[ Action, Some Journal ] BACKDATED to the 11th .059

[markofthebrave]

[On April 9th, Katara had been told that she was an "error," and doomed to die by a boy with the face of the man she loved. As you can imagine, the rest of the day was not spent cheerfully; rather after wandering about for some time, Katara returned home to make dinner and then quietly excused herself to write some letters, and then bend into the early morning hours.

On April 10th, the sun rose on a Katara who was entirely herself, and the sudden onslaught of memories drove her to her knees. In the early hours of the morning, she wept beside the river, feeling inside out and torn apart and lost... eventually she returned to her room in order to sleep the sleep of the deeply exhausted.

She did not wake until April 11th. This was another slow day, where she read the letters her other self had written and decided not to give them out, ended up seeking some unlikely advice, and generally stuck to her schedule, feeling... strange.

But today? Today she woke up feeling a little more like herself. It was a Thursday, which meant meeting Nami for bo practice after school (which she... finally got back to attending, sorry Professor) and then made dinner. She may glance through the journal a bit more than normal; she may even contemplate attempting to contact someone, and... eventually, she does make two locked posts:]

[Written | Private to Robin]
Hey. I know you'll probably say you're fine, but I just wanted to ask how you were doing.

[Voice | Private to Wolfwood]
Do you have a minute?

[Later that evening, she'll be practicing by the river, under the light of a waning moon.]

Comments

[herotypical]

Gently: "Culture shock?"

[markofthebrave]

"It could have been worse."

A shade of pain passed over her face.

"I was there with a friend."

[herotypical]

"...Better than an enemy. Was it planned or by surprise?"

Because she and Jack, at least, had planned from the get-go to Shift together.

[markofthebrave]

"After Aang showed up, I decided I didn't want to go anywhere. It wouldn't have been right to risk leaving him here."

Despite how much she really, really wanted to go home...

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

[herotypical]

"...And they dragged you anyway. To a metropolis.

Who was the friend?"

[markofthebrave]

She set her shoulders, like someone about to say something painful. "I was with Masaomi."

...in so many ways, really.

[herotypical]

Her eyes narrowed. Just a little.

"But you were you when we ran into each other on the bridge so on the way back you must've..." Because Buffy had worked out how this Shift had functioned, by now. "He thought he was from your home, didn't he? That week."

[markofthebrave]

She nodded. "Yeah, he did. Just like you thought you were from Jack's."

[herotypical]

"...How was it? 'Cause I don't know about you. But mine was a little hellish."

[markofthebrave]

"It had its ups and downs, that's for sure."

...and apparently, since Buffy wasn't going anywhere - Katara gestured to the sofas in the living room.

"Do you want to sit down?"

[herotypical]

"Oh, no. I'm..."

She generally preferred to stand. But perhaps to do otherwise would be rude... "Alright. Sure. Dibs on a corner spot."

Buffy's steps were light and energetic.

[markofthebrave]

Katara followed and claimed the chair opposite. Now would be a good time to try to redirect the conversation, but really, she's a bit too fuzzed for that.

[herotypical]

"So," she paddled her way through the awkward. "Those earrings. Where'd you get them?"

[markofthebrave]

She touched one of the earrings in question. "Nami gave them to me when she pierced my ears. Toph had been..."

She hated how it was possible to be so casual about these atrocities.

"One time when she was mallynapped, she was returned without her bending, but with the ability to 'see' metal. We had to head out on a draft after that. I needed to make sure she could 'see' me."

[herotypical]

"...Practical," she remarked. "Remarkably practical for something so pretty. Two somethings so pretty."

[markofthebrave]

"I like them," her hand returns to her lap. "I probably never would have gotten my ears pierced if it hadn't been for Toph."

She shrugged. "It's not really a thing back home."

But it had been a precious thing to share with Nami.

[herotypical]

She touched her own piercings. Three in one ear, two in the other. "Is there a reason why it's not a thing?"

[markofthebrave]

Katara shrugged. "Well, in the South Pole, having bits of metal stuck in your skin would get really... cold. I saw a few people in the Earth Kingdom with earrings, but... they were pirates."

1/2

[herotypical]

Pirates.

[herotypical]

"...Of course they were."

[markofthebrave]

And Katara shrugged again. Sorry, Buffy. It's just how it was.

[herotypical]

You know, I fear this is gonna be one of those never gonna live it down things.

[markofthebrave]

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you were probably a better pirate than they were."

whoops then i unprosed too.

[herotypical]

Hah.

"I'll try and pretend that's a compliment."

oh no, the lack of quotation marks! >>

[markofthebrave]

"It'd think it's usually preferable to rob instead of be robbed, right?"