avatar_state | Character IC Inbox

[ There's something in the air that makes her uncomfortable, even though she said she'd be there soon. A certain smell. It's canine and everywhere. The cat's shoulders hunch, leaning forwards with a small twitch of her tail to glance around, arms dangling and ready to spring.

She takes a slow breath, then knocks on the door. ]

Hello?

[She opens the door a moment later, a smile on her face]

Hey, right on time. C'mon in, we're set up on the patio at the back.

And in passing the living room, Catra will undoubtedly notice the sleeping mountain of fur that is Naga.

"She's sleeping," Korra remarks, "but she loves making new friends. So if she wakes up, she'll definitely want to say hi."

"Hey- What's with-..."

She blinks, slowing down and tensing as she passes the dog... That was the smell, yeah. Her eyes narrow, stepping silently as she passes that room,only speaking once they're past.

"Yeeeah... I'd rather not." She's here for food not dog smothering! Anyway, onwards to food, right? She's not a huge talker sometimes.

She pushes open the two doors to the patio, where a small fire pit resides. There is no fire, at least not yet.

But a gesture of her hand, and a gout of flame lights the wood beneath the small grill she's set up.

"Right, so," she says - "Preferences? I've got beef, fish, and what I'm pretty sure is pork."

Nearby is a tray with mixed vegetables and such to taste with it, and some cheeses.

Catra flinches, glancing over the fire briefly before finding a spot to sit, body still a little tense.

"Not really. Food? Fish is nice." Military life, her food standards are pretty low. Ears flicker. "I'm letting you figure this out, just don't burn it or something."

Cue a shrug, legs kicking up as she lets the fire warm her up, eyes finally glancing back to Korra. "Or is that too hard?" Entirely playful, this time.

She laughs, sticking out her tongue.

"Ye of little faith," she replies, picking up a number of skewers, beginning to prepare the fish.

"And it's pretty easy when you're from where I'm from. We live down in the South Pole of my world, so learning how to effectively cook using fire is, well, kinda a proper skill. And I get to cheat a bit."

"Must be useful. Bet you made a lot of friends~"

Her tone's teasing as ever, just a hint of taunt in that glance back to her.

"What's the South Pole anyway? Like a giant statue, or decorated pole or something?"

She shrugs.

"Not really. I didn't have many friends growing up. Being the child of destiny who has to be protected from all sorts of threats did nooot exactly make it easy, there. And no, it's the magnetic south of our planet."

"Really? Bet everyone would have wanted you to be... or did you have to stay away because you couldn't trust them?"

She can't help but grin, that part, at least, sounds familiar. Totally ignoring the magnetic south part and pretending that makes sense. Her eyes trail away, watching the fish and meat getting set up and starting to cook instead.

Tail swish... swish.

"If you weren't the Avatar... what would you want to do?"

"Oh, no, I-"

She shakes her head.

"Didn't have friends growing up. I was...protected, from the time I was six years old. It was pretty lonely, in the end. I had Naga, but didn't really get to know people my own age until...well, I was sixteen."

She looked off into the distance as she thought about the question, too.

"If I weren't...heh, I've always been the Avatar. When the Avatar dies, they reincarnate into their next life. Hard to imagine being something other than I have been."

She's quiet after that, and then:

"I might have liked raising animals. Y'know, just stomping around a farm, raising critters. Something peaceful."

Catra's quiet for a moment, sharing a rare sympathetic glance as her legs bundle up, lifting to wrap her arms around so she can lean forward and rest her chin on her knees. Ears fold slightly flatter, matching the tone with a sadder look.

"So... what, you just did what you were told because it was your 'destiny' or whatever?" A shame her words don't match the sympathy in her eyes. It's a situation that frustrates her.

Still, the last bit catches her off guard, glancing up with a raised brow. Thankfully, Catra's world doesn't have that farmer stereotype to add an image to it, but it's still a little surprising.

"There's a couple farms here... Why not start your own?"

"It's...well, what I do is an inheritance. I remember being the Avatar, in a previous life. Or did. It's a long story. Suffice to say, I knew who I was and who I had been. And what it entailed."

She holds the first fish over the fire, gently using the other hand to move the flames just so. She gestures at some mixed seasonings near Catra.

"Hey, sprinkle some of those on, ok?" she says, before continuing.

"And I dunno, I might try. But this place...keeps reminding me of what I have to do, rather than what I might want."

Curious eyes follow the fish. It's pretty basic cooking, still a step up from her usual but, then, her standards have climbed a little since she got here. There's a slow tail flicker, arms folding across her chest and legs with a hint of a pout while Catra leans in.

Hmm, not too close to the fire. She sprinkles whatever smells good. mostly salt and some lighter spices, watching the flames crackle around anything that misses.

"I thought the whole point of this place was a fresh start... Nothing you do matters here. Right?" That's her thought, at least. They all return to their fate eventually.

"So why not-"

"Everything we do matters," she replies, disagreeing emphatically. "We're alive, here, now - and so are a lot of others. This place keeps...spawning horrors. Hurting people. I can't turn a blind eye to that for my own gain."

Or I wouldn't be me anymore, she keeps unsaid.

She places the fish on the ersatz grill, starting another. Once it's ready, she nods for the spices again and then - then she holds up her hands and the fire starts to spin slowly around the fish in a circle.

"Like this, right now. It matters, it's real." She pauses, offering a small smile.

"At least, I think so."

"Sure, and if we die we'll just come back. It'll suck. But it's the only reason to avoid it now." She shrugs. Really, avoiding pain is the biggest motivator to fight or survive here. If it were videogame lifey no one would care.

For now, food's their segue into a more pleasant topic, and Catra quiets down as the food gets cooking. It smells nice. Again, low standards, but it's food. Sharp mismatched eyes narrow on hers, and for a moment that interaction reminds her of something.

"Maybe..." There's a huff, but she's relenting for now, streeetching out and leaning back with a lazy curve. Maybe slightly showing off those dangerous claws. Just... ignore the slightly fluffy fur.

"So, what's the plan, just eat some food and grumble about this place?"

"Ugh, wouldn't the first time - that's been the last ten thousand years of the Avatar cycle. I used to remember every reincarnation, too," she replied.

She would be the first to admit she didn't fully understand Catra, or her body language, which was very definitely different - but food is a universal language, at least.

"Works for me," she adds in response - and offers over the first cooked skewer. "Great way to make friends. Food and grumbling about things. Heh, add a bit of talk about pro-bending and I'd be having a serious case of deja vu."

Catra's a bit of an odd case. Sometimes she seems friendly, but she flips between emotion states on a slightly unstable basis. Maybe Korra's too used to dogs and their straightforward nature.

Food works though, it's something she didn't really learn to enjoy until she got here. So she's sitting around and waiting, humouring this conversation with idle tail swishes. Mostly relaxed, from the look of it. She keeps the conversation away from herself.

"Pro bending? What do you mean?" Korra brought it up, so she may as well push those buttons.

"Oh, so, you know how benders can manipulate an element right? Well, Republic City - back home - had a pro-bending sports league...you're on a platform battling it out in teams of three! One Earthbender, one Firebender, one Waterbender. There's a bunch of other rules, but the basic one is: don't get knocked off."

She smiles, her look nostalgic.

"When I first got to Republic City, I met new friends who were Pro-Benders...they put me on their team, which was amazingly fun...and oooooh was I competitive back when I was sixteen, heh."

"uhhh... Kinda, sure." Lets pretend she knows at least. She's only met Korra. Her head bobs along, mostly listening with a raised brow and half-interested perk of her ears. Sounds like something a bit too specific.

"Right... Are you even allowed? If you're the ~all important avatar~?" Her tone jokes.

"Turns out nobody thought to write down a rule tellin' me no. Pretty much the first time nobody thought ahead on that one."

She grinned.

"It was so much fun, just getting to go guts-out against another team - and lemme tell you, none of them held back at all because I was the Avatar. That was probably the best part."

Being normal, in a way. For a while.

"Hah!" She cackles out a little laugh, nodding along with her usual fangy grin. She really likes fighting huh? Or getting to show off. Reminds her of someone.

"What else do you like to do, aside from fighting I guess?" Sharp blue and yellow eyes flash her way, amused and a bit more comfortable as the two settle down.

She smiles, in a bit of a distant way. "I'm kinda an adventure person, I guess - my girlfriend, back home? She taught me all about car racing - have you ever tried it?"

She holds up her hands as if using a steering wheel.

"You get in this fast four wheel vehicle called a car and go as fast as you can around a cool track, racing against other teams! I'm still terrible on my own, but it's so much fun!"

Definitely a bit of a thrill seeker, but...

"I think it's the time with my friends that's been the best - I miss them a lot here."

Pause. An ear perks up. Girlfriend?

Huh... There's a mix between amusement, confusion, then a little distant frown. Ahem.

Catra's expression settles, reflecting for a moment, then leaning back with a shrug.

"Never driven a car. But we had similar things back home..." She trails away for a moment. "Never really had friends. Not that I need them but- Anyway. Sorry you're stuck here."

She's at least trying to be sympathetic rather than dismissive.

"Has it been alright, being here?"

She tilts her head at part of that, but chooses to let it go for the moment. Besides, the first food is ready, isn't it?

"Aside from missing people? Yeah. There's good people here. Jinora's from my universe, as it happens, if you run into her. And then there's Luz...who I swear is like having a little sister. So at least I can help people I care about. Until...well, whatever comes, I guess."

She offers over some rather wonderfully cooked meat, with a smile.

Sometime after Sleepr

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