Ba Sing Se was quiet now. The streets were barren, loose papers and confetti and empty cups lying about, the remnants of a festival that had lasted three days. For once, the city had united, the walls tumbling down (metaphorically, of course) to accommodate a celebration that had spread through the narrow roads like wildfire, the joy catching like a plague, burning like flames in the hearts of the people.
But now it was nearing dusk on the third day, the sun just setting over the great wall. The fading rays of sunlight reached out over the rooftops, casting a reddish glow over the city. The street outside of the Jasmine Dragon was deserted too, except for one lone boy walking quietly down the stone road. His eyes scanned his surroundings searchingly, peering into shop windows and around corners. Finally he stepped inside the teashop, the scent of lemon and sweet tea surrounding him with its haze. He looked around.
Aang and Katara were at a table in the lower left corner, sitting on the same side of the table but facing each other. Their hands were clasped together in front of them, their fingers intertwining. They were speaking in low whispers, their heads angled towards each other. The rest of the teashop was empty. "Hey," Sokka said, stepping towards them, interrupting their conversation. Katara looked displeased at being cut off, but Aang turned around, his eyes wide and innocent, a smile on his face. "What is it, Sokka?"
"Have you guys seen Suki around?"
Aang shook his head, but Katara replied, "I think she went upstairs a while ago."
Sokka nodded and went to the door in the back of the shop, climbing the staircase behind it to the second level. He, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Suki had been living here for the past few days. They'd come with Iroh directly from the Fire Nation after Zuko's ceremony, and though Zuko's staff had recommended a royal escort, they took a Fire Nation warship and went on their own (Zuko and Mai had returned with it a day ago, bidding farewell to the team and saying they expected frequent visits). Sokka had said that it still freaked him out to be on one of those things and that after the final battle, he'd had quite enough of airships, thank you very much. But he hadn't had a choice. He'd grumbled that Aang had gotten to ride Appa and why couldn't he have ridden him too? But Suki had pushed him into the ship before he could protest anymore.
His thoughts wandered as he climbed the stairs, which opened into a hallway. He tip-toed quietly down, hearing Iroh snoring from the room to his right. He poked his head into the room Suki and Katara were sharing, but it was empty. He was about to walk away when he realized the window was open.
He leaned out of the window, looking down at the street below where he'd stood just a moment before. It was still vacant. He looked around again, and then he looked up.
Dangling over the edge of the rooftop was someone's foot, and Sokka had a pretty good idea he knew whose it was.
He stood on the windowsill, being careful not to fall, grabbed the rim of the roof, and swung himself up. The person already sitting there recoiled in shock, her short dark hair swishing into her face and back again, but she quickly settled, seeing it was only Sokka. He crawled up and sat beside her, smiling as she looked away from him, out over the rooftops. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
She sighed. "The future."
Sokka grinned. "Well maybe you should be thinking about me," he said cheekily, leaning in to kiss her, but she backed her head away from him slightly. "Sokka," she reprimanded, hugging her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Sokka's face grew serious again as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice softening.
"I've just been thinking lately," she said, turning to look at him, "What are we going to do now? I mean, the war's over. We can't all stay in Ba Sing Se forever. You and Katara have a home, Toph has parents, Zuko has a nation to run, I have an island..." her voice was getting steadily faster and faster and she stopped abruptly, staring off into the sky again.
Sokka was silent for a few moments. "Katara told me that she and Aang talked about it," he said at last. "He says that the war's not really over. There are still so many refugees and so many towns to rebuild. He says there are still Fire Nation camps all over the place that won't just give up without a fight. He says he's not going to settle down. He's going to keep moving, traveling around the world to find the people who need his help."
Suki smiled sadly. "He's the Avatar, alright." "Katara says she wants to go with him," Sokka continued, lost in his thoughts, as if Suki hadn't spoken. "Pakku's going back to the South Pole, she says, so she thinks we don't need her. I don't know what to do. My dad's still the chief of our tribe, and I won't be until he's gone. Still I feel like I should be there, helping him rebuild our home. But I don't know if I can do it without Katara. She needs Aang, I know, and Aang needs her, but she doesn't realize how much I need her too."
He turned to look at her again. "Besides, you wouldn't like it in the South Pole. Your makeup would freeze."
She smiled. "I don't have to wear it. I'm not wearing it now." He reached up and touched the side of her face. "Besides, you have a home to go back to. I can't keep you from that."
"You're always welcome on Kyoshi," Suki said, and then added, "And you know, I don't have to go home. The girls can always appoint a new leader." Sokka's hand retreated as she turned her head again to look out over Ba Sing Se, but this time with determination. "I don't want to sit at home. I want to help. Aang's right, the war isn't over. I don't want to be stuck on Kyoshi while you guys are running around having all the fun." She grinned. "Let's do it, Sokka. Let's go with Aang and Katara. Who says the adventures have to end?"
"But Suki, what about my dad? I can't desert him."
She thought for a moment. "We'll go to the South Pole first and tell everyone our plan to see what they think. I'm sure your dad will like the idea. We can even stay there for a little while. Then we can stop by Kyoshi and I can tell the girls about my decision. And we're off again!"
Sokka smiled. "That sounds like a great plan to me."
She laughed and poked his shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be the plan guy."
"You wouldn't have thought of it if I hadn't come up here, you know."
"You're just jealous that I'm a better plan-maker than you."
"Get out of here, no one's as good as me."
But now it was nearing dusk on the third day, the sun just setting over the great wall. The fading rays of sunlight reached out over the rooftops, casting a reddish glow over the city. The street outside of the Jasmine Dragon was deserted too, except for one lone boy walking quietly down the stone road. His eyes scanned his surroundings searchingly, peering into shop windows and around corners. Finally he stepped inside the teashop, the scent of lemon and sweet tea surrounding him with its haze. He looked around.
Aang and Katara were at a table in the lower left corner, sitting on the same side of the table but facing each other. Their hands were clasped together in front of them, their fingers intertwining. They were speaking in low whispers, their heads angled towards each other. The rest of the teashop was empty. "Hey," Sokka said, stepping towards them, interrupting their conversation. Katara looked displeased at being cut off, but Aang turned around, his eyes wide and innocent, a smile on his face. "What is it, Sokka?"
"Have you guys seen Suki around?"
Aang shook his head, but Katara replied, "I think she went upstairs a while ago."
Sokka nodded and went to the door in the back of the shop, climbing the staircase behind it to the second level. He, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Suki had been living here for the past few days. They'd come with Iroh directly from the Fire Nation after Zuko's ceremony, and though Zuko's staff had recommended a royal escort, they took a Fire Nation warship and went on their own (Zuko and Mai had returned with it a day ago, bidding farewell to the team and saying they expected frequent visits). Sokka had said that it still freaked him out to be on one of those things and that after the final battle, he'd had quite enough of airships, thank you very much. But he hadn't had a choice. He'd grumbled that Aang had gotten to ride Appa and why couldn't he have ridden him too? But Suki had pushed him into the ship before he could protest anymore.
His thoughts wandered as he climbed the stairs, which opened into a hallway. He tip-toed quietly down, hearing Iroh snoring from the room to his right. He poked his head into the room Suki and Katara were sharing, but it was empty. He was about to walk away when he realized the window was open.
He leaned out of the window, looking down at the street below where he'd stood just a moment before. It was still vacant. He looked around again, and then he looked up.
Dangling over the edge of the rooftop was someone's foot, and Sokka had a pretty good idea he knew whose it was.
He stood on the windowsill, being careful not to fall, grabbed the rim of the roof, and swung himself up. The person already sitting there recoiled in shock, her short dark hair swishing into her face and back again, but she quickly settled, seeing it was only Sokka. He crawled up and sat beside her, smiling as she looked away from him, out over the rooftops. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
She sighed. "The future."
Sokka grinned. "Well maybe you should be thinking about me," he said cheekily, leaning in to kiss her, but she backed her head away from him slightly. "Sokka," she reprimanded, hugging her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Sokka's face grew serious again as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice softening.
"I've just been thinking lately," she said, turning to look at him, "What are we going to do now? I mean, the war's over. We can't all stay in Ba Sing Se forever. You and Katara have a home, Toph has parents, Zuko has a nation to run, I have an island..." her voice was getting steadily faster and faster and she stopped abruptly, staring off into the sky again.
Sokka was silent for a few moments. "Katara told me that she and Aang talked about it," he said at last. "He says that the war's not really over. There are still so many refugees and so many towns to rebuild. He says there are still Fire Nation camps all over the place that won't just give up without a fight. He says he's not going to settle down. He's going to keep moving, traveling around the world to find the people who need his help."
Suki smiled sadly. "He's the Avatar, alright." "Katara says she wants to go with him," Sokka continued, lost in his thoughts, as if Suki hadn't spoken. "Pakku's going back to the South Pole, she says, so she thinks we don't need her. I don't know what to do. My dad's still the chief of our tribe, and I won't be until he's gone. Still I feel like I should be there, helping him rebuild our home. But I don't know if I can do it without Katara. She needs Aang, I know, and Aang needs her, but she doesn't realize how much I need her too."
He turned to look at her again. "Besides, you wouldn't like it in the South Pole. Your makeup would freeze."
She smiled. "I don't have to wear it. I'm not wearing it now." He reached up and touched the side of her face. "Besides, you have a home to go back to. I can't keep you from that."
"You're always welcome on Kyoshi," Suki said, and then added, "And you know, I don't have to go home. The girls can always appoint a new leader." Sokka's hand retreated as she turned her head again to look out over Ba Sing Se, but this time with determination. "I don't want to sit at home. I want to help. Aang's right, the war isn't over. I don't want to be stuck on Kyoshi while you guys are running around having all the fun." She grinned. "Let's do it, Sokka. Let's go with Aang and Katara. Who says the adventures have to end?"
"But Suki, what about my dad? I can't desert him."
She thought for a moment. "We'll go to the South Pole first and tell everyone our plan to see what they think. I'm sure your dad will like the idea. We can even stay there for a little while. Then we can stop by Kyoshi and I can tell the girls about my decision. And we're off again!"
Sokka smiled. "That sounds like a great plan to me."
She laughed and poked his shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be the plan guy."
"You wouldn't have thought of it if I hadn't come up here, you know."
"You're just jealous that I'm a better plan-maker than you."
"Get out of here, no one's as good as me."