markofthebrave | [ Action, Video ] .051

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[ Action, Video ] .051

[Toph's taken. Masaomi's gone. Shikamaru and Nami and Chopper are all still gone. Suddenly using the rest of her free time at the beach as Katara has been seems to have lost its appeal completely. She needs to be doing something. She's had this on her mind for a while, but... this just brings everything to a front.

She makes this post shortly before her regularly scheduled practice time - just about seven o'clock.]

Hey, everyone. My name is Katara. I'd like your attention for something serious for a minute. I've been here for about a year and a half now, and there are some things about Luceti that are really great which are easy to take for granted - like the grocery store. But a few weeks ago you all saw how easily things in Luceti can change. [And they did change, once. Last August. But she's not trying to scare people here.] And the drafts have changed as well, so that those who go out might have to either carry or catch their food supplies. So I thought I would offer to see if anyone was interested in lessons on how to live off the land.

I know plenty of people who could teach hunting, and back in my village at home I learned all about how to prepare game and use every part of the animal so that nothing was wasted. If anyone's interested I could teach that, along with different ways of cooking outside, and give some basic lessons what kind of plants are and aren't good to eat.

[She tries - and succeeds - in attaining a more cheerful tone now.] And I thought that maybe at the end of the month before school starts we could go on a camping trip with everyone who wanted to learn! This way we could all test out what we've learned and have some fun too. If you're interested in learning or teaching, or if you have any questions, just let me know.

[And Katara will keep her journal opened for the next two or three hours as she alternates between answering it and going through her bending forms. She'll remain mostly off-camera here, but since it's opened it won't be hard to see the outline of the barracks or occasional glimpse of a girl waterbending.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...and why are you still ignoring?]

Uh, I guess we... [Yeah. No.] Hey, Katara. Wanna look at me when I'm talking to you?

[No, no she doesn't.]

I'm practicing. I can hear you just fine.

[Because you - the other you - had this unfortunate ability to read her when she was this upset. And she's not sure what would be worse, really, if you did the same... or if you didn't.

So just go away.]

I can see that. You're practicing being pissed off. Did I do something or is this--

[He cuts himself off as it occurs to him. Oh. Oh. Should have known, considering he reacted by nearly setting a few things on fire.]

... Or is this about Toph?

[Ugh. She continues bending, however.]

Go away, Zuko.

Uh, no. I don't think so.

[She turns her head to glare at him.]

You're interrupting my practice time.

[Said with all due gravity of this extremely serious offense, naturally.]

Right. The practice time you have every day for hours on end. I'm trying to talk to you about this survival training thing. I would have thought you'd be at least mildly interested, given it's your idea and all.

[See that glare, Katara?]

[The only glare she is concerned about here is her own.]

I already told you - no one's interested! There isn't any point in talking about it, so drop it and let me get back to practicing in peace!

I'm interested and I want to talk about it. That not enough?

There's nothing to talk about. [Go away!

And. Yeah. A master waterbender totally wouldn't lose control of her water and splash a whole bunch right by you before picking it up and continuing her movements. Of course not. Control is essential.]

[Zuko takes a step back from the splash and then looks at her with narrow eyes.]

Right. Nothing.

[Turning her back on you is clearly the wise and mature thing to do here.

...don't look now, but she might be breaking at the edges.

And maybe if you were the Zuko-who-had-really-been-her-friend she'd have turned to you instead. But you're not, and the only thing that isn't horrible in Luceti right now is that she can feel the flow of the water - if more faintly than she should - pulling at her senses and responding to her movements.]

[Of course it is. Zuko's impressed by this level of wisdom and maturity. It pulls at him, the way she turns away from him. He'd hoped they were actually getting toward a point where she'd do the opposite.]

You're not the only one worried, you know. [It's probably not the most reassuring thing he could say, nor is it the most sensitive. He knows that, but Zuko rarely stoops to things like petty reassurances. Life's too difficult for that. Sometimes things just aren't all right. It doesn't matter how often or how loud one says differently.

Sometimes, it's just not. This could be one of those times.]

This place sucks. I get it. I figured that out quick. You need to be out here, dealing with it like this? I get that, too. I even get needing to be alone.

[A pause. He feels like he's either going to make or break a friendship in this one instance and it's not a good feeling.]

But don't lie to me about what's got you upset and don't take it out on me.

[He turns to go.] I'll leave you be.

[...

Isn't she allowed one moment where she can put the way she feels over everyone else's?

'You're not the only one worried-' she knows that. What is she supposed to do, go around and hold everyone's hand? Again? Haven't they adjusted enough by now that she could--

--that wasn't being fair.

You don't get to choose when not to care.

She streams her water into her waterskin and turns around, still not happy but... conciliatory.

...at least a little.]

Zuko, wait. I didn't lie to you. [And she clearly doesn't appreciate the accusation.] You never asked me if I was upset. You came out here to talk about the survival training and I told you - no one's interested.

[And you kept pushing.]

But you're right about one thing - I shouldn't have taken anything out on you. I'm sorry for that.

[Zuko takes the reproof with nothing more than a nod. Yeah, he can see where that was true. He hadn't asked after all. Still... ]

It's pretty obvious, Katara. [It's said a little stiffly. He's trying very hard to remain civil.]

You wanna talk or spar or something, you can find me.

[Apology accepted. With that, Zuko walks away.]

[Go running after him if she wanted to talk? Hmph! If he cared to hear anything she'd have to say he would have asked her.

He didn't even accept her apology!]

Jerk!

[...

... ... Jerk?

Zuko stops mid-step and spins around.]

What are you--? I offered to help!

You called me a liar! And then when I apologized, you just walked away!

After I offered to talk or spar! I'm sorry. Was that not good enough?

[He thought that was the acceptance of an apology?

Boys!]

You offered to talk or spar if I went after you to find you! And then you just walked away! What - did you think I hadn't been through enough today that you had to invite me to beg too?

[... What?]

I was giving you the time alone you seemed to want! If you want to put words in my mouth, try putting the right ones there!

[...oh.

Well.

He had a point.

Not about 'putting the right words' in his mouth, that was just silly. But about him giving her the space she'd just spent the past few minutes demanding. Far be it from her to admit that though.]

Fine. You want to spar? Let's spar.

[Better move fast, Zuko, because Katara's already streaming water out of her waterskin. It's the evening, so her bending is at an advantage. But in the barracks, she only has the water in her waterskin, and in the air itself. Try not to burn anything down. 8|]

[Halfway through her sentence, he figures out what she's about to do. It gives him that precious second he needs to dart to the side. No fire, not yet. He wants to see what she'll do.

... It occurs to him that they probably shouldn't spar right now but... well...

She started it.]

[Oh - she's angry. She's very, very angry, make no mistake. This is one upset waterbender.

But she's still in control. She doesn't pull out any big moves or lose her focus, simply redirects the water back towards him a little faster.]

[Angry and focused.

... That sucks. As he's calling up a wall of fire to defend himself, he speaks.]

I offered to talk too.

[Because. Really. This wasn't quite what he had in mind.]

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