markofthebrave | [ Action, Voice ] .024

[Tomorrow. Tomorrow is tomorrow. Today, she has plans.]

Hey, Winry - do you still want to go get pizza today? I can make it for lunch, but... I can't hang out the whole day.

[She will also be making a point to visit her friends today, specifically the Straw Hat House. She wants to check in on Sanji, now that she knows what's happened to him, say goodbye to Nami... and she has a feeling Ginko will be there as well. If not, she'll try to contact him over the journal.

She also needs to stop in the item's shop. Being given a gift from the water of the river of light... Katara wants to find something similar to the container she used for the spirit oasis water so that if they get out there and she needs it, she'll have it.

The chances are good that she is also going to make a token effort to track down Buffy. She's heard enough about the last fight that she knows what happened there, and she wants to ask a few questions before heading out there - and she wants to hear about how this same mysterious Third Party General had died. It was the mystery that was bothering her - not knowing what they were really going up against or why they were really doing this. If she could talk to someone who'd fought them before, then maybe, maybe... the feeling of being used wouldn't be as strong and she'd be able to focus on what was really important.

She thinks about going over Caesar's house as well, but decides that a journal message will be good enough. He's probably busy preparing - or sleeping. And she had a feeling he wouldn't be able to do as much of that as he'd like, once they got out there.]

[Filtered Voice 90%]

Hey, Caesar. Ready for this?

[After her various conversations, she goes back home to make dinner and she, Sokka, and Toph have a surprisingly normal meal before slipping out a little earlier than normal for her accustomed practice time. She's not sure why they're going out to fight or why the 'why' bothers her so much - and she's a little scared, strung tense with nervous energy. The forms are soothing and precise and tonight there is just that extra edge, just that smallest bit of ruthless passion that gives away just how strongly the drums of her fathers beat within her - this is about war. And war is something Katara knows very well.

But when the sun starts to set she takes a break and takes a seat, watching it go down not thinking about very much at all. It's beautiful.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hi, Chopper. [Stepping awaaaaay from the crazy people now. She smiles at him.]

I just thought I'd come by... since we're leaving tomorrow and everything. And I heard about Sanji...

A-ah...yeah, that's right... [Chopper's trying his hardest not to think about the draft, with everything that's been happening. He'd better get ready tonight...]

[...but for now, he won't worry Katara any more. He gestures towards Sanji's room, offering her a strained smile.] He's still unconscious, but it's safe now. You can visit him if you'd like.

[...safe now? She gives Chopper an assessing look, but there's nothing to indicate that anything's the matter with him, so...]

I'd like that. [She'll follow him back to Sanji's room.] Can you tell me what happened? I only heard a little bit from Sokka.

He was... [The reindeer trails off. How much of this is okay to tell her? It was an incident they managed to keep fairly isolated, and he's not sure he has the right to start dishing out the dirty laundry.]

[But...she's a trusted friend. It should be okay...right? He swallows and chooses his words carefully.] Something got into his mind and started controlling him. It made him attack people he really cared about...it wanted him to kill u - [A sharp intake of breath] - them. We had to fight him to get rid of it...but it should be gone now.

[...'us,' huh? She doesn't stop and put her hand on his shoulder like she wants to, she has to walk out the rage first. Because how dare they. How dare they take what he holds so dear to himself and turn it against him?

But then, once they're inside the room, she doesn't go immediately over to Sanji's bed. She breathes out and stops, and looks at Chopper.]

But everyone's okay, right?

...Yeah.

[Except Sanji.]

...[Wibble.]

Hey. [She crouches down to meet his height. She puts her hand on his shoulder.]

It's going to be all right, Chopper. [She smiles at him, warm and full of confidence.] He's stubborn. And you're a good doctor. Do you mind if I take a look at him? If something's still wrong with him, we can figure it out together.

[He looks up at Katara's touch, somewhat surprised. She's...]

[...heh. Of course she is. He nods.] Okay.

[She squeezes his shoulder briefly and then gets up, gaze fixed on Sanji's bed. All right you thing that took control of him and made him hurt the ones he loved - you had better hope that you're already gone.

Full of determination and calm resolve, Katara heads towards Sanji, drawing water out of her waterskin as she goes, and then placing her hands on either side of his head.

He's so pale.

She closes her eyes. It doesn't matter. He's still breathing. Concentrate.

And the water around her hands begins to glow.]

...I don't see anything in him that shouldn't be there, but... there is something wrong.

[And it feels... almost familiar. Give her a minute to try to pin it down... why do the pathways in his mind have so many shadows?]

["Something"...? Chopper takes up position on Sanji's other side, a hoof lightly curled around the blankets. Katara was able to help Nami...so why not Sanji? There's a burst of excitement in his voice as he asks:] Can you tell what it is?

[She shakes her head.]

Not yet. It's like I'm looking at shadows... there are layers in his chi paths where there should only be one road, and all of them are... faint and fading, but I can't see anything wrong...

It's weird - I feel like I've seen this before but I can't remember...

[This is...different. Give Chopper a broken body and some duct tape and he'll work miracles for you, but things like chi and spiritual power is...just out of his expertise. Being so helpless when it comes to someone's health is a feeling he's becoming increasingly acquainted with, and it's not a kind one.]

[Chi...who would - oh -] Zoro might be able to help us! I-I think...he may know a bit about chi...maybe. I'm pretty sure he's here in the house. Should we ask him?

[It's with great reluctance that she sends the water back to its place in its waterskin. She can't - she won't risk doing anymore without any knowledge of what she's doing. His mind should not be shadowy like that, and it's too precious to just go poking around in... though she will, if she has to. She can't just leave it like that. It's wrong.

If only she could remember where she'd seen something like this before...

She almost wishes she'd spent more time in the healing hut. She can't regret the choice of learning how to fight, they had needed her skills as a warrior. But now she was needed as a healer. And she didn't know what she was doing.]

All right. Let's go ask him.

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