[ Action, Voice, and looooooooooove ] .039

[markofthebrave]

[Backdated to yesterday, after her conversation with Suki, Katara has a brother to kill. Confront. Comfort? Whatever.

She looks high. She looks low. She looks... lower. Someone is coming down the stairs to your mancave, Sokka.]

[Meanwhile, this morning, Suki is feeling... less depressed and Sokka is still away from the house and everything feels wrong. Katara's a few steps short of miserable, because this is not the way things are supposed to go. She attends school, finishes some afternoon errands, and just... stares at the journal system for a while. A lot of people still seem to be very happy, and she does not want to bring them down, and she doesn't want to expose Suki or Sokka to anything but...

But.]

...is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that some people are acting... not like themselves?

((ooc: Katara's first post chronologically goes to savethelastchip. Tag as you will!))

Comments

[markofthewise]

[He's a little testy as it is, so the suggestion he's just making this up, after what just happened, draws out a lot of emotions. He ends up immediately standing up as he raises his voice.]

I think I know how I feel, Katara! Do you think I would've hurt Suki, someone I care about, for nothing?

[markofthebrave]

[She is so the opposite of intimidated by you, Sokka, and in fact she leans forward as-in-icon.]

No, I think you've somehow completely lost your mind! What makes today any different, Sokka, if you've been lying to me and Suki all along? Why are you suddenly 'so in love' with Fenimore that you can't take it? And if you are in love with her, then why were you so upset when Suki was mad at you for turning into her -- in fact, why did you turn into Suki, and not Fenimore in the first place! And what about that 'special project' you've been working on - are you honestly going to stand there and look me in the eye and tell me that you were faking the whole thing?

[markofthewise]

[There's so much there in that spiel he barely is able to catch it all, especially with how upset he is. But he'll try.

Except he's confused about some things here. Turning into Suki was easy. Obviously the Malnosso were just mistaken and assumed he felt about Suki like that. Easy mistake to make. But the last bit...]

Project? What special project?

[markofthebrave]

What 'special project' do you think?

[...now she's starting to get a little bit scared - had he really forgotten?]

[markofthewise]

[He tries to think of special projects he's working on. He glances over at his workbench.]

My automatic knife-throwing glove and cheese grater?

[markofthebrave]

Argh!

[She turns around and starts heading up the stairs.]

Come with me.

[markofthewise]

[He really doesn't want to go, lest he run into Suki, but he ends up following in silence anyway. This better be good.]

[markofthebrave]

[They reach his room uneventfully.] Shut the door after you.

[And Katara heads unerringly to the special spot where he's been keeping his very special project.]

[markofthewise]

[He does so and then watches as she finds that project box he's been keeping under his bed.]

... when did that get there?

[markofthebrave]

I gave you the materials this Christmas. You keep it under the bed because that's where you hide things since you were three.

[She turns around and holds the box out. Come and get it, Sokka. One cold hard dose of reality.]

[markofthewise]

[For a moment he hesitates, then he takes the box and sits down on his bed. When he looks inside, his expression is confusion. He recognizes the contents. He can even remember making them. But for the life of him he can't figure out why.]

... this doesn't make sense.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara sits down beside him and employs the shoulder-touch.]

Do you remember now?

[markofthewise]

I remember making this. [He pulls out the unfinished necklace and fingers the pendant. The design is rough and tacky. Very Sokka.]

But I don't know why. It's not like I planned to get back together with Fenimore. [And he wouldn't have made a necklace for Suki. Not for a long while, since he didn't feel all that strongly about her.]

[markofthebrave]

[Hand withdrawn. Yelling again.]

You didn't make it for Fenimore! You made that for Suki! See the fan?

[markofthewise]

[He does. It was the first thing he noticed. He doesn't even flinch at her yelling.]

Why would I make it for Suki? I know we were dating and all, but I wouldn't make something like this unless I knew she was the one.

[markofthebrave]

Are you even listening to yourself?! That's exactly why you made it!

[markofthewise]

If she was, do you think I would've went and told her what I did!?

[THINK, Katara! If he loved Suki like that, he'd damn well know!]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[ARGH!]

[markofthebrave]

Listen up, Sokka - which makes more sense in that twisted little brain of yours - that you've been lying to me, lying to Suki, and stringing along this girl that you supposedly love or that you listen to me when I'm telling you that something is wrong with your head! You made this - you did! You yourself just said that the only reason that you'd do something like that was if Suki was the one. Stop and think for a minute!

[markofthewise]

[It all adds up in the end. He knows she's right. Sokka is a logical person and this is Luceti. He's had to face the facts before when they messed with his head. Even when they removed his negativity, he knew something wasn't right with his head - he just didn't care at the time. His answer comes out a little pathetic.]

I don't want it to be fake.

[markofthebrave]

[A quick intake of breath and Katara switches modes.]

I know. I know that you wouldn't hurt Suki like this if you didn't mean it.

[But why on earth didn't you talk to me first? Now she's crying and you're all upset and everything's all wrong.]

[markofthewise]

[He lets out a sigh. It's times like this he really hates the Malnosso. Why do they have to make HIM be the person to hurt people he cares about?]

What am I supposed to tell Fen now? And Suki... [If he's supposed to be with her, hard as that is to imagine, how can she forgive him for what he said?]

[markofthebrave]

[...well, crap. She sits there for a long moment. She'd hoped that this would help things, but she can see by taking one look at him that this has made it even worse for Sokka.]

...well, I think... it's too late now to take anything back. And saying anything to Suki when you're not sure won't help anything.

[Shockingly? She doesn't really feel too badly for Fenimore. She should, and she knows that she should, but it's hard for her to imagine telling Sokka to just act like everything's normal when it's a lie.]

[markofthewise]

[Katara may be mostly concerned about Suki, but a lot of what he's thinking is focused on Fenimore. They waited months for this. How was she going to take it when he told her that it might not be real?]

... so I should go talk to Fenimore then. [He stands up and stares at the ground. In a sad kind of way, he'd like to drag Katara with him to help out. But he should probably do it on his own. After all, from what he's picked up, Katara isn't going to be very sympathetic to Fen.]

[markofthebrave]

[...sigh.]

Sokka, wait.