markofthebrave | [Written/Action] .002

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[Written/Action] .002

So, we can use these things to contact everyone? That's pretty neat ~~if really really weird.~~ I think I'll start of writing, though, because talking to a book still seems like something Dock would do.

That's got to be annoying, for so many people to look at something if you just want to talk to one or two people. The guide said something about being able to filter these things? But I don't really see how that could work...

Tormod, you can have your cape back whenever you want. Have you found a place to stay yet?

And hey, if there's a Hugo or a Derek out there, I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes.

[So not one to stay copped up in the house, Katara is going to pack up her journal and her waterskin and bundle up. They're in the middle of a cold snap, but now that she has shoes the freezing doesn't really bother her so much. She's going to head on over to the grocery store to get some soup ingredients and check out the other buildings. She's friendly! Feel free to say hello!]

ETA [Voice]
Hey Toph! I'm at the grocery store, do you want anything?

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[She's more than a little curious too, and will also try to practice restraint...] Japan? I've never heard a name like that before. What kind of world was it? What's a mushishi?

[...operative word was 'try.']

[Oi. He likes her already. Have a rare, pleased laugh.]

Oh, well-- it was very rich and green in places. But with very different plants than the kind growing here. There were mountains, and bamboo forests and rice patties...[his voice is the slightest bit wistful, but he catches himself]

I spent all of my time traveling, so I got to see quite a bit of it-- that was a part of my job as a mushishi-- a mushi-master.

[That's a nice laugh. She'll smile back at him.]

That sounds a lot like the Earth Kingdom. Out of all the places we visited, it had the most variety with the land... which makes sense, I guess.

[She caught that wistful note in his voice, and will probably try to change the topic just as soon as she finds out what he's talking about] ...So, a mushishi is a mushi-master, but what is a mushi?

[He'll have to as about that later-- Earth Kingdom? Could it be a world divided by elements]

Mushi are creatures in my world-- but most people can't see them. Sometimes they cause trouble [he smirks] and then you need an expert.

[Well. She's impressed.]

Oh! What kind of creatures? What do they look like? What kind of trouble?

[he grins a little-- you're spoiling him by caring, Katara]

That would take an eternity to tell. I've been a mushishi for most of my life, and there is still more for me to learn than I'll ever be able to. But, if you're ever at a loss for things to do in this place [you must officially remind him of some of the older children he's met in his travels, as it's the first time he's made the offer] I have plenty of stories to tell.

[...and he just can't help himself] I met a girl who was pulled up by a string from the sky-- and a man who carried a jar on his back to catch a rainbow. As for the trouble they make, some mushi eat sound-- some eat memories. Some of them look like butterflies, and trick you into thinking it's spring in the middle of wintertime...But they're only trying to live-- just like you or me.

Edited 2010-02-12 05:26 (UTC)

[That... sounds... amazing. Her eyes are all wide and it's obvious that she's eating this up.]

That's amazing! So they're like -- tiny spirits, or something? Wow, Aang would love to hear about this too! What is it you do when you find them?

[...and so much for changing the subject, she's captivated.]

[inwardly: IT IS AMAZING, ISN'T IT? outwardly: smiiile.

Good luck ever getting him to shut up, now.]

More like energy that spirits-- they exist on a different plane than ours, but they behave the way plants or most animals do [Luceti has taught him to add the "most"]-- only concerned with living and reproducing. Very few people can see them.

As for finding them, [laughs] I actually attract them. I can't stay for more than a little while in any one place anywhere without throwing of the balance of nature. My profession is simply to learn about them-- and to help cure those who have been infected.

Most mushishi consider themselves to be more like exterminators--but I don't really relish killing.

Edited 2010-02-12 05:58 (UTC)

[Oh boy, has this guy got to meet Aang! Who's... not here. Sadness will flicker over her face for a blink - she's been trying very hard not to think about how much she misses him and how worried she is about him. It's only been a few days! She shouldn't miss him this much already! Besides, what he's saying is really interesting and so different but parallel to what she's accustomed.]

Wow. So it's like -- when the spirits interact with our world, but not exactly like that. My friend Aang would love to hear about this. It's his job to bring balance too. [She glances down for a second and then looks back up at him.] And he really doesn't like killing either. He's even a vegetarian! So I know that it must be a lot harder to do your job without killing the mushi, but it's worth it. I think it's great that you go out of your way like that.

Well, I find them pretty likable. [says the man who's had his left eye, childhood memories, and surrogate mother all taken away by the same creatures]

But your friend Aang isn't here, I take it?
[He sees her sadness, and says carefully]

Well, that's good news isn't?-- for him, it won't even be a moment until you're back again. And you have your brother here with you.

Of course, if he ever does come I'd like to meet him. He sounds like he has a lot of responsibilities to manage.

Edited 2010-02-12 20:35 (UTC)

[Soft laugh] Yeah, a lot of responsibilities. So it's really good that he's not here.

[Quick grin] He'd be so jealous, though, if it wasn't for how bad it was. He'd love to meet all these new people and these different places. He's been in the spirit world, but... nothing like this.

Yeah, [he smiles sympathetically] I've seen stranger things in my line of work that most people are capable of imagining-- but this place is just...different.

Yeah. [She'll glance down for a minute. Everything's been coming at her so fast! First the memories that everyone else seems to have but her, and the wings and the barrier, and the experiments...]

It's a lot to take in. [But she looks up with a bright smile] But we'll find a way out. Somehow. We have to.

That's the spirit. [he sounds very happy at that]

It seems like you're taking this very well, for someone your age.

Edited 2010-02-13 23:20 (UTC)

[Her response is automatic] What does my age have to do with it?

[he raises an eyebrow, but smiles still] Ah, well-- I suppose sometimes age doesn't tell you much. But to be honest, I'm surprised to hear you speak so confidently after arriving here so recently.

[At this point, he's decided that she's grown up either her whole life, or most of it without a mother and father-- if only from personal experience. Of course, he isn't going to say that---but]

You must have a lot of responsibilities yourself, back home.

Well, Sokka and Toph are both here. [And Zuko, but he doesn't count.] We've faced difficult things before. And we've seen what can happen when people join together to overcome something that looks impossible. Sometimes you lose, but that just means that you have to try another way.

[And his guess would be right. Mother died at age eight, father left shortly after that to go to war, and the only saw him again recently... but talking about what that meant for her isn't really high on her to-do list. Have a half-shrug.] I come from a small village. We all had to pull our weight. And Sokka, Aang, Toph and I... we've been traveling for a while, trying to help Aang master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord.

Ah-- so Toph is with your group. She told me a little about earth bending. So you can bend too? --is it unusual to be able to bend all four element? [curiosity reengaged]

[Katara smiles. She kind of likes talking about her world.]

Yes, only the Avatar can master all four elements. [And... considering that some places have different elements, she'll go on to explain.] That's water, earth, air, and fire. I'm a waterbender.

[She'll reach a hand out to the snow, palm up, and pull a little from the remaining snow on the ground. It will turn into water, shoot up towards her, and swirl around just above her open palm, a distinct round stream with an end and a beginning that chases itself slowly around. She's pleased that such a small display still doesn't seem to cost her much more than added concentration.]

Wow! [!!!] I've never seen any skill like that before. What a fascinating world-- how is it you control that? Is it by will, or something more complicated? [he wants to go to your world and take notes forever]

It's... bending. [She's never had to explain this before. Hmmm... She'll open her waterskin and let the water flow into it as she speaks.] I was born with the ability, but I had to practice in order to get it to work. And even then, I didn't get really good until I trained under a master.

It's fascinating...[a murmur, with a keen eye to the motions she's making] ..it almost resembles some of the fighting arts, in my world.

[She nods.] Then you have a good eye. We do train to fight with our bending, though that's not all that we can do with it. With the war, though, learning how to fight has been very important.

Is your whole world at war, then?--does that have to do with the Fire Lord, you mentioned?

Yes. [A pause] Although, Sokka said that when he and Toph are from, the war is over. But the last I remember... we were still trying to get Aang close enough to face the Fire Lord on the day of an eclipse. Firebenders draw their power from the sun, so it would have been a perfect time for Aang to take him down.

But if it ended, then it would have ended a war that lasted a hundred years.

[Written/Action] .002

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