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

You did. When you were fifteen. It's Nami. Navigator of the Straw Hats.

Nami... [The name rings a bell but she can't place it. There's just this - feeling.]

Were we friends? It feels like we were...

Pretty good ones. I taught you how to use a bo, and you helped me stop a friend from dying. [...among other things.]

But I don't fight with a bo... [The answer is automatic, but with it comes - memories of hands forming callouses, the clatter of wood-on-wood, laughter... and rain.]

...do I?

You did. You wanted a way to defend yourself that wasn't waterbending, just in case.

That... does sound like me. [She'd noticed the powercap already, yes.]

...Nami?

That's me. [...] Welcome back. How old are you now?

Nearly twenty-two... [This is said almost wonderingly, as if she's talking to and through a dream.] Your hair got longer.

[...didn't it?]

By a lot! [She'll run her hand through said hair for emphasis.] But you're older than me now by a year. How have you been?

Busy! [...why are they talking like this in a book.] We should get together and catch up!

Sounds like a plan to me. [Grin.] Old enough to drink yet?

[Her voice is wryly amused.] If you're old enough to get married, you're old enough to drink. One glass of jiu makes me lightheaded. But if there's any cider... I could have some of that. I'd love to see you.

You're married? [She bursts into laughter, but it's not mocking-- far from it.] Well, congratulations! But sure, let's get together at Good Spirits. You can tell me all about him.

Mmm, all right! I'll meet you there.

[Do de do de do, off to the Good Spirits she goes!]

[Nami'll totally meet you there. Lurking at the bar and already started in on the alcohol, apparently.]

[Enter Katara! She glances around and then spots that both familiar and completely odd shade of hair.] Nami?

Katara! [Sliding down off her stool to give you a hug!]

[Unashamed and not allowing dignity to hold her back - as if she was still a child, or as if she was still with family - Katara hugs her back.]

It's amazing to see you.

You too! You grew up so pretty! [Huuuuug |D] Hey come on, sit down. Tell me all about this marriage and what you've been doing! [Wants. To know. 8|]

You too! Of course, you were always pretty. [But - wow, Katara'd thought you'd finished growing.] But I don't know where to begin! You knew the war ended, right? Because Sokka knew that when I was here.

[So were you, kiddo. But Nami just grins.] I do. So what happened after that?

[She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear in a familiar gesture.] Well - we got to go home for a little while, but it was only a very little while. Zuko wanted to set out to look for his mother, but before he could do that we had to hammer out the details of the peace - and everyone was always very anxious to have Aang 'Be Seen.' We were practically run off our feet for the first few months... but eventually everything got hammered out. The Fire Nation colonists could stay in the Earth Kingdom if they'd swear allegiance to the Earth King - who we had to dig out from a circus, believe it or not. And then we had to set up an adviser we could trust so the Earth King wouldn't turn the Earth Kingdom into a circus... And that was all before the Fire Nation started sharing their technology with the rest of the world.

It was a very busy time - I kept wishing for when things were simpler and we could just beat up the people who were in the way instead of smiling at them.

I have to admit, beating people up seems to be an easier way of dealing with things sometimes. Sounds so hectic.

It was! But things are finally starting to settle down now. Aang and I have a whole route worked out so we can keep an eye on things and people will know where we are if they feel like they need the Avatar to help with something.