A/N: I just checked my stats and "Prison Conversations" has had over 200 readers make it through the whole thing. That pleases me ridiculously (who'd read through 20 chapters of something if they didn't like it?). I'm also quite pleased at the number of reviews I have received so far on the sequel here. Wow. Y'all are so loyal I don't dare give up on this.
Disclaimer: You know the drill – don't own it, won't claim it, shall be exempt from legal action thereby.
Chapter 4
"All this talking is stupid. I don't really think it's necessary, but if you're gonna go nuts about it why not just go get him?" Toph's quiet voice cut through their tension with its customary abruptness.
"Well, I can think of two reasons, actually," said Katara. She felt a bit awkward because she still wasn't wholly comfortable with the younger girl's presence.
"Like what?" asked Aang. He adored both girls, and hated it when they were at odds. It was different than when Katara squabbled with Sokka – that was always very much in the open and blew over quickly. They may snipe at one another but there was never any question as to the real underlying affection between them.
Katara and Toph didn't squabble, at least, not very often. They just…didn't always seem to agree. Aang put it down to two very strong personalities still finding their fit together. It never occurred to him that there might be some edge of competitiveness between the two young bending masters, or that his attention might sharpen that edge.
"Well, if the rescue effort was successful and we show up afterwards we could just get ourselves in trouble," Katara had honed her wit on the stone of her brother's intellect for years, and had no difficulty playing devil's advocate. "If, as Toph says, our rescue isn't necessary we could just confuse things in his getting back to us."
"And it would delay Aang's fire-bending lessons," Toph finished. "There's your third reason." The implication in her voice was clear. It was about time Katara recognized the logic of staying where they were.
Aang interjected, as much for the sake of peace as anything, "But that assumes he doesn't need our help. That the Earth Kingdom's effort will be successful."
Toph turned her blind gaze to Aang. He found nothing disconcerting in it, since her face was an open book to him.
"We've held out a hundred years against the Fire Nation. I think that deserves some faith in what we can accomplish." Her voice was gentle. She wanted to reassure.
Suddenly she grinned, "What's up with you two? Sokka's not half the fool he appears. He's probably already slipped through their fingers and is on his way here now. This is Sokka we're talking about!"
Katara couldn't help a grin in response. "Right. Slipped right out of one hole and splat into another. This is Sokka we're talking about…"
"So. If you could do it over again, would you do it differently?" Sokka knew he was attacking without provocation. But hell, he had been generous. This was a question that had been on his mind for a while. That he waited until Zuko could fry him just for asking was grace indeed, in his own mind. Whether or not Zuko perceived it as such was another question.
But Zuko ached in every bone and muscle. More so in those recently taxed, his shoulder and arm. Sokka almost felt guilty when Zuko's initial response spun harmlessly into the surf. Again. He'd have felt more guilty if Zuko had chosen to respond with words rather than a fireball. But hey, anyway. What could you expect from teenagers?
"What? Do what? What a stupid way to ask a question." He was annoyed with himself for bothering to respond at all. But there. Maybe he had misunderstood Sokka's question.
"Okay, fine. Let's just start with that war-room. Do you regret what you said?"
Or maybe he had not.
"The general's strategy was sound."
"I didn't ask that. If winning is the most important thing, and you don't care about the cost, then whatever you do to win is sound. But I don't give a fuck if the strategy was sound or not." He slowed his voice to enunciate each word so that it got its own emphasis, as if his statement was punctuated by periods after every word. " Do you regret objecting that it was the right thing to do?" Sokka didn't care about military tactics at this stage.
"You're an ignorant peasant. You can't even grasp what goes into such a decision." Zuko tried the same trick. He'd argued enough with Sokka to know that whoever got the other one to actually answer would be the winner.
"We already know I'm an ignorant peasant. Don't care! What I think don't matter! Have you changed your mind about sending in raw troops to face a massacre? Or did I misunderstand your objection in the first place?"
Silence. Firm, frigid silence.
"Okay. Just tell me if I've missed something somewhere then," They both knew when silence was as good as an answer. Sokka was almost smirking already, but he kept his voice even, calm and thoughtful. "If you were wrong, and your father was somehow right to scar you and banish you for protesting, does this mean your father is some kind of god who is infallible? Or, if you were right, and it was wrong to send in those troops, but your father was also right, then your justice system must be somehow fucked up to punish you for being right. Isn't it? Is it even possible for you both to be right? So, if you were right, and your father was wrong – I admit this is my favorite take on the issue – then what kind of fool does that make you for wasting the last three years of your life doing what your father demanded?"
Sokka paused for deliberate effect. Sometimes he wished he could watch himself.
"You talk too much."
Sokka waved the comment aside, as if he hadn't heard. "I don't know… Any way I look at it, I think you're screwed. It looks to me like no one is allowed to be right but your father. And by now even you must admit he looks pretty damned wrong about most things…"
Zuko's eyes were fixed on the fire, "You do know how easy it would be for me to kill you, don't you?"
"Actually, no. I don't know." Behind these words were years of practice at goading another human being to just the verge. Sokka didn't bait out of cruelty. Not really. He really wanted someone to share his thinking, and Sokka had found that Zuko was not unlike Katara when it came to motivating him to think! Both were too introspective by half, and needed provoking. He hoped he had gauged how far he could safely provoke Zuko.
"I mean, yes, of course you could blast me with fire. I know you're injured and not at your best, but I've seen you work. Still. I don't think it would be easy for you."
And Sokka decided to put it on the line. No more hiding behind excuses. All this gambling was beginning to tell on him. It made no sense at all. And yet. Every bet he'd placed on the Fire Prince he had thought he'd had the inside edge. And usually, when he meant to win, he did. Of course, he had definitely lost before. And without meaning to! He tossed luck aside in favor clearing the air.
"You are so full of shit your eyes should be brown. You know what I think about the Fire Nation's goals. You know I want your father dead and I can't even think of the right hell to consign your sister to!" Sokka paused to breathe deeply. "And if you don't believe I'd give my life for Aang then I should have left you in that hell-hole of a prison just for stupidity's sake." Slowly and deliberately, he made his way back to his seat, every muscle tense with the effort of appearing relaxed while remaining ready to dodge instantly.
Zuko's gaze never wavered from the fire. He wasn't yet ready for this conversation, but he didn't question Sokka for forcing the issue. It was time. Still, he could have wished Sokka had been willing to play the fool just a bit longer. He honestly didn't know how he would emerge from this confrontation.
The fire flared higher, and Sokka knew Zuko heard him. He sighed.
"Okay, fine, forget all that. Just answer the original question. Do you regret speaking up?"
This time Zuko's golden eyes met the Water Tribe boy's without flinching. "I regret nothing. Except… maybe not killing you when I first had the chance."
Sokka's lip curled, as a part of his soul relaxed. "Small change, Zuko. You lost your chance, 'cause I think sorting out who owes whom after this is more trouble than it's worth for either of us."
"Sez you," Zuko grunted. But a weight had lifted from his own soul, which had nothing to do with his relationship with Sokka. He had admitted, and not just to himself, that despite its costs he still believed he had made one right choice three years ago.
And that, for now, was enough for both of them.
A/N: Okay, I hate Sokka the fool. So in my stories I have tried to give him motivation for playing the fool even if he is possibly smarter than nearly everyone else. Hey, even in canon he's the one usually more aware of the dangers and/or absurdities of any given situation than anyone else. He's a bit of a geek. And, yes, he's lazy. (I've only just realized that I've modeled my vision of Sokka on a guy I knew in college: a clown, philosopher, and musician, quite brilliant and someone I adored. Pity there was no chemistry between us…) Anyway, it is his task, his destiny, to take over Iroh's role in bringing Zuko into realization of the man he can and should be. They are mirrors held up to each other, their differences and similarities, the simple fact that they are, at least in age, true peers, all bind together to, I hope, teach them both something about manhood. If I can pull this off to my own satisfaction, I will be very good indeed!
