Those left behind
Jun was shocked to see him again when he entered the bar and made a beeline straight for her, the men in the bar scrambling out of his way hurriedly, not at all fooled by his slight body and lack of height. He was alone this time, thankfully, and was no longer dressed for battle, his outfit casual and of Earth Kingdom make. She masked her surprise with a satisfied smirk as the teen settled himself in the chair across from her and waved the waitress over to place his order. They waited until she'd returned with his drink (juice, not alcohol. Jun's smirk grew) to speak.
"You lost your girlfriend too, huh, funny boy?" she asked snidely. "Thought a pretty boy like you could keep his girl, but then again, angry boy wasn't bad looking either."
"Haha!" his laugh was raucous but genuine and Jun's smirk softened a bit, pleased that he appreciated her humor. "Funny boy! That's good, but please it's Sokka... And my girlfriend's fine and I know exactly where she is, thank you," he replied, wiping the tears from his crystalline eyes.
"Sokka? I like funny boy better." Jun took a sip from her drink and watched as Sokka did the same. His manner became serious as he set the drink down, though, and he didn't bite back.
Instead he said, "Whatever. Call me what you want. I need your help."
Her eyebrows rose. "Help isn't free, boy. This isn't a charity service and I ain't cheap."
Without missing a beat he dropped a large purse on the stained table, the clink and tinkle of money clearly audible from within. Jun gave Sokka a look before lifting the sack, weighing it in her hands. Satisfied for now, she plunked it back down. "That's good, depending on what you're asking for."
"It's a simple mission," he stated. "I need you to find some friends of mine."
She snorted, "Well, obviously! I don't do prostitution."
He ignored her interruption and continued, "They haven't been lost long, but I'm worried... and I miss them. I know the approximate area where they are — it's not far from here, actually — and I have plenty of things they've come into contact with."
"Do you need transportation, too?"
"No, I have an eel-hound. So is it enough?" he asked as if he knew her answer already.
"Yeah, it's fine," she gritted out, "Who are we looking for exactly?"
Sokka told her. Jun grinned. They downed their drinks and left the bar together.
Outside, Nyla was nose to nose with a sleek, deep green — nearly black eel-hound, her starred snout sniffing curiously.
Jun joined her pet in surveying the other animal, albeit with her eyes rather her nose. Satisfied that the beast wouldn't slow her down, she turned to Sokka. "That's a fine animal you got there."
He beamed at her. "Thanks! I call him Eely." He began to pet and coo at the eel-hound. "'Hoos a good Eely? 'Hoos a good boy?" Jun snickered and stroked Nyla as Sokka finished by wrapping his arms around Eely's neck in a bear-hug. When the beast licked the boy Jun guffawed and, startled, Sokka straightened and sniffed, wiping the slobber off covertly.
She eyed him mirthfully, "You done?"
"Yeah! I was just, um, waiting for you!" he said, his voice high and young. Jun shook her head and swung gracefully onto Nyla's back.
"Then give Nyla the scent and lets go!" she ordered, feeling impatient and eager for the thrill and challenge of the hunt. Sokka nodded and presented several items for Nyla to nose at. As the shirshu began to slaver, scenting the air, Sokka clambered onto Eely's back. Once he was in position, Jun coaxed Nyla into a run.
They made good time, both Nyla and Eely were swift. Beasts born and bred to run they wound their long, muscular bodies through the thick trees without breaking stride. As they drew ever closer to their destination, Jun watched the boy on the eel-hound with keen eyes. He smiled at her occasionally and leaned low over Eely's arched neck, clearly enjoying the ride he even pulled ahead a bit to turn the pursuit into a race. But within the eyes that met hers, behind the humor and joy was an underlying current of steel. Eely wasn't the only thing about the pair Jun found impressive.
"So," she called, "You gonna tell me why you're doing this?"
"What do you mean?" he shouted back at her.
"Most would cut their losses!"
"Oh, well, I guess I love them!" he replied and he didn't sound like he was guessing at all.
Jun snorted, "Love! You have a girl don't you?! Go love her!"
He sounded surprised and urged Eely closer to Nyla, "It's a different kind of love, Jun. Like, you love Nyla, you wouldn't love a guy that way, yeah?"
Jun scowled, "I wouldn't love a man at all. They're fools who don't realize what they have when they have it."
Shocked by her vehemence, Sokka didn't respond and maybe that was just as well because Jun wished she'd never said it.
After awhile, Nyla slowed and nuzzled at the earth. Aha, paydirt. Jun and Sokka dismounted at the same time, but Jun stood by Nyla's head as Sokka shifted the thick cover of leaves on the forest floor, giving him minimal privacy as he met the bare earth and began to dig with his hands.
Finally, he found what he was looking for, what he'd journeyed such a long way from home and family for.
They lay together like a pair of eloped lovers, their beauty concealed beneath layers of muck. Sokka lifted them up reverently and held them gently, running his gritty fingers over their surfaces. Abruptly he burst into tears and pulled Jun into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much," he sobbed against the skin of her throat.
Disgusted by the mud he was smearing her with, she struggled, "Get off me and give me my money, funny boy, before I give you a real reason to cry!" For some reason entirely beyond her, she found herself missing his warmth as he pulled away. She watched him as he trudged through the muck to Eely's side and absently caught the purse when he tossed it her way.
She looked at the bag, weighing it once more before tying it at her waist. She looked up at Sokka and said in a voice that lacked her usual gruff air, "Nice doing business with ya."
Sokka didn't seem to hear her, though, mesmerized as he was by the dark sword and gleaming boomerang in his hands and Jun climbed onto Nyla and, sparing him one last look, took her leave.
She smirked when she heard him cry out: "Eely, look Space Sword and Boomerang are back! We're Team Sokeelswang!"
- - -
AN: I just wanted some closure, okay?!
Yeah, takes place after the finale by maybe like a week, cause there was no way Sokka wouldn't at least try in my head. Remember the breakdown in Avatar Day?
Don't ask me what's going on with Jun in this because I don't even know.
- - -
Sokka surveyed the horizon carefully as he journeyed back to Ba Sing Sei. Occasionally he would run a hand over the pair of weapons sheathed on his back, still shaken by their recent loss despite their recovery. He gave Eely free rein, trusting the eel-hound to carry him home with minimal guidance. Suddenly, he tightened his grip on the reins and pulled Eely to a halt. He'd seen something: a distant, dark shape wheeling through the clear sky over the burned out husks of the trees in this part of the forest. Together, he and Eely observed it as it flew closer, gaining size and definition.
Sokka's eyes widened as he recognized it and he spurred Eely forward to meet it as it descended. He raised an arm for the circling bird with a joyous cry, "HAWKY!"
With a few showy swoops and a loop, Hawky alighted on Sokka's forearm with an answering screech before bowing his head to offer the scroll tethered to his harness.
"Mail!" Sokka yelled gleefully, only to frown when he noticed who it was addressed to, "Oh, not my mail." After a beat, he shrugged, "Well, why would I want mail from Toph's parents anyways? It's just my messenger hawk and all." The last part was bit out with his customary sarcasm.
After several moments of scowling at a nearby tree stump, Sokka brightened. "Well, I guess we'll just have to take it to her, huh?" With a nod, Hawky took flight, much to Sokka's horror. "No, Hawky!" he urged Eely into a gallop, keeping his eyes on Hawky. "You can't just burst in there! Momo will get you! WAIT FOR ME! TEAM SOKEELSWANKY MUST STICK TOGETHER!"