Better nate than lever

[12goingon113]

Characters: Aang and...you?
Date: *cough*January*cough*
Location: Outskirts of the Metal Sector
Situation: Aang has just arrived, his memory is a bit fuzzy.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, but we'll keep you posted


"Tell me, then. What are the terms of your agreement?" he asked the other Avatar seated across the table from him. Not just any other Avatar, but Yang Chen the Air Nomad that had preceded him in the cycle.

"First," she started to respond, but was cut short when the earth beneath them moved. No, that wasn't right. It didn't move, it jolted. And not like any earthquake that Aang had ever felt before. Something was wrong. Very very wrong, and he didn't need Yang Chen's expression to tell him so.

There was a loud crack and then....everything around Aang went white.
Something had pulled him from the Spirit World and thrown him back into his body...hard.

His eyes hurt as he opened them, the light of day blinding his vision until he adjusted. The ground...wait, why was there light of day at all? He was in a restaurant with the Air Acolytes. Why ground? Where were the floorboards?

Aang's mind reeled. None of this was right. His first attempt at sitting up resulted in a wave of nausea that kept him down for another ten count. Steeling his resolve, as well as his stomach, he finally managed to sit, and then eventually stand.

The world around him was not the one he started from. This wasn't the town or the refinery.
Maybe this was a glimpse of the future?

"Yang Chen?" he called to no one in particular...

Comments

[12goingon113]

There's a moment where Aang wants to make light of Sokka only trusting him more than Jet, but the joke never gets made because he realizes the importance of this conversation. Sokka's approval means more than Hakoda's, and only slightly less than Katara's.

He nods in understanding.

"I won't. Actually, I won't even do some stuff that you would do."

[theideaguy]

Sokka smiles a little bit. "Oh believe me, I already know you won—wait, what's that supposed to mean?" Sokka for a moment can't help but wonder if Aang found out about some of the things he and Suki were sneaking off to do while in the Fire Nation. His mind is going back to Zuko invading his tent that one night. Gosh that was embarrassing.

"But nah, I don't mind," he says, recovering from the embarrassment by forcing himself away from the question and onto a new line of conversation. "Just don't be too oogie about it."

[12goingon113]

"Considering she's probably still in love with Zuko, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Sad Avatar is sad.
He's also possibly in need of a hug.

[theideaguy]

Wow, suddenly this conversation got super sad. Sokka puts a hand on Aang's back and passes him a sympathetic look. However, thankfully, Sokka has... good... news?

"Weeeeeelllllllllllllll, about that," Sokka says with a bit of hesitation, "let's just say that my sister isn't... exactly... the most... fond... of Zuko right now."

[12goingon113]

"...oh no. He didn't light her on fire again, did he?"

Do NOT make Aang have to take your bending away, Zuko.
BECAUSE HE'LL DO IT!

[theideaguy]

"What? No... no no no no no no no. Nothing like that!" Sokka grins so wide right now. Look, classic Sokka! Joking around! Nothing as serious as that.

"Naw, Zuko went back home with you, but... something about not saying goodbye or something? I don't even know. She just got all super huffy over it. Girls, am I right?"

[12goingon113]

Sokka might mean for that smile to be normal and reassuring, but its sudden appearance is anything but.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? That...sounds really hard for her."

[theideaguy]

Because you haven't been here to deal with the whole thing.

The smile disappears as soon as Sokka says it, and finally his truer emotions start coming out. He sighs and nods. "Because I'm trying to keep it from frustrating me just trying to keep the peace and make sure Team Avatar sticks together. This isn't one of those things that's just blowing past easily. A quick, silly joke doesn't fix it, so I don't know what to do other than just wait it out. You know how Katara gets when she's in a stubborn mood."

[12goingon113]

His arrow furrows, and he nods in sudden understanding.

"I'll help how I can."

Beat.

"Would writing a note from Zuko apologizing to Katara help? I mean, at least we know Zuko can write."

Unlike last time when they tried to pass off a letter of apology as having been written by Toph.

[theideaguy]

For a second, Sokka just looks at Aang, and then he cracks up laughing. Yeah, that gag had not been their best plan. But the laughter only lasts a second, and it's already back to a frown.

"Yeah, I don't know if that's going to help. He already apologised to her in person. I don't see how much more a letter would do."

[12goingon113]

"He did? And...and she didn't accept it?"

Oh boy. This is a bigger problem than Aang had initially anticipated.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Sokka."

[theideaguy]

"Nah, it's not your fault," Sokka says, feeling rather serious at the moment. "It's not something that could be helped. I mean, she said she was fine, but... yeah, she's still not happy. But that's besides the point; you're here now, and that will make Katara happy!"

[12goingon113]

"I hope so," but for some reason he doesn't sound entirely convinced that he will be. "I...I might have kissed her before I left. So I'm kind of hoping I didn't just make things worse."

What?! She said she was confused! He had no choice but to kiss her!

[theideaguy]

"You kissed her... before you left... in the Dreaming??" Sokka doesn't sound upset, but he is a little bit flabbergasted. Wow, Aang's arrival back on Tu Vishan has thrown so many curve balls that even Sokka doesn't feel like he can dodge them all.

Seriously, why is he only finding out about this now? KATARA!

"Well, I guess... you'll just have to find out for yourself when we get there."

[12goingon113]

Would you really want Katara coming to you for romantic advice, Sokka?
...
Oh wait, she already has.
Nevermind.

Aang swallows hard, and nods.

"Yeah, I...I guess I will. It just, seemed like a good idea at the time..."

[theideaguy]

Well, he was right about Jet! He think that gives him all the right in the world to be consulted.

Still, it makes no difference now. It's not like he's going to be taking back his approval of Aang, and it's not like he's going to look down on the potential pairing now. It's not technically too late, but it's still something he feels alright about.

"Hey, sometimes it works! I still remember Suki greeting me with a kiss at Serpent's Pass. Can't tell you how much it surprised me, but it worked?" Though it's not like it worked only because of that. But seriously, let's not talk about that oogie stuff between you and his sister any longer. And let's not talk about Suki because his misses her a lot still.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

[12goingon113]

His smile broadens at the mention of Suki. He misses traveling with her, though not nearly as much as Sokka.

"Uh..." his smile falters. "I...hadn't really, no. Not really."

[theideaguy]

And that's all Sokka is going to mention of her as well. Because really, at this point, he's happy to go back to that memory, but too much more thinking about her will just make him sad.

"Well, I'd say that you could stay with Katara and me, though we're kind of out of beds at the Hotel. But the room right next to ours at the Midnight Hotel might be free. And to start off, you can stay for free if you find some sort of work at the Hotel to do! It's not as good as an actual job, but it certainly is a good way to get started when you don't have all that much juulan to go around."

[12goingon113]

"Oh right...money," he says, punctuating his thought with a hmmm. "What kind of stuff would they need me to do? OH! Do they need help at the hospital? I used to volunteer there."

[theideaguy]

Sokka grimaces a bit when Aang asks that question, backpedalling just a little bit. "Well... jobs in the city... are... a little... hard to come by... right now." There really is no good way of saying this. "The kedan don't really seem to feel like they owe us all that much for getting rid of the Creep Lord for them, so... I'm working at the Hotel without pay until I find something."

[12goingon113]

"So...wait, what are you telling me: That they're actively not hiring people? How are we supposed to live? It...it's not like we asked to come here, we're brought here without permission!"

[theideaguy]

"Hey, the political situation has... kind of changed since you've been gone. Since all of us have been gone," Sokka clarifies, making it slightly closer to the mark. "We were caught in the Dreaming for an entire year, and without an emperor, the kedan kind of woke up... and forgot that we'd ever interfered into their lives. Until we came back. And now... well..."

Sokka just sighs a little bit. "They're even charging us more for things than their own selves. Which seems a little backhanded since they're not hiring us either."

[12goingon113]

Aang sighs right along with him, even going so far as to pinch the bridge of his nose while he does so.

"They're trying to keep control of us using the only means they have available."
If Aang has to sit through ANOTHER trade treaty negotiation, someone is going to pay.

1/2

[theideaguy]

Trade negotiation? Sounds fun. So glad you're the Avatar instead of Sokka right now. Besides, Sokka doesn't need any more luck with the ladies now that he's got Suki.

"Yup, that about sums it all up. In short, even without the Creep Lord, nine out of ten foreigners agree that Keeliai remains one of the worst places to live! Now booking permanent vacation packages back home for the low, low price of free."

2/2

[theideaguy]

Sokka coughs at that and just brings up a grimace. "If only they weren't sold out of tickets..."