Post by Katara on Jun 11, 2007 13:21:13 GMT -5
Katara hovered uncertainly beside the stall the captain had set up. According to his wishes (after all, she had proved herself responsible in the past) she and another few trustworthy souls had helped set up their sort of... 'place'. One of the lads, Tommy, had rather the artistic eye, and had decided to take it upon himself to arrange the display of the captain's merchandise. Noting this, the captain had then given him some chalks, and told him to go and do portraits for people.
Sometimes, the captain had relatively good ideas.
Not so good was his wig one. So far, five people had hair their hair hacked off and Katara had had the unenviable task of turning them into wigs. It wouldn't have been so bad if congealed bits of blood and skin weren't knotted into the hair, and the poor, newly bald-headed crew members wept bitterly nearby for the loss of their hair.
It was stifling hot in Kyoshi, and the trundling carts and running children sent dust flying into the air. Quite often, Katara found herself coughing wildly, like Song did whenever she got her ass-mar. She sweated a lot in this heat, and soon had discarded her sleeves and was only in the very last of her dress- yet she still remained sticky and uncomfortably hot. She'd pulled her hair up in a higher bun, but the hair loopies were getting on her nerves. They kept flicking past and into her line of sight.
Once she'd finished the wig-making, she'd basically been hovering. As she did so, she called out loudly and gleefully to passers-by, hoping beyond hope they might look up and come to buy from them. If they didn't make a profit, Captain Guillmore would make them pay.
Seriously, they had a plank and everything.
Spying a few happily playing children, Katara picked up a hefty little wooden sword that the thieves had brought. The captain had sent them around other stalls, stealing and bartering for all they were worth. This was one of the many little prizes they'd brought back.
"You, kids!" she called, forcing herself to smile, waving the sword wildly. "Like to play a bit of a pirate fight?"
"A pirate?" One little boy's head had flew up at that. He was a scruffy looking child, tall and skinny with a mop of wild, tangled dark curls. His trousers were ripped, and his feet were bare and dirty.
"Ay," smiled Katara, her eyes sparkling as she leant forward. "Pirates! See this sword- this is an exact replica of the kind they use."
"Choo sell any of those?" asked a little girl, running up behind the boy and pointing. Her hair was waist length and a dirty blonde colour, but it was matted and wild.
She was pointing at the boomeraang slung about Katara's shoulders. Katara's hands flew to it automatically.
"Sorry, no, they don't."
"Oh," she said, turning away. The boy gave the sword another look, then made to follow her-
"Wait!" called Katara. "Er... I can show you how it works though!"
"Really?"
The little girl was interested again.
"Yes!" cried Katara, her heart banging with relief. They needed this. "Look..."
Carefully, she took the boomeraang from its sling, and without warning threw it into the sky. Quickly, and easily, the boomeraang whipped around in perfect timing and she'd caught it again within seconds. She smiled trimuphantly, clutching it to her chest.
Her brother had taught her well.
The girl look mildly impressed. "Where'd choo learn that?"
"My brother taught me," smiled Katara, slipping it back into its sling. "He taught me all sorts. All these weapons- including this one." She held up the sword again.
"How much?" asked the little boy tentatively.
The girl shot him a sideways glance. "You have a sword."
"Not a proper pirate one!" he replied, his eyes gleaming at the prospect.
The girl elbowed him- hard. "Don't choo dare! Captain Truesdale will get you!"
The boy's head dropped a little. "Would she?"
"Arr!" cried the girl, punching the air with her bony little fist. "Avast," she whispered, her eyes wide and voice low and dramatic, "thar be pirates! Sound the alarm, ol' boys, Cap'n Truesdale's a coming!"
"No!" cried the boy, clutching his chest in an obviously well practiced sequence. "Not Truesdale!"
"Ay, boy!" laughed the girl, jumping forward and picking a stick from the ground, brandishing it wildly like a sword. "It is I- Cap'n Truesdale- the greatest Navy officer to ever spit upon you- you scum of a pirate!"
"Woah!" cried Katara, trying to snap them back to reality. "Captain Truesdale? Some sort of game of yours?"
"Captain Truesdale's no game!" cried the girl, looking genuinely shocked. "She's only-
"- the coolest- "
"- bestest- "
"-absolutely amazin', cos there was this time- "
"- three pirates! She got em' all- "
"- stuck em in that Navy jail- "
"- no-one's more feared in all of the seven seas- "
"- so cool! Best range of firing artillery ever-"
"Stop!" commanded Katara, holding up her hands and laughing uncertainly. "A Navy officer?"
"Captain, actually!" replied the boy stoutly. "She's soo cool!"
"A girl?" Katara repeated dumbly. "A captain?"
"Arr!" laughed the girl. "The best!"
"A... Navy..." muttered Katara, still trying to grasp this strange concept.
"Yo, ho, you pirate scum!" spat the girl, rounding on the boy again. "Thought you'd escape Truesdale?"
"I shall, I tells ya!" laughed the boy sprinting away down the crowded market. "Ye'll never catch me, Truesdale!"
"ARRRRRRRR!" called the girl, laughing as she sped down the streets after him.
For a few moments, Katara contemplated chasing after them, but was abruptly interrupted by a wildly grinning Tommy. His face was covered in dust now, and if Katara wasn't mistaken, she detected the stale whiff of alchohol.
"Come 'long, Katara!" he grinned. "Us lot are gonna' get totally blocked!"
"No way," she said sarcastically. "Why should I come?"
"Cos you've got a brain," he smiled. "You'll know how to stop us if thing's get a bit hairy."
"And if I don't?" she sighed, raising an eyebrow.
"Guilt, Katara," he said, his lip curling. "We all know what you're like."
Katara groaned, staring around for the children, but they'd already disappeared. She supposed it didn't really matter anyway. And what else was she to do with her time?
"Fine," she smiled weakly. "I'm in."
Sometimes, the captain had relatively good ideas.
Not so good was his wig one. So far, five people had hair their hair hacked off and Katara had had the unenviable task of turning them into wigs. It wouldn't have been so bad if congealed bits of blood and skin weren't knotted into the hair, and the poor, newly bald-headed crew members wept bitterly nearby for the loss of their hair.
It was stifling hot in Kyoshi, and the trundling carts and running children sent dust flying into the air. Quite often, Katara found herself coughing wildly, like Song did whenever she got her ass-mar. She sweated a lot in this heat, and soon had discarded her sleeves and was only in the very last of her dress- yet she still remained sticky and uncomfortably hot. She'd pulled her hair up in a higher bun, but the hair loopies were getting on her nerves. They kept flicking past and into her line of sight.
Once she'd finished the wig-making, she'd basically been hovering. As she did so, she called out loudly and gleefully to passers-by, hoping beyond hope they might look up and come to buy from them. If they didn't make a profit, Captain Guillmore would make them pay.
Seriously, they had a plank and everything.
Spying a few happily playing children, Katara picked up a hefty little wooden sword that the thieves had brought. The captain had sent them around other stalls, stealing and bartering for all they were worth. This was one of the many little prizes they'd brought back.
"You, kids!" she called, forcing herself to smile, waving the sword wildly. "Like to play a bit of a pirate fight?"
"A pirate?" One little boy's head had flew up at that. He was a scruffy looking child, tall and skinny with a mop of wild, tangled dark curls. His trousers were ripped, and his feet were bare and dirty.
"Ay," smiled Katara, her eyes sparkling as she leant forward. "Pirates! See this sword- this is an exact replica of the kind they use."
"Choo sell any of those?" asked a little girl, running up behind the boy and pointing. Her hair was waist length and a dirty blonde colour, but it was matted and wild.
She was pointing at the boomeraang slung about Katara's shoulders. Katara's hands flew to it automatically.
"Sorry, no, they don't."
"Oh," she said, turning away. The boy gave the sword another look, then made to follow her-
"Wait!" called Katara. "Er... I can show you how it works though!"
"Really?"
The little girl was interested again.
"Yes!" cried Katara, her heart banging with relief. They needed this. "Look..."
Carefully, she took the boomeraang from its sling, and without warning threw it into the sky. Quickly, and easily, the boomeraang whipped around in perfect timing and she'd caught it again within seconds. She smiled trimuphantly, clutching it to her chest.
Her brother had taught her well.
The girl look mildly impressed. "Where'd choo learn that?"
"My brother taught me," smiled Katara, slipping it back into its sling. "He taught me all sorts. All these weapons- including this one." She held up the sword again.
"How much?" asked the little boy tentatively.
The girl shot him a sideways glance. "You have a sword."
"Not a proper pirate one!" he replied, his eyes gleaming at the prospect.
The girl elbowed him- hard. "Don't choo dare! Captain Truesdale will get you!"
The boy's head dropped a little. "Would she?"
"Arr!" cried the girl, punching the air with her bony little fist. "Avast," she whispered, her eyes wide and voice low and dramatic, "thar be pirates! Sound the alarm, ol' boys, Cap'n Truesdale's a coming!"
"No!" cried the boy, clutching his chest in an obviously well practiced sequence. "Not Truesdale!"
"Ay, boy!" laughed the girl, jumping forward and picking a stick from the ground, brandishing it wildly like a sword. "It is I- Cap'n Truesdale- the greatest Navy officer to ever spit upon you- you scum of a pirate!"
"Woah!" cried Katara, trying to snap them back to reality. "Captain Truesdale? Some sort of game of yours?"
"Captain Truesdale's no game!" cried the girl, looking genuinely shocked. "She's only-
"- the coolest- "
"- bestest- "
"-absolutely amazin', cos there was this time- "
"- three pirates! She got em' all- "
"- stuck em in that Navy jail- "
"- no-one's more feared in all of the seven seas- "
"- so cool! Best range of firing artillery ever-"
"Stop!" commanded Katara, holding up her hands and laughing uncertainly. "A Navy officer?"
"Captain, actually!" replied the boy stoutly. "She's soo cool!"
"A girl?" Katara repeated dumbly. "A captain?"
"Arr!" laughed the girl. "The best!"
"A... Navy..." muttered Katara, still trying to grasp this strange concept.
"Yo, ho, you pirate scum!" spat the girl, rounding on the boy again. "Thought you'd escape Truesdale?"
"I shall, I tells ya!" laughed the boy sprinting away down the crowded market. "Ye'll never catch me, Truesdale!"
"ARRRRRRRR!" called the girl, laughing as she sped down the streets after him.
For a few moments, Katara contemplated chasing after them, but was abruptly interrupted by a wildly grinning Tommy. His face was covered in dust now, and if Katara wasn't mistaken, she detected the stale whiff of alchohol.
"Come 'long, Katara!" he grinned. "Us lot are gonna' get totally blocked!"
"No way," she said sarcastically. "Why should I come?"
"Cos you've got a brain," he smiled. "You'll know how to stop us if thing's get a bit hairy."
"And if I don't?" she sighed, raising an eyebrow.
"Guilt, Katara," he said, his lip curling. "We all know what you're like."
Katara groaned, staring around for the children, but they'd already disappeared. She supposed it didn't really matter anyway. And what else was she to do with her time?
"Fine," she smiled weakly. "I'm in."
