( Introspective Setup )

---

His first stop was at Katniss's house, where the wet and bedraggled Sokka rapped his fists at the door and hoped she would be the one to answer. Before anything else, he had to resolve their relationship.

His second stop was looking for his sister, Katara. He searched for her at the clinic first, since it was about the time she ought to be working there. By the time he found her, he felt close to falling over. But he needed to be certain he talked to her, regardless of how he felt.

By the time he made his way back home, the rain had let up for a few hours. He didn't feel better, but he'd at least put some food in himself courtesy of the vending machines at the Battle Dome. The first person he went looking for was Asami. She deserved an apology in person.

He ended up staying in his room after that, even though it would have been better to look for the others. The journal would have to do instead.

---

[Voice]

I haven't been myself for awhile now. I really messed things up. I... [There's a long pause as he finds himself at a loss for words.] I should have done better. I will, from now on. I owe apologies to a lot of you. If you'll let me, then tomorrow I'll come find you in person.

[There should be more. But he doesn't know what else to say. It's enough that his voice is weak and miserable without saying much more than that. So he leans back against the wall and keeps his journal open in front of him. Waiting for whatever they have to say in turn.]

( Grocery shopping with Foo Foo )

[Voice]

So. How exactly do you teach an animal not only to stop chewing on your valuables, but also to do their business outside? You know, without actually keeping them outside all the time. [A pause as he looks over at Foo Foo.] At least while they'll still fit in the house.

[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.]

Okay, I just need everyone's attention for a minute. At least, those of you who, you know, like weapons.

I'm Sokka and I guess you could say I'm in charge of the weapon shop and smithy. I've been working with Leon Geeste, who is a kind of master alchemist guy, to make even better weapons. With his crests and my weapons, we can add a kind of magical element to them now. For instance, a sword can be given a fire element and that will make the blade burn and make it deadlier. Or a spear could be given an ice element that will freeze around the target a little. And, you know, other stuff. There's earth, air, and lightning elements too.

Anyway, these aren't always the easiest things to make, but... if it's a thing you want, we can do it. We've got stuff already made, but we can do something custom too. But just be practical, right? Sure, we might be able to figure out how to put crests into a hundred arrows. But we might also decide to, you know, have social lives too. These crests work best with a single weapon that you'll keep reusing. I can uh, explain it better, if you need me to.

[With that announcement out of the way, Sokka will hang out at the smithy until dinner time. He wants to be there and ready in case anyone wants these cool new unique weapons. Unless, of course, no one shows up. In which case he'll be at his work desk converting his alchemy notes into code, which is proving to be his least favorite thing to do ever. He kind of hates Ed now for telling him he had to do this. But it's what he has to do if he wants to prevent the secrets of meat alchemy from falling into the wrong hands. Who knows what people could do with that kind of power!

After closing up shop and doing his usual dinner at home, Sokka will be unusually taking a walk around the village in the evening. He's actually got a lot on his mind and without smithing or alchemy to occupy his thoughts, he's stuck on the Masaomi problem. He's half hoping that he'll run into the guy on the streets, but he's still not entirely sure how to approach the problem. Before the evening's over, he'll end up at Good Spirits, concerned and drowning his thoughts into a nice tall glass of... hot chocolate. Because that's what men do. Drink tall cups of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows and whipped cream.]

((ooc: Some more details on the crafted weapons can be found over here.))

[This morning, Sokka received a message through his journal. One he hadn't quite been expecting after everything that had happened last week. After pondering over it a bit, he inevitably was drawn to the journals to talk about it.]

You have to give the Malnosso credit. They drop a moon on the village and then they expect us to go show up to work for them like nothing ever happened. And it's... Farm Security. So I don't even get to do anything exciting. I get to a place I've already been, to make sure that 'our' food supplies don't get attacked. Yeah. That's great, "CJ". I'm really appreciating that. [He groans.] Well anyway, looks like I report at nine in the morning tomorrow. Apparently I'll be gone for five days. I'll take my journal, but apparently it won't work while I'm there. Guess I'll find out.

... so, I'm not the only one who signed up, right?

Oh. And Hiccup... keep an eye on the smithy. [Normally he'd ask Winry to do that. But things are a little... different with them lately. So he's not exactly jumping at the chance to go and have a public conversation with her. Or private, really.

For anybody who wants to run into him, Sokka will be doing his normal stuff at the smithy. He's making some preparations for needing to fight, since at this point he has only the Malnosso's word that this is less dangerous than a draft. Even though it's starting to get too cold for it, he'll eat his lunch out in the plaza like he always does. Other than that, he'll be spending his day as normally as he can. Come home for a normal dinner, tell some bad jokes to his housemates, and spend some time with his gal. In the morning, he'll head out.]

[Well, Sokka's in it deep now. After being forced to 'cover' for Haruhi in the Brigade, he went and made up some stupid party and now he needs to go public with it. Which... yeah, he is so not into doing. So, deep breath as he composes himself.]

Attention everyone! This is Haruhi Suzumiya, Chief of the SOS Brigade. [Okay, name and title down. He's got that. Now for the announcement.] As you should all be aware, the Autumn Equinox is September 23rd, that's eight days from now. It's also conveniently on a Friday as well. Which means we will be having a party for that. Although, technically, it might not really be the equinox. Different worlds, different planetary cycles, but that's not important. [It's getting too much into Sokka-esque technicalities] There's going to be a fall party, right in the plaza.

We will, of course, provide food and fireworks to make things interesting. If anyone wants to provide other entertainment like, say, music... have at it. The party will start at nine in the evening. Brigade members, you all know what to do! Failure to do your part will result in steep penalties all around.

[Aaaaand this is the part he hates most, but he knows it's inevitable.]

Also! We're recruiting. If you want to join the Brigade, contact me for an interview and can be... interviewed. If you like the idea of parties and other time wasting nonsense, this is probably the club for you.

[THERE IT IS DONE. Sokka will be sitting in the Brigade headquarters, after the meeting, to answer all these questions and generally hate his life. Later he'll hit up the grocery store to take some stuff 'home' for dinner. (And if that's not enough to work with, come up with something and we will MAKE IT WORK.)]

((OOC: Okay, just like last time, this is still a body swap plot! It involves some of Haruhi's reality bending powers, so it's not an experiment/Mallynapping thing. For those of you new here, it's all explained here. Replies will come from wisebent.))

{So Sokka is in a dilemma. Here he is, his usual lunch spot sitting on the stony edge of the fountain, eating his sandwich, when it occurs to him that he's had a ham-and-turkey--and-roast-beef-with-cheese-and-jalapeno sandwich for three week consecutively. And that's only because three weeks ago Hawky flew away with his sandwich before he could eat it. As he realizes he has little to no desire to finish this half eaten sandwich, he realizes his life needs a CHANGE. Something different. Exciting. A way to make his mundane existence in Luceti worthwhile again. Naturally he turns to the journals.]

Okay, so, I'm sick of eating the same old stuff for lunch. Sandwiches are great, really, but I've been eating them for a year now. I think I need more variety in my lunches. Any ideas? It can't be... complicated or anything. Believe it or not, cooking is not exactly my thing. So, anyone got any ideas that don't include visiting Seventh Heaven every day? Or the other restaurants, either. No offense to them, but... I dunno. No offense, either way.

{Unless it's for something special, Sokka just doesn't buy into making people work for him without recompensation.

He chews on his sandwich a bit more, then decides to add:]

Anybody like fishing? I mean... maybe not so much the net fishing. Just line fishing. Or spear fishing, I'm good with that too. It's actually been awhile since I caught my own dinner, now that I think about it.

[For you action folks, catch Sokka at his usual haunts. The smithy, around House 56, around the plaza, or beside the barracks, working on the lumber Moro provided into usable material for his boat. LOUD POWER TOOL SOUNDS, RAR HAR HAR.]

[Today? Sokka is at the smithy. Honestly, are we really surprised by this? Seriously, this is kind of his thing. He is waiting for Winry, though. He wants her input on a project.]

It's been two weeks since the equinox. And we're finally getting a break from all the rain. Funny how the new season just kind of Springs up on you like that, am I right?

[Oh Sokka, you are hi-lar-ious. He wipes a tear from his eye even, pleased that he managed to let such a well-seasoned joke be released into the wild. Oh, speaking of wild.]

No but seriously, now that it's getting that time of year, how many people out here hunt and fish? I know, I know. Boo hoo, the talking animals. I've heard it. But is there anyone here besides me who still does that kind of thing?

[Also, lately Sokka is keeping a new little trinket in one of his pockets. It's something he intends to give to someone at the right time. After the small blunder of forgetting to bring it on Suki's birthday, he's keeping it all the time on him now. So even as he's walking away from home, he'll often put his hand in his pocket to make sure it's still there. He probably won't show it to just anyone, though.]

[Sokka has some messages to knock out of the way. He doesn't bother with a filter for the first one, mainly because he feels like being somewhat of a jerk and making light of Haruhi's ridiculous relationship with her 'minions'. In spite of that, Sokka's tone is pretty flat. There's no excitement here and it's pretty obvious through the message something is bothering him.]

Hey Haruhi, feel free to send Naoki over. He can do his thing now. [Oh wait...] Uh, after Leon takes a look over it, I guess.

[Wonder Woman // Locked]

Uh, hey Diana. Can I ask a favor?

[This last one he almost backs out of doing. But it's been a few days now and things haven't changed. Maybe this will help.]

[Filtered from Housemates (and Haruhi as an afterthought)]

So... hypothetically speaking, how do you make up it up to someone you really care about for something that really hurt them when what you did... there was nothing you could do about it?

[With things so awkward at home with Suki, Sokka has been spending less time there. It's hard to spend time with your girlfriend when she's still upset with you, but being polite about it. So this leaves him working at the smithy for longer hours, actually doing homework at the library, and once more taking part in his neverending quest to find a hat that really says Sokka to him. Through all this, he is accompanied by a certain cheeky lemur hanging around on top of his head, shoulder, or getting into things he shouldn't.

He will, at least, drag himself home for dinner. Delicious, awkward dinner.]

[This Lucetian has been returned from the Malnosso, after not too long a stay with them. He's kind of bruised up and is leaning on his left leg a bit much. But you'd never notice it from that kick in his step. With a big grin on his face, he's walking from the north end of the plaza on his way home, looking all around him at all the snow the recent snow storm left. And those icicles hanging on the trees! Beautiful! What a winter wonder land he's found!

And look, is that a stray squirrel in his path? Sokka will happily say hello to it until it runs away on twitch reflex. Oh well, that squirrel had important things to do! And that stray cat. And that deer. And that bird and- oh, he must be in the woods. Time to go back to the village. You know what? Despite not feeling all that well, after he gets to House 56 and informs his sister and girlfriend and that wonderful old chap from the Fire Nation he's home, he's got other places to visit. He has to let his friends know he's home. All his friends. Like his smithy buddies. His Straw Hat friends. People he's met randomly at the smithy when they go work orders. Xion, of course requires a visit. He doesn't exactly know where Frey lives these days, but darnit if he isn't going to work out and drop in on him too. He doesn't exactly feel bad about his argument with Haruhi. It was all a silly misunderstanding. So he'll just drop in on her too. And his teachers and, oh, did he ever find out about Regal's proposal? And then there's the pirate the slayer and other friends and... yeah, catching up with everybody is kind of an all day thing. He'll drag himself home that night.

Oh, but fortunately before he arrives at home, he does leave a voice message for everyone.]

Man, everyone says those Malnosso people are real jerks. I don't know what they're talking about. The dropped me off near town, gave me my clothes back - with all the holes I put in it stitched back, thank you very much, and were even nice enough to make sure I was clean shaven before dropped here. These are good people, am I right? Right? Right?

((ooc: If not completely obvious, the Malnosso have returned Sokka from his kidnapping lacking in ANY kind of negativity. There is no downside to ANYTHING. He is perpetually happy. He still, of course, loves his jokes and sarcasm. But he's happy, happy, happy. He's having a wonderful time! This will last until... well, however long it takes for Sokka's happiness to make me start vomiting.]