the side of the pale target area. Maxine was still standing close to Chloe, her hands dropped to rest on her hips. She would have liked to rest her head on the taller woman's shoulders.
"Okay. I think I see how that worked. Can I try again?" Chloe said.
"Yes. Yes. Of course." Maxine pulled herself away, reluctantly, and handed over another arrow. Chloe took her time setting it, trying to remember how Maxine had guided her. Happy with how the shaft sat, she sighted her target, drew the string back and released the shot. This time, her arrow landed inside the light patch. Maxine held out another arrow. Chloe reloaded quickly and landed the shot between the previous two, just on the edge of the light patch. "I like this way better." she said. "So much easier than how I was doing it."
"Let's get the arrows back, and you can have a few more goes."
They scraped a three ring target into the dirt, and Chloe took a few more turns at it. She was putting more and more shafts into the circles when she called quits with a sore arm from all the stretching. "I need more goes at this to get better. It's odd, putting it on the outside. Why do you do that?"
"Let me show you." Maxine took the four shafts and the bow in her left hand, and drew back the first shot. As soon as it was away, she set the second arrow and fired it, then the third and fourth. All of them landed within the second ring of the target. She couldn't help but smirk as she saw Chloe's expression. "I don't know when you would ever need to do something like that, but it is a great way to show off."
"It is."
They wandered to the dirt pile, and Maxine started pulling the arrows from it and cleaning them. Chloe picked up the bow and studied it, testing its balance in her hand. Now she was treating it more like the tool it was than the fragile precious thing she had previously. "I've made a couple like it." Maxine told her. "I can swap you one for the catapult."
"Okay." Chloe pulled back the string and aimed an imaginary arrow at the factory building. After releasing the tension slowly, she said, "There have been two other teams of pickers heading east since the lottery was drawn, but my sister wouldn't consider me going with either of them. Do you know why she chose yours?"
"No, why?"
"Because it has two women in it, and one of the men in it is married to one of the women and the other man is a father of daughters. She thought I'd be safer with you."
"Safer?"
"Well, she thought I wouldn't get seduced by some handsome scavenger and decide to stay with him and travel the bad lands until something awful happened."
"Was there a danger of that?"
"No, not really. But...." Chloe held out the bow, not letting it go immediately when Maxine took it. She slid her fingers up the body to rest on Maxine's. "When Tania and me were both sleeping with Andre, well, we were both sleeping with each other as well. We didn't see why he should have all the fun of having two lovers at the same time."
"Really."
"I don't think I'm going to get any of that sort of loving wherever I end up finding a husband and settling down. I was wondering if a little could be.... Included in my journey?" Chloe glanced meaningfully toward the factory.
"It can be a part of the service." Maxine said, letting herself be led into the building.
They stopped by the same upright. Maxine put down her bow and quiver and stepped close to Chloe, pressing her gently back against the metal. She was shorter than Chloe, and had to stand on tip toes to tease her lips close to the other woman's. They didn't quite kiss, but Maxine used the distraction to release the clasps on the shoulder straps of Chloe's dungarees, then, as they kissed at last, the buttons on the sides. The heavy material dropped to the floor, and Maxine reached under the hem of Chloe's top.
Chloe lifted the hem of the top, and Maxine lowered herself to kneel before her. She revelled in the contrast of the dark skin of her arms against Chloe's pale
"Okay. I think I see how that worked. Can I try again?" Chloe said.
"Yes. Yes. Of course." Maxine pulled herself away, reluctantly, and handed over another arrow. Chloe took her time setting it, trying to remember how Maxine had guided her. Happy with how the shaft sat, she sighted her target, drew the string back and released the shot. This time, her arrow landed inside the light patch. Maxine held out another arrow. Chloe reloaded quickly and landed the shot between the previous two, just on the edge of the light patch. "I like this way better." she said. "So much easier than how I was doing it."
"Let's get the arrows back, and you can have a few more goes."
They scraped a three ring target into the dirt, and Chloe took a few more turns at it. She was putting more and more shafts into the circles when she called quits with a sore arm from all the stretching. "I need more goes at this to get better. It's odd, putting it on the outside. Why do you do that?"
"Let me show you." Maxine took the four shafts and the bow in her left hand, and drew back the first shot. As soon as it was away, she set the second arrow and fired it, then the third and fourth. All of them landed within the second ring of the target. She couldn't help but smirk as she saw Chloe's expression. "I don't know when you would ever need to do something like that, but it is a great way to show off."
"It is."
They wandered to the dirt pile, and Maxine started pulling the arrows from it and cleaning them. Chloe picked up the bow and studied it, testing its balance in her hand. Now she was treating it more like the tool it was than the fragile precious thing she had previously. "I've made a couple like it." Maxine told her. "I can swap you one for the catapult."
"Okay." Chloe pulled back the string and aimed an imaginary arrow at the factory building. After releasing the tension slowly, she said, "There have been two other teams of pickers heading east since the lottery was drawn, but my sister wouldn't consider me going with either of them. Do you know why she chose yours?"
"No, why?"
"Because it has two women in it, and one of the men in it is married to one of the women and the other man is a father of daughters. She thought I'd be safer with you."
"Safer?"
"Well, she thought I wouldn't get seduced by some handsome scavenger and decide to stay with him and travel the bad lands until something awful happened."
"Was there a danger of that?"
"No, not really. But...." Chloe held out the bow, not letting it go immediately when Maxine took it. She slid her fingers up the body to rest on Maxine's. "When Tania and me were both sleeping with Andre, well, we were both sleeping with each other as well. We didn't see why he should have all the fun of having two lovers at the same time."
"Really."
"I don't think I'm going to get any of that sort of loving wherever I end up finding a husband and settling down. I was wondering if a little could be.... Included in my journey?" Chloe glanced meaningfully toward the factory.
"It can be a part of the service." Maxine said, letting herself be led into the building.
They stopped by the same upright. Maxine put down her bow and quiver and stepped close to Chloe, pressing her gently back against the metal. She was shorter than Chloe, and had to stand on tip toes to tease her lips close to the other woman's. They didn't quite kiss, but Maxine used the distraction to release the clasps on the shoulder straps of Chloe's dungarees, then, as they kissed at last, the buttons on the sides. The heavy material dropped to the floor, and Maxine reached under the hem of Chloe's top.
Chloe lifted the hem of the top, and Maxine lowered herself to kneel before her. She revelled in the contrast of the dark skin of her arms against Chloe's pale
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