[ 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]

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.

[generalflirt]

[Tap tap. Linda is rearing to fight man :C But he nods]

Stands to reason.

[markofthebrave]

And within those rules, you couldn't hold back. Not if you want it to work.

[Are you going to be able to fight me like that?

...but looking at the tapping of his baton, she's more disturbed than anything. He really came down here to fight her. And the way he fights hurts. He really came down here prepared to hurt her.]

[generalflirt]

[There's a tell as she says that. His body langue subtly shifts, becoming far less confident all at one moment. He tries not to shift too much... but

No, don't speak. Nod.]

[markofthebrave]

[She notices that shift, because she's watching him very closely, but she doesn't know what it means.]

And you're okay with that.

[generalflirt]

Aren't I supposed to be?

[He's evading. He's derailing. shikamaru said it was like that. he rolled with it. But Katara.

Katara...]

[markofthebrave]

[No. Yes. I don't know.

I don't want you to hurt me.]

All right. We could go best out of three. Ten second immobilization count.

[That should play to both their strengths without it becoming too horrible.]

[generalflirt]

[I don't want to hurt her.

I can't be this weak.

They both play out in his head as he closes his eyes, exhales, and nods]

[markofthebrave]

You're sure you want to do this?

[However, she raises her hands.

The request to spar is a fair request. If he wants to test himself against her, she'll let him. Even if it doesn't seem quite... fair.

But she sets it in her mind right now: She won't use ice. Other than that... she won't hold back either.]

[generalflirt]

Not really.

[his voice finally lets that out. And he opens his eyes, allowing them to focus on her. But he taps the baton one more time before spinning it. Well then, he'll just be ready too]

We'll see though, right?

[markofthebrave]

Ten second hold.

[She nods.]

Go.

[generalflirt]

[And... he's off. He starts off with what'll look like a straight charge at her, holding the baton as a club. He knows the water is going to come, but he can't know which way yet. He'll be ready to try to evade but...

Linda, meanwhile, isn't sure what to do. So she just runs with him]

[markofthebrave]

[And Katara simply takes the most expedient way of stopping both of them - she hadn't been aware that Linda was joining this fight two.

Moving both her arms UP, the snow directly under Masaomi's feet moves UP, and then moving her arms in a circular motion, the snow will pile up on either side to trap both their legs in a hard, compact mound.

Unless, of course, they manage to evade the move.]

[generalflirt]

[Masaomi, by a habit he picks up in the drafts, leaps off to get in the air. Ground-based shift-using TPs, you know. It might not be the best, but the timing makes him not get stuck. Linda, however, is far from that lucky. Masaomi's airborne thing only buys him a little time though, and while he's leaping forward, being the air makes you a target in and of itself]

[markofthebrave]

[It does leave him vulnerable, and Katara takes immediate advantage of that, flowing smoothly and with instinctive speed into a waterwhip which should coil around his legs.]

[generalflirt]

[...Shit. he can't do much more than try to kick out of it or perha[s wack the upper part with his baton to try to cut it off, but]

[markofthebrave]

[No, that won't work. By continuing to rotate her arm, Katara keeps the whip coiling around him with the force and strength of a fire hydrant's sudden release.

Once he's down, she'll start counting.]

1... 2... 3...

[generalflirt]

[He's still struggling. How does he get free, how does...?

...and idea hits him, but this is totally going to hurt. He turns to Linda in the midst of his squirming-]

Linda-! Try a thundershock?!

[...But that'll hit you? Plus she's stuck.]

...A light one?!

[...Well, okay. She gives off a shout and then is going to send electrical discharge flying in his and Katara's general direction]

[markofthebrave]

7... 8...

[...okay, he's really going to do that. Fortunately, or not fortunately, Katara. Can't. She can't stand by and let him get hit by this, even if she could escape to the side, even if it's a spar - it's electricity, and she just can't.

But she's got another hand that she could use. It will protect her, the way she's moving to intercept the thundershock, but will she be in time to protect him too. There's still plenty of water in her waterskin, so she shoots it out in a straight beam to intercept the electricity early on, but then, if she has time, it will spread out to form a watershield.

Meanwhile, she drops the count.]

[generalflirt]

[And he's still struggling, waiting, disappointed, and he... doesn't get shocked It's diverted well and he's completely helpless here. Dammit this is annoyin-

...He could throw the baton at her. Or kunai. He actually has several in this jacket and his arms are more or less free.

...But he can't bring himself to.

He lost the first round, clearly]