[Accidental Voice] 019

[earthrumblegod]

[Toph's journal falls open and the sound of fighting is heard, as well as scraping metal-against-metal sounds, clattering, and breaking stone. Toph falls near the journal, grabs it, pushing her face near it. She's got a scrape down one side of her face and she seems to be being dragged. Toph's got one hand locked to the earth in an attempt to hold

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[markofthewise]

[Sokka will be in his room, journal lying nearby him as he reads from another book. The sounds of battle will instantly tear him from what he's reading as he grabs his journal close. The picture of Toph's distressed face and her voice calling out. He's heard enough of these messages. He knows exactly what this is.]

No. NO. Dammit, no! [He won't bother calling for Katara. He grabs his sword, leaving everything else, and tears through the house as he runs outside. He doesn't know where in the forest she is, but there's no way in hell he's going to just stay there and wait. He'll take the closest route he can towards the forest, running the fastest his feet can carry him.]

[markofthebrave]

[Oh. HELL. No.]

Toph!

[Katara drops everything that she's doing and starts running towards the woods. Once she reaches the border, she grabs her journal.] Sokka! I'm on the north side of the village. Where are you?

[markofthewise]

[Sokka had barely noticed he had taken the journal with him. For a moment he considers tossing it aside. But then he hesitates, opening the journal as he runs.]

Just left the house, crossing the river. I'm going to find her.

[markofthebrave]

[Damnit. He's not thinking. That means she has to. She hates this.]

Sokka, I'll work my way west. We have to look together -- the forest is too big otherwise!

[markofthewise]

[Sokka doesn't answer. Instead he'll spend the next several hours looking all over the forest for Toph. If and when Katara ever runs into him, she'll find him standing over an area filled with the rubble and scars from the results of Toph's struggle. He'll be holding the jagged shard of meteorite that Toph had been fighting with. His other hand is clenched around the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.]

[markofthebrave]

[It will take a while before Katara meets up with him. She's been searching the area as systematically and deeply as she can, but she practically has to go full circle before she comes upon the area. One look around tells the story, even before she gets close enough to see what Sokka has in his hand.]

Oh no.

[She rushes over, but she doesn't touch him yet. She's searching for any sign of a trail, anything he could have missed -- there isn't one. She turns to face her brother.]

Sokka-

[markofthewise]

[Sokka turns away, tightening his grip on the meteor fragment. He draws his sword and throws it away, where it embeds itself in a nearby tree. His voice is filled with bitterness and frustration.] I should have been here. I thought I was doing the right thing.

[His anger gives way to a moment's despair and he runs his hand over his eyes before tears can begin to form.] They've got her.

[markofthebrave]

[No. This couldn't be happening. Toph was so strong, she couldn't be, this couldn't be... But it had happened and now she had to deal with it. Her voice is choked.]

You didn't know. None of us did.

[Now she'll approach and put a hand on his shoulder.] We'll figure something out.

[markofthewise]

Figure something out? [He takes a step back, pulling away from her hand.] Like what? Just ask for her to be brought back? [He tried asking. That old man just played stupid.] They're not going to listen. They don't care.

[markofthebrave]

Of course they don't care! No one could do this and care! But that doesn't mean that we can't find a way to go to her, and even if we can't--

[She turns a little away, still crying.] She'll be back. And we'll be here. Nothing lasts in this place.

[markofthewise]

[Waiting... why it always waiting. Right now the only thing he wants is to be angry. But there's no one to be angry at. He can't just go and find the bastards who took her. There was nothing they could do.]

... you're right. We will be here. [Now he'll be the one putting a hand on her shoulder, turning her around.] And they won't do it again.

[markofthebrave]

[And Katara will respond by hugging him tight and letting herself really cry. She knows that she has to be strong, but there's nothing she hates worse than helplessness.

...and horrible as it is, she knows that she needs to give Sokka something else to focus on besides Toph, and now that he's speaking rationally if she lets herself go he'll have to shift his focus to her. It's the only thing she can think of doing to help him right now.]

[markofthewise]

[The tears may have dried from his eyes, but not the feeling of regret and guilt, which is all that's left now. So he won't be letting go of the hug anytime soon. He tries to shift his thoughts from what they could be doing to Toph... and to the fact that his sister is right here and that she is not leaving his sight.]

[markofthebrave]

[Eventually, she'll calm down enough to pull a little away. She'll close her eyes for a long moment and then wipe her face. Her voice is strained.]

Let's get your sword and go back to the house. We'll need to get some rest if we're going to be any good when we get our chance.

[markofthewise]

[Sokka nods quietly, pulling the sword from the tree (managing to avoid comically having it stuck) and returns it to its sheath.]

... okay. But then we're going to find Zuko. Together.