savedtheworld | Book 16: Drained [Voice/Action]

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Book 16: Drained [Voice/Action]

[Voice]

[It had been easy enough to assume that Sokka had still been kidnapped - that he'd be back any day. It was worrying, but there was still the assurance of his eventual return. Except that eventually, his room was checked. And found empty. There wasn't even a sign of Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. It was hard to believe - when Aang had first gotten to Luceti, he had gotten used to Sokka being the man with the answers. And also a beard. He was like a big figure of the town. And now he was gone. Katara wasn't in a state to announce it herself, so Aang eventually did it. Making it quick and to the point.]

Hi everyone. This is Aang. I'm sorry to tell you all this, but Sokka has gone back home. I know we're all gonna miss him. I already do. But at least at home... the last time I saw him there, he was happy.

[Action]

[Aang spends some time over by the statue of Sokka's head located House 56, studying the image of his best friend. He tries to meditate and tries to imagine the inspiring words that Sokka would usually say. Because he's still afraid of being around other people. And right now, the people dear to him may need him more than ever.]

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Lemur wings. I can't say I'm exactly surprised.

Is it because I hang out with Momo a lot?

[Okay, Silver. He'll continue.]

But now, he's gone. I'm glad he found a way out. He managed to get back home. But... without the rest of us. Without him, I feel kind of - abandoned, and lost. And I know it can only be worse for the others... especially Katara. She's been here almost as long as him. And she's been around him for most of her whole life. They're brother and sister, after all. I... I'm not sure I can really imagine how bad it must feel for her now. And I don't know what I should do.

Was that one of your friends?

[Abandoned and lost. They feel alone. Left behind. And they're bro and sis- have they never been apart before?- so that must really hurt.]

He's not gone forever, Aang. [But there's something important that he wants- no, needs to add.] You'll see him again one day, even if that day might not come as fast as you want it to.

[The news hits like a brick being dropped in her stomach. Sure, they hadn't hit it off at first -- he'd been a friend of a friend at first -- but he'd been there as long as she had. Out of all of her friends here, he'd seemed the most...stable. Others might come and go, but it had felt like he'd be there forever, or at least as long as she was. Perhaps it had made her start to take his presence for granted. But now he was gone and she'd probably never see him again -- at least, not as she knew him.]

...Thank you for letting us know, Aang. That he's gone, and that he's got someplace good to go back to.

[Her voice doesn't have much feeling behind it, though. She hasn't gotten past the shock of the announcement yet.]

[Noishe stands still, wagging his tail with a soft 'wuffing' sound. Raine stays put, not wanting to accidentally startle Aang again.]

Sometimes you just have to cut the part about thinking too much about it out of the way. I know you'll all endure, Aang.

[Oh. It's Arietta.]

That's right. He was.... he's my best friend, and he's home now. He was here for so long.

You're welcome, Fenimore. After everything he did for us here in this world... It's the least I could do.

[He can feel it in her voice. And he only feels more guilty that his phobia is keeping him from giving others proper comfort.]

Are... are you okay?

I appreciate your faith. That does make sense. [Thinking too much could lead to darker thoughts - like what if Sokka was actually taken to another enclosure, or some other worse possibility? He can just think lightly of Sokka being able to be home and finally seeing his father again. And having a vaguely happy future.

He glances towards Raine before looking back towards Noishe with a soft smile.]

Raine... Pretend this is you.

[And he goes to give Noishe a soft hug.]

Edited 2013-12-01 05:35 (UTC)

I know. I have faith we'll all go home and see him again. It'll just be... tough waiting it out in this world, without his wisdom, until we can go home too. And I feel like it'd be selfish to wish he was back here. It's good he was sent back, wasn't it? All the awful things that happened to him here are gone now. They never happened.

[Sokka's back home. Sokka never died. Sokka never had to lose his soul. Sokka never lied to his friends and committed horrible deeds out of soullessness. Sokka never had to face the consequences of that upon regaining his soul. Sokka was free of all that now.]

So you think we should just... get used to that?

What do you think?

[Her response is sharper than she intended, so she takes a deep breath and continues only after she has her tone more under her control. She knows she has a tendency to take things out on other people and she's pretty sure that Aang has enough problems of his own with the situation.]

Look, you were his -- are his friend, too, right? I expect that I'm about as okay as you are right now.

Oh... I'm sorry. It's not fun to lose your friends. Especially when you don't get to see them again.

Are you sure? You do have a rebel against hair customs.

I guess you have a point...

[He doesn't even want to think of what Katara might be going through.] It's better for him to be there than here, right? [Better for any of them, he has to remind himself. The fact that Sokka is gone could really be a good thing.]

It's not about waiting it out. That's thinking in the past. It's fine to be upset about it for a while, but you have to tough it out and keep moving forward. You can keep his wisdom and experiences with you to guide you along the way. What do you think he'd want to hear next time you saw him? "I didn't know what to do" or "I'm happy to see you again"?

You're not alone. You've got Katara with you. You've got your other friends from home and the friends you've made here. You guys can support each other.

That's the best you can do when you're split from someone you care about.

They suit you more than bat wings anyhow.

It was brief. But yes, she was.

[Luke can't help but smile weakly, even though Aang can't see it.]

Hope will find you, you know. I mean, look at Ikki. And look at yourself, really. From what I understand you bring hope to the people in your world. You certainly seem like someone that could. Children and heroes are two big sources of it.

Thank you, Arietta. But... it's okay. I'm gonna see him again, whenever we go back home. So I'm gonna hold onto that hope. He's just gone from here. [He and his friends dealing with his absence here will be the hard part.]

[While Aang can't shake off the weight of wondering what Katara must be going to.]

It is. That's the good part. I know in my time, a year after the war, he seemed very happy. I don't know a lot about his future... but there's gotta be a lot more good there than there would be here. It's for the best.

[It's just his absence in general, the loss of such a great source of support here in Luceti, that hurts.]

But that's not rebellion, that's just my own custom!

I'm sorry. [He says quietly, having flinched at her sharpness and realizing that he stepped out of line.]

I am his friend, too. Back home... I'd spend almost every day around him and Katara for around two years before coming here. I know it... it can't be easy.

Y'know, they're not really that different when you think about it...

I see. I... I hope that she's safe back home, then.

[Luke, another person separated from a close sibling. But he knows if must be different for him - he's already been living without her. While Sokka and Katara have been around each other for the majority of their time in Luceti... and for Katara's entire life before that.]

You're right. Thank you, Luke. Maybe hope... maybe it can still work. I know I'm gonna try to spread it. [Well, after he has a more solid feeling of it for himself.]

[He listens carefully and he nods.]

That makes sense, Silver. Thank you. I'm gonna do my best for him then. And... I do still have everyone else. I know that they might need me, too.

I guess that now, I'm worried... about this fear I have. I want to be able to be there for them. Katara must be hurting the most. But this fear, it gets in the way so much. I need to find a way through it.

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Book 16: Drained [Voice/Action]

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