driftfleet | Yadrolla System Mingle

[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.

[Sokka mirrors the motion, exhaling, looking up at the sky for a moment, gathering himself. ]

...Right.

[ She frowns a little, running the conversation through her mind and wanting... wanting to just move passed it. ]

...you're still my brother too, Sokka.

[ But... you know... there are some things too important to just move passed. ]

And nothing changes that, not Luceti, not the fleet, not even the time that we've spent apart. But... it's hard for me, sometimes, because up until last month... you'd been there too, in Luceti. But you don't remember any of it now. And so it's just... hard sometimes.

I know, I get it. It's gonna be... well, we're gonna have to take some time to adjust again. We've been through a lot back home that you don't know about yet- and I will tell you, but...not yet. It's a lot

[Things that will make her feel a hundred times worse than she already does. He doesn't want to put that on her. Not yet. ]

But I've always got your back. No matter what. That hasn't changed. It'll never change.

[ She gives him a measuring look, not because she doubts him, but because... there's so much more to it than that.

But in the end, there wasn't much more to it than that. No matter what, he was her brother.

So she gives him a quick, faint smile and then steps in to give him a hug. ]

[He' accepts the hug, glad for it. It's better than the horrible tension he could feel swelling between them. He hated that, he didn't want that. He just wanted them to be a family again. To try and rebuild their lives.

He gives her a tight squeeze. ]

Love you, sis.

Yadrolla System Mingle

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