He blinks, and then says, "If you're talking about the-- never mind. I just mean, Sam eats weird food. Won't eat meat." He shrugs a little. "Me, I like steak."
He pokes his slop a little. "So how is it now that everybody's on the same linguistic page?"
Oh, okay, she got that part. Smiling at him, Katara nods. "Aang won't eat meat either, but that's pretty much all Sokka and I grew up on. What kind of steak?"
There's probably about fifty different kinds where she comes from, see.
She pokes her slop, too, still smiling for his question. "Much better. No offense or anything, but learning another language sucks. I'm glad I won't have to do it again."
Why doesn't Hanabi join her next? Because she's just gotten the same thrilling meal.
"What I wouldn't give for a decent bowl of rice," she mutters as she sits down across from Katara. "Or even some of that ramen that Naruto's always eating."
"Salted seal jerky," Katara adds, looking up at the younger girl to smile. "Or even papaya - and I hate papaya."
And Aunt Wu isn't here to urge her to eat it, even! Or something.
"How are you doing? It was pretty rough down there."
A note, Hanabi? You are younger than Katara. This means you are totally forfeit to her mothering-- which includes a very loving smile on a girl who should be too young to pull it off. Your choices are: A, accept it; B, snark at it; or C, ignore it.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and one of the next people to come out of those pods will be a cook who can take over in the cafeteria," Hanabi suggests.
Pardon the brief blank stare, Katara. It's just that for a minute you reminded Hanabi of her older sister, Hinata. Hinata would have asked the same question.
"All right, I guess." She shrugs. "I'm really glad to have stable ground under my feet again."
"...Maybe," Katara replies, glancing down at her slop. Not to burst Hanabi's bubble or anything, but she doubts there's anything even remotely like seal or papaya in this junk.
The blank stare is missed while she eyeballs her food and Katara looks up in time to hear the question and see the girl shrug. "Same here. Not as much as Toph, sure, but I'm definitely glad to be out of there."
Toph will join her! She has to show off her shoes to someone who appreciates Earthbending, after all.
At least she misses Katara's slop when she pulls up her chair and plops her crystal-covered feet on the table, right? Now Katara's got a great view of the bottom of Toph's shiny, spiky, and slightly bug-encrusted shoes.
...Ew, bugs. That totally does not help Katara's appetite, Toph. But at least the Earthbender won't be able to see the sudden look of total disgust on her face.
See, no. Hear, yes. Looks of disgust color vocal tones.
"Thanks. How's your slop?"
Toph just looks pleased with herself. She's managed to get a compliment on her shoes and an unfavorable reaction from a diner all in one go. Pretty good, for someone who was raised to be polite.
See, Toph might not remember her, but Katara remembers enough of Toph to not be surprised at all.
Which is why she barely reacts to how pleased the younger girl looks, poking at her slop again with her nose wrinkled. "...Sloppy. Did you already eat?"
Watch as Katara's peaceful meal of trying to not be grossed out is cheerfully broken as an incredibly graceful goth girl slides into the seat in front of her and happily says, "Ew."
Because Katara can understand Sam and vice versa now! This has cheered Sam up considerably.
"This is like, worse than my school's slop, and that's pretty bad. I'm sure there's meat in this -- I'm just sure of it -- or maybe not, she can get into our heads anyway." Sam looks Katara up and down. "Are you okay? No limbs falling off? No screaming? No mean sun boy being mean?"
You'll have to forgive her, Katara. She's just so happy that she can understand you now that she's likely to jabber your ear off.
"Trust me," Katara says, grinning as Sam takes the seat across from her, and dropping her bit of tray in her slop with a plop, "there is definitely no meat in this."
Holding her arm out, she shows it off to Sam, all-crystal-free. "I'm fine, really. None of that stuff. And Zuko's fine, too - not mean or unconscious."
"Seriously? How do you know?" Sam pokes at her meal with her fork-type thing. "How can you even tell?"
"I'm glad he's not unconscious, or mean," Sam says, appraisingly, and lifts a forkful of slop to her mouth, wincing. If Katara says there's no meat, maybe she'll try and eat some. "He seemed grouchy. And trust me, when I say that someone's grouchy, they're usually grouchy."
"Because it's not even sort of, kind of, a little bit tasty," Katara replies, letting her slop slide off her tray and wrinkling her nose. "So there's no meat."
She knows her meat! DO NOT QUESTION.
"And he is grouchy. But he isn't intentionally mean - at least, he wouldn't be to you." And really, he's getting better about the 'peasants,' too.
A robot who's staring mournfully at a tray of murky blueish slop. He heaves a great big sigh. He catches sight of Katara out of the corner of his optic and gives her a light wave.
Some humans might not want a robot to approach them when they're eating. Cheetor isn't sure what kind of people would object, but he's aware he knows very little about humans.
If the problem is a possible loss of appetite, Katara really wouldn't mind.
She'd seen Cheetor before, down on the planet before they'd all split up, and she smiles a little and waves back in recognition. And you know? Crap meals are always tastier in good company.
Katara appreciates the straightforwardness, as her suddenly-more-genuine smile will tell.
"Thanks," she says, settting her tray down and sliding into the seat across from him. "It is to be able to understand everyone, without having to talk like I was."
A few days ago, that sentence would have been shorted to thanks, 'thanks, all nice now.'
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"You know, I had thought Sam's recyclo-vegetarianism was bad, but this is worse."
So, can you understand him now? HE HEARD YOU ALL COULD.
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"...I thought we could understand you all now, but I have no idea what you just said."
It's that recyclo-vegetarianism thing that's throwing her off. Use REAL WORDS, DANNY.
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He blinks, and then says, "If you're talking about the-- never mind. I just mean, Sam eats weird food. Won't eat meat." He shrugs a little. "Me, I like steak."
He pokes his slop a little. "So how is it now that everybody's on the same linguistic page?"
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There's probably about fifty different kinds where she comes from, see.
She pokes her slop, too, still smiling for his question. "Much better. No offense or anything, but learning another language sucks. I'm glad I won't have to do it again."
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"What I wouldn't give for a decent bowl of rice," she mutters as she sits down across from Katara. "Or even some of that ramen that Naruto's always eating."
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And Aunt Wu isn't here to urge her to eat it, even! Or something.
"How are you doing? It was pretty rough down there."
A note, Hanabi? You are younger than Katara. This means you are totally forfeit to her mothering-- which includes a very loving smile on a girl who should be too young to pull it off. Your choices are: A, accept it; B, snark at it; or C, ignore it.
GO.
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Pardon the brief blank stare, Katara. It's just that for a minute you reminded Hanabi of her older sister, Hinata. Hinata would have asked the same question.
"All right, I guess." She shrugs. "I'm really glad to have stable ground under my feet again."
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The blank stare is missed while she eyeballs her food and Katara looks up in time to hear the question and see the girl shrug. "Same here. Not as much as Toph, sure, but I'm definitely glad to be out of there."
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At least she misses Katara's slop when she pulls up her chair and plops her crystal-covered feet on the table, right? Now Katara's got a great view of the bottom of Toph's shiny, spiky, and slightly bug-encrusted shoes.
"Hey Waterbender. What's up?"
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"Um... not much, Toph. Nice... shoes?"
Ewwwww.
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"Thanks. How's your slop?"
Toph just looks pleased with herself. She's managed to get a compliment on her shoes and an unfavorable reaction from a diner all in one go. Pretty good, for someone who was raised to be polite.
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Which is why she barely reacts to how pleased the younger girl looks, poking at her slop again with her nose wrinkled. "...Sloppy. Did you already eat?"
Did you eat those BUGS???
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Because Katara can understand Sam and vice versa now! This has cheered Sam up considerably.
"This is like, worse than my school's slop, and that's pretty bad. I'm sure there's meat in this -- I'm just sure of it -- or maybe not, she can get into our heads anyway." Sam looks Katara up and down. "Are you okay? No limbs falling off? No screaming? No mean sun boy being mean?"
You'll have to forgive her, Katara. She's just so happy that she can understand you now that she's likely to jabber your ear off.
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Holding her arm out, she shows it off to Sam, all-crystal-free. "I'm fine, really. None of that stuff. And Zuko's fine, too - not mean or unconscious."
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"I'm glad he's not unconscious, or mean," Sam says, appraisingly, and lifts a forkful of slop to her mouth, wincing. If Katara says there's no meat, maybe she'll try and eat some. "He seemed grouchy. And trust me, when I say that someone's grouchy, they're usually grouchy."
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She knows her meat! DO NOT QUESTION.
"And he is grouchy. But he isn't intentionally mean - at least, he wouldn't be to you." And really, he's getting better about the 'peasants,' too.
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A robot who's staring mournfully at a tray of murky blueish slop. He heaves a great big sigh. He catches sight of Katara out of the corner of his optic and gives her a light wave.
Some humans might not want a robot to approach them when they're eating. Cheetor isn't sure what kind of people would object, but he's aware he knows very little about humans.
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She'd seen Cheetor before, down on the planet before they'd all split up, and she smiles a little and waves back in recognition. And you know? Crap meals are always tastier in good company.
So she's heading over with her tray.
"Um... hi."
Invite her to eat!
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Cheetor's very straightforward like that.
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"Thanks," she says, settting her tray down and sliding into the seat across from him. "It is to be able to understand everyone, without having to talk like I was."
A few days ago, that sentence would have been shorted to thanks, 'thanks, all nice now.'
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