Kamda

Jyrvess waited patiently under a tree, the whole plain was wet and soggy...and the Corellian native had considered calling the whole thing off. But really a little rain was probably better for her anyway. Meant fewer people out and about.

Still it did no favors to her having to listen to the pitter-patter of rain hitting her poncho.

It didn't take long for her teacher to appear, unmistakeably Mandalorian judging by the t-visor of her helmet.

"Jyrvess," Raven greeted with a simple wave of her hand. "You're still alive, good. Kamda hasn't tried to kill you yet, or is it because it has tried that you contacted me?"

"A Mandolarian?" Jyrvess's eyes went wide. Being a well read lady, she nodded and added, "Cadera...I am long out of practice. Two years ago I would have recognized a clan name."

She smiled, "It hasn't yet, but...I would feel safer if I knew how to defend myself."

She cocked her head to the side and the visor gave Jyrvess a curious look. "I thought you contacted me because you knew."

No matter. "How experienced are you with firearms?"

"Honestly... you are the only person I know on planet who might be good with a gun..." Her mind turned to Roxi and Varna, "...that I trust to teach me..." She remembers the big shark man, "...and doesn't scare me to death."

"I qualified with pistols when I worked for The Library." She nodded solemny. "4 or so years ago."

"You're the strangest librarian I've ever met," she laughed. "You had to qualify for pistols as a librarian? And you're familiar with Mandalorian clans?"

Jyrvess chewed the inside of her cheek, "Most of your people have joined the Empire?" The unspoken question 'Why haven't you?' hangs in the air.

"Only those who've forsaken what it means to be a Mandalorian," she retorted a touch cooly.

"... So what kind of blaster you got?"

Jyrvess smiled sadly back at Raven and handed her a holdout pistol, "Sorry....to answer your questions. Well yes of course I am. It was a requirement."

Her holdout blaster had probably been fired once, when it was being quality tested.

She recognised the type and model easily as she inspected it, having used something similar herself for a long time. "It's not bad. The short range is a problem, since I take it you would prefer to put some distance between yourself and whoever's attacking you, right? If you got the creds, I'd suggest picking up something better."

"But to start with, let me see you give it a try." Raven passed the blaster back to Jyrvess. "Take aim at some of the trees here."

Jyrvess takes the pistol back and tries to shoot.....using both her hands to steady the shot. A long time goes by as the gun wobbles in her hands. Then even more time. About the time Raven was likely planning on just taking the gun...a single bolt streaks out. And hits a tree, because it is a forest after all.

Jyrvess lowers the gun and rather sheepishly looks to her instructor. "Can we...draw the target were I hit?"

Patience was one thing Raven had learned was needed to be a teacher, and so she watched patiently. Even if it was painfully stressful to watch someone have such a hard time squeezing the trigger at a tree. Guess outsiders don't let their kids play with blasters growing up...

"Right. We can do that," she said with a thoughtful nod. "Is it the target that makes you worry so much, or is it something else?"

Opening a pouch on her belt, she found something to mark a target with a red color, and walked towards one of the nearby trees.

"Oh...I didn't know I could do that," Jyrvess chuckled quietly, "...in truth..." She sighs, "Well let's just say I don't have any fans in the Empire. And it's getting to where I might need to use..."

She sighed, "Not that I am sure I can even shoot a living being."

"If you're planning on staying, that's not a bad idea, no," she agreed, marking up a circle on a tree. "You do know your blaster comes with a stun-function, right?"

Raven made a smaller circle inside the first one she had drawn.

Of course she didn't. "Umm yeah, I mean I'm not a complete umm....person of no fighting skill?" Jyrvess took the chance while Raven had her back turn to find the stun toggle. Oh that was what that switch was for. At least she wasn't pointing at anyone.

"But...well I know that sometimes you can't just leave a disabled opponent."

"True. Sometimes you gotta go in for the kill." Raven finished drawing a third circle, having now made a happy little target around Jyrvess' first shot so it looked like it had hit center.

"But stun works just as well most times. Especially if you just need to get out of there... Imps or regular goons just getting knocked out doesn't rile up their buddies as dead ones do. And I take it you don't wanna be wanted for murder either, so..." she gave a shrug and tapped the target with a gloved hand. "Remember, you don't need to shoot to kill. Just aiming to stop them is good enough to start with, alright?"

Jyrvess frowned and looked away, "...yeah wouldn't want that." She sighed, "I get your point."

"Look I hit the target on the first try." She points to the newly drawn circles. "Not bad for not having shot in four years."

"That you did," Raven chuckled and stepped away from the target.

"Now, try to hit it again. Work on your confidence with the weapon for now."

"...that's just unfair." Jyrvess exclaims but after a moment, she brings the pistol up and starts to aim again.

The bolt rang out again, the recoil flipping the pistol out of her hand. She grimaced and shook her injured hand. "Well that didn't go as..." She blinked. "Huh."

The shot had hit the target after all...

"Life ain't fair," the Mandalorian instructor said calmly and folded her arms across her chest.

Then she watched the somewhat disastrous but lucky shot with surprise. She took a moment to make sure that Jyrvess hadn't broken any fingers.

"Not bad, but I don't think that you can rely on that as a tactic..."