markofthebrave | [Action, Accidental to Purposeful Voice] .033

[Well, Sokka was his Avatar alternate again. That alone is enough to call for some alone time, but with the news he brought... she definitely needed some time to clear her head. Fortunately, there is a public service she can easily perform. If your house is still snowed in? There is a waterbender digging you out. For about half the day, she is her normal self.

...sometime around two, though, she starts feeling lightheaded. Realizing she'd unintentionally skipped lunch, she heads back towards the center of town. As she walks, she starts feeling heavier and heavier. Something's wrong. Katara reaches for her journal to call for help, but it's too little, too late. She falls face first into a snowbank, the journal falling opened beside her.

When she opens her eyes, her hair is blocking her vision. Longer and unbound... her clothes feel almost painfully tight across the chest and she gasps a little.]

What? Where am I? [A deep breath, and slightly louder, as if she's expecting a response:] Aang?

[Sitting up, she shakes her head, one hand going to her waterskin... and that's when she notices the wings. Her eyes go wide.]

Is this... I had dreams like this...

[Standing up, the picture shows her body at an angle. She's certainly grown. After glancing around a bit, she reaches down to pick up the journal.] I remember... this... feels too strange not to be real...

Hello? I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but... I'm Katara. I think I remember this place... and a girl with reddish hair and... what were they called? Not oranges... something else. And there was someone - a man - with white hair and he went "Oooh?" a lot... and I remember... cigarettes and cooking and... [So many, many more. Fragments of a dream - a man who stretched his face, a skeleton playing music, a reindeer that danced... an ice dragon... green hair and white hair in front of a classroom and... shadows, dreams, fragments of things... flying people and conversations over tea and a wolfgirl and so, so much that only made sense in dreams...] And -- I don't know. Does this make any sense?

[But even as she's talking she's starting to walk. These clothes are too small - it looks like she's on a path. Let's see where it takes her.]

((OOC: Katara is now in her early twenties and from a happy canon projection. Tags post-transformation from

notatearbender. If you want to grab her before then, just indicate it in the tagline! XD))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Another who was made a few years older, having recalled being sent home. It seemed to be a popular effect, and she had already spoken to so many of them.

In any case, she makes a note of Katara's entry, but she was on her way to do some errands when it happened, and intended to respond later once the girl had reacquainted herself a little with the situation, provided she wasn't changed.

... But if she's walking around the village, they could very well just meet on a path sooner than that.]

[Well, after getting clothes that fit her and putting her younger-self's clothes in a bag, Katara is, in fact, familiarizing herself with the town. ...and trying to find her way home.

When she sees Raine, she'll stop to stare - and it's not just because Raine has old hair and a young face.]

[Raine picks up that she's being stared at, of course, and greets the young woman... who's likely closer to her in age now.] Hello... Katara.

...you recognize me? [She shakes her head.] I'm sorry - you're familiar to me too. But I can't remember your name.

It's all right -- you don't have to apologize to me; I understand that it's a difficult situation. My name is Raine Sage.

Raine... [The name doesn't pull up any memories as much as Raine's demeanour - something about the way she carries herself. Something about-

-pain, and not being able to heal Sokka and-

The memory slips away again and Katara shakes her head, smiling a little.] That's a beautiful name, did I ever tell you that?

Hm? Ah, I don't think it's ever come up before, but thank you.

... How much time has passed for you, if you don't mind my asking?

It's been about eight years since I started having dreams about this place. But I take it that it hasn't been eight years since I've been 'gone.'

Unfortunately, it hasn't. There are several different experiments going on at once, and one of the effects seems to be having people 'brought' from a future time, whether it be a future they remembered while being in this place, or one they recalled from being ... where they belonged, so to speak.

Of course, there are many different effects going on, not just those. But I can understand that it's disorienting, especially if there's that much of a gap.

I see. [She pauses, considering, before glancing back up at Raine.]

How did I know you?

You are... or were, I suppose -- a student of mine at the school, along with Sokka. We have talked outside of it, on occasion. Recently we were planning to have some training sessions together before this experiment happened.

Really? [...well, Nami had said...]

[And then suddenly she smiles.] With the bo staff, right?

Yes, that's right.

I wonder if looking at the guide would help jog your memories a little more. We don't know for certain how long this situation will last, but at least it might help orient you a little better.

There's a guide?

[No one had mentioned that D8]

Yes... if you still have your journal on you, I can show it to you.

I should... [She turns to rummage through the small bag she'd taken from the clothing shop. It holds her old parka and her journal.]

Here you go!

Thank you Katara. [When the woman hands her the book, it doesn't take very long for Raine to find that certain page for her.]

... It's a bit of a read, so you might want to look at it while settled in somewhere more comfortable.

[She accepts the book back with a grateful smile.]

I heard I had a house here.

Yes... it was house number 56, on the south side of the village. Would you like me to take you there?

If you're not too busy, I wouldn't mind the company. [Complete with wry smile.] Or the directions.

It'll be fine -- I could use the walk, anyway.

Then I'd appreciate it. [And she waits for Raine to lead the way.]

[A smile, and lead the way she does -- by walking with her, of course, and waiting to see if Katara has any other questions.]

[For a little while, Katara is content to walk in silence. But it's not long before the silence starts to press on her awareness of just who should be filling it up.]

It's strange, isn't it? A few hours ago, we'd just set up camp outside of Omashu. We were going to head into the city the next day, but we wanted one quiet night without politics first. I'd just sung Tenzin to sleep...