"Except now there're plenty of consequences."
Gran-gran wasn't as spry as Sokka remembered, but her wit never lost its luster, nor her wisdom.
"Don't you worry about her, Gran-gran?"
"Oh Sokka, you've become so protective." Sokka blinked at his grandmother's reproach.
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Dad would have wanted it that way." Sokka remembered the charge his father had given him clearly when he had refused to allow Sokka to accompany him and the warships after the raid that took his mother. He hadn't understood then, the important seriousness of his father's words, but he thought he understood now.
"Protecting her doesn't mean you don't let her live her life." His grandmother continued.
"She is living her life. She's the Master Waterbender of our tribe. She's practically second-in-command." Gran-gran chuckled. Her two squabbling grandchildren were the leaders of their tribe, the forefront of the community's government. Even if the Southern Water tribe was small, it was amazing to her still, especially with them so young.
"You have to be strong, Sokka, stronger than you've ever been." Gran-gran was not chuckling now. Sokka nodded. He wasn't laughing either.
"That's why I'm sending her to Omashu as my personal representative." Gran-gran nodded her head sagely, then cocked an eyebrow.
"Is this because you believe in her or because some of the young warriors have gotten a little persistent?" Sokka grinned wryly before answering.
"Maybe a little of both."