endgames | 006 -- [Action || Voice]

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006 -- [Action || Voice]

[It is a rare thing to catch Shikamaru out of bed before noon, much less wandering around the western side of Luceti's forest when it's so freaking cold out.

Then again, it's not every day that he's been told that there's a possibility the village might find itself resembling some kid's aquarium If Things Do Not Go As Planned ~~even if we ooc-ly know they will, more or less~~. Despite being told like everyone else that there's nothing anyone can do to prevent it if something goes wrong, waiting for the inevitable just feels like a death sentence. There's being lazy, and then there's being stupid.

Feel free to bump into him if you're out that way yourself. When he's finished, he'll head back towards town, hands stuffed in his pockets. He throws up a voice post on his way.]

Anyone here good at digging holes? [That came out a bit sarcastically - it's early. Okay, but seriously:] Or better yet, skills for manipulating the earth.

[Once that's done, Shikamaru takes some time to track down his fellow ninja before heading of towards the Avatar House.

And then, a filtered message that was here the whole time.]

[Filtered to Trafalgar Law || 100% Unhackable]

I'd like to talk to you about some things, if you're up for it.

[From what he gleaned of your conversation with Catherine, you have a better understanding of the way tsunamis work. Understandable, for a pirate. And while he can come to his own conclusions, it's not a substitute for someone who knows what they're talking about.]

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[He closes his eyes, thinking. Below the table, his fingers come together loosely, forming a circle. He's long since outgrown the need for a 'thinking position', as Asuma called it, but old habits die hard.

She could possible disperse the weight of the water then. Draw it away from them. That would buy time, and aside from that, she could even freeze it; use ice to stabilize it... maybe. All theory right now.]

Ever tried it below ground?

From below to above? No, but if I can feel it then it won't make a difference.

[She pauses and tilts her head, considering him.] I'll be able to tell you what I can and can't do better if you let me know what you're thinking.

Fair enough. [He opens his eyes.]

I'm thinking about how difficult it would be to keep a hole made deep underground from collapsing under tremendous water pressure. And just water-proof in general.

[...] And if it could be done, I was wondering if you could help with that.

That much water? ...you'd probably be better off asking Toph how much pressure it could take. But if I was below it, the best thing I could do would be to freeze it in the ground. That would probably hold it together even further.

[He nods, having figured as much.]

Toph... that's the younger girl who lives here, right? Is she another waterbender?

[Her eyes go wide at that and in spite of everything she laughs a little.]

Toph? No way. She's an earthbender.

[Blink. And ping. An earthbender would be very useful right about now, and the gears are obviously turning.]

Yeah? I must not have seen it before. [Or missed it somewhere in general - it's been hectic.] How good is she at it?

She's the best. [It's said simply.] The only one who's even close to her is King Bumi, and he's had over a hundred years to practice.

[That. Is impressive. If she can bend anywhere on the level Katara can manipulate water, it would be perfect.]

Is she here? I might need to talk to her.

Edited 2010-12-13 06:16 (UTC)

[And Toph chooses now to make an appearance, coming into the kitchen. She'd heard someone talking about her and it better not be about the mud she tracked in earlier.] Someone call me?

[Why would she talk about that, you DID clean it up afterwards, didn't you? >=|]

Toph, this is Shikamaru. [You might remember him from when he was six and living in Zuko's room last week.] He's got some earthbending questions.

[This in the tone of 'and it's probably somewhat relevant to our future survival so listen up.']

Hey. [He nearly raises a hand when he sees her before noticing she's blind. He thinks he vaguely remembers that... it was either that or mistaking her for a Hyuuga.]

Katara says you're the best. I take that means digging a hole wouldn't be a problem for you? [Which is just the beginning, of course.]

[She'll head over to the kitchen table, flopping into a chair and leaning her head on a hand, elbow on the table.]

Duh. Why, you need one? [Of course she's the best.]

[Katara flicks a glance at Shikamaru that says 'Traitor' but other than that just looks at him. She's kind of curious as to how he'll explain himself.]

[What. You did say so. 8|

But he just nods, leaning back in his seat.] I do - a deep one, at that. It would have to be sealed, and stable enough to withstand a serious amount of pressure from above ground. But I understand that might be a tall order.

[Might be poking your ego. Just might be. But he is genuinely curious here.]

[There's just a smug grin on her face. She knows she's the best, but hearing it did put her in a good mood. And hearing Shikamaru challenge that make the grin fade a bit.] Of course I can do it. But I'm gonna need more details. How much pressure? And from what?

It'd also depend on if it's from outside or in.

...I think he's talking about preparing for the tsunami.

Or two or three. [No more than seven, but if it gets up to that then there's really nothing they can do. He keeps his attention on Toph.] So it'd be coming from the outside.

From what I was told, each wave will reach speeds up to 1000 kilometers an hour. The mountains will take the brunt of it, but eventually it won't be enough to protect us. I'm not an expert or anything, but you don't have to be to guess that's a lot of water.

Right. Water. [Ick. She didn't like the idea of drowning.]

It'd need to be deep. Really deep, like an underground cavern. And the hole would have to be sealed tightly with something strong. I could bend a metal cover with enough metal, but it'd need more support then that. Probably layers of it.

It's doable, but I'd need a place here that had stable ground, away from town and these tunnels. The further from town the better, probably. [Because the closer to town, the weaker the ground is.]

[Metal too, huh? Bending is useful stuff.]

I agree. From what I've heard, there was an earthquake that came through here a few months back. Sticking away from the fault-lines would be a smart move.

I was thinking northwest of the village, past the forest. [The trees will be a weaker defense than the mountain range, but it's something. From what Catherine told him, the tsunami will be coming on the desert side, east by northeast. The corner just out of it seems like a safer bet.] Have you ever been out that far?

Not just fault lines. Those tunnels make the ground a lot weaker and will be the first to go if we get a flood. Nevermind the shockwaves of the water hitting the town, the ground will give from weight alone probably. They weaken the ground under this entire town.

No, I haven't. I might take a look around later though. [Yes, look.] I'd have to check the ground anyway.

Probably why there was so much damage to the town in the first place. [He's glad he wasn't around for that.

But forgive the guy for being unaware of just how badass your skills as an earthbender are, Toph. As knowledgable as you sound about what you're talking about, he has his suspicions but he's really only tapped the tip of the iceberg.] How would you check the ground?

Obviously.

I see using the ground. [Said in an obvious tone.]

By see... [He tries to remember how aware Katara seemed to be of her element when they sparred. Shikamaru glances down to look at her bare feet; considers how easily she moved through the house, with it's floors made of stone and a clearer picture forms in his mind.] You mean you use it like a conductor, and sense things through it.

[He pauses to see if he got that right.]

Right. I see with earthbending. I feel the vibrations with my feet or hands and see where everything is. Including what's underground. [Huh, this guy's not too bad.]

I'll be able to tell if the ground is solid or not by going there myself.

Edited 2010-12-13 09:13 (UTC)

006 -- [Action || Voice]

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[ action ] Katara --> Shikamaru --> Toph?

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