Edward
The house had been dusted up proper in preparation for her guest. Jade would be stopping in today for a couple drinks, dinner, and some shooting lessons in accordance with the fact that another full moon was fast approaching. Perhaps the target practice should come before the drinks - though Dimitra was a fine shot after a round or two, she wasn't sure how well Miss Grant could hold her liquor. 

The house smelled great; like roasting meat and fresh bread, Dimitra looked a lot more like a housewife than a bootlegger; though, looks were deceiving. The idea of being someone's wife was both enticing and laughable; she wasn't fit for all that domesticity, even if it sounded mighty nice. 

She was waiting on the woman's arrival, taking things off the wood stove and setting them aside, as well as procuring some of her favorite rum from it's hiding spot under the floorboards.
Eric
Truthfully, the interaction with Dimitra hadn't left Jade's head since that day. She knew it was wrong to be so intrigued by her partner's enemy but in a sense, Dimitra didn't seem to care about the competition after all, she was teaching her how to shoot. A part of her was nervous, she knew that Dimitra had to have low expectations to be teaching her, yet she still didn't want to disappoint the woman. Jade had only held a gun one other time before the full moon fiasco that left all of the people she cared about in shambles. It was back home, her father came home liquored up, and went for her brothers, even as she tried to intercept him to take the abuse instead of them. She didn't remember anything other than the pure terror she felt aiming the barrel at her father before he could even lay a hand on Jackson. Of course, she would never pull the trigger on her and perhaps that is why she hesitated when the time came to shoot the beast. 

Jade had gotten so lost in her own thoughts, that she hadn't realized she was standing on Dimitra's porch for so long before knocking. Jade could smell the lovely aroma of Dimitras cooking, she would have to learn more than how to shoot a gun from her, Jade was used to southern home cooking but this was certainly different and it made her excited. She hoped that the dessert she brought lived up to what her friend had provided.

Blueberry Jam cake, her grandmother rarely made it but it was so good when they made it around Christmas time so it seemed fitting. She lightly knocked on the door, honestly already a little intimidated
Edward
Right on time. Dimitra had just pulled things out of the oven when the knock came, and she tossed aside her oven mitt to open the door. Her curls were a bit of a mess, tied back with a bandana to keep it out of her face. 

"Welcome, welcome," She stepped aside to let her in, a smile on her face. "You're just in time. Food's on, and then we can get to that target practice." She said, shutting the door as Jade entered her house. "It's not much, but it's mine. Nothing like the caravans back home, though." Dimitra shook her head and smiled. 

"Do you prefer whiskey, rum, or shine? I've got all three if you want a nip— on second thought, maybe we'll wait til after the shooting to get drunk!" She laughed raucously at her own joke. She was a whirlwind of a woman, that was for sure. 

"So, Jade Grant!" She smacked her hand down on the counter and leaned. "You wanna kill a werewolf? I'll teach you how to kill a werewolf," She promised her. "Or at least try real damn hard." 

She turned to the dishes on the table and gestured. "Sit! Let's talk. That dessert you brought smells divine— you can set it on the table."
Eric
Jade looked around Dimitras home, it felt cozy, inviting. Dimitra had the same warm and inviting feeling. "No no, I like it..." She spoke up as she continued to look around. It was always interesting, everyones house differently decorated to match their personalities. She turned to look at Dimitra at the mention of alcohol "Yeah, I like the idea of waiting until after, I can't shoot when sober. I don't want to imagine when I am tipsy" 

Jade smiled as Dimitra went about her usual self, theatrical, charismatic. "I believe you are just the one to do that." She had grown quite fond of the woman, she liked the easy feeling, similar to the one she felt with Arthur. "Oh yes yes, Its called Jam Cake" She set it on the table "I used to love this dessert as a kid and I figured it sounded right up your alley as well" 

She sat down across from Dimitra, whatever the woman was cooking smelled amazing. "So what is on the menu?" She said with a small tease, she never pictured Dimitra as the type to be in the kitchen but then again, everyone had to feed themselves no?
Edward
"Jam Cake? Sounds to die for, I can't wait to try it," She said with a glittering smile as she finished setting everything on the table. "I've got deer roast with potatoes, turnips, and carrots... Fresh bread I baked," She pointed at that too, hands on her hips. "Hope that'll suffice?" She said, sitting down again. Dimitra was a restless being; flitting from place to place at all times. She hardly sat down or rested for long unless something in particular had caught her interest. 

"I know what you're thinking—" She said, pointing as she began to cut into the bread. "I don't look exactly like a homemaker. My secret? There's a part of me that can't wait to get married and have a family. Of course, I'll still have my own life, you know?" She raised an eyebrow. "Too often, women think they have to wholly devote themselves to their husbands. I don't want to be like that; I'll love my lover for as long as I'll live but I'll always be my own person." 

She cut into the meat and took a bite with a satisfied hum. "My mother taught me how to do all this. Half of it over a campfire," Dimitra beamed. "I can make quick work on a stove or an oven." 

Dimitra really didn't seem the domestic type, but you could never judge a book by its cover.
Eric
Dimitra had really seemed to put out the best of the best. It was flattering. "Of course that will suffice, I hate you had to go through so much effort, I truly would've been fine with anything" She didn't want to seem as if she was... Uptight? High maintenance? Although she was certain if Dimitra thought that or if Jade acted like that. Dimitra would tell her about herself in a heart beat. 

She liked that, someone who didn't sugarcoat. Dimitra and Arthur were alike in that way. Jade completely understood Dimitra as she spoke "Yes!" She said almost too excitedly. "Sorry- I mean yes, I completely understand. I want to be married someday but I want them to love me for me not because I cook, clean and just sit pretty for them." Dimitra and her finally had common ground other than the trope of her lovers rival. 

"A campfire? That's amazing. My family, we lived in houses owned by the mines so we had a wood stove and things like that. Although man, every time there was an explosion in the mine, it shook the whole house." She waved that thought away "Never mind that." She laughed "How is reading your book going? Still to your liking I hope" Jade liked to think she could tell a lot about what people may have liked to read. 

Hazel, she wanted something warm and comforting, perhaps a sense of belonging. Dimitra, she was totally for adventure, Valerian, he was the type for classics. 

"If I may ask, how did you learn to shoot a gun?" 

||
Edward
Dimitra snickered just a bit, digging into her food hungrily and with purpose. She wasn't one for certain table manners in certain companies, and she was sure Jade didn't mind if she was a bit of a mess right now as she scooped food into her mouth. She sopped up sauce with her bread as Jade talked, only pausing to swallow so she could speak. 

"Marriage... You'd be marrying into something awfully interesting with Arty, huh?" She snickered and leaned an elbow on the table to wink at her. "Then again, who am I to talk, right?" She laughed and waved her hand around a little bit dismissively. "One day, I want to marry someone..." She tilted her head in thought. "Someone who is interesting, I think. Someone who keeps me on my toes. Not too nice, but not mean either. Someone who can keep me in line when I'm a little too much. God knows, I am too much." 

She prodded at her food and sent another wink her way. "The book? Oh, I finished it in a day and a half! I was up half the night squinting at the words by candlelight, desperate to finish. It was amazing. I figured I'd come by soon, grab another book, see where that gets me." She chuckled and scooped another bite into her mouth. 

"I learned to shoot from my brothers. Got a whole lot of them. I'm the baby, see, and the only girl. My brothers were awfully protective of me, especially after *The incident*, so... They figured it was time I learned how to defend myself. You would not believe how many people think they can just do whatever they like with travelers; they thought we weren't real people. Think we're just travelling dolls, fortune tellers... They thought they could just do whatever they liked." She scoffed. "Shot a man in the foot once for putting his hand up my skirt." Dimitra laughed. "The nerve of some men." 

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Eric
Jade truthfully hadn't thought of marriage until Arthur waltzed into her life with a damn job offer. Sometimes she hated how easily her defenses fell. Perhaps that meant she was safe, she twisted her grandmothers engagement ring around her finger. She let out a dry laugh "Arthur Maldorano probably has zero interest in the domestics of marriage" She fluttered her hand as if tossing the thought away. She listened to Dimitra talk about her own hopes for marriage "Too much? Oh please, if they can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen." She teased. Dimitra deserved to be happy, someone was nice to her, maybe even too nice as she would say 

"Oh well, I have plenty of recommendations waiting for you when you find the time to come back to the library." She didn't want to seem too pushy. She listened onto Dimitra, although hearing that someone tried to take advantage of her. It left a foul taste in her mouth but Dimitra very obviously handled it. She grinned "Well, I'm glad the man got what he deserved. Thankfully I don't think any of the men I've met in Briar Ridge have been... Distasteful" She lightly bounced her leg, she always had trouble sitting still. "So, what would you think is the hardest about firing a gun? My father always described it as something hellacious but then again he was also in the army so that may be the only reason he described it as such." She was almost nervous 

She didn't want to disappoint Dimitra by fumbling so hard, she didn't want to seem like a screw up. Not again, she didn't want to let anyone down, she didn't want to let Arthur down again. She didn't like the look in his eye that stayed for weeks on end. "What if I'm no good?" She questioned "Can someone be unteachable?" 

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Edward
Jade was fascinating to her; she was on the quieter side, she seemed a bit timid... And yet found herself not only working for the Maldoranos, but sleeping with Arthur. She couldn't help but think how interesting that was; she supposed it made some sort of sense, *Opposites attract* And all. 

"You don't know that," She pointed out, using her spoon to gesture. "Arthur could slap on an apron any day now and start domesticating himself!" That caused her to laugh, the very thought was ridiculous but hilarious all at once. 

"There are plenty of distasteful men in Briar Ridge," She promised Jade. "But there are just as many lovely ones. Your Arthur is up for debate *But* As long as he treats you well, I don't feel the need to cut off his fingers," She snickered and stood with her bowl, now empty, and put it in the wash basin. "But believe me, those old drunks at the speakeasy can be just as lecherous as the ones from back home. I just can't shoot 'em in the foot or someone will surely throw me right in the slammer." Dimitra rinsed her bowl out with the jug of water, set to scrubbing. 

Thankfully, the conversation turned back to guns, and she smiled easily. "Ha! You're not unteachable, sweetheart," She cooed and came back to the table, leaning on it as she watched her a moment. 

"You just have to remember to not be so skittish," She said, reaching out and touching her hair curiously a moment. "That's the thing— you have to be confident with it. You get scared? That's when people get hurt, yourself included." She curled her hair around her finger and then let go, drumming her fingers on the table. "As soon as you're done, we're going out back to shoot a few bottles and cans." She told her. "You'll be a sharpshooter when I'm done with you."
Eric
Jade couldn't for the life of her place what attracted her to the wildcards, both Dimitra, a trickster with a walk like a sphynx and Arthur, a hot head who shot first and questioned second. Both of them alike in their own ways. Jade liked to think she lived vicariously through them, they were everything she wasn't after all, strong willed, brave, most importantly they weren't as sheltered as her. She had seen horrors, but those were her own familial horrors. Nothing compared to what the both of them had seen, she was oblivious to malice unless it was physical. She didn't know the burning anger until recently, loved ones hurt. That would eat her alive with guilt, she couldn't make the damn shot and now she was angry, something she never wanted to be. Something her father always was. 

She felt Dimitra's fingers flutter through the waves of brunette, she flustered, daring to half heartedly meet her gaze "Confident..." She repeated, was that something she could even muster? She didn't want the ability to hurt other living things but she **Needed** It if she were going to live in Briar Ridge, she refused to be as useless as her father thought her to be. "We can go now" She hated to not have ate anything but her nerves were wound far too tight and the last thing she needed was to be sick in front of Dimitra. She felt the blaze of embarrassment just from the very thought. 

Dimitra seemed to believe that she was teachable, Dimitra had yet to steer her wrong, she didn't think the woman would ever do it purposely. "Okay, not skittish and confident" She repeated as if trying to manifest it into it's own truth. Steady hands, she could do that, she didn't shake often. Especially not when patching someone up. Yet another annoying thought came to her rather anxious mind "What if I accidentally kill an animal?" 

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Edward
"You're going to do just fine," She promised Jade, and slowly came to stand before pulling her to her feet too. "You can eat after we're done, then. I'm not letting you leave until you gotten a belly full and you can shoot a good shot." 

She was insistent, heading to the back door of the house and pushing it open. The screen door swung open with ease and she gestured to the area behind her house; dense trees and a path. There was also a few crates set up, and on those, bottles and jars and the like. 

She grabbed her faithful gun, hauling ass to get down to the shooting range she'd set up for Jade. "If you kill an animal, sweet thing, we'll skin it and cook it up. As is life," She said. "Don't let it go to waste and whatnot." 

Dimitra handed Jade the gun, eyebrows raised. "It's empty, so don't you worry. Can you show me how you *Think* You hold a gun?" She asked her, gesturing to the rifle. Jade looked terrified with that thing in her hands, honestly. "If you're scared of the gun, you'll get yourself hurt and somebody else. You have to be calm and in control," She told her, coming to stand close behind her, hands on her shoulders. "Deep breaths. In and out."
Eric
If Dimitra said it, it had to be true right? She knew more about the world than Jade did. She let out a small laugh, nodding her head. "Alright alright, I just know I ain't gonna do too good if I eat. I may get so nervous that I..." She trailed off, she was about to embarrass herself. "Well you know" She waved her own words away. None of the women of Briar Ridge had ever made her so flustered. What in the world was so different about Dimitra, perhaps because there was no awkward phase between them? Miss Hazel and Miss Maeve were lovely company but there was so much to be learned yet she felt as if she knew Dimitra for years. How odd. She knew nothing more about the woman, she still had much to learn about her, and she liked to hear the stories. It was better than any book she could think of. 

She followed Dimitra out the door, the screen door closing behind them with a soft thud. She looked at the crates, the bottles. Was this a good time to mention that she had terrible aim? She had given Jackson one too many bruises with a baseball because she couldn't aim at his dang blasted glove. Jade looked down at the gun with a bit of a deer in the headlights. "I suppose you're right" She let out a soft huff before following her down to the makeshift range. Sweet thing, Arthur called her that sometimes and it was equally as flustering. She watched as Dimitra held out the rifle, okay, no worries she thought. It's empty, she can't do any damage. Jade followed Dimitra's instruction before pointing the rifle, the butt of the gun lifted to her left shoulder, her dominant hand's shoulder. She didn't know much but she did hear her father talking with his old war stories sometimes. He called it a stock weld and thankfully Jade had the privilege of knowing how to read, she remembered the older man's look when she asked for a book about guns. Yet she was still terrified, this thing was so big and bulky.

She felt Dimitra's hands on her shoulders, she took that as she was too tense but it also flustered Jade to no end, the pink instantaneously rushing to her cheeks. Control, Calm. She sucked in a deep breath before exhaling "Do smaller guns work better? If those even exist" She questioned.
Edward
She held in a laugh as Jade positioned herself. She didn't want to laugh and make Jade think she was doing anything wrong, but it was entirely *Adorable* How she looked so nervous; like a child holding their father's gun for the first time, a little awkward, too big for their small body. Dimitra pressed closer behind her and adjusted Jade's grip on the gun, her hand sliding up the woman's arm to fix her hands. "We'll work on smaller guns after you master how to use this big boy. This'll blast a hole right through one of those werewolves," She told her. "Now..." 

She laid her hand over Jade's. "You'll cock the gun and..." She pulled the trigger; it was empty, so it made clicking sound. "Look down the barrel and try and line up your target," She said in her ear. 

"You ready for me to load this?" She asked her. "Don't worry, I've got you some cheap ammo to work with." She finally backed off as she grabbed the little box and held them up. "I'll teach you how to load it up, too." Dimitra promised her with a grin. "Once you land a few shots, I'll show you how to use my pistol."
Eric
Jade must've looked so awkward with that thing in her hands. Dimitra must've thought the same thing judging the way Dimitra couldn't hide herself so well, not from Jade at the very least. She let out a small laugh as Dimitra waltzed over and helped. Jade flustered as Dimitra pressed close to her. She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. "Smaller guns may be more my speed." Was any gun her speed? Considering her miss, Dimitra's words had a way of making her feel more comfortable. Dimitra's hands were warm as they grazed Jade's. Dimitra essentially led Jade's hands throughout the shooting process. She wasn't as confident but she would get there. Jade looked to Dimitra before nodding "I reckon so..." A nervous giggle slipped past her lips. "You can't get too mad at me if I break something, please." 

She looked to the ammo, a wave of curiousity making its way over her. She had seen ammunition before but it was only the casing, sometimes they were outside the Courier, and sometimes she found them outside in the yard from when her daddy had gone out there drunk. She nodded showing that she understood Dimitra. "So which one is easier to handle? The bigger one or the smaller one? Or does it not make a difference?" She could ask Arthur this kind of stuff but he wouldn't really answer her. He was very much a 'don't worry your pretty little head' type of person, she liked it. Yet sometimes she really did need to know more. There would be things he couldn't always protect her from... Yet she held herself to the standard to always protect her friends. She looked up from the ammo and at Dimitra, she wanted to be like her. Fearless, absolutely fearless this woman was. 

Clever, and pretty. Very Pretty. Dimitra was a beautiful soul and Jade felt the warmth just from being around her. It was a nice reminder that she didn't have to be a housewife, she didn't have to be a mother, she could do her own thing. Dimitra had done it ten times over. "Do you think it is fun to shoot? When thing

S aren't life or death I mean"

||
Edward
Dimitra watched Jade a moment as she took the gun from her and demonstrated how to open the gun and slide the ammo into the proper chamber, before she closed it up. "Make sure your safety's on or you'll blow a hole in your foot," She told her. A grin crossed her lips and she shrugged. 

"It can be a lot of fun, I think. Helps me let off steam sometimes, just going out and shooting at a squirrel and taking it home for dinner. Not with this thing, though. This'll blast a squirrel straight to bits," She laughed and shook her head, helping Jade get back into position. 

"This gun might give you a little kickback, alright? Just hold onto it firm, don't be scared of it. You're in control of it." She squeezed her shoulders and backed up a step. 

"Alright, Jade. Let me see what you got, girl." Dimitra crossed her arms over her chest, dissecting Jade's stance. Honestly, sometimes, she was envious of girls like Jade. 

She was cute, she had a man to help her along the way and tell her not to worry about a single damn thing. That sounded kind of nice, sometimes; to not have to think. Not that Jade didn't think... But to be able to rely on someone and trust them so wholly, that for a moment, you don't have to? That seemed nice. Of course, she would never find that in Jade's *Abysmal* Taste in men... Arthur Maldorano of all people? But she supposed the heart wants what it wants. She knew that better than most. 

"Fix your legs, stand sturdy. Once we finish with this, we'll switch to the handgun. You'll find it easier, but this thing will help you take out a wolf. A little handgun will only stun the damn thing."
Shirley
``This interaction has ended``