036 -- [Voice]

[endgames]

((Backdated to February 4th))

[It's been a long time since Shikamaru's failed a mission. All right. Failure might be too strong a word for this one. He can actually laugh at that. This isn't like when he was twelve. It's a personal embarrassment, not something that's going to keep him up at night, sick to his stomach.

A failure is a failure though, and that makes it a pain in the ass. He'd apologized to the MSF personnel profusely, and requested to be put on a different mission to make up for the screw-up. They'd looked nonplussed about the whole thing and stuck him back in Luceti, but eh. Shikamaru decides to keep his journal close to him anyways, in case they take him up on that. It's for this reason he doesn't go out to do any of the things he probably should. He passes the time by flipping through the journal instead, and thinking over the last mission.]

[Voice]

When I first came to this village, I remember going out. Left or right, it seemed anywhere I looked someone was using that so-called "filial magic". ...Haaa. [He scratches his head, and there's a smirk in his voice.] That's an exaggeration, but you get it. That was years ago, though. It seemed like it was becoming less common until that incident last year, when everyone got possessed.

Anyone learning anything from those guys now? Seems like the kind of thing that would spark interest, especially with one extra spirit hanging around.

Comments

[respect_points47]

An umbrella can deal with that...I might go looking for the others for fun though, since my magic didn't follow me.

[endgames]

Heh. It's more work than it sounds like.

[respect_points47]

How so?

[endgames]

Some of them are harder to find than others. [He rests his chin in his palm.] And if you don't keep up with any one thing, you lose your touch and have to start over.

[respect_points47]

I'm pretty good with magic! I don't have much else to do here...not until it gets warm enough to swim at least.

[endgames]

You could probably make a pool.

[respect_points47]

[That makes her giggle.] Any normal pool would be way to small.

[endgames]

No I mean in the Battle Dome. Not the same thing, but it'd be close enough.

[respect_points47]

Whoa, never thought of that! I'd probably never leave though.

[endgames]

You and most everyone else who goes there. I think they gave those rooms a time limit for a reason...

[respect_points47]

Time limit? That's no fair.

Real water is better...

[endgames]

[He finds it funny how he keeps meeting people with an attachment to the water. Girls, especially, as things in Luceti go.]

You sure fire was the best first choice for you?

[respect_points47]

Yep!

I like the water because there's a sport back home played inside a water sphere called blitzball, and I used to have a job of salvaging machina from underwater. But I'm from the desert, so I'm used to heat.

And...if I had to pick an element that fit me, it'd be fire.

[endgames]

[This is reconfirming his suspicions of how people must be drawn to certain spirits. Honestly, it's a good indicator of personality. It wasn't what the answer he intended to get from this post, but it's a neat thing to consider aside from that.

He wonders if it could be applied with any accuracy. This girl doesn't seem as hotheaded as Gold... She's probably spunky, though. Spirited. Outspoken, maybe? Judging from this conversation, she takes pride in the things she does, something he can see meeting with approval in Eferin.]

And if you had to pick a second?

[Now he's just curious if his second pick will match up.]

[respect_points47]

uhm...out of all of the ones here, maybe wind?

[Back home there's only fire, lightning, water, and ice. So she's never thought about a second.]

1/2

[endgames]

[This is a smirk, because yes. Yes it did.]

[endgames]

Kipinn's easy to find if you ever decide to go for it.

[The spirit's also the most affable of the lot, after maybe Nala. He reminds Shikamaru of both Naruto and Aang, who seem a lot like this girl.

...nothing at all like Temari, though, when he thinks on it. This system will need more work. :T]

[respect_points47]

What would I do with wind magic though? I can't remember any time that it would've been helpful to fight with against fiends...

...

Oh wait! What exactly is the wind magic like?! [She just had a fun idea!]

[endgames]

...uh. [UM. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE HE USED IT, HE WAS NEVER VERY GOOD.] You can blow air around with it.

[respect_points47]

...

Duh! But what kind of things can you do with the wind?

[endgames]

I never used it much... At best I could make a gust strong enough to knock something over. No tornados or anything.

A guy I know could use it to throw sounds. That was cool.

[respect_points47]

[Good job. It takes a lot to make Rikku quiet as she thinks.]

How do you...throw sound?

[endgames]

[He frowns, trying to think of how to describe it.]

You ever seen a ventriloquist?

[respect_points47]

I don't know what that is.

[endgames]

It's someone who makes puppets talk.