generalflirt | ~♥THIRTY-ONE♥~

[He drums his fingers on the thing hes sitting on, thinking about what she's saying. He... can agree and he also can't agree.

It's a lie. hah.] Stuck, Katara? [he pulls up one hands now, looking at it before waving it semi-dismissively ] I can agree to that... yeah. Stuck's not a bad word.

[And he folds his arms behind his head His next phrase is soft. it's not really intended for her to hear]

...I miss the lie.

[Not low enough, though, that someone who is watching him with as much wary attentiveness as Katara is would miss it.]

Were you with someone?

[...she didn't have any memories of him being with a girl.]

Maybe. [He shakes his head] That's not what I mean though.

[And he looks away from her. His tone, it screams "you know it." And he frowns deeper at this, actually.]

[...this is Katara. This is Katara really not sure that she wants to ask.

In fact, she's at least seventy percent sure that she doesn't. The remaining thirty? Just wanting to get it over with.]

...oh?

[Are you really asking me that?

Really? In fact, the mood of the room drops so much that Linda notices and sort of is confused looking for a moment]

[fine, left field]

Luceti Valley.

[Yes, she is. She's done playing guessing games with you.

And for good reason, because now she's confused.]

What about it?

Do you remember it at all? I mean really remember it?

[One hand goes up to the ear that had been pierced with the earring bonding herself and her adopted son together, a subconscious movement that Katara because embarrassingly aware of after the fact. She awkwardly lowers her hand.

He's here now. Zoro. He doesn't remember anything.]

I remember what happened that week. I remember the fair [where they shared a bag of nuts and their hands tangled, almost causing her to run], and the tournament, and fighting a shift hunter with Shikamaru, [and confessing to Zuko, and one sweet kiss that had made her so happy since they would finally be together], and bumping into you at the clinic [and her brother's family. her nieces. her father. her uncle. She remembers.

But it was just one week.]

Edited 2012-02-28 09:13 (UTC)

It's odd, isn't it? To be truthful, my own memories of all the details are faded. I academically know this and that "happened" [in the lie] but I no longer have the context for it all. And sometimes, I have the context without knowing what actually was supposed to have happened...

[He drums his fingers... together, thinking] But actually, for a long time aftewards, I tried to remember the context, the "memories" I had during that week. I've failed in that respect... I think.

[A beat] ...I suppose you had a lot going on in that lie though, your "context" wouldn't be the same as mine.

[...hang on.]

You mean you tried to remember not just that week, but the memories we had that week of... our whole lives there?

[And she remembers, when they'd spoken about it just after the experiment, in the grocery store, how he'd teased her - "But I remember they were soft!" - about things that had never really happened. It's arrogant of her, because a lot had happened in his life, but her sense of apprehension builds.]

I did. Stupid, isn't it?

[Lightly. Self-depreciating]

[His tone fools no one and does nothing to thwart Katara's growing sense of discomfort.]

Why would you try to do something like that?

I just answered that, didn't I?

[Oddly, he looks yo Linda for confirmation.

...The pichu is so not paying attention though]

[She closes her eyes, and her pain shows in the furrow of her forehead, the tightening of her eyes, the slight lightening of her skin.

She breathes out:] Oh, Masaomi.

[And opening her eyes, she leans forward a little with quiet intensity.]

It wasn't real.

[Luceti Valley. Their fruit-induced confessions. None of it was real. How can you want to hold on to something which wasn't really them?]

Edited 2012-02-28 17:55 (UTC)

I know. [Quickly, quietly. He leans on his knees, looking downs at the floor a moment. How does he... escape this?

No. Don't run from it]

It's a lie.

[Moon and stars, how does she deal with this?

Don't run, Katara.

She doesn't want him to feel this way about her, although she's not anywhere near vain enough to call it love, Zuko had said "smitten" and that's pretty close. She doesn't do either of them any favors if she pretends not to know how much he'd have wanted it to be true - clear cut, and simple, loved and loved in return and secure in that knowledge. What a shortcut. What a lie. What a twisting of something good and right into a travesty of pain and a mockery of itself. It makes her want to cry just thinking about it.

But this isn't about her, it can't be, he's her friend and he's stumbling around, hurting in the dark.

She slowly reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder.]

Even if it was a lie that you wanted to be true, even if it made something seem perfect - don't you see, that's what makes it worse? Would you really want something like that if it took our choice away?

[She takes a breath and makes it as personal as she feels that it is:] If it took my choice away?

[She doesn't believe that he would. She doesn't think that low of him. A slight pause and she shakes her head to continue, with quiet conviction.]

What makes love great isn't that it's easy, isn't that it feels good - what makes love great is finding it even though it's hard. These experiments aren't short-cuts - they're robberies.

[And despite her best efforts, the corners of her eyes well up with tears.] They take something good and they twist it until it's all inside out.

[She withdraws, because she's starting to come apart at the ends, because looking at him while she says this is too much. She takes her hand off his shoulder and rests it back on her lap as she straightens and looks down.]

I don't blame you for wanting something like that to be real, not when it had seemed to give you what you want anyway. And it might take some time to work through that, and I understand that, just - [she swallows] - don't get so caught up in something false and twisted, even if it's sweet, that you lose out on what's true.

Edited 2012-02-28 18:17 (UTC)

[It's oddly surreal as he watches her break apart like this. About her? About him? About them? Maybe it's actually about Luffy or ... it's odd to think of it like this but maybe it's about Chouji. Or all of the above. His head tilts, and his expression, which was pained, is now oddly lacking. Because in truth, this moment seems less real than the lies.]

What's... true, is it? Ah, I'd given thought to that. [Lightly. She's under... no, maybe overestimating him. He's not really sure. What's true is painful. But a love story, huh? No, she hadn't actually said that. Maybe he should though. He purses his lips and then rocks back. He considers reaching out to touch her, maybe for a hug or just a show of support. but she might not want that]

Because, after all... even if there was a lie, I can barely remember the first one. I'll never forget this second one, I think. Even if I liked the lie, the fact is... it's a lie. [...] The fact is, love is... [he plans to say "a lie" he hums there, cutting off.]

[...And he smirks]

Have I stolen from you, Katara?

[She looks up at that, startled. What is he--

"Well, there is but one thing a man like me would "steal."

Oh.

And she blushes at that memory.

Fortunately, it's also enough to dry her eyes from tears which never quite spilled over. Katara gives a little pained exhale that under extremely generous circumstances could count as a laugh and shakes her head, her blush rapidly fading.]

No more than I stole from you.

[She doesn't hold him accountable for it.]

Putting it in that context, it makes the game seem pretty zero-sum.

[But it's not. Benefit for the Malnosso, somehow]

[Blink.]

Zero-sum? [...] Does that mean even?

[...is he really calling this a game?]

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