09. Lost and at a Loss [offline/text] [Backdated]
[Appa & Sokka ]
[Appa has never been a pet. His bond with Aang is something far more than that, to the point that they’ve shared dreams and been able to know when the other is near. And this connection is why Appa is outside Sokka’s window, bellowing up at him.]
[The connection has been broken. He felt it happen before when Azula struck Aang with lightning, and again here. But Katara fixed it before, so maybe if he could get Sokka to realize what was wrong and find Aang, it could be fixed again.]
[Waking Sokka is not easy, okay? Thankfully, since his time in Adstringendum, he’s learned to be a little more... attuned to the world around him. The bellow comes through as a horn at first, but as he awakens, it filters much differently.]
[Half-awake, he stumbles to the window and tugs it open with a great pull.]
Hey, it’s not breakfast yet! You wanna keep it down?
[Except, he doesn’t expect and answer because something is definitely amiss.]
Appa...?
[Appa turns in a circle outside and bellows up at him again. He’s half-tempted to stand on his back legs and try to pull him out through the window, but even he can tell how unsteady a lot of those buildings are. He doesn’t want to break it and have everyone in there be hurt.]
[There’s something very serious in his eyes and he’s annoyed by the gap between him and Sokka. Not the physical gap, either. Aang understands Appa; Appa understands Aang. They don’t need to find a way to make the other understand the exact problem most of the time. He and Sokka don’t have that exact connection.]
[Sokka huffs, unsure why Appa’s coming to him. Just where is Aang that he’s not taking care of his buddy? Feeling he won’t win this war (sometimes Appa’s just as stubborn as he is,) the young man sighs and rubs his eyes.]
Okay, okay, I’m comin’, I’m com-- [Yawwwwwwn. It’s late, okay?]
[He grumbles his way through the whole process, but it doesn’t take Sokka more than a minute to find his way out the door, still mostly dressed for bed.]
I can’t believe you’re already hungry -- I thought you ate late! Are you that hungry?
[Appa snorts at him. Even if he’s hungry (and he could really go for some of that fruit Raphael just summons into existence), this is more important. He heads a few steps away from Sokka, going towards the road, and bellows at him again.]
[Follow me. Or come now. Or stop yawning. Take your pick.]
That’s... odd.
[Yes, he’s talking to himself... so sue him. Sokka rubs his chin thoughtfully, glances back at the house, then steps forward a few steps, testing a theory. Sometimes tells him he’s supposed to be following this giant sky bison; if Appa acts like this is the appropriate action, Sokka will definitely take the hint.]
What’s wrong, buddy?
[Appa paws at the ground and takes another few steps away. He’s glad the human has caught on to what he wants. There’s a missing Aang to find and that broken connection is really agitating him.]
[Sokka tightens the grip on his PCD as he glances back over his shoulder. Everyone’s asleep, right? As long as he’s got a way to get them a message, he doesn’t see a need to wake anyone else up... yet.]
[Following after Appa at a jog, he catches up pretty quickly and pats the side of the massive beast.]
I’m right here, don’t worry. [As if he isn’t worried already; with Appa so intent, this can only be spelling trouble for Aang.] Just show me, okay, Appa? Show me what’s wrong.
[Appa takes off at a run. He’s not flying; the event has been making his flying shaky. The scent goes this way and over here and-]
[He stops. Where is the scent? Where is it? Where’s that guru guy who could see the connection? That would be helpful!]
[There it is!]
[He takes off again and stops outside of a building. He cries at Sokka; it’s a quieter version of the bellow he woke the human up with. He doesn’t think there’s anyone else around, but he can’t be sure.]
[By now, there’s no doubt in his mind that something is desperately wrong. Appa isn’t known for his flights of fancy, and Sokka isn’t known for charging in without-- oh wait, nevermind, it’s Sokka. But Appa is obviously very concerned.]
[A plan is out of the question -- no time -- so he nods at the bison and pats his friend on his way past. He wishes he had been wise enough to bring a weapon as he ventures off to look for an entrance, but at least he’s brought the PCD. For some reason, Sokka feels like there’s about a dozen voices in his ear telling him to call backup. No time to talk now, he reminds himself and moves on.]
[Hands sweating, he loosens his grip on the communication device and tightens it again just to remind himself that it’s there. Help is just a shot away, it’s just a shot away...]
[Sokka doesn’t really need any help. There’s no one else in the building those unknown assailants are long gone, and the ones following the trail of clues to find the bomb have already left. Of course, there wasn’t anything the later group there could have done for the de-powered Avatar.]
[Aang is on the floor and ‘peaceful’ isn’t really the word for it. There’s bruising around his neck from where he’d been strangled with a scarf, which is conveniently on the floor. His shirt is across the room in a careless heap from where it was tossed aside and his chest has been cut open. It was post-mortem and there are broken stitches in his skin. Whoever killed him and cut him up took the time to sew him back up for someone else to do it again.]
[There’s definitely nothing ‘peaceful’ looking about him.]
No...
[What is this? A trick -- it has to be a trick. Sokka clears the distance between them and practically slides into the body of his friend. Aang’s not moving, not sleeping, not breathing.]
[Sokka practically loses his lunch, but between his concern and confusion, he only manages an intense and numbing worry. At a loss for what to do, he rests shaking hands on Aang and finds him cold.]
Aang, Aang, no! No, what-- what happened? What could’ve... [He doesn’t have enough fortitude to ask more than that before he notices the stitching and the cloth and the obvious tampering with the Avatar’s recently-passed form.]
[His attention turns toward the empty room only briefly. They’re alone, which is both fortunate and unfortunate considering the emotions Sokka feels rumbling deep down inside. As carefully as he can manage, he pulls Aang into his arms and holds him close, tears falling freely.]
[It doesn’t matter how long it takes now, does it? Sokka doesn’t cut the moment short, though he finds himself feeling guilty for leaving Appa alone so long when he returns to the bison with the body.]
[They’ll all go to the clinic. Together.]
[Text]
Aang's dead.
[[OOC: Backdated to some time around/during/after the bomb plot. Sokka will likely not be answering texts, but offlines at the clinic are welcomed and encouraged if your character would think to find him there.]]