Private Guardian

[Aiden Porte]

Colette​

Aiden stayed close, watching Colette's careful demonstration with quiet approval. He rested one hand lightly on Lira's back, offering steady reassurance as she absorbed every word.

Lira nodded quickly, bouncing just a little on her heels. "Okay," she said sweetly, trying very hard to sound serious while her excitement peeked through. "The barrel always points away from people, and only at something if you are ready to shoot it. My finger stays off the trigger until I know exactly what I am aiming at. And the stock goes on my shoulder."

She looked up at Colette, eyes bright. "Did I get it right?"

Aiden smiled softly at her answer. "You did," he said warmly. "That was perfect."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I am proud of you. Let us keep that same focus when we take the next step."

 

[Colette]

Aiden Porte

"You did!" Colette smiled at Lira. Aiden took the reins, encouraged the kid to learn more and Colette nodded. "If you want to be even cooler, you remember it as the barrel pointing away from anything you don't want or need to hurt."

"Now,"

Colette proceeded to wrap her arms around Lira and help her stand up straight. She guided her arms into a similar stance to what she would have if she held the rifle in her own hand, which she did not. Colette was very strict when it came to her weapons.

"Keep your feet steady, arms in position — not too rigid. Too rigid and you might lock your arms and hurt yourself. But, if you're too soft, too loose, you'll lose all control. It's all in the balance, just like with a sword or the force itself."

Once the kid showed that she was ready, she'd unload the clip, ensure there was no bullet loaded into the rifle and put it in the child's hand.

"Remember that this is a tool. It can't hurt someone unless told to. That's why you keep your finger off the trigger." Colette gave the trigger a glance. No finger on the trigger, good girl. "The rifle does one thing, it shoots a bullet at a very high speed. Where the bullet flies and when is decided by you. Which means the trigger is your way of telling the rifle when to do what it does, okay?"

"Oh and, most of all, if you don't want to shoot, then you shouldn't." Colette was very serious with that one. "We'll only continue if you want to, Lira."

"Would you like me to continue?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

Colette​

Aiden stayed close as Colette adjusted Lira's stance, his presence quiet but steady at her side. He watched every movement with careful attention, ready to step in if needed, though his trust in Colette's instruction was clear.

Lira stood tall, doing her very best to follow along, her face scrunched in concentration. Then she looked up, eyes shining with nervous excitement.

"I think I can do it!" she said softly, then smiled wider. "I want to try. Let's keep going!"

Aiden couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She was a bright kid, and much stronger than she knew.

 

[Colette]

Aiden Porte

"Well alright then," Colette smiled and gently positioned the rifle in the child's hands. "This rifle isn't loaded, so right now it can't do anything to anyone."

The chamber opened to show both Lira and Aiden that much. She wasn't a complete fool. The small rifle weighed a bit heavier in the child's hands than it did in Colette's but that made sense.

"Now, lean your head and close your left eye." Gentle fingers positioned Lira's head so that her vision aligned somewhat with the crosshairs. "See that point at the very edge of the rifle? You want to hold the rifle so that it sits just between the two things that poke out here."

"This is how you aim the rifle, and it's very important, again, that you never ever point this at something you don't want to hurt, okay?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

Colette​

Aiden couldn't help but smile, he had never seen Lira so determined and focused on a task before. She was a young girl, a child who enjoyed flowers and running around the plains chasing whatever she could find. It was nice, and it was cute to see her dedicated to learning such a thing.

"Okay." Lira whisphered, almost if she spoke any louder it would disrupt the weapon that was in her hands, assisted by Colette.

She took a deep breath and she aligned the crosshairs as well as any child could.

"I think I got it."

 

[Colette]

Aiden Porte

Colette exhaled a slightly nervous breath when Lira said she was ready. The first shot a person took was always the most exciting one, she wanted the kid to get as good of a first impression as possible. Because love them or hate them, guns had stuck around for this long with good reason. Having a good relationship and control over them was a vital skill for any self-respecting protector of good and bad alike.

“Alright then,” She said and withdrew a cartridge from the box of plinking shots. “Just remember what I said,” Colette put the bullet in the chamber and stepped back. “Remain calm, look down the sights, and when you’re ready, press the button on the side by your thumb to let the rifle know you’re ready to go.”

The kid was clever, but Colette was cleverer. She had seen enough children wound their feet for their first shot that it was worth going over all of this one more time.

“Back straight, finger off the trigger. Remain calm, and gently squeeze the trigger when you feel like you’ve pointed the rifle on the spot where you want it to hit…”

It wasn’t a particularly power rifle, a small step above a little recreational pellet gun, but the kick was still there and the roar of gunpowder was still loud if you didn’t know what to expect.