markofthebrave | [Action] .013

[She's still stiff and sore from the fight with Aku, but thanks to the healing she's received, by Tuesday Katara is whole. And that means that she and Zuko are about to have a very long overdo talk. With Azula here now, they can't afford to have any room for her to manipulate them. And there are certain issues from the last experiment that they never had a chance to resolve.

And equally practically, Zuko needed to prove to her that she was better so that she didn't have to worry about trying to keep him inside anymore.

So they go off to find a clearing, near enough to some water and far enough away from trees so that if things get out of control, well, they'll be fine. Because somehow, in the back of her head? Katara knows that this is just not going to be that simple.]

OK, you remember the deal. If you can bring me to a tie, or beat me, I'll agree that you're fine.

(OOC: If you want to talk to Katara, she'll be wandering around after this, trying to clear her head, NOT wanting to go back to the house. But please leave the thread with Zuko alone. Thanks! ^^;)

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[She sighs and crosses her arms and leans back.]

Then it wasn't Aku. Were you able to hurt it? How did you get away?

[So many questions. He sighs. At least when he told Kurosaki what happened, the kid already knew how Hyourinmaru worked. He pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up. How to explain this? Vague should work.]

I attacked until it seemed to have enough. I'm not sure if I ever really hit it, though. It just stopped attacking after a bit. [Whether it had had enough or just got bored of him, Toushirou didn't know. He hoped it's the former; the latter is insulting.]

[Well, that was distinctly... unhelpful.]

So in other words... you have no idea.

[Well, that was just fantastic. Just great. Now there's ANOTHER shadow monster -- and she doesn't even know if he was able to hurt it, or touch it at all.]

[Well, damn it. She had to go and be succinct and all and make him look like he was totally incompetent when it came to defending himself.]

No. I have no idea. I threw a lot at it but... [He shrugs.] I couldn't find a trace of it after it left. I can't even tell you what direction it went. [Here that? That's frustration.]

[She understands that frustration well. And sighs.]

Well. At least you got away all right. [Another sigh. Just--perfect.] So that makes at least two things that I know of who can't be hurt by regular attacks.

Well, perfect. [Can't be hit by regular attacks? Well, fine. He shrugs.] Guess that means we find different ways of attacking.

Heh. Yeah. We're working on that. [And... we'll just see how that goes.] For Aku, only holy attacks can hurt him. He can pass through or absorb anything else.

['Holy attacks' still doesn't make much sense to him, but he just leans back and nods.] Doesn't mean that something can't work. I'd like to find out who was responsible for that attack. No one I've spoken with has heard of any shadow attacks. [Never mind he's actually talked to two people, Katara included.]

I just told you what worked. Anything that's been blessed by some kind of god. I've fought him three times and seen people from all over fight him as well. Nothing else works. [Sore topic? You betcha.]

And it's the first I've heard about it too. I'll let Sokka and Toph know, and you could probably tell the Justice League and the Blue Rogues. Do you know if anyone else was attacked?

[Sore topic? Yeah, he kinda get that. So he's leaving it alone, partly because it really has no bearing on him.]

I don't know. There were a couple suspicious journal posts over the last few days, but I can't be sure it was because of that. The thing seemed to take some pleasure in messing with me; if it was out for any time before or after I passed, I'd be surprised if no one else encountered it.

[He pauses, complete with an eyebrow raise.] ... What are the Justice League and the Blue Rogues?

Didn't you read the guide? I don't know if the Justice League is in there, but I'm sure that the Blue Rogues are in there. Along with Toph's group, they've taken it on themselves to patrol Luceti and help defend it.

Right. The guide. [It's been a long week. He doesn't remember everything. Maybe he should reread it.]

Well, at least there's some groups intent on defending people here.

[For all the good it does.] People try, yes. But a lot of times things happen so fast, and the people who attack are so powerful...

[He doesn't like to sound like the cynic he is, but he doesn't want to start spouting off false hope, either. He settles on a disgusted snort.] Usually how it is. No one wants to attack someone as strong as, or stronger than, themselves.

That's not how it is at all! [Oi, oi, oi. Back up on those assumptions, Mister 'I walk around wounded and won't go to a clinic.] Most of the people here who can fight do fight when there's a clear need. What I mean by that is that the strong like to attack people when they're alone or can't fight back, and that sometimes even when it seems like the whole village is fighting against something, it doesn't matter because nothing can hurt him.

[He's quiet for a moment after she stops speaking. Well, then. He was told, wasn't he? He gave her a flat, unimpressed look that melted away into something that was carefully neutral.]

Sounds familiar.

You're up against something like that in your world?

I told you my world's at war. The war would be over if they were simple to defeat.

Difficult is not impossible.

That may be true. [Yes, there would be an unspoken "but" there, but it's... remaining unspoken.] What maybe be impossible for me might very be possible for the next person.

So that's something to hold on to, at least. As long as someone can stand a chance... it's worth it. And it would be worth it, anyway.

[She's an optimistic sort. Toushirou isn't sure if that's grating or refreshing. He'll figure it out later.] I'll keep that in mind.

[And so Katara stands.] Go home and get some rest, Hitsugaya. Healing can take a lot out of you.

[Action] .013

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