; width: 350px; text-transform: lowercase; letter-spacing: 1.5px; line-height: 120%; font-family: arial;"]joey's weapon experience stopped with knives, a small variation with dabbling with some throwing knives, but beyond that, the woman preferred hand-to-hand combat. however, since joining the lodge, joey became a forager and as far as her mind could fathom, knives were not the most effective, therefore, she's decided to take up archery, something that would help if she were in a sticky situation as well as with her job. because she wants to learn, she has been hanging out in the gym, waiting for any lessons to take place.

to use her time, joey works on her core and agility. a few reps ago, she had stripped off a layer, and then another. now, she's simply in her sports bra and leggings because of her sweating. her eyes are closed as she holds a plank on her forearms, taking slow and deep breaths, counting the seconds. just then, blake comes in and announces a lesson, making joey smirk and jump to her feet, retrieving her sweatshirt from the ground, holding it against her stomach, nodding along with the woman's instructions.

once in her bedroom, she gets a bit of a thicker sweatshirt and then putting on the jacket her brother, beau, had given to her when they had just gotten here; she really didn't intend on giving it back, even if she's swimming in it, she isn't consciously aware of it, but it was a security blanket type thing for her, even if she outwardly hated beau. as well, she pulls on another pair of leggings because she really struggles with the cold; she prefers extreme warmth to extreme cold.

while walking back to the gym, joey catches up to aspen on her way, as she does, she gives a little smile and wink before continuing on. even though she has no experience, joey grabs a bow and some arrows before walking up to blake, "never held a bow," joey mentions, adding "where should i start?" she points towards where aspen had gone, trying to see if that would be a good place and hoping to at least get a little guidance.

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— blake’s response had been underwhelming to say the least. not the kind of response that he had been looking for, that was for sure. the man was sure all he had been raised for was to be a fighting machine. mastery in all things combat was all he had to say for himself. raised on bullets, explosions, and gunfire, frederick was purely a man sculpted from war, for war. the dirty blonde pursed his lips, unimpressed with blake's snappy remark, before turning his gaze absently around the scene. and his eyes just happened to land on the man who wanted the least amount of attention. poor eddie just looked so comfortable where he stood. fred had to ruin it for him, didn’t he?

“eddie,” he called, pausing a moment before waving an arm. he grinned, so friendly it was hard to believe how much he hated the man’s guts. he beckoned for ed to come closer. “come here. bet i could beat you in a game, if you're up for it.” nothing like some innocent - "innocent" - competition to make things interesting. ed was just about the same level of kick-ass as him, if not more so -- but it was just like fred to bite off more than he could chew, wasn’t it? "we could put a wager on it too if you wanted to make things interesting."

[EDMUND.]

❝ Eddie, ❞ Oh, for fuck’s sake. Eddie wanted to roll his eyes to the back of his head, instead choosing against it as he turned his head to look over towards his cousin. A friendly grin and wave from Freddie met with Ed’s impassive features. Oh, no wonder people were so easily fooled by that falseness; he almost appeared to be genuine. Wordlessly, Eddie shoved his hands in his pockets as he strolled closer, not very threatened by whatever Freddie was scheming.

He bet that he could beat Eddie at a game of archery? Eddie’s eyes shifted from Freddie to the target before looking back at his cousin. ❝ A’right. Let’s put a wager on it. ❞ Ed was just too competitive to turn down the chance to beat Fred. He leaned down to scoop up a bow and quiver of arrows. ❝ What are you willing to lose, Freddie? ❞ Eddie chose to ask casually - Fred had pulled his tail so of course Eddie would bite.

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 03/06]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ captain of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: n/a
⋟ mental health - 60% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ ex-husband to blake kegan // was caught cheating
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— if there were ever two men that were opposites, it seemed like fred and eddie were quite the example. a friendly grin from fred was met with impassive, stoic features from his cousin. edmund really didn’t have a future career in acting; to see a single flicker of emotion from the man was nothing short of a miracle. still, the stoic man strolled closer nonetheless. if it were possible for fred to grin even more, he did. typical stirling. they could never turn down a challenge.

it was nice to know that eddie wasn’t a complete disappointment.

he agreed, decided to put a wager on it. “what are you willing to lose, freddie?” the words were asked so casually. fred couldn’t help but visibly pause for a moment before he grinned, chuckling under his breath. he punched ed’s shoulder, remarking lightheartedly, “competitive bastard. i love it.” and then he sobered, thinking about how he could make things interesting. he didn’t really have much interesting in this place to give to ed. if he needed to leave suddenly, it seemed like he could leave in minutes and it’d appear almost like he’d never been there in the first place. he liked it that way… though he knew something that ed had that must’ve held some sentimental value.

“if i win,” he started, and perhaps the grin growing on his features made it obvious just how shitty his deal would be, “then i get those rings blake gave back to you.” he turned to look at the target, shifting his weight onto one leg as he noted seemingly absently, “those are stirling heirlooms, yeah?” there wasn’t even a point in him having those rings; he’d never get married. however, the idea of knowing that he would have them while eddie didn’t… that was what made it worth it.

“if you win,” he contemplated it for a moment, though he knew his wager wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. “then i’ll leave you alone for a week. i won’t say anything that’ll shatter you and your fragile ego.” he held a hand out, grinning. “deal?”

[EDMUND.]

This could only go badly. Two Stirlings competing with one another, especially two Stirlings who could not stand one another. Eddie would do anything if it meant winning and he knew that Freddie was exactly the same. Freddie punched Ed’s shoulder, seemingly pleased that Eddie took him up on the bet. Oh, Fred certainly loved to ruffle people’s feathers, didn’t he?

And, the stakes were only raised massively when Freddie chose to put a wager on this competition as well. Ed’s features remained unmoving apart from the subtle flare of his nostrils and fire in his eyes. Did Freddie really just bet Eddie the Stirling heirloom? ❝ They were my mom’s. ❞ Eddie chose to point out matter-of-factly. Not that Freddie would care. Two rings that’d been given to Leonora by Alfred himself.

When did Freddie start collecting Alfred memorabilia?

What could Freddie even want with the heirlooms? He was pretty clear that he would forever remain unattached and so a proposal was most certainly out of the question for the man. So why would Freddie Stirling ever want an engagement and wedding ring? It was purely out of spite, was it not? Salt in the wound following the breakup in which Freddie was witness to Blake handing those rings back to Eddie.

That bastard.

Eddie worked his teeth, gaze flitting to Blake for a brief moment before twisting his head to look over at Fred pensively. Eddie wouldn’t lose, would he? He wanted to be confident in his own capabilities. Alfred taught him to be the sharpshooter he was today. He didn’t teach Freddie. He taught Ed. He had to be better at it than Freddie was, right? A part of him hesitated on the thought. Maybe he wasn’t. Maybe Freddie was every great quality of a Stirling thriving in this world of combat training. Maybe he was greater than Eddie could ever be.

The seed of doubt had been planted in his head, but he wouldn’t turn down the bet regardless. Fred knew just how headstrong Eddie was; Ed just played right into his hands. It wasn’t like Eddie would probably get married again, either. All he’d lose was the sentimental value of those rings, but the rings could never replace his mother’s presence so what was the point in pining for them if he were to lose them to Freddie?

He frowned slightly as he watched Fred closely. Leave Ed alone for a week? Seriously? Ed tried to look passed the biting comment which came after it - finding offence to the comment would only prove Fred’s point. ❝ Make it a month. ❞ He requested, hesitating before grabbing onto his cousin’s hand firmly to shake. He wished that he could break the bastard’s hand whilst he was at it.

❝ Deal. ❞ He mumbled impassively, a sullen gaze glaring across at Fred before he stepped away, nodding his head towards the archery target. ❝ Go on then- ❞ He ordered curtly, ❝ Try earn those rings if they mean so much to you. ❞

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 03/06]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ captain of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: n/a
⋟ mental health - 60% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ ex-husband to blake kegan // was caught cheating
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]