witchesreign | Natural Strength [Action/Open]

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Natural Strength [Action/Open]

[Maria hadn't done quite as well during the Tears Point mission as she might have liked. Aside from grossly underestimating the volume of monsters in a Lunar Cry, and getting turned into a dragon -- both of those completely understandable problems -- she hadn't turned in the combat performance she expected of herself. After some thinking and reflection, she'd concluded that a year of classes meant she'd neglected basic physical training for skill acquisition.]

[Time to change that.]

[So early mornings find her jogging around the outside of Garden, working up a sweat. Later mornings are her time for strength and endurance training, meaning she can be found lifting weights in volumes that would be weird anywhere but here in Garden. And afternoons are agility training, in the only real way she can think of -- going into the Training Center without weapons, and coming out with as few injuries as possible.]

[Care to talk to her at any point during this?]

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Well, let's hope there aren't any more. [She looks over her shoulder, back along the road.] I wonder where they were coming from?

[Namur shrugs.]

Don't matter, li'l shits come from everywhere. Jus' roll with the stupid 'til the stupid rolls off, sheheheh! Anyway, we was on 'bout Limit Breaks an' haki, right?

Yes. Namely, what the heck is it. And why you would think I need it to do a Limit Break.

Naw, Limit Breaks is somethin' else.

[Namur takes a deep breath, trying to think how to explain haki.]

Most simple explanation, haki's yer willpower. It's what's inside y' that decides if yer goin' t' win or give up. Decides how far yer willin' t' go. Sometimes they call it the fightin' spirit. Everybody's got it, even animals an' fish an' shit. Prob'ly plants an' rocks an' shit, too, but in a different way. Sometimes it ain't nothin' more than jus' a will t' survive, but that all loops back t' Will. 'S the inner core a everythin' that makes y'... I don't know... you. Learn t' control it, an' y' can use it all kinds a ways.

Oh.

[Maria turns this over in her head as they walk, arms folded behind her back. But she doesn't take very long about it.]

Okay. I see what you mean about needing it for a Limit Break, though. It sounds pretty similar in some ways.

Yeah, 'cept y' ain't got t' have no rexaur chompin' on y' t' unlock it.

[He grins, showing off his own much smaller but sharper teeth.]

'Less y' dig that kind a thing. Then, y' know. Knock yerself out! Sheheheheh!

Well, when is the will to succeed strongest but when victory seems furthers away? A Limit Break isn't just about pain and agony -- fallen friends or nasty status ailments can trigger it too.

So it's kind a like, I dunno. Sort a like a berserk mode or somethin'? Cuz that's pretty much the opposite a usin' haki, if we're lookin' t' compare the two. Y' got t' train this shit an' it's hard as hell cuz there ain't no begginer stage. Y' either got 'nuff t' break shit down an' make it do what y' want, or y' don't.

Naw, you've seen it, it's a lot more controlled than berserking -- it's drawing out your strength when it becomes most critical to do so. I mean, you can imagine what could happen if you DIDN'T do it right then...

Good point. Sheheh!

[Namur begins looking around for a fist sized rock as they walk.]

So how d' y' figure out what yer Limit Break is? Can y' control what it looks like an' shit?

Generally it depends on your abilities and inner nature -- what desperation and anger bring out of you. For a gunblade wielder, for example, it's pretty natural to just hit things a lot with your gunblade, but that's not universal.

[Namur nods.]

Makes sense. 'S it only desperation an' anger? Or can y' focus on other shit when yer doin' a break?

[Jeez, Namur, way to make it sound like a messy bodily function...]

Well, out of curiosity, what else would you have when you're blind, poisoned, and an inch from passing out while your two teammates are lying motionless on the ground next to you?

[He could probably make anything sound like a messy bodily function, let's be real. Maria's question sparks a somber silence for a few moments as Namur considers- maybe remembers.]

Determination. Sacrifice. Love for nakama. There's a whole lot a other shit y' can focus on in a situation like that.

Those all come back to the same things, though, don't they? Determination is anger and desperation not to lose. Or sacrifice is anger at a threat to whatever you're sacrificing yourself for and desperation not to let it come to harm.

Guess in a way y' could say that, but...

[He rubs under his chin.]

Some's positive an' some's negative. Been determined before, an' I been desperate. Don't feel the same, t' me. One's born a like hell I'm givin' up an' the other's born a helplessness. Desperation makes y' weak in the long run. Makes y' start doin' stupid shit hopin' some kind a dumb luck's gonna swim yer way. Determination helps y' stop a second t' look at shit an' make a plan. Y' say this is what I'mma do an' ain't nothin' gonna stop me. An' then y' do it, come hell or high water.

[Namur glances at Maria out of the corner of his eye, then elbows her with a laugh.]

Hell, that got depressin' pretty damn fast, didn't it? Sheheh!

You kind of do that, don't you? [She couldn't help but notice he has a tendency to wander to dark places...]

[Well he was born in a place with no direct sunlight...]

[Namur reddens a little, rubs the back of his head, and shrugs.]

Try t' work on that, I guess.

[At least they're getting close to the beach, and the little fish shack whose owner didn't immediately flip his shit when Namur walked in the first time.]

Grew up in a fishin' town, y' said? Do much sailin'?

Sailing? Naw, not at all. Dollet's always been big on tourism, and those of us who lived there... it just wasn't all that impressive. I did love the beach, though.

What kind a shit'd y'all do at the beach? No offense but y' ain't strikin' me like the kind a girl who's gonna jus' be layin' there takin' in the atmosphere.

Swimming, of course! Especially when we get some good waves, it's fun and exhausting in a really good way.

[Of course, then she remembers she's telling this to a fishman. Maria chuckles a bit sheepishly.]

[Namur raises his brows and laughs.]

Damn right it is!

[And they're there. A rickety little joint just off the boardwalk that smells even fishier than Namur. Most things on the menu are battered and deep fried, but they aren't opposed to making special orders. Like sushi.

Namur gets the door, less out of any kind of chivalry and more because it's habit for him. He is, after all, ultimately a mook.]

Here we are! Ever been here before?

No. I've never been here before.

[And this surprises and amazes her, so she's looking around with avid curiosity that really befits her actual age, instead of the mature SeeD she generally tries to pass herself off as.]

Followed your nose, huh?

[Snerk.]

Well it ain't too nice on the eyes now is it? Sheheh!

[Namur cozies up to the far corner seat at a worn wooden bar and chats with the man on the other side for a few moments before asking for "the usual".]

What's yer preference sweetheart? My sense a taste's a bit different than yer's so I ain't gonna be much help.

If you cram a squirming octopus into your gullet whole, that's going to put me off my meal. I'm just warning you.

[Leaning on the bar, Maria peers up at the menu, before finally selecting something shamelessly deep-fried and with spice. No one can say she's a delicate eater.]

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