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

Alright, I'll be there in five minutes.

[Out the door he goes. And true to his word, it takes little more than five minutes to reach the plaza area. Sanji slows to a walk rather than a trot, his eyes on a sharp lookout for an almost familiar face.

When he sees her - jeez, she really has grown into quite the lady - his hand lifts up into a wave]

Pretty as always, Katara-chan~!!

[Seeing him - he's different too, isn't he? - is nothing to hearing him. Hearing her name.

And maybe she still doesn't remember all of the details. Maybe the fuzzed recollection of 'You have to eat - you'll get sick' - and a conversation by the river is not as vivid as it should be.

But she does remember-]

Sanji!

[-that she loves him. And she runs over to hug him.] It's been so long!

[Reaching up, she gives him a kiss on the cheek.] It's just - wow, it's you!

[U-uuff. Random hugs get. And Sanji returns the gesture before he's even over his surprise.

He leans back, looking somewhat proud. The grin nearly splits his face] Ooi, you're taller~! [And so pretty what is this.]

Am I? Not by much, I'd think. [But she does carry herself differently. Katara's always been confident, but there's something about this older self that's almost regal, something about the placid surface that hints at the wild. She's had a lot of growing up to do.]

It's amazing to see you.

It looks like it! [And he catches wind of the call of adulthood from her, and personally thinks it suits her well.

But ah, it's cold and he's eager to talk to her in a warmer setting. With a nod in Seven Heaven's direction, he offers her an arm - yeah, he certainly hasn't changed much]

How long as it been? [For him, not even a few days. He doesn't recall going back home. As far as he's concerned, he's always been here like this] At least a few years.

[Katara takes his arm easily, without a moment's hesitation or even a pause for wondering what she's supposed to do with it - that is a change.] It was about eight years ago I started having dreams of this place... so probably about that long. And you?

[He does look - somehow - different than how she remembers.]

[Huuuuuuh. Is it strange he's quietly delighted by this? She's so obviously Katara, and yet, the changes only serve to compliment her.

He doesn't bother trying to keep the grin off his face]

Eight years... [A low whistle] That makes you about... 23 or 24? [She's older than him!]

And I don't ever remember leaving this place. [A shake of his head] But I've been told I look different - older.

I'll be twenty-three in January. [Returning to when she was from had made her younger, after all. She tilts her head to look at him consideringly.]

You don't remember ever leaving here? But if you look older... has no time passed for you since I was here last, then?

[Amused smirk] Maaah, so Katara-chan's my senior now!

No, no time's passed. [They reach the door, and he opens it for her - ladies first] Or it doesn't feel like it.

... But since time's passed for you... [He's so very curious what a few years have done to your life] How are things back home?

[And she enters without pause, stepping to the side so he can follow while she looks around the familiar and yet so strange restaurant. She loosens her jacket in an automatic gesture, and it's this movement that may reveal her necklace has gone through a change. That blue stone is now set on a flat gold disk engraved with swirling designs.]

Busy, but good. Everything happened just like Sokka said it would. The war ended and the Fire Lord was defeated. [Still the best news ever, even if the clean-up after was long and messy and on-going.] But it seems like that just started the rest of the work.

[He takes everything in on a breath, without staring, noting the disk with hidden curiosity. That necklace was more than precious to her, so something equally precious would have needed to happen before she altered it, he thinks]

Glad to hear it. [For more than one reason, since it's likely she's from the timeline he's familiar with]

You still travel the world now? [Taking the lead again, he motions for one of the tables closest to them, and pulls out a chair. Old habits die hard]

And would you like anything to drink, Katara-chan? [Very hard]

[She takes a seat, amused - and it feels a little like trying to fit in something familiar but unused.]

I'll take some Ginsing tea if you have it, Sanji. [And she says it with a fond smile because - she has a feeling it will give him joy to get it for her rather than out of any desire on her own part... except that tea is tea and it is comforting in this suddenly strange world she's found herself in.]

And yes, we've had to work out a route. I'll tell you all about it, if you like.

By all means~! [Nothing would make him happier than to hear how she's been doing, though he'll give a short bow ~~like a true waiter~~ and go off to get that tea. It won't take long.

When he returns, he sets the cup in front of her and takes a seat near the side, attention right back on her]

Now, what's this about a route?

[She occupies her time by glancing around and trying to remember more. When he returns she smiles at him and wraps her hands around the tea cup, cradling it in a familiar way.]

As part of the peace negotiations, we worked out a way for us to be available if people have complaints and to just - keep an eye on things. It's not easy, adjusting to a world where you used to be able to solve things by fighting but now you have to learn to talk things out and live together. There's a lot of anger and hatred, still. So we make sure the agreements are being kept and that everyone is integrating as well as can be expected... we cover the world every year.

[Sanji nods and listens carefully. The idea of Katara as a type of delegate... well, it's an amusing one. She's always been so honest and outspoken. Spokespeople of all kinds need a certain amount of tact about them to do their jobs well.

Then again... He glances at her thoughtfully. Maybe she found that already.]

Do you enjoy it?

It's what needs to be done. [She takes a sip of her tea. There aren't many people whose word means so much to so many people - and she's learned to use it as wisely as she can.]

And it's good to see so many people working together to overcome their differences and keep peace.

[It's an official line, but it's a true one. She still has the same passions of her childhood. She's just learned to channel them carefully.]

[Action, Accidental to Purposeful Voice] .033

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[Action] And now I realize why I never got a reply -_-

[Action] forgot to push 'post?'

[Action] no, I lost the rpely in my inbox and thus thought it was your turn D8

[Action] ah-ha! Well, I'm glad you checked.

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