~♥THIRTY-FOUR♥~

[generalflirt]

[Action]

[It's later than he expected to be back from his mountain sojourn, really, when he comes into the town on Wednesday night. Shikamaru, let alone Silver, probably came back before him, but he finally makes it back then, goes to his apartment for a much, much needed proper shower and goes to bed.

So it is on Thursday that Masaomi's properly back in down, Linda on his shoulder. He's skipped class for... well, a long while now, so when he gets up surprisingly early, one of the first thing he does is actually go to school, possibly with an ear to speak with the professors or anyone who missed him from that. After that, House 11 to see how all the people he knows from there are doing. Once that's done, he heads over to the Battle Dome for a few reasons. One of them is to try to see Law, one of them is to ... well he decides to test out the training in the Battle Dome, preferably with Silver or Gold or someone else who knows Pokemon to see if he can run them before going back to the plaza. In the plaza he has some intention of lurking around the Smithy and the library. But also just trying to integrate back into socializing with people, maybe break into some light flirting, if he can muster the gusto? Trying to normalize. And once that is done, well, if he didn't run into some people he's of the mind to run into after all that in order he'll be going to Mikado's apartment and then the Avatar House on the south end of town. And then, of course, back to his place at night.

tl;dr options in order:
A) School (also includes getting lunch in the break period)
B) House 11 (after school)
C) Battle Dome (either lurking in its clinic or fighting digital pokemon in the rooms or getting refreshments between bouts
D) Plaza (in particular smithy and library - will be chatting up people, might hit on girls)
E) Community Building 7 (in particular Mikado's apartment)
F) House 56
G) Community Building 1 (in particular his and Shikamaru's apartment and kitchen on that floor)

You can also run into him in transit for any of these locations, naturally. Oh, right, and he'll be wearing something akin to this, so no soulpatch or whatever he was wearing int he experiment. With a small bag and Linda's luridly yellow pokeball in his pants pocket]

Comments

[markofthebrave]

[Exasperated breath.

...that chest awareness you were speaking of is so nonexistent.]

1/2

[generalflirt]

[...It really isn't. A lesser man would focus on it.]

[generalflirt]

Katara, what do you say we go swimming?

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.]

What.

[Dude, you change moods faster than a weather vane.]

[generalflirt]

Tonight, you and me, swimming.

[markofthebrave]

[...frankly, she's not inclined to get half-naked with you any time soon.]

No, thank you.

[Also, where the heck did this come from?]

[generalflirt]

Theeeen, hiking? Fishing? Poetry reading?

[markofthebrave]

[...]

Are you... asking me out?

[generalflirt]

Yes. I am asking you out on a date immediately after I told you that you have no responsibility for me. It was all part of my diabolical plan to make you let down your guard. Wa. Ha. Ha. Ha.

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[She gives him a look that says 'Oh, and that would be so out of the ordinary?']

[markofthebrave]

[Sigh. That was an unfair look.]

First of all, I didn't even connect the two things. Secondly, I don't even know where this is coming from, or if you're okay with what I said now. And thirdly... I don't think spending time like that together right now is a good idea.

[generalflirt]

[...Fine, three fingers. He skips one and holds up two] I've got no choice but to be okay with what you just said, Katara. I don't agree that I'm "maintaining" anything except my own life, but... well, that and my friendship with you. If you'll have me, we'll have it. And you just said you would.

[And then he holds up the third finger. And he sighs a bit before] I'm not sure if you felt at all the same, but I did miss you in my time in the mountains.

[markofthebrave]

[She sighs again, and then mimics his gesture, holding up one hand with two fingers.] I didn't say you were. I just said you didn't have to if you were.

[Don't you see how much easier, how much better everything would be if you stopped?

...

...

I'm not sure if I felt the same, either.

She holds up her third finger.]

I was worried about you.

[Which isn't quite the same thing, but it is, at least, true.]

[generalflirt]

[...Dejected. Just a little dejected, but]

Ah... Then I'll make it simple for you. Do you want to do something with me later today, or do you want me to vanish? I promise I'll be okay, but I'll just... see you later, I guess?

[Do you even like to spend time with me?]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[...

She looks down.]

Whether or not I want to hang out with you tonight doesn't really matter. Because my heart is still a little messed up.

[She thinks of Aang's face, in the dark.

"...without water."]

So... I need a little more space to figure things out, I think.

[markofthebrave]

But I have more I need to talk with you about, before that.

[generalflirt]

[More time? He just isolated himself for over a week.

...But fine, she was put through a terrible pain. He tries not to be bitter, and just nods. Alright, go on]

[markofthebrave]

[Her arms unfold at last and she takes a subconscious half-step closer.]

I'm really sorry for what she said - for that whole week. Everyone kept warning her to be careful. And she just... refused to lose her time with you.

[generalflirt]

[...He didn't know what he was expecting. He did not expect that. His eyes go wide and he feels like he was just winded by something he couldn't even pretend to defend against. He...]

...You mean "him." Not me, "him." That's the wording we've agreed upon, right?

[...You. She didn't see the differences? How did she not see them?]

[markofthebrave]

[She blinked.]

Oh, well - yeah. But you're the one who has to carry those memories around.

[Her brows come together. Did she say something wrong?]

[generalflirt]

...She didn't love me. She loved him. I'm just a man who stole her lover's face. A man who killed her. I'm not a prince, I'm barely even a pauper.

[Defensively. Why is he defensive]

[markofthebrave]

[She resists the insane urge to reach up and put her hand on his cheek.

Moon and stars, but this has been a bad month for maintaining physical distance. There is some obscure part of her that looks at him and feels propitiatory now, as if she had the right - and even the duty - to touch him however she wanted, whenever she wanted, instead of the truth of the matter which was to protect him she had to keep her distance.]

Hey. Don't talk about yourself like that. For that matter, you didn't love "her" either.

[And that was appallingly obvious to her.]

This wasn't your fault.

1/2

[generalflirt]

[This wasn't your fault. Shikamaru said the same thing. Silver said the same thing. Everyone had said the same thing, this whole time... and he didn't think Katara's word about it would be that worthless

Worthy.

Because it does make his heart flutter. Just a little... but not enough. Katara isn't her. Katara isn't the girl that he murdered for the sake of his life. For the sake of the girl in front of him. His eyes stay wide for a moment-]

[generalflirt]

[...Screw everything he just said. Screw the boundaries. The girl he loves and girl who has the face of the girl he killed is right in front of him. He's going to step forward and pull her into a hug, or try to even if she resists or whatever. It's one very big movement. But coming with it-]

I'm sorry. I'm- sorry.

[markofthebrave]

[She doesn't resist it. Actually, she'd been wanting to hug him since he had that look on his face, like she'd struck him between the eyes. Katara's hugs are not, as a rule, long affairs. She makes an exception.]

Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay, Masaomi.

[She runs her hand in a soothing circle on his back, comforting him as she would a child.]

She forgave you, you know. For not being him. For what you did. She wrote it in a letter... I'll even give it to you, if you want.