markofthebrave | [Voice, Action... of a sort] .010

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[Voice, Action... of a sort] .010

Aang didn't come out for breakfast today. When I went in his room to check on him, all his stuff was gone. ...I guess this means he went home, right?

And all the stuff in the kitchen is different - does anyone know how they're supposed to work? ~~Or how they got in here without waking us up, because -- seriously, creepy.~~

[Filtered to Longshot 60%]
Hey - haven't seen you around in a while. How are you doing?

[Filtered to Erza 62%, OPEN to Gaang members]
Hi, Erza! I've got a few questions about magic, and you're the only one I know here who does it. Do you mind?

[Filtered to the Green Lantern 62%]
John Stewart, the Green Lantern. I spoke about it with my brother, and we decided that we were more comfortable if you didn't bring us up.

[As for action? Katara is not going very far today. In fact, she is stuck inside, doing healing sessions with the invalid and making sure he stays in bed, and trying to figure out how all this crazy new stuff works. If you think she'd open the door for you and let you in, feel free to stop by and give the girl ~~something else do~~ a helping hand!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh, she notices all right. Hmph! That kettle might have been set on top of the oven just a little bit too firmly. Everything is Just Fine Here.]

He's getting better. Chopper's medicine is helping give him strength so we can have longer healing sessions. I'm hoping that his chi will start to ease out by the end of this week.

[See, normally? She'd probably try to deflect by asking a question here. But you know... she's too busy being 'hmph' at the moment.]

[Your hmmph is amusing. He'll take a seat, and hope you do the same while that water boils.]

I'm glad to hear he's improving-- I hope that means you've had a chance to rest.

[Katara does not want to take a seat. She wants to stand and continue to be busy to avoid the concern in your eye. So she will get out mugs and tea leaves and try to compose herself.]

There's not much to do when you're at home all day. [Evasive? About resting? Nah. But Ginko would be happy to know that Katara has been making a habit of forcing herself to eat... even if it's only a little bit every few hours.] Well, now that we got the furniture set to rights, anyway.

[He's patient. He'll use a story if appealing, too]

Plenty of opportunity to rest, then. [Guess who solves problems like an earth-bender? It's just a good thing he didn't know about the eating.]

....furniture? Don't tell me this has something to do with the clothes-piles, too.

Mmm. [Have some noncommittal noises to your 'rest' conclusion.]

That's what I heard. [She's fussing around looking for a tray to carry the tea over now.] When Sokka woke up that morning, he claims that the furniture was all piled up to the ceiling... by the time I got out here, though, it had already come crashing down on him. [Protect her brother's dignity? ...nah. Not necessary with Ginko, right?] All our silverware and pots and pans and dishes were out on the floor too...

Edited 2010-03-23 01:03 (UTC)

[He chuckles unhelpfully at that image.] I see. Maybe it's the same culprit all around.

[He'll interfere if she fusses too much. He won't bring up Aang unless she's sitting down either; Ginko is nothing if not patience incarnate.]

[That's probably wise, Ginko. You'd be surprised at how many things she can find to distract herself if standing. Eventually, the tea kettle boils and she pours it into the pot for brewing. Placing it on the tray along with two mugs, Katara feels reasonably composed enough to go and sit across from him.]

It's jasmine tea. I hope you like it.

[He curves his hand around the mug and smiles again.]

I do, thank you.

[His eye flickers over the room and her face as he raises the rim of the cup to his mouth. Are those...? What are they? But first things first. Quietly--]

Aang went back home, huh?

[And Katara freezes once again, midway to grabbing her own cup after pouring Ginko his. Come on, Ginko, you're destroying the sacred rite of 'no disturbing topics over tea.' It doesn't last long, quick as a blink she's moving back again, staring into her tea.]

I guess. That's what everyone says happens.

[He defies social convention that way, honey.]

It's a pretty sure thing-- enough people have come back from it to verify the signs. So...[he watches her face carefully] he's home now, doing his job with all of you-- just as it should be.

[...was that supposed to be comforting, Ginko? Her hands tighten on the mug.]

How can he be off doing that if we're still here?

[That last word is ripped out of her very gut, rough and raw and full of pain. What if Aang is back, but he has no one to be with him? What if he's just -- frozen somewhere, waiting for them to get back, to come and free him again? She stands up abruptly.] How can he be gone if we're still here!?

[He watches her reaction, expressionless-- then he leans forward, tone imperturbably calm.]

Time is a tricky thing, Katara.

I've spent an hour on a boat before-- only to return to shore and find that three months had passed since I set foot there. And this world is nothing if not strange.

Everyone I've ever spoken to who has returned home before being caught here again has said the same thing: they returned as if no time has passed. [a pause, and then, bluntly] Aang isn't alone. The one who has to do the waiting is you.

I know that! [She sits down abruptly.] Don't you think I know that? I know I have to wait.

[Her hand is tightening very dangerously around that teacup now... she doesn't even notice that a little more pressure might make it crack. He's right, Aang probably won't even notice. He's not alone - there's just something funny with time. He's safe.

...and she already misses him so much it hurts.]

To be able to bend an element to your will must be a comforting thing. It must make you feel like you have control over some corner of the world, no matter how small.
[He puts a hand gently over that glass before it does crack.]

It's a hard thing, not having control. Not being able to just stop feeling something.

Don't expect so much of your own emotions.

Don't talk to me like you know me! [She might have been able to hear the rest but bringing her bending into it was unacceptable. She recoils from him... but leaves her hand there on that cup.] You don't know what I've been through or what my bending means to me -- you can't tell me what I can or can't feel.

I was doing just fine. [Please ignore that she's crying when she speaks. And also possibly trembling, just a little.]

Edited 2010-03-23 05:36 (UTC)

[The single green eye that has seen bodies wrenched out of their natural forms, ten years of suffering and death and irreparable loss, takes on a strange gleam.] No, Katara-- I don't suppose I do.

[His voice doesn't lose a fraction of it's steadiness or calm. He gave her fair warning-- now she's going to have to deal with it until she asks him to leave.]

If that's the truth, then I'm sorry I've upset you so much. [But today, he doesn't rise to leave.]

[She nods, and still trembling reaches up with her free hand to wipe away her tears. It's not enough to calm her down, so she'll tug at the hand that's holding the tea cup. She wants a sip of tea.]

[He just smiles a little wryly, and pulls his hand back to lean on it-- saying nothing.]

[She manages to raise it up to her lips without spilling it and almost burns herself with how quickly she sips it down. Her trembling slows and only a few more tears leak out. Quietly, Katara lowers the tea cup again and stares straight ahead.

She's not dishonest enough to start making small talk or attempt to laugh this off... but she's too stubborn to just start talking again either. She can feel that's what he's waiting for.]

[Ginko just leans back in the chair, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He breathes a stream of smoke to the side, before noting--]

Well.

Sometimes stubbornness can be a good thing.

[Katara recognized his words as a jab, but she didn't feel the sting. She just felt... hollow and tumultuous at the same time, itchy to move and do something... but that felt like giving in a different way.

She could just continue to sit here in silence... or she could try to back up her words. Her voice is flat.] What do you want me to say?

[He exhales slowly, watching the smoke curl]

Nothing. I don't want you to say anything you don't want to say-- unless you'd like me to leave, in which case I'd appreciate the honesty.

No. I don't want you to go. [The response is automatic and sincere - she doesn't want him to go, but at the same time she doesn't want him here. She can feel the weight of expectation, of being evaluated, and it's uncomfortable and awkward. She started to speak, and so now her stubbornness is gone and she's up against her pride. Her pride that - for all her exasperation of it in others - is like leaning up against one of her ice spikes, cold and pointed, and if it broke the chances were good that it would cut her as she fell.

Katara stands.] I should go check on Zuko. I'll be right back.

[She makes to walk passed him - and she doesn't expect him to be there when she gets back.]

[But Ginko is holding her to her words now, not her expectations. He get up and makes more tea while she's going, resisting the urge to poke around the strange-looking new appliances.

He sits back down, alternating smoking and drinking. Listening to the rain-- emotions far withdraw into some deep inner hollow of contemplation. He'll still be there.]

[Zuko is sleeping. Good. It might have been an excuse to get away for a few minutes, but Katara still takes the water from the basin wraps it around her hand before touching his forehead gently. He's straightening out, slowly but surely. He'll be okay. She takes a moment to soothe the pathway that leads to sleep, insuring that his rest will be undisturbed, before turning to leave.

She pauses in the hallway when she sees that Ginko is still there - and is warmed by it. The small smile on her face is genuine when she approaches. Maybe they're done now and he can just visit.]

Hey. You're still here.

[She takes a seat across from him.]

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