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.

[so_hawkward]

"Right, that's why he thanked me so much for getting you off of him," Clint said, rolling his eyes. "There's probably a dozen people in this town who know some other version of me, but you don't see me messing with them."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek inhaled a purely human scent. "Yeah. Funny that," he deadpanned.

[so_hawkward]

"Oh, what's so funny about it?" Clint asked.

[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."

[justlurkinghere]

"Stiles knows why I reacted like I did. Jackson--far as I can tell, kid was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

[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]

"So you're what--blaming him for getting in your way?" Clint asked. "What sense does that make?"

[so_hawkward]

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

[justlurkinghere]

"I have no clue what is wrong with that kid," Derek replied with a put upon sigh. "As long as neither of them come near me, I'm more than happy to pretend I never met them."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie allowed herself an eyeroll.

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

[so_hawkward]

"You make it sound like they're the ones scaring you," Clint said, firing off another, quicker shot. "They're just kids. If you can't get used to people knowing another version of you, you're not going to last here long. You learn to deal with it."