trans_9 | Meet and Greet Part Deux: The Socialing

Katara looked back at Jamie and gave him a grin. "You know, I was just joking. I meant that part about being weird, but I know you didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm glad that the mission didn't rough you up too badly."

Katara shrugged. "Well, it was the weather that got to me, the climate. It made me think of home, and I was really, really happy there. I guess a part of me didn't want to leave. I just didn't expect it to hit me so much until I got back."

Of course she was joking. He just...didn't catch it. Jamie makes a face at her, then shakes his head - but he's smiling all the same. "Billy mentioned a bit of what happened on your mission, too. I'm verra glad that the both of ye weren't hurt."

He nods, understanding a little how that would feel. He may have felt the same way if things hadn't changed so much in Scotland. "It's a shame there isn't a place where ye can make it snow on Stacy. Ye have the Imagin..er, the Sensoriums, but it's no the same, aye?" Someplace where you could have real snow might feel nice once in awhile, given how humid the ship is.

Poor Jamie. Katara felt she was being mean, letting him think for a moment that she was angry at him. Teasing was a part of who she was though, and what was the point if you couldn't tease your friends a little bit?

"Oh, I didn't want to get hurt there. While the situation was serious, it was us versus some thugs and guns, who had no idea of what our abilities were. My main concern the last few weeks have been focused on the Nightmare King."

Now see, Katara, you had to go and talk about the impending doom? Jamie was just trying to have a nice conversation.

She shook her head. "No, it isn't. You can recreate things like spear fishing, or family life, or snow fights when you know that its nothing but recreated memories from your brain. It isn't real, and that's the thing that sometimes hurts the most."

Jamie is actually quite fine, now that he realized she was teasing. He's occasionally a little slow on the uptake, but once he does get it? He momentarily harumphs and gets over it.

In fact, he's smiling again - but it disappears as the Nightmare King is mentioned. There's a solemn nod from him instead. "I've still been trying to find people who can help. I was hoping the Doctor would wake up, because if anyone can..."

He shrugs. "Doesna appear he has, though. But maybe this will help in some small way." He waves at the room in general, but means the gift giving and sharing of stories about the mission.

"Maybe, if we can hold on to how we feel now, we can stand together later."

Edited 2010-01-08 02:28 (UTC)

She smiled at the harrumph. At this point, it seemed to define their sort of relationship: gentle teasing with good intention. Besides, Jamie was a good person, and she was glad to have met with his acquaintance on the ship.

Katara shook her head here. "The Magical Department is supposed to be all over this, but I don't think we should just rely on them. People on Team Left Behind had to contend with things after we tried to get the ship, so if we stay unaware we could potentially be victims at any time. So if you can Jamie, have someone try to guide you through mental meditation, so you have some kind of defense to what he's going to do."

Katara nodded. "I was told that the only way we could protect each other from the Nightmare King was by standing together. It ight be why we went on that mission on the first place."

"Aye, that's a good idea. I'm just not sure who I should ask. I suppose I could post on the wee bitt...er, Omnicom, but..." He trails off, uncertain if he wants to handle it that way, then looks at Katara thoughtfully.

"Would there be anyone ye would know that might be able to help with that?"

Katara thought a moment. "There are a few people who are fairly exercised with controlling the mind. For you, the easiest person might be someone who understands what you go through. I would suggest Jean Grey, or maybe Nanoha. She can at least guide you to the answers you're looking for."

Katara sighed and looked at Jamie. "Don't treat this as anything but a danger, Jamie. He means to hurt all of us. Don't let him hurt you."

Jamie nods, mentally fixing the names in his mind. "I'll look one of them up, then. Thank ye, Katara."

From the expression on his face as Katara warns him, he's not considering the situation as anything otherwise. "I will everything I can so that doesna happen. But, please, Katara - don't let him hurt ye either. I don't want to think of ye getting hurt."

He pauses, then adds, "I don't like any of my friends getting hurt." But he also knows with her, there's Aang to consider. She's likely well aware of that, though.

"Good," Katara said. "She shouldn't be that hard to find. She's the leader of the Magical Department in the military section, actually."

Here though, she gave Jamie an apologetic smile. "Actually, I've been preparing for this guy for weeks. The moment I had the dream with the Seer, I've been looking into some mind exercises and putting in some extra meditation time with Carol and Sheeana. If there's one thing I'm going to be, its prepared...I hope."

Katara nodded. Aang, of course, was the first person on her mind when it came to the Nightmare King and what he could do. She nodded, though she felt a sharp push of anxiety.

That confuses Jamie a little bit. "Och, which one do ye mean? Nanoha or Jean Grey?" He thinks it might be Nanoha - he does remember her from the snowball flight, and flying could certainly be magical. But he thinks Jean has an important job title, too. And it'd be a bit rude to pull out the Omnicom and look it up while he's talking, so the question is an easier way to go.

He frowns at that smile, mostly because..."I didna even think to do something about that. I've been mostly doing something Roxie advised once, to try and figure out when I'm awake and when I'm dreaming. I don't know if that would count?"

Spotting the anxiety on Katara's face, he adds, gently, "We'll defeat the Nightmare King, Katara. And we'll rescuse Aang."

"Nanoha is the head of the Magical Department," Katara said. "Jean Grey is Chief Medical Officer. I know that because when I was in jail, my so-called punishment was to help her. I have healing abilities, so it was actually something I didn't mind doing that anyway. They both would be able to help though."

Katara nodded. "Roxie knows more about things that go on in dreams than anyone I know. Those times I've dreamscaped with her were pretty intense. You wind up seeing things about yourself you would rather not see. It;s definitely not for the weak minded."

But at the last two statements, Katara gave Jamie a determined look. "I'm counting on it, with everything I have."

"Ah, okay. That's cleared things up." He looks much happier now that he knows who is who.

He nods as well when she mentions Roxie and dreamscapes. "Ye'll have no argument from me on that. The first time I met Roxie was in my dream, and it was verra...interesting."

"It can be pretty hard to make the distinctions," Katara said. "Even I forget sometimes."

"Twice," Katara said, "And I can safely say I've never had experiences like that before. Roxie is a very powerful person. I just want to make sure that nothing can touch her either, although I think she's pretty safe from the Nightmare King right now."

"Aye," Jamie agrees. "It was definitely different - and I've seen some odd things since I've left Scotland. But if anyone can stand against the Nightmare King, she can."

He believes Roxie is very powerful as well, and he says that with every confidence in her abilities.

"But I completely understand that ye want to protect her, too." There's a faint chuckle. "Ye are verra fierce in some ways, Katara. And I mean that as a compliment."

"Same here," Katara said, "although it wasn't uncommon for monks and sages to enter dream state. Actually, I'm pretty sure that the Avatar could do it, but in a different way. I know Aang could enter the spirit world and leave his body behind."

Katara laughed a little. "Oh, I think Roxie is one of the few people capable of fighting all on her own. But in a way, yes, I'd like to think I could help her too. I guess that wanting to protect people has been something i still carried from my world."

"I've met some monks," Jamie says thoughtfully. "I suppose it's possible they could, but..." He looks a bit doubtful for a moment, then shrugs and says, "Aye, well. Who knows with monks?"

He'll believe, though, that Aang could do what Katara is describing. "Is there anything Aang can't do?" he asks curiously. It's not meant in a bad way - from what Katara is saying Aang sounds extremely powerful, after all. He's just not really thinking before asking the question.

"Well," he comments reasonably, "I don't see why ye canna help. Especially if she needs to do her dream-things. It's always good to have someone to watch out for ye in that sort of situation."

Katara shrugged. She thought it'd be in poor taste to mention what happened to the monks of her world. That would officially go in the awkward moment part of socializing. "Yeah, monks sure are mysterious," Katara said lamely.

Katara had to laugh a little here. "I guess I've been building him up a bit, haven't I? I don't mean to, its just that the Aang I know is more than just some powerful being of balance. He's also my closest friend, and someone who always accepted me even if I couldn't be as even-tempered and nice as he could. He respects life and everything around it, and really likes to have fun!"

Though there was, despite her encouraging words, the quiet part of her that wondered if getting older would have changed things. The fear she had, more than she'd like to admit, is an Aang angry she didn't look for him sooner.

Which was ridiculous, but Katara had to be careful with her heart here. When it came to Aang, Katara out all of herself on the line.

"I think she's being helped by some people she picked," Katara said, "People who actually use magic and can create magical barriers."

He's just as happy to not discuss monks in general, and for pretty much the same general reason, even if he doesn't know it.

Jamie finds himself chuckling at Katara's response, though. "Aye, perhaps. But I know ye have strong feelings for him, so it's understandable." Which he thought might have colored things a little, but wasn't entirely sure.

"I've heard magic may be helpful, so that's good Roxie found people to help her."

"It isn't just strong feelings," Katara said, even though most of it was, of course. "Aang is the person I wish could be: unspoiled, caring, willing to help people if they ever get into trouble. I know myself already: I'm a bit of an idealist, and I like to believe that people will do the right thing because the wrong thing hurts others. When it comes down to it though, I will do what I have to when it comes to someone that will cause genuine harm to others. Aang would try to find a way to help them without hurting anyone. He reminds me of all the good things in the world that I'm still trying to cinvince myself exists. I know that they do, thanks to him."

She was quiet a moment, and it was clear that what she had for Aang was far beyond a crush or just a passing infatuation. She genuinely loved him.

Katara nodded. "They will keep an eye on her, whatever she's doing. If its Roxie, its bound to be pretty dangerous."

"It's not a bad thing to want to be like that." It's definitely preferable to being cold, calculating and callous.

He hesitates for a moment, then says, "I think that ye may have already worked some of that into your own life, Katara, if ye don't mind my saying so."

Jamie can see some of the caring, just from talking to her - and he definitely knows that she is willing to help people if they get into trouble. He just hopes she can see it too.

"I know it isn't," Katara said, "In fact, I think its something that keeps me going, knowing that there are people like that in this world. It reminds me of that when I'm in a tight spot, when there's a dilemma. I just hope I don't forget it when we're out there, and people are doing really bad things."

Here, Katara did smile. "I'm not perfect, but I do what I can, and hope that can be enough. If I could, I'd try to help ease the pains of the people on this ship. In a way, I'm glad my waterbending allows me to heal."

But even she knew that sometimes, which hadn't come but could at any moment, she had to NOT be like Aang and fight to kill. What would she do then?

"Well...why don't you? Help people on the ship, that is." Jamie asks, as if the suggestion makes perfect sense to him. "Ye just said ye can heal with your waterbending, so ye could do that, right?"

Sure, it may not be needed all the time but she already said she worked in the Medbay before, so why wouldn't they want extra help?

"I have," Katara said, "But I know I'm not going to be able to do that as much now. I have a lot of training I'm doing, and a completely new craft I'm learning that requires more concentration that I've ever given anything. I can help the ship when I heal, and I will at a moments notice, but I can also help the ship by getting stronger and moving faster too. We have plenty of doctors on this ship, but not that many waterbenders/Bene Gesserits."

And it was a lot of work, just to make sure she could do Prana-bindu.

That's a new one for Jamie. He blinks rather rapidly. "Bene Gesserit?" Don't get him wrong, he knows the term - he's talked to a couple of them, after all. But...

"I didna realize ye could study to become one if ye weren't from their world. Don't ye have to take their spice drug or something?" He's a little fuzzy on the details, and looks at Katara with a rather puzzled expression.

"The Order I'm training in," Katara said. "I thought I'd told you about them already, but I guess not. I've watched Sheeana. read up on the order. and I decided I wanted to train to be part of that sisterhood. I've always wanted to expand my knowledge in the body arts as well as waterbending, and now I have that chance."

Katara shook her head. "A girl isn't just born to be one. It's a inner strength and dedication you have to have on your own if you're going to get anywhere. Spice isn't required to take it, but the hours to learn are long, and homework is something you take up yourself. But a teacher is a teacher, and so is the effort you put behind what you do."

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