[ Action ] .041

[markofthebrave]

((The following takes place between 11:30pm on the 19th and 4:00-5:00 am on the 20th.))

[Katara awoke with a start - another nightmare. They'd been bothering her on and off since the draft, since seeing Nami... but now that Sokka was back she'd been getting better rest, so at first she thought all she'd have to do was lay back down and fall back asleep. No such luck. She feels more awake, more alive than she's felt in weeks. Deciding to get up and get a drink of water, Katara soon discovers the reason.

The moon is full. And it looks so close. All she needs to do is close her eyes and she can feel the pulsing of her own blood... of Zuko's, of Suki's, of Toph's, and Sokka... She opens her eyes, sets down the water, and tries to go back to bed, but she's too restless to sleep, and every time she begins to rest she can feel it. The push and pull. And she's so awake.

Katara decides it's a good night for a walk. The chill of winter is still in the air, so she bundles up, grabs her waterskin and her journal, and quietly makes her way out of the house. At first she starts to head towards town, but it's too brightly lit with those electric lights and she turns about halfway towards the plaza, deciding to walk along the river instead. She doesn't mean to go all the way to nearest lake - it's supposed to just be a quick walk to clear her head. But as the full moon battles with the clouds and the air fills with the heavy promise of rain, Katara loses track of time.

Feel free to bump into her as she walks up through town, along the river, or even down by the lake if she makes it that far - housemates can also bust her upon re-entry. >> This post inspired by the fact that the moon is closer to the earth tonight than it has been since the early 90s.]

Comments

[endgames]

Ye- No. [He is not the most eloquent at wording things, okay.] Not exactly like that, no.

But it's more like it's benefits can outweigh anything that makes you uncomfortable about it.

[markofthebrave]

I can see why you think that way. You grew up with it - you're used to it. But you know you're guarding it for a reason. That's a lot of power for someone to have.

[endgames]

[Tricks. Choice. Power. The keywords are lighting up like signal flares in his head.]

Are you worried I'll abuse it?

[markofthebrave]

Not 'you' particularly. [It's the power itself which has her focus here.]

I already said I trusted you. And I meant it.

[Katara's used to powerful people. Aang is one of the most powerful people in any universe - and certainly in her old world. And because she trusts him and believes in him absolutely, she'll walk right up to him in the middle of an Avatar-state induced rage.

...but even being torn apart by the wind or burned by fire doesn't compare to what he can do. To what she can do.

Is she worried he'll abuse it?] So, no. But it scares me all the same.

[endgames]

Honestly? You can say what you want, and the sentiment is nice. [He's going to have to get blunt here. He can try and be understanding, and respect that his justu reminds her of something she's obviously uncomfortable with, but in the end things will simply not work like that.]

But my jutsu isn't some loose canon that can be sit off with a flip of a switch. I decide when to use it, and I have absolute control over it when I do. You can't be scared of it without being scared of me.

And if you're letting that get to you for one reason or another, than you can't trust me. You might want to, but there will always be a part of you that never will.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara opens her mouth to respond and stops. She runs through what he said again. Uh. Huh. He's right. You can't split the power from the person, can you.

Well. She already made up her mind about this.]

You're right. [Because even if it's the kind of power that corrupts... he's still the one being corrupted.] So I won't be scared.

[Yes. Just like that.] That doesn't mean that I'm going to like it, but.. [she shrugs] that's not the same thing.

[endgames]

[...





Girls.]

You're troublesome sometimes, you know that?

[In it's own twisted way, that's a compliment. He only says something is troublesome if it's worth bothering with. It's all a cover for the way his posture loosens, anyhow.]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara's not a ninja. She's not observant enough to read the significance of his words and his posture. But there's some tension between them that's dissolved, and she can feel that, even if it's giddiness from her own recent leap of faith.

And so she rolls her eyes, turns, and starts walking again.]

You should talk.

[Since this whole conversation is your fault anyway.]

1/2

[endgames]

Tch. [Just following along. 8| He's glad it had an easy end though, even if he's never sure if he'll be able to understand it or not.

With apparently nothing else to add, he raises to finally take a drag of that cigarette...]

[endgames]

[...only to promptly gag.]

Shit, that's nasty.

[BRB spitting that out.]

[markofthebrave]

I'm not surprised. [She wrinkles her nose.] They've never smelled very good.

[endgames]

Somehow it's worse than usual.

[He drops the cigarette and grounds it out, wiping his mouth. How the hell did Asuma stand smoking those when they were like that?]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara's never thought much about smoking. Sanji does it. It doesn't smell very good, though, so it has to at least have some benefits...

...but his words make her blink.]

If you don't like it, why do you do it?

1/2

[endgames]

[Who said he didn't- oh.



...oh.]

[endgames]

Heh. [He slips the lighter into his pants pocket.] It reminds me of my sensei.

[markofthebrave]

Oh. [Asuma. Chouji had told her about him, had told her that he had died.

...and the last time Shikamaru had mentioned him, he'd been in Asuma's body.

Hmm. She walks in contemplative silence for a few minutes. He's doing it even though he doesn't like it...

Her hand goes up to the necklace around her throat.] This was my mother's.

[endgames]

[His eyes had gone to tracing the path in their silence, his attention slipping back to her when she speaks.

Her mother died years ago, he remembers. Seems an odd point to bring her into the conversation. Unless, of course, Katara made the connection that Asuma is dead as well.

If that's the case, he appreciates the subtlety - whether it was purposeful or not.]

You wear it well. [That he's sure she'd be happy it made its way into her daughter's hands goes unsaid.]

[markofthebrave]

Thank you. [She touches the stone briefly.] I don't like to take it off. I only did once before, when we were infiltrating the Fire Nation.

[A half-shrug.] It would have given us away.

[So I know what it's like to do things because you remember.]

[endgames]

Knowing you, you kept it close anyways.

[His hand is still in his pocket, closed around the lighter.]

[markofthebrave]

[She nods.] Sewed it into my waistband.

[Mmm. Hmm. And sometimes she goes where angels fear to tread.] What else reminds you of him? Besides smoking, I mean.

[endgames]

...tch. Man, how troublesome. That's a long list.

[But his hand comes out of his pocket, knuckles brushing against the metal plate tied to his opposite arm.] There's this.

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.

She's seen that before. They all seem to wear one. But somehow, she's never before asked -] What is it?

[endgames]

My forehead protector. [Which he wears on his arm, yes. Shikamaru traces the leaf insignia with his fingers.] It shows that I'm a shinobi of Konoha. They give them to you when you become a ninja, and are ready to serve your village.

[markofthebrave]

[Give her a moment to translate that into terms that she understands.]

So it's like a sign of loyalty, and of coming of age?

[endgames]

Pretty much.