Sokka the 74th - [Action/Voice]

[markofthewise]

[THE FIRST DAY.]

[Two weeks. It's a long time to be on a mission, but Sokka has no regrets. The mess with Kin'cora had gotten to him and he found a kind of relief in working with other people from other enclosures. There was a lot of talk among him and the others. He spread the word. Maybe it wouldn't do Luceti much good, given he learned very little, but the more the others knew, the better. But boy was he glad to be back in Luceti. When he emerges from the tunnels at around 6PM, he's tired out from a hard day of work, but it's a good kind of tired. He makes going home his first priority. He'll miss dinner, inevitably, but with any luck there's leftovers. Catching up with the others takes a few hours before he ever breaks away to wander the village.

What's on the agenda? Hitting up the smithy to see where things are at. He never got to find out how much was lost after the Kin'corans left, so it's time to see if one of his minions smithy buddies took an inventory. And you know, he wants to check in on them too. That's cool. Also, he heads to Good Spirits because he was informed very sternly by one of his buddies on the mission that the only proper way to end a hard day's work is a good stiff drink. Sokka, the adult that he is, was inclined to agree. THAT IS HIS ENTIRE DAY.

But there is another.]

[DAWN OF THE NEXT DAY]

[Sokka wakes up and does his usual morning routine and goes to NOT the smithy, but the BATTLE DOME. That's right. Record scratch. After talking to the main console for awhile, he heads into one of the rooms and in something that takes some finagling at first, he starts... building a sub. A holographic sub. One that is small enough to fit into his hand, but can expand if he gives the command, so he can work on specific details. It's like working on a blueprint, but in 3D. His nights on his mission had been spent trying to recreate the submarine made by the Mechanist. He's been steadily improving on the design, specifically built to be powered by waterbending, but done in a way to streamline the process and make it faster. And sturdier. He's not sure it will be easy to build with Luceti's technology, but...

Well, Haruhi got him excited. And he spends the better half of the day on this. Because of the Dome time limit, he's constantly seen going in and out to restart the program or grab a snack. For those hoping to fight, this is probably annoying, since there's only six chambers that tend to get used a lot. At one point during the day, he loses the dome to some short and grumpy guy, so Sokka turns to the journal.]

Has anyone really tried the stuff in these vending machines before? I mean, I usually just get a soda or something, but this stuff is amazing. Like... look at these. [He lifts up an oreo to the camera.] It's two cookies, but with some kind of paste between them. But the paste tastes like sugar! And then there's these! [Sokka lifts up an red lump of candy.] Apple gels. They're great, although I don't think they taste like real apples. There's something unusually refreshing about them. I had about ten just now and it made my fingers all tingly. Actually, I'm kind of feeling tingly all over and-- [Sokka looks away and spots something else] Oh! And check this out! [He pulls out a WORM. A multicolored worm.] It's a CANDY worm. I was thinking I could use it for fishing, but it's actually kind of tasty. Oh, and then there's these fished shape crackers...

[He'll go on like this for awhile. People can listen or ignore him, but he'll be casually highlighting the awesome contents of the Battle Dome vending machines.

He'll be coming home later with the stomach ache from hell.]

Comments

[action]

[pendantry]

[Oh, Sokka, no.

He'll hear a soft, careful exhale. It's not a sigh; it is a mark of resignation. A couple of months - weird all-summer months that they have been - is about the length of time she's been here, working.

So it's not about him when she turns in the opposite direction and stares at a shelf.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

[He should probably reassure her that the smithy is not cursed by her presence, but he has no idea what's going on in her head and instead says:]

Maybe we're cursed.

[action]

[pendantry]

[Unhelpful. That was as close as she will ever come to a gasp, accompanied by growing visibly tense and an agitated wing-flap.

Under the circumstances it might be best if she just walks out now. ...She could at least wait until she finishes with this inventory, though. Leaving a job unfinished is worse.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

[Yeah, he can see Raven is annoyed. So is he! They're annoyed together! For entirely different reasons.]

You know, I remember I used to always claim the universe was out to get me. But the smithy? It was always safe before. Maybe karma is just catching up finally.

[action]

[pendantry]

Fine.

[For a fire creature that was awfully cold. A shattered-ice cold - you can't break her Sokka, she already exists in pieces.]

I'll just go.

[This is probably a complete surprise to him.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

[He blinks and stares at her, completely startled.]

Um. Well okay. For the rest of the night? Because if you're coming back, maybe you could pick something up at the grocery?

[action]

[pendantry]

[Males are so confusing. Even Gaius is never this bad!]

Why would you want me to come back?

[action]

[markofthewise]

I... don't know? [Honestly he's kind of lost right now.] I mean. It's up to you. I know it's kind of late...

[action]

[pendantry]

[This sigh is much, much heavier. She's going to have to explain this to him, isn't she? Sokka is a lucky man that Raven doesn't cry in front of people.]

You said it. It's cursed because of me.

[action]

[markofthewise]

... I did? [He mentally rewinds the conversation. And then blinks.] I thought I was saying it was cursed because of me.

[action]

[pendantry]

It started when I got here a few months ago. [And. Anyway.] I am cursed. ...I should know better.

[action] 1/2

[markofthewise]

You are? [Do you know what this means? Sokka's eyes widen in realization.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

[He snaps his fingers.] So that means we're both cursed. Actually, I think Hiccup might be a little cursed too. I mean. Hiccup. That's just asking for it.

[action]

[pendantry]

[If this were any other conversation and things didn't feel so dark, she might have actually been amused. Maybe in the future she will find it amusing too.

Just not now.]

You don't get it. If I stay things like this will keep happening. Or worse.

[One hundred percent serious, this one.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

[So. She's really concerned about this. Wow. He's going to... need to sit down. He hops on top of the counter.]

So you're saying that you caused a hurricane that swept across the entire planet? And a cultist attack that destroyed an entire enclosure?

[action]

[pendantry]

[What?]

No. But it started to affect the smithy when I started working here. [Stare. He's the one who confirmed that bit.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

The hurricane hit the entire village. My house had it just as bad as the smithy. So did a lot of places. So the only conclusion is, your curse managed to manipulate the weather patterns of the entire world just to hit the smithy.

[There's a point here. He's getting to it.]

[action]

[pendantry]

[Has he ever climbed this sort of wall before?]

Probably.

[action]

[markofthewise]

And your curse was resourceful enough to have cultists attack an entirely different enclosure than ours, craftily knowing ahead of time that the Malnosso would place them here, and that tensions would arise that would cause them to specifically target the smithy?

[action]

[pendantry]

[Now that he says some of this she gets the feeling he's trying to back her into a false words corner. Frown.]

You're saying things to change my mind. It's true. I'm cursed.

[Surprisingly few people have disappeared since her arrival.]

[action]

[markofthewise]

Maybe you are. But if you are cursed, then your curse is more powerful than the Malnosso, wouldn't you say? That's a first for anyone in Luceti.

[Wrap your head around that, Raven.]

[action]

[pendantry]

What? What are you talking about?

[At last, some clarity is starting to come through Raven's heavy raincloud. He's saying he doesn't think she's cursed - or, if he does, he doesn't care enough to do much about it.

Oh.

...Well what does she do now?]

[action]

[markofthewise]

Well if your curse is strong enough to do all that, I think you leaving the smithy? Not going to make much of a difference. So if you're to be here, you might as well keep working. Right?

[Maybe he really, really hates making jewelry.]

[action]

[pendantry]

[The sad truth is that might go a lot further with her than him liking her working there. Those kinds of sideways messages always have a bigger affect on this bird.

Seems to be working now, anyway.]

...I guess. But I don't...it can't be in danger because of me.

[action]

[markofthewise]

I think it'll just be in danger because it's a building full of sharp and pointy objects. Besides. The Kin'corans didn't harm the couch. I've had to replace that twice before you even showed up.