[Action, Chickening Out Written, and Voice] .015

[markofthebrave]

[What with Zuko's unexpected and somewhat... well, dubious bout of hopefully-it-will-be-win and please don't burn their house again, Katara has an unexpected bout of free time. This is both a good thing, and a bad thing, since with the craziness of her first few months dying down, Katara has started to feel homesickness pressing down on her. Couple that with Sokka's keeping secrets, his friendship with Ty Lee, and learning chi blocking, the extra time to think is not... exactly... happy.

So here she is, at the bridge by her house, standing at the arch and staring out over the water.]


[Filtered to Ginko 70 percent]

Ginko, have you ever-

Is there a time where

I need

[No. It wasn't fair to bring anyone into this. She'd figure it out the same way she always did.]

[Voice: Filtered away from Zuko, 70%]

So... has anyone else noticed anything strange going on tonight? There isn't a new experiment going on, is there?

[And pretty much immediately after this comment Katara is going to find a way to erase this voice post if it kills her. She didn't mean to upset anyone! It was just - so weird.]


[...And sometime after dinner, she'll be returning to her practicing routine outside of the house, in case she's due for a talking to you know who you are.]

Comments

[markofthewise]

[Oh, how to put this delicately. Or bluntly? He scratches at the back of his neck nervously.]

It's just... about that friend, that's all. The Malnosso did something to her and when she was back to normal, she just panicked. She took my sword, but she didn't know how to use it. I probably should have left it alone, but I really wanted to get it back, because it's my space sword. I already lost it once, you know. I didn't want her to throw it in the river as soon as I left.

But anyway, she apologized for it and explained why she did it. It was because something... really bad happened to her in the past and she made me promise not to tell anyone about it, because I was the only person she ever told. I would have told you everything, otherwise.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara blinks. That was... not what she was expecting. But some of the tension leaves her shoulders anyway.]

You didn't have to tell me that. It was okay that you had to keep a secret for a friend. [Pause.] But I'm glad you did tell me - it makes it seem less like it will happen again.

[markofthewise]

[He gives a nod.]

I'm pretty sure it's not something that will ever happen again. [For one, he agreed never to visit said person while armed again, so that was something.]

[markofthebrave]

[...yeah, going unarmed into the house of someone who attacked you before would really make your sister feel better, Sokka.]

Well. Good.

[markofthewise]

Right. Well... good. [And one awkward pause later.]

So... you had something to explain.

[markofthebrave]

Right. [...how to explain this.] You don't understand my problem with chi blocking, right?

[markofthewise]

I kind of do. [But only in the same sense she'd have a problem with any kind of attack used against her.] ... but probably not as much as I should.

[markofthebrave]

[...so let's start out with something basic.] You know how my healing works, right?

[markofthewise]

Mostly, yeah. [He's never really asked too much, but...] You're kind of just using a person's chi to kind of speed up the natural healing process, right?

[markofthebrave]

[She nods.] Yeah, that's mostly it. I work with the chi to restore and encourage life. Chi blocking... does the opposite of that. It's like... interfering with who a person really is.

[markofthewise]

Well... [Hm. She does have a point. But in his mind, a lot of things interfere with who a person is. Like being burned. Or having a sword put through them.]

That's true. But it's not permanent, right? I've had it done to me twice and I'm fine now.

[markofthebrave]

No, it's not permanent... but... it takes people down from the inside-out. It turns someone's own body against them, makes it so that what you thought you could rely on...

[markofthewise]

[The bit about 'turning the body against them' doesn't sound right. At least not for chi blocking. It's more like being paralyzed, like what June's creature did to them.]

You're not just talking about chi blocking, are you?

[markofthebrave]

...[Right about here would be the part where her throat closes up. There's your answer, Sokka.]

[markofthewise]

[And Sokka has no answer to that. He knows what she's talking about and it's not something he likes to think about. Because for all that Aang, Zuko, and Toph are able to do... that one ability his own sister has is scary to even think about. There's no defense against it, whatsoever. It's about this point that he isn't even able to make eye contact, because having your body paralyzed is infinitely better than having it used against you.

Or worse, against someone else.]

[markofthebrave]

[She's not looking at him either. But her eyes aren't closed. Her shoulders are hunched defensively, hands clenching into fists. This was the last thing she experienced before coming to Luceti. That scene... Sokka with his sword out, being forced to rush at Aang... sometimes she still hears Hama's laugh.

A long silence passes. When she speaks, her voice is hesitant:] Did we ever... talk about it? In my future?

[markofthewise]

[They never did. He never wanted to. When they left that crazy old woman, Sokka put it behind him and never though about her again. At least he tried for the most part. But at the time, they didn't have time to talk about it. He had the invasion to plan. They were on a tight schedule. He was able to put it off, forget about it, and hope it would never become relevant again. However his answer isn't much delayed and is delivered with blunt honesty.]

... no. We didn't.

[markofthebrave]

[...she's not surprised. They wouldn't be talking about it now if it wasn't for Ty Lee. After all, isn't she supposed to just be able to roll with these things? Adapt, Katara. Accept it and move on. So what if one of the most precious things to you has become horribly tainted. So what if the power of the full moon scares you as much as it comforts you. You're stronger than this.

And maybe... maybe if they talk about it, they won't have to deal with it. It won't have to be real.]

...do you want to?

[markofthewise]

[For a moment, he's actually tempted to say no. Because it would be a lot easier to go back to not thinking about it. But it wouldn't be fair. They weren't going anywhere, so they needed to talk about it. There was no deadline, no impending doom. No reason at all to avoid it.]

We should. [Because he doesn't even know how it works or what name to even give it.]

[markofthebrave]

[This face, but without the tears. And she's still not looking at him. Her fists clench tighter at her sides.]

I'd do it again. If I had to. I'd still stop her.

[Even if now... I have to know how to do it forever.]

[markofthewise]

[He nods, finally looking up to see her. It's a worrying face to see on his sister, who one year ago was so different.]

I know you had to. If you didn't, I might have... [Hurt Katara? Possibly. And if he had...]

[markofthebrave]

[Dude, you were rushing straight towards Aang with your sword out. Hurting Katara was the last thing on her mind.

And... she's got nothing to say to that, really. Her face doesn't change - she's just lost in that night again. Not only the betrayal, and the feeling of being taken over, not only having to face who she might have become - and Katara recognized it as surely as she knew her own soul - and fight her, not only realizing that waterbending could be used in this horrible way, but that it had been used to hurt innocents, no - she was also remembering what it had been like to fight against Sokka and Aang, with that woman using them as puppets.

...and she was trying her hardest not to remember what it had felt like to slip inside Hama's body, use her power, and pull]

[markofthewise]

[Sokka can only guess what's going through her mind now. But... he's not too far off. There had been few times he had ever seen his sister so horrible crushed than the moments following Hama's 'defeat'. He didn't know what to say then. But then, did any of them?]

You aren't like her, you know. And you never will be, Katara. Because you're stronger than she is and I don't just mean you're bending. Besides that, you have something she didn't. Me.

[markofthebrave]

[She's not really hearing him. And even if she was... it would be hard to believe him. Everyone she's ever loved and trusted in her life has left, or betrayed her, except for Sokka. And now he's someone who learns fire, learns chi blocking, gets drunk with Fire Nation girls and invites them to sleep over - and she wasn't being fair, but she can't help but feel that his offer is hollow. She didn't have to look at him to see the disgust and fear on his face when they talked about bloodbending. She wanted to believe him...

But it just hurt so much.

Tears form, and her throat hurts, blocking her from making any response - which, considering what she probably would have said, is a good thing. She tries not to sob, and the effort makes her shake.]

[markofthewise]

[He had expected an affirmation from her. Or something. Not... silence. Had he really messed up that much that what he just said didn't mean anything anymore? He knew he had made some mistakes... and maybe didn't tell her things he should have. But at the end of the day, he always knew that Katara would understand. After all, she took care of him after their mother died. If she didn't believe he would be there for him...

For once, Sokka is the one who steps forward to pull her close. he doesn't have any words of wisdom to offer or empty apologies.] We've always been there for each other. There's nothing I won't do to make sure that doesn't change.