Another spacious side room with a fireplace, sofa, comfortable reading chairs and a regular table and chairs.

"Understood. It's good to refresh the basics every once in a while." Jesse nodded and kept in mind that he was to keep quiet.

<---Main room
This message was last edited by the player at 23:15, Sat 01 Aug 2009.

Mason steps into the room, setting his bag down and picking up the table, easily moving it into a position where multiple people can sit on one side but leave the other side clear for him to stand.  He puts three chairs on one side and motions for Aramandel and Yana to sit.  Two other chairs, he sets off to the side.  Taking his jacket off and placing it onto the back of one the chairs, it is now seen that he is wearing not two pistols but four.  One in a shoulder holster, one in a cross draw holster, one in a quick draw holster and another in a holster at the small of the back.  He waits to see if the young man is going to stay or go.

=====> Fromthe tavern

Yana follows in.  Being a rank novice with the unknown weapon, she stays to the back.  She dislikes feeling ignorant, but is forcing herself to learn this new skill.  She's planning to "buckle down" and learn many new things with her new life.

Jesse quietly sat in a free chair, out of the way of everyone else. He set his things to the side of the table. His eyes widened at the sight of four futuristic handguns.

"Wow." He muttered as he unloaded and unchambered his weapons and placed them on the table.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Sat 01 Aug 2009.

Nessa slunk into the back, offering a reassuring smile at Yana, but hung back, leaning against the wall.  With weapons collecting on the table, she added her own old Lercker to the pile, with a smile  to Mason, she returned to leaning against the back wall.

After everyone is seated, he stands in front of them.

"When I said we were going to start with the basics that is what we are doing.  Guns are dangerous and every year in my world, people are killed by accidents involving guns.  Hundreds of children die every year.

The four basic rules of firearms safety are as follows:
1. Always assume that any gun you see is loaded.
2. Never aim a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Always be sure of your target."

He picks up his bag and sets it on the table, pulling out a small handgun.  He holds the gun so that the barrel is pointed at the ground and pulls back the breech and looks inside of the gun to verify that it is empty.

"When you pick up a gun, the first thing you do is check to see if it is loaded.  This gun is unloaded."

He sets the gun down in front of Aramandel.  He repeats the process with another identical pistol, setting it down in front of Yana.

"This gun is unloaded as well."

He turns to Vanessa, giving a knowing smile.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:17, Sun 02 Aug 2009.

Yana looks nervously at the unloaded pistol, as if it were a bottle of nitroglycerin with a large crack in the side.

Jesse sat silently and watched with attention. He nodded reasuringly to Yana and Aramendel.

Still a little melancholy when entering, he took his seat and watched as the  procession of weapons form on the table. He felt like he should be contributing, for the last 30 years he was the teacher for basic lessons, not the student. It was a weird role reversal.

It seemed to be happening often to the elf.

When the lecture started, Aramen perked up though. As the weapon laid there before him he gave a look and a half motion, as if to ask wordlessly if it was okay to pick it up.

"The weapon before you is a Narcojet Pistol.  I have carried one of these for over 20 years.  While most guns fire a solid lead projectile, this fires a chemical round.  It is usually loaded with a chemical that can render a full grown man unconscious in under one second.  Go ahead and pick up the weapon and feel the weight."

He stands before them, his hands resting on his hips.

He felt like such a child right now, but it seemed to come with the territory. Taking a deep breath he tentatively picked up the weapon and began to really examine it, even more so from when he first handled one when he first arrived. He began to mimic the actions of Mason for when he handled it to try to figure out what he was checking for.

"A sleep poison? Is it actual sleep, or a blackout?"

Yana picks up her "gun" too.  She's careful to point it away from other people, treating it like a loaded crossbow (which is  leaning against the wall behind her).
The weapon is so.....tiny!!!  If people she hadn't trusted hadn't said it, she wouldn't have believed that such a device could do that kind of damage or incapacitate a man so quickly.
The raven-haired rogue thought about the small drow hand crossbows and other more magical devices.  She was skilled in their use, but THIS!!!!   A non-magical weapon with that kind of power, and NO poison to worry about?

She smiled, like a child at Yule.

Nessa stayed arms crossed, leaning against the wall at the back of the room.  It bothered her a lot to watch Aramen and Yana handling the guns and it helped little to know they were quite thoughtful and considered or that Mason a good teacher.  She met the man's eye across the room holding them a second before looking away.

They had both too much experience for this not to twinge at least a little... she looked back out toward the tavern's main room and thought about the people there... in particular Ski.  Of the lot, she believed he had too much experience too.  But he hadn't seemed to have gotten detached yet, she wasn't sure what was worse.  She gave a deep sigh, and returned her attention to those before her, folding herself up a little tighter.

He nods to the two and shows them how to open the breech to verify that the weapon is empty.  "It is not a sleep, but a chemically induced state of unconsciousness.  Depending upon the metabolism, the target could be unconscious for anywhere from 5 minutes to 4 hours."

After they have spent some time looking over the weapons, he continues. "All of those rules that everyone out in the other room told you, forget them all." He looks at Jess.  "Those are all based upon humans going against humans."

They spend half an hour going over basic firearm safety and handling, ending with a proper shooters stance, and how to bring up and fire a gun.  After this time, they still have not held a loaded weapon.

"If you are comfortable with holding, you can practice with a few rounds.  These weapons are silent and do not have the kick of most guns.  You will be firing empty chemical capsules."

Yana raises her hand.  Me, me, me!!!!  I want to shoot one!

She's looking eagerly at the weapons after Mason's lecture.

"..." Jesse crossed his leg and leaned back. He smiled at Yana's enthusiasm.

"Drat," mutters Aramen under his breath after finding out its a black out poison. Still he listens intently.

* * *
As the lesson goes on, he picks up everything rather fast, yet something about it all seems awkward, but he can't figure out what without trying more. He keeps the thought to himself as he just repeats a posture drill a dozen times.

* * *

"How could I compete with that?" Aramen says while looking down the sights and off to the side.

"Ladies first," he concedes with a smile.

Yana grinned at Aramendel.

Awww....you think I'm a "lady".  And here I thought that you had been paying attention since we met years ago.

She giggled.

Ness frowned more deeply as things progressed and Yana's enthusiasm, but bit her lip.  Only after a minute did she look at Mason, Perhaps a weapon with a bit of a kick would be better? She met Mason's eyes, clearly saying more than her words,

He nods to Vanessa, giving a small smile.  "I agree."  He reaches into his bag and pulls out a thin rectangular box.  "Your initial shots will be with the Narco Jet pistols then you will fire this."  He hits a button and the box unfolds into an SMG.



"This is the Ares Switchblade.  It fires a 9mm round.  It is loud and when you fire it you will be able to feel a significant recoil."  He ejects the clip and opens the breech to verify that the weapon is empty.  "Much like the pistol, the major difference is the shoulder stock.  By bringing it up to the shoulder, you have a much steadier aim and the recoil is easier to handle."  He then hands it first to Aramandel.  "Familiarize yourself with this, then we will go outside."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:03, Mon 03 Aug 2009.

A weapon with "recoil" doesn't sound like as much fun, but Yana is still eager to see it.    She anxiously awaits her turn.

As Aramendel accepts the weapon he shoulders it tightly, as one would a large crossbow. With just a shake of his head he displays his dissatisfaction with the stance. Again he tries, looking for the sweet spot. After a bit of adjustment, he finds a good hold at the edge of his armor.

With the weapon shouldered, he drops the magazine and returns it clumsily. The weight of the weapon felt better than the narcojet, but it was still awkward. There was alos something about it that just did not feel right, but he would not know for sure until he fired it.

Jesse cocked an eyebrow at the sight of the folding SMG and Aramendel's discomfort with the stock. He wondered of he should bringout the wooden stock of his M14 and switch out the EBR housing.

Jesse did remember he promised not to interfere with the lesson, so he kept his mouth shut and resolved to let Aramendel pop a few shots off with the traditional M14.

He did decide to raise his hand and wait for permission to ask Aramendel if he'd like to try the EBR after the Ares, the padded buttstock of the weapon seemed a bit more comfortable compared to the striaght edge of the Ares Switchblade.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:57, Mon 03 Aug 2009.

She shifted again uncomfortably against the back wall. Giving Mason small smile, to indicate her discomfort was not with him or what he saying.  Her attention shifting to Jesse as he raised his hand, now she tried not to smile, but it wasn't working well.

"Aramandel, when you fire it, you need to have it snug into the shoulder."  He helps to ensure that it is snug.  "When you fire a crossbow, you can feel a small amount of kick, it is a small fraction of what this is.  And this is a fraction of what a larger caliber weapon is.  Let Yana familiarize herself with the weapon and we will go outside."

Turning towards Jess, he nods. "What is it?"

"Umm...maybe Aramendel and Yana take off the leather armor? Un-rubbered plastic stocks slide off leather pretty well... I'll shut up now..." Jesse nearly stammered, as he seemed to be reminded by Mason of his old PE Teacher for the moment.

His eyes are the palest blue, cold bombardier's eyes.  "The butt stock has a non slip coating, and if they are going to wear their armor, they need to train to shoot in it."  He steps up to Vanessa, handing her the Lercker and saying something softly to her.

Once everyone is done, he picks up the bag and collects up the SMG.  "Take those pistols outside and we will start to practice.  I am going to get something from the bar, I'll meet you outside in a few minutes."

"Right...future...forgot about that..." Jesse slunked down, embarrassed. He'll follow everyone when the group was ready.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:24, Tue 04 Aug 2009.

"Hmm. . ."

Aramen adjusted his sash and tightened it, placing the cloth over the shoulder. It wasn't much better of a grip. Still, it wasn't the stock that was giving him trouble. He handed the weapon off to Yana to feel and then began to head outside. He pauses by Vanessa and leans, pausing.

Yana cradled the weapon against her shoulder like Mason had taught her.  It felt sort of like a crossbow, which was good.  She'd always enjoyed the feel of the slight recoil of a heavy crossbow as the quarrel was launched to sink into her enemy.  It meant it was one more foe that she didn't have to kill up close.
Like she'd said before, killing up close was something you earned.
Yana, of course, generally tried to avoid working hard enough to earn anything.

I like it!  Let's try it out.

Grinning to Mason, she hands the weapon back (or to whomever was next in line) and follows Aramendel.

Jesse blinked as Yana handed the Ares off to him. He stood up and did a standard safety and brass check. He pointed himself in a safe direction and brought it up.

"Hmm." He made a small sound as he repeated a quick target acquisition drill a few times.

"Not bad target acquisition, excellent handling. Good nonslip stuff too." He commented with a small smile.

"Never handled a FMG before, but the straight edge of the buttstock is a bit wierd for me." He said as he pulled the bolt back twice to confirm empty and handed it back to Mason carefully.

"Thank you." He said, he then gathered his things and followed his two new friends; Yana and Aramendel.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:53, Tue 04 Aug 2009.

Taking her gun back, and returning it to the comfort of her back she smiled at Mason, and gave a brief nod.  She smiled listening to Jesse, perhpas he was starting to 'get it.'  Grabing the shot gun and bullets, she started to head out before Aramen paused, she smiled warmly at the young elf,

Aramendel gave a slight nod to the woman and followed Mason out into the main room.

>>To Main Room >>

Yana smiled as she passed Vanessa.
One of the guns was HERS?  The young rogue was impressed.  She chuckled inwardly, recalling her first impression of the woman as a visiting princess or some other pampered nobility.
Then again, she mused, many of the nobles from her world knew how to use a sword.

=============> To Tavern

Jesse gathered all his things and followed the group.

--->Tavern
This message was last edited by the player at 20:30, Tue 04 Aug 2009.

When he gets into the room, he sets his drink and bag down on the table and again proceeds to take off his jacket and shoulder holster.  Carefully putting both on the back of a chair.  His voice is low to Vanessa before the others come in.

[from main room]

Vanessa placed her drink down on the table as well, and listen to Mason with a scowl, answering him in a whisper.

He smiles broadly and almost laughs, but his voice drops down.

The smile Nessa responded with was a bit sheepish.

Coming in behind the others, Aramen finally speaks up.

"What was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

Yana, still a bit starry-eyed from her first "gun fight" assumes that another lesson is in order, and smiles blissfully, holding Aramendel's arm warmly.

He looks at the young couple and maintains his neutral demeanor. "Armandel, this is more directed to Yana, but I thought it best if you hear this as well." He motions for them to sit and then stands a little ways away not close enough for it to seem threatening, but close.  "I don't know if I can get you to understand this, but I have to try.  Guns are devastating weapons, and you really need to respect them."

He takes off his shirt then T-shirt, showing the two young people his chest and back which are both covered in dozens are scars, many of them small and round.  He turns and points to a scar on the left side of his back, his arm twisting at a near impossible angle.  "This scar is from a bullet from a powerful rifle that went through my armor.  It destroyed my left lung and grazed my heart.  It was fired by a 16 year old kid.  I shot and killed him before I hit the ground.  I would have died if I didn't have a chummer near by that was able to help me."  He shows his abdomen and points to another scar.  "This is where a bullet from a handgun went below my armored vest and pierced my liver.  It was an accidental discharge fired from a friend's gun."  There are numerous other scars that show a lifetime of violence.

He calmly puts the shirts back on.  "Yana, people in my world own guns to protect their homes from intruders, they are more likely to kill a member of their own family by mistake than they ever are to need it to defend themselves from an intruder.  I am going to be going back to my world and I will be returning.  I ask that you avoid using guns until I come back.  I will bring some training aids that will greatly help."

Yana makes a confused,  horrified look at Mason.
"As likely to kill their own family"?   Are this weapons THAT unpredictable, or are those people just that incompetant?  I've had injuries from misfiring crossbows before, certainly, so I'd NEVER disrespect a weapon.  Ever. 

She seems a little insulted that Mason would need to remind an experienced warrior like herself about the dangers of weapons, but nods her ascent, perhaps realizing that Mason didn't really know her that well, and probably would have given to same lecture to anyone.

Aramen put his hand on Yana's shoulder, as just a don't be offended gesture as he gave a nod to Mason. He was worried about Yana as well it seemed. The young girl seemed to be enjoying the shooting a lot. If Aramen let himself go a bit like he normally would, he would have as well, but with something so foreign, he wasn't going to.

"I have a few scars like that as well. You are quite lucky to have such capable medics to handle such wounds. For things that severe we rely on magical healing and that is not always available. Well, not for most people anyway. . . "

Yana nods, shrugging.
That's true, Mason.  Blades and bows are dangerous to the clumby, ill-trained, or inattentive.  I have several scars from my days of learning knife-fighting or bowmanship.   I'll do what you ask, though.   I don't mind waiting.

She smiles to Aramendel.
I have PLENTY of time to learn the finer points, I suppose.

"Indeed you do, Liri, Indeed you do. . . just so long as you stay healthy."

He still had his doubts about the whole potion thing. For all he knew so far it was just a bottle of sugar waters, or if it would work as it was described. The werewolf didn't seem the type do do something like that, but Aramen didn't know him too long to judge properly. Yana seemed to trust him and that would do, he supposed. There still were always doubts.


For the first time he really took a look around the room and noticed the comfortable amenities of the side rooms. Shifting over to the couch, he stretches out a bit onto an ottoman and yawns.

"They really shouldn't keep a fire going like this all the time if the room is usually empty, but I guess it is probably well contained in ways we can't even see. I love that crackling sound."

Yana giggled at the elven ranger.

With all the weird magic in this place, capable of stopping the most powerful spells, and you're thinking that keeping a fire going is an effort for these people?

The dark-haired human snuggled up closer to him.
This is probably a permanant fire, from an Elemental Plane, or something, and probably STILL one of this place's more minor tricks.

She grinned.

The girl seemed oblivious to the fact that they were both wearing their light armors.

Nessa had slid into the chair behind them, watching, listening and wincing.

When Mason was dressed, she slid up to standing and met his eyes and gave a brief shake of her head. She thought about reinforcing Mason's words, saying it was all true of her world too, that regardless of skill... but she didn't dare open her mouth.  For a moment if she was just getting old, and too old for this.

The girl didn't get it, as far as she was concerned.  She was a precocious child...a great thing, but not when weapons were involved. She'd seen it before.  And in this case, she liked Aramendel a great deal.  Clearly Aramen liked Yana, and clearly Aramen saw what she and Mason were seeing. Opening her mouth, would be risking saying things that both Yana AND Aramen would take offense at.  Hopefully, at least for the elf's sake the girl wouldn't get herself or someone else killed accidentaly.  At that moment she figured it was the best she could hope for.

He hopes that Yana has a greater respect for guns, but isn't quite sure.  "And Yana, guns can be that temperamental and dangerous.  In wars in my world, there is a term called 'friendly fire.'  It refers to when someone is killed by someone on their own side."

He steps over to Aramandel and looks at the young elf in the eyes.  "Earlier you asked if the narco-jet induces actual sleep or a state of unconsciousness.  You seemed rather disappointed that it doesn't induce sleep.  Is sleep something you have trouble with?"

Aramen shrugged before putting his arm around Yana.

"It's just that my kind grows out of sleep as they age. For about 20 years we sleep, but then we learn to what common tongue calls trance. Its more a efficient, mental exorcise that provides pretty much the same benefits of sleeping. Once we grow out of sleeping, its very rare to ever do it again. Its just . . . well, we don't really dream. I only have vague memories what it was like, but I have had the desire to feel it once more."

He nods in understanding.  "I have had... difficulties sleeping in the past.  I do have a device that helps to put you directly into sleep stages 3 and 4... a deep sleep where you enter dreams right away."

The elf shook his head as a rejection of the unsaid offer.

"It sounds tempting, but I do not know what you mean by stage three sleep. It doesn't seem healthy for me to skip stage one and two if my body isn't accustomed to it."

Yana frowns in amusement at Mason's comments about friendly fire.

I'm starting to rethink my decision to learn to use these things as weapons, Mason.  I'm going to have to take this training VERY slowly, it seems.
How do your people even HAVE wars, if these weapons are so difficult to use?

<---Porch

"...Soldiers and people train and become competent. We wouldn't use guns as our main weapons if we couldn't teach people to be competent quickly." Jesse answered as he walked in during Yana's question.

"What's going on?" He asked as he scratched his head.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:33, Tue 11 Aug 2009.

Yana shrugs, and raises her eyebrows, as if wondering why she has to repeat herself.

Like I said, I've got "plenty" of time to learn these weapons, which should come in handy if I go to a world where they're used a lot.  But I'm in no rush, after all.  I've still got plenty to learn on MY world, for crying out loud.

She smiled.

Nessa had picked up her drink, but remained quiet, hovering in the back of the room.  While she wasn't exactly comfortable with Yana's perceptions, she thought it might keep the girl safe... unless some of the others here interfered.    But there was only so much one could do.

With a glance at Mason, she indicated she was going back to the other room, he would find her when he wanted and in the meanwhile, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the conversation.

[To Tavern]

Mason turns to go with Vanessa but stops and looks at Jesse.  "Guns are used because they are the most effective weapons.  In World War II for Americans, the estimated friendly fire death rate was estimated to be up to 18%.  Of the 406,000 American deaths, up to 78,000 were killed by their own side.  In the first Persian Gulf War, the friendly fire casualty rate was estimated at approximately 24%.  In the Dessert Wars, the statistics are closer to 28% for all sides.  Now, do you still think the Army's quick training of competency is a safe place to stop.  My standards of training are a lot higher than the army. "  There is no anger in his voice, no emotion at all, and the last is not said as a question.  It is obvious that he is not expecting an answer.

He picks up his bag and moves out to the main bar room.

<<< To Tavern >>>
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:45, Tue 11 Aug 2009.

"Competency is not the same as safe." Jesse replied to empty air.

"What did I get myself into?" He turned to Yana and Aramendel.

Yana gave Mason an incredulous look at he left.  When he was gone, she turned to Aramendel and Jesse.

Okay, so....maybe I'm just stupid, but why exactly did he show us these weapons if he was just going to turn around and tell us they were too dangerous to use?
I mean, I show some enthusiasm for this new kind of science that he was teaching, and he treats me like a brain-dead Goblin with a Staff of Power!  What is his problem?

Does he think that I"m going to use these 'guns' to trim my toenails or something?

She seems unsure whether to look amused or insulted.

"Most be a gun control type." Jesse shrugged.

"If his world is like mine then it is like this. People rather blame the gun for a crime or accident then the person responsible, a gun is scary. Just how emotions and the spin run I guess." He gave a dark look at the word spin.

"If you want I could explain as impartially as I can?"

"There's a lot more too it than that," comments Aramen as he removes the silvered scimitar from his waist and puts it up against the couch so he can sit better. "You were having a lot of fun with the practice, and for someone who doesn't know you, it could be seen as too much fun. I know better than to think that way of you, but from the outside you are much to pretty and cute. Its hard to think of you as a hardened fighter. Don't take offense, he is just a very protective person, even if it doesn't look it on the outside."

Yana nodded to the two men.
Well, I know that he doesn't know me, so I'm trying not to take it personally.
Shades, in my line of work, being underestimated is almost my 'secret weapon'!
Still, Jesse, if you want to explain more, I'll listen.  I WAS serious, after all, when I said that I'd be willing to learn more.

"Give me a sec. I need to remember some stuff." Jesse sat down and set up his laptop.

OOC: Give me a few hours, I'm a bit busy in RL.

Yana smiles.  She hoped that Jesse was a less dour teacher than Mason had been.

Take your time, friend.  I've got plenty of it.
Grinning at Aramendel, she waved down a passing server and ordered another mead and some fresh backed brown bread.

Mason comes up to the door.  "Aramandel, we are headed out.  I am not sure how long we are going to be gone this time.  It will most likely be at least a few days on the other side, but with the time differences..."  He shrugs.  "Is there anything else that you need?  I still could speak to the Voodoo Priest."

"I think we'll be alright," looking up with mild disappointment. "Just be sure to be careful, though I doubt I have to say that to you. I appreciate the offer but I will be okay. Try not to get Miss Vanessa into too much trouble."

"Next time my friend.  And I am always careful."  With a quick nod, he turns and heads back out into the main room.

<<< To Tavern >>>

With a deep sigh, Aramendel fell back into the couch again, nuzzling up with Yana. A few conflicting thoughts kept running through his mind. With everyone moving on and exploring other places, he felt the urge that he should be doing the same. Then again, there was the warm comfort right next to him. When it came down to him, the weight (as minor as it is) of the lass leaning on him was all it took to keep him put and make up his mind for him.

Yana snuggled up to Aramendel.
Maybe I should take off this armor?
She giggled.
Seriously?  I think that's my next "quest".  I need to find some protective magic that's more comfortable then leather armor. 

She looked at the elf intensely.
Maybe you could help me.....upstairs?

"Glad to. Lead the way, lirimaer"

He would lead her up, but was in no position to move.

Standing gracefully, Yana reached down and tugged on the elf's hand.
We'll be back in a while, Jesse.  I'd like to go to my room for a bit to .....unwind.

She leads the elf out of the room, smiling nervously.

========>  To tavern

Accepting her hand, Aramen follow her lead.

>>Tavern>>

"I'll be here, compiling the information." Jesse replied with a blush. He spent some time researching the subject, before leaving for the common room for a drink. He closed the door behind him as he left. Jesse would be back shortly, the room was very comfy in his opinion.

--->Tavern
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Sat 22 Aug 2009.