Don't Stare Too Long (ReD)

Adelene took a deep breath and held it in as she peeked through the scope of her sniper rifle. Through that, she managed to keep the rifle's movement to a minimum, and the scope steadied itself to the other side of the lake, on a small target board she's attached to a tree about an hour ago. The tree was already dying, so she thought it was okay to set it up there.

<i>Steady now... Squeeze, don't pull.</i>

Slowly, she moved her right index finger closer to the trigger. But just before she squeezed it, her hands started to shake uncontrollably. Dammit, she was getting tired. And that will not do.

She sighed and backed away from her gun that was mounted behind a smooth rock. She couldn't fire if her hands were tired, because she was afraid to mess up and end up killing some poor animal, or worse, a person. She picked it up and put it down beside her bag.

This called for a break. Adelene gave another sigh, before plopping down under a tree. The afternoon was passing by fast, which meant she didn't have too much time anymore. She always makes sure to go back to the dorms at sunset, after all.

But then suddenly, she felt herself shudder. It felt like someone was lurking in the area, watching her.

Not good. She hated that.

She stood up and grabbed the rifle. As she touched it, it turned into black crystal dust and retook its form as a metal baseball bat. A heavy one. She dragged it behind her as she slowly followed where she sense the presence.

"Who's there?" she asked as she made a turn into the woods and bushes.

Adelene came out from behind a tree, only to stand face to face with a... another student who seemed so wasted that she thought he was harmless. The metal bat dissolved into black crystal dust once more and faded in the air as she dropped her guard. She looked at him curiously, tilting her head like an inquiring bird.

"...What does it look like...?" she asked. She thought that maybe the guy wasn't thinking clearly. Did he mean he looked like he was intoxicated with alcohol? If that was it then it surely was what it looked like.

Adelene stepped closer, although she stopped just a meter afar. "I'm not going to tell people you're drunk, what benefit do I get for that?" she said, before unconsciously heaving a sigh. Her eyes landed on the male's bag, and her nose twitched at the smell of alcohol. Actually, she didn't mind that smell. She used to drink, too, after all.

She was cautious, but she couldn't help taking another step closer. And crouching down. "Where'd you get those anyway?" she asked, pointing to the bottles. "And why are you trying to poison yourself? That's... That's not good."

Adelene easily accepted the bottle and gave it a slight sniff. Hm. She could only vaguely remember what whiskey smelled and tasted like, it's been a while.

She tried a glug, before returning the bottle. Her eyes fixed on the guy, she started judging him silently. He knew that she's always been there, but his book told her that he wasn't stalking on her or anything. Besides, why would anyone do that in the first place?

"That booze is good," she commented. As didn't smile though. She wasn't one to smile so easily. "I took a sip, so don't worry I really won't tell anyone. You don't look like a creeper either. Don't be so full of yourself."

She went silent. And then, suddenly, she decided to snatch the bottle back and have a few more sips. The feeling of heat in her throat felt nice. The feeling of alcohol in her body was almost a bit too welcome, after tiring herself out with training.

Adelene shrugged and sat down, although she didn't move an inch closer to him. One could easily tell, though, that the alcohol seemed to have relaxed her a little. Add that to her training just a while ago, she might become sleepy in just a couple of minutes.

"I unwind sometimes, most of the time I'm just here to keep myself busy," she said. She gave the male a long stare, and realized she was somewhat worried. It was natural for her, since she was raised to be that way.

She furrowed her eye brows and tilted her head a little. "You can't taste it anymore, you say. Are you... I'm sorry, are you okay? It's not really my business, is it? But..." Her voice faded, sentence unfinished. She didn't really know what to say. She was just worried. But telling something like that to a stranger was probably weird. And just like what she's said, it wasn't even her business.

Adelene tilted her head curiously at hearing him talk about stroke. That wasn't what she meant, of course, but she decided not to push it. After all, it's as she said, it wasn't her business.

She wasn't giving the bottle back though. She had a good grip on its neck, so she can easily have another sip. One last sip...

"I'm a student," she said, before finally giving the bottle back. She realized then that she only came to check on this guy because she thought she was being watched by someone hostile. And finding out that she was wrong, she probably had no reason to stay anymore.

She shrugged again. It didn't seem like this guy wanted any company so maybe it was better to leave. "Oh well," she stood up, "I guess I'll just resume my training now. Sorry for disturbing you."

She was about to turn around and leave when she caught the bottles in her sight. Damn, that booze was good. She wanted one for herself. "...By the way, how can I get something like that?"