(no subject)

[haventlosthope]

[Not-OOM: "Um, Aang? This place is weird."]



Despite Aang's assurances, Katara is still feeling rather uncomfortable in this place. It's new, doesn't make any sense, and it seems like everything in it is more foreign than anything she could have imagined.

She does set this feeling aside long enough to order water and seaweed bread from the Bar. It's one familiar thing, at least, and she picks up the plate and cup, carrying them over to a table with a good view of the barroom, as well as the door.

As she'd left her bag back with Sokka in her world, Katara chooses to cope with the fact that she has nothing else to do in this moment by breaking her bread into smaller and smaller pieces. But it's likely something will distract her before she takes this too far.

Comments

[not_his_pa]

After helping Ellen out, William went and scrubbed his hands for a while, her world is weird.

Then he starts looking for a table and stops when he spots Katara, she's pretty and looks unhappy, "Miss, you doin' alright?"

[haventlosthope]

She looks up from her seaweed bread, her eyes looking over his clothing for a moment before she answers, "Oh, I'm fine."

Or at least, Aang says so.

[not_his_pa]

He opens and closes his mouth once as he tries to figure out what to say, "Pardon me sayin' so, but you don't look it. Is this your first time in Milliways?"

She seems like someone he'd remember if he'd seen her before.

[haventlosthope]

She's not ready to think about this as a 'first' time, and so answers, "Yeah, I haven't been here very long."

At this point, though, her shoulders relax a little, and she adds, "I'm - Katara."

[not_his_pa]

"Oh, did Milliways take you away from someplace you wanted to be? I'm William Evans,"

She just looks so sad.

[haventlosthope]

Katara's not entirely sure how to answer this either yet, and glances back down at the crumbled bread.

"I'm just... not used to walking through a door and being in a place like this."

[not_his_pa]

"I don't think anyone is. Milliways is odd."

[daringyoungman]

She is watched from the rafters for a little while, and then a boy about the same size and build as Aang - but with a very different face structure and water-tribe blue eyes - drops out of the rafters a few tables away.

He comes over quietly and puts his half-drunk root beer float on the table, hopping onto the seat opposite her.

He doesn't say hi, in case she doesn't want to say hi.

(It's entirely probable that Dick is projecting a bit of his own sadness onto her right now.)

[haventlosthope]

His drop down from the rafters catches her eyes, and she stops moving as he approaches her table and takes a seat.

The whole thing makes her feel as though she's missing something, like not speaking is some form of greeting in this strange place, but that doesn't mean she's going to conform to it.

"Um, hello?"

[daringyoungman]

"Lo."

He doesn't really have the words for 'you look sad, and I'm sad, and I like it when people are with me when I'm sad.'

So instead he makes himself offer her a grin.

"I'm Dick."

[haventlosthope]

She looks him over for another moment, then smiles back.

(Maybe she's making herself, but it's something that comes pretty easily for her.)

"I'm Katara."

[daringyoungman]

Names are good.

"Are you..." he hesitates, because he hates it when people ask him that question right now, but he's got nothing else to ask.

"You okay?"

[haventlosthope]

Katara really can't remember a time when so many people came toward her with concern. Usually, it's the other way around.

"I'm fine," she answers.

She glances up at the rafters, and asks, "What were you doing up there?"

[mnt_raph]

Raph's close enough to being done with his shift that he's gone and changed back into his Tortall garb. He's on his way back into the bar proper from the Staff Hallway when he happens to catch sight of the girl and her...well, maybe it was bread at some point.

He makes his way closer, to see if she needs anything before he heads out.

"Ma'am," he greets her with a nod. "Ya'llright?"

[haventlosthope]

Katara looks up to the man, sparing a last bit of bread from being crumbled.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She doesn't sound insincere, but the way she glances over him makes her look far less certain.

[mnt_raph]

Yeah, Raph's kind of used to that level of look, and was even before he became the six foot square wall of a dude he is now. He knows he's an imposing kind of dude, and not just because he cultivates that image. It's because of this that his movements are few, and are geared towards being reassuring...or at least what he hopes are reassuring.

First and foremost he tries to smile a bit, but not in a creepy grimacey sort of way. Then he makes sure his hands are where she can see them at all times. Thirdly, he reaches up to make sure his Security Badge is showing.

"Don't mean to offense, it's just kinda my job. 'M Security around here, an' I'm just checkin' to make sure no one's botherin' you. Unless o'course what's botherin' you is that bread, in which case I'm pretty sure it's down an' won't be givin' you anymore trouble."

[haventlosthope]

She glances down to her plate, and her shoulders drop.

Still, she answers, "I can take care of myself."

It's not dismissive, but assuring.

"Do you have a lot of problems like that here?"

[mnt_raph]

"With bread? Nah, not so much.

What? He had to! It was right there!

"With other folks? Depends on the day. Don't know if you noticed, but this place ain't hardly a regular joint."

[haventlosthope]

"No, it's really not."

She hasn't stopped noticing that from the moment she walked in.

[onabirdswing]

Rue's not really the type to invite herself to sit down with somebody else, especially a stranger. But the other girl looks uneasy and like she might need a friend. So instead of heading for her usual spot by the fireplace after she gets her supper, Rue detours to Katara's table.

"Hi," she says, sitting down across from the older girl. "How are you?"

[haventlosthope]

Katara's guarded posture melts away at once, and she gives the girl a small smile.

"I'm all right," she answers.

"How about you?"

[onabirdswing]

"I'm okay," she answers with a shrug. "Nothing new going on.

Is this your first time in Milliways?"

[haventlosthope]

"I guess it is."

She hasn't really thought about there being a second time yet.

"Do you come here a lot?"

[onabirdswing]

"All the time; I live here."

Rue takes a bite of her dinner. Bar surprised her with something called "cheese pizza" tonight; so far it's not bad.

[haventlosthope]

"Oh."

And this is another new thing. Still, she ventures the guess, "So you like it here?"