he has discovered, uncovered a world of amazing sensations

[breakthroughs]

A man who would attack a civilian woman is, in Shikamaru's view, one of the worst possible types of scum that walk the earth. Quiet and insidious, those who would at least entertain the idea walk around aplenty in Darrow, their eyes lingering and jaws set as the examine the women who pass them by. Shikamaru isn't much of a drinker, but if he has a night free of all other obligations, he's been known to head into a bar just for the sake of keeping an eye on the crowd. Hoping to keep them safe.

He's not sure when he became a man fairly devoted and constantly on the lookout, in spite of his inherent laziness, but there he is. Keeping a watch on everyone.

Doing his best to protect the people, in ways that not many are prepared to. They're outnumbered by here, in this busy urban civilian city, striking a sharp contrast with the military life he's known at home.

When he watches a man with a heavy flush stagger to his feet as a woman leaves the bar, Shikamaru drains the rest of his ale, leaving a significant tip in the glass before quietly sliding his hands into his pockets and stalking out into the night. He is dressed no different than most people on the street, in jeans and a turtleneck sweater, always the type to hide in plain sight. Not like the man would notice, anyway.

But the woman does, and for some reason, she turns sharply as though to cut through an alley that she must know as a shortcut back to her home. Damn. The man picks up pace behind her, not necessarily the most accurate with his direction, but fast enough on his feet to follow. It means Shikamaru has to hasten his own gait, shivering to cover the change in his speed, as though he were only rushing home to escape the cold.

He stops as he gets into the alley, brows furrowing as he finds the man trying to force the woman against a wall. Forming a seal with his hands, Shikamaru's job isn't too difficult; the lamp by the street gives him ample shadow to work with, stretching his own until it meets with the outstretched shadow under the man's feet, freezing him in place. Shikamaru adopts the man's pose, his hands tight and raised in the air, before he deliberately releases his own. And the man obediently releases his as well from around the woman's wrists.

"The fuck," he mutters, eyes wide.

The woman meets Shikamaru's gaze warily, and he tilts his head, raising his chin in the direction she was originally headed in. "I wouldn't recommend walking somewhere secluded. Take the main road. It's early enough that it should keep you safe," he recommends, and the woman nods quickly, not saying a word as she rushes back to the main street, her heels tapping as she goes.

"Now, for you," Shikamaru murmurs with a concerned look, lowering his arms and stepping towards the man.

Four minutes, thirteen seconds remaining.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to go home peacefully and never try that again?"

The man growls, struggling against the restraint of Shikamaru's shadow.

Shikamaru sighs. "I didn't think so."

Comments

[onewhoisall]

It was the woman that caught her attention. The way she rushes back to the main road, glancing over her shoulder. The way she looks frightened, eyes wide that makes Cassandra pause. Taking a breath, she let out a frustrated sigh before turning and making her way down the alley when she spots the pair.

"Stop," Cassandra warned. Her fingertips curl into her palm, marking her with half moons as she glares at the men before her. "Put him down."

The man, the man captured, looks like he is about to thank her when she narrows her eyes at him. Anger, darkness filling her eyes as she glared at him. "We do not kill in this city."

[breakthroughs]

The fact that the woman's retreat drew attention to the alley doesn't come as entirely unexpected. That kind of behavior can only result in two things — those who run away from any sign of trouble, and those who run towards it. Shikamaru glances up at the new woman who approaches, her eyes full of anger, and immediately sees that she's misunderstood the situation.

How troublesome.

"Put him down how?" Shikamaru asks, cocking a brow in her direction. Both men continue to stand on the ground, their feet hip width apart, with no tactile contact between the two of them. The only commonality is the shadow on the ground that Shikamaru has extended, and the effort clear in the other man's muscles. Struggling to break free of the mimicry, but otherwise, shouldn't be in any amount of pain. Shouldn't have any difficulty breathing.

Shikamaru's abilities are, ultimately, more meant for capture and information gathering than for assault.

"And I wonder who this we is that you're referring to. The citizens? I doubt everyone has the same view," he adds calmly, reaching into the pocket by his thigh. The captured man goes through the same motions, although his hand has nothing to grab on, no pocket to slip into. Just a constant mirroring of motions.

With a clink of metal, Shikamaru raises a pair of handcuffs and briefly flashes his detective badge at the woman. "Does this make you feel better?"

[onewhoisall]

"You are doing something to him," Cass replied, scowling at the way the man looks at her. The cool way he cocks an eyebrow at her, the way he holds himself. Her gaze darkens a little when she watches the other man mirror his motions, her breath coming out in an annoyed little huff. Tch, magic. It was always magic.

"They don't have to, that doesn't mean someone wouldn't correct their view." Cass replied, pressing her lips together as he raises handcuffs and flashes her a badge. She only knew what it was, what the words were from taking one from a police detective before to study it. "Somewhat and no. You have read him his rights?"

Hypocrite, she knows the word because she knows-knew Bruce Wayne. Another saying was Pot-kettle, Barbara taught her that. But she was not a cop, she did not exist inside the scope of authority and law. She existed outside of it but for those who lived it, who lived inside there were laws and rules and they were meant to be followed.

[breakthroughs]

"I was going to, but you interrupted me before I had the chance," Shikamaru quietly pointed out. It was a level of discipline that was new to him, but his attention span was better now that he had such uncharted territory to familiarize himself with. It forced his steps to be even more careful than usual. His memory was good enough that he was able to recite the criminal's rights verbatim.

The man fell quiet, his shoulders hunching in compliance, and Shikamaru quickly stepped over to put the cuffs on his wrists.

"You have a strange understanding of law enforcement," he tells the woman frankly. This world errs far more on the side of caution than his own, but even then, he doesn't know anyone who would interpret the laws in a manner as spartan as this woman seems to suggest. A personal sense of morality is one thing. Institutional law is another.

"The law would actually contradict your statement. There are cases where deadly force is permitted. This guy," Shikamaru says, releasing his technique, to the man's immediate sigh and relief, "skirted back to the right side this time. But 'we do not kill in this city'? Patently false."

[onewhoisall]

Her arms folds across her chest; defensive, angry, annoyed. She lets out a huff of breath, watching him carefully. She does not understand the words but she watches his body language and watches, trying to understand what it was he had done. Meta? She had seen enough of them here to make her think that was the case.

"Perhaps," Cass replied in answer to his question. She knew what was right and what was wrong even if she sometimes was hazy on some of the things. "Then that is because they do not have enough training, there are ways to take someone down without resorting to... deadly force. There is a hn, breath between death and life that all people could achieve if they practised. Then no deadly force would be needed, just force."

Cass shook her head. "Good people do not kill in this city. I will not allow it."

[breakthroughs]

Shikamaru easily navigates his phone, calling the case in. It shouldn't take too long for a police car to arrive and take the man into custody, but Shikamaru wants to take the moment and share his thoughts with this young woman. He finds her views incredibly problematic for a myriad of reasons — but the fact that she values life makes him inclined to believe that it's worth taking the time to explain why such a black and white view of justice would only cause more trouble.

Never mind trying to define 'bad' or 'good.' Shikamaru abandoned that scale a long time ago.

"Miss, I think if we're looking at affiliation and goals, we share many of them. I believe both of us are trying to look out for the best interests of the civilians here in Darrow, and because that should make us allies, I want to explain why I take issue with what you're saying right now," Shikamaru says, pulling both of his shoulders back politely.

The deference he would offer any peer.

"Three points without touching morality. First, denying the use of deadly force puts a burden on the innocent. Neither of us will live to see a world where no one instigates violence. Where no one takes that first unjust hit. There will always be someone who is self-serving enough to harm others, and that person won't hold back just because we say they should. So if you say good should never kill, and that you're not going to let them kill, that gives those violent people an advantage. I personally prefer to give more flexibility to the person responding to wrongdoing, rather than the person starting it.

"Second, not everyone can train to the proficiency you suggest. We are all born with different levels of physical ability. If I trained as much as you to build my physical power and reflex, and we sparred with that alone, you would defeat me. I'm not a strong guy. Children are not as strong as adults. On average, women are not as physically strong as men. More than that, some people don't have the time. The money. The resources. Those who are poor probably have the least spare time to find this training. The mother who has to work multiple jobs to provide for her children — would you deny her the right to protect herself with that deadly force? The police officer is more trained than a civilian, but it's a sliding scale. If we can train to be skilled, you must assume a criminal can also train to be just as talented.

"Third, death isn't the worst possible end for everyone. If you're forced between needing to kill someone or maim them for life, why is keeping them alive always better? If you say we shouldn't kill because it's cruel, some people think being maimed is greater torture."

In the far distance, Shikamaru can hear sirens sounding. He closes his eyes briefly, weary, but convicted in his beliefs. The criminal by his side has gone completely silent.

"It's fine if you don't want to kill. You probably almost never have to; I believe that. I believe I almost never have to kill, either. But deciding a rule for everyone doesn't feel ideal to me. Maa, if you can really protect every single person in this city from harm, I am all for it. I would submit to your regime immediately."

[onewhoisall]

She takes a breath, his voice washing over her as the unfamiliar words stutter and hesitate in her mind. She tries to find them, tries to find their meaning but it is mostly lost in a sea of noise. Affiliation, had she heard that before but in what context? Barbara maybe or Bruce.

She stops listening to his words, starts listening to what his body is saying and how he holds himself. Shoulders drawn back, politeness. Calm. Rational. Deferential. She scowls a little as he continues to speak, not at the meaning or intent but at the length of it all. Too quick, too much and she is barely catching it all now.

Finally she took a breath.

"You speak too much," Cassandra said simply. "Because life is much better than the alternative. Because you do not speak my language so you do not understand what it feels like to watch someone die in it. To live is better."

She glances slightly, frowning at the sound of sirens. "There is always opportunity for me to kill but it does not mean that I do. I almost always have to, I chose not to."

Cass took a breath, scowling before asking. "What is maaa?"

She doesn't ask what affiliation is.

[breakthroughs]

Because you do not speak my language.

It's an interesting sentence. Though one's first assumption might be that this woman means some language that is foreign to most of the citizens here, that's not the impression that Shikamaru gets. That's not a distinction that would make a legal concept like deadly force any different. Instead, her eyes rove over his body. Taking in visual cues.

He gets it. She's not good with words. Well, then.

They have less than five minutes until the police arrive. Shikamaru makes an easy decision.

"You," he says to the criminal, turning him around to face the other way. "Close your eyes. I'll know if you don't." Mostly a bluff, but the man seems to believe Shikamaru entirely, his shoulders trembling as he nods.

"And miss," Shikamaru says, turning back to the young woman and crouching until he's close to the ground. "Please watch. Forget about the maa. That's something I say out of habit. Doesn't have much of a meaning."

Quickly adjusting his hands to fit the technique, Shikamaru stretches his shadow across the ground, morphing the look and size of it until he's able to form pictures, almost as though with black ink on the ground. Visual cues. Not as good as if he had other people to help him illustrate, but he's only one person.

He shows two people fighting, one looking like the woman, one looking like himself. He shows the woman defeating the man, but with a decisive enough blow that the man falls. Sitting up, he tries to move his legs. No avail. No feeling. Shikamaru moves together with the shadow, glancing up at the woman. "If I lost my legs, for me, to die is better."

He shows the same pair fighting again, the woman capturing the man and starting to drag him away. The man raises a blade to his neck, cutting quick, blood spilling. "If an enemy took me with him, for me, to die is better."

He shows another scene, with a woman and young kids pursued by a mugger. The mugger holds the woman at knifepoint, advancing and starting to slash. The woman pulls out a gun and shoots. The children remain alive. "I believe killing is just in defense."

Lastly, he keeps that same woman, vanishing her children and the mugger, then fashions another figure of the woman he's with, placing them side by side. The implied mother is stouter. Not as lean or toned. "Not everyone is you," he says.

Shikamaru breaks his technique, sending the shadows back where they originally were, sliding his hands back into his pockets. "I speak your language. You are angry. Not completely with me, but with words that are hard to understand. I speak the language of the body. I know panic." Shikamaru places a fisted hand over his chest, squeezing and releasing, mimicking the hastened pulse of a heart. "I know fear." He rests his hands by his side, letting them tremble. His knees, quaking. "I know pain." His hands raise to pinpoint all of the nerves that pain returns to, gesturing around his brain.

"And I have seen many people die. Living is not always better."

[onewhoisall]

She watched quietly, turning her head a fraction up so she could focus and pay close attention to the way his hands move. Except it isn't his hands that he is showing her, it is the shadows that he manipulates. Letting out a thoughtful noise, her lips relax as she watches the shadows but keeps an eye on him.

Distraction was a good technique after all.

She watches what he shows her but inside, though part of her knows he is right, the other rebels against it. Without her legs, without her legs she would be like Barbara and she would find ways to make herself useful. An enemy had taken her, she would not die but find a way from it. She shakes her head about killing in defense, it stayed with you even when you didn't want it to.

"No but it is better than watching them die, it is better than taking a life." Cass breathed out. "It is better than washing blood from your hands and knowing you did that."

[breakthroughs]

Shikamaru arches a brow. He wonders what kind of world it was that allows this woman to retain that kind of sentimentality about life and death. To him, while it isn't quite a throwaway concept, he has to be almost spartan about his approach. He doesn't cringe at the sight of blood on his hands, because whenever it ends up there, he's confident that his choice was made in the greater interest.

He would never kill for his own purposes. Never kill for the sake of saving himself, and himself alone. But that's never the situation in front of him. He was the lead strategist of an entire village, a village at war, and that meant that thousands of people were counting on him not to let an enemy slip by.

He never regrets the principle of ending a few lives to save many more. The only regret comes if he thinks he could have ended the conflict more efficiently. But that, simply put, isn't always possible. And self-flagellation is less valuable than learning from his mistakes and becoming better in the process.

Blood is only blood.

"I have blood on my hands. A lot of it," he admits, deciding to be honest. Why not? An idealist earns truth most easily of all. "But I would rather carry the burden of blood on my hands if it means saving more people. My emotional weight is less important than their health."

[onewhoisall]

Her father had taught her to kill; to kill not because it was right or wrong but because it was what she was born to do. She had been bred to be an assassin, her parents chosen deliberately so that in time she would become the best. It was only how she read people, it was only watching them die at her own hands that had stopped her.

Bruce had told her killing was wrong, something she had known from that moment at eight and she had believed him. Implicitly. It was not a matter of right or wrong. Kaine had argued with her but she had always been stubborn. But here, here this made sense. It wasn't black or white but grey. She wouldn't kill- she couldn't kill but could she judge those around her if they did? If they did to save people.

"You think I am being selfish?" Cass asked curious and cautious.

[breakthroughs]

"No," Shikamaru replies easily, his shoulders relaxed as he reaches into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes, slightly crushed in the movement. He doesn't plan on smoking in front of her. The laws in Darrow have made it pretty clear that the population has a strong stance against those who smoke and the impact it can have on the people nearby. It's easier to go along with those societal norms than not.

But habits are also hard to break, so he lets the cigarette hang loosely from his teeth.

"You give your time and your effort towards keeping people safe. It's okay to want to do so in your way. But it's good to remember that your way isn't the only way," Shikamaru concludes, his lips quirking briefly in a smile.

She's not a bad person. At all. Though he can't help but wonder what kind of background it was that led her up to this point.