Zeroed In (Closed)

It hadn't taken Amaya that long to track down the Firing Range on campus, and she was glad to see that it was practically empty. There were a couple students that were clearly much farther along in their education and training, which meant that she was going to be safe from any sort of pestering for at least a little while. Although it seemed that being safe from prying eyes was out of the question, as she saw some heads turn to appraise the rather massive rifle she was toting.

She tried her best to ignore the attention she had drawn however, as most people just turned back to focus on their own shooting. Something about this range made Amaya feel almost at home, the constant mix of staccato automatic fire and the sparse firing of the semi auto rifles to her were like the sounds of waves and oceans to others.

She couldn't stop a small smile from stretching across her lips as she found an empty lane on the far right edge of the range. It seemed that targets had already been set up at static intervals, all the way out to 1800 meters which couldn't even be seen with the naked eye.

Amaya let her backpack slide from her shoulder and caught the strap in her hand just before letting it drop to the ground. She then unslung her rifle and set it down on the ground where she would take up her firing position. She pulled a notebook and pen from her backpack, as well as a hand full of her .950 rounds.

She also pulled a small hairtie from a zip pouch on the front of the bag. She stretched it with her right hand while her left hand pulled her hair back into a ponytail, tying it back so it wouldn't get in her eyes so her sight was completely unobstructed. This of course revealed the patches of white scales that ran up both sides of her neck, but since her team wasn't around and the nearest people to her were on the complete other side of the range she didn't really care. Being on the range made her a lot more relaxed about things that she would otherwise panic about.

She settled herself down on the dirt, letting her left leg stretch out behind her while keeping her right leg slightly bent with her knee digging into the ground. The snake Faunus pulled her rifle over and unscrewed the two caps on the scope of her rifle that housed the dials she would use to fix the zeroing on her rifle. It had been supposed to be set for 1000 meters, but her shots during initiation had quickly showed her just how wrong she had been.

She then deployed the bipod and pulled the stock into her shoulder. Her right elbow was propped up with her finger resting just over the trigger housing group, while her left arm was bent with elbow in the ground and hand resting on the stock.

The snake Faunus let her right arm drop from her rifle, certain that her position was comfortable and correct. She pulled the ammo and notebook over to herself. She sketched several outlines of the target quickly on a page of the notebook before returning her focus to her rifle, looking through the scope to the target for her lane that sat on the 1000 meter mark.

She started working to control her breathing, her inhales deep and steady while her exhales were slow and controlled. She wanted to make these first few shots count, she wanted her rifle to be the only thing wrong with this practiced series of events.

Amaya's chest rose and fell with each deep breath, feeling her heart slow down as her rate of breathing decreased dramatically. This was a practiced state for her, something she was comfortable with, and notably quite different than the rush and panic she had felt during initiation.

She reached up with her right hand to her rifle and pulled the bolt up and back, ready to receive a round. Amaya reached over and grabbed a round, raising it to the bolt and feeding it in before pushing the bolt forward and locking it into place. She was concentrated now, focused entirely on putting this single shot exactly where she wanted to. She took in one final breath and exhaled steadily, waiting for all the breath to be out of her lungs as she aimed her scope at the dead center of her target.

Her finger, having been hovering just shy of the trigger for so long was now resting delicately on the thin piece of metal as her thumb flicked the safety of the rifle off. She was relaxed, she was steady, and she was more than ready to fire her first shot of the night. All it took was a slight tensing of her finger and the round shot through the barrel of her gun with a thunderous roar and tore down the range.

The recoil slammed the stock of the gun back against her shoulder, tearing a small grunt of discomfort from the girl where she lay prone on the ground. She lifted her gaze from the scope to look down the range, where she could see a massive plume of earth being kicked up far front and to the right of her target as her bullet left a small crater where it impacted.

She grimaced slightly, "Baby what happened to you?" Amaya asked her rifle under her breath, wondering just why the zero had been so far off since the last time she had fired.

So she reached over to her backpack and pulled a small tuning screwdriver from it and raised it to her scope, rotating the two small dials by a few clicks each to adjust her rifle little by little. It would be a process, taking a single shot and adjusting the scope little by little until it was dead accurate, but she loved it. It was standard maintenance, making her rifle work like it was supposed to was something she enjoyed doing.

After a few moments of walking, Matt had finally reached the range. Permafrost had been transformed into it's secondary mode and pointed toward the ground as he looked around the nearly empty area for any signs of pink with the aide of the evening-lit sky. Using his hand to block the sun, he'd scan the few people at the range, spying Amaya toward the farthest right of the crowds. He'd give a little smile-- she seemed to be in her own comfort zone at least, but the grounds of the meeting was something that didn't leave him in a comfortable spot. Wanting to collect his thoughts, he'd take a seat on a bench near the entrance to the range, resting his shotgun barrel down between his legs as he simply observed the few people around.

Frowning a bit, he'd reach into his pocket, producing the chain and empty blue shell in his hand as he tinkered with the two items in deep thought. His green eyes would stay fixated on the object as his fingers went to work. His mind, though, had no clue where to begin. His past? Initiation? The dormitory? Three strikes deep so far in this jumbled mess. A solemn sigh would escape him, as he'd eye over the primer of the empty shell. Using whatever edge his nails could give him, he'd pick and pry at the plug as he reeled back to the interactions at initiation.

How could he explain himself-- she knew the rule, and had caught him in the act of breaking it. It was clear as da-

'Wait... she saw me...'

He'd pause as the primer came free, revealing the hollow area inside. Thinking back to the forest, he had only seen ears poking from the brush in the distance... Letting out a soft, "Hm." Matt would pull the chain from his pocket next, fiddling around with it as things began to come into place. Mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead. The last thing he wanted to do was trip over words, or offend her in any way over the sticky topic.

The loud, familiar roar would soon grab his attention, looking toward her position on the range as she peeked up from her rifle and had started her adjustments. The thunderous boom that rifle gave off was a complete contrast to the person he had known, but strangely characteristic for her fondness of being distant. It was almost like she'd scream, 'I'm here.' when it came down to brass tacks as she fiddled with something on her rifle. Long-range wasn't quite his specialty, but it was impressive the level of care she had in maintenance, looking surgical in the delicate process.

Looking down, his creation had looked complete, giving it a slight tug to make sure everything was secured. With a satisfied smile, he'd tuck it into one of his pockets as he got up and made his way toward the far right of the range silently. Remembering the conversation at the dormitory, Matt quietly took a prone position near Amaya, giving her a comfortable amount of space so he wasn't on top of her. He'd give a little glance over, copying her position as best as he could-- sleeping through those lessons at Signal might not had been a good choice.

With a little smile, he'd look down the range at the distant target, mimicking himself holding a rifle as he stared down at the raised bump on the end of his barrels. Nestling the 'butt' of his secondary mode into his arm, he'd look over toward Amaya before casually speaking up to her, "If I miss the target, I'll tell you whatever you want to know..." His eyes would go back to focusing on the target, acting serious in his question as he hid a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. "But if I hit it, you owe me dinner after I finish my story..."

He'd linger a moment, creating an unnecessary pause-- he'd still be explaining himself either way, but he wanted to gauge a reaction out of her, asking "Deal?"

Amaya had just finished with the initial adjustment of her scope when she could hear the crunching of earth beneath shoes approaching her from behind. Her shoulders tensed up slightly, her left hand tightening on the stock of her rifle. To her credit though, she didn't turn her attention from her rifle at all. She sighted back in, but out of the peripheral vision of her left eye she could clearly tell that it was Matt.

Realizing that her scales on the left side of her neck would be clearly seen by her partner she reached back with her left hand and pulling her quickly styled ponytail so that it would hang off to the left and cover that side so that Matt wouldn't be able to see the clear attribute of her Faunus heritage.

She wasn't sure how exactly they were supposed to start this conversation. It had been ended on such a quick and awkward note that left her on the back foot, he hadn't even been able to finish his thought so Amaya's mind had gone rampant with every potential thing he could have said and none of them were particularly good for their partnership.

Still, he hadn't said anything just yet, so she sighted back in and lined up her sights with the target, aiming high and to the left this time. She ejected the casing from the last shot she had fired and loaded a new shell in. She began to steady her breathing once again, and that was when Matt had finally broken the silence between them. She listened to what he had to say, but didn't respond right away, her mind still trying to process what he said in addition to all the information regarding this upcoming shot running through her mind.

She tried to refocus, and succeeded mildly. Her breathing was now steady and her aim was adjusted once again, she figured that she would have her perfect zero for 1000m in the next three to four shots. She breathed in deep and then exhaled, her finger squeezing the trigger. Immediately the familiar roar exploded from the barrel of her rifle and the weapon rocked back against the bi-pod, driving the stock into her shoulder once again.

The bullet barely grazed the right hip of the human shaped target, but it obliterated the entire section of the target. The force of the bullet sheared away the hip and the vast majority of the torso. Her eye never left the scope, still focusing on the complete destruction of the target. She hadn't anticipated the range targets being this flimsy, but supposed it couldn't be helped. She would need to adjust her current zero to the next 200 meter mark and take her next shot on the farther target.

"Deal." She finally agreed, a single word to break the silence that she had maintained since Matt had approached her. She reached up with her right hand and pulled the bolt back, letting the large casing of the round eject and clatter to the ground. Finally she pulled her eye from the scope and tilted her head to look at him. It didn't take a genius to realize that there was absolutely no way he would be able to hit the target with his shotgun, the slug would drop off before 400 yards, let alone 1000 meters.

Still, she could tell he knew that. He wasn't an idiot, perhaps he lacked practice and form judging by the sloppy attempts to copy her own, but even he knew there was no way he would be able to hit the target. 'So why make the offer?' She thought, trying to understand the logic behind what he was doing. Yet again he had left her absolutely confused and conflicted, this was certainly turning out to be a rocky start to the next four years.

Matt's gaze would look toward Amaya's shot as the near deafening roar of the rifle rang out again, feeling the power emit from it. He'd watch as the right hip of the target would be obliterated upon contact of her shot, the sound of the bolt being pulled back and releasing the noisy round against the ground of her station. He'd whistle softly, before looking back down his sights-- while in position, he couldn't help but feel Amaya's strength radiating from her shot, the focus in her demeanor not even wavering for a nervous laugh. Then again, with how the previous conversation ended, she could have been upset with him to the point of not wanting to talk.

"Let's see if I can break the ice..." He'd comment, a terrible pun for his affinity for Ice in his weapons and semblance. A smirk would cross his lips, green eyes giving one more peek at the hardened sniper a ways from him before refocusing on the target 1000m out from his prone position. Knowing very well he wasn't going to hit the broadside of a barn from his position, he'd take his time. Copying what he thought was the proper breathing technique for steadying a shot, he'd take a slow breath inward, hold it for a few seconds, and slowly exhale. His index finger would rub against the trigger, feeling the groove in the center separating both barrels as his right hand squeezed the handle.

Echoing out, the resulting sound of one barrel releasing the Dust-enhanced shell cracked like thunder, Matt moving his head as his gun kicked, before firing the second chamber as well with another lingering roar from his weapon. The tip of the barrel frosted over, warm air making a little condensation rise off it in the aftermath as the ice-property ammunition peppered the ground in the distance. A glyph briefly appeared in release of both shots as bits of frost and ice littered the ground where pellets kicked up specs of dirt. "So close..." He'd comment, knowing full well that his shot probably traveled between 300-400m maximum, the dummy in the distance unharmed at 1000m out.

Pumping his shotgun slowly to expel the empty shells as they clattered against the ground, he'd glance over to catch any kind of expression. The pump was stocky looking, containing a way for him to reload without inserting shells as they fed into the barrels. His gaze would stay toward the range, expression moving to a more serious look as he went right to business with his partner. Figuring the best way to start out would be to dive into the muck of confusion, Matt prefaced by saying, "To understand where I stand... I need to tell you something about myself that I rarely tell anyone."

Knowing that talking to Amaya directly with eye contact made her nervous in the past, Matt continued to adopt the strategy of facing away from her, looking down the range still as he would continue to lie against the ground. His voice seemed a little more darker in tone, a chilling warmth about it as he sounded like he needed to reveal something with a heavy heart. Seeing as he was going to be with her in training for the next four years, it felt appropriate to at least open up about the event to his partner and explain why he reacted the way he did. His right hand would reach up a moment to scratch the scar across his nose, the memory of it making it occasionally itch as he rubbed beneath his right eye a little as well.

"You're my partner. Sooo... I feel like we should at least be open and honest with each other...Also, it'll explain why I reacted like I did..."

Amaya could tell that Matt wasn't even slightly perturbed about the results of the shot, only reinforcing the fact that he knew full well what was going to happen. As he surveyed the shot, she finished the adjustments from her previous shot on her scope, feeling that she was getting closer to a proper zero. Finally, when he broke the short silence that had fallen once again, she started to listen to him.

"If you, uhhh, don't want to talk about it..." She spoke softly, starting to feel bad that she had drawn him out into this kind of a position. Plus, what he had said about being open and honest with everything between partners made her heart skip a beat. 'How can I honestly expect him to spill some dark secret from his past if I can't even fess up to being a Faunus to anyone I know?' She thought with a small measure of regret.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..." The snake finally finished, letting the stock of the rifle rest against the ground as she slid back from it. She brought her knees under herself and rocked back to sit on the ground with her legs crossed in front of her, now facing half between Matt and her rifle.

"But I... Well, for the sake of the team anyways..." She stumbled over the words, wondering just what she was supposed to say. Here she was thinking she was going to get answers but she was left feeling awkward before even trying to put pressure on him. "I just need to know that whatever problems with Faunus you've had in the past won't hurt the team, and that you'll try and judge us for who we are now rather than fearing the past might repeat itself or something..."

Within mere heartbeats she realized her slip up and let out a small and nervous laugh. "I mean judge the team, you know..." Amaya corrected herself quickly, hoping that perhaps he was too caught up in whatever dark and repressed thoughts were coming up in his mind to focus too hard on her slip up.

Of course, this whole talk of 'moving on' was all well and good until she actually tried to take her own advice. Her introverted nature had been solidly in place for so many years that she couldn't even interact with Matt on a one on one basis without stumbling over her words or second guessing herself, and here she was telling him to get over some deep seated issues... She felt awful about it, but now she was waiting to see how he would react now, maybe that could give her some clue as to where exactly they were supposed to go from here.

Matt looked away from Amaya a moment, confused by the mixed signals sent. Her demeanor earlier questioning him seemed invasive, but being assigned as partners for Initiation due to his actions and on a team, he could understand it. When she had left, she seemed bothered and reserved, as if forming some barrier before hand... Upon his arrival here, she had already prepared the wall. Either focused on her maintenance or unhappy with how he handled the situation earlier, Matt slightly frowned in the muck created as the pink-haired human spoke to him. The nervous tone carried the mixed jumble of her intentions clearly to him, as if carefully applying pressure to one or two specific areas with each phrase.

Trying to wrap his head around the situation only made him raise an eyebrow out of Amaya's sight. For such a blunt question earlier, when he came back with his guard down, she wanted to reserve back up. The awkward tango of emotion and words between them made him feel like they had been gravitating on two different frequencies. Spiraling out of control, Matt hung on each word with deep thoughts, confused by her reversal. 'What did I say now? She wanted answers... or was she looking for something else?'

It wasn't until she finally came back to her original intentions-- he would feel the hollow part of her blunt statement. Resonating inside his head, Amaya's fumbling statement had a veil of strength to it before he could feel the nervousness return. Despite her carefully worded message to him, one word struck a chord in his mind, making him look upward as his eyes widened slowly.

'...we...'

The laugh that followed seemed uneasy, his hands releasing his grip on his weapon slowly as it fell to it's side with a soft rattle as she tried to wave off what she previously said to him. Her efforts didn't change his mind as a switch seemed to have been toggled.

'...we...'

A mixture of emotions would surface in his mind as he kept quiet. Visually, Matt's arms tensed as he tried to process the others blunder. Fragments of past encounters with the pink-haired girl had flashed before him; her hands darting up to her neck as if she had felt something against it, turning away a moment as he had caught her off guard, the constant adjustment of her hair as whatever style she had covered something near her neck or was adjusted to hide... her heritage?

'Amaya... is...'

Processing each emotion bit by bit, Matt shifted a little bit, sitting up on his knees. Eyes remained focused forward as his hands rested on his hips, backing away from his weapon. Now he had questions, a growing feeling of doubt and confusion as the two of them sat on the barely populated weapon range. He could feel an eerie breeze around them, the air thick with tension. Calmly, after a short pause, Matt had replied in an uneasy tone similar to one when meeting their leader in the Dormitory the first time. With the ball in his court, Matt asked, "Amaya...

Are- ... Are you... a Faunus too?"

As unsettled his voice came across, the human returned the blunt question back to his partner.

Within moments, Amaya could tell just how big of a misstep she had taken. From the sudden shock in his eyes to the tension in his arms as he tried to process what she had just said. She wanted to grab her rifle and run, she felt horrible for having misled him since they had first met in the library only for it to come out like this. But she couldn't leave, she found herself practically paralyzed as Matt slowly came to the conclusion that had been right in front of him all this time.

The snake Faunus could hear the tension in his voice, and even recognized it from his encounter with their team leader in the dorms. Finally, he asked her for the truth, and she couldn't find any reason not to give it to him. If she denied it and kept hiding what she was things would only get more difficult for her.

Still, she didn't respond with words, instead she raised her hand to her pony tail and pulled it to hang down to her back exposing the scales on her neck. The Faunus then raised her right hand to her eyes and removed her two blue contact lenses carefully, revealing her naturally deep red eyes to the human. For her secret to come out in her first day at the academy didn't bode well for the next four years, but now she would have to deal with this.

"I'm sorry..." She started to say, even though she realized words wouldn't do much at this point. "I never meant to trick you or anything, I just... The way you reacted to the others... I didn't want things to go wrong..." She fumbled for some sort of way to explain why she hid herself, but everything she thought of just fell short.

And in her desire to keep things from going wrong, Amaya had only succeeded in making things far worse than they might have been given any other circumstances. She sighed and placed the contacts back over her eyes, blinking them into place before staring down at the ground and taking a deep breath.

"I've kept it a secret for about 10 years now..." She told him, not daring to look him in the eye. "Ever since I was a kid."

Matt watched slowly, feeling time slow as his heart slowly pounded in his ears. Her right hand traveled, adjusting herself in a completely opposite manner than she had before. First, her neck-- the pristine white scales revealed to him that reflected the sun. He'd recall the library, and the placement of where he had found them. A window... Putting two and two together, it dawned on him why... Heat.

The various encounters outside or by windows where she was sitting... It wasn't watching the view or observing what was happening, it was because she needed heat. The female snake Faunus-- all this time beneath his nose. His eyes would glance over her form, drawn to the scales as they traveled farther down, connecting to shoulders... Amaya's hand continued to reveal more, her hand now reaching to each eye. The one moment he'd make direct eye contact with her not in passing or a brief look, she'd carefully adjust the blue tint that changed her natural color. The coated contact lens that hugged and transformed her pupil and iris had been removed briefly, finding himself staring back into snake-like pupils in a sea of red...

He'd watch her place her contacts back in, blown away from the sight before him as she spoke.

While Amaya fumbled to explain herself, her tone had seemed different, revealing how long of a burden she had carried. Ten years...

Strangely enough though, as his fear came to light in the form of his partner before him in apology, Matt had felt an odd emotion. Not one of dread, nor uneasiness. As if some kind of weight came off his chest, it became apparent-- he had been talking to a Faunus now for a few weeks... Baby steps. This whole time. As she revealed to him a brief look into her past, the human had felt the need to open up. Relaxing as she looked away from his gaze, he felt he had to take the next step here as his partner put it all out there.

Out of the blue, Matt would reply, "I don't hate you." The tone in his voice sounded a little sheepish and... assuring. Shifting a bit to sit cross legged on the ground, he could feel what he wanted to say come from deep within himself. Clarifying, he added, "I don't hate you... and, I don't hate Faunus..."

"I'm just afraid of them... Because of what happened to me and my family. Kinda like... how you are afraid of others, right?"

Laying out his suspicions, Matt tried to show his openness to Amaya by revealing something back-- a sense of a clean slate having started between them as he gave a warm smile to the other. He'd visibly look the same as he did when interacting with her before, the look of shock and uneasiness having subsided as his head pieced things together. Seeing past the issues of trust, Matt came off just as friendly as he had in the library to his teammate, rubbing the back of his head a little bit as he added, "Sorry... I had an inkling that there was something there. Not the Faunus thing... though. Heh heh..."

Amaya gave a hesitant nod as Matt took a stab at the cause behind her rather crippling social anxiety and introverted nature. He had hit the nail on the head a bit too accurately with that one.

"I, uhh, kind of grew up seeing the worst that humanity and Faunus had to offer..." She said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck as she sat there, turning her attention down the range. "It gets hard to see good in people when you've seen the horrible things that can be dwelling underneath." Amaya tried to laugh it off nervously, but the pain in her voice was perhaps a bit too obvious.

Being raised in a small town of primarily racist humans had certainly killed any sort of social skills she might have otherwise developed, especially when the Faunus were always bitter and angry about being stuck with their own lot in life.  She had been subject to hatred from both humans and Faunus as she grew up, and as a result she could count the number of people she trusted enough to even speak openly with on one hand.

'And now here I am spilling my guts to someone I thought might have hated me...'

Despite the situation that she was in at that moment, she couldn't help but smile slightly. "I was supposed to be getting answers from you... And instead my facade just falls apart." This was certainly not supposed to be how this situation turned out, and now Amaya was left unsure of where to go from there.

Still, she found herself curious about what exactly had happened to his family and him that had made him so scared of Faunus. Obviously the scar on his face had something to do it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly how he had gotten it, but still. He had pulled her secrets from her, now she wanted to know at least a little more about him.

"So, you know my story now... What makes you so scared of Faunus?"

Matt would look sympathetic toward the pink-haired Faunus, finding a parallel in her reveal to him as she laughed with a veiled undertone of pain. As if she could read what he was thinking, the feeling of an owed apology came up in his mind as the solemn nature around them was paused briefly with that slight smile of hers. He couldn't help letting out a nervous laugh of his own, knowing full well that if she were comfortable to let her guard down partially... he should at least meet her reach halfway and do the same.

Eyes drifting toward the sky, he'd look at the various clouds that had reflected the various blues and oranges that had begun to develop, reflecting on the memory as he spoke in a narrative-like way. Replaying the thoughts, he'd break his brief silence with a delicate tone.

"Eight years ago... It's weird saying that, since it sometimes feels like it happened yesterday. I was twelve years old-- we lived close to the Docks district in a apartment in Vale." A brief smile would come on his face, replaying the memories as he let his guard down for Amaya. "It was my twelfth birthday. My parents had taken my little sister and I out to my favorite pizza place downtown..."

His eyes would sink a bit, hands reaching behind him to support him leaning back as that smile had slowly disappeared. His green eyes looked devoid of any of his usual character, recalling the events drawing a blank stare as his mind wandered. He'd have to tread carefully as the following parts had been like looking at an erratic slideshow-- the events replaying at wrong times as he attempted to make sure he got the order correctly. "I was told later a Faunus protest had occurred a few blocks away... We had no idea what was going on at first as we sat there. I remember the growing sounds of the protest coming down the street... seeing their tails and ears quickly running by from the window."

Unconsciously, he'd reach up to where his scar began, lightly pressing beneath his right eye as the emotions and feeling resurfaced, making him choke up and fumble as his character wavered. "White Fang-- The, uh... protest had gotten ugly as they took th-there uh, emotions out on the district. I... d-duh," He could feel his eyes getting misty, wiping them a bit as he looked toward the ground to hide his face. Mustering up the courage as latent feelings came back up, he'd take a slow, shivering breath before continuing. "I don't remember how, or why... There was a loud ringing-- they had begun using homemade tools like fire bombs to attack shops." It was apparent his memory of the event had been broken up, as his mind was still working on processing the traumatic event some eight years later.

His deep recollection had put him in a vulnerable state as the human revealed the cause of his fear to his partner; something he hadn't done at Signal, nor his closest friends back at home had been shared as it triggered hidden emotions deep down in his mind. "A Dust shop had been trashed next door... I just remember the sudden, loud bang as the powders had been disturbed... M-My ears rang," His voice faltered as his hand had rubbed his scar, the memory of warmth down his face and his clothes coming back to him making a single tear streak down his face. Reaching to wipe it, he'd stare down at his glistening hand, a prolonged pause after what he said. From his nostrils, he'd take a sharp breath inward, a shaky breath out before speaking to Amaya again. "I could see them from where I was under the ruble, through the broken window... The tails, the ears; silhouettes flickering about the flames created as they scattered from the site. Their shadows and outlines still haunt me today. M-My parents had... had..."

Matt couldn't bring himself to finish, it still being a hard thought to convey in words as he struggled to let it out. His eyes would close as he had a mental struggle to speak, lips quivering a bit as he drew a breath but nothing would come out. A tremble would come from his arm, a gurgle of sounds as his chest felt tight and constricting to admit the realization. "Hh-had. D... died to save my sister an myself..." A staggered breath came from him as he fought the sting of tears, laying it all out there for his partner as his chest pounded from having to bring it up. Some eight years later, and he still didn't want to believe the events that happened that unfortunate night, fumbling to admit the realization that his parents sacrificed themselves to protect him and his sister back home. The cost of their lives had brought him to this point, something he had carried with him through Signal and into Beacon as his driving force. The familiar spark of life would return to his gaze as his trembling eased, a relieved sounding breath coming from him as he opened up to Amaya.

"I'm sorry... You're the first person I've shared that with."

Keeping focus back to what the conversation was supposed to be about, and now revealing his fear to his teammate, Matt glanced at Amaya. A glimpse of shame in his demeanor as he continued. "I know I cheated-- at Initiation," recalling the events from before, "B-but... you said you saw me, right? I... eh-" His hand would reach up to rub the back of his beanie, looking away from his partner as they sat on the range before looking back her way. "I saw animal ears and I panicked... I wasn't ready to take the first step then."

He'd pause awkwardly as he gathered his thoughts-- maybe there was some theory to be had during the events of Initiation. He ran from a Faunus then, only to find himself paired with one now... The eerie feeling made him reflect a moment, before he quizzically asked, "Amaya... was I the first person you saw?"

Amaya could only sit there stunned as Matt told her a story that she wasn't even sure she'd have the strength to tell. She could tell every time his voice faltered or every time his eyes went a little hazy that this telling couldn't have been easy for him at all. The Faunus once again felt a stab of regret for trying to figure this out, not thinking that the root cause of his fear would be something that traumatic.

When he finally paused for a moment, she let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. "I'm so sorry..." She started, but in reality she had no idea what she was supposed to say in a situation like this. "I can't even imagine what that's like... I've had bad experiences with the White Fang too, but what they did to you is just..." She broke off, not wanting to make things any harder for Matt than they already were.

She was pulled from her lapse of thought by Matt asking her about their encounter in the forest, and she quickly tried to remember everything that had happened from her landing in the treetops to her first face to face encounter with the man who would turn out to be her partner for the next four years.

"Y...Yes." Amaya confirmed, being up front with her partner for the first time since they had met. "You were the first person I caught in my scope, and when I looked for what you were hiding from that's when I saw the Faunus. From there I tracked you through the forest till we finally met up." She laughed awkwardly again, feeling strange to admit to stalking someone through the forest but after all rules were rules.

Her lips cracked in a thin and forced smile as she added, "Considering how you reacted to the Faunus, I was pretty nervous when I finally showed myself. I've gotten good at hiding myself, but I wasn't sure... But when you clearly thought I was human I guess I just sort of let it go."

She raised a hand to her neck and let her fingers trail lightly over the exposed scales on both sides and sighed softly. "Could you, uhh, not tell anyone about me?" She asked him, her tone trying to be light but carrying a mild hint of fear. "You're the first person to find out after all this time, and I don't think I'm ready to tell anyone else just yet."

A warm smile had came from Matt at Amaya recalling the events, a little laughter followed after. It was strange... He could feel the awkwardness slowly fading away, Amaya even being upfront and holding a small conversation with him. For the brief moment they had here, things didn't seem as bad as he got what he wanted off his chest. Despite the now obvious white scales giving a little gleam as the sun began to set, he didn't really feel as nervous and uneasy like he did around Doragon and Lilith. There was a strange comfort getting his story out to her, especially since thinking of her as human before.

As Amaya uneasily asked him to keep her secret, Matt would agreeably nod. "Of course-- secrets safe with me." He'd raise one hand up, swearing on his word as he reached into a pocket. "It was my first time sharing my story, too... Maybe... eventually, we can help each other get over our fears?"

Pulling out something, the chain would dangle from his hand, revealing the empty shell he had connected to it like a necklace. He'd pump his hand once toward her in offering, speaking again about the item, "Here!" Sitting up a bit from his leaned back spot, he'd wipe his free hand of any dirt before offering his pinky up next to the item. He had a child-like way about him, a jovial nature beaming from his smile. "Consider it like a reminder-- a memento. As your partner and your friend, I promise to keep your secret safe and be there for you 110% while we are working together. I'll help get you out of situations and promise to take your secret to the grave as long as we're partners and teammates."

As he finished, he'd lift his pinky up to the other, eyes closing as he gave a little laugh. "Pinky swear."

"Maybe..." Amaya echoed softly, still staring down range at the various targets. Most of the firing had stopped, as students packed up their weapons and headed back inside as the sun continued to get closer and closer to setting entirely. Could she ever really get over her fear completely? She wasn't even sure it was possible, but here she was opening up to a human she barely even knew.

She watched as he grabbed a chain from his pocket with an empty shell attached to it, and noticed him offer up his pinky to her. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward as she reached out and locked pinkies with him, but despite that she found herself smiling at just how much Matt's attitude had seemed to shift. It was like night and day, the shock and look of near betrayal that had been on his face not that long ago, and now he seemed totally relaxed and happy.

'How do you manage that...' She couldn't help but wonder as she opened her other hand to accept the chain and shell. When they finally broke the pinky lock she turned her attention to the shell casing. It clearly had sentimental value, and she could respect that.

"This means alot to me..." Amaya said, raising the chain to her neck and put it on like a necklace. The shell hung down to the cut of her shirt, she placed a hand over it for a moment before looking Matt in the eyes. "Thank you."

When the cool breeze kicked up once more, Amaya couldn't stop herself from shivering slightly. Since the sun was so close to setting, the air had gotten considerably colder in the short time they had been out on the range. "I need to finish zeroing my rifle before it gets too cold... I don't really do well in the cold..." She tucked the hanging shell into her shirt so it wouldn't disturb her or scrape against the ground.

Amaya turned back to her rifle and kicked her legs out behind her, settling back down into the dirt and bringing the stock of her waiting rifle into her shoulder. She reached over one last time to her waiting collection of rounds and her notebook, grabbing the pen and etching a few quick notes next to one of the drawings of the targets, namely where the bullet had landed, how she adjusted, and how much she needed to compensate for the next shot.

With that done, she grabbed one more round and slid it into the chamber, sliding the bolt forward and locking it with the satisfying sound of sliding metal. Her right hand moved to the trigger guard, and her left hand made sure the stock was securely lodged against her shoulder. She breathed in and out in a controlled manner before looking back through the scope, aiming dead center at the target at 1200 meters since the one at 1000 wasn't much of a target anymore.

If she had done the math correctly, which she was almost certain she had, this should be the shot she was looking for. Amaya breathed in one last time, letting her breath out carefully. Once all the breath was out of her lungs, the corner of her mouth tugged into a slight smirk before she pulled the trigger. Once more the thunderous roar erupted from her rifle, and once more the recoil slammed the stock back against her shoulder.

The target was reduced to shrapnel the instant the bullet hit, the only sign that it had even been there were the shredded metal fragments at the very bottom edge of the target.

"Alright.." She breathed out, glad that her rifle was zeroed correctly once again. She turned her head to Matt and gave a relieved sigh. "We can head back inside now. I've done what I set out to do."

"Unless you, uhh..." Amaya stumbled over her words as she thought of something perhaps a little strange, blushing a little as she turned back to face her rifle so he couldn't see. "Unless you wanted to take a shot or two with my rifle? I wouldn't mind. I mean, I already brought this many rounds out here... It would kind of be a shame not to fire them like I had planned."

Eye contact. His green eyes would give a little flicker, realizing that this was probably the first time their eyes had met not from an awkward catch toward either other staring at something or avoiding glances when they spoke. Two pools of blue staring back, feeling longer than a few seconds as the slight breeze made him blink, Amaya giving a little shiver. Noting her remarks about the cold, Matt would nod and reply, "Okay," as the pink haired Faunus returned to her maintenance.

Turning attention to his shotgun, he'd stay quiet as he'd wipe the dirt that stuck to the warming metal as the frost on the tips had evaporated and left beads of water behind. The sounds of Amaya's pencil against the notebook was the only other accompany to the sounds and occasional blow he gave to his own weapon before sitting silent. He'd steal a few glances, before settling on watching his partner in her element-- it was like a completely different person when she was around her rifle. Her mannerisms were surgical and almost like a ritual as she steadied and prepared the shot.

The brief glimpse of her smirk had made him feel the oozing confidence in her adjustments, head looking down the range as quick as he could as the thunderous roar of her rifle echoed a moment after. Bits of shrapnel had been skewed about in the aftermath of the strike; Matt visibly impressed with her shot having dropped his jaw a little bit at the sheer power that radiated from both Amaya and her rifle as the metal gleamed a bit against the rays of sun. He was impressed by her performance at Initiation, recalling the events and shots he heard her take in the distance before, but to see her in a controlled environment with her weapon calibrated was just as electrifying to feel as his partner relaxed. He'd blink a bit in the aftermath still, closing his mouth as Amaya turned to him, offering a shot.

She offered him a shot-- feeling touched at her offer, and realizing that her guard had came down considerably since after Initiation, Matt would nod with a smile. "I can't make any promises I could hit anything..." He'd say sheepishly; if he had only not slept through a few of his marksman classes, he'd at least be able to use the opportunity to show off. However, the fact that she was trusting enough to let him have a go was memorable to say the least, making sure the memory would be remembered. Plus, not to mess with her adjustments.

'It's getting cold, too...'

He'd look as if he'd instantly remember something, before reaching his arms back and slipping his grey jacket off. Amaya had mentioned cold, Matt not really feeling much of anything due to his semblance from the dropping temperature. The least he could do was help her stay warm. "Here, so you don't freeze on me." The black, fuzzy interior seemed inviting as he stood up and held the jacket open for her to put on, giving it a little shake in his response.

"Don't count on that." Amaya quickly responded with a smile, turning back to her rifle and screwing the caps to the scope adjustment dials back on. "I'm guessing that you, uhh, never really fired anything quite like this?" It was a bit of a rhetorical question, she could tell from the look in his eyes when he looked at her rifle that he'd never seen anything like it let alone fired one.

When Matt offered her his jacket she couldn't stop herself from blushing from the kindness. "Th...Thanks..." She stammered, sliding herself back from the rifle and getting up to her knees before pushing herself up to stand. Amaya turned and slid her arms into the coat, feeling her heart thump violently against her chest as she got close to him. It was quite a bit bigger than her, but it was definitely still warm both from the material and his residual body heat.

"Alright, so uhh, go ahead and take your firing stance." She gestured to the rifle, taking a step away from Matt once the coat was on.

She wondered how quick of a learner he would be, given the fact that she was a fantastic shooter but a horrible instructor. Amaya wanted to see how he would react to obliterating a target with her rifle, wondered what kind of effect it would have on his demeanor. Maybe if he had some sort of incentive, he'd be more focused on the task and able to make the important shot. That was one of the ways she had started learning how to shoot her rifle, giving herself little bits of motivation to keep herself going.

But what could she possible give Matt? What would motivate or drive a person like Matt to perform at their absolute best? Amaya didn't know him well enough to answer that.

"I'll tell you what..." The Faunus told him as he settled himself down behind her rifle. "If you can make 3 out of 5 shots... I'll, uhh..." She blanked out, she had thought she had something ready but she had no idea. 'What the hell am I supposed to say?' She thought in a sudden panic.

Matt shook his head as Amaya got into his coat, his pockets mostly empty except for the bottoms, which jingled with spare shells for his weapon as a backup. Looking over his coat, he'd assist with keeping her identity hidden as he lifted the fuzzy collar up a bit to hide her neck, standing back a moment to give Amaya a look over with a little blush in return. It was an odd sight to see her in his jacket, a little silly from the size, but none-the-less the pink haired Faunus had looked almost like an arctic prepared Huntress had the coat sported sleeves. The long coat reached past her knees, almost swallowing her up. It did look pretty cute... The still-warm interior would smell slightly of his deodorant, a pine-like scent as he walked away to take his position cautiously in front of the behemoth rifle.

Getting onto his knees before it, Matt would glance back at his feet, his form looking extremely amateur as he tried to think back to the classes he had payed some attention in back in Signal. His toes would barely dig into the soft earth as he'd sprawl a little outward, knees bent slightly as he lie prone. He'd press the stock of the rifle into his arm-- no, that's not right. Laughing a bit nervously, he'd shift his form, the stock resting partially and firmly into his chest as he'd tilt his head to peer into the scope a moment. His motions would seem extremely careful as it came to adjusting to Amaya's weapon, an air of respect for her gun as he was more afraid of messing with something he shouldn't. One eye would close as he peered into the sight, not having the opportunity to use one with his secondary mode. His right hand would find the trigger, but rest on the handle, left hand resting against the guard to steady it, his arm looking rigid as he did.

From the breeze, his dark hair from beneath the beanie occasionally would blow into his eyesight, reaching up a moment to tuck it up into his hat as Amaya presented a challenge, but fumbled on a suggestion. Three out of five shots for what exactly? He'd look down the scope, the powerful feeling of Amaya's rifle now in his hands as he eyed the target down range. Three out of five shots...

The pause after would be broken from Matt, suggesting "...take me off campus for dinner this weekend? Heard there was some killer spicy foods nearby." A sly smirk came from him as he kept his focus on the sight, one eye closing again as he'd give a little grin. He looked like he was enjoying his time with Amaya so far, especially a moment to get her to squirm as he fired the confident suggestion.

Amaya watched in silence as Matt assumed a position that only reinforced her assumption that he had no idea how to truly handle the rifle. She couldn't help but admire the eagerness though, at least he was willing to give it a shot. Of course, once he gave his two cents as to what the motivation should be, she paled a little.

'Take him out to lunch...' She echoed in her mind, wondering if she was willing to accept those kinds of terms. Sure, spending a little time together on the range as partners was pushing the boundaries of what she was used to, but to actually go on a... She couldn't actually bring herself to think the word date, but she could tell from his smirk that was exactly what he was intending.

That really begged the question, before she even accepted the suggestion, how confident was she that he would be able to make the shots? 'Do I even want him to be able to make the shots?' She asked herself.

"Agreed." She finally said, making up her mind. "But if we do this, it's going to be fair. Let me fix up your stance first and then I guess it's up to you..." She couldn't believe she was agreeing to go through with this, this was beyond anything she had expected in only her first few days at the Academy.

"Alright, relax for a second..." She said out loud, although she wasn't quite sure if she had been talking to Matt or herself. She crouched down next to him and adjusted his upper body first, making sure his left arm was at the proper angle with elbow driving into the dirt and hand firmly on the stock to create another axis of stability for the rifle. She reached over to the right side and adjusted his grip slightly.

Amaya moved her hands more delicately to his chest, all while being painfully aware of her heart thumping frantically. She adjusted the stock to sit firmly in the pocket of his shoulder, before moving to his back and making sure that his shoulder blades weren't tensed up or adding any unnecessary stress to the position.

Amaya then stood back up after a few awkward moments and adjusted his lower body stance slightly with her boots, nudging his right knee to more of a bend and his left leg more straight back.

"Aim with the mil-dot directly above the crosshairs for your first shot. Your first target is the 800 meter mark, then 1400, then every 200 meter increment. You'll then drop to two mil-dots below for the second shot, and then 1 mil-dot down per each additional shot." The girl's voice was rather detached as she rattled off how he was supposed to compensate for firing at the distance he was expected to, trying to compartmentalize herself.

"It's up to you to compensate for the wind. Good luck."

She didn't want him to lose this, because she didn't want to see him be disappointed, but at the same time she realized the consequences of him winning would not end well for her...

Matt had been a little taken aback, his bold offer accepted by his partner. It didn't help either that soon her warm touch adjusted his stance as she reached to move his hands in a more proper form. With his face out of view, he had felt the blood rush to his cheeks a bit as her touch had went to his chest first. His heart raced a little bit, never being this close to his partner before as her hands moved to his shoulders next to check for any more tension. The position had begun to feel a lot more natural-- the thought of her hands moving to adjust his legs however made his mind wander a bit... was she going-

The feeling of her foot adjusting his legs made him laugh a bit as he'd be pulled from that thought from the awkward tension that hung about as she pulled away. He'd do as she instructed though, feeling feet press against the back of his right knee, and his left foot pulled a bit.

As she spoke, he'd refocus on the sights, the 800m target available to him as he'd give a slight nod. The fact that he was holding another's weapon made him more delicate in his movements, adding a little bit of nerves as he set himself up with a mimicking breathing pattern he'd observe from Amaya. Mouth would open to draw a slow breath, focusing on the target down range as his right hand felt around to the bolt to discharge her earlier shot. Patting around, he'd feel for the next bullet, his breath coming out long and slow as his chest and shoulders lifted. He could feel himself becoming a lot more relaxed as he fed the next round into the chamber, driving it inside with the bolt carefully as he'd possition his arm to where it should be.

The mil-dot had felt like it was wavering less from his grip, not feeling as jumpy after the breathing exercise as he'd pause briefly. Finger resting on the trigger, he'd give it a squeeze as the thunderous roar from Amaya's rifle felt deafening up close. The kick of the stock made his body adjust a lot more visually than she, a grunt coming from him as the target downrange was nailed in the upper right quadrant, obliterating it in metallic shreds as he peeked from his sights to get a look. The sheer force of the rifle had his heart picking up in pace, laughing at the exhilarating rush that came from demolishing the 800m target partially from the powerful caliber round. "Wooow!! The amount of power this rifle packs makes it feel so alive! It's almost electrifying; I feel so nervous just holding it." He'd reply excitedly, looking over at Amaya with a child-like excitement in his expression before settling back into the rifle. He'd take a look down range toward the 1400m mark, remembering what she had instructed him to do with the targeting as he'd feel for the next bullet, ejecting the casing of the old shot before loading the next one.

"One-for-one... I can already taste the spices in my mouth. I'm feeling... Mexican food, perhaps?" He'd take a playful shot at Amaya, looking over briefly for a response as he'd refocus on his breathing. He'd run through the mental checklist again, imagining Amaya adjusting specific parts as he'd relax and make sure the stock was nestled into his shoulder for support. 'Two below... This should be pretty easy...'

Squeezing the trigger after a brief pause, the loud bang and resulting kick would make him shift again as he took a shot at the target, seeing the plume of dirt kick up far off from his intended destination-- wind. He'd sheepishly laugh a bit, reaching to scratch his chin. "Three shots to go... I'm still in this." His voice would sound like he was covering his tease from earlier, "Nothing like creating a little tension for a competition..." He'd smile from behind the scope as he unloaded the shell, the next target was 1600m out from his position.

Amaya simply gave a small nod when he managed to hit the first target, noting his enthusiasm at just how powerful her rifle was. He had taken the recoil of the rifle quite a bit better than she had her first time all those year ago, although considering his build that wasn't all that surprising. She still vaguely remembered the bruises and swelling that had been the product of her very first day on the range with her first prototype of the rifle, that hadn't been a fun experience.

When he turned to look at her and joked about the food, she blushed a little and turned her attention down range so she didn't have to lock eyes with him. 'I expected him to hit that target... It would've been impossible to not...' She tried to reassure herself, her mind still conflicted over which outcome to this event she wanted.

"Don't get too overconfident." She said weakly, gazing down the range at his next target at the 1400 meter mark.  If he made this shot, then she would really have to start panicking. Still, she couldn't back out of this. She had made a deal, as idiotic as it had been, so she would have to stick through this no matter what happened.

'Why did I even agree to his idea? That was ridiculous...'

She fought her hardest not to breath out a sigh of relief when a plume of dust was all that followed the second shot, not wanting to betray just how relieving that miss was to her. The way he simply laughed was rather thinly veiled, she knew he was just trying to play it off.

"Two out of the next three..." The Faunus muttered under her breath. She paced back and forth behind Matt, watching him as he prepared to take his third shot. She could feel the direction and relative intensity of the wind, and knew how she would compensate for it and hit the target dead center, but she wouldn't give him that. He had gotten all the help from her that he was going to for this.

Refocusing, Matt calmed himself down for his blunder earlier. Getting big chested like that probably wasn't a great idea considering the game was to hit three of five. Still... There was an odd feeling about the offer-- was it a test for him to hit the target? Or was this a mindgame, perhaps to see his reaction? Rubbing it in probably wasn't a great idea after the first shot, especially now having to go double the distance now down the range to hit something. He'd stay quiet and focused as he'd start his breathing pattern to cool off. Centering on the correct mil-dot, Matt could feel the light roll of wind across his body, trees rustling in the area. The sound of Amaya's boots shuffling across the Earth. A sense of awareness distracted him momentarily as he sat there and breathed calmly.

'This must be what it feels like in the field for her...'

He'd think back a moment to Signal, trying to recall anything about adjusting to the wind, but his memories would fail him as he took extra time lining up the shot. Mentally damning himself for getting distracted after the first shot, he'd aim for the most body mass that he could in his sight, feeling the wind across his body again as a loud boom came from him to break the silence. He'd watch the target, but his efforts were in vain-- down and slightly to the left another dirt plume.

A grunt would come from him, feeling soreness from that third kick. He'd not move much except for unloading the shell and grabbing the fourth shot. 1800m now-- he at least was formulating some kind of game plan as he seemed a little more serious after his second miss. The pressure was on to hit these next two, Matt seemingly unfazed by the daunting challenge.

'Down and to the left... Down and to the left...'

The thought rang like a cadence to his breathing as he'd adjust his slight by lifting shifting to the next mil-dot and to the upper right of the target. His goal was to at the very least nail anywhere, as trying to hit center mass was probably going to take him a few lessons. With the breeze rolling again, he'd sit and wait for his opportunity for a calmer moment. The black hair that was revealed beneath his beanie would flicker about as he did the breathing routine for the fourth time-- this was almost dizzying as he'd feel slightly light headed. Regardless, he'd feel at peace, nerves like steel as the thunderous roar and hard kick of the rifle echoed and lingered out again. A satisfying chunk of the left part of the target would fly off upon the bullet making contact, two rings from center mass. While still looking down sights, Matt had smiled.

As if Amaya needed some kind of reminder, he'd unload the fourth round, commenting, "Last shot... It's all riding on this." in a part teasing, part troubled voice. He'd curse himself mentally for having to now hit something 2000m out for this competition, wanting to show that he could do it. The fact that he had no clue about how to properly adjust for wind though was going to be his biggest adjustment. Amaya hadn't even given him a tip, but he didn't expect anything more either-- she did provide the proper form for him to fire that behemoth rifle.

"Think I can do it?" A bit of loaded question, but his sly smirk would show that it was all in jest as he'd look down the scope, finding the appropriate mil-dot to use.

Amaya could hear the steady rise and fall of Matt's breath, since it was now the only other sound on the range except for the blowing wind. Everyone else on the range had packed up and headed back inside, or were watching the pair with mild curiosity.

She kept her eyes focused down range, not daring to catch Matt's gaze or even look at him just yet. She didn't want to miss the result of the shot, there was too much riding on this for her to get distracted. The plume of dust that kicked up moments after the roar of the rifle marked his second miss, but to the human's credit he hadn't made any sign of disappointment or unhappiness at it. He seemed completely focused on the next shot, something that brought a small smirk to Amaya's lips.

'He learns fast...' She thought with a small degree of amusement. As the fourth shot echoed out and the left side of the metal target crumpled, the smirk slowly disappeared. 'Perhaps a little too fast...'

The Faunus certainly hadn't needed reminding that it all came down to this last shot. She tried to continue remaining neutral to the outcome, whatever happened happened, but she was failing pretty miserably. She didn't want to embarrass herself in public or say something that she would end up regretting later. After all, even the concept of going out to dinner with someone was something she'd never experienced before, and for it to happen

Still, she supposed that even if he did make the shot and she made good on her deal, at least Matt seemed like a decent person. Sure he had reacted a bit unfavorably at first, but after he had revealed his story to her she realized that at least he wasn't without some degree of cause for it. After all, she had misled him since they had met, and for him to even want to go anywhere with her after that was rather interesting to her.

"You can, it's just a matter of if you will." She told him, her eyes couldn't even make out the target at the 2000m line. Amaya would just have to keep her eyes peeled for the plume of dust or sudden presence of target shrapnel to determine the outcome of this final shot.

Matt gave a smile-- it was nice to have a supportive partner, despite the bet they had placed. Amaya's neutrality didn't give him much, but his focus was absorbed by the target down range to gauge any reactions she may have had. Before he started to do his mimicked breathing exercise, he'd break the brief silence to add, "Despite the outcome... I'm glad we are partners. Amaya. Thanks for letting me fire your weapon."

He was touched by the offer, something considered sacred to a few people. He knew Amaya had seemed a lot more opened up when around her rifle or on the subject pertaining to her rifle, but wasn't sure of how much of a weapon nut she was. A few Signal acquaintances had a thing for weapons, and a few first-years at Beacon he met seemed interested in the topic. Matt hadn't quite figured that out about Amaya, but he'd give a smile afterward before starting his breathing.

'Slow in, slow out... The wind brought the shot down-left before.'

2000m had seemed a daunting task, trying to keep the pressure off him by surgically sizing up the shot. He'd discharge the fourth casing, adjusting to the next mil-dot with his other arm as he loaded the fifth shot with a more precise, careful motion. The draw of the bolt would seem methodical, a process beginning to develop for him by the final shot as his mouth would thin a moment. With one eye closing, Matt sized up the shot like before, waiting for the opportunity to arrive instead of blasting the shot when he felt confident.

As the breeze rolled, he could hear and feel the sway of the trees around, the moment feeling like a brief pause of time as he instinctively would pull the trigger. Feeling as if time slowed down, he'd remain absolutely still before the blaring echo of the shot rang out loud again for the fifth and final time.

2000m down range, the target pushed back, metal splintering off with a resonating ring in the aftermath as the .950 caliber bullet showed off it's strength in tearing through whatever was in it's path. Driving into the target through the top left quadrant, a diagonal-like rip would send the splintering chunks scattering to the ground, Matt unloading the casing in his groove before a growing, boyish excitement would grow on his face in a grin from ear to ear.

The feeling of nailing a shot like that in a controlled environment was a head rush, unable to stop himself from pumping a fist while looking up at the fruits of his concentration. Without seeming as cocky or full of himself, Matt would turn to Amaya with matching excitement, flashing a thumbs up. "Beginners luck, I swear!"

Reaching back to scratch his head, while laying prone Matt would continue as he closed his eyes for a little laugh. "Had it not been using such a well cared for and powerful rifle, I doubt I'd be able to hit anything. That was quite a rush to fire AH-5!"

It seemed pretty obvious to say something about hitting three-out-of-five, so Matt avoided any awkwardness that could arise around the bold proposition-- probably not best to hold it over her head after an apology from earlier. However... the sight of her in his jacket wasn't bad, inadvertently giving Amaya a glance over before a sheepish smile, looking toward the rifle as he stood up and bushed any stray dirt off himself.

As Amaya watched him preparing to take his final shot, the deciding factor in this little competition, she couldn't stop herself from cracking a small grin moments before he pulled the trigger. She could tell almost immediately that he was going to make it. Even though you could never know for sure till you pulled the trigger, there were always signs if you knew what you were looking for, an air of absolute confidence and resolution that the shooter knew they had succeeded before even pulling the trigger.

Still, the loud roar of her rifle followed by the sudden appearance of shrapnel and dirt downrange told her all she needed to know. As Matt grinned and turned to her, she realized that she really didn't mind him winning the competition all that much. At least she got to see him like this, rather than the nervous and scared mess that he had been in the dorms. At least she knew that her partner had another side to him.

"And it never gets any less exciting." She admitted sheepishly, the power of the rifle was something that you could never truly get used to. The Faunus had just gotten incredibly good at compartmentalizing her excitement and enthusiasm when firing her rifle.

Amaya found herself blushing when she realized that Matt had been eyeing her up for a few moments. It made her wonder what exactly he expected to get out of going out to dinner with her? While she may not have had very much social experience, she wasn't totally ignorant as to the basics of what her partner was trying to get out of her. Still, why her?

"Well, a deals a deal, you've won a date with me." She said awkwardly, unable to make eye contact with Matt. "Not really that great of a prize or anything, but if that's what you really want."

She walked over to the rifle when Matt stood up and backed away from it. The Faunus lifted it up and pulled the bolt back, giving a quick inspection glance down the barrel of the rifle before locking the bolt forward and flicking the safety on. She slung the rifle over her right shoulder and crouched down to pack up her notebook and the spare bullets that hadn't been fired off before shouldering that as well.

"Well, I suppose we can head inside now... It feels weird being the only ones on the range." And true enough, since the sky had started to darken the range was vacant except for the two of them. And besides, it was starting to get even colder although she didn't feel it nearly as much thanks to Matt's coat.

A date. The words seemed so foreign, a brief lapse of naivety after realizing that his mention of dinner had implied a date! He'd glance away sheepishly as well, a brief blush appearing on his cheeks before Amaya knocked herself down a peg and mentioned heading back. He'd gaze back to her a moment, speaking up with a little hint of uneasiness as he was careful in his reply, "What? How would a date with you not be a good prize?" He'd look away a moment in thought, frowning a second; the implication of a date did seem a little heavy to be tossed on so quickly. Moving to collect his shotgun, he'd slowly take apart the components, starting with the pump with a soft click.

"I figured it'd help getting to know each other a little better, and stuff... over dinner.... Y'know."

He'd detach his tonfa after a bit of a struggle as he came to words, mentally kicking himself. That sounded so third grade, furrowing his brow as he looked away from Amaya in the aftermath to curse himself. He'd tilt each barrel toward the ground as each live shell would be slowly brought out with a press from the handle button. A little click sounded as gravity pushed them from the tube with a little 'thump' to harmlessly have them clatter against the ground. He'd bend over to pick them up, eyeing the first one in thought a moment before pocketing it followed by the second.

Dinner... there was something so oddly familiar about the word 'dinner'- 'The team.'

He'd stand back up, a light bulb suddenly turning on. Shifting topics as Amaya mentioned heading back, Matt would snap his fingers as he turned back to his partner without an awkward tone in his voice. "That reminds me... Doragon and Lilith seemed hungry, I figured maybe we'd all get a table and eat together for dinner at the Cafeteria." He'd sound a little hesitant, realizing he'd need to go sit near his two new Faunus teammates. Amaya, though no longer Human to him anymore, was a much easier transition for him, having known her for his stay here so far... Matt would rub the back of his neck in thought of having to return and be near them again. 'I guess this is how Amaya must feel...' Even harder-- it was his idea after all.

"I dunno how hungry you are, but... I'm pretty starving and don't wanna go back alone." He admitted to his partner,  taking a few steps toward the exit as he looked back at Amaya. "Wanna... get something to eat with me?" Suggesting to his partner, he'd sheepishly give a little laugh as a light blush came across his cheeks. "It's only the cafeteria, so... technically not the bet, right?"

Amaya was a little surprised at Matt's sudden stumbling over his words. 'So, he hadn't asked it as a date?' She thought, completely confused. Clearly she had misread his intentions, and that made her at least a little bit more receptive to the idea of going out to dinner. After all, it was only one night for a few hours. 'Nothing too horrible could happen in that short of a time frame, right?'

When her partner had mentioned that their teammates had headed to the cafeteria, Amaya had to think about what she wanted to do. Part of her just wanted to go back to the Dorm and work on the designs for the next prototype of her rifle. Still she had to admit that she was at least a little hungry, having not eaten anything for quite a while.

When he teased her about this not counting towards the bet she blushed a little. "Wouldn't that be up to me though?" She asked as she walked with him towards the way off the range. She gave a small, nervous laugh before shaking her head a little.

"I guess we could get some food." Amaya finally conceded, as much as she wanted to be alone she realized that she needed food too. The Initiation had drained quite a bit of her energy, and now that she was starting to get cold even despite the jacket she could feel herself slowing down a little. Some warm food would probably help her feel more like herself again.