The Preserve, Sunday Afternoon

[so_hawkward]

While the shooting range at Wellspring Arms was nice, being inside took away some of the elements Clint had to deal with on missions, so practicing outside was a necessity too. He'd found a quiet spot in the preserve where it was unlikely anyone would cross his path - or potentially get freaked out by the sight of him shooting - and was picking spots in the trees as targets. Getting his arrows back would be fun, but he'd deal with that when the time came.

[Expecting one, but open!]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

Yeah, nothing at all wrong about someone shooting arrows in the woods. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Unless, you know, you were a werewolf and used to only crazy hunters being the ones to use such archaic weapons still.

Derek had come investigating the hiss of the bowstring and the dull thuds of arrows connecting with poor, innocent trees. Once he'd caught sight of just who it was firing those arrows, he went still and silent. And mostly frowny.

[so_hawkward]

Clint slowly became aware that he wasn't alone, but he finished firing the shot he'd been preparing before giving any sign of that. "Usually when people watch me, they at least say hello first."

[justlurkinghere]

"Do they?" Derek asked, sticking close to a tree to take cover behind if need be. But his posture was perfectly erect and careful. He could always just happen to be a random guy who enjoyed archery and not someone who was planning to shoot Derek a lot.

And Derek might also give in and be Pinkie Pie's best friend 5ever.

[so_hawkward]

Clint's eyes narrowed a little as he caught sight of Derek. "Yeah, but I guess you can't be expected to understand the rules of human interaction, right?" he asked. "What are you doing out here?"

[justlurkinghere]

Oh, you, Clint.

"Going for a walk."

[so_hawkward]

"Right, of course you were," Clint said dryly. He pulled out another arrow, aiming for one of the smaller branches of the tree. "So, who's Jackson?"

[justlurkinghere]

Derek's eyes moved around, checking to make certain there weren't more people in the woods to cut off any retreat.

"Ask your friend Stiles."

[so_hawkward]

"He's not my friend. Unlike you, I don't hang around teenagers."

Well, except Alec. And Natalie. But they came to him first, so it was totally different.

"They said on the radio that you were messing with him too. Are you trying to freak people out?"

[justlurkinghere]

"I've never met him before that day," Derek replied, deliberately looking away as though this conversation was boring him. "Can't say I'm eager to keep up the relationship."

[so_hawkward]

"Does that mean you're going to leave him alone without someone asking nicely?" Clint took his shot at the branch, smiling as the arrow landed with a satisfying thwack, and turned back to Derek. "Or are you just going to find someone else to bully?"

[justlurkinghere]

Bully. Well, that's not a word he'd get from a hunter.

"I don't know what idea you have about me, but I can safely say it's wrong."

Kinda. In a way. A very particular way. If you squinted at it.

[so_hawkward]

"Really? Because my idea seems pretty clear," Clint said. "You showed up at the picnic and acted like a creeper, you wouldn't give me a straight answer about what you were doing there, and then you started threatening Stiles. Then, I hear you're freaking out some other student too. What am I supposed to think?"

[justlurkinghere]

"That they seem to know some other version of me." Who was... exactly the same as him. So. There's that. "And I don't think Stiles has enough sense to be threatened by anything."

Seriously, man.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie would have liked to point out that every spot on the island had a tendency to magically turn into one where it was likely to cross paths with other people as soon as it was in an open post.

But that was a little too meta for most people.

And anyway, she was just on a walk in the preserve, listening to some music and willing herself not to get a portal to Seattle. Coming across Clint, though, she plucked one of the earbuds out and said, "Well, now I feel like I should have worn bright orange or something."

[so_hawkward]

Clint turned a little at the sound of Natalie's voice, and laughed. "No, you're safe. If you were dressed like a tree, that'd be different," he said. "How's it going?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Not feeling the need to dress in a tree-like fashion," she quipped, in a rather deadpan fashion but still. "Taking a chance on a walk in the woods and hoping no one goes Extreme Makeover on my room while I'm away."

Again.

[so_hawkward]

"Is that usually a problem?" He was starting to learn never to assume people were just joking about things.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie allowed herself an eyeroll.

"My little brother rearranged my room," she explained. "Apparently it was depressing."

[so_hawkward]

"Okay, that's definitely annoying," Clint agreed. "I didn't know you had a brother. If you told me and I forgot, I apologize."

[whenshewasnice]

"School assigned," Natalie amended, because Clint wasn't Peter who apparently got special treatment when it came to this topic. "Not that you can always tell."

With their tawny eyes and unimpressed looks.

[so_hawkward]

"Ah. Well, as the older and more experienced sibling, you should make him change it all back under threat of... something. Maybe dying all his clothes black, if he thinks you're too depressing," Clint teased.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie snorted, quietly. "I'm not sure he'd mind that," she replied. "And sadly, his reorganization makes sense."

Seriously, once she'd figured out the logic in what was where, she'd had to admit that.

"And it was just the room that was depressing. At least that's about as much as he said to my face."

[so_hawkward]

"That's slightly less insulting, at least," Clint said, twirling his bow in his hands for a moment before smiling at Natalie. "Hey, since you're here, do you want to give this a shot? It's safe, the deer all kind of flounced off."

[whenshewasnice]

"Too little talk for them, probably." Ah, teal deer. You were so strange. Natalie shrugged a shoulder, taking the other earbud out now as well, and turning her iPod off so she could stuff it in her pocket. "Sure. As good a time as any."

[so_hawkward]

"Awesome." It was possible Clint was a little excited about this. "Have you ever done archery before?"