trans_9 | [What's a man to do?] [Open]

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[What's a man to do?] [Open]

Sokka would call himself a rational man. However, being randomly deposited on a living ship that travelled through the stars, being given clothes that were apparently alive and being surrounded by a bunch of strange people was not at all a rational thing. So he did what anyone else would have done. He went to the sensoriums to try and pretend he wasn't where he really was. He was in the eerily accurate courtyard of Master Piandao's extensive home. It was kind of relaxing, being somewhere familiar to him. Still, the thoughts of this strange new place were all that ran through his head He was going to have to look after Katara, even if she was probably one of the best waterbenders to ever walk the planet. He was her older brother and it was his responsibility to get her home, no matter what happened. The people were strange and wonderous and he had seen things he didn't know how to explain.

He sighed, shook his head. Clear your mind, Sokka. He paused, still for a moment before he drew his sword in a single fluid movement and dropped into a stance before working elegantly through a series of movements, flowing easily from attack to defense and back again, blade humming as it cuts through the air. This was the best way to work off stress and keep focused, exercise and practice, pure and simple.

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Pirogoeth did not often go to the sensoriums. She didn't really have any place she wanted to go that wouldn't be painful. However, there wasn't a lot to DO on Stacy and she had read a bit too much that she needed to focus her attention elsewhere.

So she simply walked into a sensorium that was occupied to see what was going on. After all, if they were doing something private, they would lock the door.

And that's when she saw Sokka. A young man, maybe just recently turned from man to boy from his appearance. She watched him move, silent, studying his movements. She waited until he had finished a set before finally speaking. "Thou had kind the master for a teacher, if thine is not merely just that talented."

Sokka lowered the weapon, turning to look at the new arrival. A strange young woman who spoke in an even stranger fashion. He looked at her a moment before he replied.

"Master Piandao was a great teacher. Hopefully I'll be able to visit him again and learn more from him...but then again, I am stuck on a crazy ship that flies through the stars right now, so that seems unlikely."

Katara had found her way into the sensorium, hoping to see if she could do some deep meditation today and gather her thoughts. She hadn't seen Zuko yet and mai was, well, Mai, so it wasn't as if she'd be able to hang out with them anytime soon. Her brother wasn't around, which Katara was fine with considering all they'd seen in such a short amount of time. Katara was still reliving the past few days: showing her waterbending ability, seeing a witch, exploring city ruins, dancing the mambo with the imposing Captain of the Ship, meeting a red devil. These were not things for the faint of heart, and Katara could only blame her ease into this situation byh all the traveling she'd done with her friends in her world.

Speaking of which...

She stumbled into a familiar place, and deduced that her brother learned how to operate the sensorium already. She made herselfa part of the backhground, watching him for a few minutes. Soon, though, Katara decided to let him know she was there.

"So, what did you find about the ship and what we're doing?" She asked as casually as if she were asking about the weather.

"The optimists say we will return home. The pessimists say we will not. Some do not wish to think about it too much one way or the other," Pirogoeth said. She was part of the third group herself. Mostly because she wasn't sure what she wanted.

"With whatever thou chooses to believe, it is, admittedly, not all bad. There are those on board who are warriors and many who are quite good with the blade. Even I could offer to spare with thine, though I will not claim to be a master, but I am...good enough," she offered. Good enough to be able to fight effectively and give challenge to those who were good with the blade, at least. And it would probably be a good idea to practice since she was always wearing the short sword and dagger at her waist all the time anyway.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think. This place is just plain weird. And I've seen some pretty weird stuff in my time." He paused, raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, if you'd like. I'm not all that good though..." Modesty or truth? Who knows? He bows, then shifts into a high guard, waiting for her.

Sokka glanced over at Katara and shrugged, letting his hands drop to his sides, flat of his blade resting against lightly his shoulder.

"To tell the truth? Not much. I haven't really been in the mood to go poking around and investigating. I'm getting used to this whole thing still..." He was never quite as good at adjusting to new and different in the way way Katara did.

Owen poked his head into this... place. He was actually roaming the ship looking for a cheeseburger, against all odds. Instead, he was in the backyard of some kind of restaurant? Not the kind he expected to get a cheeseburger at though.

He did recognize a face though.

"Ah.." He grinned and started swaggering forward. "My brother in arms." He called out to Sokka.

Sokka looked towards the door, sword dropping so the point lay gently against the cobbled surface of the courtyard. He smiled brightly. Hey, it was that Owen guy with the boomerangs! He raises his free hand in greeting.

"How's it going?"

Katara sighed. She had thought he might do that. Sokka wasn't very good to adjusting to completely new situations, especially one as jarring as this one. Luckily, Katara made up for it by talking to as much people as she could. A lot of them had interesting lives and stories, and the longer she was here, the more she wondered how they would all be brought together."

"I understand. It can be pretty overwhelming. In fact, aren't you surprised we can do something like this? It's like its reading our minds! I was able to recreate the Western Air temple!"

She paused. "Sokka, I don't think there's much we can do about the fact that we're here. But think about this: when is the next time we're going to have a chance to be in a place like this? I've only been here two days, and I've seen a witch, a magician, the ship's captain, one of the security officers, and a man wily enough to fool even King Bumi. It may be different, but right now, we'd better keep our eyes and ears open. This Sensorium will be good at helping us train."

"It is. Technology was never even dreamed to be as advanced as this, let alone anywhere near. The concept of 'aliens' I did not hear until I arrived here," Pirogoeth said, looking around the sensorium. The fact an illusion was so real was odd.

"Thou hast the talent to be great. With thine training started, it may not take a great deal of time if thoust is not a challenge already," Pirogoeth said, drawing her own short sword, studying his blade. "A unique metal," she commented.

And then she dashed forward, swinging up with the blade. She was a quick fighter, it's how she could fight even though she was not particularly strong. She could also control her reflexes quite well, prepared to stop her blow should she think Sokka wouldn't move out range of an attack that might do some real harm.

"Not bad so far, just wandering around in hopes of finding a decent cheeseburger in this place." He grins.

"You workin' out?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"What's this 'cheeseburger' thing? Sounds...interesting." His home lacks this cheeseburger thing.

"Yeah. I need to keep in practice with my sword...plus it keeps my mind off being trapped in a creepy, living ship."

Sokka took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again, looking over at Katara silently. Then, he quietly shook his head.

"Katara, no offense, but I don't want this chance. I want to be done with the whole 'saving the world' thing and go home where I can hunt and fish like normal. I want to spend some time with Suki. I want to visit Master Piando and learn more about the sword. I want a freaking break!" He flicked the sword in his hand around, idly scratching a line in the dust.

Katara closed her eyes and turned from Sokka, clenching her fists. He couldn't see her face, and she did that on purpose. "You're not the only pone who's thinking that Sokka. I said it too, when I first came out. Don't you think I'd like to be with Aang, finally having time to spend as kids? I'm not saying that this sin;t a little wrong: it is. But I don't want anyone hurt either."

Katara sighed. "I've already gotten to know some of them. Do you think I'm making a mistake doing that?"

Owen smirked. "It's a great national food from my country. You grind up meat and seasonings, then form it into a disc shape. You grill or fry it, then put it in between two slices of bread. You add cheese or whatever else you want to the burger before putting the bread on."

He waved a hand dismissively. "This ship isn't that creepy. It's reasonably polite, and tentacles show up if the other crew members try to pound on you." He paused. "Plus, there's lots of hot chicks from what I've seen so far."

Ron and Rufus had managed to enter the Sensorium with ninja-like stealth, Ron promptly ruing said stealth by chomping down a Naco as soon as he sat down to watch.

Sokka brought the sword up and around, parrying the incoming blow and stepping to one side at the same time to avoid the dagger in the woman's other hand.

"Made it from a space rock." He replied dryly, shifting into a stance of attack as he beat her sword away and lunged forwards.

Sokka sighed, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry, Katara. I just...why do we have to save the world? Again? It was kinda fun the first time. If by fun, you mean death-defying, terrifying and dangerous." He shrugged.

"Maybe. I don't know how long we'll be here, so it's probably for the best."

"That sounds amazing! Why hasn't anyone thought of this where I come from? It's like, the perfect blend of meat and bread!" Sokka grinned, then raised an eyebrow.

"This ship is totally creepy. It breathes. The clothes breathe. The food is mush. How is this place not creepy?" A pause. "And I have a girlfriend! I shouldn't be looking at other girls."

Sokka glanced over at his audience for a moment before flipping his sword into a upright position and continuing a new set. He didn't mind people watching, really.

"Dunno. We got it from another country originally anyway, but it's changed so much and gotten so popular over the decades that it's more our food than it is theirs now." Owen shrugs.

He eyes Sokka cautiously. "You're not a superhero, are you? Trust me, it gets way weirder than this." He then smirks and elbows him lightly.

"And there's nothing wrong with looking. So long as you're not jumping on them like the last flight out." He grins like a fool. "And I notice you said shouldn't be looking, not 'I haven't been looking'." He cackles.

"That's prettier than most of the fighting I'm used to," Roxie comments from somewhere behind Sokka, her voice dry and even almost to the point of coldness. She's standing with her hands folded together behind her, her unbuttoned and oversized jean jacket with far too many pockets hanging open against her plantsuit.

An extra step? Why did he...ah, he was worried about the dagger, most likely. "Space rock? From a meteor? Thou seems to be quite observant consistently. Many can miss those or the fact their opponent has a dagger," she said in a tone that, even if still distant and neutral, had an approving ring to it as she moved with her sword after he pushed it to side step his attack.

It was hard to become great if a warrior couldn't notice things. Meteors could be gone in a flash, after all.

"Do not worry about the dagger. I do not intend to use it for a sparring match," she explained as she brought up her sword, the flat of the blade, to hit his back. It'd hurt, but be far from any reason harm. She wanted to see how quick he was on his feet.

Sokka pauses, sword point dropping as he turns to look at Roxie before he continues the movement, shifting slightly so he can see her while he continues.

Well, it might be pretty, but it's dangerous too."

"That's like, amazing. Meat is probably the best food in the world." He sighs wistfully, obviously missing having real protein in his diet. AN eyebrow goes up at the next question.

"Superhero? I don't even know what that means. I'm a Water Tribe warrior, that's about it." He grins. "And I have seen weird. Spirits, blood-bending, a library that held the sum of human knowledge. It was pretty awesome."

A cough and a faint blush.

"Well, yeah. I mean...I'm a guy! How am I supposed to not look, you know?"

"Welll, it did kind of land right in front of us. So not that observant. But yeah...Master Piandao told me that I should always be mindful of my surroundings." He nodded in reply, then sprung backwards, sword back into it's defensive posture as he avoided her blow.

Katara looked at Sokka now. Her eyes were red, but Katara was a waterbender: she could make the tears go away quite easily.

"It was fun because we had Aang and Toph and Zuko. It made things a little easier to cope with. Besides Sokka, people here have been through a lot too, just ask them. In a lot of their worlds, they haven't even defeated their enemy. At least we know if we get brought back, we don't have to worry about a new threat."

As far as she knew, anyway.

"But I've been walking around, and getting some information. I can answer some you might have."

Ron waits until the set is finished before speaking up.

"So uh... ermm hag on" he said, before swallowing what was left of his Naco. "So. where'd you learn sword fighting?"

"But most of the people I've seen just fight ugly," the girl says. Her body is still, but her eyes follow his movements adeptly... or rather, those of the edge of his sword, ignoring the actual movements of Sokka's body entirely.

"In front of you? Thou art fortunate to not have been hurt then. It had to be rather sizable to create a sword," Pirogoeth said, raising her blade towards Sokka again. "Thou has a wise master. When one cannot force another's hand through brawn, then it takes a quick mind to compensate."

She studied him for a moment before going in again, thrusting for the weakest defended point from his posture.

"Eh, don't question it too much. Just a buzzword from back home, really." Owen shrugs at 'superhero' being questioned, before moving on.

"Hey, no-one's blaming you, kiddo." He holds up his hand. "Does your world have the high-five?"

"Yeah, well, it wasn't like directly in front of us..." He replied, then moved forwards, into the blow. His blade slid against Pirogeth's and he deflected it upwards. He lunged forward into another thrust.

"Yeah. Yeah it was. I miss all of them right now. I miss Zuko knowing who we are, though. It's so weird that he doesn't." He sighed, swinging his sword through the air with a faint 'swish.'

"Does anyone know why we're here? Really?"

"Eh, alright. If you say so." Shokka returned the shrug.

"What world doesn't?" Sokka laughed and raised his hand to slap it against Owen's.

"I learned from Master Piandao. I've been doing my best to keep in practice since we left him, though." Shokka replied. He'd gotten used to answering that question today.

"What do you mean by 'fight ugly'?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, going through the ritual movements, every repetition ingraining the technique on his brain, so that when he needed them most they would be second-nature, no thought required.

"No elegance to it. Straight for whatever the weak points are." Her hands fold together behind her as she continues watching Sokka. "To kill or cripple an enemy as quickly as possible."

Sokka is taken completely aback by the statement. So much that he stumbles during one of his movements. He stares at her for a moment.

"How else are you supposed to fight? If you do anything else, you give your enemy a chance to kill or cripple you</i." Yep, staring at the girl like she's nuts.

"But more of a focus on the brutality of it," Roxie says levelly, in a way that seems somewhat disturbing coming from a girl of her age.

One might get the idea that the kind of fighting she's talking about wouldn't just incapacitate an enemy, it would leave them blind and missing intestines.

"At least you've already seen him," Katara said. "I don't know where everyone is yet, so I haven't seen him yet. I keep hoping he'll find me. But you're right. Mai doesn't really know us too, except that she used to fight us from before. I still think they were pulled at a different time."

At this, Katara sighed. "There's a malevolent presence that we have to fight. That's why Stacy brought us here. Apparently we also go on missions where we get off the ship. We're supposed to be assigned to teams then. Have you got any notice of what those teams are yet? I haven't."

And thus, there was a high-five.

"Your world doesn't have non-composite animals or hamburgers, who knows what else you might be missing out on." Owen laughs and winks, showing he's not trying to be insulting.

"Now... if you'll excuse me while I whip this out." Owen wiggles his eyebrows and pulls a new boomerang from it's holster, flicking the switch as he hurls it into the distance, it crackling to life with electricity shooting off wildly. The current starts to ebb on it's return trip, and Owen manages to catch it and switch it off in the same motion.

"Slick, yes?"

"Even then. Stars that fall to the earth have been known to make craters far bigger than themselves," Pirogoeth commented. Pirogoeth felt the upwards tug. He was making an opening and she had to move. She twisted and turned on her legs, her side facing Sokka and bending just to avoid the blade. "Good," she said, stepping back quickly to get some more space, this time letting him come to her.

"...and that name, unfortunately, is drawing a complete blank from me. But it looks like he taught you pretty well. I'd offer to spar, but not sure if you'd wanna fight against a guy with a magic sword."

Gabvroche was mostly wandering, it was how he spent his time, learning all that he could of the ship, trying to commit every inch to memory, though it wasn't easy. That was how he stumbled across the sensoriums, and the strangely-haired boy with a sword.

If he knew the word, he would have called what he was observing 'cool', as it was, he simply gawked, clapping in a lull from the boys workings and practice, beaming.

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[What's a man to do?] [Open]

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