[ 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

[generalflirt]

...Nope!

[With a little pose. But he laughs, getting closer to yet. Okay, okay. Neutral and cool]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[This is a brief frown as she wonders if she really should push him to rephrase that and...

...take back the whole thing...

and make it seem like he wasn't just here to visit her...

or 'here for her.'

Sigh.]

[markofthebrave]

[Well. Fine.]

Nami saw you earlier today.

[generalflirt]

Wooow, Nami-chan's observant.

[Not that he was. hiding that much]

[markofthebrave]

[She winces a little at the familiar address for Nami, wondering how the older girl would take it.

Probably laugh and keep in mind the leg-breaking option.]

Pirate. [Shrug.] You could have come over and said hi then, you know.

[generalflirt]

I didn't want to throw you off your game, that's all.

[Waving a hand, dismissing that. It's in no way the truth, but it's not totally a lie per se]

[markofthebrave]

I think I would have been all right.

[Don't diss her game, man. 8| She's gotten very good at this.]

[generalflirt]

Noooot if you called time-out and cut into the overall match time.

[markofthebrave]

...point. So you decided to interrupt my bending practice instead?

[Not. Necessarily a winning proposition. JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE DOES IT...]

[generalflirt]

Actually... would you believe I'm here with an alternative?

[markofthebrave]

Really?

[generalflirt]

Really really. I've got a plan.

[and he motions for Linda to get off him and towards the ground. She'll scamper down. But the fact he's in the ninja flak jacket is indicative]

[markofthebrave]

[Mildly. Skeptical here.]

What is it?

[generalflirt]

I'm here to~ challenge you.

[markofthebrave]

[Say what?]

...come again?

[generalflirt]

Challenge you? [And he's going to reach into one of the jacket's many pockets, pulling out a collapse-able baton.]

[markofthebrave]

[...not as expected.]

Why?

[And she eyes that baton warily. This seems... so out of character for him, and his relationship with her, and Katara remembers very well just how fast and strong he is. Her posture shifts a little bit into an easily defensive stance. She's not sure what's going on, but if this is an experiment she will defend herself.]

[generalflirt]

Because... [And he waves his baton now, very lightly before settling it on his shoulder] Well, I wanted to test myself.

[markofthebrave]

[...so much caution here.]

Against me?

[Again unspoken is: Why?]

[generalflirt]

More specifically, against your bending.

[He answered, sheepishly]

[markofthebrave]

[Hesitantly:]

Okay... what brought this on?

[She's not saying 'no,' but. Even with that baton, Katara is fairly confident she can take him if she's using her bending. And she doesn't much see the point of enforcing that.

This has the potential to change their relationship too, if she were to go all out on him, and vice-versa, and Katara is aware of that... and not sure she can TAKE any more changes to their relationship.]

[generalflirt]

Well, if you forgot, I beat Shikamaru-kun. What's more...

[He glances at Linda. she looks back at him. He sighs and shifts the position of the baton on his shoulder. He thinks back to what Gold has said. What Silver has said. What Mewtwo warned. And he adopts a serious, if very off expression]

...Linda's going to overpower me eventually. I want to keep up a little.

[markofthebrave]

I didn't forget that.

[Her tone is quite serious. She hadn't even been particularly surprised at that.

She glances at the Pokemon... electricity. Yes, if Linda learns how to channel that, it will be more than Masaomi's current level, in some ways.]

I'm still not sure this is a good idea.

[generalflirt]

Okay, soooo... what would make it a good idea?

[Let's put the ball back in her court. Baton tap, tap]

[markofthebrave]

I'm not sure. [Curse him, now her brain is scurrying for solutions.] We'd have to set some ground rules.