[ Action, Voice ] .037

[markofthebrave]

['sup, Luceti. Hope you're not the curious type of person, because if you are the filter on this is so thin you could sneeze and break it. Someone is singing, this early afternoon, singing a lullaby softly and into their journal. The feed will cut off before the crying starts.]

Little child, be not afraid...

[Later in the afternoon, there is an unfamiliar woman with a familiar set of blue-toned wings and waterskin at the south-most bridge. There's only so much hiding in one's room that can be done when the memories are thick and the silence is very, very loud.]


((Tags will be answered with amotherlost))

Comments

[Action]

[afathertorn.livejournal.com]

[These are the kinds of thing Sokka misses when he's an early riser and the first one out of the house. But later when checking his journal and hearing that familiar song, from a familiar voice... He ended up sitting in stunned silence for several minutes. In the end, he decided not to reply to it. He just marked the page in his journal and closed it, just so he wouldn't end up replaying it again. Besides, he knows who it is. There's no doubt in his mind. It's not his mother. But really, that just makes things worse.

So he puts off his work for now, relieved that today Winry is off doing whatever it is she does with Haruhi and Edward doesn't bother with a sulky Sokka unless he's ruining weapons. He doesn't quite make it home when he sees that familiar figure standing on the bridge. There was a time he wouldn't have recognized her face, but Luceti had fixed that problem. He just meets her at the bridge, standing next to his sister as he leans forward, resting his arms on the bridge's railing. He doesn't say anything because, "Hey! You're our mom now. Go figure!" doesn't seem to cut it.]

[Action]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[At least Sokka turning into Hakoda had given Katara warning that this was a possibility. All the same, when she'd stepped out of her evening shower in her mother's body, all her careful rationalizations and plans were destroyed the instant she caught sight of her mother's face. Crying out 'Mom!' and rushing towards the mirror, only to realize once again what she was seeing was impossible had left her a sobbing wreck on the floor.

And in the morning, nothing had changed. She'd meant to just stay in her room forever, meant to let this pass as quietly and quickly as possible - but the temptation of hearing her mom sing again - and not in the horrible way she had been when Luceti had been plagued with echoes - had been too much. She'd left her journal in her room and went out wandering shortly after she'd recovered and now... it just figured. It was still a jolt to see Sokka as their dad... she could only imagine what it must be like for him.]

...sorry. I should have found a way to warn you.

[Action]

[afathertorn.livejournal.com]

[In a way, he'd been glad the inner turmoil of turning into his dad had been interrupted by being overshadowed by the embarrassment of the situation and the immediate distractions of Winry/Fenimore (in whatever timeline). It hadn't really sunk in until later and even when it did, he just... accepted it. It was a cruel joke and no, he didn't laugh. Life in Luceti went on. At least it was kind of like their dad was around. It was the thinking back to those two years with their dad gone where that small doubt would always creep up that maybe Hakoda wouldn't ever come home that really bothered him. Only now it was Sokka's constant doubt that he'd ever get home again.

... but seeing his mother like this would be a lot easier if it hadn't been for Luceti. He'd lost her twice now.]

I didn't exactly warn you either.

[Action]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[Katara's hands flex on the bridge's railings, the gloves hiding the fact that her knuckles will have turned white. She still doesn't look at him, choosing to stare out into the river instead.]

It can't go on much longer. Most experiments only last a week. And even if it goes on for another one... one more week isn't so bad. We can do this.

[...right?]

[Action at the bridge]

[no-use-worrying.livejournal.com]

[She thinks she knows that person, even in the new form - between the unique features of the water tribe, those wings, and Sokka's change earlier suggesting Katara might have changed into someone they knew, too. But she can't be sure.]

Excuse me. Could you by chance be Katara?

[The girl asking this is a rather ordinary Japanese teenage girl with an amusing hairstyle - right now.]

[Action at the bridge]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

...yes. [Katara turns to look at the girl addressing her - there is no familiarity at all.]

I'm Katara. Who are you?

Re: [Action at the bridge]

[no-use-worrying.livejournal.com]

Even though I look like this, I'm Mizuno Ami.

[Action at the bridge]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ami! [She smiles, or tries to.] Hi. It's been a while.

[ action ]

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ It's been one of those stranger days in Luceti; just when Chouji had more or less resigned himself to up to another week of hopping around the apartment being barbecue-flavored, he gained a good six feet or so of height and a very familiar face (plus he managed to pull the doorknob off on his way out, which was really fantastic).

At least he's done all right not thinking of what was happening the last time he saw his dad. Katara's not looking like exactly herself, but her mother's face is similar to her own; with that and the wing color for pings, he'll risk stopping on the bridge to join her, offering a faint smile. ]

[ action ]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[When someone tall and vaguely familiar stops to smile at her, Katara glances up and meets his gaze. Well, she did come out because the silence was too much, after all.]

Hello.

[ action ]

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

Hi. [ We have to stop meeting like this, no? Don't worry, he's all about the silence-filling. ] It's a good day to get out for fresh air.

Weird, but good.

[ action ]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[...there is no one else this optimistic in all of Luceti.]

It's Chouji, right?

[pack-match.livejournal.com]

[and a wolf is sniffing at her quite fearlessly]

You smell like Katara.

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[Oh my goodness, it's a wolf! Where did you come from?]

...and you sound a little like San.

[pack-match.livejournal.com]

I am San.

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

Oh! [Katara smiles a little.] That makes sense. How do you like it?

[Being a wolf on all four feet, that is.]

[Action]

[spade-of-fire.livejournal.com]

[Ace sees the woman, getting a vibe from that loud silence. He's just settled on the railing nearby in a crouch to go fishing. He chooses not to bother her. It's none of his business.]

[Action]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[Right, you don't bother her and she won't bother you can they can share this bridge in peace and mutual quiet in order to keep the silence from becoming too loud.

...you do look a bit familiar, though. She'll be chancing some glances at you after a time.]

[Action]

[spade-of-fire.livejournal.com]

[He notices the glances and will catch her in one of them to smile faintly and wave. Ah, but then from under the icy water a fish is caught. He reels it in and tries to unhook it, but the thing is being extra wriggly. So, he fries it with a brief plume of fire from his hand to cook it then and there.]

[Filtered]

[smoke-shadows.livejournal.com]

[He doesn't see this until later in the day, after he's gotten dry clothes and has had the chance to catch up on everything in the journals.

Pitiful as the filter is, he can recognize the foundations for a stronger one. He hacks often, after all, and the building blocks of this one are similar to those that Katara uses. The picture in the journal is as well, just not quite.

He keeps forgetting how civilian she can be at times.]

How troublesome. Did you mean this to be private? [He's hoping you'll recognize him with the verbal tic, despite the deeper voice. Even so, he keeps his tone gentle as possible.

He'd fix the filter himself, and might do so later, but he's proving a point here.]

[Filtered]

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[So later, then, much later would be after the bridge and forcing herself through dinner - and heck, probably after practice too. So she'll be more inside her skin by the time she actually takes a look at the journal and finds...

...well, crap.]

Sorry for bothering you - I thought I'd filtered that.

[...and yes, the catchphrase is familiar but she's not about to make any assumptions today.]

[Filtered]

[smoke-shadows.livejournal.com]

You did, it's just paper-thin.

/SLIPS INTO THIS POST

[generalguilt.livejournal.com]

[So... afternoon, bridge? Waterskin? This feels somewhat familiar other than that, you know, they're both in different bodies. Masaomi seems to meet a lot of girls on bridges. But anyway, the point is he is... wandering the town because he got sick of hanging out in his room.

...This woman looks pretty. And familiar. He can't exactly hit on people like this or do theatrical moves, but he can slip up closer to her to see what she's doing]

WHAT, NO. GET OUT.

[amotherlost.livejournal.com]

[Katara glances over at the unfamiliar girl.

...yeah, she's got no clue who you are, and is not actually in the mood to be sociable to strangers. So she just glances at her and then looks back over at the river.

Because that's all she's doing - watching the water. That may be a further clue.]

NO I WILL STAY

[generalguilt.livejournal.com]

[...Oh. Yeah that's a fun hint. He frowns, but then looks at her a moment longer before deciding, well, it's worth taking a chance. Let's make a guess with-]

Katara?