markofthebrave | [ Action, Accidental Voice ] .032

[For the past almost two weeks, Katara has been struggling to regain her balance - even struggling to want to regain her balance. Aang's second return home hit her hard, on top of Zuko's mallynapping and Toph's return... Toph who doesn't remember. It's good to see her, but it's terrible as well. Now more of them are trapped in this horrible place. And she still hasn't been able get back to wearing her regular clothes because the 'phasing' keeps happening, as randomly and as annoyingly as ever.

It's been almost two weeks since she's returned and her shoulder hasn't been in any pain in days. The experience of having her bending completely taken away in the Malnosso facility was one that's almost beyond words, and now that she's back where she can feel even just half herself again, the desire, the need to bend has been growing under her skin like an itch.

She can't take it anymore. So Katara goes out just after dinner to one of her favorite practicing spots between her house and the barracks, and begins by doing very simple forms that don't require a lot of movement. She pauses when Momo finds her and sits down to take a break.

It's not long before she begins talking to the lemur about their adventures. It feels good - to talk to someone about home, to talk about all the things that happened, to remember who she really was, despite what this place wanted to make her. She doesn't notice when Momo knocks the journal opened when he moves to chase after what could be a fallen nut. ~~He might not be the best listener ever.~~]

--Sokka sent Aang in to steal the book. Remember riding on top of Appa's back so Aang and I could shape the clouds? It was too bad that we had to go through all that just to get them to listen to us. So after we made the skull in the sky, we dragged out Aunt Wu to see it - the sign for volcanic doom. Then the villagers listened. All the earthbenders worked to dig trenches and everyone else grabbed shovels to help out as best as we could.

And then when volcano exploded, we got back as far as we could, but it flowed right through--

[There's some excited chatter by the book, and suddenly the picture is filled with this face. It flickers from voice to video and back again.]

Momo, what are you doing? Get away from that!

[The video shows Katara shooing Momo away from her journal and then automatically shutting it. She gets back to her practicing, but will open up the journal later and see that it accidentally recorded. Way to go, Momo.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She turns to face him now, this normal kid who's saying such things.]

I know that I'm good. And I'm proud of how far I've come. But I'm still just.. me.

[Although, back home? She'll have absolutely no problem being introduced as Master Katara of the Southern Watertribe. It's hard enough to get them to take a girl seriously, and she's fought hard for her title, fought hard just to be taught, and she's proud of it. It just... doesn't really mean anything in Luceti. And she knows who she is with or without it.]

Eeeeh... being you doesn't mean you can't be amazing, Katara. [Jeez, there's modesty and then there's being silly. His face flattens a little]

[...well, he doesn't look like he's needing reassurance. So she grins. Despite it all - the Malnosso, her kidnapping, Aang returning home, Zuko being kidnapped, feeling helpless and powerless here... there's still a joy in going from where she was to where she is now, a justified pride in her skill that hums underneath her skin. She just doesn't think it needs announcing. It is, and that's enough for her. Just as she said to Kida - she views it as born of necessity and a natural outflowing of who she is - and it makes her glad.]

Amazing, huh? That's almost as good as 'the mighty Katara.'

[And more earnestly:] I'm glad you liked it.

I think "The Majestic Katara" might be better, actually. [As a grin quickly grows into a smirk]

[Katara snorts in derisive amusement.] Now you're making me sound like a tree.

Your body is definitely nicer than a tree!

[A;LSKJFA;SLKJFASL;KFJASL;FDKJ]

[The HELL?]

I'm more than my body, Masaomi!

I never said you weren't, Katara... but that doesn't stop you from having a Nice Body or anything, does it?

That's not the point! Saying something like that - it makes it seem like that's all you're looking at. And that's not something you're supposed to be looking at at all!

Eeeh... [He shrugs here, standing] Sorry then, Katara.

[She frowns a little, thinking back a few nights ago to a similar awkward conversation. She didn't understand why Michael and Masaomi had to be like this. It's like they talked like they didn't actually see a person.]

That's fine.

[He folds his arms behind his head and sighs dramatically here before leaning back against the tree.]

But you know, a cute girl like you with an amazing talent like that and a lovely personality? Aaaah~ I regret I've already been shot down.

[But this tone is jovial. Not serious. He's apologizing further, in his own way]

I could love you for those.

[She's not sure he's at all serious here with anything that he says. But it's evident to her that he's trying to make up for upsetting her... and that's good enough for Katara. It wins a wry smile.]

I don't understand you at all sometimes, Masaomi. But thanks. I think.

Aah~ ah~ I just speak the language that all men know- Love is a leveler, you know!!

[Complete with a laugh at the end of it]

Edited 2010-11-26 02:18 (UTC)

Love is a leveler, huh? [She turns that over in her mind for a moment.] I guess that makes sense.

[She is just... not sure what you are up to is LOVE, man.]

Of course it does~ it's the natural law of things.

[Cute... head cock to the side]

[She shakes her head, a shadow entering into her eyes as she wonders - what would Aang think of this? And in trying to move passed that, Katara does not entirely succeed in keeping the pang of missing someone off of her face.]

So did you have any questions about it before I go back to practicing?

[Well. He could press his luck or- no, she denied him back then. It's probably better he doesn't push it too much, even if his instincts tell him too when he thinks he senses a mood shift]

Eeeh~ No, no. That's enough talking out of me.

[She smiles at him, that hint of 'I miss someone' still in her eyes.]

All right. It was - [and then she grins] - weird having the company, Masaomi. Weird, but nice. And I'm glad it didn't freak you out or anything.

It was My Pleasure to be an audience for such a great thing, Ka~tara! [He grins here, chuckling a little even. He nods too to try to reassure the both of them that he wasn't freaked out]

[She streams a little water out of her waterskin, preparing to get back to work.]

You should probably get going before you get too cold. I'm going to be out here a bit longer.

Aaah... yeah, I guess so, Katara.

[He really, really wouldn't have minded staying the whole night, but she said it was weird, so. HE figures he's probably in the way and the best thing to do might just be to get out of her hair. He starts to walk off the scene once getting back on his feet]

Happy practicing~

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