[Action] .034

[markofthebrave]

[Attention: The Universe

There is a teenage girl who has once again been made aware of your many injustices and is pissed. News at 11.

If you're drafted and she knows you, Katara is looking for you. Specifically Derek, Straw Hats, Ginko, and Katie. So she'll be stopping by the Straw Hat and Infinite Undiscovery House (and if she runs into that knight - well, he'd just better watch what he says) and making a few filters.

This, of course, is after she's gone to see Sokka with a very specific 'request.']


Good luck.



I need to see you before you go. Where are you?


[Of course, feel free to bump into her at any point as she wanders around town looking to make deliveries and say goodbye/offer advice.]


((OOC: Apparently, LJ has decided notifs are tasty and to eat them all. I'll be refreshing like a fiend, but if too much time passes just ping me!))

Comments

[markofthewise]

[Hmmmm? He raises his head and turns around in his seat. Katara showing up at the smithy isn't too common, so it must be important.]

Something wrong?

[markofthebrave]

Yeah. They're taking Ginko on the draft. I know you have a stash of smoke and flash bombs. I want to give them to him.

["Please, Sokka, won't you let me have them?" Because that's clearly how Katara asks for things.

He might notice that her arms are crossed in a way that indicates she's barely holding herself together.]

[markofthewise]

[Oh sure, you're welcome, thanks for asking. Of course, he knows that she's worried. Hell, he's worried. He's glad to have a project for distraction. He sets aside his project for now.]

Not a bad idea. Sure, he can have as many as he needs.

[markofthebrave]

[Thanks, I appreciate it. You're the best, Sokka.]

Do you have a brace for them? I want to make it like a sling around his chest so he can pull out with his good hand.

[markofthewise]

I'm sure I can work something together around here.

[But while he's busy getting up and poking around...]

He'll be fine. I feel more sorry for anyone who tries to mess with him, what with how Sanji is going to be.

[markofthebrave]

Sanji can't be everywhere at once. You know what happens in these battles. He's never even been in a real fight before.

[She is just - so - angry. And worried. And scared.]

[markofthewise]

I know that. But Ginko gets around. He's got friends all over the place. [He's leafed through responses to Ginko's messages. They are quite diverse.] And the guy is smart enough to not get separated.

[markofthebrave]

Don't give me that. You know that nothing is that simple in a fight so just - don't.

[Don't tell me it will all be okay when we both know it won't be.]

[markofthewise]

[Fine, fair enough. It just seemed better than the "he's screwed, but at least he'll come back to life" option.]

Fine, fine. But the bombs are all you can do for him. Worrying about him doesn't change anything.

[markofthebrave]

I know that! [Who's worried?

Getting left behind when people you care about go off to fight SUCKS.]

[markofthewise]

Fair enough. [He moves some stuff around and comes up with shoulder strap, suitable for lining up some bombs in. At least with a little modification.]

This should do the trick.

[markofthebrave]

[She sighs a bit, something of the tension relaxing in her shoulders.]

...thanks.

[markofthewise]

I keep all of my spares in the basement at home. Want to go grab some?

[Take a walk. Maybe talk about something ridiculous and get their minds off of what's actually happening.]

[markofthebrave]

All right.

[Distraction? She's up for it. She really, really hates this. It's like Dad going off all over again, except even harder in some ways - Dad could fight.]

[markofthewise]

[After putting his stuff away, he grabs his coat and starts heading out the door.]

You know, I've got regular explosives too.

[markofthebrave]

[Following along, Katara shakes her head.]

I don't think so.

[markofthewise]

Not exactly Ginko's style, right? Yeah.

[markofthebrave]

It's no good if he won't use it. And if he's in a melee... [Then whoever is with him... would be fighting them. And he'd have to kill them too.]

[markofthewise]

Fair enough. But hey, good thing I always plan ahead, right? I've got dozens of those bombs under the house. [Don't you feel better going to bed like that now?]

[markofthebrave]

Yeah.

[She doesn't even blink at that. Preoccupied, much?]

[markofthewise]

[...]

So the other day, Buffy asked me if she could see Momo, since he's the only animal from our world around here. I said, maybe, but lemur think about it! Huh, huh?

[markofthebrave]

[She blinks up at him, expression blank.]

Huh? Oh. Very funny, Sokka.

[Small little smile, and then she faces straight ahead again.]

[markofthewise]

[He stops dead in his tracks as she walks on, a frown on his face. He starts to catch up.]

Yeah, I just came up with that one. [No, he'd been saving it for WEEKS since that conversation with Buffy and had yet to casually bring it into a conversation.]

[markofthebrave]

[Absent nod.

...what, like that requires an actual response? Her brow is furrowed - she's clearly not focused on the here-and-now.]

[markofthewise]

[So he's noticed. He plods on silently, having failed in his duties of being an irreverent distraction. Drafts, drafts, drafts. He hated those.

Oh wait, another topic of discussion.]

I told Suki about what happened to me and Toph. Before. During February. It kind of slipped out... Oh! But don't worry, I didn't mention you!