Agana

Nothing happened within the forest that wouldn't eventually trickle down to Agana's attention.

Waiting in the treetops, watching the birds flutter on the branches. The rabbits leap across the moss, but the deer is what had her suspicious... their was something uncanny in their mannerisms. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on as they gathered with what looked to be precision.

It seemed there were too many thoughts behind their brown eyes. They were too curious instead of cautious. A rare thing for animals who live this close to settlements.

Still, she made no effort to hide herself, no effort to make herself known. She simply waited to see if the creatures did infact talk to another.

A smile grew wide on her face as her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the snapping of twigs below.

He walked the forest path with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, sandals scuffing leaves and soil in a lazy rhythm that didn’t match the tension coiled under his skin. The woods were familiar—too familiar. Yet every bend, every root, every place where the light broke through the canopy didnt feel grounding.

Instead, it felt… crowded. Like his own thiughts had started breeding.

Troublesome.

He exhaled and followed the trail until it opened into a small clearing, half forgotten, where an old wooden bench sat beneath the trees. He stopped there, as if pulled by gravity rather than intention, then dropped onto it without ceremony.

Shikamaru leaned back, spreading his arms along the bench’s backrest, shoulders loose, posture careless. He threw his head back until the sky filled his vision. Clouds drifted by. Slow. Predictable —at least something still made sense.

“…This is getting annoying,” he murmured under his breath, voice low, almost swallowed by the forest.

Thoughts kept surfacing uninvited —images that didn’t belong to him, emotions that hit too sharp, too fast. Moments where his shadow lingered a second too long. Where silence felt like it was listening back.

He clicked his tongue softly. Since when do I think and fe—..? And suddenly he stiffened. The word ‘traitor’ cut through his thoughts like a snapped wire.

It wasn’t loud —barely more than a breath— but it didn’t belong to the forest. His eyes sharpened instantly, the haze in his head clearing like smoke yanked away by wind. He lowered his chin from the sky, gaze flicking sideways first, then upward, scanning shadows and branches.

His arms stayed draped along the bench, relaxed on the surface —but his fingers flexed once, slow and deliberate.

…That wasn’t in my head.

the forest had gone quiet in that way it only did when something aware was nearby. No birds. No rustling leaves. Just the faint creak of wood and the steady rhythm of his own breathing.

“Tch” He clicked his tongue, voice carrying just enough to test the air. “Great. Now im hearing accusations from trees.”

Shikamaru shifted at last, rolling one shoulder as he leaned forward slightly, elbows still hooked over the bench’s back. His tone stayed lazy, almost bored, but there was a sharp edge underneath.

She wasn't calling him a traitor. She called the deer traitors. And she most certainly wasn't hiding. She was here first after all. He simply hadn't been paying attention.

"Do you think yourself a traitor?" Her voice slow with a hint of an accent. Despite its quiet tones, the amusement was practically dripping from it.

Always one to try and see the challenge, a large grin grew across her face as she crept along the tree branches. Moving between plants like a silent predator until she could leap to the ground behind him.

“Huh” he said at last, voice even, unbothered. “That’s new. Usually it’s me doing the listening.” His gaze dipped briefly to the dark shape stretching at his feet, then lifted back to her without missing a beat. “Guess I’ve been slacking.”

he tilted his head slightly, studying her the way one might a problem that refused to fit cleanly into a soluiton. Accent noted. Confidence noted. The way she didn’t break eye contact —also noted.A faint smirk tugged at his mouth, more tired than amused. “And for the record,” he added, tone dry “if I thought I was a traitor, I’d probably be doing a much better job of hiding.”

"The greatest traitors are the ones who stand beside you."

Crouching down, one hand rested on the grass below she would watch him a moment longer before her gaze drifts to his shadows.

Tilting her head she listens, the hiss beneath the wind. The flicker of darkness behind his shoulder. The chill in the sun beams.

“Stories?” he echoed mildly. “you’re giving them way too much credit. Shadows don’t talk. They just… exist. Same as the rest of us.”

His gaze flicked down to her crouched form for a brief second, sharp and assessing, before drifting away again. “People usually start hearing things when they’re looking for meaning where there isn’t any.”

Even as he spoke, the darkness at his feet betrayed him. It stretched a fraction too far, edges trembling likea held breath, creeping across the grass with quiet intent. The flicker behind his shoulder deepened, responding to something unseen, drawn toward the outline of her own shadow as if recognizing kin.

Shikamaru’s mouth curved into a thin, knowing smirk —sarcastic, unreadable. “If you’re hearing whispersm” he added calmly, “that sounds like your problem.”

The grin across her face spreading more and more at each tiny crack of truth exposed itself. But she wouldn't let it too close? No she would move just enough that whatever yearned to get closer would have to change directions.

"Liar."

It was hard to tell how serious of an accusation this claim was. The voice not quite matching her face. His words no longer hold any value to her.

"In my culture, they would pull a tooth for a first offence. Have you ever had a tooth pulled from your jaw?"

She would look up curiously, trying to see herself if there were any gaps along his pearly whites

“liar, huh…” he repeated, like he was testing the word for weight. “That’s a strong accusation to throw at someone.” His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing with quiet thought rather than dismissal. “So what did I say that didn’t line up in that head of yours?”

The shadows shifted again, not lunging this time but circling, slow and curious, mirroring the way his attention traced her movements. They stretched when she mved, recoiled when she turned, like they were trying to learn her shape. Shikamaru noticed that too —but instead of reining them in, he let them hover at the edge of reach. “You’re watching me like you already decided something” he went on, voice calm, analytical now. “People don’t do that without a reason —pattern recognition, maybe? Seen something like this before?”

The pause before and after her question was one of thought. Her conclusion surprised even her. The laughter bubbling up between them was soft but sorrowful.

"I've seen many things before." Using her finger, she would trace the outline of his shadows in the dirt with quick but careful movement, like an artist sketching the rising sun to capture the moment as is. "If you're so confident in your convictions, you wouldn't need my explanations."

Her accent slips thicker for a moment until she finally stops drawing. Wiping the dirt on her clothes, she would lean back to observe the pattern before meeting his gaze. "Shadows talk. Perhaps you can't hear-"

Her brows would creep closer as slowly her green eyes would move to look to the forest. "No." The word firm but gentle as she held gaze with the distance.

Yet amidst the quiet, there's a whisper. A subtle assurance of a guardian watching over you.

some various character analysis questions based off of space &&. the bodies that inhabit it. feel free to edit as you see fit.

[ MERCURY ] is your muse good at communication ? can they hold a proper conversation, or are they always finding an excuse to avoid small talk ?

[ VENUS ] how does your muse handle love ? do they believe themself to be deserving of it, and how capable are they of loving others ?

[ EARTH ] how grounded is your muse ? are they logical and straightforward, or are do they always have their head in the clouds ?

[ MARS ] when your muse gets angry, how does it show ? do they know how to control it, or do they let it consume them ?

[ JUPITER ] how does your muse see morality ? what do the words good and evil mean to them ?

[ SATURN ] is your muse all work and no play ? do they let responsibility consume them, or do they allow themselves breaks from time to time ?

[ URANUS ] can your muse handle change ? do they accept it with open arms, or will they try anything they can to make sure things say the same ?

[ NEPTUNE ] does your muse dream frequently ? if they do, what kind of dreams (or nightmares) do they have ?

[ PLUTO ] what is your muse's relationship with individuality ? do they feel that they need permission to be themself ?

[ CERES ] does your muse take care of themself ? do they neglect their needs to put others first ?

[ PALLAS ] how perceptive is your muse ? can they pick up on things other people don't ?