markofthebrave | [Action] .009

[Action] .009

[Due to Sokka's unexpected bout of sheer win, Katara has been given the gift of free time and she plans on making the most of it... after she was shooed back to bed due to threats from Sokka that made no sense at all.

First, she wants to check in on Sanji at the Strawhat's House. Then she wants to stop by the school and see if she can register to go once things are back to 'normal.' And... she has an idea that is going to lead her to the weapons shop. Finally, she'll go grocery shopping because they're running low on easy-to-cook things. Maybe she'll even get a chance to stand by the bridge and practice with real waterbending! ...although saving her strength to keep healing Zuko is probably a better idea. She'll probably just stare at the water wistfully and talk to Sona.

If you're around any of these places today, feel free to say 'Hey!' or give her hand, since she's not exactly sure how to do what she wants to do at the smithy or the school.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sona? [There's an extremely light blush at that. Maybe what Sona said wasn't so much rude as it was... err.. just not something Katara wanted to hear.] Yeah, she'll be back. I think she likes talking to me - she liked it when I showed her my bending.

She just doesn't like being interrupted for other things - the first time I tried to talk to her I got [attacked by Aku] ...err, sidetracked. She likes holding that over my head, but I think it's her way of teasing. She's very calm and collected - cool - most of the time. So it's hard to tell. But I really don't think she'd keep talking to me if she honestly held it against me.

If you're sure.

Have you been working with her for long?

Hmm... about a month, off and on. Like I said, I keep getting interrupted. I guess she's got a right to tease me about it.

[She gives him a wry sort of look.] The lakes around here are surprisingly busy at night.

Do I want to know why?

[Shrug.] I don't know why either! I was out to test my bending and try to talk with Sona and suddenly - all these people were there! Some of them were very nice...

[She casts Allen a sidelong glance and decides to finish telling the story.] One of them was Aku.

Still, the timing must have been fairly bad.

Did he try anything?

[She hasn't told anyone the full story. That was honestly one of the most frightening nights of her life. And she doesn't want to talk about it now. But... after meeting with Sanji and finding how she hadn't been able to eat, after Sokka being so concerned with her that he actually offered to do housework... she listens to that niggling sense which tells her that she should talk about it. Some of it, anyway. To someone. Sorry, Allen. Her gaze goes distant.]

I'd been practicing most of the night. I was tired. Then he showed up and wouldn't let me leave. He wrapped around me like a giant sea snake. Demanded that I apologize for trespassing to the 'all mighty Aku.' And when I wouldn't he breathed out fire and his body coiled around me while he started to shape-shift...

I iced myself over the coil and used the steam he'd made from hitting the water with his eye-beams as cover and tried to run away. I threw up some ice spikes to distract him but he just... absorbed them into his body.

[She glances down, shoulders tense and fists clenched.] I couldn't do anything but run and hide.

There isn't anything wrong with running.

I know.

[Especially when your choice is to run or die. And there's nothing wrong with hiding either, when the choice to run is to lead something like that back to your friends. Which she refused to do. And she's run before, when she was overpowered or out-matched, run from angry spirits, run from the Fire Nation soldiers... would she ever be strong enough to stop running? One hand goes up to viciously swipe a tear away, and after that her eyes are dry.]

A-ah!

You got away safely, at least. Freezing him and using spikes. . . it sounds as if it must have taken some strength for that.

I hid in the snow until I was sure he was gone. ...he can multiply his body, and he was searching all over... so what I did to fight him really didn't matter. I'm just glad he couldn't follow me home.

[...because she had slipped into the river and propelled herself towards the village that way so he wouldn't know where she lived, just in case. Heh. She shakes her head a little. Now it was out in the open and it hadn't helped... but it hadn't hurt either. And just knowing that - she does feel a little lighter.]

That's true.

Was there a reason he was so interested in you?

[Katara glances up at Allen, startled.] A reason? There sure didn't seem to be. I think I was just... there.

All right. Then he hasn't any reason to hunt for you.

. . . Sorry. This was meant to be your break from stress, and here I am, asking you about it.

[Shrug.] It's all right, Allen. I brought it up.

...I don't know how they do it, the people who've been here so long.

I can't imagine either. With any luck, we won't have to find out.

[Katara's mouth twists. Well. Now this is depressing. She reaches her hand into her pocket and feels a small flat stone from her earlier encounter with Charlotte.]

...how are you at skipping stones, Allen?

Well, it's been a while since I've tried.

[She hands over the stone and takes another one out of her pocket.] Want to see who can skip the most? I'll warn you, it's not fair. I had practice earlier today.

Give me a few chances to catch up, then.

[Grin.] You've got it.

I really do need the practice.

Three isn't bad! [She passes over the other rock.] Go ahead and try again! I'll just... go grab some more skipping stones.

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