[Metroidhunter]

It was at that point that the faunus took note of the scars on his bare arm- Not a very alarming sight, but a surprise nonetheless. She quickly moved on from that with little thought, continuing to prep herself while confirming his brief line of questioning. "Yep. That's about what I had in mind." Isabelle placed her bow down to stretch for a couple seconds before grabbing it, testing the tension in the string yet again to familiarize herself with it. After getting her own arrow quiver ready, she gave a quick overall double-check. Everything seemed to be in order, as far as she could tell. A little eager to see his archery talents, she turned to give him a smile and nod. "Ready when you are."

[NotSurprised]

”Then let’s begin.”

Iron starts the program and tosses his scroll to the side, listening to the familiar voice that was common during his time in competition. He closes his eyes, breathing in and out as he listens to the countdown… The familiar sound of the starting signal rings out as Iron opens his eyes once more. His muscles move in familiar ways as the bow went up and began to pull the string back, eying the target and the path the arrow should travel. With the string at the anchor point on his face, Iron made sure to keep his arm straight and the pulling arm bent correctly. The sound of the countdown began once again, with Iron instantly letting loose the arrow. With a loud thud from the arrow’s impact, Iron looks at the target again as it seems he had gotten 8 points.

’Hm. Slightly rusty.’

With that, Iron would look towards Isabelle as he eyes her form as she lines up the shot. It seemed very analytical as Iron looked at all the minute details of the leader’s usage of the bow, as if Iron was judging or even learning from the faunus. Then again, no one would know since Iron doesn’t really do expressions very well and only has an intense look of concentration focussed on Isabelle.

[Metroidhunter]

Isabelle readied her own bow, nocking the arrow on the string and getting into a stance. She let Iron take the shot first, taking note as he let it fly and sunk the arrow right into the eight-point line. After hearing about his experience, she knew he would be good, but it was still rather impressive for someone who seemingly hadn't done this in a long while.

The faunus didn't wait long after he went. Pulling the bowstring back, Belle carefully lined up her shot with the assumed arc that the bow would fire at. A few moments passed and she let out a deep exhale before releasing the arrow, shaft zipping through the air until it pierced the target in the seven-point line. Likely not even a kill shot. Her tongue pushed at the inside of her cheek as she frowned, quite annoyed with her lower score. She had spent so much time practicing with her own weapon that she had miscalculated this shot, even while knowing that such a thing would probably happen.

"Hmm... Again." That was all the girl said as she drew another arrow from her quiver, a somewhat more serious look on her face compared to ten seconds prior. Now that she had a better idea of what to expect from the bow, she could only hope that lining up the next few would be easier. Being outdone at the one thing she was good at would be rather embarrassing.

[NotSurprised]

Hm. The girl’s form was perfect, though it seems it had wavered since she only hit the 7-point ring. Most likely due to the lack of familiarity with the bow compared to her own, but regardless, the stance seems flawless in Iron’s eyes. With a smirk, Iron could only respond with an “of course” as the program starts to countdown once more.

Iron quickly fell into routine, breathing in and out until the drawing signal rang out once more. Again, his body moves in a familiar way. Extend. Anchor point. Release. The arrow follows its path as it hits the 9 point line this time, though it was close to being 8 points again instead.

”Used to your bow yet?”

[Metroidhunter]

The young woman leaned forward as she watched his next arrow go, her hands and bow resting on the small countertop that stood between her and the archery range. She smiled a little as she saw his next shot land, unsurprisingly better than the last. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t impressing her, as competitive as she had been starting to feel. Trying to keep in mind that this was more about having fun than anything else, she simply shrugged and readied her own arrow.

”Ah, I think. Let’s see.” Keeping the somewhat different trajectory in mind, she lifted her arms, pulled the string back and shot again. The arrowhead sunk into the target not a second later, a perfectly even nine points.

Her grin widened, giving a small pump of her fist and a cheery hum to celebrate the more well-placed shot. ”Much better, eh?” she said, looking up at her teammate with that amused expression.

[NotSurprised]

”Indeed. Now that I think about it, I must commend you for your bow skills. I’m sure I never made my praise clear whenever we worked together in combat scenarios.”

It wasn’t too unusual for Iron to compliment someone, but it wasn’t common either. In any circumstance, Iron feels a little weird about doing so, but that’s probably just because he’s trying his best to follow his leader’s suggestion to a certain extent. The draw signal rings out clear again, which leads to Iron setting up the shot once more for it to land true on the target.

X-10.

Iron knows he can hit the 10 ring, but hitting the dead center circle is rather rare for him. Iron gives a little smirk to Isabelle before time quickly started to pass in a rather comfortable silence between the two (in Iron’s opinion anyways).

Buzz

Thud

8.

It repeats again.

9. 8. 7. 8. 7. 8.

At his last shot, Iron knew something was off, but he wasn’t sure what. It was just the feeling he got from his stance. He never truly realized what was wrong until the arrow was let loose. Cursing under his breath, Iron starts to extend and contract his arms as it seems that his bow arm wasn't straight, and his other arm was too high. He didn’t even need to look at the target because he knew that the shot was bad. Unsurprisingly, the shot was bad and it landed in the 5 ring.

Then, Iron patiently waits for Isabelle to finish up her last few shots for the round and sort of appreciates her form.

[Metroidhunter]

”... Oh. Thank you.” Isabelle seemed a little surprised by his compliment. It definitely wasn’t everyday that he said something kind, let alone about her. Rather than rubbing it in his face, she left it at that. After all, she would like to see him open up like that more often. Similarly, she didn’t gloat any further about her own shooting, even with how good it felt when the next arrow she released scored a perfect 10. Noticing that he had done the same, the girl figured it would only be proper to return the praise. ”I could certainly say the same about you, Iron.”

Trying to retain her focus, Isabelle said nothing more. The repetitive periodic sound of the buzzer was only interrupted by the noises of arrows being released, flying and landing on the target. Again and again. It had initially been a rocky start, but as she fell into the rhythm, Isabelle’s true prowess with the bow would begin to reveal itself.

9. 10. 10. 10. Then an 8, a little bit of a slip-up, one that was quickly adjusted for and corrected. 10. 9.

By her last arrow, the bullseye of the target was loaded with arrows, hardly visible any longer. The final shot landed in the 9 zone, not far from the center.

The vast majority of the Isabelle’s training in the last few years had been spent hitting fast and mobile targets. Along with that, a bow was only truly effective on Grimm when the arrowhead struck them right in the skull. She had to be exceptional in order for it to be practical on the battlefield. Needless to say, a stationary target at a set distance was like a walk in the park compared to hitting the eyeball of a Beowolf.

None of those thoughts left the girl’s head, of course. Despite her well-placed shots, she didn’t feel or act very smug, simply looking over at Iron with a somewhat meek smile. ”I kinda wish I had my own bow, but... that was fun.”

[NotSurprised]

Iron pauses a bit, watching his score get demolished. It’s fine however, since it’s supposed to be a simple recreational activity. Plus, if he remembers correctly, his leader has done this for longer than he has, even making it practical for usage on Grimm. Not only that, but getting worked up over what’s supposed to be friendly competition was a waste of time. With that in mind, Iron gives a polite smile to Isabelle as he starts to retrieve the arrows from the targets safely.

Making his way back to his leader and handing her arrows back, Iron could only reveal a competitive smirk. ”Of course, so why not do a few more?”

[Metroidhunter]

”Yeah, alright. I can do a few more.” They hadn’t heard anything from Lucina yet, so presumably they had some time to kill. Carefully taking her retrieved arrows from Iron, the faunus politely thanked him before sliding them back into the quiver with the exception of one. Nocking the arrow on her bowstring, she waited for the buzzer to go off again.

When we’re done here, I do wanna hit the mall. Still feel like tagging along?” she asked with a slight grin. Belle was under the assumption that he would, but she no longer had any desire to force him to join her.

[NotSurprised]

”Well, I believe I don’t have anything to do after this, so I’ll follow along until something else requires my attention.” Iron sounded slightly more accepting of team bonding activities, though there was still some sort of displeasure evident. Otherwise however, the two would have idle chit-chat as they continue to use the range for the next half hour or so


With the half hour up, Iron picked up his scroll and put it away. As he retrieves his arrows, Iron notes that the stadium is now a lot more busy with people using it to practice and work out. Also grabbing Isabelle’s arrows, Iron starts to move to put away their equipment while gesturing his leader to follow along. Arriving at the lockers, Iron began to put his equipment away and put his lab coat back on. With everything returned to where they were, Iron turns to Isabelle to grab her bow.

While doing so, Iron notices a few fellows glaring at his faunus leader, almost seem like they’re getting ready for some form of hostile action. With a scoff at their stupidity, Iron would coldly glare at them in return, making them turn away in fear. Some people that were spying the interaction seemed to be impressed by what looks to be Iron’s “protectiveness”. To be more accurate, Iron is simply just fulfilling his obligation to the girl. Not only that, but his previous run in with those same fellows ended up with him demonstrating why exactly Iron is a particularly dangerous individual. Iron had no time for foolish people.

With that, Iron’s gaze returned to Isabelle as he waits for her to handover the archery equipment.

[Metroidhunter]

Over the course of the half hour, Isabelle's focus and precision only improved, the girl landing 10 after 10 once she was in the zone. She had hardly noticed the increase in people around them until after they were done, her eyes beginning to wander the room as they made their way towards the lockers. It was hard for her to avoid wondering how many of the people around them had been watching her. A slight feeling of anxiety came over her, even while she was fully aware that she had been giving it her all. That probably wouldn't stop any particularly judgmental people from looking down upon her... and as her gaze fell on one small group of individuals, those feelings of doubt were immediately validated.

Hateful stares. Mildly threatening stances, as if prepared to step toward her at any moment. They weren't there to watch, they wanted to do something. She was positive. These kinds of encounters were not new to her, but it still made her sick to her stomach. A bit of prejudice towards faunus was one thing she could handle, but these fellows were clearly beyond that. She could see it in their putrid, glaring faces. Pure contempt. What was their plan? Would they follow her, or maybe make a scene right here? Would they berate her, or even try to harm her? Isabelle's awareness of her surroundings began to dissipate as she fixated solely on them, her perception of time nearly halting while an unreasonable amount of resentment began to boil within her.

It had been so long, but the memories were fresh in her mind. The looks on their faces brought her back. Back in those days, she was powerless to stop punks like these. As for right now, with hatred clouding her judgement, she couldn't help but want them to make a move. Her performance today had given her a surge of confidence, one that currently fueled her pent-up anger. She wished for an excuse to let her beat these imbeciles. Her semblance would take any one of them to the ground in an instant. She wanted to. She could be driving her knuckles into one of their faces before they would have the time to fucking blink. They deserved it, too.

The moment they turned away, Isabelle snapped out of it just as quickly. Her eyes shut and open once, then twice, suddenly aware of her heart racing as she stood there with her empty hand balled into a fist, entirely frozen in place. 'What is wrong with me?' Iron would likely see Belle's expression switch over from seething rage to minor shock as she absentmindedly handed the bow and equipment over to him. Surely, he had never seen her look as furious as she had in that brief moment. The faunus soon closed her eyes and shook her head, quietly mumbling, "Let's get out of here." A few minutes ago she was happy, and now she just felt disappointed in herself. She had thought about attacking them, and they didn't even take a single step in her direction. In her eyes, she wasn't much better. It hadn't occurred to the girl that her teammate had scared them off, and that Iron was likely the one responsible for avoiding such a confrontation. She was too flustered to even wonder why they turned away. For now, Isabelle was hung up on her shame and stupidity, starting to saunter off.

[NotSurprised]

Watching Isabelle’s face contort into raw rage was rather impressive for Iron to see. He knew she had some bite, but that pure unadulterated hatred bumped up his respect just a smidge amount. Not only that but his fine leader also managed to reign in her emotions to avoid unnecessary conflict. Usually Iron wouldn’t extend any favors to his colleagues, but he does feel particularly informative at the moment. As Iron puts all the equipment away, he searches some of the pockets inside of the lab coat, bringing out two nice looking gloves that he quickly put on. Immediately, Iron flexes his hand as the familiar sound of electricity quietly cackles throughout the glove.

Surely, Isabelle wouldn’t mind if Iron took a little detour.

Following after the faunus as if he was a subordinate, Iron would quickly move away from Isabelle when they were close to the rather racist group. Any sound of fear or begging was cut short by a loud and sharp  sound of pain as Iron put enough volts into their body to take them down for a few minutes. After all, Iron deems it fit that he should be the one to remind them of their foolishness. His cruel grin was rather obvious as he leaves their somewhat crippled forms behind, with any other bystanders just simply moving away (after all they’re used to things like this).

Catching up to Isabelle who was about to leave the stadium, Iron sent a direct stare to the desk attendant reminding her of his status. With a frown - albeit professional - the desk attendant simply looks away from the incident Iron had caused. In a swift and polite manner, Iron overtakes Isabelle to open the door for her.

”Do not mind those fools, they’re ants that do not know better.” Iron’s cruel smile is still evident until he quickly wipes it away for the sake of his leader. It’s now much more stoic and polite. ”Well glorious leader, would any mall do or do you have one in mind?”

[Metroidhunter]

The first peculiar sound behind Isabelle was ignored, the powering up of his gloves not noteworthy enough to encourage her to look back. Really, her mind was having a hard time paying attention to her surroundings in general, still in a slight daze from her seeing red moments ago. She had put a good amount of distance between herself and the punks when their sudden yelps hit her ears, finally bringing her to glance back. The first thing that Isabelle witnessed was them on the ground and in pain, much like how she had fantasized. The culprit was none other than her own teammate, wearing a smile bigger than any she had seen on his face.

Was it wrong? Probably. But she knew she couldn’t fault him for it, considering that she had thought about doing something very similar. If anything, his methods were more humane than tackling them and pummeling their faces in. But more than anything, the scene before her was simply hilarious. Her unsure feelings on the matter had mostly faded by the time they stepped outside, and while she had looked rather neutral up until that point, she finally let it out.

Isabelle bent over slightly and clutched her abdomen as she laughed wildly, nearly bringing herself to tears. She felt a mix of emotions, but Iron’s gesture had more than improved her poor mood. Yet again, he was seeing another unfamiliar side to her. It took a good while for her to settle down again, taking some deep breaths and shaking her head. ”Oh, god…” she said with a chuckle, carefully wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, ”... that was…” Another short laugh cut her off, serving well as a summary of her thoughts on the matter.

”Thank you,” Isabelle added with sincerity in her voice, looking up at her teammate with a face that was still quite red. ”I think that made my week.” Aware that he was still waiting on an answer to his question, she quickly followed it up. ”Uh, any mall will do. Whichever one is closest.”

[NotSurprised]

Iron smirks at the rather surprising amount of cruelty hidden within the faunus in front of him. Though surprising, it still pleases Iron nonetheless. With a flick of the wrist, lightning no longer runs through his gloves as he proceeds to effortlessly take them off and return them to their spot within his coat. While doing so, Iron starts to move in the direction towards the mall he frequents. Once again stopping, Iron turns his head to look back at Isabelle with a blank stare, especially since he was supposed to have responded earlier when he made his way next to his leader’s side.

”You’re welcome, and do keep up while we make our way over there.” With that, Iron’s gaze returns to the direction he’s moving in, with a rather nonchalant manner as well. Presumably when the girl catches up, Iron felt the need to make a comment or two, ”Your control of your emotions was slightly impressive by the way, though it could use some work. Much better than some of our other teammates however.”

[Metroidhunter]

The short faunus quickened her pace for a moment to catch up with Iron, beginning to walk beside him. While she appreciated any compliment, his was a peculiar one in her eyes. ”Hmm, you think so? I don’t. I… did want to hurt them. Well, you know, before you actually did.” Isabelle snickered a little. After seeing it happen, she didn’t have any sympathy for the punks he had zapped. Still, the amount of anger that she had felt in that moment was unreasonable and immature. It would be best not to dwell on it; the thought of their expressions alone was enough to annoy her. Shoving those negative feelings to the back of her mind, Isabelle focused on the present, trying to think of places to visit at the mall.