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(This happens tomorrow morning)

Marie crunched through the thin crust on the snow, heading off the beaten path where another set of footprints wound through the trees ahead of her. She grew irritated with slogging through the snow after a few paces and, shaking her boots clean, levitated enough to whisk along soundlessly until she reached the clearing where Moira stood waiting. "Hi," she said, as she passed beyond the last trees and set her feet back down in the snow. "Did I keep you waiting?"

Starting, Moira turned slightly from where she had been standing silently. The rifle felt heavy and familiar in her hands and she had lost herself to slightly happier memories of her father. Smiling, Moira shook her head. "Nay, I was jus' enjoyin' th' mornin'. I dinnae get out much on th' grounds what wit' th' constant chaos." She lifted the rifle in a small salute. "It's 'bout time this lovely beauty saw some action..."

"Wonderful. Thanks for taking the time to teach me." Marie looked around the clearing. "Even if I didn't want to learn, I'd be happy to get out here just for the quiet. I run down by the lake, but it's awful dark when I go, it's not quite the same. So." She bounced a little on her toes, ponytails - complete with shiny pink heart hair-bobbles - flipping about. "Where do we start?"

Looking amused, Moira trudged through the snow up to her. "Aye, tis beautiful out here, 'ave ta get out o' th' mansion more often. As fer startin', what do ye know already? Guns, in general, rifles in particular."

"Well, I finished my in-class lessons for hand guns. I know how to handle one well enough, and I know the physics of how guns fire. I don't know anything about rifles at all. My mother was very anti-gun and considered hunting especially to be nothing less than abominable. Forgive her." Marie smiled crookedly and shrugged a little. "She also had a collection of aprons so that she'd never clash while making cookies."

"...matchin' aprons? Oh my." Shaking her head, she held out the rifle so Marie could get a look at it. "It was me Da's, like I said. In fact, this is what he taught me ta hunt wit'." Moira smiled wistfully. "If he 'adn't given ta me, I would 'ave 'ad him buried wit' it. But, anyway..." Clearing her throat, she continued. "I'll show ye first how this goes, aye?"

"Yeah. I'm here to learn." Marie's smile became a genuine one. "I appreciate you sharing this with me. It's different than the whole handgun thing. The range still makes me a little queasy, and it's not just the smell."

Moira paused from fiddling with the rifle and smiled sadly at Marie. "Aye, I suppose tha' it would..." She glanced down at the gun in her hand and ran her fingers lightly over it. "I 'ave verra good memories but it's still a scary thin' when ye actually stop an' -think- 'bout th' power ye're wieldin'. It's probably different than yer powers but it's a power all th' same."

"We all hold each others' lives in our hands," Marie said, kicking lightly at the snow. "I think about it a lot, because I'm scared of myself some days and realizing that makes it better. Really, we're all dangerous, no matter who we are. It's how we choose to live that matters." Her eyes were on the snow that she was pushing around with her toe.

"An' considerin' yer here, instead o' out there...says a lot about how ye are choosin' ta live yer life. Ta be 'onest, I dinnae like teachin' ye 'ow ta use this but when ye get right down ta it, yer better for it than if I dinnae."

Marie looked up at her. "I appreciate that. When it comes down to it, I guess... I know death, what it's like to die. I know what it feels like, because I've been there with three people now. I'd rather do it that way," she nodded toward the gun, "if I have to. I'd rather not do it at all."

"I'd rather ye didna either," Moira responded quietly, locking gazes with Marie. "But sometimes choices are made for us an' there's nay a damned thin' we can do 'bout it, aye? I'll teach ye everythin' ye need ta know an' I'll give ye as much o' a head start as I can give ye, wit' this, wit' anythin' else."

"Thanks." Marie was deeply grateful for the honesty and the offer. "Let's cover this part. And then, maybe we can talk about getting me some work toward the other ways of changing the world. The damn army can keep me away from university but they can't keep Amazon from delivering textbooks to me."

Moira laughed a little. "Nay, they cannae. An' if'n what I've got can 'elp, I'll loan them to ye." Hefting the rifle, she grinned. "Now...shall we?"

Marie stepped to the side where she could see Moira clearly, hands in her pockets. "Teach on," she said lightly. "I'm here to learn."

Turning, Moira flipped a lever on the rifle and it neatly folded in half, showing the openings. Deftly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bullet and slid it home. With a sharp noise, the rifle was put back into one piece and she breathed deeply, finding her center. She firmly put the rifle across her chest, nearly hugging it while she had the butt against her shoulder. She spread her legs to where they were shoulder width and hunkered down slightly. Pulling the hammer back, she waited a minute, focusing on the old archery target ahead of them. A second later, she squeezed the trigger, the sound of the shot echoing around them. The power of the rifle shook her body but her stance took most of the impact neatly. Relaxing, she turned to Marie and grinned. "Yer turn, lass."

Marie had watched intently and she took the gun in her hands and, stepping close, followed Moira's example. The sound of the gun going off made her smile and she seemed to handle the recoil without concern. "That's got a kick to it," she said enthusiastically, looking over at Moira. "I kind of like it. Now. I just need to actually -hit- something."

A while later…
Moira flopped ungracefully down onto the snow, dusting her head off. "Marie, ye okay?" She was torn between laughter and mortification. "I didnae realize tha' kickback would -do- tha' while ye were flyin'."

Marie was overcome by giggles. "Me either." She lifted herself out of the rather distressed dogwood patch and started brushing snow out of her hair as she staggered over to Moira and topped into the snow next to her, laughing. "That was impressive."

"Aye, tha' was, ye must 'ave flipped over twice. Well, at least physics still works..." Moira shook her head. "I dinnae do anythin' an' I'm tired by watchin' ye!"

"That's never happened before," Marie managed to say. "It was kind of fun. And I'm tired too. Oh... dear. I really /wasn't/ thinking there."

Leaning against a tree and ignorning the cold, Moira shrugged. "Twas a good experiment...I really 'avena seen anyone go tha' fast in quite a while." Glancing over at the ruined bit of forest, she winced. "What is it wit' me an' property damage around here, aye?"

"You remember what I did to the medlab," Marie said, getting to her feet slowly and offering up the rifle. "I think I've out done you easily with the number of doors I ripped off the hinges and all. The dogwood will recover before Mr Marko discovers our ill deeds. Shall we head back and you can show me how to clean that up?"

"Oh bloody 'ell...well, at least Marko knows better'n ta push me, 'e learned I dinnae back down from much." Grasping the rifle, Moira scrambled to her feet. "Aye, there's nay much ta cleanin' but it 'as ta be done."

"That's the way of it." Marie shook her head to get the last of the snow out of her hair. "I have snow all the way down my back," she said with no small displeasure. "And only myself to blame. Coffee is in order, I think."

"Ooo, coffee," Moira breathed, closing her eyes in amused bliss. "Aye, tha' would hit th' spot." Turning, she smiled at Marie. "I'm glad this worked out so well, we'll 'ave ta do it again. Any time ye want ta practice, let me know, I'll unlock th' cabinet ta get ye the rifles." Her thoughts turned to the sudden interest in weapons and she frowned slightly.

Marie caught the change in expression and frowned in turn. "Something wrong?" She looked back over her shoulder to see if they'd forgotten something in the clearing.

"Nay, jus'...thinkin'." She hefted the rifle over her shoulder and sighed. "I understand th' fear an' th' misgivin's...I jus' 'ave me own 'bout th' younger students, meanin' under 18, learnin' how ta use handguns."

"I wasn't clear we were teaching the under-aged ones." Marie frowned darkly. "Didn't even occur to me. I'll have to check the age on being allowed to practice on private property. Truth is, we have a number who probably know how. I have mixed feelings about it in general, but I don't think it's a bad thing if it's done properly. Our mutations are weapons too, and we have no choice about having them."

"I know, I know." Moira rubbed her forehead. "It's jus'...I brought th' guns because I'm only human an' I dinnae like th' though o' usin' them against someone else." She frowned, shaking her head. "Ye jus' got put on th' staff list but ye must o' scene me post 'bout Marie-Ange's pre-cog powers, aye?"

Marie nodded. "I'm working my way back through the posts when I have a chance. The most recent one, you mean?"

"Aye. I've got a list I'm makin' o' the dream logs and drawin's she gave me." She stopped and turned to face Marie. "Listen, we dinnae know what's accurate, what isna, but we 'ave ta take each one seriously. One o' the visions is of Doug, our Doug, gettin' shot and diein'. Not sure where, when but...ye can see why I'm bloody damned anxious 'bout this whole thin', aye?"

Marie stopped in her tracks, crossing her arms over her chest tightly. "/Doug?/" Doug, dying? Unacceptable. "I can see, yes. Whatever it is that she saw, it can't be allowed to happen," Marie said flatly. "

Sighing heavily, Moira leaned the rifle against a nearby tree and tucked her hands into her pocket. "Th' problem we're facin' is tha' we dinnae know when, where...how, even. Or if'n it's goin' ta happen. It's jus' settin' me off thinkin' 'bout guns bein' in this house wit' tha' possiblity hangin' over our 'eads. I'm keepin' me rifles under lock an' bloody key, but how're Angelo an' the others goin' ta do it?"

"All guns will have to be kept in lockers, staff-supervised ones," Marie said. "I couldn't sleep if they weren't even if I didn't know about Doug. There's just too much potential for disaster. Teaching students to handle hand guns doesn't equate to arming them. I can't see Scott possibly allowing it any other way and God knows I'd kick up a fuss loud enough to wake the dead if he did."

"We bot' would." Moira groaned. "Th' only way I'll be able ta rest easy is draggin' out th' folks who're doin' the teachin' and makin' damned sure they know what they're doin'." She reached over and placed a hand on Marie's shoulder. "If'n yer worried 'bout Doug, we can take a few more steps ta make sure he's safe. I dinnae know if'n he knows 'bout th' vision, ye might want ta ask Marie-Ange 'bout tha' one. We'll make sure he's safe."

"Well, Angelo's asked me to be staff-liason to what we're setting up as a skill-sharing project, not just teaching the kids how to handle guns," Marie said. "Haven't had time to write up a proposal for that for Scott yet, but does that help at all?"

"Aye, it does at tha'. AT times I'm verra much an old woman who worries ta much."
"As soon as people started taking Angelo seriously, he got reasonable very fast." Marie smiled and put her hand on Moira's shoulder. "It's kind of like magic sometimes. And you're not worrying too much. I know what lack of the whole story does to someone. I'm just glad you care so much."

"It's painful ta care too much," Moira admitted sadly, "but it's dangerous ta not let yerself."

"Amen to that," Marie said quietly. "I'll keep you updated on anything I know about the guns situation. The only other possible source is Jake, who has his guns up here, but I'm sure he's got them stored properly. I could ask him."

"Tha' would be 'elpful, I need ta get wit' him anyway. I might be able to swin' gettin' more o' th' security system I 'ave on me locker. Would be verra 'elpful."

"If I see him, I'll send him your way," Marie promised. "The kids, me included, are so scared, and so many of them aren't really kids, it just seems like - contrary to any sense - they have to be allowed to do what they feel they need to do within basic reason. I think, as long as they're supervised and counselled as they go, this could end up being something really empowering for them. Either way," she kicked at a chunk of snow and shrugged, "saying no never kept a teenager from doing anything."

Glancing down at the rifle before scooping it back up, Moira nodded slowly. "Yer right 'bout tha', in fact, "no" will make'em try harder. But perhaps...we can do it in a way tha's safe." Smiling, she hooked an arm around Marie's shoulders and squeezed gently. "We'll work it out an' we'll make damned sure tha' no one gets hurt here fer a verra, verra lon' time. In th' mean time...coffee?"

"You can talk about your coffee and no one getting hurt in the same breath?" Marie teased. She leaned into Moira a little, smiling. "Sounds like a plan to me. All of it."