March Mingle Madness (aka SURPRISE it's another mingle)

[bryces_pup]

Who: Crew members and visitors of the SS Blue Fish
Broadcast: nope
Action: On the Blue Fish, naturally.
When: Throughout March!

[Another month, another mingle. Once again, any visitors on the ship should bear in mind that there are locks installed all over the ship, so someone on board's gotta let you in. Or you can just stand there. And stare. And hope someone takes pity on you.]

Comments

[kyasdaughter]

I know you won't give up. You never do.

[ maybe this is the worst part of places like the fleet: the powerlessness that came with being unable to move their own lives forward. if they were at home, she knows that they'd all be doing everything in their power to find zuko's mother, to sort this out to some kind of conclusion. maybe not a good one, but at least one that would allow healing to start.

but time doesn't move here. wounds like this can't heal on their own. ]

You're just going to have to be patient for now. I know that's not what you want to hear, but - that's just how it is, Zuko. [ katara pauses, exhaling then. ] And I'm not letting you go until you hug me back, by the way. In case you were waiting for that.

[honorbends]

I don't know what I want to hear. There's no easy answer to any of this, and nothing that's said is going to change what happened.

[ a slight correction, tiredly -- but he sighs, and eventually hugs her in return.

sometimes, it's easier to just not argue. ]

[kyasdaughter]

[ probably best when she's concerned, honestly. she smiles slightly, giving him another little squeeze before she backs away entirely. ]

Maybe not. Talking it out now might change what happens later, though. Are you alright?

[honorbends]

[ what happens later, if she means the difference between zuko flipping out on someone who closed a door too loudly or just looking annoyed at being disrupted. talking helps, and it heals, but it's hard, and he doesn't really want to keep opening these wounds every single time his friends ask him if he's okay.

but he supposes he has to, because they're always going to ask if he's okay, and that's a good thing. in the end. he supposes.

he considers her question for a moment before sighing, folding his arms over his chest. ]

Are you going to argue with me if I say yes?

[ a bit pointedly, but there's no real venom behind the question. ]

[kyasdaughter]

[ katara considers his question for a moment, because yeah, okay, maybe her own was a little bit loaded. she inhales deeply through her nose, holding her breath, before she tries again. ]

How about, "Are you going to hurt yourself or someone else or part of the ship if I let you get back to training?" Or, um, "Is there anything that I can do for you right now?"

Is that better?

[honorbends]

No, I am not going to hurt myself, someone else, or part of this ship.

[ he answers automatically, with the resigned tone of someone who has answered this question from katara a lot. but at her second question, zuko considers that for a few seconds, because he's not entirely sure if she can do anything to help, but -- ]

Are you hungry?

[kyasdaughter]

[ she glances at him at the question. ]

Do you want me to bring you something to eat?

[honorbends]

Wh -- no.

[ KATARA god ]

If you were hungry, I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me to get food.

[ as he collects up his swords ]

Make sure I don't throw myself off of a bridge or something.

[kyasdaughter]

Oh! [ okay that makes more sense. katara shakes her head, heading to the cargo bay's exit as she watches him gather up his swords. right: he isn't sokka. ] That sounds pretty great, actually. I've actually got some errands to run on the station, and Allen asked me to take someone with me when I did them, so... this actually works out.

[honorbends]

[ there's a silence, at that, and he watches katara walk a few steps ahead before hurrying to keep up with her, dropping his swords off by the door of his therapy office as they go. sasuke can put them away later. ]

Why do you need someone to go with you?

[ curiously; katara can take care of herself. ]

[kyasdaughter]

I think he's afraid I'm going to get into a fight.

[ she seems kind of pleased by this thought though tbh, and she swings by her room to grab her money. ]

There are a couple of people selling total junk medicine, and I wanted to talk with them.

[honorbends]

[ there's a longer silence at that, as zuko stops to allow katara to get into her room, crossing his arms again. ]

... why do you need someone to go with you if you're going to get into a fight?

[ he's still lost on this concept has allen not seen katara fight ]

[kyasdaughter]

[ katara shrugs, like she doesn't really get it either, before heading toward the shuttles. ]

I dunno. I think he's afraid that I'll get carried away?

[ or arrested... ]

[honorbends]

If you get carried away, they'll probably deserve it.

[ somewhat absently, as he follows her. ]

Freezing someone to a building is a lot more kind than burning them to death, so you're going to be the one getting carried away, not me.

[kyasdaughter]

I really like the way you think sometimes.

[ she will hold a shuttle door open for him

like the gentleman she is ]

[honorbends]

[ occasionally, zuko comes up with something brilliant. but he ducks into the shuttle as beckoned ]

Thanks, I guess.

[ ahem ]

-- why was Allen talking to people like that, anyway?

[kyasdaughter]

[ and katara hops into the pilot's seat, hitting some buttons to open the bay doors. ]

Oh - he was buying stuff because he's lab support. He was researching some of the local remedies for things, I think.