Book 3: Fire of Rememory [Action / Accidental Voice]

[savedtheworld]

[Action 1 - for Robin]

[The morning. Aang woke up in bed slowly as every memory he ever had filled his head, feeling fresh and vivid yet as if he had lived through it so long ago. And everything from his other life followed by the past week started trickling away. He remembered Robin, pizza, faint memories of a Batman and a butler. What were their names? He felt like he knew so... less. But some memories from the week stuck out. His friends... his real friends, all worried and hurt. There was one particular face that he kept seeing over and over again, each time accompanied by a twinge of inner pain. Now that he was himself again, viewing his memories of their meetings through his own mind, he could see every instance of pain and anguish in her face.

Katara.

His eyes were open. He quickly examined his surroundings. ...This was not his room at the Avatar House. Not a good start. Was he himself...? Aang grabbed his head for confirmation. He was bald. He was himself. But he was not in his room. Still, he decided to test the waters, or maybe he just felt like saying the name aloud in his own voice.]

Katara!

[Action 2 - for Avatar House (plus Winry?) / Accidental Voice]

[Aang sprinted from the community building towards House 56, enhancing his speed by bending the air behind him despite the relatively short distance. He came to a stop outside the door and steeled himself. His excitement burst through his body in the form of a cry - one which was caught by the journal.]

Guys! It's me, Aang! ...Avatar Aang! I'm back!

Comments

[kyoshi]

In that case, I'll look forward to your visit! And try to bring Sokka along while you're at it.

[savedtheworld]

[Pause.] Yeah, definitely! We should have a big reunion. ...Just like we already have here.

[kyoshi]

I like the sound of that! Maybe we can have another party in Ba Sing Se.

[savedtheworld]

Yeah, that would be great! You... were still there for our first one?

[kyoshi]

Of course, I wouldn't have missed it. You don't remember?

[savedtheworld]

I remember alright! I just wasn't sure if you were brought here before then. I know Sokka's from before it.

[He pauses for a moment as he tries to find a way to word what he was wondering.]

Did you see... anyone making out outside of Iroh's tea shop, by any chance?

[kyoshi]

[....heh. Heh. Heh.]

Well, Sokka did make a lot of noise when he walked in on a cute couple making out on the porch...

[savedtheworld]

Oh. But you don't know... who they were?

[kyoshi]

I could probably make a good guess.

[Come on, Aang, she didn't even see it and you're making it so obvious...]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang gives a nervous chuckle that sounds somewhat unsettling. He can see that she could guess at least one of the mouths, but hoped she couldn't tell the other.]

Oh well, who knows! There were a lot of us there, too, it could have been any two people making out there! Just talking about it's probably giving you the oogies!

[kyoshi]

"Oogies"... I'm engaged to Sokka, remember? I think I'm immune to anything like that now.

[savedtheworld]

[Still in nervous panic mode.]

Yeah, I guess you're right! It's a dumb word anyway. That's Sokka for you!

[kyoshi]

[It's kind of cute that he's so shy about it. She doesn't want to prod too much about it, though- if he and Katara are going out at the time he's from, and Katara is both a) unprepared for it and b) still hung up on Masaomi, she'd just be asking for a whole new can of angst. ...Aangst. Whatever.

So she just smiles.]

Nothing "oogie" about kissing. It's actually a really wonderful thing, isn't it.

[savedtheworld]

[He briefly stares into space with a glazed look in his face as Suki's sentence clip a series of certain related memories into motion more effectively than a sitcom's clip show.]

Yeah... it is...

[kyoshi]

[...Oh yeah, he's got it bad. She tries to stay quiet and give him that moment, but she can't help it- she giggles before too long.]

[savedtheworld]

[Suki's giggling snaps Aang out of his stupor and makes him blushingly self-aware.]

Hey, what's so funny?

[kyoshi]

I don't know if I'd call it funny, really... but it's definitely familiar. You look like someone who's really in love.

[savedtheworld]

[His expression probably gets a bit goofier as this is called out.]

I feel like one too. [He chuckles, then rubs the back of his head. As he talks, his eyes may subconsciously drift towards Katara's room once or twice, but quick enough to be hard to notice.] My Sweetie isn't really here, but... there's a lot here that... reminds me of her. And sometimes, it feels like she really is here. So... it's all fine.

[kyoshi]

[S-sweetie...

Ahem. Well.]

Maybe someday she'll be here with us. Sokka had to wait a while before I showed up, but... he did wait for me. And 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', right?

[At least, that's what she's read.]

[savedtheworld]

[His own heart reacts favorably to this notion - unaware that it'd be learning the opposite within a few weeks.]

You make a good point, Suki. I guess I can only wait and see for that. [And hope his own heart doesn't get too fond itself in the process.]

[kyoshi]

I hope it happens. When the both of you are ready, I mean.

[Because she knows that someone isn't.]

[savedtheworld]

[It wouldn't be until later when he realized that Suki had said "both of you are ready" rather than "both of you are in the same world again"... at which point he'll start to realize he might not have been as stealthy as he had thought.]

Thanks. I really appreciate your support, Suki. It gives me a little more hope.

[kyoshi]

[You can't out-stealth a stealth specialist, bro. Especially when it was pretty obvious from the beginning.]

Whenever you need another boost, you just let me know, okay?

[savedtheworld]

[He can dream!]

Sure, Suki. You're a great friend. And I'm also here if you have any problems of your own.

[But at this time, the main boost he's anticipating is his reunion with Katara.]

[kyoshi]

[Her smile is only slightly strained at that. It's been a long time since they've had Aang with them, after all. She hopes he's right.]

I'll be sure to remember that, Aang.