Cassian cocked his head and scrutinised the target— it was genuinely good, actually, especially for a woman whose line of work didn’t usually entail sending blaster bolts into someone’s heart.
“Not bad,” he conceded, with a small grin mirroring Inara’s own smile. “You want any tips on closing that last gap?”
It was a question for consent, waiting for permission and the tilt of her chin to say yes before he came sidling in close behind her. He was mindful, and the touch wasn’t salacious or unnecessary; it was a steadying hand against her left shoulder, the other adjusting the tilt of her right elbow and the set of her hands on the blaster’s grip.
It was a move that a younger, more reckless and flirtatious version of himself might have pulled: an excuse to get close to her, to occupy the same space and breathe the same air with his chin just over the woman’s shoulder. But it was still to a purpose: still training.
“Even your breathing can throw off your shot,” he explained, close to her ear, his own heart kicking an involuntary beat at standing so close.
“Gotta learn to time it. There’s a couple different ways. Take a deep breath, exhale half of it, then hold your breath when you squeeze the trigger; or, take a few deep breaths and then squeeze after exhaling, but before inhaling the next. Whichever way you’re more comfortable with.”
tropes intensify
“Not bad,” he conceded, with a small grin mirroring Inara’s own smile. “You want any tips on closing that last gap?”
It was a question for consent, waiting for permission and the tilt of her chin to say yes before he came sidling in close behind her. He was mindful, and the touch wasn’t salacious or unnecessary; it was a steadying hand against her left shoulder, the other adjusting the tilt of her right elbow and the set of her hands on the blaster’s grip.
It was a move that a younger, more reckless and flirtatious version of himself might have pulled: an excuse to get close to her, to occupy the same space and breathe the same air with his chin just over the woman’s shoulder. But it was still to a purpose: still training.
“Even your breathing can throw off your shot,” he explained, close to her ear, his own heart kicking an involuntary beat at standing so close.
“Gotta learn to time it. There’s a couple different ways. Take a deep breath, exhale half of it, then hold your breath when you squeeze the trigger; or, take a few deep breaths and then squeeze after exhaling, but before inhaling the next. Whichever way you’re more comfortable with.”