trans_9 | Meet and Greet Part Deux: The Socialing

"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."

"No, I know the name - I just didna know ye had joined." He's frowning slightly, trying to think if Katara had said something and he just forgot about it. "Did ye maybe say something to people on the Omnicoms? I don't always read those."

He gives her an apologetic look. "If ye did tell me and I forgot, though, I'm sorry."

"I did, but I also thought that I told you already. My fault: I talk to you so much and you've gotten close enough, I automatically thought I told you! I apologize though, for not telling you before. I should have too -when I put it on the Omnicom, me and my brother wound up arguing about it. He thought I was jumping in too quickly and was bothered about Spice."

Katara shrugged. "Sometimes things you want to do isn't going to happen with all the support you'd like."

"Och, it's no problem, Katara." Jamie looks at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't think it's that your brother doesn't want to support you, though. I think it's more that he loves ye, and worries about ye." And if Katara doesn't have to take the Spice, well, then, what's to worry about?

"Did ye tell him ye didna have to take the Spice-Drug?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Believe me Jamie, I get that. I'm one of the most fretting girls on the ship, and he's my brother. I know that I shouldn't take it too seriously if I can, that he's just trying to show concern. What I'm angry about is time after time, he tends to think I make impulsive decisions all the time. Yes, I know my track record isn't the best, what with the Yeerk, and me being the few to not hate Lex Luthor when I first met him. But for something like this, I was always going to be asking questions and I was going to do certain things my way."

She sighed. "Yeah, I must have told him that three times, but he still didn't want to support me. Times like these I'm usually angry with him, but its a little difficult when you remember he's the only brother you have and you need him still, even if you have all the confidence and bravado in the world."

"Aye," Jamie says, not without sympathy. "I'm always being yelled at for being rash, so I know what ye mean." Granted, it's not without reason, but there's been times where he hasn't done anything he thought was impulsive and still gotten taken to task for it. He does understand.

"I don't understand why everyone seems to to hate him," he remarks in regards to Lex. "I can see why ye would want to be careful around him, but hate?" Jamie shrugs. He doesn't think he should trust Luthor, not one bit. But hate? No.

"Is your brother older or younger than ye?" he asks, then. If he's older, that would explain rather a lot of the attitude.

"I mean, it isn't fair! I join the Outsiders, and he's there, so do I get scolded about that? No, because he's there too! But the moment I get near something that's just mine and happen to have a teacher that's a strong woman, he's concerned! If he wants to actually know what I'm doing, he can just come and ask my teacher himself, don't you think?"

She knew, of course, that Sokka wasn't being sexist, just annoyingly protective.

"I'm pretty sure Luthor in their time was a bad man, at least as bad a man as the Fire lord in my world: ruthless, manipulative, evil. But this Luthor was judged before we even got to really know him other than the bridge incident. I wouldn't say I completely trust him, I'd be an idiot. But I'm not going to actually keep away unless he actually tries to hurt someone."

Katara sighs. "Older. Definitely trying to live up to his end as older brother too, just like I try to play mom with him too."

Jamie says noncommittally, "Aye, he could have." He thinks it's maybe best to not get into the whole men being better than women argument with Katara. It's possible that Katara's brother might just be being protective - he's never met the man, so he couldn't say. Besides, it saves the inevitable argument that would wind up happening when Jamie says something that is sexist.

He nods in agreement to her statement about Luthor, but doesn't say anything else on the subject, having seen him around the room. He'll make his own observations before he draws any further conclusions about the man.

He smiles a little at the sigh. "I thought he might have been, from what ye are saying." If he had a little sister, he might have felt the same way. "In that case, it explains a lot." He hesitates for a moment, about to ask about her playing mom, but settles back and simply lets the statement end there. Hopefully Katara won't pick up on the hesitation.

"Yeah, he could," Katara said, casting a stern eye to what Jamie isn't saying. He seem,s a little quite about that, and she wondered if that might be because Jamie might agree with Sokka. But she hoped that wasn't the case: Jamie seemed like such a sweet boy, she couldn't believe he would believe in dumb comparisons like that.

He also seemed a bit quiet about Luthor, and Katara wondered if that might not be a difference between the two of them: Katara was not one to keep her mouth shut, and Jamie tried not to raise a fuss. That might make Jamie better liked, and maybe Katara couldn't blame him. After all, HE had never had to get locked up by security, or be scolded by Leon or be told off by Paco.

But at this point, Katara is DEFINITELY noticing that Jamie is saying very little, and now she wasn't going to let that slide. "What is it taht you;re not saying, Jamie? You seem awfully quiet."

Well, Jamie tries to keep quiet - it doesn't necessarily mean that he's always successful. Especially if he gives into to his impulses. He did threaten to punch Luis in the face, after all.

And it doesn't help when the other person is good at picking up what he's not saying. He grimaces a little as he realizes Katara's gotten at least an inkling that he's trying to keep from saying something stupid.

"Och, it's just..." Well, maybe if he chooses one of the things to talk about, he can let the others slide. And Luthor, all things considered, may actually be the safest of the topics. It's certainly the least personal.

"There's something about Lex Luthor that bothers me," he admits. "I'm just not sure what it is."

No good Jamie: you're painfully obvious. Even if Katara hadn't had Bene Gesserit training to learn when people are hiding things, she's still very observant, and knew that she was going to corner Jamie a moment and ask him why he was avoiding the issue. For now though, she was at least going to answer one of Jamie's queries.

"Lex Luthor's a shrewd man," Katara said. "He has secrets and he's very sure of himself. He has a plan for things if they go wrong, so that it goes in his favor. In other words, Luthor has got a plan B and even a plan C if he needs one. I never forgot what happened at the Bridge. That's just a part of who he is."

And that said, she turned her stern eyes to him. "And why are you avoiding what I'm asking you?"

He's not going to be able to get out of this, is he? Jamie sighs, then takes a deep breath and turns to face Katara. "Because I didna particularly want to upset ye, that's why." Or get into a fight with her, depending on which way the conversation went.

He looks out at the room, and gestures. "Look, people are having a good time. We should be enjoying ourselves, and proud of what we did. Do ye really want me to go into something that'll ruin that?"

Well, more than the talk of the Nightmare King did, but that's a little different.

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