(no subject)

[markofthebrave]

[Action: Locked to Nephry]
[It makes no sense for a known and proud waterbender to step out of the fountain in the middle of winter and remain soaking wet. But yet, that is exactly what she is doing: getting out of the fountain, her arms wrapped around herself, shivering, and looking both confused and frightened... and younger. About three years younger, to be exact.]

[Open action.]

Katara, properly attired to face the winter thanks to your friendly neighborhood Clothing Shop, can be seen:

a) Stopping and staring at the snow, as if she hasn't seen any in a very, very long time
b) Entering the Welcome Center to get the maps/layout of the place
c) Stalking House 56. She will not enter. She will likely not be seen, as she is administering a frightening amount of skill at sticking to the shadows, but you might catch her as she starts to walk away...
d) Checking out a Community Building for a spare room.

((Katara, returned from her mallynap, is experiencing this AU. Feel free to bump into her anywhere, but don't be too surprised if she doesn't respond to her name. It's been a long time since she's called herself anything Water Tribe.))

Comments

a

[savedtheworld]

[It had been a struggle to look upbeat ever since Katara was kidnapped. And today looked no different - he had spent most of it in solitude in the forest.

And on his way back, suddenly... there she was. He couldn't pick up on the differences yet. But it was unmistakably Katara. And his face was brightening up like those lights sometimes do at the South Pole.

He's rushing towards her.]

Katara!

[markofthebrave]

[And Katara tenses, but she just keeps walking away. Surely he's talking about someone else.

At least, that's what she hopes is coming across.]

[savedtheworld]

[He feels some strange pang when she walks off. There are many possibilities... but mabe she didn't hear him. That's what Aang will choose to believe.]

Katara, it's me! Aang!

[And he speeds up, too, to try to catch up with her, ready to skid to a halt if/when he passes her.]

[action]

[silversnowfall]

[If only she could think to herself that it's not something you see every day around here. Nephry is surprised to recognize the girl standing there dripping in the plaza, nonetheless.]

Is that you, Katara? [Maybe it had something to do with her water abilities.] You must be half-frozen.

[herotypical]

...Perhaps she'd stopped and stared at some of that snow just outside of House 7? At the sight of her, Buffy paused on her top porch step. Then -- as the chilly wind picked up -- she huffed a sigh.

"Hey. You. Thousand-Yard-Stare-Gal. You wanna come in?"

She'd been about to pick up some necessities but -- ah -- she hasn't seen Katara in a while.

[markofthewise]

Sokka hadn't quite got the memo that Katara was back. So it's after leaving the smithy, he spotted the back of what looked familiar to him just outside the Welcome Center. Oh, it wasn't the same as how Katara usually wore her hair, but it was enough to make him approach out of curiosity. When he felt reasonably sure it was her, he reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Katara?"

[bloodbending]

[She doesn't know any Aang. And she hasn't gone by Katara in a long, long time. But if this place is what that lady said it was...

She paused and looked at him.]

Are you talking to me?

[action]

[bloodbending]

[The girl who used to go by Katara froze - almost literally, her lips were turning blue.]

I'm so-so-sorry, you mah-mah-must have me confused for someone else.

[bloodbending]

The girl who called herself Anji jumped, startled. She turned cautious blue eyes towards the woman with the strange colored hair, "Oh - no. No thank you. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

And she bowed in the proper Fire Nation way, one fist directly under an upraised hand, and turned to avoid trouble.

[bloodbending]

By this time, she was tired of being mistaken for herself. What kind of place was this where she just went out and told everyone who she was? Nothing made any sense.

So when the stranger touched her shoulder, Anji jumped, startled, and recoiled, "Don't touch me!"

[savedtheworld]

[He looks down at her, his smile starting to fade. He doesn't yet realize the significance of having to look down to face her... and he doesn't quite notice all the physical changes yet. Trying to focus on just her being here, being back. And maybe trying not to see the truth on some level.]

O-of course, silly. Who else would I be...?

[markofthewise]

He pulled back his hand in surprise. It startled him to hear her voice like that. They'd fought, but he'd never heard her sound like that to him. More than that, he could see that she looked even more different than he expected. She was younger, but at the same time, so much more tired and older looking. Something was clearly wrong.

"Relax. It's just me."

[bloodbending]

Seeing him made her take another half-step back. He looked almost like how she remembered her father. Younger, but the resemblance was unmistakable.

Careful. She had to be care--

"Well, I don't know who you are, or who you think I am, but that doesn't give you an excuse to just go around touching people!"

[markofthebrave]

Somebody named 'Katara,' I guess. You've got the wrong girl. Excuse me.

[And she made to hurry past him.]

[markofthewise]

I don't know who you are. He slumped a little, with the kind of weariness that came from a life in Luceti. It wasn't the first time his sister had her identity taken from her. He didn't even have to question it. After all, he had her journal sitting on his dresser from when he found it after her kidnapping. All the same, somehow this felt worse.

"I think you're my sister."

[action]

[silversnowfall]

[It looked like Katara. Less weathered by time in Luceti, and shivering, but-

Stranger things had happened. Nephry gave the girl a friendly smile and pulled off her coat, holding it out.]

My mistake. That doesn't change how cold you are, though. Here.

[markofthebrave]

She backed away another half-step, her eyes wide.

"No, you're wrong."

1/2

[savedtheworld]

[He spends a moment looking after her in stunned silence, taking some shallow breaths as he took in what just happened.

She didn't know him.

She... Did she even know herself?

A sense of fear and dread settled over him. A chill in his heart.]

[savedtheworld]

[But he couldn't let her go like that. He knew that she wouldn't. If she were... herself.

So he quickly hurried back towards.]

Wait, please don't go! Something's wrong!

[markofthewise]

He stood his ground, even though he was driven to step forward and advance. Part of it was knowing that it was better not to. The other half was just being afraid she'd run away. "I'm not wrong. No matter what you think or remember, I know my sister when I see her."

[herotypical]

"Puh-lease. You? Disturb me? No way. Improbable. Impossible.

C'mon. I'll put the kettle on. We can have another looksee over your nails."

Buffy say Katara begin to turn, and she took the three steps down to the path.

[generalflirt]

[Masaomi's actually coming out of the elevator at the first floor of C1 about the same time Katara is walking into the building--

And indeed, it's Katara. Katara, who's been kidnapped. But being as observant as he is, he notices about five things wrong with her in the first few seconds. A smile remains on his face, bu the hesitates to go over. Instead, he casually lowers the speed at which he's walking to the exit of the building, instead waiting to see if she's going to react to him]

[markofthebrave]

[Of course something's wrong. Everything's wrong.]

Listen, I don't want to bother anyone. I just need to find a place to stay for a little while.

[action]

[markofthebrave]

[The girl just shivered. She was freezing. But taking that coat - was that really a good idea?

Her survival instincts had her snatching it before she could make up her mind.]

Tha-thank you.

[action]

[silversnowfall]

You're welcome. Were you in that water for very long? [Something in the girl's demeanor signals Nephry not to try to get too close. She fights the instinct to put an arm around her as well.] If nothing else, we should find you some proper clothes for the weather as soon as possible.