markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .043

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[ Action, Voice ] .043

[All right, enough of this. It's Spring and she still loves Spring (only her third Spring ever!) and Katara has decided she is going to enjoy it. No school today, so in the late morning to mid afternoon, if you are by the paths along the river you will see one (1) Katara, with a basket and her knife, taking cuttings of wildflowers. She's careful not to take too much from any one tree or bush, and she's clearly enjoying herself.]

[General Voice]
I think my favorite part about Spring is the flowers. We just didn't have anything like this where I grew up. Although in the summers I'd go on a hunt for Mouse Ears. [She pauses, remembering the last time she'd done that...] Or at least I did when I was a kid. I even found one once!

But for all you people who grew up with flowers like this - what was it like, in your Springs? Did you have any fun flower traditions?

[And after the wildflowers have been turned into bouquets, it's time to go visiting! If she hasn't seen you or heard from you in a while, and she knows where you live, your house/apartment is Fair Game.

There are, however, a few people she needs to speak with about a few specific things, so it's time for some courtesy filters! These are not very strong and mostly to prevent your journals from spam]

[Filtered to Shikamaru]
Hey - you up for a spar later?

[Filtered to Nami]
...are those mikans still up for grabs?

[Filtered to Trafalgar Law]
...would you mind if I stopped by?

[Filtered to Zoro]
...hey. I haven't seen you, and I think we should talk.

[Hmm. That was everyone she needed to talk to, right? Hopefully that was it. If it wasn't, she hopes she'll bump into people during the day. Like Sokka - an idea has occurred to her which needs discussing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hm. To give her the advantage of being near a water source or not. She's had that in both of their last spars, first through the snow and then via the lake. Then again, both of those times she mostly stuck with the water she brought along with her too, and he knows she can handle herself well with just that.]

You ever been out to the plains?

Yes, but I can't say I make a habit of it. It's a ways out there.

[They fight in the plains, she won't have any readily available source of flowing water... plenty of grass, though, if she needs it, and she's not sure that Shikamaru knows just how much she can do with that, though it's something she'd avoid... and on the plains he'd have less places to hide.]

[Partially why it seemed like a fair trade to him.]

We don't have to go too far. If you stick to where the forest is still in sight, it's not much further out than the lake, distance-wise.

[The trees are sparser there, so he still wouldn't be able to hide well. But it does give him a few shadows to actually work with, as opposed to hoping for a good boulder to run his shadow through.]

[She turns this over in her mind, aware of the advantage the trees would give him - and he has more than enough advantages anyway. That's why she likes sparring with him - even though she's lost, it pushes her.]

I don't really care where it is - we're doing this to get better, right? [Different terrain, different challenges..] As long as we walk out there together, that's fine with me.

Ohh? [This is his best innocent tone here. It's too obvious to actually be innocent.] What's with the condition?

[Why are you even bothering putting on that innocent tone? Ask, and she'll tell you. She pauses to look at the journal picture a little skeptically before doing so.]

Well, for one thing it's a big forest. It just makes more sense to walk out together instead of trying to meet where there aren't any landmarks. And for another... if you just sped out there and waited for me you'd get bored. I don't think I'd want to fight on a field where you had plenty of time to be bored.

[You cheating cheater who cheats, you.]

[This actually succeeds in getting a laugh out of him, quiet as it is.]

Well, if it's in the interest of saving me from boredom, I guess I can oblige.

[And he doesn't say it, but he's proud. Not that just walking there together will help, but it's smart. Good job.]

[Katara has no idea that she's engendered any such feelings, only quirks her lips at his amusement. At least someone found his traps funny.]

How generous of you. So we'll meet by the north bridge tomorrow after dinner?

I'll be there.

See you.

[And so, the next day, Katara gives him a call on the journals when she's done with dinner, prepares her equipment and slides on two full waterskins before going to meet him at the bridge. They make their way to the edge of the forest, at the border of the plains, and walk along until they reach a likely section.]

This looks good. What do you think?

[He turns his head, surveying the area and committing the landscape to memory.]

Yeah, this should be good. [A small, high-pitched chirping noise comes from their right. He turns his head just in time to catch a rodent popping back under the ground.] Aa. Look out for gopher holes though.

Right - that would hurt in a run. [She frowns. That's an easy way to break a leg, really, especially as fast as Shikamaru moves.] You be careful too.

Heh, I'll be fine. We used to run around these things back when I was in school.

[He rolls one shoulder around, warming up.] So what's the rules of this spar?

The timed one worked pretty well... if we both had a watch. [Because fair is fair, and though you're a dirty cheater she wouldn't want to do it to you... except, yes, she totally would.]

We could go for hits or immobilization?

Immobilization sounds interesting. [There's enough open area and less shadows to jump off of to make it a challenge for him.] We'd have to set a time limit, though, for how long you have to keep the other person immobilized to win to give a fair chance of breaking out of each other's attacks. Two minutes, maybe?

That works. [A flicker of - not uncertainty - but apprehension. She knows what she'll be dealing with in this one - the shadow jutsus. And she doesn't believe she can outrun it forever. And the thought of being held in them for two minutes... even if he said it was possible to break out of it... she won't deny that the thought makes her feel uncomfortable.]

...or until we call quits.

[In a ninja spar, there'd be no calling it quits. You'd never know if your opponent was sincere about that or not.

It's partially why he likes these spars; why he likes his games. Even with all the feints and the tricks up their sleeves, there's a set of rules to fall back on.]

I can go with that.

[Nod. And she - loosens infinestimally, preparing to get in her stance.]

Usual rules of anything goes?

[Jokingly:] You don't plan on maiming me, do you?

Well, no. Obviously we'd stop if one of us got hurt!

[Do you not realize how horribly seriously she'd take that, man?]

[...

Face. Palm.]

Maah, how troublesome. It was a joke.

[...

Sorry, man. It's been a long week.

And this is a look that clearly says 'Jerk. Getting hurt is no joking matter.']

[And she gets into her stance, smirking.]

You are so going to pay for that.

[He sighs, long and drawn out.] Someday I really have to learn to just stop talking, I swear. It'd be so much less troublesome...

[Whining as always. He trails himself off as he flips backwards, landing several feet away to give them more space. Ready.]

[And Katara bends a little at the knees, as if to steady herself or spring forward.]

Ready?

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