Safety Off \\ Joel & Sammy
He wouldnât lie and say he wasnât impressed by how quickly she picked it up. For someone who was very obviously a pure-bred, his pupil was a natural with manâs weapons. Waiting for her to empty the magazine before he moved forward, he gave the girl a thumbs up as he pushed the button to bring in the target. A few shots had hit the silhouette of the man, but a lot of them were also missing altogether.
âYep â definitely beginnerâs luck.â he teased her, putting up another piece of paper. âLetâs do it again.â Joel had the Izumi girl empty at least another four magazines, giving her pointers between every one, before he finally let up. He still remembered how sore his own fingers had been the first day he had ever picked up a gun. They would definitely be a little tingly for the rest of the day at least. Still, he had one more gift for the day. âBefore you go I want to give you one more thing.â he said as he packed up the weapon and bullets into a case, turning back to her. âI know it might seem extreme â but I want you to have this. No â you donât have to carry it around like I do mine, but some time Iâd like to get back to practicing, and I like my friends to be well protected.â he gave her a soft smile, extending the case to her.Â
They went at it for another four rounds. Joel showed her how to load and unload a gun, her and him switching off between rounds. Sam, honestly, was pretty impressed with herself by the end of their little lesson. Sheâd never handled a gun before now, but seemed to be a pretty decent shot. Good hand-eye coordination from high school seemed to have paid off.
The gun set was a bit of a surprise, however. It wasnât her gun, and she didnât believe it was the stationâs either. Joel was giving her a gift. However unconventional it was, it was still incredibly kind of him. She took it in her hands, being careful with her new weapon. âYou really shouldnât have.â It wasnât the most original thing to say, but it felt pretty right in this situation. Her smile was still a little disbelieving, but, it too, was kind.
It was then that it dawned on her. He called me his friend. âThanks.â It was all that she could muster. Sam didnât want to get too sentimental - Joel didnât seem like the type - so she kept it short and sweet. âThank you, Joel.â
The older man gave her a nod at the thanks, not much for the mushy-gushy stuff (as she was right to suspect). He ran a hand back through his hair before sighing, âI think that about does it for today. Weâll practice again another time.â he told her as he patted her shoulder, turning her around towards the exit. He didnât know exactly if he should say some -- he always had a hard time with that, even with Abigail. It wasnât that he didnât like giving praise and encouragement, he just didnât want to give it out too freely. If someone was given too much praise, would they have the motivation to exceed expectations? Or even, would they be encouraged to act outside of times when they werenât being praised for it? Joel came off as harsh sometimes not because he was cruel, but because he didnât believe babying people helped them any. Leading her out of the station again, he pulled out a cigarette when he free from the confines of the âdungeonâ. âNow just stash that somewhere safe but not where itâs not useful. A night stand is always a good place. Keep it loaded but the safety on at all times.â he instructed her, his eyes once again getting back to work on surveying their surroundings. âJust...be careful.â









