markofthewise | Sokka the 52nd

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Sokka the 52nd - [Action/Voice]

Hard to believe it's December here again. Looks like the snow is letting up from the snowstorm yesterday. [It was snowing... just like, a year ago.]

[Filtered to Winry]

Hey, I've got something for you. Drop by my house later, okay?

[Today is his one year anniversary in Luceti. It's not exactly something to be happy about, as far as he's concerned. The only bright spot is him dwelling on the future he heard about from his 'future sister'. It's nice knowing that, eventually, he will get back home and have the kind of life he's been looking forward to. On the other hand, he can't help but wonder at the future painted by Xion. He never found out what his future was like for her... but he had a feeling he was in it. And the idea of being in Luceti after that long was just disturbing.

So it's with these thoughts that Sokka is busy hauling his canoes back to his house from the river bank, preparing them for winter storage where they won't get too damaged. Even though he could take them out for ice fishing, there's no point in damaging them. Once he's finished up with that, he decides to just take a walk around town. He's mostly taking note of how much has changed... or hasn't. In particular, he stops in front of House 2 and watches it a bit. He knows someone lives there. But he wonders if the walls are still purple from when he painted them. He thinks back to the party he had there with Toph. Some of the first people he ever talked to were gone now. Nash, Mayoi... and a lot more since he first arrived. After making some other stops at places that used to be important to him, mostly due to their old occupants, he heads on home.

... or at least that was the plan. He detours into the woods, to go hunting again after a month of not doing so. It's late in the season and there isn't much game to be had, but this is what he would be doing if he was home, in the South Pole, where he belonged. So he'll be taking his dinner under the tree canopy, slowly cooking a rabbit he brought down. Sure, Katara is probably making something tastier for dinner, but this... this feels more right. He'll make it back home before Zuko and the girls have time to start worrying.]

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[This face, Sokka.]

What kind of excuse is that?

[... yup. He deserves that.]

I was looking at the forest, thinking about food, thinking about how I've been in Luceti [for a year] and how I've stopped hunting. So... I decided to fix that.

...I guess I can understand that. [Hunting is kind of important when you're used to roughing it. And it's important to him because of his tribe, right?] Would you mind leaving a note next time, though?

[... he's getting off the hook that easily? Man, he is good.]

Yeah, don't worry. It won't happen again. [... until Year Two, when he probably doesn't come home that night in a fit of angst.]

[He just has people who love him.]

Will you promise? In a place like this... it's not good when people just disappear.

[When they disappear, they could be back home... or kidnapped... or even dead. He nods somberly.]

I promise.

[...yeah, she'll cave at last. She steps closer, wrapping her arms around him, face half-buried against his shoulder.]

As long as you're okay.

[He rests his chin on her shoulder. He has a lot to miss at home. He has a lot to lose in Luceti. But in he end...]

Yeah... yeah, I think I will be.

[After a moment she pushes back, satisfied with that answer for the moment. He's allowed to not be okay, after all, as long as it didn't last forever.]

So did you catch anything?

Yeah. Just a rabbit.

[Somewhere tonight, a family of rabbits doesn't have a mom coming home. But at least Sokka got a decent meal and got to reconnect with his culture.]

You didn't bring anything home to share? [So stingy, man.]

... yeah, I kind of finished it off. There's not much meat on them to begin with!

[How disappointing D|] I guess that makes sense. I'm surprised they're still able to find food with all this snow.

Well, that one won't be finding much more food now.

Obviously not.

[Poor little bunny. Though at least he's probably feeling manly about it now. Speaking of manly, however...]

Hey, Sokka? Can I ask you about something?

[Super manly. Almost enough to spontaneously grow a beard.]

Uh, sure. What is it?

[Like Wang Fire?

She fiddles with her fan a little, trying to figure out how to phrase this one.]

...What exactly happened with you and Winry?

[... hoo boy. He should've seen this coming. He swallows and smiles awkwardly.]

Me and Winry? What do you mean?

Um... you know. The two of you are just kind of strange with each other sometimes, that's all...

[She's not sure how to find the words to say "you have chemistry and it makes me uncomfortable".]

Strange?

[He thinks back to some of their more innocent times. Like... tickling each other on the couch. Tackling each other on the muddy ground. Working side by side on projects. Oh jeez. Man. Man oh man. He didn't think much of it at the time, but... a picture begins to form in his head.]

Y-you don't need to worry about us! We're just friends. She was like, my first friend here! And that's all it is. I mean, she's kind of an older... younger sister. Almost like Katara. [Only Katara is a younger, older sister.]

Yeah. Winry and me? Just friends. I-I mean, there was that one time, but we weren't exactly ourselves at the time and-

[WHY DID YOU SAY THAT SOKKA.]

I-it didn't meant anything. At all.

[...Yeah, that's what she thought.]

One time, hm?

[No escape this time, dear.]

[sob]

It- look, it was just an experiment, okay? There was this juice in the fountain, it made us all kind of uh... frisky? Or something? And then these flowers, if you gave them to someone, they would kiss you so... it's not like that even mattered anyway! I mean, it's not like Winry was the only girl I gave flowers too! And besides, I was in love with Toph at the time anyways and-

[Oh spirits, none of this sounds good at all. ABORT ABORT.]

Err. It's not what it sounds like.

Just how many girls- wait, Toph!?

[Buh. What. What. JUST WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE.]

[Well let's see. There was Toph, Winry, Xion, Aerith, Anise... and then there was Moro who he didn't give a flower, but she DID lick him and... ugh. Oh wait, Toph. Toph!]

Shhh! She doesn't know about that! It was an experiment! Every year, the Malnosso make people fall in love. For a week me and Toph were... well, we'd thought we were always in love and- yeah, it's better she doesn't know what happened.

[He raises a hand beside his mouth and whispers:] She has a crush on me.

[...Wow. Um. Talk about making this conversation as awkward as humanly possible. Now that it's out in the open, she's thinking maaaaaybe she shouldn't have asked.]

She does, huh...

[That would probably explain some things.]

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