markofthebrave | [ Action, Written, Video ] .057

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[ Action, Written, Video ] .057

[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/!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's okay. [And the way he says that, he doesn't sound upset.] We're just skipping some steps.

[But she doesn't appreciate the implication that she wouldn't say what she means. Or that she would keep something like that from him.]

You don't sound surprised.

[You sound like you expected it.]

To be honest... I was anticipating it shortly after the fact.

[Geeze, that's cold. And Katara is from the South Pole, she knows cold. But because of the (some would say 'idiotic') faith she has in her friends, she doesn't automatically construe that as Shikamaru Making a Choice or even gleeful for the excuse.

She just asks a question.]

Why?

[He shrugs.]

You guys have a lot to work through. You usually visit a lot. But if you kept coming over, you'd either have to deal with him more than you're comfortable with right now, or ignore him.

You're not the type of person to treat yourself or others so unfairly. It was an easy conclusion.

[Katara frowns.]

So you're okay with that.

[Or are we talking 'side benefit' here, because right now she's not sure.]

I understand it. There's a difference.

So you're not okay with it.

[Why can't boys ever say what they mean?]

Isn't that what I said?

[Why can't girls ever read between the lines?]

Is it?

[Because girls aren't telepaths, gosh!]

[INO IS.

And how troublesome. He's just going to give her a look here, eyes widening and slow nodding as if to say 'yes, you silly woman'.] It's the implication.

[Katara is tempted to reach over and flick his forehead. You don't have to look at her like she's an idiot when she's just trying to get a straight answer from you, gosh.]

Dealing only with implications has been getting me in trouble lately. [Or rather: not dealing with implications. But. Details. And she sighs a little. She doesn't need him to say it now, that was clear enough.]

And I'm not entirely happy about it either. [Your apartment was a safe place, Shikamaru. Now it's the farthest thing from that.]

But I don't really see any alternative, do you?

Edited 2012-03-02 20:52 (UTC)

[He shrugs.]

No point looking for one. Even if you stop coming over, I see you in other places, so it's not like we're not hanging out anymore.

[He leans back in his seat, only seemingly now remembering his cocoa. Oh well, he'll drink it anyways. With an easy smirk:] It'll be troublesome, but I suppose I can come out here more often if I have to.

Well, I hate to make you come out of your way... [with a wry smirk that then softens] ...but you're always welcome here.

[Slowly drinking from his cup here - he lowers it with an eyebrow raised.] Do I always get hot chocolate when I do?

[He remembers a few cups last year when he was sitting in this spot. Vaguely. He was kind of a kid at the time.]

[She laughs.] If you like. I can even dig up the mini marshmallows.

[She vaguely remembers you being fond of them.]

But I'm not promising pai sho.

[Marshmallows are a pleasing suggestion.]

C'mon, why not. It's been over a year.

Because, shockingly, losing isn't that fun.

[...but before they can get too far from the topic, there was one thing he said that she wanted to address.]

...but just so you know, it's not because Masaomi and I have things that we need to work out. I think we're pretty clear on where we stand.

[Hasn't anyone told her the fun is just in playing the game? But fine, he'll save that for another day, humming in acknowledgment of her opinion on this situation with Masaomi.]

Are you sure on that?

Yeah, I think so.

[And she looks down because... this is hard, and weird, and because she's not a little ashamed to be in this position, where she's hurting a friend.]

I know that he wouldn't mind if I came by - he'd want it, even. But he keeps trying to change my mind. [My heart...] And... he's got that right. He's my friend, I wouldn't want to tell him that he can't try to... [gah, so awkward and painful and embarrassing] win me over.

But I don't want to be [and there is the slightest inflection on her words to show that they're not entirely hers] keeping him around or giving him false hope. And even if I'm trying to stay open, I hate having to turn him down and I don't want to set myself up - set either of us up - for more of that.

[His eyes narrow a little at the way she says some of that.

But I don't want to be... keeping him around or giving him false hope.

It doesn't sound right coming from her, so he'll assume it didn't. On the one hand, he doesn't agree with it, but on the other he's glad. It means she's at least talked to somebody else about this before him.]

More than you'll have to, you mean.

Yeah. [Still looking down.] That's exactly what I mean.

[And then she looks up, smiling wryly.] Don't worry. I'm not going to be avoiding him.

[They'd hashed that issue out already and this is her wry acknowledgement of the fact that you very well may have heard it all.]

I figured not. [Confirming that.]

You don't have to worry about misleading him, either. He's not like a dog you're taunting with scraps. [A pause... And he tilts his head, sticking his pinky in one ear.] Well - he is a dog. But he gets into that shit on his own.

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