Backdated to the 7th

[markofthebrave]

[It happened quickly. One moment she was fourteen, her back aching as the wings stretched across scars, the next she was seventeen and the relief of pain was almost dizzying. The memories sorting in and through her were easily as dizzying.

She fell down to her knees as her two lives collided and when she rose, both sets of memories were confused, but she knew who she was. And she wanted to see her family. She didn't walk. She ran all the way home.

Much later, she made a post to her journal, filtered to her friends.]

Hi, everyone. I know that I don't say this enough and... I know that this month is kind of stressful. But I just wanted to say how glad, how really glad I am to have met all of you. I don't say it enough. You're all people I've come to rely on, and I'm so glad you're in my life.

...and I remember you now, just in case you were wondering. I hope I'll see you all very soon.



((OOC: If you're wondering if you're on her friends filter, you probably are! If you want to run into her resuming her normal routine the 8th-9th, that's OK too!))

Comments

[savedtheworld]

[He smiles at that. It's all settling in nicely. Katara's back and she's feeling better.]

I'm glad. And I'll listen to anything you have to say. But I'll understand if there's things you don't wanna talk about yet.

[markofthebrave]

I'd rather talk about it now then have to go back and revisit it later. [She shrugged a little. A wound won't get a chance to heal if you keep picking at it.] So if you have any questions...

[savedtheworld]

I see. I just... I have to know. [Because of the way she seemed to be aware of everything that happened, it nagged at him.] That - that other life. Do you... remember it?

[markofthebrave]

I remember. [She nodded to herself quietly.] I remember all of it.

[savedtheworld]

Katara...

[This possibility was a much smaller possibility than he'd hoped for; if the other Katara was inside this one instead of back at her "home", that made it less likely that such a world exists. He wouldn't have to worry about a world where he might never wake up from the iceberg to help anyone. But the price for that, that this Katara's memories were inside the one in front of him... it hurt too much for him to feel any relief.

He stepped forward to softly hug her again, because he has no idea what else he can do, now that he knows this.]

[markofthebrave]

[Katara accepts the hug.]

It's okay, Aang. Really. It's not the first time this has happened, and I'm glad that I got to find out how she was doing.

[savedtheworld]

It still must be a lot to take in. [A lot of pain. But the way she speaks, so accepting of it, even if her words challenged his theory, it calmed him enough to pull back. And he continues with some hesitation.] Is... Is she well?

[markofthebrave]

"She's alive. And she's fighting. I have to believe that she'll be all right, somehow. Maybe even find a way back to the South Pole to set you free."

[savedtheworld]

Hearing that brought a little more hope into Aang's heart. He knew so little about the other Katara's life and was afraid to ask for more. Aang liked to believe that any Katara could be capable of changing the world just by herself. Still, when he thought of all the good he was able to do after being freed from the iceberg and only because of having such great people by his side, he couldn't help but feel hopeful about that Katara's chances of finding him.

"You think so?" He pauses slightly. "I like to believe that, too." He knew he'd try his best to help her and to help the world. That Katara definitely looked like someone who needed a smile. But he felt a twinge of fear; doing that wouldn't be so easy for her. What if she didn't want to penguin sledding? "I wonder if - if that us would still get along."

[markofthebrave]

"I think it might be different," she said after a painful pause. "I'd done a lot of things I wasn't proud of and... things were hard. But if you managed to get along with Zuko, I think it could work out all right."

She hoped it would.

[savedtheworld]

"I understand," he said with a thoughtful nod and a slight smile at the Zuko comment. "It's too hard to imagine a me and you who couldn't get along. No matter what you did... It might just take more time." It might be too much to hope for more than that for the hypothetical scenario. But if there were such alternate versions of themselves somewhere out there, it was a small comfort enough that they'd still be able to just know each other and get along.

And he added to the Zuko crack with a slight chuckle, "At least it'd help that you wouldn't start off chasing me around!"

[markofthebrave]

"No, probably not," she said with a small smile.

[savedtheworld]

"Exactly. And I know I'd keep trying 'til I saw a smile like that on her."

[markofthebrave]

"So we can hope that it will all work out all right." Though Katara wasn't sure what it would take for her other self to smile, just being back at the South Pole... finding the Avatar... those things could go a long way.

[savedtheworld]

"Yeah. Hoping's one of the things we do best, after all. So things... Things can still get better there. I'll believe that."

[markofthebrave]

"Good. Let's get inside. I can't wait to see everyone else."

[savedtheworld]

"They can't wait to see you, too." He puts a hand on her shoulder for a moment, enough to reconfirm that she's standing right there in front of him right now, before he turns to face the house. "It's really great having you back, Katara."

He'll wind up saying that as many times as he feels it. After all, it makes being stuck here feel a lot less dimmer.

[markofthebrave]

"It's really great to be back, Aang." And she gave him another brief hug before turning to enter the house.