[ 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

[generalflirt]

They're... ah. [...shit, what are. He feels so stupid, holding this vase out like this int he snow. He blushes even further, generally descending into a place where he has no idea what he's supposed to say, which is a really bad place. And he still can't mention Ino because that would belittle it and...]

They're - well. A - ... Welcome home. Gift? Not home- ah. Err. Back from the mission!

[Kill. Him. Now. ]

1/3

[markofthebrave]

[There is no way on earth you expect her to buy that, right?]

[markofthebrave]

[Then again. He's not usually this... flustered. If this had been his idea to begin with or if he'd been trying to get something out of this, she's fairly sure that he'd be a lot smoother in his own special way.

And so he's trying to cover and hide and, well, do something nice.

Should she really press this?]

done

[markofthebrave]

[...probably. But not right now.

She reaches out to take them with a smile.]

They're beautiful, Masaomi. Thank you.

[...and she wonders, if it was an obligation, should it count as the first time a boy got her flowers?]

Re: done

[generalflirt]

[He tries to calm down his blushing. And hands over the vase with a little nod]

[markofthebrave]

[Great. What is she supposed to do with this?

Bowing her head towards them to check for fragrance is a stall for time - although they really are pretty - and. yeah. She's still stuck with a bunch of flowers in a vase in the middle of her sledding ground.

If she thought this was really his idea, she'd give them back to him with marching orders.]

I'll just. Go put them someplace safe for now.

[Or. Something. Maybe over by that far tree?]

[generalflirt]

Iiii... could take them back to your place? Or something?

[He might as well offer....]

[markofthebrave]

Head back without even trying one of the sledding tracks? [A grin as she lowers the flowers and shakes her head.]

[Besides. How in the name of eternity would she be able to explain Masaomi dropping off flowers for her at her house? Unless she told him to just go through the window and put them in her room and - no.

...man, how is she supposed to explain the flowers at all anyway.

Sigh. Man. She's probably got to clarify this, doesn't she.]

I'll take them, Masaomi, but just because you kept them all week and brought them out here. It's way too much.

[generalflirt]

What, I can't get you flowers?

[He was just being awkward about it, but now he just sounds slightly indignant]

[markofthebrave]

[She meets his indignation with a frown.]

Not and expect me to keep them. It's too much.

[generalflirt]

Flowers are like, the universal calling card.

[markofthebrave]

Yeah, well, in my universe they mean something slightly different then "hello."

[Light, engaging smirk.]

[generalflirt]

Oooooh~ So I'm saying something more direct, is it?

[markofthebrave]

[It's on the tip of her tongue to tease back, to dodge, to say something about how the language of flowers wasn't her specialty. But with her conversation with Sokka fresh in her mind, she can't help but deal with him soberly.]

You know you are.

1/2

[generalflirt]

[...]

2/2

[generalflirt]

M-mah~ No slack at all, that does seem Katara-like... I guess I might have been. But! You also accepted.

[markofthebrave]

Because it's not fair to hold you to things if I haven't said them yet.

[This with a little sigh. Way to go, Katara, the boy writes you a poem, brings you flowers, and comes sledding with you and you hit him over the head.

...and you're about to do it some more.]

I'm going to go put these down by a tree. Come with me? There's something I need to talk with you about.

[generalflirt]

As you command.

[He takes a more neutral expression and pose, nodding to follow her]

[markofthebrave]

[Her shoulders slump a little when he says that. That's not how things were supposed to be.

She's quiet as they walk for a bit, trying to figure out how to say what she needs to say, and doesn't speak until she's bending down to put the flowers at the base of a tree.]

I thought I should tell you... [and she straightens to look at him straight on] that I told Sokka you liked me.

[generalflirt]

[Surprise? Just a little. But...] Ah.

[Alrighty. So...] I thought that was my job.

[markofthebrave]

I'm sure that you'll still have to talk to him. [Not even touching on whatever would have to happen if she ever agreed to date him.]

I told him I was telling him just so he'd know, not because I wanted him to do anything about it, but... he's my brother.

[And Dad told him to take care of me. And I know that's what he's thinking.]

So I'm sorry if that will be a problem.

[generalflirt]

Ah...

[...Problem? Why would it? Well no, it does complicate things, he might kill him, he certainly disapproves of him. But try as he might, Masaomi can't muster up any anger. No indignation, not even fear because...]

...I'm an only child, but I think that seems to make sense.

[markofthebrave]

Yeah. After Dad left... [But she trails off. Shakes her head. He doesn't want to hear this, and it's not what she wanted to say.]

But that wasn't the only reason why I told him.

[generalflirt]

Uh...huh?

[markofthebrave]

[Her posture shifts. She squares her shoulders a little, her stance widening slightly, as a subconscious response to the tension, focus, and discomfort that she feels, she becomes combat-ready. And then swallows hard.

She doesn't want to deal with this. She doesn't want it to be happening. But it is, so Katara looks him straight in the eye.]

I didn't ask you why you decided to announce to everyone that you had a "secret crush." Or why you decided to draw that heart with a "K" on it in class that day. But even though we didn't talk about it, and I never said what I wanted you to say or not say about your feelings, it seems like you knew it would make me uncomfortable [hurt me] if everyone knew, if you made a joke about it.

And you were right. It would make me uncomfortable. But it's not because I'm embarrassed that you like me. It's because we both know that I don't like you the same way. And you're my friend, so I hate having to hurt you just to continue to be... me.

[She falters there, glancing down for a moment and swallowing again before taking a breath and looking back up at him.]

And somehow if everyone knew, that would make it worse. I'd feel like I was embarrassing you in front of everyone, that I was hurting you where people could see, and this - matters of the heart aren't something that I take lightly. [She shakes her head a little.] I'm just not that way.

But even with all that, even with how weird and hard this is, and even though I'm glad that you didn't finish writing my name on the board... I don't need his condolences. Not for you liking me. Hopefully you'll find someone who likes you back and we'll be able to stay friends and everything will work out but... the fact that you feel this way about me isn't something I'm embarrassed for my brother to know.

[Apprehensive, sure. Uncomfortable? Absolutely. And yes, embarrassing on a sibling level. But she doesn't think that Masaomi liking her should make her an object of pity. It's a precious piece of his heart he's offering to her, and she's sensible of that privilege.]