Marc smiled a little at the compliment and the fact that she let him have the space to safely fire again before taking careful aim at the tree. The three shots were fired off easily in quick succession, the sound almost overlapped. He gave a soft hum at how the motion felt, set the safety back on, and walked over to make sure his shots hit his imagined target points.
Ariella nodded her head, watching silently as he fired. The guns he used were quieter than those on earth. And while they were still loud, it was manageable without any ear coverings. "It's pretty easy, right? You shouldn't have any issues with it." She stepped up next to him, pulling out one of her throwing knives from where it was strapped on her thigh.
“It's certainly familiar enough.” Marc agreed, satisfied with the accuracy of his shots before moving away from the tree. “I think I can handle these easily.” he smiled at Ariella as he watched her draw one of her knives. “You going to take a turn?”
Ariella flipped one of her knives, catching it with ease. "I probably don't need it, but might as well. It has been a minute since I've used these." Perhaps it was a little barbaric to use knives but it was quieter than a gun and it got the job done. She took Marc's place, holding the knife and aiming at the tree. She took a deep breath and threw it. The blade embedded just off-center. So maybe she did need a little practice.
Marc didn't mind her preference of weapon but he did stand clear and out of the way when Ariella went to throw the knife. “Do you use these often?” he asked, not criticizing her aim but in actual curiosity. He didn't want too many people who used knives often as a weapon of choice.
Ariella turned her head to him, already drawing another knife. She would have to sharpen them after this. "Probably more than I should. It's quieter than other options and more discrete. And a lot easier to conceal on my person."
“Whatever suits you.” Marc assured, nodding a little. “Especially, if stealth is more your forte or works best for… your job.” he shrugged as he stumbled over his last words. He didn't want to offend Ariella but he wasn't going to assume what kind of jobs she took since he still didn't know much about her life or the unique worlds she was part of.
"I still use guns and blasters as well. But I'm used to those and I don't need to practice with them. With these, however, I just need a little reminding." She focused back at the abused tree and let the knife fly. There, that was better. Right on target.
Marc nodded, understanding her proficiency with multiple weapons. “I almost wish that my training included more than just firearms.” he admitted. “Of course, there was some self-defense and such but… now I feel like I'm lacking.” he shrugged.
Ariella laughed quietly. "No you do not. It's messy. And bloody. More than a bullet wound. And while it comes in handy for some things, not so much police work." She looked away from him, looking at the target. She knew one more, just for good measure, and her aim was as good as the last one.
“I am aware of what knife wounds can do.” Marc pointed out. He had seen a fair share of them on victims and had received a few as well. “But it seems like it would still be useful to know, especially in this situation.”
"Well, it's a good thing most humans never expect to be in." Ariella turned to him. "Is this your way of asking me to teach you?" She placed her hands on her hips and quirked her eyebrow. She was smirking at him, humored. "All you have to do is ask, though I don't know how much will help you with only a day of training."
Marc laughed, shaking his head. “I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I think I know enough to handle the switchblades I grabbed but…” he smirked back. “Perhaps, depending on how long we are together, you could show me a few tricks?”
Ariella grinned at him. "I'm sure I could show you a few." She winked at him before going to pull her blades out of the tree trunk. Though as fun as the idea of teaching someone was, she truly hoped that they would not be together long. Not because she didn't like him but because this wasn't his path. He belonged on Earth. And she…she didn't belong anywhere.
“Thank you.” Marc chuckled, finding he didn't mind how long he might be here. Obviously, he knew he still needed to get back to Earth but he wasn't seeing any problem with having a little adventure with Ariella in the meantime.
Ariella put her knives back in the holsters on her thigh. "Are you brave enough to step into the house or do you think you need a little more time to work up the courage to go back in?" She was teasing him about their earlier conversation when she told him there may or may not be enough in the house to cause an explosion if the wrong thing caught on fire. There was a reason she did regular maintenance on the house.
Marc rolled his eyes at her teasing but smiled. “Yes, I’m fine to go back inside.” he nodded. “Besides, I should grab some more ammunition before we leave, anyway.” he pointed out, realizing that he had forgotten to grab some earlier and that they would probably need more than what was in the chambers of the guns.
Ariella nodded. "We'll grab a few things before we head out." She still needed to sharpen the knives after throwing them at the tree. She needed them as sharp as could be. And there was a few other things she wanted to pack and bring with them. And she needed to catalog what they were taking so she knew for the next time she visited what to replace.
Marc smiled a little and nodded gratefully. “I should try to remember that you do this often and know what to do before I say anything.” he chuckled a little, trying to make light of how new he was to even basic traveling.
Ariella just shrugged playfully. "Oh, just a little experience." She winked at him before walking back into the house. "It shouldn't take us to long to get to Declan. But it is a lot of jumps." Which she was not looking forward to.
“In other words, I should keep my head down and follow your lead as we travel.” Marc half teased, though he knew it was probably the best way to avoid unwanted attention. Especially for Ariella. Who knows what could be waiting for them on any of those worlds…
Ariella grinned at him and nodded her head. "Pretty much, though I'll have to keep my head down a bit." She had a bad habit of drawing attention, whether she wanted it or not. And usually did not want it.
“Somehow I can believe that.” Marc nodded, smirking slightly. Considering how much attention she drew to herself back on Earth… it really wasn't surprising.
Ariella gave him an all too innocent looking smile. Even though she was anything but. She walked back to the weapons room, pointing out the extra magazines of ammo for him to grab. She found her sharpening stone to sharpen up her daggers. She just wanted to be on the safe side by keeping them all nice and sharp.
Marc wasn't fooled by her expression and just rolled his eyes as he walked over to the ammo she pointed out. He quickly pulled out the magazine from one of the guns and proceeded to grab more of the same type… hopefully, there weren't multiple types of ammo in the same area that looked the same.