[Suzuki Taru]

Sometimes, the whims of fate made themselves known. Taru woke up the other day thinking about taking a day trip with Toru, which clearly meant that it was something intended to happen. It took a little time to arrange (the Mizukage was, woefully, too busy for the impulse invitations that characterized Taru). Still, the day had come and Taru was finally going to be able to concede to this impulse. The stage of their meeting was the crescent lake of Kirigakure. 

Taru stood on the beach, staring out at the water. The time she had had to contemplate this meeting had given her a lot of time to think about why it was that she had wanted to meet up and also why it was that this particular area was where she had wanted to meet. Sure, she enjoyed nature in general, but the water was especially calling to her. If only they could actually go out to the ocean... Lakes were great and mysterious, too, but they rarely bared their secrets so openly as the ocean. No shells washed ashore, but instead stayed hidden in the water. 

She was poking through some debris that had been washed ashore by a recent rain as she waited for Toru, humming to herself. She was sure she would have her idea solidly in mind once Toru arrived. 

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru was in fact, very busy, not by choice of his own of course. But the duties of a Mizukage and Daimyo were endless and despite his many advisers, assistants, and such he still at the end of the day had to do it all by himself. Some decisions, he made all on his own and it seemed to be gaining a decent amount of respect from those around him. He was not just a wet rag to be thrown around at the whim of those that might feel superior to him in intellect. Toru was no idiot, he had never been an idiot. But, one could not call a fourteen-year-old who had achieved his status an idiot. Clearly, he understood something of the world.

But, as any good leader, he also had to agree to things. Outings with those he knew before, or those he would come to know as a result of the outings. He had been advised against it, many leaders were not caught dead 'hanging out' with anyone. But not Toru. Toru knew where he had come from, and while the slums were not waiting for him to return home anymore. He did not dare act superior to those that might wish to just be around him... Even though he did not like being around anyone, and preferred being alone most of the time.

The young man arrived at the lake where Taru was poking through debris. He was not in any kind of Mizukage attire, just his regular outfit that he wore around. There was likely someone pursuing him, watching from the trees. If he focused, he might be able to smell them. But he didn't care, the two of them were watched and safe in a way of speaking.

"I cannot imagine what is so interesting about me, that you have called me here."

He spoke finally as he walked up behind Taru.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

He had arrived! If only Taru had keener senses, maybe she would have noticed him coming. That kind of attention and focus was not something she had dedicated herself to, though. Maybe at some point in the future, but for now she was far more interested in nature and poking around. She stood upright, holding a smooth stone in her hand that she'd managed to gather from the debris. It had been washed flat with time, the water slowly wearing it down, though it still had some interesting striations. It reminded her of the algae which grew in the lake back near her childhood home. 

"You can't imagine?" She asked, coming closer. "You're a very interesting person. I'm not exactly sure why, to be fair, but there's an air about you... Maybe it's because of how we met!" That had been an intriguing exchange. He'd actually been willing to entertain her little game and explore it instead of leaving her alone. Most people didn't harbor that curiosity. Toru was a very self-serious person who remained neutral on all things, but she could tell he had a mild curiosity about him. If he didn't, he wouldn't have come today. 

"I wanted to talk to you about something, but I'm still figuring out exactly what... Have you ever visited a salt lake?"

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru let out a huff of air as he approached Taru by the shore, one hand in a pocket as they stood now by the lake. It was large enough that there were currents, and waves that kissed the shoreline lovingly. Each time they were pushed away, they would return loyally to where they were always meant to be. He'd glance to the girl. They always ended up together in some manner. It was, however, hard for Toru to connect. He had duties that did not align with people his own age, it made things awkward in some manner. He had no companion in someone his age, and no one similarly in his rank that he could confide in. A rock and a hard place.

"So it's a bias." He commented sourly, though his tone was not sour it was even-toned as it often were. Toru did not allow his emotions to get the best of him. Not ever, and especially not anymore. Not even anger or irritation seemed to blind him. Those many days of meditation having overtaken his mind for a more peaceful young man who was inclined in no direction at all. Except for Mizu no Kuni's future.

"I have... Once. Though they feel more like small seas." Was a salt lake if it was not just a tiny sea adrift in the land.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

Even if it was a bias, would that matter particularly much? Enjoying his company was enjoying his company, finding him interesting was finding him interesting. She must have at least endeared herself slightly to him, too, since, he continued to entertain her. Yes, definitely. That was the only reason he would've taken time from his day to come out here. That meant that she really needed to make it worth his time. She hummed in contemplation of his words and nodded. 

A salt lake really was like a little sea. She thought that sometimes people even called them that, though she'd need to brush up on it. The salt in the lakes was slightly different from the sea. Different dissolved minerals. Sometimes they could even have more salt than the sea, though she wasn't sure where lakes like that existed. It must be in Mizu no Kuni if it really existed. 

"There's one near my childhood home," she said. "There's a specialized algae that grows inside it that makes rock formations that look like coral reefs. I always found it interesting. Because I couldn't visit the ocean, I would visit there instead. I always enjoyed reading about the coral structures, I want to research them more," she said. 

"Did you know that soft corals that grow in tide pools are toxic? They make powerful poisons. I knew a fisherman who died from accidentally ingesting some one time." 

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru would squat as Taru started to speak, not out of disrespect but because he was in essence still a teenager so he couldn't help but act on occasion in strange ways. Ways that could only be described as 'unkempt' and 'childlike'. Though he wasn't a child, his demeanor sometimes spoke of it and he felt casual around Taru. She spoke with such ease to him, yet he never felt disrespected. Some spoke with ease, but in disrespectful tones or teasing tones. Taru never did that, so in some ways, Toru had found that he felt a little bit more at peace around the girl. She was strange but knowledgeable and good.

"Really...?" He knew of coral... He knew a lot about coral in truth.

Thanks to me.

Mhmm...

But he didn't know about this regarding coral. Toxic coral... Toru was always looking for ways to improve himself, sometimes he found it harder. Especially nowadays with all the paperwork. But this seemed like an interesting segway into that improvement, especially if Isobu agreed to it. They were pretty close after all. He contemplated silently though, staring at the water of the lake... Sometimes the waves were strong enough to kiss at his feet. Toru dug a finger into the sand, drawing idle lines with no purpose.

"Wonder if it's possible..." It was a disjointed verbalization of one singular thought.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

Seeing him relax and draw in the sand was nice. He was not exactly a tense person, but he still carried a tension about him anyways. He had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. She wondered if a metaphorical weight could compress the soul and cause that air of tension? If that was the case, it was really nice to let him take a moment to breathe and unwind that tension. This meant her topic was a success! Maybe. 

At least he seemed engaged in it. He murmured something that meant very little to her. Wondering if it's possible... He was contemplating something, an idea private to him. She was curious about it, but would prying be too much? Maybe he just was wondering how the phenomenon was possible at all? 

Taru squatted beside him as she turned over what she remembered studying about it in her head. She wanted to visit the beach and see for herself - she'd heard they were very pretty. 

"They're usually a softer coral, so they developed toxicity to defend themselves because of the lack of jagged armor. The poison can leech into water or be released like spores in the air," she said, making a motion with her hands. "Ingesting it or it getting in a wound is the most dangerous, though. Oceanic poisons are usually the most dangerous... It can break the body down over days or even hours! I wonder if any of the doctors in the village have seen a case of it?"

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

"I've heard of someone passing from bad pufferfish poisoning..." Certain fish had to be prepared very carefully and if not well they could poison the body and die. Though he doubted it was anything like this coral Taru was talking about. Coral wasn't exactly known to be edible, at least he had never tried it and the coral he produced nowadays was so hard that it would be kind of impossible to bite into without breaking teeth.

He kept drawing, idle lines, circles, there were two Kaguya circles... A Yuki snowflake... Sourei lines... Shouki cloud... Kuronmeru sigil... Among others, all the clans of Kirigakure seemed to be making themselves out onto the sand whenever Toru's head came to it idly there was no particular order or one of great importance, they were all just doodles in the sand washed away by the tides of the lake.

Toru would take pause for a moment and glance at Taru.

"Sounds dangerous..."

Think we should try?

Hmm, well I've never tried it that's for sure...

Nothing like something new, no?

Toru-chan, don't you think that's ambitious even for you?

No, not really. You're the coral master, it shouldn't be impossible.

Tsk. Fine, we can try.

Toru kept staring at Taru as if he were in some pensive mode of thought.

"It would be interesting to create." He'd comment them, looking at the palm of his free hand.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

It was somewhat similar! Taru thought that some freshwater pufferfish actually had a toxin that was very similar to the coral, but she would need to go find her reading again to confirm that, so she wouldn't say it aloud for now and would just nod. Ocean poisons, very deadly, very frightening.

It was part of why she loved the water. The hostility of it and the fact that life continued to find a way to bloom through the adversity anyways. Sometimes she wished she'd been born an Ama - wouldn't that be special? Being able to swim down there without any trouble? Maybe she could convince them to teach her how. But probably not. Clans were so secretive with all that stuff. 

She watched him work for a minute, since he seemed to contemplative, and she was interested to see if she could find any hidden code in what he was drawing. Nothing that was clear to her arose, however. Finally, he spoke up with another interesting sentence. 

She tilted her head at him, eyes wide with intrigue. 

"To create?" She asked him. "Like, to farm? It wouldn't be that hard to grow a lot of the coral... But you probably mean something else, right?" She didn't take him for the type to run an aquarium, nor as the type to use bottled poisons. "Like a technique?"

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

"Not to farm," Toru responded. Before he would manipulate his hand, palm facing down in a circular manner. From the sandy ground, a structure would rise. Toru working, concentrating as the structure softened slightly, or at least as far as he could tell. But, it was not quite what he wanted.

If Taru noticed, she would see coral growing from the ground before her very eyes. It was not colorful, it had an almost greyness to it, but such was coral outside of water. It was, however, a more standard coral in aesthetic alone, despite Toru's attempts to do something different with it.

It never worked on the first try though, and so after a brief inspection of the structure - by very safely poking to see if there was any liquid or anything secreting from it with his index finger - he would make a tight fist with the same hand to crush the coral into practical granules of sand... Except if stepped on with a barefoot it would be a lot less comfortable and certainly a lot sharper. Less smooth as granules became rounded and soft over time from the waves that kissed them.

Toru would sigh though he remained squatted, his lips pressed into the upper inner part of his right arm as he contemplated.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

Taru watched in amazement as Toru began to grow polyps of coral from the ground himself. Just right up, as though it were nothing, the limestone building over and over itself out of the earth until it stood before them both. Toru took it in hand and crushed it into pebbled sand. That was amazing! The structure wasn't quite right, but it was still recognizable. It was clear that he'd been trying to make something that looked more like a soft coral, but didn't exactly know how to arrange it to change it from a hard one. But how had he done it at all? The only thing she knew of that had ever done that was... She thought of fleeing from the village during the rampage of the Sanbi. 

She looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth pressed into a thin line of contemplation. Could it be? No... Even if it was, he probably wouldn't tell her, right? She raised her brows at him, but decided not to say anything. If it was kept a secret, that would be more fun, wouldn't it? 

How could she help him with what he was trying to do, then? That was what she should focus on. 

"You seem to have made it too soft throughout. The difference between hard and soft corals is that the soft coral doesn't create the stony layer on the outside of it, but it still has a firm core. The outside has more... widely spiced polyps. They have a texture more like sponges on their outside."

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru would glance at Taru, she had been quiet throughout his creation process. Which was unusual as most had a propensity to talk a lot if he were to show something like this. It was not a common ability, not one that Toru had seen anyone else be able to utilize, but he had only been able to utilize it since he had become jinchuuriki. Or at least, had started to harness his own abilities alongside the bijuu inside. Most did not even access their powers for a long time, Toru had made it a point to do so.

But, her words were helpful, and instead of squatting the young kage would sit back onto his bum, his knees bent before he brought them closer to spread them out. The soles of his feet - or moreso his sandals - would meet and he would sit in a sort of 'cobbler's pose'.

Once again he would try, this time he would focus more. His eyes not leaving the sand as he would begin to manipulate, to bend the send until it parted for coral to come through. This coral was a lot spongier on the outside looking almost opaquely yellow or tan as it was not in the water, the colors were a lot more dull.

"Hm..." He hummed to himself, inspecting the coral. Was it right? He couldn't tell. Maybe the structure itself...

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

It was impressive to watch him work. This was a strange thing, a power no one else had. No other person, at least. To see coral grow from the ground like this. Did Toru know, understand, that he was creating new life? Most people thought of coral as something more like a stone or part of the ground. They didn't understand that even though it was very rock-like, it was alive. By use of his chakra, Toru was making something new, with a spiritual and living presence. 

The coral looked mostly right. It was following its organic path, developing in a symmetrical structure with the eight tentacles per polyp. Nature knew what it was and knew how to grow into its proper shape. Chakra was harmonious with the natural world, even for those who did not delve into deeper teachings about nature chakras. (Taru had read a little about senjutsu and while it interested her, she would rather focus on other things). 

"That looks good. They're slightly more... feathery than that, though. You have the clusters a little too close together. Soft corals are more free, unlike the hard corals that form reefs and structures. Their structure is like..." 

Taru began making her own drawing in the sand, drawing a demonstration of what the inner and outer workings of a soft coral looked like. 

"Maybe I should lend you my sea life scroll," she joked. Then she pointed at the structures of the coral again. 

"The toxin is produced here and released... here."

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru would drop his hand, leaving the coral there to kind of stick around.

Ohoho, this girl knows her coral rather well!

It's an odd thing, she has a sea life scroll...

You should borrow it. I love looking at pictures.

Really?

Toru would look towards Taru and her drawing on the ground. It was pretty rudimentary, though drawing in the sand was hardly ever an easy thing to do in great detail, nor overly well. Sand granules always managed to get in the way somehow or the little piles on the side would ruin the details. He inspected though, best he could watching where she pointed gathering as much information as he physically could before nodding.

"You know a lot about coral, why?" He could not imagine why anyone in the world would ever need to know much about coral. It was mostly a dead thing, was it not? Just a bunch of rocks. Though, perhaps there were people who were equally as obsessed with rocks too? Probably.

"It's just a rock."

Toru was not overly educated when it came to 'spiritual' things, nor really anything that was not logical and practical. Chakra to him, was just logical and practical. So all the coral that he did create, well it wasn't real, it was just a boring artifact of existence as a shinobi.

OWL

[Suzuki Taru]

Toru inspected the drawing. It wasn't the best, but she thought it got the point across enough to help him figure it out. Though maybe a better diagram really would help him out a lot. It was a shame she hadn't brought anything with her... She just didn't think about it because she kept most of it in her mind! This was her favorite subject. The natural world of Mizu no Kuni. It was a gorgeous place filled with the beauty of life and she cared about it to maybe an even larger degree than most. If she had not gone into being a shinobi, she probably would have been a naturalist. 

"I love wildlife and nature," she said. "I love Mizu no Kuni and everything in it. I'm fascinating by how all things live and grow and die. The cycles that surround us and work together. They all play together in such a fascinating way and they have such a strong meaning. We're all going along with them. Coral is really important for the environment, for example. If it didn't exist, a lot of the fish we depend on to live would die out, and we'd probably all starve." Wasn't that just fascinating? 

"Coral isn't just a rock. It's a living thing. It's a bunch of living things. Colonies of thousands of living things that grow together. They often build on top of rocks or the skeletons of other animals, so they find new life where there was none, or where there was only death. And they build their colonies and create strong structures for other animals to live in. ...Well, few animals live in soft corals because of the toxins. Mostly only seahorses."