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.]

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I see. [Well not he knows the names of all of her friends. But it doesn't look like she has much more information to pass on.]

Kefka wanted to speak to me to 'explain' how he's the victim here. I intend to take him up on this. If I can, I'll find out what his interests in you and your friends are.

[...People she doesn't know well talking about her and her friends behind her back to an evil supervillian. Why does this not exactly bring her comfort and joy?]

...What difference do you think that will make?

[Or will it just create more of an interest?]

With him? None at all. But it will give some insight into how his mind works and what his ambitions are. I plan to get as much information as I can out of him before he realizes what my intentions are. If it comes to a fight, so be it.

[And of course, Kefka will likely teleport away if the battle goes poorly for him. But at least it will give something for he and Batman to work with. But after noticing that look of concern...] Of course, that's only with your consent. I don't intend to draw you and your friends in any further than they already are.

[Points for you, glowing green man.] ...I think I'd want to talk to them about it first. That's not the kind of decision I feel comfortable making on my own.

[He gives a nod.] Understood. The information is appreciated, in any case. [But in the interest of fairness...] But if there's anything you'd like to know, now, don't hesitate to ask.

[...anything she'd like to know? Gosh. What to pick.] Where are you from? You said you were a member something - does that mean there are others like you? Are you glowing green because you're so dark? What was it you put between Luffy and Kefka?

[He blinks. Well after their conversation, he was expecting important questions related to the safety of Luceti. Not, well, this. Some of her questions manage to earn a chuckle though.]

I'm from Detroit, Michigan on Earth. There are in fact over three thousand other Green Lanterns spread out throughout the galaxy, though only two of us are actually human and from Earth. [And the one that amuses him the most.] I don't glow because I'm black, no.

As for that barrier... [He holds out his ring and creates, a few feet from Katara, a solid green duplicate of her.] By bending energy and light into solid constructs, Green Lanterns can create temporary projections of whatever they can imagine.

[And she gasps and her eyes go wide. That is amazing She reaches out to poke at the construct of herself on the shoulder. It feels like glass, warm and smooth.] That's amazing.

[...and now some of his words will catch her attention.] Light bending? Like what I do with water? And is your Earth the Earth with two moons? ...and your world had other worlds too?

[After she's had her fun with the construct, he'll go ahead and disperse it, drawing it all back into his ring.]

I don't think it's exactly the same. Your water manipulation appears to requires the presence of liquid to draw from. A lantern's power is meant to have power even in the darkest of night.

There's only one moon for Earth. [He has to wonder what sort of parallel Earth would have multiple moons.] And yes, there's planets all over the galaxy. I've been to several of them.

[Katara nods.] So that's more like firebending, then.

[And then she moves on as if that settles it.] ...So. This is what you do? Use your powers to help people?

[Not exactly. But a lot of this stuff is over her head anyways.]

That's right. It's the duty of the Green Lantern Corps to uphold justice, protect those who cannot protect themselves, and seek out evil.

[Those are pretty words - she likes them.] ...I guess that's kind of like... well, no, it's not. I've never heard of anything like that.

[...and she is thinking of the Avatar, and the Painted Lady...]

That's unfortunate. [But not unheard of. Anyways, now that there's a reprieve from her barrage of questions...]

But what about you, Miss Katara? How exactly does your 'waterbending' work?

Edited 2010-03-20 04:33 (UTC)

[Blink.] You don't need to call me 'miss!' [That's just... weird.]

And... well... you saw it. I can manipulate water. I also have some healing abilities.

...where I'm from, there are four elements. Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. Benders from each nation can manipulate their element. Toph is an earthbender.

Old habits die hard. Katara, it is.

[The elements are familiar enough to him. An eastern tradition, if he recalled right. Metahumans capable of manipulating these type of elements isn't exactly an unusual concept though. Her demonstration certainly showed her ability to manipulate water regardless of the state it was in. Solid, liquid, or steam.]

And everyone on your world is born with these abilities, depending on their nationality?

[GL gets a small smile for his agreeing to call her by her name, but... she can't help feeling like this line of questioning has a different reason or source than the other people who've asked her about it. There's less sense of... mutual trust and more of a sense of being measured. It makes her feel uncomfortable.]

No. I'm the last waterbender of my tribe. And there are many people in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom who aren't benders.

[He notes the lack of any type of Air Nation. Regardless, the unique nature of benders existing alongside normal humans must be something genetic. If he were a man of science, it would be a subject of great interest to him. But for John, it's just a fact.]

I'm sorry.

[Katara tilts her head in surprise.] Why?

[An eyebrow raised.] What happened to the other waterbenders.

Oh. Oh. ...They were taken by the Fire Nation as part of the war. Years ago. They meant wipe out that part of our culture completely. I wasn't supposed to happen.

But there are still waterbenders in the Northern Tribe. That's where I found my master.

You're a very lucky young lady, then. And clearly talented. A little less precision and you might have had me during your demonstration.

[If there was a war on her planet, that would probably explain the lack of an air nation, especially given that her own tribe had suffered its own selective genocide. But the problems of another planet were unfortunately not one he could do much about at the moment. It was time to change the subject soon.]

[...that is such a mixed bag of assessments, Katara doesn't know what to do with it. Was that even a compliment or an insult? And since she's not sure how to address it, she'll counter it with an observation of her own.]

I think you mean a little more precision. You didn't flinch - and you were glowing. That green picture of me was solid when I touched it - it serves you like a shield, doesn't it. [Like what Toph does with rock, and she's done with water.]

...[And despite her best intentions, Katara really can't let it go.] And I never would have done it if I didn't know exactly where it was going. I wasn't trying to start a fight. I was trying to make a point.

[Not the response he expected. Hm.]

I'm a soldier. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't know when a person intended to do harm or meant to merely make a point. That's why I didn't flinch. Because I meant what I said. You seem to be in absolute control of your abilities.

[And after a moment, he'll add as an afterthought.] Of course, the shield does help.

[Once again, mollified by reason, she nods a little, and even smiles the smallest bit - she'd imagine the shield would help.]

With bending, you have to be. When I send ice spikes through the air, they don't fly because I'm throwing them - it's because I'm bending them. I have to tell them where to go. It's a mental and physical act. I was fortunate to have a very good teacher.

[And the smallest portion of her lip tilts up. She'd told the story to Sanji earlier today - but she doesn't think this man would be interested in hearing how she'd attempted to force Pakku to teach her, and she's not sure how much she wants to tell him about herself, so other than the light of amusement flickering across her face for a moment? She's going to leave it at that.]

Edited 2010-03-20 06:53 (UTC)

[Teenage girls! They were way too unpredictable for him. One mission with Supergirl was all he needed to know to prove that.]

A good teacher makes all the difference. I know I was lucky with mine, even if she never accepted that I moved on. She never could resist lecturing me about how "the mind is the weapon, not the metal".