driftfleet | Yadrolla System Mingle

[ Well, here is someone that he does not have to teach how to fish. They've done this for years! It was their main source of food, really, after Dad left.

Of course now she actually understood how to bend, so she'd only get him wet on purpose. And also she didn't need a spear to stab the fish, or a knife to cut the ice.

Which meant that it wasn't long before she was bending out her first fish of the day, a satisfied smile on her lips. ] Got one.

[ And it was a beaut, too. ]

[Sokka turns to give her the good, old fashioned mark of true siblinghood- the stinkeye. He ten turns to stare at his painstakingly cut hole in the ice, spear poised, waiting. When he speaks, it's between gritted teeth, even if the tone is very whiny. ]

It's not a competition. [Yes. Yes it is. She just made it one. ] Besides, using waterbending is cheating.

First of all, [with an eye roll, depositing the fish on the ice and then icing over the water to keep it in place] if it's not a competition, there can't be any cheating. Secondly, and more importantly, waterbending is just as much of an important part of our culture as spear fishing, and you know it.

[He delicately (and maturely) sticks his tongue out at her, before turning back to his fishing hole. ]

But you get an easy catch like that. You're literally scooping the fish up. It's not really waiting patiently for the fish to be in line and using your hunting skills to catch it.

And it can still be cheating if it's not a competition. My way just requires skill and patience.

[Sokka, no. ]

[This face, until he gets to the 'my way requires skill and patience.'

As if her way DOESN'T require skill?

As if she hadn't busted her ass to learn everything about waterbending their entire lives, and come up basically useless on it until she met Aang? As if she hadn't heard this sort of thing out of him enough when they were little?

As much as Katara knows that Sokka is sensitive about being a non-bender at times, this Is a Line.]

Oh, my way requires skill, alright. [And then, to prove her point, sensing a disturbance in the water by his fishing hole, Katara simply lifts one hand and bends it right out of his hole before making it go splat on the ice, not bothering to control her water and endangering his boots in the process, if he doesn't move back quickly enough.]

I have to save all my patience for putting up with you!

Edited 2018-05-06 17:31 (UTC)

[It would be nice to say that one day Sokka would learn to be more sensative to how difficult bending actually is.

It'd be nice to say but it probably won't happen. Sokka scoots back, almost dropping his spear. ]

HEY! Come oooon! I didn't say that! [Yes he did. ] I mean. I didn't mean it like that.

[P R O B A B L Y]

Okay. [ Fine. Sure. She'll let him try to explain himself, she's a reasonable human being.

Or else she's just game for giving him all the rope he needs to hang himself. She crosses her arms. ] Then how did you mean it?

[Let's face it, it's totally going to be that second one.

He blinks, realising he has to actually back up what he's just said. ]

Errrrrr. Well. I meant mine is uh- finely tuned?

[He's so doomed. ]

[...

So this could go one of two ways, really. "If your skills are so finely tuned, then how come I can get fish more quickly?"

Which was - tempting, and hot on the tip of her tongue, but it wasn't something that she really wanted to say.

Or...]

I'm not saying that spear fishing doesn't require skill. I know it does. Obviously.

[She moves a hand and pulls water from the air, condensing it into a small droplet that hovers just in front of his eyes. She'll show him finely tuned.]

But bending does too, Sokka.

[The water in front his eyes morphs to ice and she abruptly drops her hand, and the ice 'bullet' speeds toward the fish at their feet, stunning it so that they can properly bleed it out.]

You're insulting it and me.

[He's been away for so long, he's almost forgotten how utterly terrifying Katara can be. He takes a careful step back, staring at the fish. ]

Wow, geez, okay Point made, Sis.

[ That... was not the reaction she expected. She thought she saw something that looked like actual fear in his expression - and he should never look that way at her. She knew when she deserved it - she'd deserved it for bloodbending; she couldn't help that. Her gaze shaded and she turned away, back to her own hole in the water. ]

Just... clean your fish and I'll clean mine.

[He caught the look, and let out a sigh. He's been out of practise in this, talking to her- he's not sure how to smooth ruffled feathers. ]

...Yeah. Fine.

[ She stuns her own fish, which had still been flopping determinedly, and then moves to pick it up and take care of it over the bucket they'd brought.

She doesn't say anything; she doesn't look at him. ]

[He moves onto his own fish into a sulky silence, working on stunning and throwing it into a bucket of ice. Then he sits down, going back to staring at his fishing hole. Fiiiine. ]

[ Normally, she is not one to sit in silence. Katara doesn't really do well with uncomfortable silences, or things left unsaid between people that she cares about.

But right now, she's honestly just considering leaving.

And transferring.

Maybe she can join Aang's ship.

Maybe Katie will let her go back on the Vanquish.

...this is dumb. ]

...did I scare you? [ She didn't mean to ask it like a question. Her voice is smaller than she meant too. She doesn't look at him. ]

Katara, you've regularly terrified me since you were, like, twelve.

[His tone is light at first, joking, then he sighs.]

Don't worry too much on it. You were just angry, I know you'd never actually hurt me.

[ If by terrified, he meant: Gave ample cause to laugh at, since her waterbending was so pathetic at that age, sure. (If by terrified he meant: Suddenly his responsibility since their dad left, then... yeah, okay.) ]

I wasn't angry. I was trying to make a point. ...okay, I was annoyed, but that's not the same thing. Look, Sokka, [ she turns, raking a hand through her hair in a rare gesture of helpless frustration, ] I wanted this time to be something nice. I don't know if I'm more annoyed and hurt about the fact that you were talking about bending like it's something I got good at by just, I don't know, some kind of accident, or if it's worse that -- [she thinks of her bloodbending; thinks of the heartrending decision she made to try to learn how to do it, thinks: what does this make me - and exhales a slow breath.] -- look, just forget it. We can do this another time. [She moves to pack up her bag.]

Edited 2018-05-19 19:41 (UTC)

[Mostly, it's him being his usual sarcastic self. He sighs, moving to put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. ]

Katara, c'mon. We used to do this all the time, you know I don't mean anything by it.

[ There was a lot she could say to that, but Katara knew none of it was really the point. She looked down at his hand, and then back up to him. Then she turned, not shaking him off, but to face him directly. ] Things change. I've changed. So have you.

[ She pauses there for a moment. ] I've worked hard to become a strong bender, and I thought you respected that.

[ The fact that this was the easier topic to talk about was probably telling. In fact, in comparison to what she wasn't saying, this was hardly an issue. ]

[He doesn't understand her reaction, he never thought this was that big of a deal. HIs brow furrows.]

You know I do. I was just joking around.

It didn't sound like it.

[She frowns.] Look, the last time we share the same memories about things was over four years ago for me. It was even longer for you. You don't know anything about what happened to me - to us - in Luceti, and I'm only scratching the surface of what life was like in the fleet for you, let alone what's happened at home that you still won't talk about. [This, this was what she didn't want to talk about.] ...it makes sense that we won't be able to read each other sometimes as well as we're used to.

[Sokka listens quietly, brow furrowed. It's been a long time since she was here in the Fleet, but he'd seen here but a year ago when he was last at home. They'd fought then, too- over the mess back home, which was most of the reason why he was still avoiding talking about it. ]

Yeah- I guess you're right. I'd of thought by now you'd know I wouldn't be willingly aiming to hurt you, you're still my sister.

[He might have seen her at home, but Katara isn't sure that counts anymore. Luceti had changed her, given her experiences that she would hopefully never have back home, when she'd forgotten all about her time there. She knew who she was and she also knew who she wasn't, and that was the innocent girl from her world who'd never bloodbend, who dated Aang, who'd never had to look her granddaughter in the eyes and wonder if she'd be able to keep her safe.

She exhales quietly.] I didn't think you'd said it to purposefully hurt me. That isn't what I'm saying.

Yadrolla System Mingle

[ go fish! ]

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