<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Old Man and the Fox</strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/f9p8l32.png)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Albion<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>September 28th, 2018, Afternoon<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>Outdoor Shooting Range<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Nerissa<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>Standard SOPHE uniform<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"... Well, you're nothing if not honest. Unfortunately for you, one and done doesn't cut it for this kind of training." He was beginning to realize she wasn't intentionally ditzy or dumb... She just didn't get the weight of the situation. If they had sent her out into active combat, there was no telling what could happen to her. Which meant it was the job of people like him to ensure that didn't hap- "... What was that about grinding my- Has this happened to you before by someone from SOPHE?" He narrowed his eyes. Perhaps he'd been too hasty in assuming others wrote her off as a lost cause. It did seem to be the first time the man seemed mildly concerned for her, but he didn't progress beyond that.<br/><br/>Upon the mention of a lack of a wedding ring, he looked at his hand and shrugged. "I think you're confusing the meaning of approachable. I'm not interested in relationships, least of all from anyone in SOPHE." He frowned, before he closed his eyes. "Show me you can be someone who can be reliable instead of a liability, and then maybe we can get along." Hee concerns about talking more when she was nervous... Well, he guessed he couldn't blame her, he was probably the first male instructor she encountered that apparently did not look at her like a piece of meat, and so she needed to actually try to earn his favor.<br/><br/>Ah, she thought it was probably a joke when he said he would shoot her. He leaned in, glaring into her eyes so she could read his expression. Frightening how it had changed little from the moment she met him... It was like he didn't know how to smile at all. Neutrality and frowns were all he wore. "Nerissa, does this look like the face of someone well-versed in jokes?" The question was purely rhetorical, but getting the notion that she would answer for the sake of something to say, he pulled back: "Don't bother to answer."<br/><br/>The clicks went by as she added cartridges to the magazine, all the while explaining a bit of her back. His eyes closed, not out of frustration, but pondering as he turned to look at her. "Your mom sounds like my kind of friend, then... Look, I'm sure she was interested in your well-being, so I hope I don't have to find out you resented her for your treatment. Your world sounds more hellish than ours, and you don't sound like you learned the lessons she wanted you to." He fired the remark point blank, before giving a soft nod.<br/><br/>"All the more reason you need to take this training seriously. You don't have to be someone's plaything to live... Neither do you need to die. Just apply yourself and focus on bettering yourself, in your ways and ours, and no one will dare inconvenience you." He finished, pushing himself up to a proper stand as he watched her attempt to overcome take he second trial. It was too much take he hope for a one-test wonder, but it was also natural for her to not be well-versed in shooting a moving target under the pressure of a clock.<br/><br/>"Worry about begging for second chances after this. You're still on your first chance, make the most of it before crying for another." He narrowed his eyes, pointing out maybe he was once like her. Wit a slow nod, he confirmed it. "Once upon a time, I was. I had time to learn it, but the way those skills were cultivated... I rather not remember. I'm not expecting you to hammer all of this down in the course of an hour or two. Just show me enough competency that you can continue to learn in coming days. It's only going to get harder for you before it becomes easier." He spoke frankly.<br/><br/>Tilting his head as if to ponder her final question, he hummed and nodded. "I suppose... But you've had it easy long enough. Prove you can work under pressure first, then we can train at your leisure."