Try Your Hand {open}

[Elsa]

School had started properly. Classes were going, the portals were open, things were moving along normally. Which meant that people were now free to engage in whatever activities they wanted, try something that they'd never tried before, see if they could get new experiences. Elsa had already adapted to the new clothing (she wore a decent pair of leggings that looked lived in, with a loose sweater and a t-shirt on top), she was seriously considering changing her hair, she'd danced with another girl in a decidedly romantic way, and she'd practiced magic. As far as Elsa was concerned, that was quite a lot of change.

Now she'd decided to try her hand at archery.

They had a range, and while it was something that had been done in Arendelle, it wasn't something that royals, particularly queens, particularly queens that spent most of their time inside, got to do. So Elsa decided to take advantage of the new situation.

Shame that she sucked at it.
Bad.

Her latest shot went so wide that it sailed passed the range, making her wince. "Sorry!" she called, really hoping that there wasn't anyone back there. She smiled, drew another arrow to fire, only to be startled right as she drew back, the arrow going who knows where.

[Eros]

The girl had nothing to worry about, as it turned out. Not because no one was back there, of course, but because that someone was actually pretty well equipped in dealing with arrows. Enough that he was able to reach out and catch it before it hit him in the face.

Eros winced sympathetically. He remembered a time when he was that off the mark himself. How else could you explain about half the pairings back during Ancient Greece? The other half was of course due to familial manipulation, but we weren't going to talk too much about that. By now he almost never missed his targets, but that didn't mean he didn't remember what it was like when his skills were about as well honed as Elsa's were right now...

...and Elsa. Honestly, since he had arrived, he had been creating a list of people he would like to talk to, and she was certainly on the list, and definitely easier than her potential paramour. Eros had been watching Carmilla Karnstein for a long time, after all, and he knew the kind of trouble he had gotten her into in the past, meanwhile Elsa was still innocent, unmarred by lost or betrayed love. Hell, her sister had been burned more. Honestly, a part of him wondered if Carmilla would really be what was best for the young queen, but...oh wouldn't it be lovely if they could make it work, drag each other out of their lonely lives?

Within moments, he was standing near Elsa, offering a smirk that echoed his father, and answered, "You're fine." Then he held up the arrow. "It'd be bad for business if these things hurt me too badly."

[Elsa]

A young man stepped out, a handsome young man. Though Elsa barely noticed the handsome amid the "not filled with more arrows" bit. He even had her shot in hand, which made her blanch for a moment.

"I would assume it would be bad for all sorts of business," she said primly, again eying him carefully. Had she just missed him? Or had he somehow caught the arrow? Elsa had heard the latter was all but impossible, but this place did seem to have a knack for making the impossible downright mundane. "I'm afraid you caught me trying my hand at something new," she gestured at her own archery equipment, then nodded at the field ahead of her. The arrows seemed to have been spread purposefully all around the target, some only with what appeared to be the vaguest suggestion of getting anywhere close.

"Obviously," she said, looking at that mess, "I still have a lot to learn."

[Eros]

I would assume it would be bad for all sorts of business.

Oh...right. Because if he was affected by those arrows he would be dead, wouldn't he? Or at least seriously injured. Funny, for one of the gods that seemed to actually care about mortals, he did sort of take his immortality for granted, didn't he? He supposed it was easy to do that in their condition.

"Well, yeah..." he answered, his smirk falling for a moment, but it found its footing soon enough. "Again, if these things could hurt me..." But he would explain exactly why they couldn't later, Elsa clearly could use a pep talk, and who better than him, the one god that was known for archery.

He offered an encouraging smile. "Well we all have to start somewhere..." Within moments he conjured his own bow and arrows, strapped to his back. "How about I help you out? I'm Eros, but you probably know me better as Cupid...so I know a thing or two about this."

[Elsa]

Elsa kept her eyes locked on the man while he walked around, quite easy for someone who had just been shot at not that long ago... wait, did he say if? That had her brows raising. Elsa already had some experience with people who weren't likely to be affected by arrows... gods and the like. Was he saying that---

---yes, yes he was. His conjuring was enough to make Elsa stiffen slightly, and by the time he finished, she had a hand raised, ice forming around her fingers. "I have no interest in dealing with you," she said, her voice flat, as icy as the chill surrounding her digits. "I know of you quite well, and I've enough experience here to realize that you're probably precisely who you say you are. Which means I'm quite aware of what you can do with arrows, and I'm having none of it."

Because everyone knew Cupid made someone stupid. Worse: Elsa could fully believe Cupid would want to... "Fix" her, and she was just starting to make herself into someone who didn't need fixing at all, thank you.

[Eros]

Eros blinked when he saw the ice forming around her fingertips. Not necessarily because of the power, he knew all about that from watching the ballroom, but just the fact she was clearly aiming at him...oh...ohhhh, she thought...well yes he had plans for her, but not now, and it wasn't like he meant any harm in it.

He lifted his hands. "Hey, hey, hey, hold on a second, I'm not planning on sticking you with one of these any time soon, least of all right now. First off, if I did, I'm the only one you'd see right now, and I'm not only a happily married god, but I'm well aware you're not into guys. It's my job to be aware of that, and the only time I ever messed with that was when I accidentally stuck my Uncle Apollo around a future tree! Despite my reputation, I never mean to cause trouble with these things..." Well okay that was only half true, he had done this to his father, but that was only because he was being a jerk, and Hermes needed a reminder that he was just as vulnerable to these arrows as he was every once in a while, that he just as vulnerable to a mortal's charms, and anyway, that was completely different!

But moving along. "And even if I was going to do it, there's only one person I'd want to match you up with right now, and she's nowhere near here..."

[Elsa]

His hands raised, but Elsa didn't redirect her own. She kept her gaze locked on him, watching, carefully eying every bit of him. He claimed that he was just aware of the situation, that he didn't intend to alter it. Hearing him state it so bluntly: I'm well aware you're not into guys... just like that. It sounded almost strange to Elsa, like when people had flat out pointed out her wintry powers.

Still, she'd come here to own it. "One person?" repeated Elsa, quirking a brow. "I didn't know gods were so into matchmaking. Then again, they do seem to have strange interests," she still didn't lower her hand .It occurred to her that she had her bow in the other as well, but given her aim, that struck her as a poor weapon to choose.

"So if you're not here to... change me, and if your paramour of choice isn't around, then what do you want?" asked Elsa, frowning. She tilted her head down range. "Are you here to give me advice in archery? Because otherwise I'm not sure why you're bothering me at all."

[Eros]

Honestly, it was moments like this that reminded Eros of why he refused to ever underestimate mortals. If anything, the fact that they could die actually made their anger even more frightening. Despite all odds, many still felt willing to battle literal gods, and that...that was both insane and admirable. Mind you, Elsa wasn't just any other mortal, but it was hard to believe that her ice powers would really take him or any of his family out of commission. Still, he was grateful when she seemed a little less murdery, and he started smiling again.

"Well again, part of the job description...what, did you think I only existed to mess with people? That's just what the Ancient Greeks wanted you to think. Some of them, anyway. They basically thought love was a sign that you were going mad because how else would sensible men ever be attracted to something they considered subhuman...our original worshippers were kind of messed up, is what I'm saying. I honestly do want to make people happy...I don't always succeed, but I try...which kind of answers that last question. I mean, I'm not dealing in the romantic side, I'm dealing in the archery side...you're not going to get a better coach than me, most likely..." He shrugged. "If you want to take me up on the offer, that is."

Then he tilted his head and pondered. "Though if I'm bothering you so much I'll back off..." Though damn, you really HAVE been sheltered from the world too much if just striking up a chat with you is bothering you... But no, he wasn't here to antagonize her...or anyone really. And unlike some of his relatives, he tried to be friendly.