Sokka Thunderaxe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
markofthewise) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
munebox2012-09-18 11:23 pm
markofthewise) wrote in munebox2012-09-18 11:23 pm
Entry tags:
King and Lionheart
Characters: Sokka, Suki
Setting: ATLA AU - Three years after Aang's death following Sozin's Comet.
Summary: Haunted by the death stroke he delivered to the Avatar, he is now burdened with the reality that the next Avatar may also be corrupted. Distancing himself from that responsibility, he heads to the Earth Kingdom to visit old friends. His first stop is Kyoshi Island...
ONE MONTH EARLIER
The difficulty in being a member of the White Lotus was the new duties that came with it. What was once a small village was starting to look more like a compound run by the White Lotus. Sokka had never really given much thought to Master Pakku in the past, having not been a waterbender. Now he was not only his step-grandfather, his ‘gramp-gramp’, but he also was the head of the White Lotus in the South Pole now. It meant that whenever something important happened, he had to deal with him face to face. He could only imagine how much worse it was for his sister.
Today he was called over by an older member of the order and instructed to go meet with Pakku about an important matter. After finishing some of his own duties and snatching a bit to eat back at his igloo with his sister, he finally made his way over. As a master waterbender, Pakku had done marvelous work building a large building of ice for he and the other members of the order to work in and out of. Even now Sokka marveled at the construction, which the South Pole had previously never possessed due to a lack of waterbenders. He really felt he ought to insist Katara give their own home a bit of an upgrade. Even if they were getting a little too old to be living with each other anymore.
He was surprised to find Pakku not alone, but sitting at a Pai Sho table with another familiar face, Master Piandao. The swordmaster stood to greet Sokka with a smile. “Sokka. You keep getting taller. How is your sister?”
Beaming a bit at the comment, because Sokka did feel he had been getting rather tall lately, he answered quickly. “Oh. You know, she’s getting better. She likes to dote on the Avatar. That’s kind of her thing now. Doting and bending.”
Both of the old masters glanced knowing looks at one another and suddenly things did not feel so light. However, Piandao continued. “Glad to hear it. Sit down. I believe Pakku is about to beat me again.”
The older man smirked as he moved a tile. “You’ve grown rusty.”
The swordsman gave Sokka a look, before turning back at Pakku to shake his head. “Life in the Earth Kingdom isn’t as quiet as I’d like. There’s never enough time for Pai Sho.”
With the Fire Nation military still in power, the country had yet to open its borders to outsiders, much less those who were deemed traitors. Since the day they were all banished, Piandao had been living in Ba Sing Se to keep an eye on the Earth King. It was a life that little suited the man, who had grown quite content to live in peace and solitude. A task like that would have been far more suitable for Iroh, were he still alive. But with the game finished, Sokka took a seat between the two. He was curious about what sort of matter would require two of the senior members of the White Lotus to speak to him about. If King Bumi had arrived too, he’d have been extremely concerned.
Pakku turned to the young man, his expression now serious. “Sokka, do you remember what you saw the day that Aang fought the Fire Lord.”
Ah. Sokka’s expression fell immediately. “... yeah. He had Ozai restrained. He couldn’t do anything to fight back. And then Aang pressed his hand against his forehead. And then. He snapped. I thought Aang was finally coming through, like I said to, but then he just went back into the Avatar State and went nuts. Why?”
“General Iroh surmised that it was ‘energy bending’ and that he was attempting to remove Ozai’s bending, an attempt at a more peaceful resolution.” As Piandao stated that, he pulled up a book that was sitting on the table. He opened it to a page full of words and a small sketch of a lion turtle. “One of our order finally found a mention of it in a book in Ba Sing Se’s library. He was right. Furthermore, it looks like it was the cause of Aang’s madness. When he attempted to remove the Fire Lord’s bending, it became a battle of spirits. Aang’s lost that battle and he became corrupted as a result.”
It gave Sokka chills just to think of that. His best friend had tried to save Ozai, only to become worse than him in the process. Aang may have saved the Earth Kingdom from being razed to the ground, but he nearly wiped out the Fire Nation in the process. He didn’t like where this was going. If this was purely informative, then his sister would be here too. “So Aang turned evil on us. I kind of knew that already. So what’s the big deal?”
Solemnly, Pakku began to put away the pieces on the Pai Sho board. “Through our efforts, we preserved the Avatar line. However, there remains a possibility that the corruption that tainted Aang’s spirit may linger. When the new Avatar is old enough to make contact with the Spirit World, he’ll be exposed to that very evil.”
Piandao concluded the statement. “We don’t know what will happen. Avatar Aang may attempt to corrupt the child as well. In the end, it may be a simple matter of teaching the young Avatar to resist this evil. However, there remains the possibility that Aang will taint the Avatar as he was tainted by Ozai. If this happens, he could become extremely dangerous.”
It was like his heart skipped a beat. Sokka couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That child was like family to him. He loved the kid almost as if he was his own. That the two of them were suggesting he might one day turn evil like Aang did, it sickened him. “That’s... Look, there’s no way that could happen, right? All the other Avatars would stop Aang. It’s not like Roku, Kyoshi, and all those other ones are just going to ignore him, right?”
“It’s not that easy, Sokka.” Pakku said. “The Avatar’s connection is strongest with their most immediate predecessor. When it comes to the young Avatar, Aang will have more influence and power than any of them.”
Sokka’s eyes fell. He knew what this all meant. What they were getting at. His fists tightened at the thought of it.
“We’d never want to ask you to do anything to harm the child.” Piandao said. “But none of us will live forever. Not even King Bumi. If the boy is corrupted and we are not there for when it happens, you must be prepared to deal with him. The Avatar cycle will need to be broken.”
Sokka felt his blood boiling. He was angry at them for asking. He knew they were right. If it came down to it, yes, he’d do what had to be done. But he hated the thought of it so much that it made him sick. He couldn’t look either of them in the eye and his response was filled with bitterness. “Right. You kill one Avatar, you might as well go for a second one. I guess that’s why you let me join, right?”
Piandao shook his head. “No, Sokka. I saw you as being one of us long before--”
Sokka stood up. “Forget it. I won’t do it. You’ve got a bunch of other members in this order, right? Go convince one of them to do it. I already saved the world. Let someone else do it next time.”
“Sokka-” Piandao began to object, but Pakku interjected. “Let him go, Piandao.”
He needed no further permission. Turning his back on them, Sokka left the building feeling angry, guilty, and incredibly sad. He failed to fight back the hot tears forming in his eyes and instead wiped them away as he went out into the cold windy air that awaited him. What he needed right now was to get away. Forget this stupid White Lotus business. He went home to grab his weapons and hunting gear and made his way to the outskirts of the village to hunt, with Momo as his only company.
Setting: ATLA AU - Three years after Aang's death following Sozin's Comet.
Summary: Haunted by the death stroke he delivered to the Avatar, he is now burdened with the reality that the next Avatar may also be corrupted. Distancing himself from that responsibility, he heads to the Earth Kingdom to visit old friends. His first stop is Kyoshi Island...
ONE MONTH EARLIER
The difficulty in being a member of the White Lotus was the new duties that came with it. What was once a small village was starting to look more like a compound run by the White Lotus. Sokka had never really given much thought to Master Pakku in the past, having not been a waterbender. Now he was not only his step-grandfather, his ‘gramp-gramp’, but he also was the head of the White Lotus in the South Pole now. It meant that whenever something important happened, he had to deal with him face to face. He could only imagine how much worse it was for his sister.
Today he was called over by an older member of the order and instructed to go meet with Pakku about an important matter. After finishing some of his own duties and snatching a bit to eat back at his igloo with his sister, he finally made his way over. As a master waterbender, Pakku had done marvelous work building a large building of ice for he and the other members of the order to work in and out of. Even now Sokka marveled at the construction, which the South Pole had previously never possessed due to a lack of waterbenders. He really felt he ought to insist Katara give their own home a bit of an upgrade. Even if they were getting a little too old to be living with each other anymore.
He was surprised to find Pakku not alone, but sitting at a Pai Sho table with another familiar face, Master Piandao. The swordmaster stood to greet Sokka with a smile. “Sokka. You keep getting taller. How is your sister?”
Beaming a bit at the comment, because Sokka did feel he had been getting rather tall lately, he answered quickly. “Oh. You know, she’s getting better. She likes to dote on the Avatar. That’s kind of her thing now. Doting and bending.”
Both of the old masters glanced knowing looks at one another and suddenly things did not feel so light. However, Piandao continued. “Glad to hear it. Sit down. I believe Pakku is about to beat me again.”
The older man smirked as he moved a tile. “You’ve grown rusty.”
The swordsman gave Sokka a look, before turning back at Pakku to shake his head. “Life in the Earth Kingdom isn’t as quiet as I’d like. There’s never enough time for Pai Sho.”
With the Fire Nation military still in power, the country had yet to open its borders to outsiders, much less those who were deemed traitors. Since the day they were all banished, Piandao had been living in Ba Sing Se to keep an eye on the Earth King. It was a life that little suited the man, who had grown quite content to live in peace and solitude. A task like that would have been far more suitable for Iroh, were he still alive. But with the game finished, Sokka took a seat between the two. He was curious about what sort of matter would require two of the senior members of the White Lotus to speak to him about. If King Bumi had arrived too, he’d have been extremely concerned.
Pakku turned to the young man, his expression now serious. “Sokka, do you remember what you saw the day that Aang fought the Fire Lord.”
Ah. Sokka’s expression fell immediately. “... yeah. He had Ozai restrained. He couldn’t do anything to fight back. And then Aang pressed his hand against his forehead. And then. He snapped. I thought Aang was finally coming through, like I said to, but then he just went back into the Avatar State and went nuts. Why?”
“General Iroh surmised that it was ‘energy bending’ and that he was attempting to remove Ozai’s bending, an attempt at a more peaceful resolution.” As Piandao stated that, he pulled up a book that was sitting on the table. He opened it to a page full of words and a small sketch of a lion turtle. “One of our order finally found a mention of it in a book in Ba Sing Se’s library. He was right. Furthermore, it looks like it was the cause of Aang’s madness. When he attempted to remove the Fire Lord’s bending, it became a battle of spirits. Aang’s lost that battle and he became corrupted as a result.”
It gave Sokka chills just to think of that. His best friend had tried to save Ozai, only to become worse than him in the process. Aang may have saved the Earth Kingdom from being razed to the ground, but he nearly wiped out the Fire Nation in the process. He didn’t like where this was going. If this was purely informative, then his sister would be here too. “So Aang turned evil on us. I kind of knew that already. So what’s the big deal?”
Solemnly, Pakku began to put away the pieces on the Pai Sho board. “Through our efforts, we preserved the Avatar line. However, there remains a possibility that the corruption that tainted Aang’s spirit may linger. When the new Avatar is old enough to make contact with the Spirit World, he’ll be exposed to that very evil.”
Piandao concluded the statement. “We don’t know what will happen. Avatar Aang may attempt to corrupt the child as well. In the end, it may be a simple matter of teaching the young Avatar to resist this evil. However, there remains the possibility that Aang will taint the Avatar as he was tainted by Ozai. If this happens, he could become extremely dangerous.”
It was like his heart skipped a beat. Sokka couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That child was like family to him. He loved the kid almost as if he was his own. That the two of them were suggesting he might one day turn evil like Aang did, it sickened him. “That’s... Look, there’s no way that could happen, right? All the other Avatars would stop Aang. It’s not like Roku, Kyoshi, and all those other ones are just going to ignore him, right?”
“It’s not that easy, Sokka.” Pakku said. “The Avatar’s connection is strongest with their most immediate predecessor. When it comes to the young Avatar, Aang will have more influence and power than any of them.”
Sokka’s eyes fell. He knew what this all meant. What they were getting at. His fists tightened at the thought of it.
“We’d never want to ask you to do anything to harm the child.” Piandao said. “But none of us will live forever. Not even King Bumi. If the boy is corrupted and we are not there for when it happens, you must be prepared to deal with him. The Avatar cycle will need to be broken.”
Sokka felt his blood boiling. He was angry at them for asking. He knew they were right. If it came down to it, yes, he’d do what had to be done. But he hated the thought of it so much that it made him sick. He couldn’t look either of them in the eye and his response was filled with bitterness. “Right. You kill one Avatar, you might as well go for a second one. I guess that’s why you let me join, right?”
Piandao shook his head. “No, Sokka. I saw you as being one of us long before--”
Sokka stood up. “Forget it. I won’t do it. You’ve got a bunch of other members in this order, right? Go convince one of them to do it. I already saved the world. Let someone else do it next time.”
“Sokka-” Piandao began to object, but Pakku interjected. “Let him go, Piandao.”
He needed no further permission. Turning his back on them, Sokka left the building feeling angry, guilty, and incredibly sad. He failed to fight back the hot tears forming in his eyes and instead wiped them away as he went out into the cold windy air that awaited him. What he needed right now was to get away. Forget this stupid White Lotus business. He went home to grab his weapons and hunting gear and made his way to the outskirts of the village to hunt, with Momo as his only company.