markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .043

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[ Action, Voice ] .043

[All right, enough of this. It's Spring and she still loves Spring (only her third Spring ever!) and Katara has decided she is going to enjoy it. No school today, so in the late morning to mid afternoon, if you are by the paths along the river you will see one (1) Katara, with a basket and her knife, taking cuttings of wildflowers. She's careful not to take too much from any one tree or bush, and she's clearly enjoying herself.]

[General Voice]
I think my favorite part about Spring is the flowers. We just didn't have anything like this where I grew up. Although in the summers I'd go on a hunt for Mouse Ears. [She pauses, remembering the last time she'd done that...] Or at least I did when I was a kid. I even found one once!

But for all you people who grew up with flowers like this - what was it like, in your Springs? Did you have any fun flower traditions?

[And after the wildflowers have been turned into bouquets, it's time to go visiting! If she hasn't seen you or heard from you in a while, and she knows where you live, your house/apartment is Fair Game.

There are, however, a few people she needs to speak with about a few specific things, so it's time for some courtesy filters! These are not very strong and mostly to prevent your journals from spam]

[Filtered to Shikamaru]
Hey - you up for a spar later?

[Filtered to Nami]
...are those mikans still up for grabs?

[Filtered to Trafalgar Law]
...would you mind if I stopped by?

[Filtered to Zoro]
...hey. I haven't seen you, and I think we should talk.

[Hmm. That was everyone she needed to talk to, right? Hopefully that was it. If it wasn't, she hopes she'll bump into people during the day. Like Sokka - an idea has occurred to her which needs discussing.]

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Pff - no. [She glances at him over her shoulder.] It just showed me it was possible. I had been - badly burned. And when I put my hands in the water, my bending took over - restored the skin, healed the burn in a few seconds.

[I'd been worried about the scars, worried the burns were deep enough that I'd lose feeling in my hands, scared and in so much pain...]

I'd never seen anything like it. I didn't even know what had happened until Jeong-Jeong - he was a renegade Fire Nation admiral - told me that some waterbenders had the gift. It just activated on its own - I didn't know what I was doing, or how it had worked.

That's some gift.

[Especially one she could stumble upon so easily, and that it would be as simple as breathing.]

Yeah. [Some gift.

Better than nothing, anyway.

Master Pakku would be so disappointed.]

Does it bug you?

[It's a nudge. He's still waiting for the point to you telling him that.]

A little. Not in the way you're thinking. [She looks away from him again.] I wanted to be able to stop people from getting hurt. Not fumble through fixing them up after.

[And after she'd fought her way in to try to be so strong - she would have been better in the healing huts with Yugoda after all. But not even the best waterbending could heal the kind of damage this place dealt out on a regular basis. She thinks of Nami and sokka and she shuts her eyes.]

So do that when you're there to.

[He says this matter-of-factually. Maybe it seems as if he's missed the point, or worse - that he got it and dismissed it.

It's neither of these things. He's just telling her her option as he sees it.]

[A hand goes up to rub at her eyes - shut-up, you saw nothing - before she turns to look at him over her shoulder again.]

What do you mean?

[ffff he really didn't this time]

This place is a pain in the ass, and it's not going to stop being one anytime soon. You're not always going to be able to there for your friends - that's just the way things are. It sucks and you can feel bad about it, but that's the way it is.

["They're bothering you too, aren't they."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"]

If you need to vent, that's one thing, but thinking about it isn't going to make you feel better. So don't dwell on it. Just help your friends where you can.

[Guess that flashbomb was good for something. 8|

...she looks away from him again and wraps her arms around herself. She didn't need to vent. She needs to get home.

But she is, unfortunately, stronger than this. She's seen her friends fall before. And she hates not being able to help them. The issue with Sokka is something else, but for the others...

...she just has to trust them.

...and if that doesn't work, she'll have to try again later. They're not allowed to give up. And neither is she.

And so, ignoring the still-sick feeling in her stomach, Katara turns around.]

There's someone I think you should talk to.

[What, this transition makes perfect sense in her mind.]

[They'll make it happen someday.]

Yeah. Whoever the hell made you those flash bombs. [...because he wants some. Easier model than the ones he carries.

From his tone and the half-smirk on his face, his vision's obviously improving, though.]

[Blink, blink. Okay, not where she was going with that at all - but the fact that he brought them up like this makes her feel a little lighter. She leans back on one foot, the tiniest bit of a sly smile actually managing to work its way onto her face.]

They surprised you, didn't they.

Tch. Ninja don't get surprised.

[He was surprised. 8|]

[Pfff.] Sure.

[She moves over and lightly prods the soul of his foot with the tip of her own.]

Can you see yet?

[Because if you hadn't been surprised you would have totally closed your eyes, right?]

Shuddup.

[Yes, he would like some cheese with that whine.]

Heh. [It's not much to gloat about, surprising him once. Not when he's won anyway. Still.]

I'm glad that part worked, at least.

Che, you would be. Why are all the girls I know so sadistic?

[You did good, though, is what he wants to say. He's not the type to repeat himself, however, especially when she's not interested in hearing it.

He meant what he said though. No one has ever tried that with him before in a spar - not Ino, or Chouji, or even Asuma.]

Edited 2011-05-19 07:06 (UTC)

[Hey, she's not sadistic! And she rushes to clarify.] The part where it surprised you.

[Because it did, ha, she knows it did.] You getting spots in your eyes was just a.. bonus.

[And she sobers a little.] I figured you could handle it.

[You told me not to hold back, after all.]

I can. [He tilts his head away from the sky to look at her - much as he can anyways. Her profile is a lot clearer now, at least.] Doesn't mean I enjoyed it.

You still won, so quit whining. [And yes, she's smiling and her tone's quite a bit lighter.

...what had she been about to say again?]

Yeah, yeah. [Back to the clouds again.] So you mentioned a guy?

I mentioned someone - [she's back to feeling enough like herself to be nitpicky about issues she was so recently reminded of] - but yeah, in this case it's a guy. His name's 'The Doctor' or 'Doctor' and we spoke over the journals. He sounded a bit... odd, but like he was familiar with the kind of things that happen to us here - people being taken from different parts in time, people being taken, period. I tried to sum up what we know here, but...

[But remember when they first met, the very first time, and she sat down and gave a New Feather a whole bunch of helpful but ultimately useless information? Yeah, like that. Only Katara has the spark of a hope that that particular New Feather never stopped accumulating more information. And that maybe, when he talks with someone who knows more about this type of situation... maybe they'd be able to figure something out.]

...I think you should talk to him too.

[Frown. Not because he's opposed to the idea - he's just thinking.

Rather than have them sit in total silence while he does, though, he tosses out a simpler question.]

The Doctor? That's it?

[She shrugs a little, watching him assessingly.]

That's what he said. [And, never one to wonder in silence for long...] Why, what are you thinking?

[He doesn't look at her.] That it's an interesting title.

[That it's two little words, little special about them - strung together like they're supposed to mean something. Like the person should be known by their title alone, because no one needs to know their actual name.

It reminds him of the Yellow Flash of his world, or The Professor. Or the Superman and Batman people seem to respect here.

Why he's called that is all that remains to be certain. Maybe he just made it up. Either way, a man who calls himself The Doctor, All Capitals, and claims to specialize in issues like the one they're dealing with warrants interest.]

It's a waiting game, getting useful information around here. There's not a lot I have to offer him. But I'll see what I can do.

[She hopes he knows that she wasn't directing him towards the Doctor just because of what the Doctor could learn. She thinks he does. And she gives him a little smile, slightly pained, mostly trusting.]

Thanks.

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