markofthebrave | [Written/Action] .002

Entry tags:

[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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm a friend of Hugo's, and since you mentioned the others, I think I know what this is about. Want me to talk to him for you?

Well, I didn't really have a message so much as I wanted to meet him. I'm Katara. What's your name?

Caesar Silverberg. Nice to meet ya.

I live with Hugo. He, along with your friend, volunteered to help out with that desert project, which I'll guess is what you're concerned about. I know a little about it, since I'm the strategist they spoke to about doing this.

[Oh, relief. They did speak to a strategist, even though she has no way of knowing if this guy as anywhere near as good as her brother. She's not one who'll hesitate about barging straight in without a plan but her friends taking risks in a strange place has made her cautious.]

Then if you don't mind talking to me about it, I'd like to know a little more about what you hope will happen. All Toph said was that the place was forbidden. It seems like they'd have to have guards watching it, if that was the case...

"Forbidden"? [ffff that's not... what a silly assumption to make.] I wouldn't mind talking to you about it, however. Would you prefer to speak over the journals or in person?

I'd appreciate that. I'm the one asking questions, so it's up to you. I'm in town right now if you'd like to meet, or if you think the journals are safe enough to talk in, that's fine too.

I'll meet you, then. It's not really something that can't be spoken of over the journals, but I prefer talking in person over using these stupid books anyway.

Yeah, they are kind of weird. I'm still not used to talking to a book. Where would you like to meet?

Anywhere is fine. Why not at that restaurant? The Seventh Heaven.

All right, sounds good! And I haven't been there yet, so I'll get to check it out. That'll be great.

[So Katara will make her way over to The Seventh Heaven. It'll probably take her a little bit to get there, since she's not familiar with all of the buildings yet. Once she gets there she'll pause at the doorway to take it in before moving inside.]

[Caesar will probably arrive after her anyway! He doesn't live very far away, but he likely took his time in showing up. When he spots the girl who looks like the one from the journals, he'll walk on over to greet her.]

Yo.

[If she was waiting for a while, Katara probably wandered around the place and then found a seat facing the door. She sets down the menu and smiles politely.]

Hi. Caesar, right? Thanks again for meeting me like this.

[He nods his head and goes ahead to sit down.]

It's all right. I can understand your concern, and I'm not doing anything better at the moment anyway.

[Well all right, then. Pleasantries are over. Katara places her hands on the table and leans forward.] What can you tell me about this project? Toph just said something about rebuilding a broken-down lab.

[Caesar tilts his head. Someone should tell Toph it's not good to assume things. :|; Anyway, time for that good old Silverberg tl;dr!]

Uh... that's not quite it. The group going out there is in charge of salvaging an old fort. The ruins of the lab are outside the barrier, but they are visible from the fort. Their job in going out there is simply to turn this fort into something that we can use again. It would function as a base of sorts, in particular if there is ever any danger from the east. [A pause. He can only think of one reason Toph might have thought it was forbidden...] I think your friend might have gotten the wrong idea. It isn't necessarily forbidden—we used filters over the journals when speaking of this project if only because it's not something the entire village needs to know about. Drawing too much attention to it could be a bad thing if any of the more dangerous individuals in the village decide they want to cause some trouble. To minimize that, we used the filters to make sure only those who needed to know would know.

Of course, it's unlikely that they actually will run into trouble, but if they do, there isn't a lot to worry about. This is a group of strong, reliable individuals. Hugo is my general, and I know we can count on him from experience.

...does that make sense?

[It was actually Katara's assumption that the place was forbidden, since Toph had said it was the lab, but she's not inclined to go out of her way to point that out. Now that her concerns have been eased, she's had a chance to notice that this guy is actually really cute. Not that that makes a difference. Nope, not at all. She's learned her lesson. She'll treat him the same way. In fact, to prove that to herself, she's going to tell him.]

That does make sense. She said that you guys were filtering it, but she didn't say why. That was why I thought it was forbidden. [Her brow furrows] Why are you expecting trouble from the east? The barrier doesn't keep people out, just in?

Edited 2010-02-13 21:45 (UTC)

[She probably won't think he's cute for very long anyway! His laziness usually kills that for people. |D He shrugs.]

We're not really expecting trouble at the moment. Just trying to be prepared. The barrier is meant to protect us from the things on the outside. In the six or seven months I've been here now, we've only experienced one breach in the barrier—that was when we were attacked by these ugly jerks we call the Third Party. They came from the east. The ruins would also be something to be concerned about, I guess, since we can see them, but we can't get to them.

[That would do it. She pauses for a few moments to match up what he's said with what she knows.]

This is the same Third Party that they're offering to let us out to fight, right. I didn't know they'd attacked here as well... [Great. They were even less safe than she thought. This is all very frustrating and if he's paying attention it will show on her face.]

[He nods. He definitely understands her feelings of frustration. Most people react that way. |D]

Seems like it. We handled them just fine back then. From the sounds of it, we aren't going to have to deal with them in such large numbers like we did back in August. But that's why it's important that we're prepared. That's why it's my job to make sure that the barricade we built all those months ago is in decent shape, just in case something does happen.

[She'll nod as well. Her experience in the North Pole had definitely taught her the importance of good fortifications.]

So the fort is to help keep watch for enemies from the east... are you going to have people manning it once it's built? [She hopes Toph won't volunteer for that too. Despite Caesar's reassurances about this Hugo guy, she still doesn't like Toph going out there without her or Sokka or Aang. She'd insist on going too if she would be any good at all in a desert.]

And where's this barricade?

No idea yet. The fort isn't my project—I was just asked to provide some support since I was gathering up people to help with the barricade. The man in charge of the project, however, is named Yuan, and he was appointed to the task by my brother, so I know he must be reliable. I would think the fort will only be used in the situation that it actually becomes necessary, though. It would be troublesome to have people stay out there all the time, since the desert is quite the walk from here.

The barricade? It's on the eastern edge of the village, in between the village and the mountains. Kind of hard to miss. [Nevermind that it's not marked on the map, sob, but let's just pretend that it is.] For now, we're only working on strengthening that, but in the future, we'll expand it to cover more of the village.

Oh. I haven't been up to the mountains yet. [She'll pause for a minute to chew over what he's said. Katara is still thinking like an invader... if they'd come upon an abandoned Fire Nation fort while they were looking for a place to start the invasion, Sokka would have danced with glee.]

It sounds like you have a lot of confidence in your brother and your friends. Maybe you could tell me a little bit more about them? All I keep hearing from everyone is how many dangerous people are here, and I know that Toph can take care of herself, but I'd like to know a bit more about who she's going out there with.

[Have a wry shrug] I'd go with her myself, but desert fighting isn't exactly my strong suit.

Me, either, but I'm told there isn't anything interesting up there. A hot spring, apparently, but that's about it.

More about them? [Hmm, what could he say...] My brother is Albert Silverberg. He's also a strategist, and I guess you could say he's kind of an important figure within the village. As I mentioned before, Hugo is my general. He might be young, but he's a great leader. As for the others going along, there's a man named Kratos—he's a friend of Yuan's, but I don't know much about him otherwise. There's also Derek, who seems to be good with carpentry and working out in the desert. Finally, there's a mage named Rune. His skills in magic are incredible. Individually, each of them is completely capable, so working together should make things really easy.

[He's in charge of a project, building a barricade someplace he'd never seen? That thought aside, she listens closely - he's claiming these people are very skilled, and considering the type of people she's met so far that could very well be the case, but that doesn't help her with the most basic question: if it came down to it, would they leave Toph or help her? She'll meet his gaze very directly.]

If it was you going out there, would you trust them?

[Ah, no, he's never been to the mountains, but the barricade is literally on the edge of the village. Just outside the forest to the east, before the mountains. |D S-sorry if that wasn't clear?

He doesn't hesitate to answer her question, however, and he speaks confidently.]

Absolutely. In fact, I would go out there if I could, but the barricade is my business, not the fort. [And his brother would kill him if he messes any of this up.] The group going out there is a relatively small one, I suppose—it's certainly no army, but this is the very reason I sent Hugo along with them. He knows how to bring even the most diverse people together. He's also the kind of person to help anyone who's in need, even if they're someone he doesn't necessarily like. He's someone I'd trust with my life.

...and I suppose if all else fails, there's Rune. Teleportation is his specialty, so if something goes wrong, we already have his word that he'd get everyone out of trouble as quickly as possible.

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered]

[voice | filtered/ action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]