This initial courtship period on the station should have been joyous and fun if he hadn’t gotten into that altercation in the restaurant.
Stupid mercenaries.
He left Charrovik so he could get away from that. Yet the life seemed to follow him wherever he went. He needed to get away from it. For Polly’s sake.
She didn’t deserve that life.
As his caring grew, he knew she needed more than what the clan offered.
The way she talked about her family during the meal made him think of a large and varied group, similar to a clan. A great many Charro, living under his father’s rules, bound by blood or by credits, however it was arranged.
Despite this, Polly appeared to be less appreciated compared to other members in her family clan.
He didn’t understand that. She was an amazing female.
He came out of the bedroom, clean after their meal, and he was finally feeling himself. Polly stood in the middle of the apartment, pulling her weapon-bat off her hip, and engaging it in one smooth motion.
Well, she was trying.
The bat fell on the floor with a clatter. Weapon training wasn’t something that was a priority on her world, evidently.
“Damn,” she muttered, and scooped it up.
“You will get it,” he said. “Like anything, it takes practice.”
“All the fancy technology you all have here, I would think you’d have a way to download a basic defense program into my brain or something. Or at least a program to be more graceful and fluid, so I could get this right.”
He smirked. Where did she come up with those ideas of hers? “More of your world’s storytelling?”
“Basically, yes.”
“Well, we have nothing like that here. Even if we did, then everyone would have it, and it wouldn’t be any sort of bonus. It would be the normal standard.”
She glared at him. “Stop being logical.”
He smiled. “No. What are you attempting to do? Perhaps I can help.”
She closed the bat and put it back on her hip. “I’m trying to do this one-handed, and it’s just not working.”
“Move it to the other side.”
“On my other hip? Why?”
“You’ll reach across your body, pull it, and it will be up in a singular motion. You want to do this to intimidate, yes?”
“I guess,” she said.
“Which looks more powerful?” he asked, holding out his hand.
She gave him the bat handle.
He clipped it to his side, pulled it, tossed it in the air, then caught it and turned it on, all on his right side.
“See, that’s what I want to do.”
“But this also leaves your other side open.” He closed it and hung it on his other side. “Now watch.”
He did the motion coming around the front of his body, extending the bat as he swung up into position. And used his empty hand as a block while he did it.
