[ Action, Written, Video ] .057

[markofthebrave]

[Sneeze and you break it filter to CR at around 4 am this morning.]

I'm back. I'm fine. I hope everyone's okay. Good night.

[So then Katara wakes up much, much later and will be just puttering around the house for a while for those who are inclined to catch her in serious conversation. She sends notes to Trafalgar and to Gelda to let them know that although she's back she feels like she needs to take a few days off... she's still very tired, and as of yet not feeling like being around people.

All that changes, however, on Wednesday. She needs to get out of the house, she needs to do something life-affirming and fun... and isn't it fortunate that she's been working on building several insane monstrous intense snow tracks for people to go sledding on? She decides to go check on them and to bring her journal with them.

Finding that their structural integrity hasn't been too damaged without constant maintenance and that the cold weather still holds... she decides that today is the day to show them off.]

Hey, everyone - I've been working on something the past few weeks and if you like sledding then... [She trails off and flips the journal over so that the journal feed will reveal three sledding tracks. She's made good use of all the snow in the past month or so, the clearing is very nearly bare of it - instead, there is the very large one, made completely of tunnels and requiring snow-cut stairs to ascend and once dared will necessitate a few on-the-walls themselves turns, there is the slightly less large one that seems to be composed mostly of sheer drops, and there is the normal-sized one that is essentially one long spiral down to ground level.] then grab your sleds. Don't worry, I've had a few people test them and they've held up just fine! It's south of the barracks, by the river.

[OOC: If anyone wants to come sledding, please do! Threadjacks of all sorts are welcome!

Also, if I could get those who attend the school, work in the clinics, or attend combat medicine lessons to give this a quick glance and offer input, that would be awesome! \o/!]

Comments

[markofthebrave]

He said that? I never asked him to say that!

[Although... it's not like she'd have wanted everyone to know he liked her and had to turn him down. It's... embarrassing and private. At least he'd understood that, in his own strange way.]

But it's not like I wanted him to shout it from the fountain either. That's all him - both those ideas were all him. We never talked about what he could say or couldn't say.

[markofthewise]

Well, I kind of figured the fountain idea was his.

[markofthebrave]

[She shakes her head.] I still don't know why he felt like he had to do that.

[markofthewise]

He knows you're not interested, right?

[markofthebrave]

[And she looks down.]

Yeah. He does.

[Her hands twist the blanket between them.]

[markofthewise]

And he still thinks he has a chance?

[markofthebrave]

I don't know what he thinks.

[One more twist of the blanket before she - goes for it. She looks up.]

But I know that he wants to keep being friends... he wants to be there for me. [Which is a source of wonder for her, since people don't... tend to think that she needs that.] And I know he wants to try and change my mind.

[markofthewise]

[Masaomi... you are one strange, strange fellow. This is all confusing. He's not sure whether to be upset, concerned, confused, or not care.]

Change your mind? How?

[markofthebrave]

Get me to like him, I guess.

[There isn't really any guessing about it. He'd more than said as much. In fact, 'like him' is probably mild compared to what it was he said that he wants.

"Everything."]

[markofthewise]

And how is he going to do that?

[markofthebrave]

I don't know. I'm not sure he can, anyway.

[She squares her shoulders and meets his gaze, if... a little uncertainly.]

But if he wants to try, I did decide to let him.

[markofthewise]

Why? Because you don't want to say no? [Or because you're hoping he does?]

[markofthebrave]

No, I've said no to him plenty of times. [And it does get... wearisome. But if she wanted to stop having to say no, she'd just give him one final one and tell him to leave her alone.]

But he's my friend, and he can't help how he feels. [Even if it is... still hard to believe.] The least I can do is respect that and give him a chance.

[markofthewise]

[This is all just so... ridiculous. What is he even supposed to say to that?]

And keep giving him false hope? That's not fixing anything. You're just hoping for it to go away on it's own.

[markofthebrave]

I'm not giving him false hope! [She's scandalized. Don't mess with hope, bro.]

I tried avoiding him afterwards, but he hated that. He's still my friend, Sokka, what am I going to say - that he doesn't even have the right to try and change my mind? How is that fair? He knows I don't feel that way about him.

[markofthewise]

It's fair if he knows he doesn't have a chance, to stop bothering, and start looking elsewhere. Remember the bit about the secret crush? He only said that because you're the only one he's interested in now!

[markofthebrave]

I told him he could keep flirting! [And here's where some of Luceti's pain comes out.]

I know it's ridiculous that he's doing it even though he knows I don't like him, but is it so impossible to conceive that someone would want to focus all their attention on getting me to like them back?

[...because it kind of is. It doesn't make any sense.]

[markofthewise]

That's not what I mean! You should have someone like that. There's no reason you shouldn't. [Even if it's a bit relieving that she doesn't.] But that better not be why you're keeping Masaomi around, just because you don't. That's not fair to you or him.

[markofthebrave]

I'm not "keeping Masaomi around!" [Moon and stars, what did that even mean, it sounded horrible.]

I'm just not cutting him out! He's my friend, Sokka, should I have to lose that just because he started to like me and wants me to like him back? What would you do, if before Suki showed up one of your friends had confessed to you? Someone you trust, someone who relies on you - could you just cut off the friendship?

[markofthewise]

You can be his friend without being the object of his affection! If he's going to stop being your friend just because you say no, then what's the point?

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Wait, what?]

Where are you getting that from? I told you, he wasn't pressuring me!

[markofthebrave]

He's not going to stop being my friend, he's just... not going to let me... [She sighs a little. How does she explain this when she's not sure she understands it completely herself. It's just, when she'd asked him why he told her, how had he said it?]

...it's not like he told me he liked me just so I'd know. He wants things to change.

[markofthewise]

Well yeah, I picked up on the fact he wanted things to change. [So that Katara would be dating him.]

[markofthebrave]

So what am I supposed to say to that? "No, stop feeling that way?"

[She's not sure she understands your issue, Sokka. She's trying so hard to do right - why are you looking at her like that?]

[markofthewise]

[He sighs. He's not even sure what his own point is. He just doesn't like the fact Katara is letting it play out.]

I don't know.