[Accidental Voice -> Deliberate Voice]

[flickerflash]

[And this early evening, the journal will pick up the sound of one small British girl muttering to herself.]

Well, this is very rude. It didn't snow last autumn, you know. I think I ought to complain.

[Huff. Followed by a small ow, barely heard. And silence. Then finally:]

Oh!  [And the journal is picked up finally.  Because you, the townsfolk, should know the answer to this question.  Clearly.]  Did we get visited by aliens in the night? I think I've been experimented on. [Okay, that is totally the best thing ever.] I hope they looked like Elvis clones.

Has anyone seen my cat?

Comments

[voice]

[all7seas]

[Now this voice is very familiar. And it generates an odd mix of emotions in the pirate. Gladness, for one---then worry---then fear---then gladness, again. Finally:]

Who's Elvis, Silvertoes Kate?

[voice]

[flickerflash]

He's a very silly man with a blue suede shoe collection. At least, he likes to sing about them. My mother thought he was a terrible influence.

[voice]

[all7seas]

I'm glad, Katie. [The mixed feelings finally resolve into happy.] I'm glad to be hearin' your voice.

[voice]

[flickerflash]

So I did go missing, then? [She feels like she's been cheated. All those lovely autumn months. Her eyes drop away to something off screen.] I think I prefer 'kidnapped by aliens'. It has a much nicer ring to it.

[And then in a more uncertain voice:] Do I still have an attic room?

[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

Katie! You're back! [Vash tries to remind himself he shouldn't be this happy over a kid being in Luceti, but he's missed you!]

[Voice]

[flickerflash]

[Don't be ridiculous, she never went anywhere. Katie frowns.]

I suppose that means I was kidnapped by aliens after all. Do they do this often? I would have thought they'd crash into the barrier.

[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

Oh! So you remember this place! Wait... do you think you got kidnapped by the Malnosso?

[ voice ]

[wise_maiden]

[... Katie.

She's not entirely sure how to feel about that. The youthful voice, the young face. And does she remember? Always a curiosity, that girl.

Still there is that guilty feeling of being glad to see someone again, even in a place like this. The trouble with missing people when they're gone.]

... have you gotten to somewhere warm yet?

[Because priorities.]

[ voice ]

[flickerflash]

Oh, yes. I'm quite warm, thank you. I built myself a fire. [She has done no such thing, but she is heading back for warmer territory now. She's dressed for spring. Luckily, she's dressed for spring in Bath.] Does it often snow this early?

[ voice ]

[wise_maiden]

[Well, from what she knows of her, she knows not to trust that answer completely. Sigh Katie.]

It's the beginning of January, the heart of winter. So the snow is quite seasonal... for this place.

[herotypical]

[ buffy hardly knows the girl. had only just been maybe sorta getting to know her. porridge. the effect her disappearance had inspired in sparrow. the sadness. the confusion, afterwards.

gently: ] You're back.

[flickerflash]

[Katie is a little confused because she doesn't remember leaving. But it is snowing and she's beginning to work out that this might be the case, so she peers at Buffy through the journal window with a sheepish look.]

Hello. Um. Sorry.

[herotypical]

..Don't apologize. It's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Voice]

[markofthewise]

[Well. We can't have Sokka acting like he's happy to see her back.]

Have you checked the closest mirror?

[Voice]

[flickerflash]

All six of them. [So mournful.] So far I've found two odd socks and a stray dolphin, but no cats anywhere.

[Voice]

[markofthewise]

Dolphins. Well, you've got to watch those dolphins. They're trouble.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[School is out, Katie, did you know? That means Katara is hard at work. Building. A sledding monstracity. She's already had Zuko test it out, and now she is adding another tunnel. Because that is what you do with left-over snow. Due to this intense work, you may see her before she sees you.]

[ action ]

[flickerflash]

[By the time Katie gets closer to the river, she is shivering mightily, her sleeves pulled over her hands and her hands tucked up under her arms. It's very rude, not being brought back with proper clothing on, and she's too low on glamour to go jumping about the place. Stupid dauntain.

Oh, but those tunnels certainly get her attention. She watches Katara make the second one curiously. (Shush, tunnel making of awesome trumps freezing to death, okay.)

To Katie, no time has passed at all... and so it's another minute, before Katara vanishes into the tunnel, that Katie remembers Katara hasn't seen her in months.

So she'll just pad up and in to the tunnel and ...see how good she is at sneaking up on you. >.>]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[Because sneaking up on busy waterbenders surrounded by snow is always the best idea.

Well, Katara is inside the tunnel, shoving against the walls to test out the structural integrity of the thing - so far, so good - when her light source is affected by one small form. She glances casually over to the entrance of the tunnel and freezes.]

Katie?

[Voice]

[concasse]

[There is suddenly a very, very intrigued pirate chef staring into his journal, looking more than a little hopeful]

... If we did, I missed the party.

[Voice]

[flickerflash]

[There is this long silence.






--and suddenly there is a pooka practically mashing her face against the journal window like she can pour herself through the damn thing. B||]

--Sanji?

[8DDDD?]

[Voice]

[concasse]

[8DDDD!!]

Katie-chan~! [For once, the force of his excitement blocks out any and every piece of guilt that would usually come rushing in to ruin his happiness.] You're back!

[Voice] I'M HERE NOW

[soulpowered]

[Well Brook was in the middle of stuffing his face that he doesn't have and messing around in the music room all at once before Sanji yanked him aside with some surprising news.

Needless to say: Journal. Get.]

...Katie-san!

[Voice] HUZZAH she doesn't have a happy enough icon for this

[flickerflash]

[There he is. Katie brightens up and for a moment all Brook sees is red, but that's because she's sort of dancing around in a dizzy circle with the journal clutched to her dress.]

Brook! You came back! Is it true you're a rock star now?

[Voice] Her PB should smile more. ):

[soulpowered]

[That's dizzying in ways it shouldn't be, with him just viewing it through the journal like this. But he's too ecstatic to worry about that now.]

Yohohoho! It's true, it's true! That Sanji-san, spoiling the surprise.