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

[Well, that was highly unfair. But it does give her an idea.

She reinforces that mist with a little more water and then - takes it with her - using it like a cloak spread out in a foot long radius from her shoulders down as she runs towards him. Ha. Try stopping her from reaching you now]

[Then he won't. Shadow Imitation isn't the only method he has of binding an opponent.]

That'd work better if I couldn't still see you, you know. [Tips her off? Yes. But he feels it's only fair to warn her.

His shadow slides down into the trench, merging with the thick shadows lying in it and stretching over to the other side.]

If you say so - [But she's moving as she's talking and still running forward - lifting up a hand as she does so and suddenly the air right in front of Shikamaru's face coalesces into mist as Katara pulls all the water in the air around him and puts it just there.

She uses that split second to jump to the side and avoid that stretching shadow. She's nearly to the point where she can jump over the trench now.]

[In that case, the first thing that she should notice is that the shadows recede, seemingly drawing back to him so he'll have more to protect himself with.

The second, once she's a little closer, is that this mist? Seems to be floating right through his head.

And the third is that there's someone much more solid pressed against the side of the trench she's about to jump over.]

[Right - making that leap and not immediately noticing the mist going through Shikamaru's head as much as she's noticing the fact that he's not moving.

Something's not right.

But she can't afford to stop moving, because the shadows are still too close, and if she stops she won't be able to move quickly enough to avoid them.

Why isn't he moving? Is it a clone? But he doesn't have anywhere to hide - I didn't take my eyes off him --

--the smoke

--the trench!

Sadly, Katara comes to this realization just as she's launched herself up in the air. It's too late to do anything about the fact that she probably just fell exactly into his trap - not too late to spot him, plastered against the wall of the trench. And not too late to react instinctively and send the mist cloaking her down directly on top of him.

She doesn't convert it to water until it's nearly a foot away from him and she's aiming, once again, for his arms.]

Edited 2011-05-11 02:55 (UTC)

[He doesn't bother moving again. His hands are already in position, and if she wants to get him now he knows she'll have to let go of the mist. His shadow exists within the shadow of this trench now, and there's no way she can obscure it all with her mist, so he just lets it keep moving.

Because without that cloak around her, there is a very clear shadow moving across the trench. With nowhere for her to go until she lands, it would be easy to take it. Though, if he's even successful, he won't activate the jutsu's effect until she's landed. He doesn't want to hurt her, after all.]

[Their shadows do indeed connect - in the same way her water connects with his hands, pushing them backwards and spreading up his arms...

...the shadow doesn't dissipate as she lands.

Shit.

She'd hoped that she'd be able to avoid this on her own, but - with one hand she keeps bending the water up and at him, pushing him against the trench side, while her other hand reaches to the set of hidden clasps along her belt, retrieving a small flat object which is easily palmed.

Her feet touch the ground--]

[He grunts when his back hits the dirt wall - the impact jarring him without his arms or hands to brace himself. His shadow wavers, then tightens, waiting for his direction and he recovers fast.]

Kage Mane-

[--and Katara activates the flash bomb and flicks it up between them, shutting her eyes and continuing to push against him with her water.

She doesn't call out a warning. He's a ninja. He's dealt with these types of bombs all the time. He'll be fine and she knows she needs whatever precious advantage this will give her.]

-no Justu...

[This would usually be the part where he says 'success'. And indeed, the jutsu is complete. Just in time too, because he wasn't eager to be pushed into the wall by her water again. Since she can't move to bend it, it splashes against him and to the ground.

But he didn't miss her throwing that flat object, and it gives him pause. Besides the bo, he's never seen her use anything but her waterbending, so he's not sure what she has planned here...

...

She closed her eyes.]

Craaap-

Edited 2011-05-11 05:32 (UTC)

[He twists his body in the other direction, turning back and covering his eyes with his arm as the bomb goes off in the air. It all happened in an instant, so he's not as fast as he was hoping, but he did save himself from the worst of it.

He winces loudly, rubbing at his eyes with one hand, face stern as he catches up with what his brain has already figured out.

Flash bomb. She used a flash bomb.]

Edited 2011-05-11 05:52 (UTC)

[And this would be the part where Katara shows her well-hidden ruthless streak, because despite the relief she feels when she sees he's guarded himself, it pales compared to the knowledge - he caught on quickly, won't be down for long, better make this fast-

-And she moves in a fast circle, kicking out with one foot, which draws the water surrounding him up in a fast jet to - if it connects - knock him even further off balance and keep him down - and by the time she's facing him again she's already streamed out all the remaining water in one canteen to crash over him and hold-]

[His eyes are still closed, which means he's relying on his ears now, which mean he hears it.

There's a thin whistle, cutting of air; she's moving so she's bending - water, the water around him-

He flips himself backwards to avoid the jet of water, bringing to mind the layout of the trench that he memorized. His feet push against the wall and he pushes himself forward and across the trench, angling towards the left at about the same time she would have her water streaming out of her canteen. You thought he was fast before? He's moving like he's fighting under ninja now.

Shikamaru tucks himself into a roll as he hits the ground - she'll have time to adjust the stream of her water to get him, but he's not going to sit still for it.

He's also laughing.]

[If his speed makes him hard to track, the sound of his laughter is easier to follow - why is he laughing, what's so funny? - her lips tug into a frown of concentration as she changes the pattern of her attack to one long line extending over him and then closing in from both sides.]

What's so funny?

[And in the back of her mind, she's thinking: He adjusted too quickly, he's navigating that with his eyes closed, how is he doing that, doesn't really seemed surprised at all -- why is he laughing?]

Heheheh... nothing. [He pushes himself to his feet, opening his flak jacket in a quick movement as he does. His hands are out and apart and fingers spread, like he's feeling for something.] Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for someone to do that, though?

[Times like these he wishes he had ears like Kiba's - would make it less of a strain. Even so he hears the water coming and jumps away again, adjusting his footing when he doesn't land quite as solidly as he was expecting - gopher hole. Ha.

He keeps his hands out and steadies himself, his shadow rising with them and separating into materialized threads. There's fifteen or so of them, thinner than those of his Shadow Sewing technique.

That's because this isn't Shadow Sewing. This is Shadow Endgame.]

Edited 2011-05-11 07:24 (UTC)

[Sorry, were you talking? Because Katara's finding it hard to care about what you're saying when she sees the incredibly-creepy-looking and doom-inducing sight of all those shadows writhing up around him.

He can control all them individually - there's way too many to disburse with just one burst, I do that I just make some of them longer - try two with a frontal rush? No, he's too fast. - block off the source? I don't have enough water and he knows the terrain well enough with his eyes closed - run?

He'll catch me.

He won't be expecting it. I've never run from him before.

Maybe I'll think of something on the way.

An abrupt motion, pushing both hands down - and the water around him begins to rise in a natural mist as Katara abruptly turns tail and books it towards the treeline. One hand reaches for another flashbomb as she goes.]

[...really he only had so many so he could defend himself from all angles, but whatever. Since she's running, they start to merge back together until there's only five of them. Less taxing for him.

Hm, this would be the part where seeing would be nice. From the sound of her footsteps he knows she's moving, but no matter of knowing the terrain can help him with that one.

His vision should be about recovered, though. So he opens his eyes, blinking out the spots-

To find mist. Dammit.

Well all right then, he'll just step out of that, cautious due to his still blurry vision.]

[Katara, meanwhile, had run three steps and dropped her second flashbomb over her shoulder. Whether or not it went off while he was in the mist or as he stepped outside it wasn't the point - the point was ensuring she could get away.

She slipped another hand into her belt, palmed a third one, and when she reached the edge of the trench was willing to risk a glance over her shoulder - less shadows, still some mist, and he's not moving very quickly and she realizes he was looking for her.

And she wishes she had the ability to hide in the dirt, or to make clones, or mirages - but she doesn't, so now she has a split second to decide on what she'll do...

Attack or keep running? She can't fight him from a distance, he's too fast. Five of those shadow arms... she'll stand a better chance than fifteen, but who knows what he's going to decide to do with them next?

Regardless, she wants to get a little further away from the trench and the now-longer (thank you SO MUCH for your help, setting sun, really) shadows of the trees, and abruptly veers left.]

Edited 2011-05-11 08:18 (UTC)

[After the second flash bomb goes off (before he'd opened his eyes, thankfully), he feels his shadows shrink again. He tisks, annoyed, but manages to build them up again not long after.

Seeing where her figure is going - it's the fuzzy blue shape - he has three shadow tendrils pull out kunai with what looks like explosive notes on them from his holster, throwing them ahead of her path in intervals. It'd be wiser to veer away from them than it would to block or try to go past them. She can try again after they've hit the ground, after all.

Yes indeed, thank you, sun. It makes what he's about to do so much easier.]

[Really? Because Katara doesn't feel like veering. She's more curious to find out if those explosive tags will go off if they're encased in ice, and now seems as good as any time to find out.

She manages to nail the two which were set to land closest towards her before they hit the ground, and doesn't bother with the third as she's uncertain if she just essentially blew herself up and has to get a watershield ready.]

[Since they're charged with chakra instead of fire? They do. Just consider yourself lucky that they weren't as high-powered as the ones he used earlier in the spar. From the distance he kept them from her, they probably wouldn't have even been a problem. As it is, there is enough force in the blast to shatter that ice, so yes, water shield will be necessary.

In the time it takes for her to react to that, however, he's got Kage Mane going again, shadow twisting across the ground in plain view, trying to twist to connect to hers.]

[Well, that didn't work. But you don't know until you try - she shields herself from the blasts, continuing to move forward and around those hazards as best she can...

Shadow.

She holds the shield with one hand and reaches for a flash bomb with another...]

[He seems to recognize it - his posture straightens and his shadow speeds forward, trying to capture hers before she can use it.

Really, he's hoping she will.]

[There's something wrong here. She can't quite put her finger on it, but the fact that she can see this attack coming - the last time it had been this straightforward, he'd been a clone and hiding in a trench.

Where is the trap?

But she doesn't really have time to figure it out as his shadow springs forward all the more quickly, and she launches the flash bomb towards him, hoping to break his shadow at the source while she veers abruptly towards the trench.]

[The flash bomb goes off, his shadow repelled far from hers.

And yet, she won't get very far - no more than a step or two before she'll be frozen in place even though from her line of sight, no shadow is connecting them. But he feels the tight tug of it all the same, and let's out a breath of air, pleased.]

Kage Mane no Jutsu... success.

Edited 2011-05-12 07:18 (UTC)

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