[ Action, Voice ] .058

[markofthebrave]

[Somewhere in all the excitement of the past month, it... sort of didn't occur to her that she's now been in Luceti for two years. That's had some time to sink in now, along with the new announcement and - home. Actually getting to go home. Even if it's just for a day...

...but then it means that the Malnosso were lying to them, doesn't it. They do have the power to send them home. And all this time, they'd said it was random...]

[Filter to those who had been here when she arrived: Two years back or more.]

Hey. I think that I just... wanted to apologize. I know that when I got here two years ago, I wasn't very respectful about all the things everyone had tried to do in order to get out of here. It must have been so hard to hear that then, and to keep hearing it from every New Feather that we get when we know that we've tried everything we could.

But we have to keep trying. What they're doing, no matter what they say, no matter what they promise us, is wrong. We can't give up hope that we'll find a way out - we have to keep looking. There's a difference between waiting and giving up, and I know it's hard, but so many of you are still doing that, still trying to find a way out while making things as comfortable as you can for all the new people who are stuck here as we are, and I admire that so much.

So, thank you.

[/filter]

[And then, taking a deep breath, she'll continue:]

And hey, if anyone was using the sled tracks I made, I haven't had a chance to check on them since the ice storm. I'll probably be decommissioning them tomorrow and just turning it all into a giant snow hill, so if you go out there, please be careful, all right?

[Thursday is one of the days Katara goes to spar with Nami, so after making this announcement after school, she and Nami will meet up by the river to do battle with their staffs. Feel free to stop by and watch these two sexy ladies practicing, if you like.

If not, after dinner, Katara heads off someplace she very rarely is. The remembrance garden. This place has always made her uncomfortable... she's not sure it's right, but it's... something. Better than those things that reminded her of gravestones. And the perfect place to pour over her journal, flipping back until she finds an entry of Aang. It's been so long since she's seen him... she's all but forgotten what he sounds like. She feels almost bad about it, but... she misses him so much and yet... it's easier not to miss him.

And eventually, when her time in the remembrance garden is done, Katara will return to her house for an hour or two of bending practice in the back yard.]

Comments

[mikangirl]

[Sparring is a great way of de-stressing, and so Nami starts off sparring with a faint smile and ends it with an out and out grin, flopping down in the snow at the end.]

Done. Time out?

[markofthebrave]

Deal.

[Katara is not quite panting but she and Nami have long-since passed going easy on each other, and she flops down beside Nami with relief, letting the bo fall from her hands.]

It's been a while since we've gotten to do that.

[What with you being all. Younger. And then gone.]

[mikangirl]

That explains why it was more effort than usual. Though you know, most people would say we're nuts for hitting each other with sticks out in the snow.

[On recent goings on, she has nothing to say. Well. Yet.]

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

That's...an awfully nice thing to hear, Katara.

[ voice ]

[markofthebrave]

[There's not much she can really say to that. But if it helped, she's glad.]

Thanks. I meant it.

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

I kinda get the feeling you tend not to say things you don't mean, anyway.

[Action]

[blessedbyfarore]

[After Katara's been in the memory garden for a little while, she'll find that someone has joined her - Link has turned up to do some gardening, generally quietly and unobtrustively so as not to disturb her.]

[Still, eventually he will speak up, offering Katara a smile.] It's a nice night, huh?

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara glances up over at Link, marking her place and closing her journal.]

It's warming up, yeah.

[Action]

[blessedbyfarore]

It'll be nice when the flowers start coming up properly, huh? [Sitting back, he brushes off his hands and gets to his feet.] And when the snow's gone.

action;

[dragoneer]

[Katara isn't the only one at the memory garden today. It's a place Hiccup has passed a lot and never really stopped at--thinking of the people he knew who had gone made him more homesick than just about anything.

But it's been three days since Astrid left. Three days of worrying and fidgeting and being engulfed by homesickness more than ever. That's why he's standing there now, a single galanthus plant in a small pot in his hands. And he just hesitates. This is a bad idea. Why would he think she'd even want him to plant a flower for her here? But the Pokemon on his shoulders is egging him on, chirping enthusiastically.

He's too preoccupied with his own indecisiveness to even notice someone else is there.] Yeah, yeah, I can hear you...

action;

[markofthebrave]

[Katara looks up at the other presence and - huh.]

Hey, Hiccup.

[She can't quite make out the Pokemon on his shoulder from her position, but she'll probably rise and join him in a few minutes.]

action;

[dragoneer]

[He jumps, but to his credit, it's not quite as emphatic as usual, even if it sets off a new chorus of chattering from the Pokemon into his ear.]

Oh--hey, Katara. S-sorry, I didn't--see you there.

[Voice]

[godbent]

No one's "respectful" about it.

[Which is her way of saying don't worry about it. This is partially because her own memories of two years ago are so disjointed from everyone else's she's not even entirely sure what "his" relationship with Katara was at that time and partially because... well. There's not anything to dwell on here]

[Voice]

[markofthebrave]

[She's kind of surprised to hear from Haruhi, but. Hey.]

I know. Annoying, isn't it?

[Because for every New Feather who thought they Knew Everything - she wished they did. But they didn't. And then they had to go and be insulting about everyone else who was stuck here, only to be stuck here themselves...]

[Voice]

[godbent]

Not half as annoying as people not getting facts straight.

[She knows she makes her own intuitive jumps. But if she got ten yen for everyone saying "the Malnosso brought you here" when all evidence has been saying the contrary... she would be very, very rich.]

[mistlegacy]

[At some point, Rydia needs a break from helping set up at the Welcome Center. Grabbing a mug of cider from the kitchen area, she then steps outside. For a moment, she's wrapped up in her own thoughts, but the sound of flipping pages catches her attention. She glances over, surprised but pleased at the company present.]

Good evening, Katara.

[markofthebrave]

[Seeing Rydia, Katara brightens.]

Rydia, hi!

[mistlegacy]

[Smiling warmly, she heads on over.]

It's nice to see you here. How have you been?

1/2

[generalflirt]

[Earlier in the day, Masaomi Kida sees these these two ladies practicing. He doesn't make a show of it and actually sees them from a distance. He settles into a position to watch them... admiring both (though hates off to whoever can guess which one he admires more). He considers going to talk to Katara but no, she's occupied and while he wouldn't mind interrupting, the fact is that there's something going on with someone connected to Luffy who may or may not actually be mad at him. No need to rock the boat. So after watching a long while he'll back off, walk away, smiling to himself.

It does, however, inspire him to look for her that night]

2/2

[generalflirt]

[From other times and such he knows when and of at least two places she practices bending at night. So he'll actually look at both as need be. Of note this night is the fact that A- Linda on top of his head, staticing up his hair. B) he's wearing the (repaired over christmas) ninja flak vest he more or less inherited from Shikamaru. Lalalala]

[voice]

[redheaded_rock]

The sled tracks were fun while they lasted. Thanks for doing that, Katara.

[voice]

[markofthebrave]

I'm glad you liked them! They were fun to build.

voice/filtered

[stilldontgotit]

Inspirational speeches, huh?

Well, the sentiment's nice. Better than being resigned to it, anyway.

voice/filtered 1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Wow, Riku, rude.]

voice/filtered

[markofthebrave]

[But, you know, calling him out on it kinda defeats the purpose of the post, so- she'll just be honest instead.]

I didn't mean it like giving a speech. I just... think it's important to talk about these things, and not lose focus on who we are and what it is that we've done just by keeping that knowledge for so long here.