2014.02.24 - Archery Lessons

Central Park...
It is beautiful, even in the grips of winter with snow still dotting the ground. Currently, a portal target has been set up away from the more crowded areas, though this area is certainly not abondoned by far. Still, not too many people are in the park, so it means the duo - Cissie King-Jones and Lian Harper - didn't have to wander far to make sure no one got poked by kid arrows!
The target is a soft Styrofoam with the painted target symbol. The bow Lian is using? It is actually Cissie's old childhood bow. It was surprisingly well cared for with no cracks or damages. The arrows are blunted so Lian doesn't risk injuring herself and are short so they are made for a child's arm length. The bow must have been custom made from the looks of it, just made years ago. "That's it Lian, just imagine it. We aren't very far from the target, so you don't have to really point it upward to make it fly." Cissie's tone is gentle and patient, and she doesn't sound pushy at all.
The duo are bundled up against the cold, and both wear thin gloves however to make it easier to use bows and arrows. Cissie's own bow hangs from a hook that hangs off a brown leather quiver. This is her traditional practice bow she has, and her arrows aren't blunted though there is a separate, harder target set up nearby where she showed Lian stances and technique earlier.
Central Park has plenty of pedestrian traffic this time of day, even with the cold. In the crowd across the way is a woman dressed in a smart business suit and overcoat, like so many others here today. With hair pulled back, neutral make-up and glasses, she could be nearly anyone. Just taking a call in the middle of the park. 
In this case, however, the call is completely bogus. Jade Nguyen, a.k.a. Cheshire, is watching her daughter's archery lesson with a casual, yet critical eye. The disguise is good. So good, in fact, that Lian would have to be looking very hard to spot her mother.
The girl's brow furrows at the instruction. "But that's how they do it in the Hunger Games, Cissie!" Lian protests. "Katniss points it waaaaay up high and it goes really far." And then the girl demonstrates, only without releasing the arrow. Giving Cissie a look that says she knows she's right, Lian lowers the bow and aims flat - intending to prove her point. Taking the stance, she draws the bow slowly, breathes, and lets it fly.
"That is thematic drama, but not real shooting. Remember, television is just play pretend and we are doing the real thing," Cissie states. As the arrow is let loose, it does jolt forward that mere three feet, but hits the target off and doesn't stick to it at all. But Cissie? She says, "Good job!" We won't talk about the number of times the arrow was dropped earlier, nope, we won't mention those at all! "Don't worry though, soon enough you will get to stand far enough from the target that you can be all dramatic too and point to the air and still hit your target," and Cissie winks at Lian supportively. She's patience and doesn't scold Lian or lecture her once. The young woman seems naturally cheerful with the child, and supportive. Perhaps she's a little too sensetive to Lian's feelings and being extra supportive.
Lian beams at the praise, looking from the target to her instructor. "See! Oh, well I -did- hit it after all!" Apparently her babysitter -does- know a little bit. Much to the child's surprise, her delight in hitting outweighing any moral need to be 'right' this time. She's turning to load another arrow when she suddenly freezes. Eyes go wide, and Lian jumps up and down while waving the bow around. "Mommy-mommy-mommy! Did you see? I can shoot! Just like Katniss!"
Her 'call' apparently complete, the woman in the designer suit walks towards them at a measured, controlled pace. Jade's features could be either Asian or European, likely something of both. She moves well in the heels, staying on the path all the same. As she gets closer she smiles warmly, her attention mostly directed towards her daughter. "Hello, Lian. And yes, I saw. You're doing well, darling." Crouching smoothly, Jade offers open arms to her daughter.
Cissie instictively stiffens at the call of 'Mommy', her eyes widening a bit. Alright, Roy did NOT warn her she would have to personally deal with Lian's umm...assassin mother. Nope, nope, don't panic! She has this under control! Just let her remember to breathe!!!
Cissie's blue eyes snap up toward Jade. Alright, so she doesn't look so scary as the woman comes to greet her daughter. Cissie moves to stand to her feet, her stance a little defensive, but her expression unsure. Darn Roy for not telling her how to deal with this, she will kick his butt later!!! Cissie almost reaches out to stop Lian, but stops the motion. Assassin or not, she's still Lian's mom. She knows about mom's not being perfect, though she doesn't think her mom ever killed people for a living thankfully. Cissie doesn't say anything, her eyes watchful and a mixture of wary and unsure.
Jade's smile brightens as Lian runs into her arms, bow still in hand. Greeting her mother without judgement or prejudice, Lian hugs her tight. And the hug is returned warmly. Rising with graceful ease, the woman shifts one hand down to lightly clasp her daughter's as she turns her attention to Cissie. All warmth leaves the smile, then, which somehow doesn't quite manages to reach those green eyes. "And who is this, darling?" she asks in a voice soft as silk.
"Oh! Mommy this is Cissie, and she's teaching me how to SHOOT a BOW! Just like Katniss!" Tugging her mother's hand, Lian half-drags the woman the few steps closer to include Cissie in the conversation now.
The assassin offers her free hand, ungloved, with nails neatly manicured. "Well hello, Cissie. I'm Jade, Lian's mother. I'm pleased to see my daugher is in such capable hands." The moving gaze sizes the girl up, and yes she most definitely notices the bow and arrows.
Cissie is polite though, even though she thinks sweat is dripping down her spine. Human interactions in the strangeness called the superhero and supervillain world is not something she has experience with! She really does come off as kind of a 'normal' girl. But she offers her hand, "A...pleasure to meet you Miss Jade." Cissie...Cissie King-Jones...Olympic Medalist for last Summer Olympics archery if Jade follows it at all. She is on a number of sport advertisements and the like. the young woman smiles, though abid a bit awkwardly as she's so nervous. She's thankful for the leather gloves she has on, so Jade can't tell her palms are sweaty!
There are relatively few areas of Central Park that a certain archer doesn't know. After a fashion, this park is as much 'hers' as Gotham is to Batman. So when there's even a /hint/ of a rumor of someone else shooting a bow and an arrow in this park, she usually goes to check it out right away. In fact, well......
As Cissie greets Jade, the female archer in purple is coming up a path.
She recognizes Cissie.
She recognizes Lian.
She /DOESN'T/ recognize Jade.
Which if anything prompts Hawkeye to move faster. She doesn't run. She doesn't pull out an arrow, but she is holding her bow, just in case...
Jade Nguyen's grip is firm and professional, as is the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Cissie." she replies. Does she know who this blonde teenager is? Quite likely. Jade follows such things, after all. Without looking down, she addresses her daughter in a softer voice. "Lian, honey, why don't you continue practicing? We'll watch you from here."
The girl is used to 'big people talk', although it's usually something between her parents. With a shrug, she turns her attention back to bow, arrows, and target. "Okay, mommy, but waaaatch me, okay? Don't miss anything."
Cissie's own grip is mostly firm, but is certainly professional. She takes a careful, polite step back from Jade so not to stand too close afterwards. Jade may notice an unusual body language from Cissie. It doesn't show a lot of confidence, but there is alertness and...her body language doesn't seem to lie. Still, she watches Lian from the corner of her eyes. "Shoulder's back Lian," she says gently, but firmly, as if instinctively to correct the stance of the child. But then that's when the sound of someone approach reaches her ears and she turns her head, eyes widening a bit at the approach of the purple archer. Did Cissie just pale even more? Yep...this girl has a secret identity!
Hey, don't feel bad Cissie. Hawkeye does too. Heck, if it weren't for the bow, it'd be hard to tell if she were a costumed hero or not at first glance, especially with the large trench coat like jacket she tends to wear over her costume during the winter. Odds are all she'd have to do is take her 'sunglasses' off, and she could passes as another person in the crowd.
*Cough*
But anyways... So the archer in purple might not recognize Cissie. But she more than likely got clued in about her by Roy, so she probably has some sort of idea what she looks like?
Either way, as she gets closer she blinks slightly as she watches Lians use of a bow, but she doesn't say anything about it. Nope. All though when she does get close enough, she does nod at Cissie and Jade as she pauses, and... Just watches?
Jade relaxes her grip as Cissie eases back, her expression showing rather open amusement at the blonde teen's manner. Then she -stiffens- at the purple archer's approach. Not a lot, but there's a heightened sense of alertness as Hawkeye hits the assassin's radar. "I wasn't aware that Central Park was such a haven for archers." she remarks lightly to Cissie. Of course she just -assumes- that Hawkeye is there for backup of some sort. Jade is famous for contingencies, and it's how -she- would play it.
"Watch, mom-meeee!" Lian calls out, drawing the bow back slowly. She adjusts her stance, easing her shoulder back like Cissie says. The arrow is released, only this time it actually sticks in the target. "I did it! I did it! Did you see?"
Cissie herself jerks to attention and claps, "Yay!" She makes sure to smile widely for Lian. Though after a few moments she says, "I thought Lian would like Central Park better than the University." Yep, she's totally pretending to be NORMAL. Sadly, in many ways, she totally is! "And this was closer to her home." Cissie makes a point to have Lian find archery fun, and for it to be a game. She doesn't drill hard practice into Lian, or intense repetition like her mother did to her. But Cissie then awkwardly waves toward Kate, "Ummm...hi?"
There's a slight nod at Cissie, and even a smile, before Hawkeye nods slightly at Jade.
"Oh, Green Arrow and Speedy have been known to run through this park from time to time. The male Hawkeye too. Not to mention one or two others."
Then well, there's a slight grin.
"And of course Arsenal made it a point a time or two to wrap up every drug dealer he came across in the park."
"But for the most part, I'm usually the resident archer of Central Park. The name is Hawkeye, Ma'am."
The woman in the designer suit inclines her head, green eyes sizing up the purple archer. "It's fortunate, then, that I am not a drug dealer." she replies casually. "But forgive my manners. I'm Jade; Lian's mother. Are you one of her babysitters as well, Hawkeye? I was under the impression that she only required one at a time."
For her part, Lian is enjoying the practice. She waves vigorously to Hawkeye, then takes her time in setting up another laboriously-aimed shot.
"Huh? Just me," Cissie says quietly. AWKWARD! This is why Cissie doesn't really normally have friends, secret identities tough! But her mom understands the risks at least and can defend herself. "And no crime here!" Yes, please no assassinations! She bites her lower lip, but then goes to pay attention to Lian, watching her closely and relaxes her shoulders when she realizes the little girl doesn't know anything is wrong. She's protective of Lian.
"Sorry, I'm...sorta new to Lian's life, so I apologize for any umm..awkwardness. I'm just a family friend. I met Roy because we are both archery fanatics." And that is partially true, so Cissie sounds convincing enough for the most part!
And Hawkeye... Grins?
"No. I'm not her babysitter. Not today anyways. If anything, I was just passing through. But considering who's here..."
She motions towards Lian."
"You can't blame me for watching. After all, I think she might be able to match her father with a little work."
Then though, there's a grin at Cissie.
"No harm, no fowl. I probably should of introduced myself better. I'm Hawkeye. I work with her father."
Okay, so that remark puts Hawkeye on Jade's list of people-to-research-later. But the 'work' link is enough for now. "He never mentioned you, Hawkeye, but I'll be sure to ask about you the next time we talk." A casual enough remark, to be sure. Or it would be, if it wasn't for the way Jade's smile was a bit -too- polite when she made it.
"I quite understand that you feel ...protective of my daughter, Cissie. I am protective of her as well." The pause may be deliberate, but the effect is the same regardless. The role of mama bear will be played by the crazy assassin today. "But please, don't let me interrupt the lesson. Lian, mommy needs to go in a couple minutes! You be good for Cissie, and tell your father I will talk with him soon."
Cissie blinks at that, "Umm...well, it would make you a sucky mom if you weren't protective of her," is the young woman's response. She isn't sure how else to respond to that! Talk about out of her element. But she then remembers to smile politely, but it looks like she wants to hide right now from Jade who is coming off somehow scary while being polite.
Lian will of course rush over to give her mom a hug good-bye, before she will return to her archery. It is only then, that Cissie wanders closer to Lian, "Remember, feet braced apart, keep yourself steady and your shooting will be more true." She then glances over at Hawkeye-girl, mouthing: 'Scary.'
On the other hand, she does fully understand what Jade means by 'being protective' of her daughter. Or at least she'd like to think that she does, given what happened with her own mother.
And then, well... There's a nod at what's mouthed by Cissie, before saying back towards Jade.
"It's nice to finally meet you Ma'am. I look forward to it again."
On the other hand, as soon as that's said, she starts to move over towards Cissie, and tries to slip the other girl what looks like a thumb drive.
Category:Log