Katara (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
markofthebrave) wrote2013-07-05 06:34 pm
markofthebrave) wrote2013-07-05 06:34 pm
[ action ] .067
[July 5th. Katara's 18th birthday.
This wasn't as much of a big deal as it could be; for the Water Tribes, the age of maturity is sixteen. So it was a birthday, but she had already come into her adulthood two years ago... and it was her first birthday that Sokka had missed.
He was still on his mission. He'd stayed gone as if she didn't matter at all.
Or maybe he would come back today - maybe he would, and then what? His leaving right after they had spoken was enough of an answer. She didn't feel much like celebrating at all.
But she was still here, she was still alive, and there were people whose memories she needed to honor today, whose lives were worth celebrating. Life was worth celebrating. She had to believe that, she had to, or Sokka was right, and it was better not to feel, not to hurt, and not to care.
She rose early, which was unusual, and decided not to go back to bed. She slipped out of bed and for the first time that summer used the teleporter to go to the ocean. She found a private spot, away from the dwellings that had been raised there and stepped into the ocean just as the sun's light hit the waves. She parted the water on either side of her and walked along the ocean floor until the water reached her shoulders on either side, then she dropped her hands and dived in to the water.
The push and pull of the tide felt like home, and she wept. She wept for Sokka, for her father and Gran-Gran, she wept for her knowledge of the future, and for Aang and for Ikki, she wept for the children she'd have whose names she already knew, she wept for her mother, and for Ginko, she wept for Nami and Sanji and Luffy and Brooke and Chouji and Shikamaru and Masaomi and Chopper and Roku and Michael, she wept for Alexis and Katie and San and Bepo and Sigmund and Capell and Usopp and Zoro, and she wept for Zuko, for all the memories they had built together and lost, and for Suki for much the same reason.
And when she was done crying, Katara dove into the waves. She dove and dove again until all her tears were washed away and she was flushed with effort. Then she rose up with a stream of water propelling her and dropped in a crouch on the ground. She performed a basic peace form on the wet part of the sand, leaving the water dripping off her. Then in one fluid movement she bent it all way, turned to go home and face the day.
Today was a day to celebrate life.
After breakfast and kissing Ikki, Katara would take whoever wanted to come with her up to Nami's orchards. It had been Nami's birthday two days ago, and she wanted to check on the mikans. She left a small pinwheel at the foot of one of the trees.
It wasn't too warm today and she felt something different, so she actually stopped in the clothing shop to change out of her sari into a knee-length dress very similar to a style Nami had helped pick out for her shortly after she had arrived in Luceti. She still wore her belt around it, more to keep the knife that Sokka had made for her close and to have something to string her waterskin around than because she was actually expecting trouble.
She hasn't really been into the Seventh Heaven since Sanji left, though she had been a regular presence before, stopping in at least once a day to say hi. Today, she came in with a vase full of beautiful blue hydrangeas. She may even be persuaded to take lunch there.
Afterwards, depending on how much time she had left before whatever Aang and Ikki had planned, Katara could be found helping out for a little while in the Welcome Center, and then stopping in on Luceti's newest stores, the coffee shop and the convenience shop Shikamaru had set up.]
This wasn't as much of a big deal as it could be; for the Water Tribes, the age of maturity is sixteen. So it was a birthday, but she had already come into her adulthood two years ago... and it was her first birthday that Sokka had missed.
He was still on his mission. He'd stayed gone as if she didn't matter at all.
Or maybe he would come back today - maybe he would, and then what? His leaving right after they had spoken was enough of an answer. She didn't feel much like celebrating at all.
But she was still here, she was still alive, and there were people whose memories she needed to honor today, whose lives were worth celebrating. Life was worth celebrating. She had to believe that, she had to, or Sokka was right, and it was better not to feel, not to hurt, and not to care.
She rose early, which was unusual, and decided not to go back to bed. She slipped out of bed and for the first time that summer used the teleporter to go to the ocean. She found a private spot, away from the dwellings that had been raised there and stepped into the ocean just as the sun's light hit the waves. She parted the water on either side of her and walked along the ocean floor until the water reached her shoulders on either side, then she dropped her hands and dived in to the water.
The push and pull of the tide felt like home, and she wept. She wept for Sokka, for her father and Gran-Gran, she wept for her knowledge of the future, and for Aang and for Ikki, she wept for the children she'd have whose names she already knew, she wept for her mother, and for Ginko, she wept for Nami and Sanji and Luffy and Brooke and Chouji and Shikamaru and Masaomi and Chopper and Roku and Michael, she wept for Alexis and Katie and San and Bepo and Sigmund and Capell and Usopp and Zoro, and she wept for Zuko, for all the memories they had built together and lost, and for Suki for much the same reason.
And when she was done crying, Katara dove into the waves. She dove and dove again until all her tears were washed away and she was flushed with effort. Then she rose up with a stream of water propelling her and dropped in a crouch on the ground. She performed a basic peace form on the wet part of the sand, leaving the water dripping off her. Then in one fluid movement she bent it all way, turned to go home and face the day.
Today was a day to celebrate life.
After breakfast and kissing Ikki, Katara would take whoever wanted to come with her up to Nami's orchards. It had been Nami's birthday two days ago, and she wanted to check on the mikans. She left a small pinwheel at the foot of one of the trees.
It wasn't too warm today and she felt something different, so she actually stopped in the clothing shop to change out of her sari into a knee-length dress very similar to a style Nami had helped pick out for her shortly after she had arrived in Luceti. She still wore her belt around it, more to keep the knife that Sokka had made for her close and to have something to string her waterskin around than because she was actually expecting trouble.
She hasn't really been into the Seventh Heaven since Sanji left, though she had been a regular presence before, stopping in at least once a day to say hi. Today, she came in with a vase full of beautiful blue hydrangeas. She may even be persuaded to take lunch there.
Afterwards, depending on how much time she had left before whatever Aang and Ikki had planned, Katara could be found helping out for a little while in the Welcome Center, and then stopping in on Luceti's newest stores, the coffee shop and the convenience shop Shikamaru had set up.]
[Action]
Should I go out and come back in?
[Action]
Nah, it's too late. [Brushing some dust off his knees - they should probably sweep in here - he stands to greet her properly.] Rules are if a customer comes in before we've finished stocking, we lost the game.
[Action]
Re: [Action]
[Action]
Today, we can make an exception.
Surprose for Shira's sake
Charles, you're the best!
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Unlike the grocery, they had to bring all this stuff in themselves. Or make Korra do it. Or both.
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"I never really understood why you wanted to do this. It seems like a lot of work for no good reason," she said with a little shrug, glancing around again. If anyone wanted any of these things, they could just go to a grocery store.
Sure, she worked hard, but Katara at least felt like she had a reason to do what she did. This made no sense to her at all.
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The store's a longer walk for most people, especially if you just want a snack or some essentials. Hell, it's faster coming from your house to here than it is to the grocery.
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This is said without missing a beat, even if he sort of agrees with her. Personally, he's just glad to have something to do, really... He hangs out in the square all day anyway most days.
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"If I brought any of this stuff home, I'd never get Aang and Ikki off the ceiling."
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The store took on a model of a blend of traditional Asian convenience stores, with just a slant of Western influence thanks to Tony Stark. There's a larger variety, as such, including small egg cartons and vegetable snacks. And then some.
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After all, his local convenience store was where he paid most of his bills back in Ikebukuro, as well as where he went whenever he needed a postal service. Sure, the service is redundant here, but it still feels weird to have a "convenience store" without an ATM in it.
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Why had she come in here again?
She decided to just... take the out that had been offered to her. "I'll go check those 'healthy stables' out," she said with a smile, and started towards the area in the store designated for real food.
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It took half of Shikamaru's mission points to get the self-replenishing freezers and Shift for the slurpee machine, due to come in soon. Not counting his emergency fund left over, he's out until he gets more points stocked up.
Walking back over to the box he left unattended, Shikamaru calls over to Katara as she goes to do her shopping.
"I put other items in here by request, by the way. If you don't see something you'd regularly pick-up, I can add it to the inventory."
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After all, no need to make things weird.
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"I'm really just browsing," she said, looking around.
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"Okay. Let us know if you need anything."
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Sort of.
He has a feeling he'll regret that in the future if he says this when the Panda comes around.
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Believe it or not, she was always interested in less menial work for her.
"What kinds of deliveries?"
...and Masaomi and Shikamaru SHOULD believe it, because they're two of the people she'd roped in most often to help her carry groceries.
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"Yeah, Masaomi. What kind of deliveries?"
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He's making this up on the spot, can you tell. In fact, he twirls a finger in the air as he walks from one side to the other, pacing a little as he goes on.
"Soooo, while the primary purpose of such runs would be fore the lackies - that is to say, me or Korra-chan - to run to another store to pick up an item you don't see here, it's always within the budget to help a customer carry something home."
And now he pauses. Turns, and.
"Particularly on a slow day."
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But don't think for a moment that Katara isn't taking this offer down.
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