Christmas in July

[Jack Violet]

Jack chuckles at the ears and look of confusion on his Queen, "I am sorry, I meant for the Mares Leg. As much as I am a whips and blades guy, after watching some Blade and similar media I can understand the need for some firepower."

Jack moves to the cooler and brings out two gallon jugs full of EggNog, one of them has a skull and crossbones on it. "As it is not quite the season for it yet, I have brought some homemade Nog. The one with the picture on it has some spiced rum in it. Both taste delicilous though."


"I know I have yet to ask this, but what is your favorite weapon? Whether you own one or not. Yet I can probably guess you probably either own it or it is military grade." Jack finishes with a chuckle and nod.

[Circe]

"Ranged has its advantages," she nods her head at Jack's acknowledgement. "Sure, you can throw a knife, but you might regret if you can't retrieve. For bigger baddies, kneecaps. If they have 'em, blast to slow down, save when they've a dozen," and grumbles out something at the end. Stupid giant, rainbow lobster-pedes.


"Would that thus count as grog then? Wait," she thinks for a moment, "No, I think that needs salt water. So, not grog. But powerful. Eh, give it a shot," she agrees getting a cup to try the spicy nog.


As for options of preference? "Colt 45. Mid-power, solid range, middle capacity. Reliable, accessorized, legal to carry. Less bullets than niners, less power than big-bores, balanced pistol option. I am good with pistols," she mentions as she spins the giant revolver again. "Considered heavier options, certainly. Mil-spec be for the win easily. Love me a Pig or quad Flash, but the second is only incendiary, despite what movies say. Also HEAVY."


That was the downside to the really good stuff, it had weight to it or massive price tags. There was something about some prototypes that had advanced, stacked caseless ammo. Whilst cool sounding, too much circuitry and batteries for Circe's preferences. If Jack asks for clarification, Circe will happily explain what the Vietnam era the Pig and the Flash actualyl are.

[Jack Violet]

Jack grabs two cups out of his bag and pours himself and Circe each a cup of the Spiced Rum Egg Nog, adding a cinnamon stick to each. "Here you go my queen."

Now it was time for Jacks ears to perk up, "Colt 45, called the Peacemaker, why is that?" His face then lights up in a big grin "Did you say a pig, that is the M60 machine gun Rambo uses isn't it. Yes, yes that is right, he uses it to take out the corrupt cops in First Blood and then to clear his browser history.. erm... I mean destroy the computers in First Blood two."

[Circe]

"Thank you Jack," she accepts the cup with a giggle at the image. Bullwinkle!


As for the naming, she has an idea on that. "That's the revolver. I suspect Samuel Colt had a sense of irony. I prefer the 1911. Equally iconic. Has nine-round mags, bigger are kind of mil-spec restricted and harder to get. Metalworking my own takes lots o' time. Not as cool cycling rounds as your Mare's Leg will be, but twirl reloads are meant to be cool."


She sips the beverage, trying it. Not quite egg-nog, but good, She gives him a thumbs up.


"Oh ho ho, yes," she says with enthusiasm at his statement. "Some minor difference between original and sequel, but the 'merica M60. Bigger bullets than the AKM I have, but I'd have to learn how to work a belt-feed properly." It was kind of idiot proof being military, but Circe could be ANAL about guns.


Though he seemed to not know the M202 Flash. "The quad you may have seen Arnold use in one of his movies: shooting a bazooka four times," that was one explanation. "Buuut it don't do that. Only fire. Only fire rockets. Sort of a rocket propelled flamethrower," her shoulders sag as her ears droop down as she lets out a disappointed sigh. "Almost got one in San Fran, but friends talked me out of it. Variety of reasons."


Something about Bridgeburners wanting to buy her drinks after she used it. And general dangers of it. Limited ammo supply was a distant back concern. She'd probably be able to finagle it now. "Maybe I should just get some stick grenades? You can whack people with 'em before you pull the pin."

[Jack Violet]

"See I knew I had some gun knowledge, granted most of it comes from movies and props from the shows I work at. I see a lot of flintlock pistol props. My favorite is usually the double barrel, but the strangest I have ever seen was called a duckfoot. The thing looked straight out of a comic book or movie, but it was a legit firearm that shot 5 bullets at once. But all those are cap and ball, so I am sure you the firearms expert know the downsides of those types of weapons." Jack says before taking a drink of his eggnog, letting the warmth of the rum travel throughout his body.

"So are belt fed that hard to learn, I know from watching old war movies it looked tricky, but not sure if it would be hard as they would have to be used quickly while in actual battle?"

[Circe]

"I am unfamiliar with black powder types. Prefer hand cannon be more...Dirty Harry and less oopsie detonation," she muses at the threat he mentioned. Sure, modern metals might be stronger for containing the blasts, but Circe had access to the American gun markets. Why make a potato gun when she could get an Beretta?


"Shooting? Nah! Any child soldier can pull the trigger of a belt-fed gun," that was a dark way to put it, but very much fit for a gun runner. "Unjamming, reloading, cleaning, and shooting properly? Managing the belt and the recoil variance between a machinegun to a rifle? That It is another a pot of gunpowder. I COULD shoot one, but I'd not be as GOOD at it as an actual soldier," and that was an important matter to Circe. Her powers, her fae nature were built around things other than combat. If she was going to fight, she'd do it with guns out of preference and the best she could.


If she was going to shoot, it was going to work. No spray and pray of some amateur! No amateurs a voice in the back of her head still echoed from her nightmares.


Eggnog sipped again. Spicy. "And the magazine types are worse as I HAVE worked on the pan magazine types," she jerked a thumb towards the door, "My coworkers have some Bren Guns. Probably see the Brits use them to shoot Nazis in war movies. Thirty odd six round has punch and range. Big guns make a Helluva customer complaints esrvice, but cazzo they're like 30 lbs." With the pan magazines at any rate. And then the ammo. There is a reason why heavy gunners on foot patrol are eager to fight. For as the saying goes, after lugging around 40 lbs. of ammo, you have incentive to USE it to lighten the walk back. And reloading the pans in the Hedge? Ha! That would take hours for one.


Circe considered the close-quarters of the Hedge might make the long-barrel guns harder to use as well. Grenades seemed a better, portable extra punch option more and more.

[Jack Violet]

"So if I were to hazard a guess, you would not want to carry a gun of that size and weight around for longer than you have to. Is that why you mostly see them being shot out of the machine gun nests, because it made more sense to set up a base of operations with all that ammo and just spray and pray away any rival soldiers?" Jack said with genuine interest.

Jack contemplated how something like that would work in the hedge, and what kind of modifications would be needed to prevent the hedge from doing its thing with mundy tech.

[Circe]

Circe thinks for a moment. Then nods her head, "Yup. Except for the Rambo or Venture types that can lift AND shoot them at the same time. The need lots of bullets to be effective and it is like carrying paper," she begins gesturing with her hands for emphasis. "One sheet? E. Z. 50? Sure. 500-pack? Noticeable. Big box of 10 kay? Heavy."



The Summer Queen was of a like mind to Jack. Though she'd thought of it before, mostly out of curiosity for what was in the waters. Then she gained insight: "Nest wouldn't work in the Hedge, so mobile. Hedgespun or Token vehicle. Elephant sized Hedge mount to make it viable in the Thorns. Boat be easiest." She chuckles darkly. "I have seen what cowers and preys on the shorelines, afraid to enter the water. I feel the ammo would get used up very fast on giant Hedge fish."


She'd had a boss battle Hedge dry land. No need to give the boss monster even more extra advantage.

[Jack Violet]

"Yeah, but if we were to bring one of those bad boys back, we would have enough meat for everyone for a couple months. Well except for Kray it may only last him a couple days." Jack says with a smirk. "It would still be fun as hell to hunt one though."

Jack takes a sip of his nog as his mind wanders to the activity of fishing in the Hedge.

[Circe]

"Oh ho ho ho! True that, would excuse the wheel barrow for all the ammo. Lest we pack guns with the weirder mags. More waterproof then a belt. But belt fed for Rambo vibes is win, oh ho ho ho!" She can't help but agree with Jack. "Or just that classic Australian method of fishing. Dynamite." She puts down the drink and does a double thumbs up.

Though the prospect of fishing for a giant fish is, well, daunting on logistics. It'd likely result in talkey hobs raiding for the meat. Though they could bribe them to help with smoking it with ease. Though the prospect of hunting a giant beast fish from a boat seemed...too Jaws. "Yeeeeah, pretty sure on boat at least one of us would end up being Robert Shaw instead Roy Scheider for that fishing trip," she shakes her head, "Shore be safer, just not the bog parts. Too many giant enemy rainbow crabs. The stink takes weeks to get out," she made a disgusted face and sticks her tongue out at the memory.

She can be less than shellfish about wanting to avoid being covered in THAT a second time.