markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .058

[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Of course you are. It's not like they had Pokemon back on Berk, right? Are you going to ask Gold about it?

I've actually been mostly talking to Silver about it. I actually started training with him a week or so before the whole, uh...Valentine's thing. Happened. Then I was only learning it for Toothless, but now it's extra relevant.

Oh, I see.

[Katara doesn't really know Silver. Not that she really knows Gold either. But still.]

Then I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. There are somethings that carry over from getting to know Toothless, but...there's a lot of new aspects and specifics, too. But I guess I'll get it figured out in time.

[...Hopefully.] What were...you doing here?

Oh, I... was just looking for a quiet place, for a little while.

[It's kind of embarrassing, actually.]

What about you?

I was...[Kyle picks up the little potted flower to show it to Katara.] I wanted to...plant a flower for someone. A--a friend of mine who was sent home recently.

[...]

It's a beautiful flower.

[A small smile as he picks up both his Pokemon and the pot with her.]

...Thanks. It--reminded me of her, so I thought...it might be a good idea. Just. So there's a reminder here. I guess that's kind of the point of a memory garden, huh?

I guess so.

[...]

Was she from your home?

[She saw that post of yours, even if she didn't get a chance to respond to it.]

[He nods slowly.]

Yeah. Someone...really important to me. I know I'll see her again sometime, but I thought it might be nice for this place to remember her, too. Even if she wasn't around for long.

It does sound nice when you put it like that.

[A slight smile.] Yeah. I guess I don't know much about planting flowers, though. Can I just put it anywhere?

Probably. Let me take a closer look at the leaves.

[As Ginko had taught her, some plants require more sunlight than others and you can sometimes tell from certain clues. She moves to inspect the plant.]

[He holds the pot out to her--planting is pretty much entirely foreign to him. Even if he does have a knack for taking care of living things, he's not sure if the things he's learning with Toothless and Kyle can really be applied to flowers.]

What can you tell by the leaves?

Sometimes you can tell how much sunlight a plant needs.

[She inspects it.]

You should probably plant this one nearer to bright light.

[He nods, glancing up at the sky and considering the angle of the building.]

Right. So...somewhere where it doesn't spend a lot of time in shadows is better, then?

[A smile.]

Yes, that's right.

Got it. Okay, so...[He moves around the edge of the garden, trying for a spot that he thinks will meet that requirement. He bends down near the dirt, indicating a spot.]

How about here?

That looks good.

[A nod as he and Kyle start scooping dirt out of the spot.]

Thanks, Katara. Maybe I'll actually have to look into gardening when it gets warmer. I haven't exactly ever done it before.

If Luceti's good for one thing, it's new experiences.

[A small shrug. She'd offer to help, but gardening is still... something precious to her.]

There are plenty of people around who I'm sure would be glad to help.

Really? I'll have to ask about it when the weather gets a bit warmer, then.

[He pats down the dirt with Kyle's help and--there. It's planted.]

It's a good feeling.

[She loves her garden.]

[He does feel pretty good about this. There--a way for this place to remember Astrid. He feels accomplished as he gets back to his feet.]

Thanks, Katara.

[ Action, Voice ] .058

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;