Mm, well... I've used Morow-san for a bit of target practice. My aim with it seems to be decent enough. Beyond that, there are a few things I've been working on.
[He functions as a chaos clown spraybottle when necessary. But after a moment's pause, he focuses himself, forcing the waves to go still so that he can try to step on to the level surface; that's one he doesn't quite have the hang of, though, and after a brief moment where it holds he just... sinks down into the shallow water, now lapping at his ankles as he exhales a sigh.]
...worse than usual, but I still can't always get it to hold as long as I'd like.
[His focus might not be the best after probably coming straight from the gateway, but he's doing his best to ignore the hell out of it.]
That's why you have an easier time when water's in motion. [They approach where Shirasu is, not caring that water is splashing at their boots and crouching down a little bit. They hold their hand open and soon...a rubber duck appears.
Sol sets it on the water, watching the duck bob and weave in the waves.]
For someone who has trouble silencing their thoughts and being at ease, that trouble will extend to your own powers. If you're constantly moving around and acting on instinct, those are the results you'll get. But the ocean's kind of one of those things that can be both calm and scary all at once.
[Just like someone with a sharp mind that's constantly moving, and someone who appears calm on the outside. But there's zero judgment here and they look up again.]
Believe it or not, it takes even more effort to do nothing than to be forceful. But if you concentrate on something instead of the vast...vastness...it might help. [A gesture to the duck.] Use him as your focal point and try to walk up next to him.
[...all right, so maybe Sol has something of a point. He's fully capable of being entirely still on the outside, but even when he's focused, his mind needs to attempt to be a step ahead-- to watch for anything unexpected, always alert to avoid being caught off guard. He rarely even sleeps more than is absolutely necessary.
It's not a bad idea, probably, but as Shirasu looks down at it:]
You want me to use a duck to train.
[But fine, fine, he'll try. He'll use the duck as a focal point like Sol suggested, turning some of his focus to holding the water still and keeping it knit together tightly enough to support his weight; the rest goes to the duck.
It feels ridiculous, it really does, but taking a few moments to center himself and just watch it seem to help. This time he manages a couple of steps onto the water.]
The duck is harder to ignore. [They sound like they might be laughing a little, but they step back to give Shirasu space. They watch, letting him focus and as the water moves and he steps onto it like a small platform...Sol claps politely.]
See? You don't have to use it all the time, but it helps until you can start directing your focus that way.
[It's easier to maintain once he's in the middle of it, at least, so he's just going to chill here on top of the water, taking another careful step to ensure it's still holding before he turns back to Sol.]
I'll work on it more this week, then, and see if it becomes any easier.
[You do you, bro. Sol's going to stay by the shore and watch.] Good luck. It's a tough thing to master, but I think it'll help you if you focus that way.
[But uh...] I...[...] The stuff I should be doing. Research...checking on things. Trying to find answers. Things like that. Nothing very exciting.
[.....they bow their head and stop looking at him.]
No. I'm sorry. [There are maybe one or two things, but nothing that can be said, and nothing that serves as a real reassurance or anything.] We're still putting together the pieces.
[He'll step off of the water there, gathering the duck so that it doesn't get washed further out, so I guess they're continuing this conversation while Shirasu holds it? The duck's just here now.
Shirasu settles in on the sand, continuing to work on keeping the water in motion, altering its flow and shaping bits of it higher before letting them fall once more.]
I doubt any of us expect you to suddenly find the answers, Sol-kun.
You haven't, no. But Lune and I were here for a little while longer. [Somehow this is funnier to imagine with the duck, but Sol's not laughing at the fact it's here. They're watching the flow of the water and staying quiet again.]
You'd be surprised how many people are expecting answers, actually. I'm one of them.
I don't expect them to all come as soon as we want them to, however.
[Considering the way the universe has been in general... yeah. He doesn't expect they'll be in the dark the entire time, but he does expect it'll be made difficult.]
Giving us what you can is all I'll ask for-- you haven't seemed the type to do anything less.
[At least one person isn't here to be mean to the baby, you're welcome.]
In half...? Hm.
[That's not a bad idea. He gestures with the hand not holding the duck, focusing on forming a trench several feet long to split the water, then on deepening that until it reaches the sand.
It holds a moment before his hand falls and the water rushes back into place, a somewhat satisfied look on his face.]
I suppose that'll be the most straightforward way to reach the bottom, won't it?
Enough to keep myself alive here, I suppose. To try to change things if necessary, or-- to work with other sources, if they too can be harnessed.
[He rests his chin in his hand, there, the other idly spinning a little whorl into the water.]
I asked Lune-san once if this darkness that keeps afflicting us might also be controlled. If it were to happen-- I dislike the idea of not knowing my own actions.
[because that's definitely the part to worry about, not the murder part? but he has to wonder if it's possible to work with it instead of against it.
You mean harnessing the darkness for yourself so that you remember what you're doing instead of letting it use your body for its own means. I understand that. [Not exactly the best thing to focus on, but it's also not the worst? Sol's not a huge fan of loss of control either.] It's something we've looked into ourselves, but studying the darkness is still taking time.
But I don't think it's a bad thing to consider. If you could control things, you could stop them.
It's not so unfamiliar where I'm from either. [...] People can take control of their darkness, but it's harder than it sounds. It could ultimately destroy you if you're not careful, but if you learn to manage it...it's pretty powerful.
...you could say that. [Sol...is fine.] I don't know if it's something I could really teach though. It's different where we're from even if the darkness is similar.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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What have you accomplished with it so far? I can't really give advice until I know how good you are already.
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[He functions as a chaos clown spraybottle when necessary. But after a moment's pause, he focuses himself, forcing the waves to go still so that he can try to step on to the level surface; that's one he doesn't quite have the hang of, though, and after a brief moment where it holds he just... sinks down into the shallow water, now lapping at his ankles as he exhales a sigh.]
...worse than usual, but I still can't always get it to hold as long as I'd like.
[His focus might not be the best after probably coming straight from the gateway, but he's doing his best to ignore the hell out of it.]
Moving it is much easier.
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...your mind is a pretty busy place, isn't it? Constantly moving. Thinking and planning stuff. [They turn back to him.] Am I right?
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[He'll agree to that much, though there's definitely something a little guarded in his expression. Just in case.]
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Sol sets it on the water, watching the duck bob and weave in the waves.]
For someone who has trouble silencing their thoughts and being at ease, that trouble will extend to your own powers. If you're constantly moving around and acting on instinct, those are the results you'll get. But the ocean's kind of one of those things that can be both calm and scary all at once.
[Just like someone with a sharp mind that's constantly moving, and someone who appears calm on the outside. But there's zero judgment here and they look up again.]
Believe it or not, it takes even more effort to do nothing than to be forceful. But if you concentrate on something instead of the vast...vastness...it might help. [A gesture to the duck.] Use him as your focal point and try to walk up next to him.
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It's not a bad idea, probably, but as Shirasu looks down at it:]
You want me to use a duck to train.
[But fine, fine, he'll try. He'll use the duck as a focal point like Sol suggested, turning some of his focus to holding the water still and keeping it knit together tightly enough to support his weight; the rest goes to the duck.
It feels ridiculous, it really does, but taking a few moments to center himself and just watch it seem to help. This time he manages a couple of steps onto the water.]
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See? You don't have to use it all the time, but it helps until you can start directing your focus that way.
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[It's easier to maintain once he's in the middle of it, at least, so he's just going to chill here on top of the water, taking another careful step to ensure it's still holding before he turns back to Sol.]
I'll work on it more this week, then, and see if it becomes any easier.
What have you been doing, since we last met?
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[But uh...] I...[...] The stuff I should be doing. Research...checking on things. Trying to find answers. Things like that. Nothing very exciting.
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[There's a thoughtful pause, there, as he looks Sol over.]
And have you come up with anything new, in the course of those efforts?
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No. I'm sorry. [There are maybe one or two things, but nothing that can be said, and nothing that serves as a real reassurance or anything.] We're still putting together the pieces.
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[He'll step off of the water there, gathering the duck so that it doesn't get washed further out, so I guess they're continuing this conversation while Shirasu holds it? The duck's just here now.
Shirasu settles in on the sand, continuing to work on keeping the water in motion, altering its flow and shaping bits of it higher before letting them fall once more.]
I doubt any of us expect you to suddenly find the answers, Sol-kun.
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You'd be surprised how many people are expecting answers, actually. I'm one of them.
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[Considering the way the universe has been in general... yeah. He doesn't expect they'll be in the dark the entire time, but he does expect it'll be made difficult.]
Giving us what you can is all I'll ask for-- you haven't seemed the type to do anything less.
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Have you tried splitting it in half yet? [Parting the seas, etc etc]
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In half...? Hm.
[That's not a bad idea. He gestures with the hand not holding the duck, focusing on forming a trench several feet long to split the water, then on deepening that until it reaches the sand.
It holds a moment before his hand falls and the water rushes back into place, a somewhat satisfied look on his face.]
I suppose that'll be the most straightforward way to reach the bottom, won't it?
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If you can hold it long enough, sure. It'll be harder with bigger bodies of water but it could help out.
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But he nods at that, considering.]
It'll just be something else to study, then. The progress hasn't been nearly as slow as I feared, but...
Still not quite enough.
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[He rests his chin in his hand, there, the other idly spinning a little whorl into the water.]
I asked Lune-san once if this darkness that keeps afflicting us might also be controlled. If it were to happen-- I dislike the idea of not knowing my own actions.
[because that's definitely the part to worry about, not the murder part? but he has to wonder if it's possible to work with it instead of against it.
does sol regret this yet.]
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You mean harnessing the darkness for yourself so that you remember what you're doing instead of letting it use your body for its own means. I understand that. [Not exactly the best thing to focus on, but it's also not the worst? Sol's not a huge fan of loss of control either.] It's something we've looked into ourselves, but studying the darkness is still taking time.
But I don't think it's a bad thing to consider. If you could control things, you could stop them.
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[A pause there, before-]
Darkness isn't unfamiliar to my people. It might not be so difficult.
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If it's something done where you're from... is that something you know how to do? Or would it be necessary to find a specific source of it...
[closes my eyes in the background]
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