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]

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.

[respect_points47]

...Why would someone need to make a puppet talk?

[endgames]

For fun? You know, like a puppet show.

[If he sounds annoyed, it's because this was his best comparison. Hrm.]

[respect_points47]

Um...sorry, there's nothing like that back home.

[There's a lot of strange things in her world, but talking puppets is not one of them.]

[endgames]

Seriously?

[THAT JUST SOUNDS DEPRESSING. He should probably just find a new metaphor, but--] What kind of person's never seen a puppet show as a kid?

[respect_points47]

Everybody...well, I don't know about everyone in the world, but not in the desert. There were other things to do.

[endgames]

[Funnily enough, the deserts in his world are where puppets got famous. Of course, that's as weapons. More stabby, less childhood fun. On his trips to Suna, though, he remembers seeing kids put on shows. They were pretty clever about it.]

Hah... [A sigh.] It's troublesome, but I guess I'll have to show you what I mean. Be right back.

[respect_points47]

[Machina and fiends are all that's in the desert back home.

But okay, she'll wait.]

[endgames]

[It takes a little under five minutes. Finding a sock (one of Masaomi's) was easy, but then he had to find something to make a face with.

When he sits down and flips on the video feed, it's with a sock puppet with mismatched button eyes stuffed on one hand. It's rather plain aside from that.]

Maah... Shadow puppets are more my style, so this is the best I could do.

[Well not really, he just didn't feel like putting more effort into it.]

Still there?

[respect_points47]

Yep!

[This looks and sounds so amusing.]

[endgames]

All right. [He waves the puppet hand, flapping its mouth open and shut, while shrugging his shoulders.] If you want something more elaborate than a sock puppet, you'll have to ask someone other than me. This should do fine to show you what I mean.

[He's barely finished his sentence before the sock puppet 'chimes' in, with a voice just squeakier than Shikamaru's, even if it's still obviously his own.]

Hey, don't be rude! Isn't this supposed to be a show?

[He's not very good at this, tbh, but if there's one thing going for him it's that his mouth doesn't move when the puppet talks.]

Don't look at me. All I signed up for was a demonstration.