driftfleet | mingle all the way

[Riona slides to a stop, glancing over her shoulder with a grin in place.]

That obvious?

[She suspects as much, but she has to ask.]

[He pinches his thumb and forefinger together with a laugh. ]

Just a tiny little bit. What's cheer you up so much?

My best friend's arrived here. And she's from my Thedas, so she knows me. Remembers everything.

[Of course, she's older than when Riona last saw her, but that's a comparatively minor issue. For now.]

[Oh, THAT brings a big grin to his face. He understands Thedas enough by now to get how important that is, especially after Alistair. ]

For serious? That's fantastic! I'm really happy for you. I mean, sure, sucks to have someone you care about trapped here, but I'm glad she remembers you.

Thank you, Sokka. I... still sort of can't believe it. Probably won't until I see her with my own eyes, in person.

[She bounces from foot to foot.]

I do feel a bit guilty that she's trapped here as well, but Leliana is shrewd and used to be a bard. Good at collecting information. She'd be a huge help in trying to figure out a way out of Atroma's clutches.

Well, at least you won't have long to wait, right?

[Wait hold up, Sokka frowns, a little confused. ]

...See that sounds like a spy, but isn't a bard someone who just walks around playing music at people? Usually annoyingly?

In Orlais, where my friend lived, they are often one and the same. A bard would entertain at parties where many gather and mingle, and so who better to gather information? It's all part of the Game there.

The bards I've known are all pretty obnoxious, so I'm guessing it wouldn't work as well in the Four Nations.

...There's a game?

The Great Game of Orlais. It is what they call the wheeling and dealing of politics and intrigue that the nobility is constantly mired in. Courts in all countries in Thedas have their court intrigue, but they are said to pale in comparison to Orlais.

So it's all...weird rich people stuff? Sounds very Fire Nation.

Well... more or less, yes. [She shrugs. Nobles are weird; she'll be the first to admit it.] Fire Nation? Isn't that where Zuko's from?

It is. Both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom are kinda...like that. The upper classes are, anyway. Though the fact there are classes at all took me forever to get used to. It's not like that in the South Pole. Everyone's pretty much the same, even our chief is just a regular person who just looks out for us and makes sure we were all safe as we can be.

It would hardly be nobility if they did not have their schemes and games. Sadly, it's how one often moves up - or down - when you are among nobles.

[Something she's known her whole life but has really only truly understood until recently back home.]

No classes? [Now that's an odd thought.] Normally those with the most wealth or land are considered upper class. It is not that way in your home?

Huh, that sounds pretty crazy.

[He laughs at that.]

We all live in the snow and ice. It's not like we farm or anything, so lands aren't important and money means pretty much nothing to us. We catch all the food we need, and use animal skins to make our clothes. Wealth doesn't matter at all.

Oh, you have no idea.

[...huh. It certainly sounds like a nice, self-sufficient system his home has going.]

I see. I suppose if you can live entirely off of the land, money does become unnecessary. Is your South Pole very large?

I guess? I mean- a lot of it is just ice and snow. A lot of water, because...well Water Tribe. It's not as big as the other Nations, though.

Not that that stopped the Fire Nation attacking us, though.

[A tribe. Then definitely a smaller community than a city, or perhaps even a town. Easier then, she imagines, to live off the land.

When he mentions the Fire Nation, though, her eyes widen.]

What? But isn't... [There's no way Zuko would do that, would he?] What of Zuko?

[Ah well, she was going to learn about it eventually. Sokka rubs the back of his head, exhaling. It's never an easy subject.]

Zuko's great-grandfather started the war, a hundred years ago. His father made it even worse. But Zuko- For a while, Zuko wanted to make his father proud, to capture the Avatar, the monk who travelled with us. He was a real pain in the backside for a long time.

[And here, Sokka's face turns to a fond smile. ]

But Zuko defected. He realised his place wasn't to follow his Nation's tyranny, but to help stop it. He joined us and fought with us. When his father was defeated, he became Fire Lord, and our world has been rebuilding itself in peace ever since.

[There's the tiniest of pauses. It wasn't an easy fix, it couldn't be, not after how long everyone had been fighting.]

I mean, it's not perfect, but it's getting there, and Zuko is a big part of that. I couldn't imagine our gang without him. He's family.

[It's quite a story, and one that surely runs deeper than the surface details Sokka gave. But Riona understands the gist of it, and is relieved that Zuko aided them in the end.]

That was brave of him. I am glad that he did the right thing when it came to it. [Riona values loyalty above almost all else, but even she knows that there are occasions where one has to examine who and what they're loyal to, and if it's worth following.] And no, it's never easy rebuilding after such a war. Especially one that has been going for as long as you said it has. I can't even imagine.

[So much deeper, good lord. One day he'll sit down and explain Aang to her and it'll be quite the ride. ]

It was very brave. His sister? The one we have all the locks on the ship against? She didn't change sides, she's still with her father and doesn't know yet the war's lost. So uh...if you see her, don't tell her that. She's dangerous enough without knowing her brother betrayed her, too.

[His smile is small, but it's there. ]

It's gonna take time, but we're working together. Something really special will come out of it at the end, I just know it.

[Good. They can exchange crazy stories and wonder how the hell they've come out sane from all of it.]

Ah, that explains that a bit more then. I assume she would handle the news poorly?

[Obviously, but she's really more asking just how badly she'd take it.]

You'll do fine. From what I've seen of the four of you, you're all good people and have good hearts. Just don't give up, and one day, you'll find yourselves on the other side of it.

[He's not 100% sure he came out sane at all. Maybe 60%? That's a good number. ]

Very poorly. Back home, she's insane. Dangerously insane. There's no telling who she'd hurt if she learned the truth.

I can't wait for that day. I mean, we got Aang to thank for that. He was here, for a while, but I think you missed him.

[So, Zuko comes from a line of men who seem like dicks, and a sister who's terrifyingly unstable.

...

How did this kid turn out okay?]

Well, that affirms my resolve to avoid her.

[And perhaps guide a few people away from her, should that be necessary.]

His name does not sound familiar, aside from what you have told me. He sounds like quite the person.

[Iroh. Basically Iroh is the only reason Zuko isn't a complete psychopath right now.]

It's a really good idea to keep the hell away from her. I know her and I haven't gone near her since she arrived. Noooooo thank you.

[A pause.] Plus she kidnapped my girlfriend and locked her in a prison in the middle of a lake of boiling water, then taunted me about it...so I guess I'm a teeny tiny bit bitter.

[Seriously Azula, fuck you. ]

He's pretty amazing. He's the Avatar. You know how Zuko can bend fire, Katara can bend water and Toph can bend earth? The Avatar is the only person who can bend all four elements. It's his job to keep the world in balance, and when the previous Avatar dies, they're reborn into someone else.

[...

What in the ever loving fuck?]

She - in a - [WUT] Is your... were you able to rescue her?

[She's not even gonna ask how she trapped her there and made a whole lake boil.]

So he is a master of all elements then. And he is reborn? Always as the Avatar? [That is... a heavy burden for one soul to bear.]

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