4977/Tempering the relationship

Tempering the relationship
Date of Scene:	03 January 2017
Location:	Aselia
Synopsis:	Sokka and Lloyd have a talk by the moon light. Lloyd even teaches him a new way to break his neck and what to say to Toph.
Cast of Characters:	1076, 373

---

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka was... working. Hard. It was like three AM and he was out there, swinging his sword about, performing the demon's fang. He was actually getting pretty good at it. He had about ten feets reach with it now.

He'd also made a few things already and was letting them cool. And was obviously just... not in his right mind set right now. Considering the way he was moving, panting, covered in sweat and swinging his blade at 100% every time, not pacing himself in the slightest. His movements were all over the place, wild, erratic and just... not him.

Very emotional.

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd wasn't one to sleep much. It was difficult for him, plagued as he was with nightmares still. He could grab enough to function, but there was a reason his forge had grown to the massive construct it now was in the forest. And tonight, it seems, he's not alone. As it happened, he had been out gathering materials for a new piece he had thought up, and when he arrives back to the forge, he finds Sokka practicing the Demon Fang. But the motion was wrong. He wasn't practicing in a way that made sense, and even Lloyd wasn't dense enough to ignore the signs. He drops a large bag, which clangs with a muted metallic sound, in the door of the forge, noticing the pieces left there to cool before stepping back outside.

    Crossing his arms, Lloyd moves to stand in front of Sokka, drawing his blades and splitting the Demon Fangs as they reached their outer limit. "Well well," he says, "What's got you all worked up, Sokka? And why'd you come here? I would say I'm surprised, but I'm not. This is where I come to work off emotions, too."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka yelped, and looked over. He then gave a small smile. "Heh. Hey, Lloyd. I err, hope I didn't wake you," he said with a weak smile.

The two had been working with each other for a while. So... Lloyd would likely pick up that something was odd. Namely in the fact, Sokka was normally filled with spirit and energy. Sure, sometimes he got a bit down on himself, but he cheered up fast.

Now it looked as if his spirit had been beaten, shot, then buried out back. There was a fake, false smile. Obviously fake. And Lloyd had probably heard about how Sokka hadn't made any jokes or puns in.... well, a while. The radio had been oddly quiet. Well, assuming lloyd went to the paladin areas often.

Right after the kid got born, too.

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd shakes his head. "Dad sleeps like a rock, and I sleep when I can. I was actually harvesting some materials that are hard to find in the daylight. Moonlight makes them glitter just..." He lets his words trail off, sheathing his sword and moving off to one side, moving toward the water tribesman. "Obviously I've missed some things," he says, "because you look like you just had to swallow a thousand needles or something. What happened?"

    His voice is warm, but also quick to the point, "It doesn't seem like you to be... this agitated and... well, frankly, beaten down. I mean, I'm glad you're working hard and all, but with that form and the fact that you're pushing yourself too hard, you're on a one-way ticket to pain at this rate." He gestures with his hand toward a bench set up outside the main house. "Sheathe your sword and let's have a chat."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka sighed and sheethed the blade with a flourish. "You'll probably figure it out soon enough. Toph told me she loves me. I have no idea how to cope with this. With any of this. I thought she was just..." He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought I could talk her out of it, but i jsut made things *worse* and I have no idea what to do about it. And I swear if YOU knew that she liked me too, I am going to scream! Was I the ONLY one who didn't know?!"

... Yes. Yes he was. "And I don't really want to talk about it. I just want to forget it happened but that's not really an issue, is it? Toph's my best friend and I can't just ignore this, because now she's hurting and apparently she's in love with the biggest idiot in the paladins and I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS!" he yelled, kicking. The training dummy. The stone one. His eyes widened and he fell over, clutching his foot. "Ow ow ow ow owwwww."

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd blinks. "Oh," he says dumbly, eyes going wide. "You... you what? You tried to talk her OUT OF IT?" The swordsman rubs his forehead lightly with his palm, leaving a smear of dirt there as he does. "And, honestly, Sokka, I'm surprised YOU didn't realize it after dinner the night we recruited you. You remember how I called you Toph's boyfriend and she threw her plate at me? Why did you think she reacted like that, man?"

    He sits on the bench, shaking his head numbly. "I guess since she's told you, I don't have to hide anything anymore, which is a relief. But why would you try to talk her out of it? Given how you talk about her, I thought you'd be thrilled!" As Sokka kicks the training dummy, Lloyd pulls himself back up and moves toward him, reaching out and clapping him by the shoulder. "Alright, I'm gonna do this, and you'll thank me in a second. But you're being hysterical." And, with that...

    Lloyd smacks Sokka with the flat of his other hand on the back of his head.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked a few times. He laid there, staring at the sky. Okay, calmed. "Wait, what? I thought that just meant she liked you or something. I mean, that'd at least make sense. You're awesome." He then groaned. "Of course I tried to talk her out of it. Toph is AMAZING. What could I possibly have to offer a girl like that? She's smart, talented, beautiful, high class, quite possibly the strongest bender in the world. Not to mention, just look around! Look at the paladins! Every day is spent surrounded by smart, amazing, talented people. People far smarter, stronger than I could ever hope to be. And they have their own magical powers half the time!

He shook his head. "I'm just some... I'm normal. I'm just the normal guy. How could I do anything but end up holding her back?"

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd shakes his head. "You're pretty well off the mark there," he says, reaching a hand down to pick Sokka up out of the dirt. "And you need to start giving yourself a bit more credit, Sokka. You picked up a technique it took me weeks to learn and managed to produce results in three swings. You're wielding a sword made out of a meteor that you forged yourself. You have determination, heart, and energy to spare, and a positive energy when you're not sulking around at 3 in the morning. You are the one she wants. And then you, the one who spouts admiration with every breath, you reject her feelings because you don't feel like you measure up? Because you think she deserves better than the one SHE picked?"

    He shakes his head again, but this time it's a sad gesture. "You basically told her that she was an idiot for following her heart. You want to know how you can do something other than hold her back? How about answering her feelings with honest ones instead of trying to run away from it, huh?" He sits back on the bench. "Do you even know how you feel about her, Sokka? In an honest way, I mean. I know you sing her praises, and I know she's a close friend, but could it be that you feel the same way about her and are just terrified that she'll wise up later on and dump you for being, in your words, normal? If that's so, then consider this."

    "She fell for your normalcy. So maybe, just MAYBE, you have the wrong mindset."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blushed a little bit and then... "Kinda?" he said softly. "I don't know... how I feel about her. Honestly. I mean..." He groaned. "I've gotten... called an idiot and stuff. But everyone seems like... they expected this. Like it's okay. Tony thought I was going to..." His cheeks blushed. "Well, stuff, with her. Which is definitely NEVER happening. But... she's my friend. And honestly..."

"If it was anyone but Toph, I think I'd be super excited. I'd have tried to make her feel like she'd never regret this decision. But... it is Toph. And I'm terrified I'm going to ruin things. Or... make them even worse." His fists clenched. "What if I do end up holding her back and... she gets hurt because of me? I can't protect her. I've... tried."

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd listens, and gears seem to click in his head. "Yes, a lot of people expected this because if you paid attention, Toph wasn't exactly subtle about how she felt about you. At all. But you had to be able to read the signs. And, I've told you, I missed similar signs once, and now that chapter on my life is closed. I can't regret it, it wouldn't be fair to, but a part of me will always wonder what would've happened if I hadn't been such an idiot." He stretches out a bit, shaking his head again. "Well, Tony is Toph's dad. He's... got her best interests at heart. And well... It's Tony, so I can guess what he probably said to you." He rubs his face with one hand again. That probably wasn't helping matters, thanks Tony.

    At Sokka's last statements, Lloyd shakes his head again. "You are completely in the wrong head space, Sokka. Toph doesn't need protecting, and if she DID, and you feel as strongly as it sounds like you do about her? I believe you'd find a well of strength that no one, magic, bender or otherwise would be able to stop. I mean, can you picture it? I mean, vividly picture Toph in danger, and you are the only one between her and injury or worse. If there's anything there other than a raging inferno in your heart, then maybe that's your answer, but if I know you as well as I think I might? I think you'd be surprised how fast you'd race to her defense, and how much you'd be capable of. But beyond that..." He smirks slightly. "You need to dispel that thought. Because THAT is not what love is about. In fact, I think the reason you are resisting so much is because you're afraid. Not of what you say you are, I mean, but of how much you actually care about her."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blushed even redder. "Oh gosh was it that obvious? How did I never pick up on it?" he asked with a groan. "I must be the world's biggest idiot."

Then... Lloyd said that. He leaned back a bit and... "It... did happen once. In the last day of the war," he mumbled softly. "We fell," he whispered. "I caught her. Just barely. But... I couldn't do anything. I could feel her slipping from my hand. I could feel our finger tips just barely holding on as I struggled to not lost her." His fists clenched. "I couldn't do anything. More of the soldiers came and... and I knew we were going to die. That I'd fall there and... and then she'd fall to her death. if Suki hadn't... come right then..."

His arms moved up around himself. "It was probably the only time Toph needed me to save her. and I failed. I couldn't hold on. I couldn't protect her. I still sometimes have... nightmares about it. About her slipping from my grip. Of her... falling." He shuddered. "... Don't... tell her about that. Please. I never... really... told anyone. There wasn't any fire, thought. Any hope. There was only that despair of knowing my friend was going to die... and I couldn't do anything about it. And that hope that... I'd die first."

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd shrugs. "Sometimes we don't see things because it doesn't fit in our mind," he says, "It's clear that you think of Toph as a friend, so you didn't see what the rest of us did. It's nothing to worry about, Sokka." He claps the youth on the shoulder again, then listens. It's a long... LONG moment after he stops speaking that Lloyd seems to find his voice again. "I lost Colette, too," he says, "I lost her spirit, it's a long story, but she was just a shell for awhile during our journey. I lost my best friend, someone who cared about me more than anyone else I knew at the time, and I felt that same pang. Like I failed. Like she was gone forever. But I still didn't figure it out. And then... there was another. We went on a mission that was supposed to be one way, and it was only in that moment that I realized that I felt strongly for her. I... expressed it badly, and I knew that I couldn't protect her, even though I knew she didn't need it, even though I knew she was actually stronger than me at that point. And then... after that, she was seemingly killed. I had to face her parents, with these feeling in my heart that I never thought I'd be able to express. I... think we've drifted apart too much now, and maybe it wasn't real, but I know it felt real then."

    He looks up at Sokka, smiling weakly. "You can't let that fear hold you back, okay? Yes, you both are in danger. Constantly. And there will be situations like that, I can't tell you there won't be. But if you let THAT be the reason why you won't be true to your feelings and hers... then you're going to end up locked in nightmares and what-ifs. She survived that event, and you fought with everything you had to protect her. Even if you can't, that's probably why she likes you. Because you would stake your life for hers."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked a few times, then sighed. "Yeah. In a heart beat. I'd be dead by now if not for her. A dozen times over," he muttered with a happy sigh. "I do love her. Probably more than I've ever loved anyone other than my family. But... I don't know if I can love her in that way. It's not... easy. You know? Separating the feelings?"

He gave a sigh and glanced off to the side. "But... I... think i might want to try. As scared as I am... I think... the idea of hurting Toph is so, so much worse." Another slow, deep breath. "I guess I'll just talk to her."

Then groaned. "So... Lloyd... any advice on how to tell a girl who can beat you from here to... well... anywhere really, without getting buried under an avalance?"

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd smirks a bit as Sokka finally seems to dig his way out of the maze he'd built in his mind. "There ya go," he says, "That's what I was hoping to hear. You've got a lot going for you, Sokka, but overthinking is something you have to get past. You have to face your fears and accept that life is going to throw things at you. But, if you keep up your training and accept things as they come, changing what you can and doing your best, you'll be just fine." He stands up, clapping the youth on the back heartily.

    As for Sokka's question, that just causes him to laugh a bit. "Start with what you just told me, and work from there. Be honest about everything, and don't hold back. But don't be mushy about it. You might just get... rocked." He shakes his head, as though the pun hurt even him, but he's trying to lighten the mood, damnit! "You don't have to be eloquent or anything. Now you just have to be honest. And hope she didn't change her mind about you, of course. I still can't believe you tried to talk her out of it. You're gonna spend a long time pulling your foot out of your mouth after that particular stunt. Idiot."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded. Glancing up at him. "Hey... Lloyd. Ummm... when you invited me into the Paladins. Did you think I was worth it? I mean... I figured it was just because Toph was.. well... you know." He paused. "But I talked to Stadler about this, too. He's actually pretty nice. Said I could come to him whenever I had any troubles, even women troubles. He... said he thought I was capable. Sorta. And that I... well... I figured you guys just took me on as an extra. For toph."

He didn't even REACT to the pun. My gosh, how out of it was he?! "And yeah. I will. It's... going to be hard but... I guess Toph is worth it. Working it out. I still don't get where this came from, though. I mean, she says she fell in love with me within like... a week of us meeting. What in the world did I even do? By that time all she'd done is thrown me fifty feet in the air and steal my club."

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    The former General shakes his head, face going serious. "You put too much stock in what others think. But, since you asked, yes, I did think you were worth it. I wouldn't have invited you to join if I didn't. I've said it before, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger, and the Union took a chance on me. I became a General, so it can't have been too poor a choice, right? And I know you have the potential for greatness, but you have to start seeing it in yourself or you're never going to reach it." He smiles at Sokka, patting one of his sword sheathes. "You'll do great, but you're your own worst enemy, you know? A lot of us have that problem, standing in our own ways, but you'll get over it. I know you will."

    Lloyd smiles in earnest as Sokka continues talking, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "Love sometimes doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's because you were so different from the other boys she knew, or maybe it's because you have some sort of charm. I don't know, and maybe she doesn't either. You could always ask. Maybe explain when you realized that you cared so much for her, you know? Swap stories."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blushed and looked off to the side. "Heh heh. Thanks. I ummmm... yeah. I guess I can get a bit insecure sometimes. I guess it's just... you know... used to being... over shadowed and stuff. Sometimes I wish i could do some kind of... bending thing. Or something unique. Had a bit more to offer. Used to be the idea guy, was proudo f that... but... not really the idea guy here anymore."

"Other boys she knew? There weren't a lot..." and then snorted. "That's it, she must love the fact she can beat me up a lot easier if I ever give her some lip," he joked. Then blushed as he thought about the kiss they'd shared.

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd shrugs again. "We all have moments of weakness. Nothing to be ashamed of, but you can't let it hold you back, or you'll spend your life wondering how things ended up the way they did. And that's no way to live." He shakes his head, smirking again. "You're SOKKA. You have that unique combination of things going for you, and maybe you just haven't discovered your major 'thing' yet, you know? You have talent with a sword, and you're skilled in the forge. You learn fast, and that's nothing to take for granted. Maybe you can train yourself to do something that no one else can! But don't let that bog you down. Just get a foundation for yourself, then figure out what makes Sokka Sokka later, okay? You're still young. You've got plenty of time to find the thing that gives you your edge, and it may be something you never expected."

    He stretches, staring up into the sky. "Heh, maybe. But somehow, I think there's more to it than that. I think that may be more a result of how she feels than a reason she does."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded, snickering. "Oh, well, my teacher always did say I was one of a kind. So did gran gran, actually. But I get the feeling she was mocking me." He frowned, the snickered.

"Oh, that reminds me... I still need you to see what the next arte you'll teach me is. I think I've about got this demon fang mastered. So there's gotta be something new I can learn, right?" he asked with that big, dopey grin of his.

The scary thing was, there probably was something new he could learn. He then sighed. "I'm.... a lucky guy, aren't I?"

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd shakes his head, smirking a bit. "You certainly are unique," he says, "and I'm not mocking you." He stretches out again, then laughs out loud. "Oh, you're pretty confident in that, huh? Alright, I think I can toss another basic arte your way. Try... this!" He draws his swords, positions his feet, then leaps into the air with a call of "Tempest!" He spins like a buzzsaw through the air, somersaulting in an almost wild way and sailing in a smooth arc. As he reaches the end, he lands on his feet, coming to a dead stop and straightening back up. "Work on that one for next time! And... well, yeah, I'd say you're pretty lucky, Sokka. Just make sure not to squander it."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked a few times, staring at him. Opened his mouth. Closed his mouth. "Can... can you show me that again... one more time?" Oh, yes. It was going to take him more than three times to learn that one. Because he WILL be falling face first on the ground. All the time. With that. It'll be hilarious.

"How do you even... that doesn't even... How? Don't you fall on your face doing something like that?"

Lloyd Irving (373) has posed:
    Lloyd smirks, sheathing his sword and shaking his head. "Not tonight, Sokka. It's nearly sunrise, and we both need to rest. Go get some sleep, talk to Toph, let me know how things work out, alright? When we meet up again, I'll show you the technique as best I can. Until then, see if you can figure it out on your own." He smiles, then waves, making his way back toward his house.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka sighed and sheathed his sword, giving a light yawn. "I... guess you're right. I still need to get back to the ship, anyway... ugh... Toph is going to hate me.... I'll... see you around, okay? Thanks for helping me... talk." He took a deep breath. Yeah, this was going to be rough.