trans_9 | W.I.T.C.H. Bus, take two [Closed to Katara, and then any of the GAang who wants to drop by]

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W.I.T.C.H. Bus, take two [Closed to Katara, and then any of the GAang who wants to drop by]

It seemed that she had spruced up the place only a few days ago, and here she was again, making sure that the bus was good and ready for Katara. There was little to do of course, but she found doing this helped her to quell some of the anxiety she was feeling. The GAang had their waterbender after all, what need would they have for Kaya? She didn't want to think that was the case of course, which was why she had put that front for Azula, but she couldn't act like she didn't feel that a little. Which was why she wanted to have a chance to talk to Katara at length, and quell her fears about anything else. Despite everything, this was her teacher, and she had been in her head a long time before she had her own. There was no one else she respected, more besides Aang, from their world. Katara being here meant that they at least had another piece of their world here on the ship

Which was why, in the common are, she's prepared several soups and fish based foods (based, since they were alien fish, after all). She wiped her brow, and waited for her teacher: she had, after all, been very explicit about the directions.

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Finding the place as per Kaya's instructions had been incredibly easy, despite the overt largeness of the ship. She'd almost wished that she'd had Appa there to help her cover some of the longer distances of the ship, which Katara couldn't help but be in awe of.

There was so much to learn, so much to get used to!

Including the fact that, as Aang had told her, Kaya, for a time, had believed she was Katara. Katara still wasn't sure why the ship had done that to Kaya - and the others - but she knew one thing for sure - she didn't blame Kaya for any of it. If anything, Kaya was victimized more by this than anyone, and Katara felt horrible about it.

It was part of the reason why Katara felt glad to have this time with Kaya, a girl who in the future would become her student, and get to know her. Especially after the whole deal with Azula.

Katara stopped in front of the W.I.T.C.H. Bus, not quite going in yet.

"Hello? Kaya? It's Katara."

Kaya grinned. "Hi, glad you were able to find the place! I hope it wasn't too much trouble, it IS your first time in the city. Sit down, please: I made some food as similar to the Water tribe as possible."

She'd pulled out a chair for her teacher, and she sat down herself, having a bit of her version of five flavor soup. "Do you remember this? You told me about it once, when you met that horrible woman Hama. Despite her, its actually a pretty good dish, but I made a few alterations since you can't always get the right ingredients you want, visiting alien worlds. It's still good though!"

She ate a little, then put her spoon down. "Have you met the rest of the guys already?"

"No, your directions were good," Katara smiled as she entered the bus. She looked around. It was a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, she noticed. Fascinating! She inhaled the mingling of scents inside and couldn't help but smile. The food didn't quite smell exactly the way it would have if this were home, but the scents were familiar enough. Katara's stomach rumbled. She'd been hungry, she realized. She sat down and helped herself to the soup. "I've met Azula, as you know. And Sokka, Mai, Zuko, and Aang." She blushed a little when she mentioned Aang's name. "Also, someone named Sister Nima. An airbender." That one had probably been one of the more surprising twists Katara had experience since coming on board. "This soup really is delicious, Kaya," Katara added after taking a few spoonfuls. "So you know about the bloodbending and everything?" It wasn't an easy topic for Katara to discuss, but if Kaya was her student, then it might have come up.

"I'm glad to here kit," Kaya said. "I should have warned you the bus was bigger than it looked, but I've been here long enough that some magic I'm just used to. Truthfully, there's a room I HAVE to drag you into when we're done: I know you're going to love it!"

She noticed the look on Katara's face when it came to the food. "I know it takes some getting used to: I had to experiment with some of the favors and seasoning just to get it close to what we're used to. Trust me, this is actually a lot better than what Stacy generates for us."

Kaya however, DID notice the blush, and offered her mentor a small smile. "I'm glad. You have no idea, what has happened to him waiting for you. The things he had to see on this ship, the sacrifice he made in fighting the Nightmare King: Aang is stronger than when he knew him, but still filled with so much love in his heart for you. You're both so lucky."

There was no bitterness here: Kaya had a long time to think about Aang and Katara, and knew, being in her head, that the two belonged together, were fated, really. No one could deny that.

At that subject, she nodded. "Yes. It took you awhile before you decided to teach me, and only with some coaxing. I know about the man you used it on when you thought he killed your mother. I didn't understand then, but once I had your, um, understanding, it was clear. And if you're curious, I'll tell you: I've only used it once."

"I can't wait to see it," Katara grinned, in response to the room. "I overheard someone explaining to someone else that the food Stacy gives is pure slop. I can't imagine what it would be like to try and eat that." She finished off her soup before going back for more of it. It actually was pretty good. "It's good to know. About the bloodbending, I mean. It's something which I've promised myself I'll never use, and I hope that push doesn't come to shove, you know?" She reached up and pushed one of her hair loopies out of her eye. "What...is the Nightmare King?"

Kaya laughed. "Well unless you can continue to find a food source for yourself, you'll be finding out pretty soon! Not that I'm not willing to cook for you or anything, but I figure you'll want to spend some more quality time with the others, and I don't really know if they've found a way to get themselves fed properly. They could ask me, but well, I haven't really seen them in awhile."

She tried to sound casual about it, less hurt than she actually felt.

"I don't think its something you should rule out Kaya, not yet. Remember, what we're dealing with will start to include life and death. I should tell you the one time I did use it, it was on the Ohm, and I could do worse than stop an Ohm from killing some of our team."

She sighed. "It was a pretty evil entity that was able to take the worse fears of the people on the ship and make them real, and there was a very strong chance it could have killed all of us. Aang had sealed himself away to keep it from attacking, but eventually it got free. It was beaten around the same time Aang was freed."

"..." Katara set the bowl aside, listening carefully to what Kaya had said. She was starting to put three and three together, regarding Aang, the Nightmare King, and Aang's new scars. She frowned, deciding that she was going to need to have another talk with Aang about this new developments. Well, new to Katara, anyway.

"No, I suppose in that sort of situation, bloodbending may not be a terrible last choice of attack to fall back on," Katara said. She sounded like she may have not quite believed that herself, but then Kaya had not had the experience with bloodbending that Katara had the misfortune to go through. They saw things differently, and in this case, Katara was not willing to admonish Kaya for that. After all, Katara hadn't been there for the incident. She had no room to judge.

She looked up from her lap, and there was something akin to sadness and sympathy in her eyes. "Kaya, Aang told me about the mix-up with your memories," she said. "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of that when we first started speaking, and I hope that my arriving here has not made things too awkward for you. I feel absolutely terrible about this."

"He was shot," Kaya said, reading Katara's expression: she had, after all, been trained enough to put two and two together. "We had to release him eventually, and when that happened Aang was in the Avatar state, and pretty angry. I calmed him down, but just then he was...he was shot at, by a technology you've never seen called a gun. Sokka will fill you in on those: I have to admit, I'm not a fan."

Especially not after that

"It was the only choice at the time," Kaya said. "They were ransacking the planet, and were making sure to cause as much chaos as possible I had to make a choice, so I choose to protect the people helping to prevent deaths. Using that technique isn't something that should be done lightly, you taught me that much. But it serves a purpose, despite everything."

She knew by now that holding back when you could be saving someone was as bad as letting it happen.

And then they came to this. "I was hoping to tel you about it myself, but I guessed that was hoping too much. Yes, when I first was here, Stacy muddled my mind, made me think and remember your thoughts. But believe me when I say, you're lucky. Aang is here, has been through the worse and come back intact. If you'd been here when I was, you would have waited, and it would have driven you crazy. Has anyone told you about repodding?"

Kaya was proving to be a fount of information, and for that, Katara was very thankful. Knowing Aang, he would have kept all of this to himself, preferring to suffer on everyone's behalf instead of sharing the information with those nearest and dearest to him. "The...repodding?"

"Yes," Kaya said. "You know how you were able to break out of the pod, be here on the ship? Well its also possible to have the opposite happen: something to do with keeping souls intact before they fall out, I never took to that theory honestly. In any case, people who have been here on the ship can be brought back into podding. I've had it happen with many of the friends I made here. With Aang...it happened twice. So you coming here now, after all of that, is a good thing: I'm certain with you here, Aang will never be podded again."

She wouldn't add how it felt for her, as Katara at the time, to wake up and find him gone. There were some things even she knew enough to keep to herself, or that Katara would figure out all on her own. Her teacher was perceptive, had to be to survive the war.

"But you were always the glue that held them together: I know a part of you understands that. They needed you back."

Katara nodded, listening to Kaya. She hadn't known about the repodding - in truth, that frightened her a little bit. "Kaya...is this why Azula was making all those comments about the group avoiding you and all that?" she asked. "I mean. Are things that awkward with them and you? I don't mean to pry, but I am curious."

Well, that question was going to come up sooner or later: she should have expected it really.

"Because it wasn't just me that thought I was you Katara: all of them did. Anytime I did something they didn't understand it led to arguments, most of them with Sokka. The biggest was what I did to Aang without knowing why: I dated a boy that wasn't him. I honestly couldn't tell you where my head was at that time: not because I regret caring about someone else, but because Aang kept coming back and disappearing, and I just seemed to do nothing but cause strife. I felt frustration, and I wanted, more than anything, someone that would be with me, always. It hurt Aang deeply, and I hated myself...and then I was podded for a small time, and remembered who I was again,and so did the others."

She sighed. "They were stricken of course: all that time they bothered worrying about me, caring about me, and I wasn't you. I don't think any of us really knew what to do. And at the same time, Azula and Nima was released, and everything was still chaotic. Azula was finally taken care of, but I don't think the guys knew what to make of me. How could they? And Azula picked up on that, She was already saying exactly what I was thinking, even if Zuko and Aang tried to assure me it wasn't the case. They're only human though, I get it: they wanted you to come."

Katara stood up and walked over to Kaya. She hugged her tightly, her heart going out to this girl who was her student in another time. A girl who Katara would like to call a friend, now. "I am sorry," Katara said. "You have been through a lot, and I am sorry for that. No one deserves to have gone through something like that." To have your own memories suppressed, and to have been forced to believe you were someone else? Katara didn't know how she would have reacted in a similar situation. "Give it time. I'm sure you have heard that from other people, Kaya. But give it time. Our friends...they are good people. They will come around. And Azula..." Katara sighed. "She is another matter altogether." One which Katara still didn't quite understand, but one she was not going to give all of her concentration to.

"I knew that," Kaya said softly, "the moment you got here, the healing would start: I gathered that much, having those memories. If anything, what's carried me through has been the people I met on this ship, the experiences we shared. Nothing comes easy unless you work for it."

And she hugged her back: her teacher, herself once upon a time, and let herself tear up only a little. She'd had sympathetic friends, but it meant the world to her that Katara was here, trying to help just as she would have done for anyone. If anything, it was the greatest lesson her teacher had ever taught her.

"But it was worth it, if you were spared all of that: I would have hated to see you without Aang so long. If good can come out of pain, then the pain meant something, it wasn't just purposeless."

Kaya looked thoughtful. "Azula is another matter altogether. Mai wants her dead, she's stuck in her own head believing its true, she's still afraid of water. Azula is barely the self she used to be, but I think that makes her more dangerous, not less."

She paused, then smiled. "Aang showed you how much he missed you, huh?"

"You're a strong young woman, Kaya," Katara said. "Honestly, you are. I don't know that I could have handled this situation with the grace that you have." She settled back with some more soup. "Azula...yes. A part of me wants to feel sorry for her, and perhaps on some level, I do. But all the other feelings outweigh that, you know?"

Katara giggled at the last question. "He did. We had a nice time together," she admitted. "He showed me this place called the Sensorium, and we swam in a lake there for a little while. Splashed around. It was nice." From the way Katara said it, it was clear that they'd done a little bit more than just that - nothing too serious, though. "It's weird, seeing him as grown up as he is. He even sounds different. The same, but his voice is older, you know? More grown-up. It is still taking some getting used to."

"It wasn't easy," Kaya said, "not any of it. I have people who still help me deal with some of this, even now. I've been on this ship a long time, and lent my strength to them, and vice versa. I would never say I did it alone."

She chuckled. "You know, its actually because of you I don't feel so inflamed against Azula. I still remember how you felt the day you beat her, when she lost everything. The way she cried and screamed: I would still have nightmares about it."

Kaya nodded. "Oh, I know, trust me. The way I'd feel as you, there was no question about it. He is also such a warm, strong person, after all of this time. I know that in time, you'll get used to it. He's still as playful and free spirited as he ever was, even if he is a little more serious now. But it is great, to be with someone you care that much about. You two, you're a perfect match."

"It's good that you had people to help," Katara said. "I don't know if I could have dealt with the things I've seen were it not for Sokka, and my grandmother." She smiled at Kaya. "You know what I mean."

"She was truly unhinged on that day," Katara nodded. "Still. I worry that she's still like an angry pygmy puma, just waiting for the right moment to pounce."

Katara chuckled. "It's nice that we can finally explore that side to our relationship," she said. "Because before...well. Sometimes it's difficult for me to see him as being anything more than the Avatar, you know? He has all of these responsibilities that come along with it. I don't ever want to get in the way of that. Sometimes, I worry that I might."

"You know I do!" Kaya said, nodding. "You told me stories about Kana, actually, and told me she wound up marrying Master Pakku! Trust me, that man seemed like one of the most uptight people in my village, so I'm happy to know that. Sokka...well, he had an interesting reaction to living here. Still getting used to those aviator glasses, actually."

She nodded. "You and me both. We had a pretty heated discussion with the Council board on letting her out so quickly. I still don't personally think she was heavily evaluated enough yet, and after the threatening situation with Hiccup, likely she'll be getting into trouble sometime soon."

Kaya gave her a pointed look. "Katara, be serious. You remember that you were the reason he stopped his training in the Avatar state, that you has been his driving force, even here? There is never going to be a time he doesn't stop thinking about you. He loves you, through and through. If you had trouble seeing that before, I doubt you'll have any trouble seeing it now."

Katara reached up and touched her grandmother's betrothal necklace. "And to think, a lot of those developments wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for this," she said, smiling. "Sokka...has interesting fashion taste. I will give him that."

"I am honestly surprised that Azula did not try to attack us earlier. You saw her move into that offensive stance, didn't you? I was truly worried for a moment."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "That's exactly what I mean," she said. "I care for him very much, but sometimes..." she shrugs. "But I'm glad to have what I have with him. I suppose I shouldn't go on about it as I am."

"Yes, I know," she said, putting a hand to her head, "I remember. And for the time when I thought I had a brother, Sokka did the best that he could. So yes, you're lucky you have them both!"

She shook her head. "She's slower, definitely still getting her bearings. But I know what you mean. I wasn't worried about her though: I've actually gotten really fast due to all my training here, and Azuala's been out of practice. I still do it every day. Trust me, I wouldn't have let her touch you."

Kaya gave her a sympathetic look. "You don't have to rush into anything, and he won't force you, trust me. If you want to talk to him about you, you can: and if you want to talk to ME, well, what are girlfriends for? But you are lucky, Katara, I'll tell you that much: you never know when someone will be taken away. It, sad to say, happens more often than you think."

Katara tilted her head at that and studied Kaya. She frowned. "I've been so rude. I just realized, Kaya. I haven't asked you anything about your life - your friends, your family - from back home." She shook her head, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. That's just...inexcusable, really. I'd love to hear about you, get to know you better."

"Which reminds me," Katara added. "Where did you manage to get the water? I'm not asking you for yours, mind you, but I know that the water in the Sensorium was only...technological magic." She'd need to have some on hand if she was going to keep up with her water bending. "Also, would you mind if I joined you on your training? It would be nice to have another waterbender to practice with." Not that practicing with Aang wasn't fun - it was, and she enjoyed the time she spent with him - but Katara had also craved some girl time when she'd been with her friends, and Toph and Suki - while being great people - were not girls who Katara could have practiced with.

"I hope we don't lose any of us," she said. "I couldn't imagine what I would do. I don't want to imagine it, in point of fact." She shrugged. "And believe me, I believe I will be doing much speaking with you," she smiled.

She looked a little wistful. "You know, a lot of the time I feel like its a far off memory, with everything that's happened. I remember the way the ice felt beneath my feet, playing in the snow, watching sea lions, being with friends, but when it comes to really concrete memories, it starts to get fuzzy. I think its because I made the decision to leave my tribe and find you guys that I started to get more endeared with what I saw after. I still miss my home and all, but I remember more vividly things like chasing you guys around the Earth Kingdom and I stayed there for awhile until I heard you had gotten into the fire nation, and then I knew I couldn't join you. I had plenty of really good experiences then, and even more when I met you guys."

Really, she didn't think Katara had any reason to feel bad about taking about herself: she genuinely missed her teacher, and was glad to be able to sit and talk with her like this again.

"Actually, there are three ways to get decent water. First off, there actually is a water vein in the City, it was placed there when a friend of mine, a river god, requested it. There is also the bathhouse if you're hard pressed. The third is Stacy herself: remember, she's an organic ship, so naturally she needs water too. But I would nix that idea uness it was an actual emergency: the ship DOES give out violations."

And she would never EVER let punishment happen to Katara.

"Oh, that reminds me!" She looked excited. "I know if there's anyone that's going to appreciate this room, its you! C'mon!"

She took the girl's hand and brought her to Irma's room. She pressed her card into the slot, and the door clicked open.

"Take a look! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/elpedrososama/w90-17.jpg)"

Any comments or questions that Katara might have had were gone the moment she had walked into Irma's room. The place was like a water wonderland. It was, she had to admit, breathtaking. "What...what is this?" she asked in wonderment. "It's beautiful!"

"Isn't it?!" Kaya said, beaming. "This is Irma's room...or was, anyway, until she was podded, along with almost everyone else from this place. There are still people living here though. But look: all of its real, and somehow its magic that governs the whole purpose of the Bus! Check this out!"

Without a word she dove right into the pool in the center of the room and wound up in one of the wall, still contained in water. Despite this, her eyes were wide opened, and she appeared to have no trouble coming for air.

You can breathe in this water! She mouthed to Katara.

Katara watched Kaya, her eyes wide. That was amazing. And the water that she was in...it was real water. Enchanted, sure, but more real than the water at the Sensorium had been. She walked to the edge of the pool and looked at it, curiously. Then, she dipped her plantsuit-clad toes into the water. Grinning, she dove in and whirled around in it. She whirled around and looked out the wall, seeing Kaya from across the room. She waved giddily.

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