~♥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]

[A little shrug.]

There. I think that's it. Except...

[She tilts her head and gave him an assessing glance, and barely resisted the urge to say something a bit more shallow but ultimately more damaging like - you look older or I like your hair better this way]

I'm glad that you seem to be doing okay.

[generalflirt]

Aaah~ I am. [Inhale, exhale... and he tugs a bit on his necklace before going to touch her shoulder with the bracelet'd hand]

And I hope you will be, when you figure things out. You're already looking splendid to me.

[markofthebrave]

[She allows the touch, even though she wants to step away. And she looks down.]

It will be okay.

[She's not sure who she's reassuring.

Just like she's not sure if she's telling the truth.

She wants to step away.]

[generalflirt]

Eh... [And, by some weird habit/desire when he lifts his hand up the pull it off his shoulder he almost-almost goes to brush at something in her hair. He stops himself, nodding, and slowly retracts the hand] It will be. If I'm okay, then I know you will be.

[markofthebrave]

[A wry quirk of her mouth; relief when he lifts his hand.

You don't know the half of it. She thinks of Aang again and she shuts her eyes. Is love supposed to cause this much pain?

A sudden rush of tears behind her eyes and Katara lifts a hand to wipe them away before she takes a deep breath and opens her eyes.]

Of course. One way or another, everything will be okay.

[...somehow.]

[generalflirt]

In any case... [And he makes a little pose here, complete with wiggly fingers] I'll be looking forward to when you want to hang out with me again.

[markofthebrave]

[A little sigh.]

I told you - want doesn't have anything to do with it.

[generalflirt]

[...Eyebrow arch. Well then]

Fine then. Here's hoping what you want to do and what you ought to do can align themselves.

[markofthebrave]

[She laughed a little, some fractured piece of her shifting back into place.]

Yeah, that would be good.

[That would be really, really good.]

[generalflirt]

Aaaand- [A more sheepish smile - something more more in character for him as one hand goes to itch the back of his neck and the other is held up to make little hand motions] While I understand dedication to what's right, if you ask me what you want to do usually tells you more when you don't align just right.

[markofthebrave]

[...when you don't align just right?]

What do you mean?

[generalflirt]

[He holds up two fingers. Both are his index fingers on both hand. He runs them right next to each other.] This is what you want. [Wiggling the right index finger] And this is what you ought to do. [Wiggling the left index finger] Ideally, the two of them will meet. [And he pushes both together so they touch, side by side.] But more usually- [Pulling them apart so they are an inch or so apart] They will be parallel. Hopefully only at this distance, buuuut... [And now he pulls them more like a foot apart] Sometimes this far is okay. [And pulling them further, so they are three feet apart] Even if this far usually isn't.

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.]

[markofthebrave]

I think I followed that. I'm just not sure what you meant about it... 'telling you more?'

1/2

[generalflirt]

[Siiiiigh and he points the left finger at her stomach, pointing the pinky of that same hand at her head] What you ought to do, that's your instinct, your duty, and your responsibility. Your judgement. Suuuure, especially to someone like you, those are im~por~tan`te - Muuuy Importante. [With a fake Spanish accent]

[generalflirt]

[But then his right hand shoot out to point at and actually touch right in the center of her chest. No, really, he goes to touch there]

But what you want, that's your love.

[markofthebrave]

[Did he really just--]

Masaomi!

[Knocking his arm down again.]

[generalflirt]

Aaaaand if you ask me, you've got quite a bit of want, right? Juuuuust probably a bit more duty.

[And that's silly. With his arm smacked, he leans back on one leg]

[markofthebrave]

[Arms crossed in a defensive huff: check.]

If you me, would I want to be able to just hang out with you and not have to worry about anything and have fun, then of course the answer is yes. But there other things I want too. I want to feel like I'm not hurting you or leading you on. I want to be fair to you and to -- [Aang] -- everyone else. I want you to get along with my brother and my friends and I [starting to tear up again here] want to stop feeling so guilty and unsure about everything and I want to make everything okay again and I want to know I have a choice about where I go and who I love and what I do-- so, yes, I've got quite a bit of want!

[And she turns away because - damn it all.]

[generalflirt]

[...And then his eyes narrowed]

Hey, what's that? How can you not have a choice?

[That comes out low, a bit hard. Other thins there (such as the idea that it's somehow unfair to him how she's acting) also bring up points but]

[markofthebrave]

[...well, she didn't mean to go there, did she. Fine, she can play this off with a lesser truth.]

I didn't have a choice two weeks ago, did I?

[Not even any spark to that. Just. Deflated.]

Or in February. Or the experiment between that. Even the only time I can say that I knew my feelings and that they were real was still started by one of these stupid things. Practically every kiss I've ever had has been because I was under an experiment. And then there are the memories that stay and influence our feelings even regardless of whether or not they're true...

[She remembers, not just falling asleep holding your hand, but sitting on a sofa close together, nearly tangled in an empty apartment, just enjoying your nearness. She remembers your arms wrapping around from behind her and leaning back into you like it was the most natural thing in the world. She remembers holding on to you for comfort and finding strength in your heartbeat.

She remembers all these things.

And she remembers Aang's face when he told her that, when he was from, they were together. She remembers the tone of his voice when he said he didn't blame her. She remembers him whispering in her ear and leaving her because she asked him to, despite how much he wanted to stay, despite him coming after her in the first place. She remembers...]

How am I supposed to know how to feel?

[generalflirt]

[...Bullshit. That's bullshit] Katara you're good at distancing yourself from those feelings. And if you want genuine kisses, I'll give you enough that you won't be able to breathe.

[And now he narrows his eyes. because there's something wrong here. Something not right. Something he's missing. There's something she is not telling him because there's no way that some AU experiment affected her so strongly she would still be holding it against him or herself this long after. Hell, with the last one she was good to go in two days, and in LucetiLand she was fine quicker too. There was nothing...]

...But why don't you tell me what's actually the problem?

[markofthebrave]

[Okay. Pause.]

Whoever said I was good at distancing myself from those feelings? Just because I want to deal with things and make sure everyone's okay, or because I don't talk about it doesn't mean that they don't mean something to me! And genuine kisses have to come from both sides, Masaomi!

[Not. Entirely. Truthful. Her feelings for him are a mess right now, tangled up with guilt and responsibility and a lack out an outlet, of an option, because like hell would she give in to being with everyone else right after Aang had told her his feelings. But she'd enjoyed kissing him, those times they had kissed. On a simply basic level, she knew she'd enjoy it if she kissed him again. It wouldn't even be completely cut off and contradictory from how she felt, like that time under the mistletoe.]

[generalflirt]

You're dodging the issue here, Katara! You don't even want me to address the "truth" of those two points!

[Because you said that. You've shown it. And more importantly, even if you hadn't you would never be using them an an excuse. Where's your pride? There's something even more precious being defended (what could it even be?) if you're resorting to this]

[markofthebrave]

[Footstomp.]

I'm telling you the truth!