trans_9 | Simple Things

Billy nodded, keeping the hold on her hand there if she wanted it. Of course he knew that Katara was analyzing their every move and probably cackling to herself in victorious glee, but what could he do?

Not think about Mei-Xing, that's what. Any fond feelings he had for her disappeared when she saw fit to steal his shorts. Harrumph.

He nodded. "I'd be happy to integrate our forces. We already have a few in both organizations, and it would give everyone a broader skill range. You're all welcome to train with us."

Eventually he sank further into the water and slipped out of Ronnae's grasp, dunking himself completely to adjust to the temperature. He resurfaced soon enough, hair dripping in his eyes. "Another person to kick my butt into shape in training?"

Katara, actually, would have been scandalized if she'd known what Billy was thinking: truthfully, she didn't think she even had to do much to push the two of them together other than just gathering them in the same place.

She smiled. "Good. I want to make sure we all have a well rounded training session at least once a week if we can manage it. I know its asking a lot, but I want to make sure we're prepared."

She laughed. "Ok,Ronnae? If you can convince Billy that he's not a total failure when it comes to fighting and sparring, you will totally be my hero!"

Ronnae laughed shyly and gave a playful thumbs up. "You got it!" She slowly floated around the pool, very much at ease now, she seemed very happy to be there. It also didn't take an experienced eye to note that she was looking over at Billy every so often, sometimes with a hidden smile others with a light blush.

Billy was glad to see her relaxing. Even without his sharpest eyesight he could watch her hair float about the pool softly. It was fascinating.

He started his own swim, much improved over earlier years, then spread his arms and floated on his back. Nothing but the small waves of water rocking him, the sounds filling his ears, and two good friends nearby.

"I'm not exactly a failure, Katara, just...hopelessly lackluster."

Oh, Katara noticed: there was a reason she'd been jealous of Ronnae's hair: it had a beautiful texture and color to it she seldom saw.

She swam well of course, enough to take long dives to give the two chances to eye each other. She knew all about this, after all: you didn't travel with Sokka and not learn a thing or two about how girl's flirted.

"And I say you'll be better with practice! I mean come on, you're already getting the build for it, all you need is the fortitude! Don't you agree, Ronnae?"

Ok, NOW inner Katara was cackling evilly, rubbing her hands together.

Ronnae blinked a few times getting aught off guard by the comment. She blushed lightly and averted her gaze with a nod. "Y-yeah, y-you do." She smiled shyly.

She however kept her distance, she didn't know how to feel at this point, he had seemed evasive at times, and warm on others. She definitely didn't want to push him away. It was clear that at times the young teen didn't know what to do with herself, often looking thoughtful. She opted for grabbing the drink and resting against the side of the pool looking at her chair, that held the swords she was fond off.

She wondered what her mother would do... and then she shook the thought immediately out of her mind knowing her mother would have just gone up to him and kissed him feverishly, if he refused her awesome sexyness after that, he wasn't worth her time and she still got a taste of what she wanted. Ronnae shook her head again now heavily embarrassed but she smiled, she did miss her parents a great deal.

"Hey!"

Billy immediately stood upright, face red. So he had the build, did he? It was...well, not quite as uncomfortable as before to be looked at appreciatively. If it was Ronnie, he didn't mind.

With that thought held he paddled to her side, leaning next to her against the wall. "I was actually curious about the swords."

Edited 2011-02-02 03:55 (UTC)

Katara shook her head, laughing to herself. Of course he'd change the subject as quick as he could. Billy, she figured, would never really be at ease being complimented on something like that, not for awhile. Also, she silently told herself to find out what their interaction was like.

She wouldn't meddle (per say), but that was not to say they didn't need help.

"Actually, I'm sort of curious too," Katara said. "My last teacher taught me basic swordplay."

Ronnae smiled appreciatively at the interest. "They're very dear to me. They belonged to my mother during her assassin days... She said that even tho they where bathed in years of bloodshed, she never once shed innocent blood, not even for the mission. She said she took the punishments every mission she refused to complete, children, civilians, defenseless targets. She said they carry with them her code of honor, that she knew her line of work was nessesary but she never once did it dishonorably. She always engaged her targets in a fair fight, even tho her training made her a skilled assassin. She told me it was proof on an unbreakable vow and that I should follow my heart like so. That I should never bend my ideals for anything, and that I should respect those of others." She looked to them both with a warm smile, albeit a tad shy considering she just told them one of her fond memories.

Honor...

It was interesting to hear about such a familiar concept as told through the view of Ronnae's mother, an assassin. If he ignored that, he could've just as easily been listening to his old friend Trini.

"It suits you," Billy decided with a smile. "My friends and I weren't assassins, but we followed a similar code. Unfortunately we only had our morphers, not swords as fine as yours."

He spent a moment to admire them, then shifted his gaze to admiring Ronnie---how much did she resemble her mother, he wondered.

Oh, that was an ideal she knew well: it was something she saw meant different things to people, from someone like Aang and Zuko to people like Eva and Sheeana. But this, the sort of selective fighting that prevented unnecessary bloodshed, was the kind that Katara respected the most.

She smiled. "Honor can mean different things to different people, but I think this kind of honor transcends cultures. With me, honor meant fighting to the best of your ability, but not destroying the important things, like family and the things people made that mean something. It may have made us targets later during the war, but its an ideal I hope to keep."

She smiled at Ronnae. "I'm really happy you joined the Outsiders."

Ronnae smiled happily, blushing as she noticed Billy looking at her. She didn't turn her gaze however and instead gazed right back, her teal on his green. She then turned to Katara and smiled with a light bow, "It's an honor, I hope to help as much as I can."

"You've already done so much," Billy told her admiringly, happy to look at this sight all day. "If you do more, we might have everything that needs to be done on the ship finished in a matter of hours."

A joke, of course, but there was definitely some happiness behind it. He forced his hair back and smiled, almost forgetting that Katara was there.

"You're a lot like me. You already have all the skills, unlike me, but you wouldn't hesitate to learn new ones."

Katara grinned. Billy didn't realize it, but she WANTED him to forget that she was here: after all, the whole luck of this was the two of them getting together. She got up, and mouthed to Ronnae that she was going to get drinks, excusing herself to make them for the two.

There was no hiding the spreading grin on her face.

Ronnae looked at Katara curiously before nodding innocently, yup she;s oblivious to these things called plotting! She turned to billy and smiled, it was like hardwired to her, every time she turned to him, she'd smile... was that odd? She shook her head and blushed, "I wish I could get everything that's needed done. I want to help as much as I can." She paused momentarily and stood close to him, "Yup! I'm always wanting to learn more, I mean knowledge is the strongest tool anyone can have in their arsenal right? And I'm sure you got it! You jus' need to believe it yourself. Seems everyone else can see it..... I can." She smiled shyly at him, standing in front of him with a light blush.

"Knowledge is the strongest tool, because it's like a key---it unlocks so many doors," he added, repeating a saying that had been a fixture of his childhood.

Billy looked down at her, somewhat puzzled. "I...suppose that's what I brought to my team. Knowledge, not fighting prowess---that came later, as Katara knows and you'll find out soon."

Wait, where was Katara anyway? He blinked, then noticed how closely they were standing together. When did that happen? Smiling faintly, he fumbled for her hand under the water. "And I see a fantastic person in you," he whispered, the memories of what she'd told him about her life still fresh in his mind.

Ronnae smiled and squeezed his hand softly when he found it. She gave him a cheery look bouncing a bit. "Y-you're pretty amazing yourself Billy." She edged a bit closer, her stature making her stand just below his head. She looked up warmly at him. "I've really had fun with you... It surely made me feel more at ease here... And well I don... I don't feel.." Like scum? Like trash? Tainted!? Mixed blood abomination!? Like the half breed harlot you are?! She shook her head momentarily, it wasn't easy for her. "I don't feel bad." She ended up saying simply at the end.

Billy tilted his head down to get a better look at her---oh, she was pretty. And the free-flowing hair was close enough to tickle him.

"You don't have to feel bad again," Billy declared, drawing her close. It was a little awkward in their current state, but he didn't mind if it meant helping her.

He rested his chin on her hair, hugging her with his free arm. "I'm---we're with you, Ronnie."

Katara, who was in fact watching this from the lobby, was almost beside herself with glee...until Billy did that. The gesture was so overwhelming Katara actually fell over and was tempted to say one of those bad words people on the ship sometimes used.

Honestly, its like he wants to purposely ruin a good moment! I could kill him!

But that would have to wait: Katara was out with shaved ice drinks: one was a green drink, a blue, and the last was red. "Here you guys go!"

She gave Ronnae the blue, Billy the green and herself the red.

Ronnae smiled against him, she had placed her head at his chest for a moment before she heard Katara approach.
She moved back embarrassed and tried her best to smile up at Katara. "Th-thanks!" She grabbed the treat and looked at it fondly. Colors! She took a bit and smiled fondly. "This tastes pleasant!"

Billy was happy to hold her for a moment, but then it was drink time already. "I concur," he added after taking a sample. "Thank you very much."

They weren't laced with aphrodisiacs, were they? Billy was reasonably sure they weren't, but in a charged situation like this he was slightly paranoid.

"It's been a while since I've enjoyed myself this much," he found himself admitting with a glance in Ronnie's direction.

"It's something I picked up in the earth kingdom," Katara said. "It's not quite the same since you need those kind of benders, but it IS ice, so I adapted it."

She lounged a little here, happily unaware of what Billy was thinking: that would have definitely earned him a throttle.

"Oh, me too," Katara said, giving Ronnae a wink.

Ronnae looked puzzled for a moment but thought nothing of it, smiling at her happily. "Thank you so much for this, it has been incredibly pleasant." She looked at them both giving them a sincere smile and a friendly gesture as she enjoyed the treat given to her.

After taking all the green-staining mixture his mouth could stand and displaying it on his face, Billy leaned back and stretched his arms over the pools' edge---which just might be around someone's shoulders. Yeah, so he's not totally oblivious.

"It's almost too pleasant, given my track record" Billy chimed in with a tiny smile. "I'm beginning to think that nothing can happen to me without something going incredibly wrong."

Please don't let that be ruined

Ronnae smiled shyly, letting the arm lay at her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be ok! Besides, it's only us here right? Even if something did happen it wouldn't be crazy bad." She laughed lightly.

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