[Action, Accidental to Purposeful Voice] .033

[markofthebrave]

[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))

Comments

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[There's something he can relate to. He crosses his arms, turning his head away from her.]

Two years, that's how long I dreamed about this place. Not that any of it made sense. I always thought it was a dream. [He huffs at that.] But hey, maybe they put you in the right Luceti.

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

[He's angry and hurting and - in further denial of her than she'd expected. She's dealt with enough angry and hurting people over the past near-decade to recognize the signs, and even if it's not her Sokka, even if they weren't as close as they had been, she'd still know...

...something is very wrong with him.

But her voice is mild, interested. And she starts by agreeing with him.] I know what you mean. Even the basics of this place seem ridiculous in our own worlds. It's not as if needing wings to live lends any evidence to ridiculous things like ice dragons.

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[It's one thing to see a younger version of his sister. It's difficult, but he can accept it as a chance to reunite with her, even if it's not his real sister. But this? It's something he knows will never happen, a chance robbed from his real sister, because of him.

But then, it's not her fault, either.]

Or big bad demons with burning eyebrows. [But why reminisce? There's the future.] You know, this morning when we talked, you were only fifteen.

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

So it is an experiment. [The placid exterior ripples, revealing relief.] Good.

[Aang. Tenzin. I'll be back before you know it. Don't worry.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[So from what he's gathered so far, the other Sokka will remember everything he does. He isn't overly fond of his counterpart, he doesn't hate him. No doubt he'd be curious, so... well, you owe him one for this, buddy.]

So, eight years? And you're married?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

Give or take. [Oh, she sees what you're up to. And frankly, won't mind telling you. Just... might make you work for it a bit.] And very married. I have been for four years now.

Are you going to invite me inside, or will we stand around talking in the snow all day?

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[Four years? Huh...]

Hardly need to invite you, it's as much your house as mine. [By which he means, not really either of theirs. Yet he walks towards the house, being sure to hold the door open for her.]

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

Such a gentleman... [She smiles at him lightly, to take some sting out of the moment as she follows behind him.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

I try my best. [Closing the door behind the two of them.] So, I guess you don't remember this version of me, do you?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

[She's glancing around the house with curiosity, and even moves to touch the soothing yellow color of the walls before depositing her bag on the side table as she answers his question.]

I'm remembering more the longer I'm here. But right now? No, I'm sorry to say that I don't.

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[The yellow walls are puzzling, aren't they? He's not fond of them.]

Hm. Well we only knew each other for a week, no surprise there.

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

That's strange to hear...

[And she knows exactly why her younger self would choose to paint the outer rooms this color.] So are we strangers to each other, then? We shouldn't be. You're still Watertribe, aren't you?

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, still Water Tribe. And I know most of your life... [It's all come back to him. From what he learned from the child Katara, from their talks.] You were in the middle of a war.

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

Or the beginning of the end of it. The war seems like it was a long time ago... the fixing up after it has been far more work.

[Glancing around, she decides to sit on the sofa and curls up, tucking her legs beneath her in a familiar movement.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[In turn, he sits on the arm of the chair across from her.]

And now? Who are you married to?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

[She hesitates for a moment, thinking about making him work for it. But then she smiles, one of joy and love.]

Aang. And congratulations. You're an uncle.

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[Give him a second before she just gets... an almost horrified look.]

You married Aang!? The last Avatar? Who reincarnated into me!? That Aang!?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

Not in my world, he didn't!

[Ewwwwwwwwwwww.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

Still! [Avatar Aang was all old, wrinkly, and had a horrible sense of humor.]

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

We met Aang when he was twelve years old. We defeated the Fire Lord that year and he [Is she aware of what she's not saying?] fell in love with me. We got together after that, and when he turned sixteen, we married.

[No, not at all.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[Yeah... all of this, it's coming back to him. It's still a little vague, but he can remember it somewhat.

"fell in love with me", huh?]

I cannot begin to describe how weird that is. [Shaking his head.] And the other me?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

[She smiles at that, though there's something in it that's a little sad. She'd gotten into a fight with her Sokka the last time they'd spoken. He wanted her, Aang, and Tenzin to move back to the South Pole more permanently, and she hadn't felt that it was time. The world still needed Aang. Maybe when Tenzin was a little older they could spend more time in the South Pole, but for now...]

You're happily married and the father of three wonderful children, with one on the way. [A quick mischievous grin.] Your firstborn were twins.

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[Twins, huh? That sounds nice. But here's the big question:]

And the lucky mother?

[notatearbender.livejournal.com]

[Her eyebrows go up.]

That would be telling.

[Right. Like she'll miss the chance to troll on THIS.

...plus, if Sokka remembers, she doesn't think it's fair.]

[avatarsokka.livejournal.com]

[He makes a play of rolling his eyes and shaking his head.]

It's not my future.