trans_9 | Last Straw

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Last Straw

She went straight to the Sensoriums. Her feelings were all over the place, and she had to get away from people right now. She remembered all too well what happened to Alex when he lost Luna: she knew she had to find a way to take her aggression out. There was pain and self loathing and unspeakable things she was sorting through, but right now it was nothing but anger she was feeding on. She closed her eyes when she entered, concentrating on the enemies she;s fought while she'd been on the ship.

The Terminators. The T-Rex. The Nightmare King's monster minions. The traps Hal had laid for them. They came one at a time but Katara was ready, steeling herself to calmly maneuver out of the traps, to find a way to take down the terminator most efficiently, and those alone took more than a few hours. It was when she got to the nightmare King's minions, however, that Katara stopped being cautious. Now she ripped into them, stabbing at them with ice shards and freezing them on the spot before blowing through them, and slowly her determined face gave away to that of rage. As she started to remember their fights, their hugs, their talks, she switched to the Bene Gesserit fighting style, her hits were starting to get more serious, leaving many injured in her wake, though she received a few cuts herself. When she was done an hour later, it faded, all of it, and she was left in water, where she had heard Sokka once talk to Toph about how she'd been like a mother to her, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She let out a scream, primal and pained.

"WHY?! WHY BRING HIM HERE JUST TO TAKE HIM AWAY?! ALL THIS TIME, JUST TO TAKE HIM AND NOT HAVE AANG HERE AND MAKE ZUKO FORGET WHAT WE ALL DID?? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?"

And she dissolved into tears here, the sun sinking into the clouds and leaving a dark, lonely pond.

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"Thank you guys," she said, smiling at the both of them. They were really family she could count on when it came to things like this. She brought them out of the water, privately glad they followed her here. They always had a way of calming her.

Once they were all out of the water, she changed it to a sandy beach at sunset, the setting of Zuko's summer home on Ember Island. She stared into the distance a moment before gesturing them to come into the simulation of the house.

Chirp.

"Tarrr-Tarrr be Bon-d. Tarr-Tarrr hurrr-ted, we feel."

It's the truth and one he doesn't regret either. Curling up a bit on Bee's shoulder, the oddity offers a bit of his unusually warm temperature to help the Human dry off a little.

"You don't need to thank us," Billy insists, obediently following her into the house. At least it's only a Sensorium and he's not dripping in a real house.

"Where are we?" He catches that distant look and the obvious significance of the place.

Here, Katara looked serious. "Always. I've been in my world, and lived more than a year in this one. If I have to make a decision that will help people, I will do that. You don't stop wars by wavering on the ideals you fight for. You give everything, and you help those that count on you."

She nodded. "Then she just be someone special. I know someone like that in my world too."

"Good," Ren answered. "We're not going to win by being indecisive. The more people who understand that, the better."

He nodded back. "Then you know what it means to have to fight for them. That they're important enough to do anything for."

She nodded. "I know. That's why I chose to come here. It hurts, and I feel horrible, but I can't break. I have a team now, and people who depend on me. I won't break that easily. I just need time."

She shook her head, "Besides, you've seen how I fight. If I let myself get out of control, I could really hurt someone."

"Good," the Overlord said, with an odd motion that approximated a nod and looked very strange. He seemed pleased.

"Wasn't much of a fight, though. You kept winning."

Katara took a towel and started to dry herself, patting Renne.

"This is Zuko's summer home. We hid here after our other base was infiltrated, near the heart of the fire nation. This is where we hid right before we finally took on the fire nation directly. It was a pretty amazing day then. Sokka, his girlfriend Suki and Toph started taking down fire nation blimps, Aang fought the fire lord directly, and Zuko and I fought his sister at the Fire Nation capital. Wish Zuko remembered it, but Stacy pulled him before that."

She shrugged. "I guess I was feeling nostalgic."

"Eee."

He's not quite sure how to respond, except to listen and offer something. Although fearing he might somehow defile this house-of-memory, he can do things that won't touch the place. Thus, he offers a gentle, warm breeze, the sound of a Cil'a pod's calls and, there in his right hand/paw comes an unroasted marshmallow.

"I'm not indecisive about the fight, no matter what happens," Katara said, looking deadly serious. "These people may have decisions to make, things they think matter more than stopping the Ohm. I don't. This mission is bigger than even my pain."

Which hurt to say aloud, but it was true. She had been taught at least that much by her teachers, both from her world and the ones stuck here.

Ah, towels! He wraps one around his waist, listening attentively to Katara's tale.

"Definitely understandable at a time like this," he observes, happening to catch the marshmallow out of the corner of his eye. "Renne?"

Katara grinned. "It wasn't that way the first time, but I learn. With the Ohm it won't be as clean, but I'll do what I can. Its why I train."

She smiled. "If you can still bring up those simulations, it would help."

"What, mine?" He frowned, thinking quickly. "You are SO not suited to be an apprentice, but I could put you through some of the ones I hit Ruffnut with. Crank it up a little, make some adjustments for all that wacky stuff you do..."

Going with gut instincts Beastboy slid down to his knees gently and put his arm around Katara in a hug giving her the silent support he thought she needed. He'd been an only child all his life so he'd never lost a brother or sister, but he'd lost his parents, and his family, and people he'd loved.

He knew sometimes words were just filler when you felt like life had ripped your heart out.

She looked down and saw the marshmallow and smiled. Here they were, still sticking around and trying to make her feel better, and that did make her happy. This pain would be around for awhile, but she would brave it.

"Thank you Renne," she said, taking a marshmallow and taking it, laughing to herself. "I remember when we saw the Ember Island Players here. It was a play group, and they decided to make a play about us. It was pretty out there."

Katara gave him a piercing look. "I would so BE an awesome apprentice, but I'm not going for that, thank you! I was just asking for simulations. We need to be prepared for the Ohm, and that won't happen by playing things safe."

Even grieved, Katara still had her eyes on the things that were necessary for the Outsiders.

"Eee. May-bee, we do hell-p, if sha-rrre Rrrre-mem-berrr?"

It's just an offer of course, but beware. That little glimmer in his eyes is growing. Billy, ya might wanna warn her.

"You want to delve into our memories?"

It's a vague statement but somewhat clearer or a warning. But he thinks the memories might be too raw---what does she think?

"You would not." Zetta wasn't being harsh at all, simply matter-of-fact. "You've got entirely the wrong attitude. All this caring and worrying and being a good person. How could I make an Overlord out of THAT? You'd probably hesitate to conquer a Netherworld and rule it tyrannically, so...."

Actually, he was having a hard time not snickering at the thought, if truth be known.

"But what I was thinking was, it might help you take your mind off it to have a more... you know, structured sort of fight. Instead of just rage smash rage smash ice water thing dies."

Right now, that was all Katara needed. She didn't know how girls on the ship got along with guys: usually, she just thought of them as hormone driven mostly. Despite this, she'd always found a few really good guys that looked out for her and cared without wanting something, and Beastboy was like that. He was a good friend and an even better co-teammate.

"Thanks for coming," she finally said, releasing him. "I know you might have had other things to do."

Katara thought a moment. Her memories had some good ones, with the GAang and all they had done, but there were some pretty bad ones too, on her part and the others too. They COULD do this, and Renne was actually willing but was Billy?

"If you guys are, I am too. But my memories aren't always happy, good things, remember that."

He gave her a reassuring squeeze, "Nothing more important then this." He promised, "Times like this we need to be there for one another." And in his mind he flashed back to all the times the Titans had come together for one another.

When they'd come together for him specifically.

"Is sa-me wi-th Rrrr-enne. Bu-t may-bee, if we do, we un-derrr-stahnd o-therrr, good-errr."

He's hoping his words are a little clearer at least. He's working on the English, honest! His offer though, is just an offer; a way perhaps to remind one another that memories are nigh impossible, if not impossible, to take away.

"I know, but we'll have each other." As always.

He nods, determined to see this through if it's what they need.

Katara snorted. "Well of course I wouldn't do any of that. I had enough people in my world running around conquering everything and making chaos. If that's what you do, its now wonder we disagree on everything!"

She thought a minute. "That would be a good idea, yes. I don't usually fight like this, I was just really upset anyway. A real fight would be a lot more intense, with risk and stealth and narrow avoiding of death. The last time I fought the Oh, it was a lot like that. I was lucky there was a full moon out, or I wouldn't have been able to bloodbend."

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