generalflirt | ~♥THIRTY-SIX♥~

~♥THIRTY-SIX♥~

[Voice // Filtered to Katara (mid-morning)]
I think now's enough time, don't you think?

[Action]
[And during the bulk of the day...! Masaomi's forgone most of his training for today other than some things on his wrists. On his left wrist (the one that until very recently was in a cast) has a weighted bracelet on, one kilo. That way, he can work it without switching himself up too much. On his right wrist is still Katara's bracelet. He's also still rocking the Bradstache. BuT more importantly!

...He's here to flirt with girls. He hasn't done it in a while, he's in just the sort of mood where he wants to do it again. So if you're in town and a pretty girl, he's liable to go and flirt with you. If you're a dude, well then you can witness him doing it. React to him, stand there to be reacted to? There's a lot of ways you can roll this]

[Voice // Filtered to Gold and Silver (evening)]
Hey guys, let's go play some Mario Party. [Assumption being he told Shikamaru already]

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[Aha. He's finally hitting it. He holds ups his his pinky finger, keeping his gaze fixated, hard, on her. he refuses to look away just like she refuses to look back on all this.

She's not as introspective as I am, I know this]

Assumption 4: You're not able to absorb the enormity of the future you've been foretold. Not that I know it all - I'm not so crass as to milk Ikki-chan for facts - but it's written all over your face.

[She reacts instinctively, defensively, her resolution to be calm forgotten.]

That isn't any of your business.

But it's true.

[Flatly. He goes to ... nah, not another assumption just yet. Let's have her sit with that.

...Actually]

...Aang-kun dies comparatively young.

[At that, she goes pale. A lead weight replaces her stomach and she very nearly starts to shake.]

Watch it.

[There are no words, no expression of indignation big enough, no scream of the heart loud enough to express what hearing those words out loud, staring at this fact, does to her soul. She can feel it withering.]

Just an observation, observation. [In a light tone, waving the hand not holding up the pinky dismissively. He hums and then looks up at the sky. Much more sympathetically:] To be honest even if he and I have had our disagreements, if people got what they deserved a kind boy like that would live to be 98 and die in his sleep, never falling into dementia or Alzheimer's or anything like that.

[Slightly mollified, but still too - something for actual words here.

Terrified? Grief-stricken? Angry?]

[...Hah. He closes his eyes and holds up his index finger on the hand which had the pinky up]

Assumption 5: Aang-kun is the most important person in your life.

Edited 2012-07-13 04:37 (UTC)

[You're really going to keep going there?

...and while Katara might have told Aang as much once, she thinks of Sokka and-

Takes a steadying (ragged) breath.

Opens her mouth to say: Aang is one of the most important people in my life - and finds herself saying:]

Yes.

Ah. I knew that. [He opens his eyes, half-lidded. He knew that from the get-go. Initially, he was slightly displeased, then he came to accept it. Then he was annoyed. To be honest, he's still annoyed. But all the same, now that he knows what he's working with]

Assumption 6: I'm not in your top three either [harking back to Shikamaru] Generously, I'd be in your top ten, but I doubt I'm there either.

[And before she thinks he's getting down on himself for that, he holds ups his ring finger on the one with pinky and index up to say-]

Assum- no, more of a Fact 1: Despite that that, you still like me.

[Okay, it's official, she hates this whole conversation. In many ways. And is also blushing a little. Annoyed. But blushing. A little.]

It's not that simple. Ranking people's importance is a stupid way of doing things. Just because Aang is - who he is to me doesn't diminish the importance of anyone else.

[And yes, she's ignoring that "Fact."

She'd known he was going to bring this up, and he still took her by surprise. She didn't know how he managed that.]

Oh, naturally. A heart isn't a room with walls, Katara, it's something that expands to fit as many people as is wanted within it.

[Duh]

[Fine, as long as you know that your system of measurement is wrong and stupid.]

...okay, good.

[She had her footing somewhere.]

Rankings still exist, even if it's relative though. [He smiles, bright and honest] I'm not worthless though.

Assumption 7: You know as well as I do that the "Katara" Aang is in love with isn't you, it's the one from back in your home. And no matter how he denies it, that remains a fact.

[He holds up the middle finger on that hand, so he's now holding up four fingers]

[A hand curls up into a fist. She wants to hit him for that. Instead her voice is ice.]

That isn't something we've discussed.

[That's a yes.]

Assumption 8: For some reason or another, you feel you're somehow less than the "Katara" who dated him back home. Or well, less isn't the right word... darker, perhaps?

That's enough.

[She doesn't get up, but she's tempted to. She leans forward.]

I am not comfortable discussing my relationship with Aang with you.

[Especially if you're going to be talking like this. Because of course she's "darker," of course she's worse.]

But that's wrong. [and he leans forward too.] I don't know that Katara. I only know you, and you're the singular most amazing person I've ever met. So even if you're different, I doubt you're worse.

You don't know that! You just said you don't know her. Me.

[Dealing with particulars - better than bursting into tears? It's a 50/50.]

I know you! You're a responsible, caring, accomplished caretaker, a loving sister, a seasoned warrior, a master bender, an accomplished healer, a qualified doctor, and a great friend! You're more than I have ever seen you give yourself credit for! I don't care if she can make the world move or if she is someone Aang would be dating, there is no way on this or any world she is better than you!

[The same? Equal? Equivalent, sure? But no]

If you doubt me, ask all those people you've fought for in Luceti. Ask all those lives you saved and the people who have trained you, helped you to be all you can be here.

[He says this strongly, resolutely. He isn't leaving room for doubt. He hopes]

[She sits there stunned at his outpouring of emotion and praise. But then a spark lights within her and soon she's yelling back.]

What I've accomplished doesn't mean anything! That's not what makes a person better than anyone else!

Doesn't mean anything?! Are you listening to yourself?! How hard have you worked?! How much faith has Trafalgar-san put into you?! Nami-chan?! Shikamaru, Sokka, me?! If that's meaningless, then tell me, what does make a person better?!

[And tears are in his eyes by now too. Because if effort is truly meaningless, what does that say about him]

Edited 2012-07-13 06:19 (UTC)

I--

[...what does make a person better? Not killing anyone? Does she really believe that? Then what does that say about Shikamaru? What does it say about Chouji, or any other soldier? Was Aang better than them because he refused to kill? Was her other self better than she was, because she'd never been in a war that forced her to make that choice, instead of casualties falling as they may?

What about her bloodbending? Her recent decision to master it in order to protect her family? Did that make her a worse person? Did she regret it if it did?

If Aang can't accept these changes in her (it felt wrong to even think) was she the one that was really wrong?]

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