markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .055

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[ Action, Voice ] .055

[These decorations have been up for a few days now, and while at first Katara thought they were pretty they have now succeeded in making her grumpy. Yes. Very grumpy. Grumpy enough to make a post about it, in fact.]

How do they expect us to sleep with all these lights in our window? I've put a double curtain over it, and the light is still keeping me awake. Does anyone have any ideas?

[You might catch some muttering about: "Moving to sleep down in the basement" or "It's not too cold to camp out in the forest" before the journal shuts. She'll get back to it in a little bit, she just needs to finish making the grocery list.

Once she finishes with any replies that she may receive, Katara heads into town. The lights really are pretty. And so are the wreaths and the snowmen and the... unfamiliar sprigs of green over the doorway to the grocery store really kind of... isn't. Why is that even there? Katara pauses underneath it to examine it more closely...]

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[She sighs and streams the water back to the water fountain at the foot of her bed.]

It's polite to use it. And it scares people less.

You're not scared now, are you? [Startled, sure. But that's generally part of the point.]

[...this conversation is going to be more trouble than it's worth, isn't it. She can feel herself starting to get unaccountably cranky, and puts it up to lack of sleep. She's not going to indulge in the mood, though. He doesn't deserve that.]

No, I'm not scared of you. But if I hadn't waited you'd be dealing a face full of ice right now.

[All the same, she goes to sit back on her bed. And then smiles at him a little.] Come on in. Welcome to my room.

[It's a spare sort of room, without many of the vanities you'd expect of a young girl with infinite access to a ton of stuff. There's nothing on her walls. There's not more than a brush on her vanity. The one indulgence seems to be a thick rug next to her blue bedspread, for the shielding of bare feet against the stone floor. Yes, stone. Most of the houses in Luceti just have wood, but as Robin may have noticed when he visited before, kitchen and living room have been paved with stone and this trend appears to continue throughout the rest of the house. If Robin watches very carefully, then he'll notice that on one of the far corners of the room the pattern is a little different. Also out - in a way that it normally isn't - is her koto. There's a scattering of papers on her desk, but of that scroll she once told him of, no sign. Have a seat on the vanity or desk chair, if you like.]

You're not that kind of person. [He settles down backwards on the desk chair.]

[The room is the kind of place Robin expects from someone who's been here as long as Katara has. She's taken the time to make it resemble a home, while keeping it impersonal enough to denote a space she hoped to vacate quickly.]

But you're right. It is bright in here.

[It's true. She's not that kind of person. Still, it's a heck of a risk to take and just plain rude, and so she's not quite willing to let this go. Instead, she gives him a dour look.]

Yeah. They have two big wreaths with all these lights right by my windows. Which I'm sure you saw as you came in - what if I'd been changing?

[Yeah he's just going to ignore that last question, particularly since he'd considered that sort of thing was a big part of the appeal several years ago. He's much more mature now. ~~Unless we're talking about Ororo. Which we are not because that is private.~~]

It's a lot of light, but not impossible to block. [He presents her with the carefully-folded cape he'd promised. He reasons that if the thing can block acid, it could probably handle some artificial light.]

[~~Robin, you pervert.~~ And it is probably a good thing she doesn't know about Ororo, as she'd likely tease him about it.

As it is, he gets the flat look for ignoring her question. She understands about self-preservation, but this place has taken a lot from her and she'd like to keep her modesty if she can.]

[You're just lucky you come bearing presents. She looks curiously at the cape and then comes off her bed to take hold of the thing. It's surprisingly... just like a cape.]

You said this is made out of metal?

[Nobody knows about Ororo. That's what private means.]

It's.. [How to explain it in a way Katara would understand.] Metal's a part of it, yes. Just try it.

[Just. Staring at it. She then flexes it a few times, getting a feel for the fabric. She wonders if Toph would be able to bend it, and a shadow crosses her face at the thought. She shakes her head, trying to get back on track and not think about what could be happening to Toph right now.]

I'll give it a try.

[So she heads on over to the window nearest to her bed and begins fussing with the cape. And when it does go up, that sight of the room is, in fact, cut off from the outside light.]

[Her shoulders slump in relief.]

Oh thank goodness.

[And she turns around to face Robin and smile at him. It's a very relieved and happy smile.]

Thank you, Robin.

[Well of course it works. Robin's plans always work.]

No problem, Katara. Aren't you the one always going on about how important it is to get a good night's sleep? [Or maybe it's everyone else. Robin hears a lot of lecturing about his sleep habits.]

Maybe. It sounds like me.

[She shrugs a little and then glances at her bed, actually considering a nap. Write this day down.

...but you asked for it, Robin.]

How's that going for you these days?

[...He really should have seen that coming.]

I'm getting enough. Honestly, it's been easier for me since all these lights came up. [It's almost like there's Christmas Cheer or some silliness.]

[That makes... no sense to her whatsoever.]

Really? [Yup, still can't process it.] Why?

Edited 2011-12-20 03:58 (UTC)

No idea. [He shrugs, not really concerned with why he's not looking into it.]

It's just... Really nice around the village lately. It sort of reminds me of home.

You have a lot of lights like this back where you're from?

[That would at least make some sense. It's not that Katara forgot about Christmas, you see. It's just... not really something on her radar.]

This is nothing compared to what I'm used to. [There's some gesturing now, as his enthusiasm grows.]

I've always lived in big cities, where there's always someone awake, and the lights go on for miles. And when I was a kid, I'd try to sneak out at night so I could sleep under the brightest stuff, just for the adventure of it.

[She grins, leaning forward a little in response, as his enthusiasm is contagious.]

I can't imagine anything like that! The closest we got to living in a city was in Ba Sing Se, and it didn't have anything like this. Were they all electric, like in Luceti?

Edited 2011-12-20 04:33 (UTC)

[He nods] Just about everything back home is powered by some kind of electricity. [Except the more high-end work, but he's not sure how to explain Plutonium without putting her to sleep.] I think it's the closest people can get to keeping the sun up all night long.

And then, around this time of year some people compete for who can set up the most lights outside their homes. It's a way to show their celebration for the holiday.

...having the sun up night long isn't as exciting as they seem to think. [But then she shakes her head, dismissing that.] What do the lights have to do with celebrating?

The lights mean a lot of different things to a different people. There are some cultures that use the lights to symbolize candles their ancestors used during hard times. Some decorate a green tree and decorate it with lights to celebrate the new year to come. It's just... Festive, I guess.

[customs and festivals and symbolism, oh yay! These are things Katara likes and can relate to.]

That sounds nice - practical, too. It gets dark quickly this time of year. Still, it's a nice tradition. I'm glad you have it.

[Luceti never regurgitates any of their world's traditions. It must be strange for something to feel like home so far away from home.]

[Less strange than some of the places he's visited at home, honestly.]

What do your people do for holidays, Katara? [Maybe he can bring some of her culture here and share some of that irrepressible holiday cheer that won't go away.]

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