Watching is different

Samuel was buzzing with excitement once he was back inside his room and that didn't die off the following morning when he got up earlier so that he could have time for breakfast before he and Lena would leave for the gun range.

He wasn't sure though if it was due to the fact that he was getting to go back home sooner with his family if his parents and Lena's father agreed to what she had said or if it was because she had made a decision on the proposal and he now knew what to expect going forward.

Either way he was excited when he called his parents and talked to them about what had happened. He had been certain that they would at least be happy to know that he was going to be able to come home early. The agreement to the proposal he wasn't sure how they were going to take, but he at least hoped it would take away a certain amount of the pressure over whether they would have to pay back their debt or not.

This time when he called however, the reactions he had been expecting were the exact opposite from his parents. His father who had been fairly reserved each time he called and seemed unhappy about the situation seemed to be elated that Lena had made a decision that she would go through with it and that meant he would be able to go home before the week was up.

His mother on the other hand was acting slightly off. She still seemed happy about that her son was talking brightly about the matter and seemed as though he was happy about the situation and things were going well between him and the princess, but it seemed as though something was bothering as she was being quieter than normal.

He tried not to focus to heavily on it while he had been talking to them as he knew his parents were generally open with him about anything that they felt he should know or need to worry about it. Plus, it didn't stop them from having an enjoyable talk like usual despite his mother's slightly quieter nature.

They spent over an hour talking as there was a lot to discuss about the matter and him coming home as well, it meant that there would be more time to prepare for his birthday. His father more than his mother was surprised to hear that Lena had wanted to be able to attend. He was under the impression that they wouldn't be getting a chance to meet her until the wedding.

Samuel couldn't really give them an answer either as to why she wanted to come for his birthday, but it wasn't like there was any reason to reject her either. The only small matter was that he had to explain to his parents that she might come across less kindly than they might've imagined her to be, but that didn't mean that she treated him badly. It was just the way that she was. Plus Samuel was pretty certain of the fact that she wasn't fond on strangers and that explained why she got more bristly when she had to be around people she didn't know that well.

He knew that he probably should've ended the call sooner as it meant he got less than optimal sleep as he had also forgot until he was done with his parents that he Roger would also want to know what was going on.

The following morning the lack of sleep didn't really bother him that much due to the adrenaline from the excitement that he was feeling. His parents weren't thrilled about him going to the gun range, but they could understand why she probably wanted him to go with her- he had never been around guns before.

Samuel couldn't deny that he was slightly apprehensive over the idea of having to handle a gun, but it wasn't like there would be much to worry about since it was a secluded area that held little risk for anyone aside from inanimate targets from getting hit from what Lena had explained to him.

She hadn't been there to join him for breakfast and told him instead to pack it because she had things she needed to do before they left, but she wanted to be able to eat before she got there as food was necessary to help her focus on the targets she would be aiming at.

Thus, Samuel settled on making sandwiches since they tended to be a fairly sturdy and resilient food that did well traveling distances and not eaten right away if one knew how to put them together well.

Of course as with any of the other times that he had cooked, there were so many options to chose from to put in the sandwiches that it was almost overwhelming to try and decide what would be best. Lena hadn't given him anything to work with either when he had asked while she was getting ready to leave except that she didn't care as long as it tasted good. Because of this, he decided to go simple and work with some of the more fancy looking cured and smoked meats and cheese and only bothered with onion and tomato on top as he didn't want to add too many flavors.

Clive drove them to the range which around twenty minutes away. Lena didn't object because she knew that there rule was someone more qualified had to be accompany them to make sure that nothing happened.

Not driving meant that Lena could eat during the drive. Samuel didn't miss the fact that she didn't seem to share the same amount of enthusiasm as he did about the situation. He presumed because she didn't complain about the sandwiches while she was eating that she didn't have a problem with them, but instead of trying to talk she was staring out the car window with a focused face while she ate.

Samuel wanted to ask if something was wrong because he felt she had something on her mind that wasn't there the previous night, but wasn't sure what to say or if it was even something that he could ask about and by the time he thought of what to say, Clive had informed them that they had reached their destination.

Much like everything else that he had seen the Red Scorpions own, the gun range was far more expansive and elaborate than what he had been anticipating. The building was a dull gray and made out of cement in order to avoid any bullets damaging the building due to misfiring or missed targets.

There were individual rooms for solo target practice that lined one wall of the hall upon entering the room building, the other side branched out into a larger room with lockers, a desk, metal cabinets, and what looked like bullet proof vests and other equipment. Beyond this, he couldn't see anything else, but he could tell that the halls lead to other rooms. For safety purposes, the guns were all under lock and they to open where they were held was inside the desk which required a key that was kept at the main house for extra precaution.

The storage containers were made as to not be easily broken from the outside even using brute force and no one had ever tried to break in, but it was always better to be safe than sorry Lena told Samuel as she unlocked the desk to get the key out.

First thing the princess took care of was showing him how to put one of the vests on. Samuel didn't know anything about this and it made him feel a little nervous that she was taking this precaution.

"It's typical procedure standard around here. No one has been shot before, but if you get used to putting the vest on each time before you shot the gun, it becomes a habit so even when something happens and you're under stress, you won't forget your vest and go straight for the fun." Lena told him as she helped him slip it on and made sure all the straps were in their correct places. She took extra time to make sure he could see how to attach everything correctly.

"What are you thinking so far?" She asked once he was kitted up and she had begun to put her own vest. Clive had even put on one even though he wasn't even going to be inside the gun range. Samuel wasn't sure if this ease the tension he was feeling or also part of protocol.

"Honestly, it feels really different when you're watching someone else do these type of things than it does when you're right in the middle of it." He confessed as he looked down at the vest he was wearing. He suddenly found that there were a lot of questions he wanted to ask but didn't have the time to right now.

"You get used to it quickly if you come here often, it won't be so bad. Wait until after we're in the range and get started." Lena told him as she finished putting her vest on and turned to pull the guns she was planning on using for practice. Despite what she said, he didn't that this was something that he was going to easily be able to get used to.