markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .045

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[ Action, Voice ] .045

[Raine was right. A draft had come, this one worse than before - and in a place where she could be more useful than any other location. And she wasn't going.

She took a good long look at that list. And there are some people that she has to visit.

...okay, there are a lot of people she has to visit.

First stop - Shikamaru and Chouji's place. If she can't go herself, then she has to do what she can to help the people who are going out out, and that means talking with the strategist going out there who she trusts.

Next stop - Casa de Freedom Fighter. She may have put it off if her talk with Shikamaru hadn't made her realize how absolutely necessary this was.

From there... spirits, so many people... Katara takes out her journal and stares at it a bit before making a general voice post and then crafting some filters.]

If anyone - needs me for anything, or if there's anything I can do to help out before you go, I'm around. I've fought in swamps before, and although I don't know anything more about this one, I'll try to answer what I can.

[And now it's time for filters. She doesn't have anything specific to say to these people, not over the journals anyway, so the message is the same.]

[Filtered to Ginko, Masaomi, Raine, Kurt, and Sanji]

Hey. If you have time, I'd like to see you before you go.

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"Not just me?"

[Jet smirks, shrugging to open the door and retreat inside before she can even get a reply in.]

"--Sure."

[She wants to talk to all three of them. Oh, he knows what this is about. Jet sits down at the table, and invites Katara to join. He isn't really smiling anymore.]

"Guessing you've heard?"

[Katara frowns a little at that quip. It deserves an explanation, a retort, but Jet's already moved on - and this isn't about them.

...but in a way, it is. Because she's coming to see him as the Katara which recognizes his leadership, his skills, and the loyalty his Freedom Fighters have to him. And she can't help but remember...]

Thanks. [And she follows him inside, shutting the door and moving to join him at the table.]

Yes, I heard. I've been on the drafts twice, and once was able to go up against a renegade Malnosso facility. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

[...this is part one.]

"There's no getting out of it, is there?"

[Jet drums his fingers along the table surface, impatient with his own thought process. Questions, questions...]

"We know what day everyone departs, I assume the Malnosso come take them. Isn't there someway they can be followed?"

[-and rescue who is taken? Isn't there some way to fool the enemy into taking one of their own instead?]

"And I'm going to need to know what skillsets they have."

There's no getting out of it. [She hates saying this. So much.] If you don't show up, then they send the robots to come and take you. I think they find you the same way that they do for the mallynappings. It's probably got something to do with these.

[One hand raises up to touch the back of her neck. Their barcodes.]

And the battles take place outside of the barrier. Even if you went down with her to the teleportation unit, it wouldn't operate for you.

[Jet visibly winces as he sorts out the problem to all the plans in his head, Katara's words eliminating each one as they materialize. Following her example, his hand crawls beneath his hair to feel the area on his own neck, unable to shake how much the disturbing similarity the idea of its existence has to a brand. Desperate times are going to call for desperate measures.]

"And You've only been drafted twice, but I'm sure there have been more than that."

[All the ideas have already been tried. Jet rises, moving to step out, and half lean on his chair]

"--I should go get Smellerbee."

Edited 2011-06-03 05:23 (UTC)

[She leans forward and lifts up one hand, as if to physically stop him without touching him.]

Jet, wait. Before you get her. There is something I wanted to talk to you about.

[The emphasis on that 'you' is faint... but present.]

[Jet pauses, looking back confused. Whatever it is, can't it wait?]

"What?"

[He does not sit back down, but he does not walk any further either.]

[Deep breath. Well, here it goes.]

A good friend of mine is going on the draft. His name is Shikamaru Nara. I've sparred with him before, and he's beaten me each time. [And she's good now, Jet.] I've trusted him with my life.

[And she meets his gaze very directly.] I want you to tell Smellerbee it's okay to listen to him. Not to take orders or do anything that she thinks is stupid, but to listen.

[It's an effort to sit still. Every bit of her wants to get up, to take Jet by the shoulders and physically impress on him how important this is - that there is someone (several someones, in fact) out there who Smellerbee can trust.

Please.]

"...Trust me, Bee won't do anything she thinks is stupid."

[Jet frowns at Katara. He was silent the whole time she spoke. How does she know Smellerbee is really going for sure? Who's to say one of their plans would not work? It's like she is admitting defeat before they even try! It grates on his nerves.
On the off chance she does somehow get taken though... what then? She can handle herself, and if she refuses to fight, then they could get back at the Malnosso- no- that's not the right mindset, that's selfish, he needs to think what is best for his crew.]

[Jet leans lazily over the back of the chair, draping an arm in front of it and holding in a scowl.]

"Takes more than fighting to be a good leader, Katara... This Shikamaru guy. He got a lot of experience with these things?"

[He better, if he is seriously entertaining this idea for you]

Edited 2011-06-03 06:28 (UTC)

[Okay, so, that was more open then she'd hoped for. Katara nods and answers his question, hoping that he'll find her reasons good enough.]

He does. He's trained for it on his home world. And I fought with him in the unit he led on the last draft, for the first day. We were targeting 'Shifters,' really dangerous enemies who can turn off the powers of the people with powers or turn off the technology of the people who fight with technology. It was one of the most dangerous jobs on the last draft. And everyone got back safely.

"She'd have you covered there."

[Jet mutters with a slight laugh, that little spark of pride igniting over the kind of damage his team had been able to cause for folks who could bend. You people and your reliability on powers; the freedom fighters never needed those! Although again, he shall repeat, fighting isn't all of the issue.]

"He sounds pretty dependable... but we don't always trust the same people, Katara."

[YOU ARE presently living with the future fire lord after all. Jet is careful enough to keep the disdain in his voice just veiled enough to get his point across. Could this Shikamaru guy be affiliated with the Fire Nation in any way?]

"Anything else I should know?"

[Her eyes narrow a bit there.] Yeah. You should remember that maybe I don't have the best track record when it comes to who I trust but at least I'm not the one with the history of lying.

[She'll never forgive him for what almost happened. In time, one day, she may be able to move past it, trust him again. But she'll never forgive him.

And it's an effort to stay in topic.]

I know you're not going to trust him until you've met him - and that's fine. I'm not asking you to trust him. But if you don't trust the fact that I came here in order to help you guys, then you never knew me at all. I came to you first because you're their leader, but whether or not you agree with me, I'm going to tell Smellerbee the same thing I told you. She'll make up her own mind. I'm just trying to give you a chance to help her when they take her; she's going to need to trust someone to survive out there.

If you've got any questions I can actually answer which will help you decide about him, then I'll tell you what you want to know. But I think we both know nothing I say about him will satisfy you. So I guess it comes down to whether or not you're going to trust me.

[And if you're not, there's no point in any of this.]

Edited 2011-06-06 05:01 (UTC)

“I do trust you.”

[And he hasn't asked for your trust back- save for that shift a few weeks ago when he didn't know better- his week as another person, with another life.]

“Maybe you've forgotten, but I'm not the only one in this house with a grudge. You're the one acting so nervous about it, what else am I supposed to think?! If you really think I would let my team die because I didn't approve of who they were with, you've got the wrong idea. You're right, guess I don't know you.”

[Jet scowls and turns his head, barely holding off stomping off like the mature adult he is. Way to flaunt his insecurities in his face, Katara. It is supposed to be a compromise but with all the tension in his voice, the words come off more like warnings.]

“He led a unit of people from different worlds, so he must have some skills in strategy. I still want to meet him. I'm getting Smellerbee--”

[Provided she hasn't been listening in on this already.]

[Acting nervous about what? Argh! It was just so unfair for him to throw around accusations like that and then walk away.

But at least he'd listened. If it were any other circumstance, she'd chase him down. But for now she needed to talk to Smellerbee and Longshot. She'll see what will happen after that.]

Fine.

[ Didn't even have to be by the room for most of that eavesdropping, man. Maybe you two should do less shouting when you're in a room together.

...yeah, she doesn't really see it happening too soon, either. Whatever, man. This, she'll take as her cue to just head on down the stairs and step in on this meeting. Greeting nod for Katara? And casting a quick look Jet's way, too, because not-conversations are the best conversations. What's the deal, leader mine? ]

[Oh not-conversations are the best to be sure, but at the moment all Jet's body language feels like saying is: grr, grr, agitation. Jet is more than aware the eaves have been dropped, but he goes along with the routinely greetings nonetheless, complete with the arm flourish.]

“Hey Smellerbee, Katara just came by to visit. She's been to the drafts before, says she knows a few, good, people to trust.”

[-And also that she thinks I am a scumbag. Yeah, it's one of those days.]

“Guy by the name of Shikamaru Nara is supposed to go. Ever heard of em?"

[ So things are going as well as ever in the land of Complicated Relationships.

Your guys' personal business is all on you, as long as nobody winds up getting beaten up ~~cough Jet~~. ]

Nope. [ Of course, she's not very big on journal-listening anyway. ]

[So supportive. ~~He can almost fight well-ish by now, you know.~~ Yeah yeah, he'll fix it later, okay? The draft is more important right now.]

"Yeah, can't say I have either. Whereabouts do you think he lives?"

[Here's looking at you, Katara-]

[Sorry, that's not information she's going to just offer up. He's one of her paranoid friends, the kind that's always getting on her case about her not locking her doors. So she just shakes her head.]

Is that really important now? [She turns to face Smellerbee completely.] I wanted to talk to you about the kinds of things you can expect out there.

... I can guess some of it. [ Flat-faced, at that one. It's safe to assume, for example, that many things will be trying to kill her. Fighting for your life; go figure, she knows the basics.

But she is in for listening, Loops- even hopping up to sit on the edge of the table to do so, elbow to her leg and the rest of that arm being used as a chin prop. Probably a little stiff to be really convincing, but at least it's an attempt at casual posture for a casual chat: Jet and Longshot get clued into things because they're Jet and Longshot, but she's not gonna openly advertise any insecurities over this mess. Showing weakness is like the first step to losing the fight. She plans to be too stubborn for that. ]

"It is if we're going to meet him."

[Jet mumbles gruffly, easing back into his own chair and slouching to follow Smellerbee's cue for casualness. He'll let Katara and Smellerbee have their moment. With as many strikes as he has against the waterbender already today, he'll play it safe and not step in to the conversation until strategy dictates it having suitable reason.]

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[ Action, Voice ] .045

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[action] ...I'll just leave this here.