Twenty-somethings gotta twenty-something

[mikangirl]

Who: Everyone invited, everyone gatecrashing (technically you're all invited, so...)
Broadcast: Who knows, maybe some drunken texting later on
Action: Iskaulit Pool!
When: 3 July

[It's a party for a narcissistic redhead who likes to be reminded she's alive.  Come celebrate!  Alternately, come sneak in and steal the food!  There's a bar set up for drinks drastically lowered to cost-price or to-be-paid-later-tab, a non-alcoholic punch in case of wandering minors (spike it and Nami will end you) and random snacks.

Oh, and a pool.  Which is heated.  Kind of important, that part.

Step right up, I'm reliably informed we'll have Thor with his shirt off, take pictures while you can.]

Comments

[watermarks]

[ Katara feels her stomach sink, honestly. ]

...ah, sorry? I just saw it and thought you'd like it. I didn't think...

[ And she really should have. ] One summer you asked us to bring them all to your party that's all.

[mikangirl]

[Her smile fades.]

...it's okay, you know. I didn't mean that as an attack or any-- I liked it. It's beautiful. I don't mind at all that you knew.

[It's nice. Most people don't get her, and she sorely wishes she could remember you.]

[watermarks]

Oh, no, I know you didn't mean it like an attack. [ Nami's attacks are unmistakable and a whole lot more, well, purposeful and effective than that.

But she probably shouldn't know that either. Ugh. For a fleeting moment, Katara wonders if she should just go. But then, that would be worse, wouldn't it. ]

I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry, I didn't think. I didn't mean to be -- [ intrusive or... invasive or... ugh, but she just said -- ugh. Katara takes a breath. ] Look, let's start over. I'm glad you like it.

[ LET'S IGNORE THE AWKWARD. She'd rather not have to talk about it. ]

[mikangirl]

[Nami's getting the impression the whole not-remembering thing is harder on Katara than she thought, to be honest. And she thought it was hard enough.]

For the record, I'm never gonna mind you know stuff about me. You're just a friend I have to get to know all over again, that's all. If you don't mind?

[watermarks]

[ Yes, well. She has rather personal History about people knowing things about her life that she does not know. And it throws her off to be around a friend who... isn't really a friend, or who isn't a friend in the same degree; she'd like to think that between their spars and hanging out together, they're forming a friendship, but the bond she'd had with Nami in Luceti had been forged in blood and salt water. She wasn't treating Nami like that; she couldn't, it wasn't there, but she tended to forget that what she knew may not be common knowledge, and that made her feel like she was doing something wrong. ]

No, I don't mind. That's a good way of looking at it.

[mikangirl]

[And of course the problem is Nami doesn't know Katara well in return; can't ping to the insecurities that she might be facing down. Though she knows well enough that this sort of thing has to be all kinds of awkward for her. Ginko was a little like this, but more easygoing about the whole thing-- he'd said he was invited as crew, and she just accepted it.

It's more complicated here.

After a moment, she sits down next to Katara.] Give me a hand putting this on? [Because it's a pretty necklace and she's gonna wear it.]

[watermarks]

[ Nami always knew how to smooth over a situation.

Katara gives a quick smile. ] Sure, I'd be happy to.

[ She takes the necklace and unfastens the clasp. ]

[mikangirl]

[Nami gathers her hair up and curls it into a loose bun, keeping it off her neck.]

So did I ever tell you about a man called Genzo?

[watermarks]

[ Katara fastens the necklace and pauses in thought. ]

No, I don't think so.

[ She drops her hands back down to her sides. ]

[mikangirl]

[She lets her hair drop down.]

He was the sheriff of our village. Scowly kind of man. He wore a pinwheel in his hat the entire time I knew him, and I didn't find out until I was older-- [Right as she was leaving the last time--] --that it was because when I was a baby I'd cry every time I saw him. But I laughed at the pinwheel, so he chose to look ridiculous my entire life.

[watermarks]

[ ...that was an incredible story. ]

Wow, Nami. He must have cared for you very much. He sounds like an amazing guy.

[mikangirl]

He is. Last I heard from home, he was getting more and more outraged at my Wanted posters. [Grin.] Something about not depicting me in a respectable light.

But there. That's something new I can tell you.

[watermarks]

[ She comes back around to face Nami, still feeling a little hesitant and raw. ]

...I didn't know that was a goal. [ A small, wry smile. ]

[mikangirl]

I figured if you're worried about knowing things, I'm just going to find stuff you don't know and overdose you in information to make up for it.

[Nami that makes no sense.]

[watermarks]

[ She blinks and then smiles. But it's real smile, a little incredulous and wry, and entirely filled with hope in the 'maybe things will work out okay after all' sort of manner. ]

That seems fair. But then you have to ask me questions. Because I don't know what you don't know.

[mikangirl]

Ahh, so much work. [Amused.] But I guess it has to be done. We can do it all a piece at a time, right?

[watermarks]

[ Her eyes sting, but she doesn't cry. She nods a little. ]

Right. [ And then she smiles. ] Did you know, in Luceti, my birthday was tomorrow? Sokka figured it out from where my birthday actually was at home to the day after yours due to some... time thing. There were charts involved.

[mikangirl]

[...oh gosh. Look at her face turn to alarm so quickly]

Really? You should have said something! We could have had a double celebration!

[They're fun! She doesn't feel bad, per se, but such an opportunity missed.]

[watermarks]

Oh, don't worry! I mean, it's not my real one, I'd have to try to figure that out. It'd almost be easier to go back to my birthday at home. [ She smiles, though. ] Although we did do that, a few times in Luceti. The first time Sokka put this all together, he didn't tell me it was your birthday or "mine", he just informed me about it and told me I was late. I was freaking out about getting you a present and he was so frustrated about just wanting to get me there for the surprise...

[mikangirl]

[Hfft. That's kind of amusing.] Well, when's your birthday back home? I mean-- I'm just celebrating the right day here, but I don't know if it's correct anymore either. It's too hard to keep track.

[watermarks]

Yeah, that would have been a lot easier. But you know Sokka. [ An eye roll and a shrug. ] My birthday is the day after winter solstice. So it was really weird to celebrate in the summer.

[mikangirl]

You'd probably find it weird out here, too-- winter solstices don't mean much out in space. [Her smile is a little sympathetic. That part sucks.] But, you know, there are places that are super cold on the Iskaulit all the time. We could throw you a party there.

[watermarks]

[ If I'm still here on my birthday... ] ...I guess any excuse for a party is a good one. But I don't know nearly as many people here yet as I did in Luceti. The ships make it difficult.

[mikangirl]

It does. There are still a lot of people I've never talked to, though I know most faces by now. Running the bar tends to help with that.

...if you work a lot at the gardens, you'll see a few people filtering through there, too.

[watermarks]

[ Katara nods. ] I'm there almost every other day. I've brought up some pots and some dirt, since I didn't want to take over anyone else's plot, but I needed the artificial sunlight. My garlic plant is getting insane. But I guess I haven't been there at the right times? I've only ever really run into this one woman in a hood who wouldn't give me her name.