River and Sokka, backdated to Oct 13
Oct. 13th, 2013 10:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
om_ricochet posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
om_mainRiver gives Sokka some advice in re Audrey and Halloween.
Sokka wandered aimlessly down the halls, hands in his pockets. Maybe he'd go outside and enjoy the bright, chilly fall weather. He liked fall so far. It didn't feel like anything he'd experienced in Barrow. Things smelled different, with the trees and the pollen and the green things sort of crumbling up. It was weird and sometimes made him homesick. But also... okay.
And it meant Halloween to most people. Sokka wasn't sure what to do about that. He and Audrey hadn't done the matching thing this time, but they were making plans for the haunted house and costumes together, and it made him wonder if he should ask her. Normally he would've just done it... but they were friends. Except, Vance had a point at the masquerade--she'd probably still be his friend if she didn't want to, like, be his date. So it'd be okay.
Except man. That'd really hurt his pride. Not that he'd admit it, but it would.
"Nothing worth living comes without a risk," came the sentence, out of nowhere, or more accurately from the doorway to the dance studio. River was standing with her back to the wall on the side of the doorframe, but this had been worth saying.
"Wha--?" Sokka looked around so quickly he smacked himself in the face with his warrior knot (not a ponytail!). His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he poked his head through the nearest doorway. Then the next. And-- "Ah-ha! I should've known."
Then he frowned, realizing. He wanted to tell her to stay out of his personal private thoughts. Except he knew she couldn't. Dammit!
River watched him levelly, unimpressed, and then simply said, "Ask her."
"That's easy for you to say." Sokka pouted, leaning against the inside of the door jamb and crossing his arms over one of his many slightly-too-small wolf printed shirts. "You're not the one about to make an ass of himself in front of a friend and team-mate."
"You don't have the ears for it," River replied after a few seconds spent assessing him. And his ears.
Reflexively, Sokka reached up to tug at them. "What's wrong with my--?"
Then he realized what she meant about the 'ass' and sighed. "You know what I meant."
"Wake up on the other side of the looking glass," River answered, with a shrug. "Right or wrong. Ask her, you'll find out."
"Well when you put it that way..." Sokka scrunched up his nose. He kinda had to, actually. "Not really a choice, is it?"
"You always have a choice," River countered, watching him pensively. "Alternatives are sometimes unthinkable."
"Okay, fine." Sokka rolled his eyes. "So not asking is an unthinkable alternative, then, when you put it that way. Happy?"
"My emotional well-being is not dependent on your phrasing," River replied, after a blink.
"Okay, lemme rephrase..." Sokka rolled his eyes, but actually came up with a much better alternative: "Satisfied?"
"My satisfaction is not dependent on your phrasing either," River replied, "but I'm glad you made up your mind. Your hesitation was scrambling mine up." Certainty and decision felt much steadier.
"Scrambling up your... what?" Sokka cocked his head. He might regret asking this, but... honestly, sometimes he missed River. Just talking to her. Which was strange because she'd always said things he didn't really get, back when they used to work together on weapons and gymnastic-type stuff and all. But whatever, he wasn't trying to analyze it or anything.
River just tapped her finger against her temple, holding his gaze steadily.
"Sounds inconvenient," Sokka remarked. It was irritating enough in his own head. He didn't even wanna think about getting everyone else's mixed up in there.
"It is," River confirmed, and moved naturally into a hand stand. She walked a few paces on her hands, turning around so she could watch him upside down. "I don't think you're in for stress cardiomyopathy." She didn't need to feel her to be able to tell that.
"I don't know what that is, but it sounds like some bad heart thing, so... glad to hear it?" Sokka had his head cocked to the side, like that'd make looking at her upside down make more sense or something.
Then her meaning--or what he thought was her meaning, hit him. He flushed. "Riiiiight. Well. Okay then."
"Okay," she echoed, then righted herself, back on her feet, her face pink from being upside down, and from him.
Sokka sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Time to suck it up and ask." A slight pause. Then, "Thanks."
"It's all part of the service," River assured him, then turned and walked towards the dock where her iPod stood. A few seconds later, Sebastian started to organize the animals in order to set the mood.
Geniuses didn't always have to be cryptic.
Sokka made a face. "I see what you did there."
Sokka wandered aimlessly down the halls, hands in his pockets. Maybe he'd go outside and enjoy the bright, chilly fall weather. He liked fall so far. It didn't feel like anything he'd experienced in Barrow. Things smelled different, with the trees and the pollen and the green things sort of crumbling up. It was weird and sometimes made him homesick. But also... okay.
And it meant Halloween to most people. Sokka wasn't sure what to do about that. He and Audrey hadn't done the matching thing this time, but they were making plans for the haunted house and costumes together, and it made him wonder if he should ask her. Normally he would've just done it... but they were friends. Except, Vance had a point at the masquerade--she'd probably still be his friend if she didn't want to, like, be his date. So it'd be okay.
Except man. That'd really hurt his pride. Not that he'd admit it, but it would.
"Nothing worth living comes without a risk," came the sentence, out of nowhere, or more accurately from the doorway to the dance studio. River was standing with her back to the wall on the side of the doorframe, but this had been worth saying.
"Wha--?" Sokka looked around so quickly he smacked himself in the face with his warrior knot (not a ponytail!). His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he poked his head through the nearest doorway. Then the next. And-- "Ah-ha! I should've known."
Then he frowned, realizing. He wanted to tell her to stay out of his personal private thoughts. Except he knew she couldn't. Dammit!
River watched him levelly, unimpressed, and then simply said, "Ask her."
"That's easy for you to say." Sokka pouted, leaning against the inside of the door jamb and crossing his arms over one of his many slightly-too-small wolf printed shirts. "You're not the one about to make an ass of himself in front of a friend and team-mate."
"You don't have the ears for it," River replied after a few seconds spent assessing him. And his ears.
Reflexively, Sokka reached up to tug at them. "What's wrong with my--?"
Then he realized what she meant about the 'ass' and sighed. "You know what I meant."
"Wake up on the other side of the looking glass," River answered, with a shrug. "Right or wrong. Ask her, you'll find out."
"Well when you put it that way..." Sokka scrunched up his nose. He kinda had to, actually. "Not really a choice, is it?"
"You always have a choice," River countered, watching him pensively. "Alternatives are sometimes unthinkable."
"Okay, fine." Sokka rolled his eyes. "So not asking is an unthinkable alternative, then, when you put it that way. Happy?"
"My emotional well-being is not dependent on your phrasing," River replied, after a blink.
"Okay, lemme rephrase..." Sokka rolled his eyes, but actually came up with a much better alternative: "Satisfied?"
"My satisfaction is not dependent on your phrasing either," River replied, "but I'm glad you made up your mind. Your hesitation was scrambling mine up." Certainty and decision felt much steadier.
"Scrambling up your... what?" Sokka cocked his head. He might regret asking this, but... honestly, sometimes he missed River. Just talking to her. Which was strange because she'd always said things he didn't really get, back when they used to work together on weapons and gymnastic-type stuff and all. But whatever, he wasn't trying to analyze it or anything.
River just tapped her finger against her temple, holding his gaze steadily.
"Sounds inconvenient," Sokka remarked. It was irritating enough in his own head. He didn't even wanna think about getting everyone else's mixed up in there.
"It is," River confirmed, and moved naturally into a hand stand. She walked a few paces on her hands, turning around so she could watch him upside down. "I don't think you're in for stress cardiomyopathy." She didn't need to feel her to be able to tell that.
"I don't know what that is, but it sounds like some bad heart thing, so... glad to hear it?" Sokka had his head cocked to the side, like that'd make looking at her upside down make more sense or something.
Then her meaning--or what he thought was her meaning, hit him. He flushed. "Riiiiight. Well. Okay then."
"Okay," she echoed, then righted herself, back on her feet, her face pink from being upside down, and from him.
Sokka sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Time to suck it up and ask." A slight pause. Then, "Thanks."
"It's all part of the service," River assured him, then turned and walked towards the dock where her iPod stood. A few seconds later, Sebastian started to organize the animals in order to set the mood.
Geniuses didn't always have to be cryptic.
Sokka made a face. "I see what you did there."
