markofthebrave | [ Action, Accidental Video, Voice ] .054

[Today, after the typical Saturday late morning house-cleaning and laundry doing, Katara heads into town. She's got grocery shopping to do, true, but she has another more specific destination in mind: The Flower Shop. You guys carry seeds for trees, right?

Thus armed, she will head back home, ~~steal~~ borrow one of Sokka's canoes, and head up to the nearest lake. Once there, she intends to use Faren to plant and strengthen the tree seeds in order to replace the tree she dessicated in her last spar with Shikamaru. She may even give into the urge to jump into the lake and go for a swim.]

[Accidental video:]

[In fact, regardless of whether or not there's company there for her to plant the tree or go swimming, the urge to just jump into the lake is one she is going to give into. The fact that it is an urge, though, prompts her to be less than careful as she strips off her waterskin, belt, and pouch which holds her journal, causing it to jostle opened as it lands on the ground. Fortunately, the fates are kinder to her than they could have been and the video function is not pointing directly at her. Just enough, though, to see her back as she shimmies out of her overtunic before Katara steps out of the camera completely. There will shortly be the sound of a loud SPLASH. And then the video just records the sky and perhaps a loud "EEP." That water is cold. This will probably be a very short swim.

Later, at home and over a cup of tea, she sets up a voice message.]

[Private: to Robin]

Hey, the experiment's over. When do you want to come over for dinner?

[If you hoped she would forget, masked man, your hopes were in vain!

As always, feel free to bump at her in town, on her way out of it, or even at home or the lake!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He glances back at her.]

Not closely. If someone's living there, I don't want to explain why I'm there. [Snooping around.]

[She looks over to the house.] I don't think anybody is...

[She turns to him with a grin.] Let's go see!

[And "No" is not really an acceptable answer.] Race you!

[She takes off running.]

[He doesn't react quickly at all to Katara's decision to run off. He wasn't expecting it, and he wasn't sure how to react.

And, needless to say, he was speechless for a moment.]

[But Walter snaps out of it with a shake of the head.]

--Really?

[He doesn't know why he runs after her ... but he does. Maybe he feels a little affronted by that head start. Or maybe it's that competitive side of him that doesn't get out much anymore.]

[Yes, really. Come on, Walter. Everyone loves a race! Better run fast, she is not above 'cheating' by running on the water if she has to.]

[Between the head start and some stumbling on Walter's part (not to mention he doesn't know when Katara intends to stop racing), Walter lags a few feet behind her. They're not all that far from the house when Walter slows down more.]

Stop! That's enough!

[His tone isn't as sharp as it can be, but he clearly isn't intent on finishing the race.]

[She turns, nearly there.]

Come on, we're almost there.

[He sighs, sounding vaguely annoyed. He'll at least stride the rest of the way.]

...This is completely unnecessary.

Not everything has to be completely necessary. Don't you think it will be interesting to find out if someone is living in the house which you built?

Interesting isn't the word I would use for it. I would be better off not knowing so I don't have the sudden urge to kick them out. [If someone was in fact living there.]

[She gives him a wry look that's mixed with understanding and humor.] I promise I'll drag you out if I see you start to have the urge to say something rude. [And before that has a chance to sink in and really aggravate him--]

But look - I don't see any signs of people near here. The grass is pretty high and it doesn't look like anyone's walked over here in a while. Besides, aren't you interested to meet someone who would have wanted to live all the way out here by themselves? Maybe you'd end up having something to talk with them about.

[Yeah, there is only a small pause for him to respond before she will resolutely start towards the house again. You can't just stalk a house you're curious about, Walter. You have to go up and knock on the door! ~~And this is why Sokka will be bald before he's thirty.~~]

[He gives Katara an odd look at her promise, as he's ... literally never had someone offer to drag him out of a bad situation of his own making. To him, it's strange to think of, let alone hear aloud.

And that look lingers long enough to fill that small pause before Katara starts towards the house again, leaving Walter to attempt to bridge the gap between them to grab her arm. ~~If he had more time to grouse about it, he would wonder how her brother dealt with this kind of behavior.~~]

This is hardly how I would want to meet someone.

[Katara drops her gaze down to Walter's hand on her arm in a way which suggests he let go as soon as she shifts backwards - which is what she does immediately after that.

~~And since this conversation will go differently depending on whether or not he lets go, I am going to pause right here!~~]

[Walter only keeps his hand on Katara's arm long enough to make her stop before letting it drop; as much as he is ready to use force when necessary, he doesn't make a habit of manhandling girls.

His expression is stern, but he doesn't say anything. He's frustrated that it took this much to make her pause.]

[She steps back to face him.] I don't think you normally want to meet anyone. And if you don't want to come along, you don't have to. But I don't see what's wrong with going up to a house and knocking on the door.

[ Action, Accidental Video, Voice ] .054

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