Nimble little feet were running toward the water tribe councilman when he lifted his head from his paper work. He grinned in anticipation as his twin daughters ran into the small office he kept at home, each clutching a bag in their tiny hands tightly. Taking off his reading glasses, he relaxed back against the cushion of furs that he was sitting on to wait for them to reach him. Their shoulder length brown hair was tied back into cute pigtails and their bright blue eyes shone with excitement against pale skin. They were beautiful and only four years old. Sokka smiled as they made it to him and huffed in exhaustion.

"What, girls, are you holding?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what they had dug up and found so important as to run to him. They had smiles splitting their faces as they set down the bundles and unwrapped them with quick fingers. Spilling from their confines, then, were jars, bottles, and slabs covered, filled, and smeared with make up of different colors. In one bag, it was black, grey, and while. In the other it was white, black, and red. Immediately, Sokka recognized what all of this was. it was the warrior make up that Sokka and Suki owned. Half of it was the make up of a water tribe warrior, while the other pile was that of a Kyoshi warrior. Fond memories of meeting his wife, being a warrior, growing up in the south pole, and travelling the world flooded his mind and nostalgia fills him to the point of overflowing.

Sadly, he tries to think of the last time he was ever actually fighting or travelling, more than just yelling at council members or walking the tamed streets of Republic City. He missed the wilderness and the adventure. Briefly, the warrior wonders if the gaang would be willing to get together one last time and travel the earth kingdom a little, even if for a short time. He knew that was impossible, though. The city needed them. They needed him on the council, they needed Toph as head of police, they needed Aang as their avatar, they needed his sister as their healer. They were needed and for him, that was enough to stay put. With a smile, he closed the lid on his nostalgia and focused on the sweet girls before him chattering about finding it in a box while looking for their sabertooth moose lion plush. Sokka smiles at one last, long gone memory of his childhood adventures before turning his full attention to his daughters.

"And we just wanted to know why this stuff is packages so weird and what it's for!" the older by three minutes twin, Fuuka, finished with curiosity shining in her eyes. Sokka grinned at them and reached out for a small sea shell, cradling it infinitely gently as he pried it open and revealed black war paint pooled in the center. It was chunky now, dried and cracked and dry around the edges of the globby chunk. With a large fingertip, he swiped some of the paint from the shell and leaned forward toward the younger of the sisters, Kanna. Sliding his finger along her skin, he smiled at the dark line it left beneath her eyes. Patiently, she waited for him to sit back before she dug around the pile of make up for a small, ornate glass mirror that he guessed was Suki's. She appraised her reflection for a moment, always her quiet, patient self, before smiling and looking to her father with hungry eyes.

"More, father!" she crowed, excited by the make up. Sokka chuckled and opened the rest of the little parcels and bottles of make up. Setting them out along the low desk, he asked each girl to kneel before asking which make up they wanted. Fuuka was quick to shout out "Mama's!" where as Kanna requested her father's. Sokka explained what each color and make up meant as we went along finishing Kanna's, telling her along the way that this was the make up of a Southern tribe warrior and that it was usually the men of the tribe that wore this. Her mother's fire shone through her meek personality briefly for her to reply,

"Well, too bad. I'm a girl and I want to wear it. It's pretty!" To which the man chuckled and finished the last of the make up along her eyes. She continued to sit quietly, ever patient, as Sokka talked through Fuuka getting the markings of a Kyoshi warrior. He told colorful tales of meeting their mother and getting this same make up on himself when he wanted to join them. They giggled hysterically at the mention of his wearing a dress, but were all the same enthralled in the tales of the avatar Kyoshi and why this make up was worn. When he had finished the red rouge on his daughter's lips, he smiled as they stood and playfully sparred with each other on his floor, each spitting that their side was better. Memories of spars with his wife flitted in front of him before he gently broke the girl's fighting up and told them to go and play outside, to show off their markings to their friend. He knew without a doubt that the stories that he had told them a moment ago would quickly be retold with much more excitement and danger to the ears of other eager toddlers. Shaking his head and smiling, he turned to return to his work when familiar fingers slipped through his hair and down his cheeks to pool around his neck at the base of throat against his collarbone. Leaning back into the soft chest and stomach of his wife, he smiled.

"Hello, dear, what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, innocently, knowing full well that the girl's had undoubtedly shown their mother their new make up. A giggle reached his ears and he loved it.

"The girls just showed me their fantastic new make up and I was just wondering where in the world two four year olds in Republic City had gotten a hold of tribe make up and red rouge from a sea shell," she whispered back as she leaned against him and reached small hands to stroke the edge of a white paint bottle gently. Sokka knew that she was remembering too, that she missed it too. If she was anything, Suki was adventurous. Being in the city made her feel cooped up and while she had her classes to teach fighting and even though she went on a tribe three times a year to Kyoshi Island, it wasn't always enough. She needed a break too. And while Sokka could stay and sacrifice a break for the city, he wasn't going to make his wife suffer too.

'Maybe a little break with just the two of us is in order,' he decided as he turned and pulled the former warrior into his lap. She giggled and kissed his hard on the lips before pulling away with a bright flush and a smile. A mischievous air filled her eyes and her smile became coy as she touched the edge of his shirt and grazed her nails lightly along the sensitive skin of his neck. Sokka tried not to groan, he knew that she was teasing him on purpose. He looked down at her as she grinned.

"You know, I haven't seen you in warrior make up in a while. It makes me miss the good old days. It was always a little bit of a turn on," she winked and Sokka smirked.

"I was just thinking that perhaps a vacation is needed. We can make it like the old days. Make up, weapons, outfits, camping, and all. Just say the word and I'll tell Aang I'll be gone for a few days," Sokka explained, his own fingers tracing along her spine and hips. Suki glowed at the idea and quickly kissed him hard again before turning to gather her warrior paint and jumping from his lap. She turned at the door to wink one last time.

"We leave tomorrow, Kya can watch the girls," she said with another bright, yet coy. Sokka could only nodded as the thoughts of the next few days filtered through his head and anticipation and excitement filled him. When she left, he sighed and turned to look at the work he needed to do. Yakone was still missing and there were countless sites he needed to visit. But here and now, he needed a vacation with his wife to the life he had grown up with. A smile split his lips and he sighed. Outside, he could hear the girls talking loud and excited to their friends around the paint on their faces.

-fin-