Sokka the 73rd - [Action/Voice]

[markofthewise]

[The house was demolished. And apparently it didn't have the decency to start putting itself together again. Not to mention the whole town was soggy. Most of Sokka's stuff in his room had been damaged. Some of it was salvageable, much of it he had to just throw out. His important valuables were in the basement and though there was a few inches of water down there, his stuff was up high and out of reach. Still, another mess to clean. At least there were two waterbenders in the house to clean that up. For a lover of stuff, Sokka was pretty put out by it. He hadn't been able to sleep in his room because of it. In a way though, he couldn't be upset. It felt right. Like starting over.

And then there was the smithy. Or what was left of it. The whole thing was rubble now. He wasn't even sure if there was a point in trying to pick through it. Best to wait until the Malnosso fixed it, right? It was freeing up his schedule considerably, anyway. At least he was back to his normal practice schedule in the mornings. Even if two straight weeks of combat had left him... weary of it, to say the least. All the same. He found himself to be glad to be back in Luceti. Back in the library, studying his alchemy. Sure, he lost all his notes and would have to start over, but it would be easier since he already knew what needed to be done again. Still. There was so much to go over.]

A guy can't leave for a few weeks without the town getting demolished, huh? Anyway. So uh. A lot of stuff has happened this past week. If anyone wants to, you know, spare some of the good details? I'll be around. Interested. And if you want? I can tell you all about space. Which was pretty great.

[Very around. Like hanging out in the plaza around. No smithy kind of leaves him with no daytime hangout spot. Especially without Suki to spend time with. So besides his training and time at the library, he's very much a man with nothing to do. Evidenced by the fact he's sitting at a bench near the fountain, lazily sprawled out as he counts his one hundredth consecutive hit on a paddle ball. It's uncanny how good he actually is with it.]

Comments

[markofthebrave]

[She pulls back just enough to look at him, blinking away her own tears.]

I'm sorry too - I'm sorry that I wasn't there, and I'm sorry that you had to carry this by yourself this whole time - I'm so sorry.

[I wasn't there. You were so hurt and I wasn't there.]

[markofthewise]

[He's disappointed in himself. Ashamed, even. Seeing Katara like this is... well, he expected it, but he knows it would have been so much worse if he hadn't been brought back. Or worse yet... what if this wasn't Luceti. It couldn't have just been a one week loss. It could have been the end. The real end.]

Katara, listen, I... [Don't know what to say. He wishes she was there. But he's also glad she wasn't. He'd seen her when they lost Aang. She was so hurt and upset. He couldn't bear to think of her looking that way for him too.] I don't want the others to know, okay? No one.

[markofthebrave]

But Sokka, I really don't think this is the kind of thing you should keep to yourself. Keeping that kind of secret from everybody...

[It might be harder on you in the long run.]

[markofthewise]

They don't need to know.

[Bluntly. He came back. That's all that matters. Maybe some of them will find out eventually. For now, she's the only one who needs to know.]

[markofthebrave]

But maybe you need to tell them.

[When this happened with Aang and Zuko, they were all there for each other. Katara's worried about what keeping this a secret will do to him.]

[markofthewise]

[He shakes his head.]

I don't know. Just... not yet.

[markofthebrave]

[She still doesn't like it, but she's not going to push... right now.]

Sit down and let me take a look at you.

[This is not actually asking for permission.]

That much electricity can really harm your system, even after...

[...you come back to life.

Look, just sit down. 8|]

[markofthewise]

The healers at the infirmary treated it already.

[But he's not resisting. He doesn't see a point and she could be right, after all. Didn't Aang have chakra problems or something? Who knows what Sokka has going on right now that's screwed up.]

[markofthebrave]

[She frowned.]

When did you go to the infirmary? How did they treat it?

[markofthewise]

Pretty much right after. I was kind of out of it.

[So he's pretty vague on what they did.]

[markofthebrave]

[She just looked at him for a long moment.]

I'm going to go get some water.

[Turning, she began to make her way up the stairs.]

[markofthewise]

[He nods, but doesn't answer. He'll just stay here.]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Good. She needs the time to herself. She ascends the stairs and has a moment where she stands by the sink and braces her hands against the counter, trembling.

He's all right. Don't live in fear. He's all right.

...I can't believe this.

Breathe.]

[markofthebrave]

[After a few moments, she comes down with a glass of water - tact. She's got it.

What she doesn't have is anything to say.]

[markofthewise]

[He knows what to do. He stands up to pull off his tunic, figuring this is where she'll want to start. For the second or third time since he arrived on the Liberator, she'll have another look at that scar left by the Shift Hunter. Another close brush with death, with a permanent mark left behind.]

[markofthebrave]

[She sets the cup down and drains the water out to coat her hands.]

This might be a little cold.

[She doesn't look at his scar, another wound received when she wasn't there.]

[markofthewise]

I know.

[He's used to it. He just sits back a little, closing his eyes and trying to relax.]

[markofthebrave]

[She meant the water this time, but... okay.

She closes her eyes and concentrates, and it's not easy to see what's wrong. The familiar damage caused by the start-stop-start of life, the flaring of electricity...

It just makes her so angry that this is the third time she's had to see this in the body of the people that she loves - loved - cares about. Because she wasn't there. And she can't help but see the glaring scar of the Shift Hunter's bite.

And just this once, she's a sixteen-year-old girl whose only family, the only family she's ever had stick by her her entire life, nearly left her for good. And she's not strong. She doesn't set her face and lock her jaw and do what she has to. She can't fight how much this hurts, how much it scares her.

Her grip on her bending slips and the water falls to the floor with a splat as Katara lets out a ragged sob. She falls forward against him, grabbing onto his arm with one hand as she cries into his chest.]

[markofthewise]

[He'd been trying to clear his mind and not think about it. The sudden slop of water on the ground brought him out of it. He knew this would hurt Katara. And he expected something like this when he told her. But she'd been so bold. Strong. And for a moment, he forgot that she could break.

And he forgot that he could too. They were so close to losing everything. He'd gambled and lost. And he never felt so weak. So vulnerable. And he almost left his sister alone. Something he swore he never would do.

His cheek came to rest on the top of her head and he gripped her tightly with his other arm. His own reply was choked, as he tried to be stronger than he actually was.]

I'm sorry, Katara. I'm so sorry...

[He kept whispering it, even as his voice cracked from the strain of not trying to cry. But his eyes burned anyway.]

[markofthebrave]

[She cries for what feels like a very long time, until the fact that she can hear his heartbeat is something that she actually consciously recognizes. Initially, the sound provokes a fresh burst of tears, but eventually she begins to pull herself together enough to stop sobbing and start regaining control of her breathing.

She whispers back.]

It's okay. You're okay.

[She starts straightening up.]

[markofthewise]

[He's able to pull himself together. Difficult as it is. And while it does feel like forever, he stops whispering. Instead, he watches his sister hurt. It's because of him. She had been hurt so many times before. And while he had upset her plenty of times in the past, this time it was tears for him. Because it was his fault.

He could never fix that.]

I am. I'm... I'll be fine.

[Strong in body. Not in soul.]

[markofthebrave]

[Sniff. And she wipes her eyes before smiling and nodding.]

You will be.

[You will be just fine.]

[markofthewise]

[He's able to smile as well. Just a little.]

Thanks.

[He sits up again. He's ready to do this again, if she is.]

[markofthebrave]

[Yeah, bro, she's on this. She streams up the water again and puts it against his chest.]

It's... not so bad. But you're going to need a few healing sessions before your chi is completely back to normal.

[markofthewise]

[He nods. No, he doesn't fully understand why that's important, but he doesn't question it either. Just nods and tries to be a little light with it.]

Well I don't want to go around with bad chi. What would people think?