markofthebrave | [ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

--A bad joke, ma'am. ... Sorry.

[Chief Mendez' humor passed on to the Spartans, apparently.

SPARTAN-023 raises her arms.]

Oh. [Katara's embarrassed. This was one of those world differences that Most Other Girls Knew again, wasn't it. She blushes a little and offers her own apology-] Sorry.

[And then she raises her arms as well, not bothering to undo the paint can's lid as the force of her bending easily pops it right off, inducing a stream of black. She'll start from the top down.]

[You don't need to apologize to Daisy, Katara. Her upbringing was unhealthily sheltered, anyway.

SPARTAN-023 had seen the waterbender's abilities before, but this is not short of amazing. She stands still, but records what is happening, only moving a little to let the black paint reach the sections of her helmet.]

Just paint over the red coating. The rest of the suit will only lose the paint, or is tech gear.

All right. [And she complies, streaming a seamless layer over the red, and then circling around to get the back as well.]

I wish I'd brought Zuko. I bet he could have heated the air up around it to dry it faster. I wonder, if I make it colder, do you think it would have the same effect?

[She shakes her head.]

Paint could take longer to dry.

[Shift the air around her... Daisy then remembers the time she had spent in the mountains. And the talks she had with Kipinn.]

Have you learned air magic?

[Katara blinks.] Oh! Yes! That would work.

[And she raises her arms, even though the contract doesn't call for it, and begins air-drying the coat of paint.] I'm not used to being able to wield more than one element. I only learned Kippin because... [because he reminded me of someone] ...he was so friendly.

[Likewise, the Spartan's subtle movements call out for the wind. The taller woman's first seconds call forth only light air... until it turns into a breeze. She had improved casting winds inside her suit of armor. She would want to try them more once this draft was over with.]

I didn't know how to use elements at all, ma'am.

[She would've called it magic, but calling it by other names seem to retain her sanity more. The pause of Katara seems a little odd... Though she does not dwell much into it. The Chief chose to learn because she saw many uses to it.]

Kipinn was nice. [A silent chuckle.] Shame the trip to the mountains is a hike. [Relatively a long distance, especially considering the time one has to spend to talk to Kipinn.]

You can still hear him around town, if you listen.

[...and her curiosity really can't be suppressed for long.] I've never seen an armored suit fit to a body like this up close before. Is this the kind of suit you'd use when you fought in space?

[She turns her head briefly to Katara. Daisy knew she could hear Nala if sh gave herself the time, but perhaps Kipinn could be found in here, too...]

We'd wear it everywhere. Space is not the only place. [In her CO's case, even a formal gala party. Daisy doesn't spend as much time inside the suit because of her wings.] ... It's more comfortable than it looks.

Oh. [Huh.]

What does it do?

It makes me faster, and stronger. [That's the most basic thing.] It helps me with a lot of stuff. In combat, it...

[How to explain a HUD...?]

I see lines and figures that help me see things in battle. Friends, enemies, weapons, and overall control of the suit.

It's armor you "feel", and where even your thoughts move it. [To be fair, it's hard to describe it.] It's a part of me.

[Katara processes that as best she can.]

Then I'm glad that they let you keep it.

[Time to stop with the drying and test the paint.]

[Daisy silently agrees. She would rely on her abilities and her skills to get by, were that not the case. But without it... She would feel defenseless in this world.

The Spartan notices the changes in colour of her armor, and her fingers stop summoning the winds to help her. She drops her arms, and positions herself. Better to see now if the paint would last the jungle, than exposing a brick-red colour in battle.]

I'm ready.

[ Action, Voice ] .045

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]