[Action, Voice, and Windblown Journals] .015

[markofthebrave]

[Voice]
Hey, Hugo - if you have a chance, I'd like to talk to you about something.

[And then she shuts the book and moves to her evening practice session behind her house. Today is not about how much water she can move, but it is about control. When the wind blows her journal opened, anyone watching can see thin streams of water moving quick enough to cut intertwining with her arms and legs as she works through a form. The pattern of when she splits a stream, and when she adds more water seems random... until you glance above her head. Any time her concentration is broken by a flash of an image, she adds another and another until all the thought bubble reflects are the forms

If you want to interrupt her, give her a minute - messing up and slicing herself with one of those water streams would be painful. While she normally hates to have her practicing interrupted, tonight it's not quite keeping her mind off of things.]

Comments

[rebeloutcast.livejournal.com]

[Sighing and rolling his eyes, he slides down and lands on his feet.]

Lucky shot. But y'know, you're right. Ya are a lot better. Color me impressed, Katara.

Was bored s'all. Heard ya around. Your bending's pretty cool so I wanted to check it out. Gotta problem with that?

[markofthebrave]

[Her instinct is just to attack, to get him to go away. He betrayed her and he used her to hurt - kill - innocent people. And that's not something she can ever forget, despite knowing his reasons and his attempts to change. His attitude when he first came to Luceti made her want to write him off and never speak to him again. But watching him slide down and land like that - just alive and skillful... Why does this have to be-] ((-so confusing.))

Luck had nothing to do with it. [Although the fact is... he never attacked her.] My problem is with you. What about our last conversation made you think that you could just stop by? Where do you get off talking to me like that?

[rebeloutcast.livejournal.com]

[He looks taken aback for a moment. Then frowns.]

What d'ya mean? Was only sayin' I'd look out for ya 'cause a man's gotta look out for the girls. 'sides who knows what other guys might be thinkin' when they look at you? You're too good for that stuff. I told you before I've changed. And-

Wait- 'fore I say anythin' else that you're probably gonna think is really dumb, I've gotta ask - why are you friends with a Firebender?

[markofthebrave]

[Woooooooooah, hold the ostrich-horses there. 'Look out for the girls?' Who does he think he is?] I can look after myself.

[And she would say more, but his question is more important than his - thickheadedness. She frowns and crosses her arms. She didn't spend nearly a month nursing Zuko back to health so he could get into a fight with Jet. And despite everything, she didn't really want to see Jet dead either.] I asked Sokka the same question when I got here. But the war's over, Jet. And Zuko helped us win it. He realized that what the Fire Nation was doing was wrong, and he changed sides and taught Aang firebending. He was the one who warned us that Ozai's plan was to use Sozin's comet and destroy the Earth Kingdom like they had destroyed the Air Temples. It's because of him that we got there in time to stop them.

He's changed.

[rebeloutcast.livejournal.com]

So you've got more faith in some Firebender jerk than ya do me? Thanks. Good to know. [Yeah, that was a little snide. But whatever.]

But waittaminute- just- hold on. Who is this Zuko guy? You guys keep mentioning him. Describe him to me or something. What, is he like your new boyfriend?

[markofthebrave]

[And so, we are all grateful that the many different directions this took Katara's brain are too fast and numerous for the thought bubble to latch on to any one thought - especially that of herself and Zuko and the love experiment.]

I've got faith in Zuko because I've seen him change. It wasn't easy for him, and I didn't believe him right away, but Zuko proved himself.

...and I'm hoping you will too.

[There. It's not an offer of forgiveness - she never will - and it's not the answer to his question... but it is giving him a way out, if he wants to take it. Yeah, he was a jerk, but the way that he's talking to her it sounds like he's trying and she just - he was dead and now - she just -]

[rebeloutcast.livejournal.com]

[The thought bubble quickly shows a glimpse of him as a child while his village was burning, to show his hesitation towards trusting a Firebender- any Firebender.]

...I'll take your word for it.

[That's not an agreement but he is willing to try. Hopefully this Zuko guy isn't like, some dude with a scar who was traveling with some fat old Firebending oaf. They got him taken by the Dai Lee, the jerks.]

What 'bout that Azula chick? Can I kick her 'round a bit? Or is she your friend too?

[markofthebrave]

[She sees that thought bubble. And glances down.] ((And unknown to her, her own village in flames appears above her head... and then thoughts of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee while they chased them.))

Azula's no friend of mine. But she's very powerful. And she's smart. And there's no war here, Jet.

[She looks up at him.] We have to live here. If you do anything to her, when she hasn't done anything to anyone here, people will blame you. And they're strong - people with powers nothing like we've ever seen. Even if I hate the thought of her here - [and her fists tighten at her sides] - until she actually does anything, we're all stuck together. She's not the problem anymore. The people keeping us here, experimenting on us are.