After Sarah left, a question appeared in Lucian’s head.

What’s next?

He wasn’t sleepy.

Like, he could sleep, but if he did, he wouldn’t wake up again anytime soon and no sleep was clearly better than half sleep.

But of course, he couldn’t sit around and be bored either, that was such a loser move.

He thought of annoying Sarah again, but he could see she really would kill him if he did that, should he annoy Alaric?

He thought about it but then shook his head again.

That didn’t seem like a very good idea.

Lucian continued to think and then—

He heard something.

Men laughing quietly, the faint scrape of rubber soles on gym flooring, metal magazines.

"Range room’s open. Ten minutes before rotation."

Someone said.

"Good. I need to fix my damn recoil before that Reed bastard."

Another voice answered.

And Lucian’s eyes brightened.

Training.

How fun was that?

With that thought in his head, he moved to the floor where Evelyn’s ordinary bodyguards were beginning their morning practice.

He was going to make new friends~

Their training room was three floors below the protected hotel suite, unlike the one Lucian trained in, this one was clearly normal. Padded mats, firearm lockers, rubber targets, cover walls, and a small shooting lane built into the back.

Lucian stepped inside with a case in one hand and a bright smile.

Five men and two women were already there.

One of them, a broad man with a shaved head and thick arms, noticed Lucian first.

"You lost, kid?"

He asked as he looked him up and down.

"I prefer the word exploring."

Lucian smiled.

"That means lost."

"Only if you fail to find something interesting."

Another guard, a tall woman with short hair and a dry expression, lowered the magazine she was checking.

She recognised Lucian.

"You are the one who sticks near Miss Starling."

Lucian placed a hand over his chest.

"Lucian Cross.

Decoration, close-contact support, emotional support, depending on who you ask."

He introduced himself.

"Marcus Reed,"

The shaved-head guard answered, then he pointed at the woman.

"Hannah Cole."

Hannah looked at Lucian.

"You here to train?"

"Yes."

"With us?"

"That was the plan."

Lucian nodded.

"I need help."

"Help with what?"

Marcus frowned.

"I want to learn how to reload, recoil control, proper stance, aiming accuracy, umm... everything?"

The entire hall turned silent.

Marcus then slowly lowered the handgun in his hand and—

"You are on Miss Starling’s close protection detail and you do not know basic firearms?"

"I know how to shoot."

"How well?"

"If the target is large, close, and kind enough not to move, I am excellent."

Lucian smiled proudly.

"Pfft!"

Someone in the back laughed out loud.

Hannah stared at Lucian like she could not decide whether to be horrified or amused.

"How did you get hired?"

"I have... other expertise."

Lucian smiled brightly.

Marcus blinked. Hannah’s eyes moved over Lucian’s face, then his clothes, then his face again. A few of the guards exchanged looks.

"Other expertise, huh?"

Marcus scratched his jaw.

"Hmm?"

Lucian tilted his head.

"So that is why Miss Starling keeps you close."

Hannah’s mouth twitched.

Lucian stared at them, then he finally realised it.

"Oh."

He smiled.

But before he could say anything, Marcus lifted both hands.

Marcus lifted both hands.

"Hey, no judgment."

"None."

Hannah added.

"Private client preferences are private client preferences."

Another guard said, trying not to laugh but he was failing badly.

"You people are misunderstanding."

"Oh?"

Marcus raised his eyebrow.

"Then what other ’expertise’ do you have?"

"I am... fun to be around?"

The room burst into laughter, even Hannah turned away, hiding a smile. Lucian enjoyed that, talking to these people was fun, it was... different from talking to people from the Enclave, who gave him looks the moment they knew he was an Incubus-Type Blood-Altered Human.

"Alright fine."

Suddenly, Marcus raised his voice as he walked over to the firearms table and picked up an unloaded pistol.

"The pretty boy wants to learn, we teach."

He announced.

"Pretty boy?"

Lucian tilted his head.

"You prefer something else?"

"Lord Lucian sounds the best, but I am flexible."

"Pretty boy it is, then."

The name was decided. Marcus then handed him the pistol.

"Show me your grip."

Lucian took the gun with one hand and held it like he did while shooting those guards back in the Velvet House, Marcus stared at his grip, then he sighed.

"What?"

Lucian frowned.

"Your grip is not awful."

"Thank you."

"But... how do you expect to deal with recoil with that?"

"Umm... like this...?"

Lucian tilted the gun a little.

He couldn’t exactly explain it, but it just... worked?

Hannah facepalmed, Marcus laughed before he stepped behind him and adjusted his hands.

"First, hold it with both hands, will you?

Now, move it higher, both thumbs forward, lock your wrists, not your elbows."

Lucian followed.

Marcus then tapped his shoulder.

"Relax that."

Lucian relaxed.

"Not that much."

Lucian adjusted.

Marcus stared at him.

"You really do not know this."

"I did say that."

"I thought you were joking."

"I joke often, not always."

"Terrible habit."

"I am told it is charming."

Lucian smiled.

"It is not."

Marcus shook his head.

But just then—

"It is."

One of the guards behind spoke up, others nodded.

Marcus glared at the lot. Lucian winked at them and smiled proudly. That was when Hannah stepped forward with a magazine.

"Reload."

"I don’t know how to."

"Put it in."

"Familiar words."

Hannah’s mouth twitched, Lucian quickly took the magazine in his hands and started reloading. The guards laughed, Hannah shook her head as she taught Lucian how to reload a gun.

Lucian spent the next hour with them.

Compared to the Enclave team, they were much easier to deal with. They laughed more, cursed more, and did not look at him like he was a walking problem.

Marcus and Hannah taught him the basics properly.

Reloads.

Grip.

Stance.

Recoil control.

Close-distance shooting.

Moving between cover.

Lucian joked through most of it, but he listened.

What surprised the guards was how quickly he learned. His first reload was slow and awkward, his fifth was already clean. Just after a few corrections, his stance changed and the recoil dropped. He still looked inexperienced, but every mistake was corrected almost immediately.

By the time they stopped, the guards were laughing with him like he had been part of their group for a long time now.

"I still do not know why you are on this job."

Hannah shook her head.

"Neither do half the people upstairs."

Lucian shrugged.

She looked at him, that was when Marcus patted his shoulder and—

"Come back tomorrow morning. We will work on your aim before you embarrass us in front of Miss Starling."

"So you admit I am one of you now."

Lucian smiled.

"No."

"Come on, can’t you adopt me temporarily?"

"Nope, can’t risk you getting near my wife."

"I’ll be a good boy."

"Look at yourself, you scream playboy."

"I am not a playboy."

"Says every playboy."

"Come onnnnn."

Lucian complained, he then turned towards Hannah and—

"Hannah, do you truly think I am a playboy?"

Hannah just looked at him with a scrunched nose.

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"

"..."

Lucian looked offended.

The rest of the guards laughed.

The entire group walked out of the training hall together with Lucian, Lucian smiled brightly as he interacted with them.

It was... indeed a fun session.