03 ≋ Magic water!

[waterwhip]

WHO: Katara and you!
WHERE: The beach, the square
WHAT: Catching fish with magic water, having a fish fry
WHEN: The day after the glownies (firefly-horses) create a path to the ocean.
WARNINGS: None I can think of!

--∿≈≋🌘≋≈∽--


Look, it's not like Katara hasn't enjoyed tending to the greenhouse. Being able to help provide for everyone has been extremely motivating and rewarding to boot, but at the end of the day she's a Water Tribe girl through and through. The minute a path appears that leads down to the ocean, she's there, swimming in the chilly water, bending the ocean around her to make ice and waves and streams.

The idea for a communal dinner comes to her when she catches a fish in a floating sphere of water. Back home, nobody in the Tribe ever ate alone, and the same was true of her friends when they traveled together. It would be good for morale, wouldn't it? A big, hearty meal that everyone can share together.

It only takes her a moment to make a big icy tub on the beach and fill it with ocean water. Soon, half a dozen colorful fish are swimming around in the shallow water, and Katara wades back out into the surf to catch another. Join her if you like!


--∿≈≋🌕≋≈∽--


It took a little bit of doing, but everything is ready. The fish are all cooking away on a griddle made from a piece of scrap metal set over stones and placed over an open fire. She's recruited a little help in gathering fruits and vegetables from the greenhouse, and those are either stewing together or have been converted into little dumplings which are frying right alongside the fish.

It took a little bit of innovation, but there should be enough for everyone to have a serving, and as much as she always complained about being the 'mother' of her little group of friends, there's something affirming about being able to that now for her new friends.

Whether it's leaves from the greenhouse or actual bowls, there's going to be some kind of arrangement so people aren’t just eating with their hands. It’s an effort, but one she’s happy to make.


--∿≈≋🌒≋≈∽--

Network Video:

[ Katara's happy face pops up on the screen. Like before, she's in front of the fountain. No art this time, though. ]

I've cooked dinner for everyone who wants to come and eat. There are vegetarian options, too. Come down to the square and eat with me. I caught twenty big fish so there's enough for everybody.

Comments

video

[stillgotmyleftarm]

[You had Bucky at cooked dinner.]

Wow. Count me in for dinner. Is there anything else you need?

video

[waterwhip]

Anything you want to bring. I've got fish and dumplings cooking right now, and some fruits and vegetables, too. We deserve a good meal after everything, don't you think?

[Video]

[thrawnsaide]

I can bring along some of the fruits and vegetables that I've been collecting to help contribute. It's very kind of you to offer this to everyone.

[Video]

[waterwhip]

The more, the merrier. Come on over and bring your friends.

Ocean!

[ladiesss]

Krista has never really been the outdoorsy type... But she is absurdly curious, and was definitely one of the first people to make it out to the ocean once the path opened up.

She spends most of her time wandering the beach on her own. At first she was looking for secrets, but soon she gets distracted and mostly looks for pretty rocks or seashells instead. She's got a small handful of them when she comes across Katara, who is at this point, moving around globs of water with what Krista can only assume is magic.

"Whoa..." She's pretty quiet, but she'll hesitantly wander closer to get a better look at what's going on. "What's, uh, what's happening over here?"

[waterwhip]

"I'm catching fish!" Katara replies with a smile, arms outstretched and knees bent in a form that makes the water flow in a streaming arc over her head. There are two fish in this one, on their way into the tub of ice that she prepared for them.

She's explained her bending a dozen times by now, but this face isn't one she's familiar with, so she explains again. "A lot of people say that it looks like magic, but it's a discipline mastered by the people of my tribe. It's called waterbending. I figured that since we can get to the ocean now, I could catch some fish and make dinner for everyone. Do you eat fish?"

The Square

[brooklyn_boy]

[ Steve lived through the Great Depression so he's used to strange cooking and making small things stretch. That said, even he has to look dubiously at his stew of alien vegetables and fish. It smells good enough, of course, but God. What he wouldn't do for some more spices. Maybe some pepper, at the very least.

But hey, at least they have salt now.

Steve sighs and pulls up a spoonful of the soup to his mouth for a taste. His face, frankly, says it all. ]

Hey, Katara! Got anything over there that might help this?

[waterwhip]

[ Katara levels Steve with a look that is almost chilling in its sweetness. ]

What do you mean help it, Steve?

Food!

[pileofspirits]

Sights and smells and all sorts of activity have drawn the spirits in like weird little moths to a flame. At first, they linger on the edge of things, content to just watch everything happen. Then, their black eyes eventually shift to a bright, human shade of blue and their curiosity gets the better of them.

Now, they're shuffling from one interesting thing to the next, tasting and touching and sampling.

...Unfortunately, any sense of basic manners appears to be lost on them. Along with not seeming to notice when someone else is waiting their turn, or if some food or object might belong to someone else, they are definitely doing all of their investigating with their hands instead of a utensil. It doesn't matter how hot that stew might be, there are fingers heading right for it.

[waterwhip]

Seeing someone about to dip their hands into the nigh-boiling pot, Katara reacts with almost shocking speed. She practically somersaults over to grab Phalanx's hands before they get burned, her eyes wide with alarm.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" she scolds, guiding them away to sit a safe distance from all the fire. She knows for a fact that spirits living in the mortal world can get hurt, and even die, which is something she'd like to prevent on her watch.

"Do you want some food? I can make a plate for you if you're hungry."

Square

[waywardking]

[Noctis has found the ocean, but he hasn't done much there so far. If there are suitable fishing poles around, he hasn't found them, and he hasn't found the materials to make either a pole of his own. Spear-fishing isn't out of the question, but he's never actually tried that more than a time or two.

He's attracted to Katara by the sound and smell of cooking fish. Umbra is also attracted by the smell of fish, but he's a Good Boy and hasn't started begging just yet.]

What's cooking? Smells good, whatever it is.

[waterwhip]

Hey! I've got fish and dumplings here, and some stewed vegetables. Come and eat!

[ Her eyes go a little wide at the dog, but in an excited kind of way. ]

Bring your friend, too. He can have some fish if he wants.

Video

[complicatedliar]

That is very thoughtful of you.

I've found some lovely edible greens if you'd like a bit of salad to go along with that.

Video

[waterwhip]

I just thought it'd be a nice way to bring everyone together.

Please do come! And the greens would be great! I'm sure there are some people who would appreciate that. One of my best friends is a vegetarian so I always try to make sure there are options without meat for people who can't or choose not to eat it.

Square and Food

[tempredmental]

[Keith had seen Katara's message and headed over to investigate it further. He knew Lance was more used to the idea of having fresh fish all the time having grown up on an island, but Keith had spent most of his youth in a landlocked desert. Fresh fish wasn't something he came upon very often. He was wary, but curious, and any fresh and real food was bound to be better than Agrii approximations of Atroma's gel and solid supplements or even Altean food goo.]

[the_tailor]

[Lance was already there, having helped catch the fish and get things set up and cooking. A bright smile crosses his features when he looks up from what he's doing and sees his boyfriend, and it isn't long before he's jogging over. Instead of saying hello, he greets him by pulling him in for a kiss.]

[waterwhip]

[ Katara gives a jaunty little wave when she sees Keith approaching. Even though she knows Lance better between the two of them, but she still likes Keith. There's something about his personality that reminds her of Zuko more than a little, and that combined with how much Lance is like her own brother, it just makes her miss her friends that much more.

Even so, it's okay for her to have fun, to make new friends. Isn't it? ]

You should try the dumplings. I think they came out pretty good!

[tiedonastring]

[Warily, Hux studied the food presented at the dinner. It was extremely different from what he was used to, but it didn't look bad either. He remembered some of the stuff he tried before with the Fleet. He also appreciated the fact that everything was fresh.

He helped himself to mostly the fruits and vegetables. He picked up a small helping of fish for Millie, even though she was doing just fine begging food from everyone else. Cheeky cat.

He was glad to see a familiar face or two.]

Mind if I join you?

Fooooooooood

[the_tailor]

[Ever since they had discovered the ocean, Lance was spending quite a bit of time there (sometimes with Keith, sometimes by himself, sometimes with Oliver). Once he had seen Katara catching fish, he'd happily joined in, surprised at himself for not thinking of it sooner.

Right now, he's eagerly eating bite after bite, and feeding small pieces to his beloved pet otter. Lance helps out some with the cooking, and cleaning up, glad for a happy get-together like this.]

[waterwhip]

[ Katara, of course, has to come by with more food for the otter. ]

Your pet is so cute. [ She grins at Lance, handing him a leaf full of slivers of raw fish for the little critter. ] He reminds me of the penguins back home.

Beach

[unbearablynaive]

[The caves make him act very weird, so the Vision is sticking to the beach for the time being - and it's hard to miss their resident waterbender having a good time. He waves at Katara and heads over to her ice-tub.]

You certainly look right at home, Katara. Shall we build you a hut here on the beach and consider it your new residence?

[waterwhip]

[ As Katara drops another wriggling fish into the ice, she smiles broadly at Vision and wipes sweat from her forehead. Waterbending is as natural to her as breathing but that doesn't mean it doesn't also take a lot of energy and stamina to do for as long as she has been today.

The idea of a beachside house makes her perk up, though. ]

Could we really do that? It'd be amazing! I could build an igloo on my own, probably, but it'd be better to get help.

[Square]

[thrawnsaide]

[After helping Katara prep everything and get it set up, he sat down and waited for the rest of his group to arrive. He told Thrawn, Altair, and Poe to meet him at the square for the dinner. He thought it would be a good way to mingle and get to know others instead of just prepping a meal by themselves. He would gladly do so another time. He was more interested in meeting people on better terms then being forced to on a ship you couldn't escape.

[happybeeps]

[Poe looks a little less well than when they had first spoken, a dark bruise on his cheek and a bit of limp to his stride, but he still offers a smile and a wave of greeting.]

Eli, right?

[He offers a hand to shake now that they're meeting properly in person.]

square

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda arrives with a small collection of fruits floating after her, and a tiny fairy dragon perched on her shoulder. She hates turning up empty-handed. It reminds her too much of those terrible years after her parents died, when she and Pietro had been so reliant on charity.]

I brought these. It isn't chocolate but they are still sweet.

[Pay no attention to the wispy red energy holding them aloft. Everything is perfectly normal here.]

[waterwhip]

[ All things considered, Katara has seen weirder things than floating fruit. It's the gesture that counts, and she waves amiably at Wanda when she arrives. ]

Thanks for bringing these. Can you put them over here close to some of the other food so people will know it's there?

[ After directing them into a neat pile by the other assorted dishes, Katara surveys the spread with a pleased grin on her face. ]

I hope you like fish. There are some vegetarian options, too, if you don't.

square

[happybeeps]

[This is a hell of a welcoming party. Poe sure seems to have picked a perfect day to arrive. He's a bit more banged up than he first appeared in his network post, a dark bruise on his face, and a bit of a limp to his stride, but he seems to otherwise be in good spirits, looking to chat and indulge in the bounty of food. It's been a while since he's had a good hot meal like this.]

[waterwhip]

[ Naturally, Katara picks out the face of the newcomer when he arrives, and she jogs over to greet him. He looks different than he did in the video, though, and her smile turns into a frown, and then into a look of longsuffering amusement. Sighing and shaking her head, she comes up to him with a hand on her hip. ]

Hey, Mister Starfighter, I thought you said you were the careful type? [ She doesn't hesitate to reach out and grab his wrist, tugging at him gently, even though he's really still a stranger. ] Come over here and sit by the fountain.

video

[outstandingbalance]

Should I ask more about what we're eating, or is this one of those situations where it's better not to know?

[It's a joke more than actual curiosity—at least more than actual suspicion about the food. As unrecognizable as some of it might be, Natasha knows better than to turn her nose up at food when she can get it.]

Just be happy it's not protein solid.

Beach/Food

[tiedonastring]

[Warily Hux approached this big dinner party out on the beach. The whole idea was foreign to him. Let alone the food itself. He recognized a few faces and those he barely interacted with on the Fleet. There were a lot of new faces as well.

After the recent fight, he was in no mood to mingle and converse. He only made the presence out of curiosity. Not to mention he knew Millicent would enjoy all the people and the food.

He sat on a stone near by and watched Millicent weave around the crowd working her charm on them.]

[kallig]

[It was the cat that caught his attention first, as he'd been lingering at the edges of the crowd, there to watch, but not particularly interact with anyone. Crouching, he offered her a piece of fish from the relatively small meal he'd taken for himself, and following the presence he knows must accompany her, finds his way to Hux.]

Hux, [He greets him politely, with a small bow of the head,] May I join you?

[He knows the man is not particularly fond of Force-sensitives, so he will accept a no. Still, it would be nice to sit and speak with him a while.]