Sleeping Arrangements

[Zana]

35th Ymiden, 717

"Man, your women are home" Zana said in a mock gruff tone, sitting down next to him with a grin. She and Billie had been out to pick up a few things, groceries and so on. Whilst the sound of Billie singing woefully off key as she packed things away showed that the red haired member of the trio was content, Zana was unnerved. She was going back to work tomorrow and, whilst she wouldn't have any clients, it was still a big step. So, she sat next to him on the couch and kissed him, her hands moving up his chest to bury themselves in his hair.

She wanted to ask him to make sure that she was close to him for the whole shift tomorrow, to guarantee that Peter wouldn't explain how they were short staffed so would she just... Zana knew Peter's way of doing things, and she believed he would be watching to make sure that she was getting better, hence why she and Theo needed to make it look like they were sleeping together again, although they weren’t yet. She wanted to ask him to make sure of those things, but Zana didn't. Because somewhere along the line she had come to realise that she already knew he would. What he needed to do to protect her, he would. Along the strange and painful path to getting here, she had started to trust him.

It wasn't just that, though. Leaning her forehead against his, Zana whispered, her voice teasing and serious all at once "We don't have to be pretending tomorrow, you know." Her hands on him were more urgent, more demanding than they had been since before the attack. Now that they were somewhere safe, both her and Billie, she was more relaxed and was, genuinely, recovering quickly. With a wince at a particularly awful off-key moment from Billie, Zana shook her head and tried to tune out the noise. As much as it was good that Billie was singing, her singing was bad.

"We need to talk about sleeping arrangements." Zana looked at him seriously, her hands trailing down his arms till she intertwined their fingers together. "I'd like to propose a rotation of who sleeps on the couch. One in here and two in the bedroom. Either in separate, individual beds, with the beds pushed together or squished up in one." Whatever happened, Zana had to get back to work, it was necessary for them and what they were planning. Besides, "anything else would make me sad." Her lower lip jutted in mock sadness at the very thought. By arranging the sleeping in that way, she explained more seriously, they would give Billie options, it would get her used to proximity if not contact. Contact would come in time, Zana was sure. "Besides," she shrugged slightly and gave an impish smile, "she and I will be pushing the beds together."

Looking down, though, she saw what he was, or had been, studying when she’d come in and interrupted him and she leaned forward to look at the plans laid out on the table. "Is this the information on the new house?" Zana wondered, intrigued. There were a lot of bits of paper, a lot of documents and lists of things. ”Unlucky accountant, poor Theo." It seemed a long time ago that she'd teased him about playing that particular game. "What are we looking at, cost wise?” Zana had an idea about how to make some money in order to help with that, but she said nothing for the moment, just waited to see what the numbers were and, of course, the most important. ”When will we be able to get there, do you think?”

Billie came in as Zana asked that and put down mugs of tea for the three of them. "What will I do there?" Billie looked nervously between the two of them. The red head's bruises were almost entirely gone, but she still woke at night screaming and she was jumpy and nervous almost all the time.

"Paint frogs," Zana replied, deadpan as she got up off the couch to go and get her cup of tea, and Billie let out a squeal of laughter.

"That's just mean!" Billie turned to Theo and explained, "Zana and I did some artwork. Apparently, it's good therapy and helps you to relax. We painted portraits of Mister Tricks." The grin on Billie's face was genuine, "we weren't very good." That was something of an understatement. Still, Zana was convinced that it was all just a matter of time until she was a famous artist, so she'd signed and dated her painting. One trial, it would be worth a lot.

Billie's face showed her concern, though, "I want to contribute, I do. I just... " she sighed and gestured, knowing that they both knew what she meant. Zana kept quiet, figuring that Billie needed Theo's reassurance here, not hers.

I just want to be that someone you were looking for.
Your nameless fantasy who showed up at your door

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

It had been just a few trials and quickly, these two women with their mere presence had managed to turn his small, orderly and private world: the one he retreated to in the evenings when he wasn't working, the one he'd discovered he quite liked; upside down. It was no wonder that Theo would enjoy the small bungalow that he'd rented in the Glass Quarter, with all it's fine furnishings. It was a world away, and not just by physical distance, from the grime and insect infested structure he'd been raised in. Not that Theo believed that even this was luxury. He knew what real luxury was, and he aspired to it.

It was a little more cramped than it had been with just him, rattling around alone in just three rooms. And there were signs of the fairer sex everywhere he turned. Just that morning after Zana and Billie had left for the market, he'd stepped out of the bath and found himself blindsided, tangled up in a pair of damp stockings that had been left to dry over the rail round the top. He was far from complaining though.

He wanted them here, and they needed to be here. Not just for their own sense of safety, but for his own peace of mind. All the better to make sure that Peter didn't put them in danger again, not the least if Theo wasn't there to make sure that he didn't. And while the temporary living arrangement was an adjustment, it was as his nearest neighbor had said when he'd spied the two women moving their things in. A lucky man. A very lucky one, that middle aged, balding fellow had said, before he'd gone on to complain about his wife having moved his mother in law in just a dozen trials before.

Billie's singing however was another thing to adjust to, or maybe it was better to develop a good case of selective hearing. He'd been going through his notes and plans that were kept in a small notebook when Zana sat down beside him on the couch. Theo abandoned his work in favor of an embrace and kiss that offered a world of promise all on its own. These past trials at least, if it was promise it had been one left unfulfilled. By his own choosing, and hers. Billie's too. He didn't want to pressure either of them. But Theo had to admit that their close proximity hadn't eased his sense that in one way at least he'd become wound as tight as a spring.

"Only when you're ready," he whispered back. But he couldn't pretend that he'd object if she decided she was. As for sleeping arrangements, Theo might have argued that when it came to actually sleeping, considering the environment he'd grown up in, he could sleep anywhere. It wasn't what Zana meant though, and he knew how much attachment, proximity and touch meant to her. It was critical for her in fact. When she mentioned that she and Billie would push the beds together regardless, and all that implied, all those trials of hard fought for control threatened to undo him at the very thought of it.

"I wouldn't object," he said dryly. No. He wouldn't object at all. But it was in fact, a book and loose paper filled with notes, ambitions and dreams reduced to lists of assets and expenditures, prospective debts and profits. "Done right?" Theo said when she asked how much it would cost. "A lot. Four, five thousand nel so far as I can tell." Things always seemed to cost more, he told her, once you actually wrote them down on paper. What it had shown him however was that by working and saving as he'd been doing before, it could be arcs before making any measurable progress. There was another way. A better one. And if nothing else good had come of what had happened, there was this at least.

"I'll be going to the bank to take out a loan to cover what I can't on my own," he told her, just as Billie walked into the room. "Soon then," he reassured Zana. Billie looked as vulnerable as ever, and worried too in a new way than he'd seen before. But Theo realized why and she didn't need to explain it to him. Before he could answer however, Zana chimed in. Painting? That's what they'd been doing when he'd knocked on Zana's door? He'd heard the giggling on the other side, had knocked and it had suddenly stopped. Could anyone blame him if his imagination had run wild? It had almost undone him.

"Painting," he said dryly, and with a frown. Billie needed something from him however and Theo turned to her with a serious expression. "Your place is as secure as Zana's. I know you're not ready. Until you are, if ever," he added in a way that made clear that that too was acceptable, "There are other, meaningful and important ways that you can contribute. I'll need your help. You can cook can't you?" he asked. He knew she could. She'd been keeping them well fed since they'd arrived. "I thought the house might serve, not meals exactly but other things. Until I can afford a larger staff, I'll need to do time behind the bar. You can assist me there so I can keep an eye elsewhere. You can help me with the books."

"I've got something for you too," he said and got up from the couch to grab a polished wooden box and a bundle off a nearby shelf. Zana would recognize what it was. He'd given her an identical one just a few trials ago. Handing the things to Billie he encouraged her to open them and look inside. He'd waited till now to give it to her, since she'd been so jumpy that...Well suffice to say he hadn't relished the idea of her misfiring in a panic, had he inadvertently walked in on her in the bath. "Zana has one just like it. And so do I. I want you to learn how to use it. I'll help you," he said, once Billie had opened up the box.

Then turning round, his mind circled back to his plans. "I've located a house just a short walk from here that I think might be just the right size. And the location is right. It's for sale. And I've been thinking of names. The Lady Libertine. What do you think?" he asked them both.

[Zana]

Theo was gracious and kind, genuinely concerned for the two of them and pleased that they were there. Zana did not doubt any of these things. But since they'd moved in, he also had an increasingly wild look just in the background of his expression. It was a major adjustment for him, she had no doubt. For her and Billie less so, they were used to sharing their space with others, with each other and with staff members from the Lap, too. Shared space was less of an issue for them and this was more cozy and intimate than either of them were used to. This morning, Zana had hung a pair of stockings on the rail over the bath to dry and had smiled delightedly when she did. There would be no way she could do that in the Lap, they'd be gone in a flash.

Their shared embrace and the feeling of his hands on her brought a very different, though equally delighted, smile to her face. As he whispered his response to her, Zana replied softly, her voice serious, yet teasing, "I'm ready, Theo. I feel ready." Taking his hands in hers, she placed them on her waist, looking at him as she did. "Do I feel ready to you?" Wickedly, she lowered her head to trail a series of small, gentle kisses down his neck to his chest. "I mean, I value your opinion. How do I feel, Theo?" There was no doubt in her mind, none at all.

When she spoke, though, about her and Billie pushing the beds together, Theo's face contorted, just a little and Zana chuckled and shook her head. "Then lets do that." Twisting around to face him, she explained the best way she could.

"Billie's afraid, and she's not ready to work, Theo. But she's not afraid of you and she's not afraid of me. She's lonely too. She's afraid of clients, but that isn't what you are." Zana shrugged, not sure that she was telling him it well, but sure that she was saying it how it was. "You’re in a unique role for us, one we enjoy and appreciate. You do it well and that makes us feel cared for. It's what everyone needs, I think. To feel like they're cared for." Zana grinned at him and added, entirely honestly and with a very well-feigned innocence. "That’s all I did with her, and it led me and her to the most wonderful places." She had, Zana considered with a smile, no shame at all.

For all her teasing, flirting and attempts to distract him into the bedroom, Zana's eyes widened at his words. "How many? That's a lot of nel, Theo." If it was worth doing, though, it would need to be done right. She looked at the ledger and frowned. Her talents did not lay in books and learning, nor would they ever. The numbers seemed to almost dance around, but she traced each line with her finger, nodding. "Will you let me help? With money, I mean." She couldn't put a lot forward, she told him, but what she could then she wanted to.

Once Billie had come in, Zana moved to get her drink and she watched the interaction between the two of them. Billie was nervous, jumpy. Theo was calming and soft-spoken. Sipping her tea, Zana held the cup in front of her for a few trill, hiding her smile at Theo's glance. "Why, Theo, what did you think we were doing?" Billie grinned wickedly at Zana at that and the mortalborn returned the expression, "I told you he'd be jealous." Billie giggled and leaned against Theo.

"I'll work hard," she said, nodding, when Theo said that there were things that she could do. Whilst Zana sat back and let them talk, Billie watched in surprise as Theo got up and brought over a box. Opening it, her reaction was very different to Zana's. Her hands started to shake and she put it down, quickly. "I.. really? I mean, I..."

"Breathe, Billie. It's alright. Look." Zana moved over and took the crossbow out, handing it to her. "We can learn together. Theo will teach us both. It will be silly and fun and nothing to worry about," she reached and put Billie's hair behind her ears. "No pressure, freckles, remember?"

Billie let out a sigh and nodded, looking down at the crossbow. "I don't know why people have to be mean. Why can't we just all be nice to one another and no one hurt anyone else? Then no one would need to have weapons." Zana had no wisdom to offer there, only to wonder how anyone as sweet and innocent as Billie actually survived. "I'll do my best, Theo. Thank you," Billie said.

Glancing up from her consideration of the book, Zana grinned. "The Lady Libertine? I like it. You're serving alcohol, according to this, and snacks. How many girls? Just girls?" With a chuckle, she added, "I think Patrick wouldn't say no, you know. He's certainly expressed an interest."

I love it when we do what we do, cos we do what we do till it's done.
I love it when we do what we do, cos we do what we do and it's fun.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

'She was ready? Zana had said, just before their embrace had been interrupted by Billie's appearance. Was she sure? Theo's searching gaze, there with them so close together but he hadn't asked aloud. He was ready, had been for quite some time and it went without saying. He was wound tightly and had been and she couldn't have helped but notice. He wanted to be sure, too much too soon would do her more harm than good. But he forgot to ask when her warm soft lips traced a trail down to his chest. "I can't be sure just yet," he'd teased, hot breath close against her ear. How did she feel? "I may have to explore a little bit further before reaching a..."

But then there'd been Billie and some very poor timing. He'd grinned when Zana had mentioned wandering to interesting places, implying that he wouldn't mind being convinced to discover them too. But she was also right. Billie was frightened and bruised, and needed care and reassurance. "I can get a loan from the bank," he told Zana when she offered her own money to help with their new venture. "With the sort of place I'm looking at, it shouldn't take long to repay it. Maybe though," he added, in case putting her own stake in was important to her. "When it comes to paying the merchant's guild."

He grinned though when he was reminded of what had been going on behind closed doors back at the Lap of Luxury. "You know what I thought." He didn't need to tell them that the faint sounds on the other side of the wall had been enough to make his imagination run wild. He wasn't surprised however when Billie seemed unnerved by the sight of the crossbow. She'd seen him use one just like it on one of her attackers. But then maybe she'd been too traumatized at the time to register it. Zana offered some reassurances. Enough. It was Billie's next question however that Theo spoke to.

"Billie, you are as beautiful inside as out. Always sweet, kind and forgiving," he said with a solemn expression. Naive too, too trusting. Customers liked that, some of them. He didn't want to break that, but she needed to get to a place where she wasn't quite as vulnerable as she appeared to be on the outside. "Everyone Billie, everyone has some darkness in them. Some less than others. Others, more. It's what makes goodness, like yours, shine all the more brilliantly." But, he added, because of it, she needed to know how to watch, and defend herself against those who were more inclined to let that darkness out than keep it in check. He smiled then. "You're welcome."

"Alcohol and snacks, tobacco, maybe some mild, herbal recreational drugs." Only the legal stuff, he said when Zana had asked about the Lady Libertine. "I'd only thought of girls...I haven't been at the Lap of Luxury long enough. How often have the services of men been required?" He hadn't considered it, but was it worth it? If that was the case and Patrick was interested, then Theo was more than willing to consider it.

[Zana]

Billie's timing was about as good as her singing, Zana thought and she gave a slight grin to Theo. Her expression showed her disappointment, but understanding of the very delicate nature of Billie right now, she behaved herself. Except for the murmured comment as Billie walked in, "I look forward to the trial when Billie walking in simply means you've got twice as much on your hands and the tea goes cold." She whispered that into his ear, then moved and grabbed her cup of tea. Had to be said, she had a spring in her step as she went.

When Theo pointed out that they both knew what he'd thought when he'd heard them giggling together in the Lap of Luxury, Zana grinned wickedly and Billie nodded before supplying the information which Zana would have left to the imagination. "That was later. We didn't laugh though, I don't think?" Sipping her tea, Zana just shook her head. No. There'd been no laughter.

And for quite different reasons, there was none now either. Billie sighed and looked at the crossbow like it was a viper about to bite her and although she promised Theo that she would do her best and learn, Zana had to admit to having her doubts as to whether the young woman would be able to. Zana's gaze turned to Theo, her worry about the red haired girl evident on her face.

"I think everyone's got nice in them too, though, haven't they?" What worried Zana was that Billie sounded like she was desperate for Theo to say yes. "I mean, before those two, the clients were always really sweet and nice." It was true that Billie tended to attract a certain type. "Except once, but Fred was there quickly and really, I'm sure even then he was just over excited."

"Even if that's true, Billie," Zana said, moving over to sit back on the couch so that Billie was in between her and Theo. "Those two, that night, they weren't over excited were they? They were bad people and maybe that's because they were hurt somewhere along the line. But if Theo hadn't stopped them, what would have happened?" Billie didn't like to think about it and she was already trembling, but to Zana's mind it needed saying. "No matter what happened to you or me, they'd have got what they wanted. Except now, they'll think twice before hurting another girl, won't they? Because Theo put a good scare in them and hurt them."

Maybe, Zana reasoned, if Billie thought that she was protecting others, then she might be more willing. "I know," Billie replied and looked at the crossbow, "but it's for killing someone. I can't kill someone, Zana. I'm not cold like you. I don't know how you live with having done that, but I couldn't."

Zana kept her face impassive, not showing quite how she wanted to react at Billie's words. She just smiled and kissed the young woman on the forehead. "No, freckles, you're not cold like me. But you can use this to defend yourself, not kill." Billie had no idea, evidently, that Theo had killed one too. It wasn't surprising really, what Zana had done there on the landing had been the talk of the place since and had significantly changed her relationships with the others. People were much more cautious of her now.

"How is it that you can sleep and I can't?" Billie asked, genuinely unaware that her words had any effect on Zana and just trying to work it out herself. Zana gave a rather sad smile.

"He wasn't the first man I've killed, freckles. Like you said, cold." Looking at Theo and Billie, Zana gave a bright smile which didn't reach her eyes, but she did a good job of pretending. "Well, to answer your question," and to change the subject also, "I think it depends on the marketing. The lap is geared more towards men, so more men are clients. But if they want a male companion, or they like to watch. Sometimes, then?" Billie nodded and considered that probably it was one client in every ten maybe, but then the Lap was focused on providing girls.

"Who's Patrick?" Billie asked and Zana grinned.

"He's a Hound in the Harlot'n'Hound. Thinks that I'm adorable." Patting the crossbow, she looked at Theo, a business like expression on her face. Since Billie had agreed, now was as good a time as would ever be, she figured. "Shall we?"

The language of love slips from my lovers tongue
Cooler than ice cream and warmer than the sun

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

They were both worried about Billie. The redhead's response to being given the bow, was just a reminder of how naive and trusting she really was. It wasn't a facade, not an act. It was who and what she was. If she was to remain that way, then what she did for a living would eventually break her for good if she wasn't already. And if it didn't, Theo worried about naivete's polar opposite. That with time she'd become hard and far more jaded. But, how to achieve a balance and help her find it? He wasn't sure.

Zana was cold? Theo frowned in response, but he could understand how she could think it, considering what had happened. On the other hand, he didn't believe for a bit that Billie meant it in the way that it sounded. She was frightened, confused and unsure. Still, it had to cut a little and he glanced at Zana, hoping that she realized that he'd never thought it himself. The others at the Lap? He couldn't speak for them.

"Billie, some people carry weapons their whole lives and never use them except for target practice. If they never needed to then they're the lucky ones. Others hope they'll never have to. But if their lives or a loved one's life is in peril and the choice is to use it or lose everything, they're ready to make that choice. It isn't just killers and bad men who carry weapons, Billie," he told her quietly.

As for Patrick? The subject was a good diversion, strange as it was and Theo grinned and nodded. "Zana's right. He's a hound. Now let's head out in the garden," he said after grabbing his own bow off the shelf. "I've got a target set up there." The garden was a nice size with just a couple of shade trees and a fair amount of open space. There was a high stone wall surrounding it and a storage shed near one of the corners. Theo had found an old rotted door inside that the owner of the home had left there, and he'd taken it out and leaned it against the wall for target practice.

Ducking inside the shed he came out again with a folded piece of butcher's paper that he'd kept after a recent visit to the market, unfolded it and tacked it to the door. On this piece of paper he'd painted an ordinary target, circles within more circles in red. The target he left behind on this trial had a vaguely human outline painted on it with smaller targets indicating where the best killing spots were. Billie wasn't quite ready for that, Theo believed.

What he wanted, what his impulses compelled him to do, was to talk to both girls about motives and resolve. Though Zana probably knew already, if only intuitively, he'd have liked to tell Billie that unless you were completely prepared to fire the thing without hesitation, then it was better not to pull it out and aim it at anyone. That hesitation could easily be the death of you. He'd want to add then that the same hesitation, and it's dangers, applied to thoughts of firing a wounding shot, rather than a killing one. If you draw and nock the thing, be prepared to fire without hesitation. And when you do, aim to kill.

He didn't say it though, not to Billie. Later, but not now. She'd agreed to try the bow and that was enough. Asking her to shoot at anything more than a series of circles was asking too much too soon. "It's very light weight," he said as he drew his own bow from its case. "You can easily fire it one handed once you've nocked your bolt." Taking one of those out, he showed them how to load it and cock it. "But just because it's smaller and lighter than some other bows, don't assume it's not a powerful weapon," Theo warned. "It is, powerfully deadly and with a very good range."

Lifting his readied bow then and taking aim at the target, he took several deep but slow cleansing breaths in order to regulate his breathing. And he fired a quarter the way through exhaling. "Proper breathing sends the air where its needed for good focus, and keeps the hand steady. His shot? An inch or slightly less of center. Standing back he grinned at Zana, urging her to give it a try.

[Zana]

Zana's eyes met Theo's as she placed a kiss on Billie's forehead. It was fine, she understood what Billie was saying and, more importantly, why. Zana would not deny that it stung, but equally it stung because she was concerned it was right. Still, she was clear; better cold than broken and Zana was very sure that she was not broken.

They got outside and Zana stood, arms wrapped around Billie's waist. The mortalborn stood behind Billie, her hands clasped together in front of Billie's stomach. "It's alright, freckles, I promise." Zana whispered and Billie nodded. Theo could see, even from where he was that Billie was shaking. Zana's arms around her were comforting, but the girl was scared.

"I think that Theo's jealous of Patrick you know," Zana shot Theo an apologetic glance over Billie's shoulder. "Have you noticed that he's very possessive of us?" Billie smiled and nodded.

"I like that you are, don't listen to her Theo. It relaxes me, makes me feel safe."

Zana, of course, knew that and was playing on it. "That's why he's teaching us, Billie. Don't think about it like you're learning for you. It's for him."

Billie's eyes narrowed in thought and she nodded. "Alright," she said, calming down. "I can do that. It's something you want us to learn because you're protective of us?" Billie responded to that, to what Theo wanted. He was their handler, she was his girl, that meant that if he said to do something, she should. She had to trust him and he had been so kind.

"I said possessive, not protective," Zana pointed out, dryly, and Billie laughed. Billie's giggle was genuine and she shook her head before telling Zana that she was too much. Zana simply smiled.

"Where's your crossbow?" Billie asked and Zana's smile turned into a quite different expression; it was a demure and almost conservative gaze, like one might expect from a child in a temple. As she smiled she raised her skirt, revealing her right thigh, to which was strapped the weapon in question. As Zana undid it, Billie descended into fits of giggles, causing Zana to lift an eyebrow.

"Charmed, I'm sure. At least Theo appreciates me," the mortalborn said and moved, to standing in front of the target. Where he had. She'd watched him, how he stood, how he moved and she tried to copy that, as best as she could. Raising the pistol crossbow she took aim and Zana pictured, where the target was, the man who had held her against the wall by her throat. His head was where the middle circle was and she aimed as she breathed in and then released as she breathed out.

Her shot was nowhere near as good as Theo's, but should he be watching, he'd probably be less concerned about her ability to draw the weapon and mean it. More than that, any concern about hesitation was unnecessary. Cold, Billie had called her and in that moment she looked it. Then she turned to Billie with a wide grin.

"Come on, freckles. You're already behind, I got to flash my leg to poor frustrated Theo whose house is filled with female flesh. You'd better get closer to the middle than me."

Billie chuckled and then took her place. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably and she lowered the crossbow again. Zana moved over to her, standing behind her. Again, the mortalborn wrapped her arms around Billie's waist. "I'm going to calm you down freckles, alright? Like before. That ok?" Billie nodded her head and Zana gently blew on the redhead's neck. Billie immediately calmed significantly and lifted her crossbow, aimed and fired. As luck had it, it was a little bit closer to the target than Zana had managed.

Zana turned to look at Theo and delight shone in her eyes. Which was odd really, considering what he knew about what happened if she used her powers, that one specifically.

"How did we do?" Billie asked, looking at Theo and completely unaware that Zana had not ever used her power on her. Billie believed that she had, and that had produced the response required. "Don't be cross at Zana. I asked her to use it on me. I just needed to stop feeling." Billie explained. Zana, meanwhile, simply smiled.

I hear you call me and it's needles and pins.
I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

In spite of Zana having chosen different phrasing than Billie regarding his connection with them, in reality Theo was both possessive and protective. Jealousy? No. But as for the others, undoubtedly. "Of course I am," he uttered while observing the method's Zana used to bring Billie a sense of calm. "And why not? I'm your handler. As long as it's the case, it makes you mine. I take care of what's mine." Whatever Zana was doing was helping, though he couldn't tell for sure if she was actually using her Immortal's given talent on her friend. Ultimately it didn't matter. Perception was reality. So was belief. If Billie believed it, then for all intents and purposes it was true.

He grinned though when Zana produced her own bow, which had remained concealed till just then. She was learning fast, but admittedly she'd probably already recognized the versatility of the bow and the ability to conceal it, before he'd ever pointed it out. "Arm extended but not rigid," he advised before she took her shot. "A comfortable stance, no stiffness, and keep your fingers out of the way when you loose the bolt."

When she fired, he studied the placement and nodded. "Nice." He was more pleased that once she committed to using the bow, she hadn't wavered or thought twice about it. Any hesitation uncertainty of the mind translated to tension in the body, and could result in a shot gone wild. Off target or completely off course.

Billie was next and again, Zana wrapped her arms round the redhead's waist. Was she using her ability to calm the other girl? If so, it was much more subtle, refined than his previous experience as a test subject. But if she was using it, what worked, worked. "Very nice," he said when he looked at the target in order to gauge the accuracy of her shot. "I'm not cross," Theo added when she seemed worried about it. "I may be your handler, but Zana, you, me, we're also a team of sorts. It's not so much about feeling. Or it is in a sense. When you use a weapon like this, it requires a presence of mind, commitment and in that trill or bit, a single-minded focus."

What he meant of course was that they couldn't allow passions, fear or uncertainty to cloud their judgment. Not when firing a weapon of this sort or even using a sword or knife. The same might be said of Zana's use of her abilities. Distractions like that caused more harm than good. Overreaching, under-reaching, and so the list went on. Loading up his crossbow, he readied and raised it, took aim and this time was closer, catching the very outside edge of the bullseye. "Again," he said to Zana, stepping back to give her plenty of space.

[Zana]

Zana looked at Theo with apparent seriousness in her eyes. "Not rigid, no stiffness and keep my fingers out of the way?" She shook her head, disapprovingly, "that sounds like no fun at all. I'll show you my way later, you'll much prefer it." The glance she shot to Theo was pure mischief, although when he had spoken of taking care of what was his Zana's gaze then had been more than approving.

Billie giggled and shook her head, "you're just rude, you know." Zana beamed as though she had been given the greatest compliment and then moved to help the red head.

Billie looked relieved when Theo said he wasn't cross. She nodded at his explanation, Zana just watching the interaction between the two of them. "The thing is," Billie said and sighed, but looked down at the crossbow and for the first time since before the attack, when she looked back up at Theo, she looked more determined. Less afraid. "The thing is, I'm afraid. But I don't want to be. This helps." She motioned to her neck and shoulder, where Zana had blown a few moments before. Zana, who was standing behind Billie, out of the redhead's view looked at Theo and shook her head.

"I like being part of a team. Thanks." Billie made her way over to hug Theo and Zana smiled, watching. The way Billie moved, the way she hugged him was different. It was more like before the attack and she stayed, arms around him as Zana moved to take another shot.

"If you two don't mind me," she huffed with a grin, "I'll just keep doing what we came here to do. Someone has to stay focused." Billie grinned and Zana turned back to look at the target. "Loading takes time," she said, carefully loading the bolt as she said that. "So, can I keep it loaded whilst strapped to my thigh? Or am I risking shooting off my own foot?" There was no doubting that doing that would be bad.

She extended her arm, kept her arms and legs just slightly relaxed and looked at the target with a smile. "Nothing stiff, nothing rigid. Mind your fingers." Lifting the crossbow, she aimed and fired. Last time she'd been up and slightly to the left so she compensated by aiming lower and to the right. It was closer, but still off the target.

"Can we keep a target up so Billie and I can practice?" Zana asked. She didn't suggest that Billie went again because the way that the young woman had moved over to Theo and was currently holding on to him was very much progress and she had no wish to hinder that. Having admitted to Theo just a little earlier that she was ready to return to their previous level of intimacy, seeing Billie take even a small step in that direction was good.

"Also, what range has this thing got?" Had to be said, she liked this weapon.

I love the way you look, you're such a high class tramp.
I love the way you love me, you're such trash.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

With them? Everything seemed to be innuendo, even when it wasn't intended to be. It was the nature of their business, and their personal lives to a large part, if Theo was being honest. Innuendo when it wasn't intended, and certainly where it was. The mischief in Zana's gaze didn't pass him by, and he grinned while at the same time shaking his head as if in disapproval. Fun, later. For now? "Focus," he scolded her. Managing these two women, at least in private, was much alike to herding cats. Possibly, any two women at once.

"If it helps you to be less fearful," Theo said to Billie then in response to her confession, "then it was worth every nel and the time learning to use it." It had been his intention, hoping that the bow might give her some comfort, and as importantly, a sense of control. "You're rarely in control of what others do, or of circumstances either. Never completely. What you are in control of however is your response to them." Billie's embrace when she slipped into his arms was different than it had been since the attack. More like herself. Theo kept her there, prepared to let her go as soon as she indicated, spoken or not, that she wanted distance from him again. Smiling, he placed a kiss against the side of her neck, just where it met the shoulder. Not too much, not too fast, or they'd lose more ground than they'd gained.

"There's a safety," he told Zana before she took another shot. "You can keep it loaded, just make sure the safety is engaged. And I wouldn't be engaging in any...acrobatics while that's the case," he added, knowing she'd realize exactly what he meant. It could knock the safety loose after all. But of course, he added. Keep the target up, and there was another folded up inside the shed that she might like better. As for range? "Depends," he considered. "Whether you're just firing one into the air with no target in mind, target practice or aiming to kill at a greater distance." Up close or within ten or twenty feet, thirty feet, after all, the bolts were always going to be deadly.

"The bolt might go four, five hundred yards without any impact," he said. But of course the farther it went, the more the bolt would slow and lose its lethal qualities. "Hunting, fifty, sixty yards, maybe even up to eighty if you're after smaller game." The smaller bolts after all would make large game more difficult to bring down. "It should penetrate a compressed straw target at around a hundred and eighty yards." For her purposes, however, and maybe Billie's, it was close range, or hunting range they'd be most interested in. Him too. After all, not all game walked on just two legs or flew through the air. Nonetheless, it was enough for now. Too much too soon wasn't good for Billie, and they could practice now whenever they wanted. Lesson over, it appeared.