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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[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".

[A quick grin.] And mine would probably follow that up with something like, "And your mind is about as strong as a jellyfish."

[He returns the grin.] I think Katma would have done the same. If she knew what a jellyfish was, anyways. Alien woman. Orange skin, pointy ears.

Orange... skin? ...Huh. [Aang would probably love to see that.]

...sounds like they would have gotten along anyway.

Possibly. [Only his teacher was pretty hot and they dated. Your teacher was an old man.]

But I think I've stayed here long enough and I don't think Kefka is coming back. [Ulterior motive for sticking around and chatting? Could be.] I should be returning to my patrol.

[And after glancing up at the sun] ...and I should have started heading back to the house fifteen minutes ago. I'll get back to you once I know what the other say - and if it's too late, then it's too late.

Edited 2010-03-20 07:24 (UTC)

[He gives a nod.] I'll be on my way, then.

[And with that, he's back to being the glowing green man and taking off in the sky.]

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