[ Action ] .041

[markofthebrave]

((The following takes place between 11:30pm on the 19th and 4:00-5:00 am on the 20th.))

[Katara awoke with a start - another nightmare. They'd been bothering her on and off since the draft, since seeing Nami... but now that Sokka was back she'd been getting better rest, so at first she thought all she'd have to do was lay back down and fall back asleep. No such luck. She feels more awake, more alive than she's felt in weeks. Deciding to get up and get a drink of water, Katara soon discovers the reason.

The moon is full. And it looks so close. All she needs to do is close her eyes and she can feel the pulsing of her own blood... of Zuko's, of Suki's, of Toph's, and Sokka... She opens her eyes, sets down the water, and tries to go back to bed, but she's too restless to sleep, and every time she begins to rest she can feel it. The push and pull. And she's so awake.

Katara decides it's a good night for a walk. The chill of winter is still in the air, so she bundles up, grabs her waterskin and her journal, and quietly makes her way out of the house. At first she starts to head towards town, but it's too brightly lit with those electric lights and she turns about halfway towards the plaza, deciding to walk along the river instead. She doesn't mean to go all the way to nearest lake - it's supposed to just be a quick walk to clear her head. But as the full moon battles with the clouds and the air fills with the heavy promise of rain, Katara loses track of time.

Feel free to bump into her as she walks up through town, along the river, or even down by the lake if she makes it that far - housemates can also bust her upon re-entry. >> This post inspired by the fact that the moon is closer to the earth tonight than it has been since the early 90s.]

Comments

[endgames]

[That look again, fleeting as it was. He can't help it - he notices these things. Something about her teacher...?

But no, he doesn't think so. When she spoke of her waterbending teacher before, however, it was with respect, not resentment.

...and again, not his business. So he nods to the story and cracks a grin.] No offense to yours, but theirs sounded like a lot more fun. This Gyatso guy was obviously a genius.

[markofthebrave]

[She laughs a little.] No offense taken. Aang sure loved him.

[Funny, how it almost doesn't hurt to talk about him now. Funny, how it's been so long since she's seen him but she still remembers the way his laugh sounded. Funny, how she'd been doing so well in not missing him until now.]

But that was over a hundred years ago. Maybe once the war is over, people will be able to be taught like that again. [She smiles a little at the thought.] Master Pakku may have koala-otter, but it'd be worth it.

[endgames]

[With the clouds parting again, his attention has shifted from them to the moon once more. Hard not to look at it, really.]

Definitely. You'd be surprised just how often it gets the job done.

[markofthebrave]

[She slants him a glance.] You sound like you're speaking from experience.

[endgames]

Aa. [He cocks his head.] Yeah, I guess I am.

[It was the Dead Lasts that came to mind - the four worst students of his graduating year, himself included. They spent a good six years learning the same way as everyone else - by the book - and they still graduated at the bottom of their class.

Cut to four years later, and all four of them are considered to be among the best shinobi of their generation. He can't speak as well for Kiba and Naruto as he can for himself and Chouji, but he knows that their own teachers and lessons from life itself had to have had a strong hand in that. That sort of thing just doesn't happen overnight.]

[markofthebrave]

[A few more steps as she waits for him to go on and then she smiles a little wryly.] Great story, Shikamaru. Really.

[And she shakes her head, showing she was kidding.] We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to. We can talk about something else.

[endgames]

[He shrugs.] Sorry. It's not like I mind it - it's just stuff I don't give a lot of thought to.

[Especially when he has other things occupying his mental energies.]

[markofthebrave]

[What other stuff could that be? 8|a]

It's a long walk back.

[So we should really talk about something. And if you don't mind it, please go right ahead and keep talking.]

[endgames]

[...well if he has to be the one to talk here. Let it be said that Nara Shikamaru is not well known for a gift of making small talk.]

If you insist. [He nods his head at the moon.] To be honest, I was wondering just how much stronger you are when the moon's like that. The way you made the rain earlier - it's something I would've expected to see on the farmlands. [And that's in here, with the power limit.

...also about a bajillion other questions, but this one was the simpler of the lot.]

[markofthebrave]

Oh. [Mrr. Well, this topic makes her a little uncomfortable, but there are plenty of answers she can honestly give that without giving herself away. But she's... not in the habit of discussing the limits of her abilities, and it doesn't make her uncomfortable as much as it strikes her a little bit odd. There's barely a beat between that and her next question, and her tone is honestly curious.]

Why were you wondering that?

[As if it was a silly question.]

[endgames]

Why? [His tone makes it sounds as it he hadn't actually considered it himself until now. His expression turns thoughtful, as he attempts to answer it himself.]

You said the moon is what gives you your strength, but every time you've looked at it tonight it just seems to bother you. I guess it just seemed odd - you've always struck me as a person who's proud of their strengths.

[What kind of power would do that?]

[markofthebrave]

Oh.

["But... to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that type of power."

"The choice is not yours. The power exists."

...

...]

I am. I've worked hard to become this strong. But... some things aren't that simple.

[endgames]

[Shikamaru opens his mouth, as if to say something, then promptly changes his mind.

Sometimes silence is a better prod than a question.]

[markofthebrave]

[An awkward beat, and she looks up to give a half-shrug.] Anyway, I don't know how much stronger it makes me. It's not really something I can measure. Bending is a mix of natural ability, training, and skill. I know I've gotten stronger since I've been here.

[And a full shrug.] And to make rain like that is a lot of power and concentration and it requires a lot of water - it's not very practical on the battlefield. If I had that much available to me out there and I needed to do something like that, I'd just make a sort of whirlpool instead. Or maybe use ice spikes.

[Because that's not scary at all.]

[endgames]

[...no, of course it isn't. But thankfully, ninja training means he's learned not to be afraid of scary.

The casual way she talks about it, though. That isn't it.]

Aa. The point was I hadn't seen anything at that level, really. If you're capable of that, who knows what else you could do? [He nods to himself.] Like you said though, wouldn't be practical.

[Then again, he comes from a world where ninjas shoot giant fireballs at each other or take you out with a not-so-subtle giant fist to his face. So it might not be as impractical as you'd think.]

[markofthebrave]

It's only a full moon a few nights a month, Shikamaru. And most of the time, fighting takes place during the day.

[Can we please talk about something else now?]

[endgames]

That's more of an excuse to know just what you can do, though. [And by 'you', he really does mean you. Curious as he is, it's not nearly as vital for him to know.]

Remember what I said back there, about practicing to fight under all sorts of circumstances? That applies to when I'm at my best too. Just because it's unlikely you'll be put into that position doesn't mean it can't happen.

[...yeah, that's probably a no.]

[markofthebrave]

Maybe. [However. Katara is in no hurry to test how many people she can bloodbend at once or how long her hold will last in Luceti. It's enough to know that she can do it. And she can do it. She can feel it.

...but maybe that's a foolish way of looking at it, too. How will she know if she can push past her current strength until she knows her limits?

Hmm.

But just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.]

So what are you suggesting?

[endgames]

Put your limits to the test. If the full moon makes you stronger, take the opportunity to learn just what you can do when you're at your best. That way you can do it better.

[He's alternated his attention between her and watching the sky throughout this, but now his hands drop back down to his sides as he tries to meet her eyes.] You never know when that experience can pay off - that's why it's so important to have it.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara's face will reflect that she is considering what Shikamaru is saying, although there is a certain shade to her eyes that would seem to veil all the options she is considering, that shade in and of itself should be fairly telling.

Finally-]

I'm not sure if it works like that. There might be some things that just... won't translate. But for the rest... what you're saying makes sense. If I know how much water I can bend now, then I'll know ways to keep pushing later.

[Because 'how much' and 'how long' - these are the skills she can build up. Precision and control - they translate no matter how strong she is, and she's always working on them.]

[endgames]

[There's something she's refusing to give option to, but he can't say he's surprised. He wasn't expecting a breakthrough overnight. Whatever issues she has to work with will take more time than that.

But getting her to consider one possibility leaves the door open for more to come.]

Now you're getting it. [He gives a nod of approval.]

[markofthebrave]

So do you always dispense tactical advice at four am?

[endgames]

Oh yeah. Usually not to people, though. Come this time next month, I plan to have a ninja task force made up of woodland creatures at my disposal.

[markofthebrave]

[A quick grin.] I always knew the animals in this place were weird. Those squirrels, especially.

[endgames]

Recon operatives can be a little eccentric. But it's the deer you have to watch out for.