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"It's heavy."
Siras sighed and tussled Davins hair. Vallir must have looked about the same at that age, Siras thought, though the boy definitely had his mother's complexion. His smile tasted bittersweet.
"That's 'cuz it's your dad's." Suddenly the battered old weapon in the boys hands became a treasure, a relic of incalculable worth. Little fingers tightened on the grip, though they weren't so little now as they had once been. More and more Siras had to reconcile himself with the fact that Davin was well on his way to manhood.
"Right. So." Siras slid a power pack into the base of the disruptor and the screen at its rear flashed to life. He watched Davins eyes inspecting the readouts, sure that he was already thinking of ways to tweak it. "I've got it set to minimal power. That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous, but we won't be putting holes in any walls. Alright?"
Davin nodded.
"Alright." Siras stepped back, one finger raised. "Lesson one. Never point a weapon at anything unless you're ready to pull the trigger." In a flash the disruptor nozzle was pointed at the ground, though carefully angled away from Davins boots. Siras chuckled. "Good job. Lesson two." Siras stepped up to a table set in the grass a few meters away.
Some thoughtful strangers, no doubt expecting a bit of stepfather stepson target practice, had left a few bottles laying in the grass of the meadow. Siras accepted their gifts, setting them atop a makeshift wooden stand in a straight-ish row. Keeping an eye on the disruptor he made his way back to where Davin stood waiting.
"Think you can hit one of those bottles?"
Davin nodded. He sported Vallir's cocky little smirk.
"Show me what you got."
He snapped the disruptor up into position and fired. A burst of blue-green energy shot across the open meadow, rattling the target bottles but passing safely above them. Davin cursed.
" 'Ey!" The boy immediately turned green. "Take your time this time. Line up your shot. There's no rush, nobody's shooting back. Deep breath in, deep breath out, and fire."
Siras could see the wheels turning, those plasma green eyes sharpening their focus on the bottles. With tiny, jerky little adjustments Davin sighted in on one of the empty bottles. The boy inhaled, held his breath for just a moment, and then hissed out a lungful of air. He fired. A bottle exploded in a shower of shattered and scorched glass.
"Woo!" Davin threw one hand into the air in celebration, the other keeping his weapon pointed safely at the ground.
"Nice shot!" Siras ruffled the boys hair again, even though he was armed and glaring daggers. "Why don't you take out a few more, huh?" The boy raised his weapon, and Siras took a few slow paces back. Under Siras' watchful eye, Davin took quickly to defending his home from the menace of discarded glassware.
Siras sighed and tussled Davins hair. Vallir must have looked about the same at that age, Siras thought, though the boy definitely had his mother's complexion. His smile tasted bittersweet.
"That's 'cuz it's your dad's." Suddenly the battered old weapon in the boys hands became a treasure, a relic of incalculable worth. Little fingers tightened on the grip, though they weren't so little now as they had once been. More and more Siras had to reconcile himself with the fact that Davin was well on his way to manhood.
"Right. So." Siras slid a power pack into the base of the disruptor and the screen at its rear flashed to life. He watched Davins eyes inspecting the readouts, sure that he was already thinking of ways to tweak it. "I've got it set to minimal power. That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous, but we won't be putting holes in any walls. Alright?"
Davin nodded.
"Alright." Siras stepped back, one finger raised. "Lesson one. Never point a weapon at anything unless you're ready to pull the trigger." In a flash the disruptor nozzle was pointed at the ground, though carefully angled away from Davins boots. Siras chuckled. "Good job. Lesson two." Siras stepped up to a table set in the grass a few meters away.
Some thoughtful strangers, no doubt expecting a bit of stepfather stepson target practice, had left a few bottles laying in the grass of the meadow. Siras accepted their gifts, setting them atop a makeshift wooden stand in a straight-ish row. Keeping an eye on the disruptor he made his way back to where Davin stood waiting.
"Think you can hit one of those bottles?"
Davin nodded. He sported Vallir's cocky little smirk.
"Show me what you got."
He snapped the disruptor up into position and fired. A burst of blue-green energy shot across the open meadow, rattling the target bottles but passing safely above them. Davin cursed.
" 'Ey!" The boy immediately turned green. "Take your time this time. Line up your shot. There's no rush, nobody's shooting back. Deep breath in, deep breath out, and fire."
Siras could see the wheels turning, those plasma green eyes sharpening their focus on the bottles. With tiny, jerky little adjustments Davin sighted in on one of the empty bottles. The boy inhaled, held his breath for just a moment, and then hissed out a lungful of air. He fired. A bottle exploded in a shower of shattered and scorched glass.
"Woo!" Davin threw one hand into the air in celebration, the other keeping his weapon pointed safely at the ground.
"Nice shot!" Siras ruffled the boys hair again, even though he was armed and glaring daggers. "Why don't you take out a few more, huh?" The boy raised his weapon, and Siras took a few slow paces back. Under Siras' watchful eye, Davin took quickly to defending his home from the menace of discarded glassware.