entrancelogs | [OPEN] She don't wait to begin, she bets on long shots;

Who: Jo (Harvelle) Lauchlan & you!
Where: The bar, the shooting range, the training center.
When: 1/17
Rating: PG for now.
Summary: Spring is still a ways off, but Jo has contracted a bad case of cabin fever.
The Story:

[Weeks have now passed, but the events that residents of Wonderland had experienced over the holiday season are still weighing heavily on Jo’s mind. She’s always been one of the most insistent residents when it comes to defending staying in Wonderland as being a valid choice, but Christmas had left her shaken. As much as she wants to stay, she doesn't want her future to look like that-- empty and with no memory of what made her who she was.

She spends the first part of the day in the bar as per usual, heading in early to take care of some so-called housekeeping-- salt beneath the floorboards in front of the doors and windows are a must, and she makes sure that all of the usual supplies are still in place behind the bar itself. Wonderland, after all, is home to all kinds of people, not all of them necessarily human, and while circumstances have forced her to be a little more lenient on who walks through those doors than she would be back home, she doesn't believe in leaving the people who help her run the place unprotected. The bar has seen enough bloodshed over the years, and she refuses to leave any blatant openings for an encore. Holy water, vervain, salt rounds and other various hunter stand-bys are all topped off and put in their place as necessary. Once noon rolls around, she'll be serving people as needed, doing what she can to keep herself busy, but eventually the itch to throw herself into something more involving takes over, and she lets the bar go self-serve for the afternoon, or at least until Simon or Cami make their way there to take over for her.

The first place she heads to is the shooting range. The last time she'd been down here, she'd mostly been spotting for Clint, though she'd gotten in some time with her rifle. Truth be told, she didn't have a whole lot of opportunities to use it these days, although she always made sure it was fully loaded and well-cared for in the even that she did need it. Today, however, she opts for something different-- she shows up with a recurve bow and a quiver full of arrows. It's been a long, long time since she's given archery much thought, but it's a skill she doesn't want to fall out of her repertoire. More than that, with all of this thinking about memories and how they contribute to who a person is, archery reminds her of her dad, and spending countless hours in the field out behind their house, shooting at the straw-stuffed targets he'd put together for her.

She'll stay out and practice until her arms start to grow stiff and the cold starts to feel more miserable than it's worth, at which point she'll head in. The evening will find her in the training center, mostly working over a couple of dummies and one of the hanging bags to keep herself in fighting shape, but she'll be happy to spar with anyone looking for a partner-- just don't expect her to pull punches. In addition, she'll make herself available to anyone she's discussed doing a little hunter training with in the last few weeks, more than happy to put all of her focus into helping someone else rather than dwelling on what's bothering her.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She nods again, understanding. Jo hadn't been through a zombie apocalypse of her own, but she knew what it felt like to be small and up against seemingly impossible odds.]

Well, you're in the right place. I had to learn to be tough even though I was small, too. My dad started teaching me when I was little, but even as an adult, I'm not that big.

[She has to rely on speed and resourcefulness a lot of the time. Most monsters are just bigger than she is, not to mention stronger than most humans.]

But I'm happy to help. It's been awhile since I've taught anyone-- I've missed it. And if it ends up helping you... then I'm glad. Besides, I've been meaning for us to spend some more time together.

[Zombie fam's gotta stick together.]

Yeah? Me too.

[Clementine looks up at her with a little smile. Zombie family is very important to her, because it's a group of people who gets it without her having to say why she always has a couple weapons on her, why she doesn't act like most kids.

There's no question. There's just people who have learned how to survive, how to always be on the lookout. She feels comfortable with them.]

I want to learn from you. You know what you're talking about and you know about way more than zombies which is important. There's more than zombies in the Events. [They come from everyone's worlds, and while Clementine is trying her best to learn about all of them, she's likely to forget bits and pieces especially if she doesn't practice.] Did your dad start to teach you when you were little, because he wanted to help protect you?

You're right, there are. And I don't know how to fight everything that could potentially come through here, but everything I do know, I can teach you-- and you can use it to keep yourself safe no matter what shows up.

[None of it is foolproof, because Jo simply can't know about every creature from every world-- but basic survival never changes.

She pauses for a moment at Clem's question before making a small noise of assent, smiling.]

Mn. He wanted to be sure I knew how to keep myself safe, and I think he always knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Be like him, help people. That was important to me. I always thought my dad was a hero.

Edited 2017-02-16 19:11 (UTC)

[Clementine nods. Survival is something that is learned, and she knows to keep quiet, to hide. There are certain actions which can keep her alive no matter what she's facing, and she always wants more tips about what exactly she can do.

She smiles a bit too.]

If he was out there fighting bad stuff and helping people, he was a hero.

Anyone who does that is.

[She's gotten really used to people who just do whatever they have to to survive, and it means abandoning people they care about sometimes. It means killing someone without hesitation, without a good reason. It's good to have these reminders of people who go out there and fight to help others at great risk to themselves.]

[She smiles warmly-- hunting is a thankless job, something she'd gone into the business knowing full well, but it meant a lot to hear someone agree with her about her father, even if Clementine had never met him. All Jo had left of him was memories now-- memories, a knife and a jacket, but she would always think of him the way she had when she was little.]

I just wanted to make him proud, since he did so much for so many people. I think he'd be proud to know I'm passing some of it on to you, too. So, lesson one: salt and holy water? They're your new best friends.

[Clementine smiles back warmly at her, nodding in agreement. Her dad would definitely be proud of her. She wrinkles her nose up a bit curiously, kinda like a bunny would.]

Got it. What's salt and holy water do? ...and what makes water holy? [She raises an eyebrow like hrm. She's only ever heard holy in terms of like 'holy shit', which y'know. Doesn't really help.]

[Clementine, you're adorable.]

They both have a number of uses, but they're your main line of defense against demons. Salt is also good for keeping spirits out-- ghosts. They can't cross a salt line; salt represents purity.

[Her smile quirks to one side.]

Holy water means it's blessed, like they have in Catholic churches, but you don't need a priest to do it. If you know the right things to say, you can bless your own-- most hunters do.

[Clementine nods seriously even if this is all brand new information. Salt can't be used for anything where she's from. They don't have demons or ghosts though. Can't cross a salt line. Maybe she ought to keep a line of it in front of her door. She smiles, lifting herself up on her toes a bit.]

Wait, really? You can bless your own water?

Cool.

Yup.

[She grins, self-satisfied. Yeah, that part is pretty cool, isn't it?]

When I was little, that kind of blew my mind. I thought only real official types could do that kind of thing, but turns out you just have to have a knack for Latin.

[Clementine smiles, clasping her hands together. It's so, so cool. Jo is way cool, and she's so grateful she gets to learn this.]

Can you do some Latin for me?

Sure. There's a bunch of different Latin incantations that hunters use-- exorcisms are a big one, but I can show you how to bless water if you want, and write it down for you to practice on your own.

[All she needs is water and a rosary, and she happens to have both.]

I'd like that. I'd practice it all the time. You never know when it could be needed.

[Clementine pauses then because it occurs to her-]

Cause you never know what could come through in Wonderland, how do you prepare for any possibility?

[OPEN] She don't wait to begin, she bets on long shots;

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