markofthewise | Sokka the 79th

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Sokka the 79th - [Action]

Over two months ago, Sokka died. His penalty was something incredibly intangible. It took from him his empathy, his ability to love, and so many other things. He didn't have a way of describing it, but he was empty. In truth, he wasn't sure he felt anything. There was nothing that truly touched him on the inside.

More than a week ago, Sokka left for a mission. A week and a half with the Depot where they instituted the kind of justice he could appreciate. He certainly felt no remorse when he shot a man for stealing water. When bandits attacked the depot, they rounded up most of them and then strung them up for their trouble. It was a simple morality and for a short while, things actually made sense. Not like the gray morality in Luceti, where people were stupid enough to think that sparing the lives of murderers and thieves meant anything.

And then he got his reward. Cashing in the bulk of mission points he'd accumulated for over a year, he was given what he really coveted the most. Power. And now he had it. As he walked into Luceti, he imagined that he could feel the difference. It was not quite so dramatic as what he had been given by the Rogue Malnosso, but he was content with the knowledge that he'd be keeping what he'd earned. There'd be no scientists taking it away from him this time.

It's mid-day when Sokka returns to town and he's still wearing the cowboy hat he took to the Depot with him. Maybe it doesn't exactly mesh with the Water Tribe clothes he's accustomed to, but he likes it. The hat makes him feel gritty and intimidating. He'll eventually get tired of hat hair, though. Just not today.

So today for his time spent back in Luceti, he heads home to greet whoever might be there. He checks in Foo Foo, the saber toothed moose lion he received from Christmas. It's getting quite big now, having reached the size of medium-sized dog. The tips of his antlers are even starting to become a bit more visible. Although the animal does seem quieter around Sokka, its at least obedient and follows him as he goes about Luceti. For today that includes the Smithy until evening, the Library for an hour, back at House 56 for dinner, and then out in the forest to try and teach Foo Foo to hunt.

The next morning, he makes sure that Okita Souji will meet him for their training session. Sokka is looking forward to seeing the results.

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Sokka gave a wave as he entered even if it was, frankly, a little weird to be finding the likes of Korra in the house. Something to get used to, it seemed. He smiled anyway.

"Making yourself comfy?"

"Actually? I was supposed to be meditating. It didn't go so well." She grinned lopsidedly.

Sokka waved his hand dismissively. "Meditating is overrated. If you're going to spend that much time with your eyes closed, you might as well be sleeping, right?"

After dumping some stuff by the door, he headed to the fridge to fetch a soda.

She laughed, following him to the fridge for a soda of her own.

"That's what I think, too. Unfortunately, Tenzin and Aang disagree."

"Yeah, well they only eat vegetables and like to shave their heads. I'm not exactly sure we can put a whole lot of stock in what they think, right?"

Sokka pulled out an orange soda from the fridge before stepping aside for her to get one of her own. "Though I am almost positive these things are horrible for concentration."

She withdrew a can of her own, popping the top and taking a sip before answering.

"Fizzy drinks loaded with sugar? Nah, probably not." She grinned cheekily. "How was the mission?"

"Well, I blistered in the sun, got to stop some bandits, and had to deal with a not-so-good-looking saloon girl hitting on me. But other than that, it went pretty well. I didn't get shot this time, so I consider that a win."

In fact, he rather enjoyed himself. Things were simple enough to make sense there.

An eyebrow shot up. "What do you mean, 'this time'? You've been shot before?"

Sokka patted his left leg. "Right in the thigh. I still have a scar there. That was painful. I mean, not as painful as the one on my side. But it still hurt." He didn't need to indicate the scar on his side, after all, she'd seen it when she pulled him out of the ocean.

Edited 2013-05-10 19:11 (UTC)

She had, and she remembered it with a distant twinge of sympathy. "What caused that one? The one on your side."

He could still remember that moment pretty clearly. Sometimes it felt like it still hurt. He touched his side subconsciously. "Do you know what a Shift Hunter is?"

Her expression turned dark. She remembered seeing them on the draft, even if she hadn't interacted with them herself. But...hadn't they been on their side?

"Yeah. Those big gangly beasts the Malnosso have, right?"

He nodded. "Those beasts are sometimes wild. Worse, sometimes the cultists use them instead. And I met the wrong side of one of them when I pushed someone else out of the way."

He saved that man's life. Nearly lost his own for his trouble. He was stupid.

"I was on a mission and no one in the group had any special healing powers. Just one guy who knew about stitches and bandages." At least one of them had been sneaky enough to bring a pint of tequila to 'keep himself' company. It was the only pain killer he got.

Oh, whoa. That was stupid - but it was a certain kind of stupid act of bravery that Korra admired. He hadn't really seemed all that self-sacrificing on the draft, but maybe she hadn't given him enough credit.

"That's pretty gutsy of you." She sounded impressed, not only for him taking the hit but putting up with healing without waterbending or anything.

"Yeah, well I lost part of my gut for my trouble. I ended up endangering the team because they were having to drag me around and watch me. My stupid hero moment got other people killed on my behalf."

He didn't feel bad about that anymore, but that knowledge had been the more painful scar once the physical healing had been done.

And that was...less inspiring. Her face fell.

"That happened, and you still want to go on missions for these people? Why?"

"The guy that insisted I not be left behind? Who carried me when no one else would? He was the Malnosso soldier in charge of our group."

"What?" Her eyebrows shot up. "A Malnosso risked his life for you? I mean - one of us?"

"They're not all that different from us, Korra. They're just a few years ahead of the curve."

She didn't like the sound of that. She remembered well how militarized the Malnosso forces had been during the draft - was that what they were going to become?

She forced back the thought.

"No, they are. We aren't like them."

At the moment, he didn't feel particularly passionate about the subject and as he made himself comfortable on the couch, he gave a halfhearted twist of the hands to indicate his neutrality on the subject.

"I used to think that way too."

"Was that before you decided killing was okay?'

She regretted it as soon as it left her mouth, but she couldn't help it. At least it didn't sound as accusatory as it could have.

If he'd been his normal self, that would have stung. But as it was, it didn't even faze him. He just gave her a look that suggested he wasn't too happy at the implication.

"Luceti didn't make me a killer, Korra. Aang may have won the war without taking a single life, but that doesn't mean lives weren't taken. Or that some of this friends didn't take the lives he couldn't."

She glared at him. She hadn't meant for their conversation to turn into this, but she wasn't going to drop it now. Not when it had bugged her so much on the draft, and every time she thought about him fighting since.

"That's not an excuse. Look - I get it, war is tough, it's not as easy as it sounds. But there were alternatives to killing up there, and you know it."

"And do what, Korra? Tie their hands up? Use the scanners the Malnosso give out? There is no solution here. If we don't kill them, the Malnosso either do it themselves or they lock them up. And we've got some pretty good suspicions about where that leads."

He stayed vague on that point because it was a pretty weak one.

"I know you're upset about what happened. But don't make me the bad guy because of it. I wasn't just taking lives on TERRACE. I was saving them too."

Sokka the 79th - [Action]

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