Sokka the 71st - [Action/Voice]

[markofthewise]

[Today, Sokka starts out with some simple messages for the journal.]

I know this is pretty late, but... Luceti has a way of causing delays. I got a lot of orders two months ago and they're all finally finished. If you haven't already picked them up, then... well, you should do that. I think you'll be pleased. [ooc: if you want to assume they already picked this stuff up a while ago, that's fine too!]

So, now that it's nice and warm these days, how do people feel about... fishing? I just made my own fishing rod, so I'm thinking tomorrow morning? Fishing time. On the river, maybe. Or I could bring out one of the boats and head to the lake. Some company wouldn't hurt. As long as you're not the noisy kind. I uh, actually want to catch some fish.

20th

[For today, Sokka works his regular shift at the smithy. From morning until the afternoon, he's at the smithy. There's not much to do now that he's done, so he straightens things out, hangs out on the couch with an alchemy book in his face, or if he gets bored with that... he reaches for his fishing rod under the couch and does a few practice casts. If he thinks no one will catch him doing it. Winry wouldn't approve. 8|

In the afternoon, he'll be around House 56 in the front and back yard, with a can of dirt and pushing over rocks and stones looking for worms underneath. A good fisherman needs his bait, after all! And he wants to be ready for tomorrow!]

21st

[As soon as his sparring practice is over, Sokka sets himself up on the southernmost bridge in town. Sure, it's a little gloomy today, but still time to fish. He has a chair, he has a fishing line, he has a cold box to put fish in, and he has not shortage of snacks and drinks. About ten minutes into his fishing, he gets drenched. Watch as poor Sokka has to gather up his stuff and flee back home. Later when he has an umbrella, he dejectedly heads to the smithy to put in a few hours. And then a few more hours later at the library to do alchemy research. No fishing today. :(]

22nd

[After a rainy day and rainy night, Sokka wakes up to A BIG BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW. He'll try to rush through his morning training, that way he can head to the river west of his house and ready a canoe. With a clear sky above, he's going out to the lake for fishing. There's room enough for two, for anyone eager to join. Following that, he'll be out on the southern lake fishing, cooking fish on the shore for lunch, and enjoying a good solid day off. STRESS FREE.]

Comments

[markofthewise]

"Wait, don't---" It was too late. Despite his best efforts to try and balance them out, the two of them went tipping over and into the drink.

Moments later, a soaked Sokka dragged himself back to shore. His poor wolf tail hanged limp.

[herotypical]

She went under with a gasp. The water wasn't yet warm, but she was grateful that it wasn't freezing. And she swam well, but not as well as Sokka. But when she reached the shore, her strong arms hauled her onto the grass and she stretched over the greenery and mud. Panting.

"Wh-whoops," she coughed -- sputtering lake water. She really yertled that turtle.

[markofthewise]

Reluctantly he started to undo his hair tie now that his hair had half fallen out of it already. Honestly? He was kind of annoyed with Buffy. This had happened to him yesterday with Yuri. Why did he keep getting soaked? Katara wasn't even waterbending!

"... well at least it isn't winter." He grumbled, obviously annoyed.

[herotypical]

"Yeah, or--"

That sentence was never finished because Buffy tried to sit up. It didn't go well. Swimming through those murky lake weeds had pulled and strained some of the more tender, still-bruised parts of her ribs. She clutched at her side; groaning.

Dammit. She didn't like being injured. Or so soaked.

She glanced back at him, about to say something else when: "Huh. I didn't realize it'd gotten so long..."

[markofthewise]

Sokka winced sympathetically, clearly seeing her discomfort. It was hard to be upset by that and he knelt down beside her, even though he couldn't do much to help. At first he had no idea what she meant, but brushing some of the hair out of his face, he understood.

"Uh, yeah. It may be haircut time. Are you okay?"

[herotypical]

"Yeah, yeah. Just...caught me by surprise."

Her wince wasn't too heartbreaking, at least. Nothing life-threatening. No imminent demise. "I'm a little more ticked off about these shoes. Do you think lake mud stains?"

And this shirt! She tried to wring water from the bottom half of the garment. She was met with little success.

[markofthewise]

He appreciated her levity about it. But he still was concerned. It was his natural state, really. But he was willing to go along with it. "If you can't, I know where you can get a good price on new ones."

Already he was starting to feel the chill from his clothes. He sat back away from her before deciding to just... undo his tunic.

[herotypical]

And the fancy fabric of this loose and gauzy top seemed to doubtless be ruined. She sighed and plucked ineffectually at the sleeves. She was wearing a work-out top below and so losing the snagged shirt wasn't such an issue. She'd be revealing no more than when she was training on a hot summers day.

Except, of course, for a certain tattoo. But that doesn't cross her mind at the moment. Instead, she mopped at her damp skin with the balled up shirt.

"Hey?" Her voice was strained. Clearly she didn't enjoy asking for this favour, but: "Could you lend me a hand? With the getting up? Onto my feet?"

[markofthewise]

Something caught Sokka's eye immediately, distracting him from how unusual it was for Buffy to be asking for that kind of help. Dutifully he rose to his feet so he could offer her two hands up. With the help, came a question.

"What's that?"

[herotypical]

"What's what?"

She's had the mark for so long. The fact that Sokka might be remarking on it did not jump immediately to the forefront of her mind. Instead, she snuck her fingers against his wrists and grabbed on -- hauling herself upwards with his help and a slightly exasperated sigh at the pain this caused.

[markofthewise]

"That." Sokka emphatically stared at her shoulder, the sparrow adorning it. Once she was standing, he made a vague hand wave in the appropriate direction.

1/2

[herotypical]

"Hmm? Oh. Oh. That. That's..."

2/2

[herotypical]

Her sheepish look disappeared. This mark, she realized, was one she needed to own. Wholly and unabashedly.

"It's...a tattoo." Buffy reaches across to her own shoulder, tapping the well-inked and lovingly drawn lines. "The permanent and grown-up kind. Not a lick'n'stick."

[markofthewise]

"You have a tattoo?" That information alone was shocking. He opened his mouth to start to ask what lick'n'stick meant, given how utterly dirty it sounded. But he closed his mouth, stared at the tattoo a bit more, then chose a better question.

"Is that a bird?"

[herotypical]

"...Does it look like a bird?"

She experienced a moment of superficial panic. Buffy hadn't revealed this ink to many people...perhaps it was doomed to be misunderstand as some sort of non-bird-shaped symbol, instead. Although she'd always fancied Jack's sketch and subsequent work to be both recognizable and well-done. But what if no one else did...?

"I mean -- yeah. It's a bird. Lots of people get bird tattoos. I think. Either way, it's classier than a dolphin."

[markofthewise]

"Well it was that or some kind of shrubbish.... plant thing." Sokka, however, was not from a world where people just went and got tattoos. Something like that had to have meaning, right? But the bird connection wasn't obvious.

"How long have you had it?" He was certain he had seen her with her shoulders exposed plenty of times last year.

[herotypical]

"Not too long," she admitted. "Since last fall. The, uhm...beginning of fall. September."

[markofthewise]

"Not long? That's over half a year!" How could she do this to him!

[herotypical]

Her expression turned pouty. She very carefully crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, yeah? Well -- maybe I just wasn't ready to show it off. Yet. Until now."

[markofthewise]

"Yeah? Have you shown anyone else?" He suspected so. This was only an accident too. It made him a little insulted.

[herotypical]

"Well...the people I live with have seen it."

What a strange question. She frowned. "But it hasn't exactly been bikini weather."

[markofthewise]

"Well if I happen to go get a tattoo, don't expect me to go showing it off to you! Even in bikini weather!" Not that there was anywhere he could hide it in that case, but that wasn't his point.

[herotypical]

"...I wasn't sure what people would think. Of me. If they saw it."

[markofthewise]

"Maybe... why a bird?"

[herotypical]

Buffy bit her bottom lip. A rare habit, really. Reserved for when she was feeling coy. Girlish. Insecure. Uncertain.

"Well, it's a sparrow."