Edward shrugged as she looked at his knife. He squared his shoulders and puffed up his chest when she called it cool. Having a knife was really the best!

"It's a knife. You just stab and cut. Not anything fancy about that." He didn't use it really, if he pulled a knife in a fight people might use something else too. A bottle or a stone? Though he'd used the same to scare people off and defend himself. The knife was to scare and rob, especially the fancier types.

"Um.. sure." He grabbed it from her and looked at the wood over the door. He held it up. "I heard of these knife thrower types. I've been trying. " He squinted and then threw it. The knife collided and bounced harmless into the dirt. He scrambled to his feet to grab it and hide his embarrassment. "I'm getting there. "

Edward was not the best knife thrower, but Mable had never seen any before, so he was the best in her mind.  She clapped even when he ran to pick the knife back, delighted.

"You are getting there!" she praised, "you were so close!  How scary - soon you'll be able to hit an apple off of someone's head I bet!  I've heard of people doing that, you know.  Its like, an act at shows and circuses."

An idea came to her.  Mable stood as well and ran to the wall, back against it.  "They'd have women against a target like this, and she'll have an apple on her head and in her hands sometimes, and a man throws knifes and hits them all, and the woman is just fine at the end!  If you get really good at throwing, maybe we can perform that!  Since you think your tune before wouldn't do so well.  Wouldn't that be fun?"

Mable's praise made him feel better. He grinned slightly, "You're right. I'm getting way better. Maybe I'll be able to toss more and everyone will know how dangerous I can be!"

He glanced at her and smiled nodding. He closed his sore eye and held up the knife. "We can! You'd be my perfect assistant. No better chance to start practicing than now." He raised the knife then laughed and dropped his hand back to his side. "Just kidding! I wouldn't try at you. I'd do a dummy first!" Or someone he didn't like.

Mable froze when Edward held up the knife again, watching him carefully.  He... he wouldn't really, would he?  Still, she ducked down with a yell when he aimed, and by the time he admitted he was joking, the knees of her dress were dark and dirty.

"Oh, you goose!"  She grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it his way, but it didn't even reach his shoe.  Mable was laughing.  "You had me really scared for a second!  We don't even have an apple or anything.  You goose!"

Edward held himself with laughter. He pulled back to avoid the dirt though it didn't get even close to him. "You think I'd toss it at ya? I won't hit ya without a reason. You didn't get on my nerves yet!" He grinned while still trying to sound tough.

The boy snickered and walked over to help her up. "Why am I a goose? I got a neck and feathers??" He still was grinning when he held out his hand to her.

"Yet!" Mable asked, incredulous.  "You'd hit me?  Edward!"

And he still came over to help her.  Mable took his hand with a grin that matched his, but instead of standing up, she pulled him down onto the ground with her and laughed.

"You're a goose 'cause you're so mean!" she said, leaning over and looking down at him.  "Would you really hit me?  I'd hit you back, you know!"

He smirked down at her until she pulled him down. He yelped in surprise as he came crashing down beside her and by the time he got up she was over him.

He stuck out his chin defiantly, "keep bossing me around and I might!" He teased then reached up and lightly swatted at her shoulder. "Well if someone hits ya you have a right to hit them back unless you admit ya did wrong!" He never admitted he was wrong.

Mable leaned away from the hit, but not enough that she missed it entirely.  Edward called her bossy!  She'd shove him right over again if he didn't have a black eye already.

"Well, I've done nothin' wrong, to this is my right!"

With a closed fist, the girl bumped Edward's shoulder, as light as he had hit her.  Just for good measure, she did it again and flicked him.  That really showed him who was boss!

"You did! Ya knocked me down!" Edward pretended to wince at the hit. He lightly pushed her back.

"So what else can we do? " He took the chance to grab his knife and put it away again. The boy tried to take the chance to get back to his feet.

Mable allowed Edward to get up, but she herself flopped onto her back and spread out across the dirt floor.  Her dress was already dirty, so there was no point holding back now.  The ground was cool, and she could feel it even through her clothes, getting all into her hair.  The familiar feeling made her smile.

"I dunno!  Your knife's probably better for throwing than poking holes, so not that..."  She turned her head to the ceiling, tilting until she could see the sky where it had fallen.

"You dragged me out here.  What do you wanna do?  If you let me choose, we'll end up going to the beach and playing fairies.  Have you ever played fairies before?"