The Park - Sunday Morning

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara was so gleeful that she was almost skipping through the park.  She'd somehow found a patch of wildflowers which were now festooning her braid.  She couldn't believe her good fortune that not only did Zuko not laugh at her admitting of feelings for him, but he had also declared his love in return.  There was nothing that was going to make her day bad.  Nothing at all.

[The Park is open though Katara will be focused on one err...person]

Comments

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski was here. Kowalski had blueprints. Kowalski was looking at the blueprints until he saw a human, then the blueprints were quickly stuffed away under his feathers.

Gotta love anthropomorphicized animal cartoon pockets.

Kowalski was now standing around, whistling innocently and toeing the dirt.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara continued skipping merrily through the park until she saw the penguin. Then she stopped still. Aang's voice asking her to go penguin sledding with him ran through her head. And the idea seemed like a perfect one.

She felt through her pockets and didn't have any *fish,* but maybe a tiny bit of dried turtleseal jerky would work? She held it out for the little penguin.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Well, he *was* hungry. But he was also a fully trained member of a crack penguin squad. That didn't mean he couldn't eat. It just meant he had to be careful.

Kowalski waddled forward carefully, eyes darting left and right to make sure it wasn't a trap.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Skilled in the art of penguin tempting, Katara stood still, trying to project an absolutely lack of threat to the penguin.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski shuffled forward a little further and, ninja style, tried to swipe the turtleseal jerky out of her hand.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara let the penguin take the jerky then tried to jump on his back to slide down the hill. There wasn't ice so it might be more difficult. But she still thought it would work.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski scuttled out of the way and frowned at Katara. So it WAS a trap.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

She frowned at the penguin. "I just want to go penguin sledding?" she said, thinking that other random things in Fandom understood her. "Like we do at home."

She paused. "I have more jerky if you want."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski watched her warily and shuffled back a little further. He was thinking about it, but was prepared just in case she made another uninvited lunge.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Unsure how to react to the penguin's shuffling, Katara just stood still hoping that the happiness she was radiating and the earlier skipping might sway this penguin towards wanting to help her.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski sighed and held out his wing. He wiggled it, suggesting he wanted more jerky. She didn't seem like a threat and what Skipper didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara didn't quite understand the wiggling of the penguin wing. So she reached out to grasp the tip of the wing gently and shake it.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski stared at her with a raised feathery eyebrow.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

"Oh! Sorry!" She said quickly as she pulled her hand back and dug around in her pocket for another piece of turtleseal jerky.

Katara offered the turtleseal jerky to the little penguin, quite certain that the way her weekend was going, he couldn't help but consent.

But if he didn't, Zuko still loved her and that made it all worthwhile.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski sighed and pocketed the jerky for later, then he waved her forward.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara jumped with glee and clasped her hands together. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said.

She looked at the hill and then reaching back to uncap her waterskin, drew out all the water in it to make an ice slide down the hill.

Katara looked back at Kowalski and moved closer to him.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski lined himself up, wiggled on the spot, then flopped and looked back at Katara with a shrug.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Very, very carefully, Katara climbed on the penguin. She kept her feet away from any vital penguiny areas and took a gentle hold of what would be Kowalski's shoulders if penguins had shoulders.

"Ready when you are," she said, gleefully.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski gave a thumbs up and kicked off. Wheeee!

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

"YAY!" Katara trilled as they flew down the hill. This was even better than penguin sledding at home. The rush of air, the really, really good ice slide (if she said so herself), and a penguin who was easily bribed.

When they got to the bottom, Katara jumped off the penguin and tried to give him a hug.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski patted Katara on the back. Then he started to waddle off.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

She frantically felt in her pockets for the very last pieces of the turtleseal jerky she had left from the North Pole.

"Here, wait, if you'd like the rest of my turtleseal jerky, you can have it."

Katara really tried hard not to think of what Sokka would say to that offer.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski tilted his head, then pulled out the stuff he had stashed away and shook his head. He didn't want to take more than necessary. Besides, eating all that jerky would make him look fat, and nobody liked a pudgy commando penguin.

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

Katara beamed at Kowalski. "Okay then. Thank you again. You're a very nice penguin."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Kowalski beamed and saluted. Then he disappeared off into the trees.