[ 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

[voice]

[redheaded_rock]

They were a lot of fun.

[voice]

[markofthebrave]

Do you want to get together later this week?

[voice]

[redheaded_rock]

Why not? I'd love to. Do you have something in particular in mind?

[voice]

[markofthebrave]

Not really, but things have been crazy and I haven't had a chance to come by and visit.

[She doesn't even know if you were effected by the love experiment or not.]

[voice]

[redheaded_rock]

Well, I solemnly promise not to cook you anything.

[voice]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara laughs at that.]

All right, it's a deal. See you after dinner tomorrow?

[voice]

[redheaded_rock]

You got it. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[And so, at the appropriate time, there is a knock on the door!]

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[And the answer is a muffled call of "It's open!" Alexis is inside, arms full of throw pillows, all brightly colored. She's in the process of switching out the lime-green ones she had scattered around the place for some pinks and purples and blues.

It was about time for a change.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[And in she goes.]

Hey, Alexis. [Blink, blink.] What are you up to?

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[She gives Katara a semi-sheepish look as she drops the pillows on the couch.] Redecorating? I wanted a color change.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

They're pretty colors. I especially like the blue.

[Shockingly.]

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[No, really?]

So do I. I might go with that one for awhile. Have a seat.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

Thanks. [And she does, sitting on the corner of the sofa.]

So... I didn't really see you the week of the love experiment. Was that... okay for you?

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[Alexis takes a seat, too, rearranging a few pillows as she speaks.] I kinda just hid out. I didn't get hit with it.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

That's... good. [A small smile.] I'm really happy for you, Alexis.

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

Yeah. Better than last year.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara nods.]

...Alexis. Back home... did you have anyone special?

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[There's a leading silence as Alexis plays with a corner of the nearest throw pillow.] Yeah. Ashley. We were kind of doing the long-distance relationship thing.

[New York and California had nothing on Luceti and Earth, though.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

Where did you meet?

[This is not one of the topics she and Alexis had previously discussed. It's not usually a topic on Katara's mind.]

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

[No, it's not. Some things, Alexis keeps close.] At school. He graduated and moved across the continent. We try to stay in touch, but sometimes it got pretty difficult.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She nods.]

So... did you still consider yourselves together, even after he moved?

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

Yeah, I did. We mostly managed to have some time to talk.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

And that's something, right?

[ action ]

[redheaded_rock]

It's the best we could do.