trans_9 | Finally some roomie tim-whoops.

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Finally some roomie tim-whoops.

It had been an arduous few days. Between the situation with people losing memories and then the people coming back from the Ohm attack, Kaya had been pretty busy. She hadn't even left the med bay, preferring to sleep here instead of back at the Outsider's hotel. She knew she had already missed quite a bit due to this: sessions with Chase, the upkeep of the hotel, and general having fun time, but priorities were priorities. Now that she had some time to herself though, she was hoping to spent some time helping her roommate decorate and at least have some general fun: Alex, after all, had brought all of those interesting black light things, why not put them to good use?

She walked up the stairs of the hotel, making a beeline straight for the hotel suite. It was one of the good things about not having to be alone: it didn't matter that Alex was a boy, at least he was SOMEONE she could talk to on a daily basis. Besides, she had those sliding doors now, so they could respect each others privacy.

But then she reached the room and opened the door, and saw all of his things were gone, specifically the laptop he prized so much, and she knew he had been podded. She closed her eyes a moment, slowly counting to ten, tears springing to her eyes.
Of course.
She took a breath, then wiped her eyes and closed the door, going back down the steps, and quietly closing the door behind her. She wanted to scream, or cry, or throw a fit at least, but none of these things would bring Alex back. So she just wandered the city park for the moment, looking tired.

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He eyed her curiously before leaning in and peering at her troubled face.

"Is something wrong?" The elf knew something was wrong, but it took him a few long moments to piece it all together.

"My words, I assume?" He shrugged. "It is not so bad. I did not miss those things before because I experienced very little of them. Eight years of my childhood and most of it was spent indoors, then a century and a half, plus in the wilds. I cannot recall most of my childhood, though; not correctly. Too many things changed between that time."

"Things I could not view then, I now see with clarity. Sounds that were not much more than muted hums, I hear them and all of it is music to me. It is hard to imagine things like that now and so I can only make an assumption of what my father's face really looked like or how my mother's voice truly sounded. So I dream," he repeated.

"I would not deny you feeling sad as it is a painful but splendid emotion. I wish for you to not feel that way far longer than needed." It was one of the few emotions he cherished as it was probably the most honest one he could think of, next to anger. "There is...no need to thank me. This is what friends are for, no?"

Kaya didn't know what to say for a moment, thinking about how things must look from Nokosi's perspective. She knw he was an elf, and knew that because of this he would be able to live longer than most.

"Why would you spend that time indoors? I know it might be a time you feel perfectly fine dealing with now, but I don't see why anyone would be indoors that long. For me, even being in a place where it was all cold and ice, the best times I ever had were always outdoors."

Kaya didn't know what to say about him not remembering his parents faces at all though, with good reason: her parents had always been the most important people to her, ones that counted and she loved even as she left them that day, to find new people and new experiences.

She smiled. "Sadness can be a hard emotion to feel, but I feel it and know I have it because the person that caused it is someone I loved and cared about. But it also means a lot that someone would try and quell that emotion so I would not feel so bad."

He frowned. Not at the question but the way the comment after it was worded. Very matter-of-fact as if he was actually given a say in the matter. She spoke of all the greatest times she had spent outdoors as a child; time he could only 'see' from his doorstep.

"I didn't have much of a choice, I was a sickly child. I was both nearly blind and very hard of hearing." That would explain why he couldn't remember his parents faces clearly; he could never truly see much beyond various colors in humanoid shapes.

"And that only made things worse on top of a weak body. I had too many accidents that resulted in broken bones and various other injuries, so after awhile my parents simply though it was best that I stay inside. It was...for the best. I probably would have been eaten by a wild animal, otherwise."

And now Kaya definitely felt guilty. She had never known this was the sort of thing that Nokosi had to deal with, he might have hinted at it before, but he was outright telling her now. She bowed her head, looking notably abashed.

"I didn't know," she said. "So...is this why you're able to throw yourself at nature, appreciate everything that you can from it? I'm not saying you wouldn't anyway, but if that was what things were like before, I can see why you would see how much more precious everything was."

And why her recollecting would sound very cruel. "I didn't mean to compare my experiences to yours. Now I know that they aren't anywhere near the same level."

And she was sorry, but would not say so, as per request.

He shrugged. "It is not like you could have known anyways. But yes, you start to appreciate the sound of a bell or the gloss of a smooth, shiny stone. Even those simple things. I think what I appreciate the most are the voices of my friends. They are always very exciting to listen to," he said with a nod.

"I do not mind you telling me of your experiences, they sound fun! Especially the snow and ice part because I like that a lot. I have seen it plenty of times by now, but when I was young I only saw it once for a few days. We got in a lot of trouble but it was very exciting. Did you make snow creatures as well?"

Yes, he was rambling on as he's sometimes prone to do.

She nodded. "Talking to you really has a way of making me remember all of the good things that I shouldn't forget I have. I can see that with you, you have a way of appreciating everything that you have, and nothing is neglected. If I have the chance, I'd like to be one of those friends whose voices you don't forget."

Kaya giggled. "Of course! Snowmen and pengins and everything! Granted, I don't know how many people on the ship would have liked living there, its usually always cold, very bright if the sun is out, and food is either fish or soups. But all that fish actually makes for a fairly nice complexion!"

She gestured to her skin.

"Thank you...I think?" He wasn't really sure what to say to that. She already was.

Nokosi stuck his arm out next to hers and pushed up his sleeve. It was pallid with a tinge of teal to it; the difference in appearance was sharply apparent. "I suppose I can't really say the same, though fish and soup are tasty. I am not sure how well I would be able to live in very cold weather for an extended period of time but the few weeks I spent in it at a time went well enough. I haven't seen snow in a very long time, though."

A funny little smile tugged on his lips as he finished that sentence. "You know what would be fun? Whenever I get the chance I want to go to the Sensoriums and imagine a plain full of snow that meets the horizon. Then I will build a Snow-penguin army and have a snowball fight."

Kaya smiled. "You're welcome!"

She observed their different in skin tone, noting the blue, one of her favorite colors. "I miss it, to be honest. A few years back, I got to go and enjoy a snowed in planet: I missed it, to be honest, and I was never as happy as when I got to play in the snow."

She grinned. "In that case, I better see you in the Sensorium sometime soon! Just let me know when you have free time."

"I remember my first time in snow being very enjoyable though it was so much different than what I was used to. I hope we can visit a planet like that sometime, it would be fantastic."

Nokosi swung his arms behind his back and clasped his hands together as they walked, to nowhere in particular, he assumed. "To be quite honest with you and I am nothing but, all my time could be considered 'free time'."

"So do I," she said, a calm look on her face. "I don't mind any of these other places of course, but I long for the kind of weather I knew and loved. It's been a long time since I've been around snow and ice again."

She laughed. "I know what you mean, though I have friends and lots of training to keep me busy. Just let me know when you want to get together with the snow, and we'll make a day of it."

"Oh, sometime this week I think because now I am very excited about it. However, I suppose I should ask when Ronnae has free time as well. I would very much like to throw a snowball at her," he said with a toothy grin.

"And besides that, I think Fontaine would enjoy the weather. He seems very partial to the cold as well even if he might come off a bit grumpy sometimes."

Already he was thinking about building forts and sledding, ice fishing, roasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate by a fire. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

Kaya giggled. "Why would you want to do that to Ronnae? That sounds mean!" She knew, of course. She did the same thing with Billy a lot, just gentle ribbing.

She smiled. "Then I'd love to do this with you as soon as I can! Just come find me when you can, ok? It's been awhile since I've had some fun!"

"Mean?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "It is in good fun. And while I have accuracy on my side, she has force! We will see who is able to cause the other to admit defeat first." That was pretty much how every one of their spars went. Her taking the brunt of the damage and him trying to avoid being hit at all.

"Of course I will." He grinned cheerily. "I am glad to see that you are in a happier mood, now."

"I'm sort of anxious to really see Ronnae at work, to be honest," she admitted. "I see a little of it in her training sessions with the Outsiders, but I'd like to see her in a good hand to hand. I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other."

She smiled. "Well, I just needed some time to unwind, to remember the good things I have. There's still a guy waiting for me, and good friends all around me. I should be thankful for that."

"Oh, just ask her, we do it all the time in the city. I can't really say that we're an even match, though. I'm agile but she's fast, strong, can take a lot of damage, can heal fast and...well a lot of things so I'm usually at a really bad disadvantage," he explained with a shrug.

"But I have range on my side and I'm really good at not getting hit so I suppose it's not always going to be a loss. Traps help," Nokosi said, grinning. "She'll always hold back unless you tell her otherwise, though." That was precisely the reason that he always spent three to four days a month either in med bay or stuck in bed, too.

"I've never gotten to train with her one on one," Kaya said. "She'll likely beat me though: I'm fast and strong, but I can't heal myself quickly at all, and unless we're anywhere near water, Ronnae would definitely have the advantage."

She would never let Ronnae hold back though, not if they were fighting. Kaya would allow herself to be injured if need be.

"If you successfully play the keep-away game it is not too difficult to get yourself on near-equal standing." He lifted a finger as he counted off, "Slowing, stunning, snaring, tripping. They all work pretty well on her for the most part."

Nokosi raised his arms above his head in a nimble stretch, not bothering to muffle the purr-like yawn that escaped from his lips.

"But it begs the question. I thought you carried water with you all the time, anyways?"

"I see," Kaya said, keeping that in mind. That might be a tactic that would work with other people, if she correctly applied it to the given situation. She had to keep the teachings of Sheeana in her mind, remember the way the woman was able to keep a constant grove and be all over the place.

She nodded. "I do, but I can only keep so much. My moves are actually at their peak when I have a decent amount of it at my disposal."

"I can understand that. Perhaps you should carry sea sponges instead of flasks. They carry many times their weight in liquid and you would have more to work with," he offered.

Kaya thought a moment. "But wouldn't that be a pain to carry? Having all that water can't make it light. Maybe I should be working out, to carry something like that."

Nokosi scratched his stubbly chin in thought and regarded her with a side-long glance.

"Well yes, water is heavy. I must be under the wrong impressions about your skillset. I thought that you had the power to levitate water? If so, could you not just carry it around that way?"

He could think of a hundred odd and possibly inane ways to put powers like that to use. Not that all of them would shy away from the violent end of things.

"Well yeah, but I have to actually move water, and it does take movement to do it. The whole reason I take it with me in the pouch is so its easier for me to manipulate. If I had to hold it the whole way, it would sorta defeat the purpose."

For Kaya, knowing and caring about your element meant that you didn't always use it for violence, only when you needed to. That was the part where you were able to heal with it: as Katara had taught her, it was important to hold balance between being a fighter and someone that used her ability to heal.

"Are you confusing it with magic?"

"No. Though I have see mages and priests levitate themselves and other objects, I suppose I really did misunderstand how it worked."

He turned on his foot to face her and began walking backwards as they spoke.

"I know nothing of any type of bending so I did not know you had to continuously move to manipulate the water. Most things, magic or not, happen after you have completed the motion for it. I simply assumed it was the same."

"It's all right, it actually is a common misconception. With any bending you do in my world, its not just the material itself moving, its you. You play an active part in making sure the element moves a certain way, which is why I never like to really say I control the element. Its more like your body and the element are in harmony."

Not that Kaya would trade what she could do for anything, no matter what new ways she learned to fight. Still, she was sure it would make things easier.

"Maybe I can learn to do that someday, but for now, this works for me."

"It must be both harrowing and exciting at the same time when you are in battle, with so much motion involved. There is always the chance that you might be interrupted in your motion. I wonder though..."

He tilted his head to the side, an eyebrow quirked in thought. "If you do get interrupted by say...a punch, or hit...or anything. Do you have to start from the beginning again, or could you pick up where you left off?"

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