Quincy's Big Game Hunt[Natasha, Johann]

Autumn was a welcomed season for Natasha. There was a treasure trove of activities one could get up to in their free time, even more so when they earned an extended period of respite to themselves. Since she'd done exactly that, she decided that engaging in a hunt would be the best way to stay active and maintain her otherworldly accuracy.

Since she hadn't spoken at length with him too much - she'd certainly been meaning to - she decided an ideal partner for the trip would Johann Arant, a man she held in high regard. They had history by merit of his connection with her old man, and he was quite the pleasant fellow to interact with in both the social and battlefield setting. What else could she possibly ask for?

Even better, he'd offered a location of choice. His home country - Germany. She hadn't been there in a mighty long time. Taking him up on the offer, she'd bought her plane ticket, traveled there first, and found herself setting up camp in an ideal spot they both agreed to during a shared conversation on her mobile device. Most of the area had been set up, a large tent and an area for them to sit down, mount their arms, and fire their respective rifles.

Along with that, she brought along some goodies in the form of a few packed lunches and water to keep themselves sustained and refreshed. Now, with rifle in hand, she was waiting on the dashing man of the hour to arrive.

While the fall season often spelled future troubles for his old bones, that was hardly something that would stop him from enjoying that time to the fullest. The two of them had agreed on taking a small bit of time off to his home country of Germany to do some hunting. Despite his emphasis on archery regarding Quincy weaponry, Johann had long since dabbled in the use of firearms outside of his race's arts.

However, he had not expected some trouble to occur once he had touched down back home, requiring his attention for a brief while. A man like him was far from someone to be willingly tardy, but, there were some things that took precedence. Nevertheless, he took care of it swiftly, and made his way to their agreed spot, equipment in tow.

He had to admit, he was rather excited for the excursion. He hadn't seen Natasha since she was a little girl, and now, there was a sense of pride at seeing her all grown up. A coordinator in the Vandenreich, a mother of sorts, and a beautiful, lovely woman. She had her dark period, but, he looked at her with pride from the strength she had to continue moving forward and seek a brighter future.

So, as he began to unload his equipment, he approached their camp with a smile on his face, a classic 1903 Springfield rifle over his shoulder, kept impeccably well, with the old gun looking as if it never saw a day's use.

"Apologies for my tardiness, Miss Miller. Usually I am a man of punctuality and timeliness, but, there were a situation that required my attention. I hope you're not too cross with me."

"Course not, Gramps. I'm a patient lass. All's that matters now is that yer here. Took ya long enough."

Offering a playful jab at the end, Natasha accepted his apology with a wave of the hand. Administrators and coordinators were naturally busy folk in the Vandenreich, and Johann certainly struck her as a man who always aimed to handle his duty first and enjoy his play later. Nothing wrong with that. As long as he was here now, that's all that mattered.

When she saw him approaching, now in full view, the first thing that undoubtedly caught her eye was the rifle he bought for the occasion. As a proud and true gun enthusiast, she couldn't miss it. A Springfield 1903? The old gentleman had a mighty fine taste in firearms. Offering an appreciative whistle, Natasha tilted her head to the side as she approached him, appraising the work of art over his shoulder. Even better, it looked relatively well-kept, maintained impeccably, and without any wear and tear, least not visibly so.

"Lookit you, Uncle Jo. Bringin' a masterpiece like this out to our little excursion. I'm impressed."

With a soft chuckle, Johann gave a brief nod alongside a warm smile as he continued to approach her, his own equipment in tow. He figured that she would know what he was carrying, especially with how well he knew her father. While he was far from an enthusiast as they were, he certainly had an particular eye for these things, especially when they were classical, vintage pieces like the one he carried today.

"Well, I couldn't just let it sit around the estate and collect dust, now could I?"

Sliding the firearm off his shoulder, he carefully set it down on a towel, before going to retrieve the rest of his belongings. It wasn't too much, but, he wanted to be sure that he was thoroughly prepared, especially if things changed, or, heaven forbid, a Hollow came along.

"I'm glad we were able to get this little outing set up. It's been quite a long time since I'd seen you, and with work having us so busy, it's nice to have a bit of time away. Now, do we have everything? Water, first aid kits, some snacks, scent eliminators and attractors, route markers...yes, yes, all here. So, what shall we hunt, Miss Miller?"

"I'd be plenty upset if ya did. A beauty like that deserves some fresh air at least every once and a while. Almost makes me wish I would've brought somethin' cool from me or my pa's collection. I know he wouldn't waste a second comparin' models if I dragged him along."

Following him along, Natasha felt that firm sense of nostalgia setting in. She hadn't gone for an old-fashioned hunt in months. Since she had grown well accustomed to life in the City of Lights, she almost forgot what it felt like to be in a setting like this again. Open land for miles and miles. Wildlife. This was what life used to be like when she and her father used to enjoy their hunts here on vacation. To experience this with a man she considered an uncle was nothing short of fulfilling.

When Johann posed the question about what they would hunt first, Natasha stroked her chin quietly as she pondered the question for a moment. She supposed a little deer hunting wouldn't hurt. Of course, he was free to suggest his own choice if he wanted to test his prowess elsewhere.


"It's nice to see you again, too, Uncle Jo. I know work's been busy, and our missions have been difficult and even life-threatening. I think I speak for both of us when I say some quiet time like this is a welcome escape from all that. Glad ya took me up on the offer. As far as what we want to go first... I suppose there's nothing 'wrong with startin' with deer, right? Pretty simple. Of course, I'm all ears if you have somethin' better in mind."

Johann found himself standing a bit straighter at the compliment toward his firearm of choice. Despite his typical preferences in weaponry, he held a great deal of pride in his ability to keep relics looking as if they never have and never would leave their prime. However, the idea of Johnny accompanying them brought a nostalgic wistfulness to the elder's eyes.

There had been times when they spent time together where he would talk seemingly incessantly about the different firearms that he used as inspirations for his Spirit Weapon, the ones he had at home, whether active or simply as trophies. Ah, perhaps things would have been a bit more lively, had he joined. With a smile, Johann began to organize and gather their belongings.

"Oh, most certainly. Dare I say that not just we need it, but everyone needs it. I know I can be rather strict with you young ones, but, I also believe that after working hard, one must also relax and play just as well. Helps keep a balanced body and mind, after all. Do it well enough, and when you reach my age, you'll still be as spry and active as you were as a youth!"

Readjusting the Springfield on his shoulder, he slipped a pack over the other, giving himself a once-over, before looking at Natasha with a confident grin.

"How about a wild boar as well? After we take one down, we could grill up some bratwurst for dinner, alongside some venison. How's that sound?"

"Come on now, Uncle Jo. Ain't nothin' hardly young about me anymore. I'm nearin' my forties soon. In a decade or so, I'll be in my fifties or sixties. Though, compared to you, I guess I'm still pretty young, huh?"

Natasha couldn't contain her mirth at Johann's playful words of advice. She didn't count herself among the youth anymore. She was well within the age where she should've reasonably been married by now with a few children. Alas, fate had other plans in store. In some humorously cosmic sort of way, she still ended up with those children, they just didn't come out of the womb, and they were closer to young adults than kids. Collecting all the tools and materials she'd need, slinging one of her standard-grade rifles over her shoulder, Natasha turned to Johann with a smile as she stepped beside him.

"Sounds mighty nice to me. Haven't tried this country's cuisine in some time. Lead the way, Uncle Jo!"

As the two finalized gathering their things, Johann couldn't help but chuckle, a hand coming to gently rest on Natasha's shoulder. Compared to him, many people were young, even more when Shinigami and Arrancar were taken into consideration.

"Bah, you look like you never left your twenties. Nevertheless, no matter how old we get, we must always live life to the fullest. These moments, the memories we make, that is what makes life worthwhile."

And so, the two began to head out, with Johann setting down route markers to ensure that, if they managed to get turned around within the forest, they would still have a way out. Perhaps there was a manner of which they could accomplish this with Reishi and all the things that came with the powers they wielded. But, there was something oddly nice about going about it in the traditional way.

It was humbling, in a way.

The pair of Quincy eventually made their way to a particular clearing, and got set up with their rifles, scent attractors and eliminators, and water. In the time they waited, they quietly whispered stories between one another, soft laughter breaking the silence as they waited for any sounds that might give away one of their chosen target's approach.

Then, the sound of twigs breaking, leaves crunching, and foliage rustling as it was disturbed. Quickly, Johann got down and hid himself. His rifle was ready, but he had insisted that Natasha take aim at the first one they found.

"Can't argue with ya there. You should pass that along to my Papa. He'd probably take it in stride since it's comin' from you. I like the sound of it, too. Live life to the fullest, young or old. Makes me especially happy that i get to share a pleasant moment like this with my Uncle Jo."

Voicing those genuine words with a familial warmth to her tone, she flashed a smile in Johann's direction as his hand rested against her shoulder. His advice was always welcomed with open arms. After all, he knew her to a degree most couldn't quite compare, simply by merit of the history they shared. At times, he was a teacher and a wise spirit. At others, in her darkest hours, he was a guiding light that slowly steered her toward the Vandenreich, in a time when she wholeheartedly felt as though no one else wanted her in this world.

As they walked along the route Johann selected, she whistled appreciatively at his attentiveness. Another Quincy might have defaulted to approaching these menial tasks with reishi and spirit energy, but she quite admired his traditional approach. As a result, it made their current hunt feel that much more genuine. No reishi. No reiryoku. They would rely solely on the tools they brought along with them, inventions crafted by human hands, invented from human minds.

When they were properly set up, after sharing small stories and fond memories, the hunt could begin in full. Like the gracious gentlemen that he was, he allowed her the opportunity to pinpoint their first target. Right on cue, a red deer slowly settled into full view. Admiring how pretty it looked, even if only faintly, positioned her rifle, firing off the first shot to begin their big game hunt.

Tell her father, hm? He hadn't seen Johnny in a long, long time. When had the last time the two of them sat down for a proper chat? Goodness, it had been so long that he couldn't properly remember. He'd have to remedy that. So, giving a smile and a nod, Johann made sure that he would take the time to meet him at some point. He felt that the both of them could use it.

Watching that red deer stepping into view, Johann eagerly awaited Natasha's shot. It was a beautiful creature, and, perhaps a bit of a boorish thought, but the idea of making a good meal out of a fine specimen made him a little bit excited. Unflinching as Natasha's rifle went off, Johann gave a nod in response as the bullet bored its way through the deer's upper shoulder.

"Excellent shot, my dear!"

The shot, however, seemed to rile up more wandering animals in the wood. As luck would have it, another red deer came sprinting out of the brush. With his body and rifle already in position, Johann carefully rotated it to lead the shot, before pulling the trigger. Not quite as precise as Natasha's, but, the bullet tore through the deer's body without remorse, causing it to land not far from the original target.

"This old man's still got it, though, doesn't he?"