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( that's a sweet sentiment and everything, but is undermined by clarke's own self loathing and the acknowledgement that she's changed from a bright eyed, optimistic teenage girl into an instinctual instrument of death.

natsuno is being favored with a side-long, almost rueful smile. )

I hope they don't need me anymore.

( and this has all been lovely, but entirely too open and vulnerable so, a somewhat immediate misdirect. )

Want to try hitting a target? ( behind them is the stretch of deck that leads back to the doors into the ships interior. there's bound to be some sort of lighting fixture illuminating the entrance, and that's what clarke jerks her thumb at. ) Put the lights out.

[Back to business, then. Natsuno respects that, too. He follows suit without missing a beat.]

Sure.

[Lightning fixture it is. He'll need to aim a little higher for that. Natsuno aims carefully, taking a few moments to find what he thinks is the right position before pulling the trigger.

It's not dead center, but the fixture is big enough that it shatters anyway.]

( a killshot doesn't need to be dead center, it just needs to shred enough bone and tissue to get past the point of no return. as far as clarke's concerned, that's a really good shot. a really good shot actually. )

For someone who'd never shot a gun before tonight ( DOUBT, the look she favors him with — now that they've neatly folded the traumatic portion of this conversation back into it's own place — is dubious, but tinged with an edge of impressed. ) you're pretty good at this.

It's different — it's always different when you actually shoot another living thing. But your form's good, and you have a good eye.

[A good eye. His eyes are better than a human's, but he didn't actually think being a supernatural apex predator will be useful for shooting things, too. Thanks, he hates it.]

It'll be different with other inanimate objects, too.

[Smaller, further, in a closed space where bullets ricochet...]

...what do you do when it's a living thing?

( the immediate answer, jaded and detached: )

You point, and you pull.

( but clarke hears how her own words sounds coming out of her mouth, and winces. offers an apologetic half-smile, and starts again. )

Ideally, if it's another person you're going to shoot, you've exhausted all other options. Escape, diplomacy, non-lethal alternatives... And once you're in a corner with no other choices, it's —

( obvious? easy? the only thing to do? understandable? survival instincts take over, and maybe guilt will creep in later. it really does just come down to pointing and pulling the trigger, but the emotional whiplash still smarts. looking back for some of natsuno's own words regarding choice and consequence, clarke lands on: )

In the moment, you make that choice — either choice, really. And then you get to live with it, for however much longer you live.

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