markofthebrave | [Action, Accidental Voice] .003

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[Action, Accidental Voice] .003

[After having to push herself to heal and volunteering to help build the barrier with her bending, Katara is tired of not knowing for sure just how strong her bending is in this place. So sometime after the sun has gone down and the moon has risen high, she is going to quietly leave the Avatar house and travel to one of the closer lakes. She's not being overly sneaky about it, just quiet enough to be 'considerate,' if one of her housemates catches her in the act.

She'll be bringing her journal with her in case someone needs her or she needs to get a hold of someone quickly. She's still not exactly sure how this journal system works, so the chances are good that it will open on its own, and if it does all that will be heard is the sound of water moving and falling ice.

While she's there, she'll also be trying to contact the water spirit that she read about in the guide.

Pausing for a second, she stares at the half-moon] I wonder...

[Shaking herself, Katara resumes her forms.]

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That second lake? Yeah, it looked like it was a ways away...

[It seems like it's a bit late for this girl to be out and about, but who is Katara to talk?] ...well, the lake is pretty calm right now, but if you really miss the sound of the waves, I might be able to help you imagine something like it if you like.

I'm sure that the trip would be more than worth it - but if there are troublesome people here, I suppose it wouldn't be wise to go there unescorted...

[ Polka walked a short distance from home often at this hour, but a lot of people have the same opinion as Katara, amusingly enough. Although, now that Polka thinks about it? It would probably be the perfect spot to plant her Heavens Mirror flowers. Hrm. ]

Huh? You can?

Well, one of the things I always miss most about the ocean when I'm away from it isn't just how vast it is -- it's the sound of the waves. I grew up by the sea, so... it's always been in my head, one way or another. Sometimes when I'm away for it for a long time I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't remember what...

[She turns from Polka to face the water.] And then when I'm practicing the basics of bending, I hear it. [Katara begins to push and pull on the water, and it creates waves and the sound of the tide.]

So I can close my eyes sometimes and just... remember home.

[Which is not a good idea to do here and now, because she might start crying. But she's happy to provide the sound of the waves for a fellow water-lover.]

[ Polka smiles a bit more, finding kinship in someone else who grew up near the ocean. ]

My home was just a town over from the ocean, but I could always see it from the flower field at the cliffs. I could always hear it, .. so I think I can understand what you mean, in that respect. It does feel like something is missing. [ And Polka did so love the ocean - she was tied to it, though not in the same way as Katara was. ] ... I think I miss the sunsets and sunrises the most...

[ She falls silent a moment as Katara begins to work her bending on the water, creating waves, Polka catches her breath, remembering something her mother once told her about the waves. ]

[ ... just hearing the waves reminded her of her home, and she smiled wistfully, fighting back the urge to cough. She didn't want to break the 'magic' of the moment. ]

[Katara continues to bend for a little while in silence. The move is so basic, it's almost relaxing, but she still concentrates on doing the movements exactly right. Eventually, she stops.]

Yeah. Just like the moon. [She can already feel the difference in her bending. It seems that what's true at home is true here -- the presence of the moon still makes a difference. She turns to Polka with a small smile.]

Where I grew up, we had months of darkness and months of light -- we didn't always get to see the sunrise or the sunset, but somehow I always still knew when the moon was out. What was it like in your home?

Months??

Oh, wow, it wasn't quite as drastic as that. Most of our months were pretty normal -- sometimes the sun or the moon would get blocked, but it would only last for a few hours at best, and if you were up at the right time, you could usually catch the sunrise. [ She chuckles lightly. ] Mom would sometimes be up as early as I, and we'd go across the flower field to watch the sun rise over the sea. Sometimes we'd miss it though, and we'd make a point to watch the sun set again that day. Sunrise or Sunset, we always saw one at least once a day.

... I wonder if she's watching the sun now. [ Pause, and a shake of her head. ] I guess that's why I'm always up so late - I'm really quite used to it by now, since I've been up later than this to watch the flowers bloom back home.

Oh, you must mean an eclipse. They're pretty rare where I come from, but they do happen. We live on the South Pole, so the sun and the moon tend to take turns for longer periods.

It sounds like flowers were a pretty big part of your life back home. Did you have a flower shop?

Really? The first time I saw it I was a little scared. So your days and nights are really long? You must have a lot of time to get things done in that case.

Flowers are pretty much our livelihood in my home. We use them to make floral powder and teas. Medicine... and I didn't have a flower shop exactly, but I did have a stand set up in the harbor town. I'd have a bit of a hike to get from my home to Ritardando, but I didn't mind.

[Katara looks down.] The first time I saw an eclipse I was a little scared too. [It hadn't been a natural eclipse. Zhao had captured the moon spirit. It had been... horrible. But then she shakes off the memory and smiles at Polka] But even with the sun out all day, we still have to go to bed. It's important to keep a pattern going, especially for the times when it's all night.

[Her smile softens.] Your home sounds like a beautiful place. So you sold teas and... floral powder? What's that?

[ Polka looks thoughtful. ] That's true - if you go to sleep whenever you want, then you'll be all kinds of confused. [ And beaming at the compliment. ] Thank you! So does yours - I love seeing everything covered by fresh snow, especially early in the morning when no one else is awake, and its like you're the only one in the world.

It's times like that that it feels like you can really hear the world breathing around you. [ A chuckle. ] I've been scolded for staying up so late before though. You're really lucky to have lived so close to the water.

Floral powder? It's medicine - if people are injured, you can use it to quicken the healing process. It's a herbal remedy. Do you have anything like that where you're from?

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[Action, Accidental Voice] .003

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