The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowin' In the Wind [Future-Dated]

[angle_on_it]

Characters: alwaysreturned and angle_on_it
When: Sunday, November 6, 2011 [Future-Dated]
Where: South Sector Patrol Area
Rating: PG-13 / R
Summary: Happenstance forces Ron and Sokka to patrol the Southern Sector of the city together. Awkwardness and danger ensues.

Comments

[alwaysreturned]

"Brilliant," Ron muttered in that tone that said it was anything but. Had Sokka ever even really come down here? He knew he hadn't until joining up if he had to, now the action was just routine. Well, it wouldn't come in useful at all in some of the trickier areas, that was for sure. So, thus, Ron took a calming breath before managing about anything halfway decent to say. "Bout the same," he said lowly, giving a shrug of a tense shoulder.

"No," he managed quickly to Sokka's question, "--mean, she seemed all right last I checked." Seemed. In Ron's opinion he had no right to determine how anyone was, that was up to them to tell the other person if there was. Besides, as far as he could tell she was about as a decent as things got around here. Which, really, was about the most anyone can ask for

AWW YES. getting to use special icons ;u;

[alwaysreturned]

Ron was working as fast as he could, but he wasn't as good as Hermione with the spells. He and Harry had never had to manage the shied charms in a hurry, and really, he didn't want to chance making them too weak and being rodent food. That would not be a fun way to die. So when Sokka yelled at him to go quicker than a minute, he snorted. He did move just ever so slightly faster, however

[angle_on_it]

Really? Now Ron decided he wanted to be chatty? Sokka held his hand to his chest as if measuring his breathing and heart rate at the same time. All he could think about was how little interest he had in being eaten alive. After it became apparent that the R.O.U.S.s wouldn't be coming through Weasley's barrier, the warrior dropped his hand and confessed to Ron,"I have no idea what you're saying, except that last bit, and I agree. Waiting it out sounds like a good idea right now."

Good idea? Sokka winced at the thought of it. It wasn't a bad idea, but the circumstances made the tribesman wonder if it wasn't the Universe having another chuckle. As he started up the crumbling stairs, he commented, "Harry and I ran into a couple of those things during the summer -- they weren't quite so vicious then," he recalled, tossing a look over his shoulder at the ginger-haired boy. "Thanks, ah... thanks for the assist."

[alwaysreturned]

He wasn't being chatty, he just needed to get his mind off the nearly being eaten by a giant rodent. Besides, Ron used to be chatty when things were awkward, it seems he was reverting "Er, apparating. Teleportation's best way to say it," he said awkwardly, shrugging, and pushing up his sleeve to show the scar of where most of the skin on his arm had been ripped off, "really don't think we want me trying that right now. Dangerous enough as is."

Frowning slightly, Ron shrugged. Well, it was good to know this wasn't the first time the blasted thins made an appearance. Gripping his wand tighter he muttered under his breath, just loud enough to hear, "not like I was about to let you get offed, either." Really, Ron may have been upset, but a part of him did understand it was an event. He was just hurt. "Let's just find a room. If they somehow get in I can use bombarda or something."

[angle_on_it]

More words Sokka didn't understand. He nodded to the other boy, the image of his scars burned quite thoroughly in the tribesman's mind. This whole situation between the four of them wouldn't bother him quite so much if it weren't so very obvious that Ron was a really decent guy (along with everyone else involved.) The more he got to know the ginger, the more he realized that Ron was just as war-ravaged and hardened as the rest of them, most of the way through a quest of his own design on a path to his own destiny

i will have you know i gave up on hammetime. it did not fit the tone

[alwaysreturned]

"Right," Ron muttered with a nod, raising lit wand higher and he peered down the hall. The recoiling emotions in his stomach were returning now that the adrenaline and initial panic had died down. Jaw setting he bit back words that were erupting through him. Shaking ginger head to get his thoughts back on track, he stepped past Sokka to go to open the first door. Amazingly, it was locked and after a rattling of the handle, Ron frowned. "Alohamora," he said under his breath, pointing wand at the door and it clicked open

S'okay, you made it work!

[angle_on_it]

What the...? Sokka blinked, unsure of exactly what he'd seen. A flash of red hair, a flash of white teeth, was it Ron? Was it someone related to Ron? The way the color drained from the older boy's face, Sokka wasn't sure he wanted to know; after all, there was no shortage of terrible things to behold in the city of Adstringendum

WELL HOPEULLY ;u; oh sokka

[alwaysreturned]

Ron didn't move for several long treacherous moments. He nodded when Sokka spoke, but it was only when the male moved past that he glanced up. The noise downstairs making him raise his wand and light slightly to peer downstairs. He couldn't see anything, but he really didn't look forward to fortifying protection when he'd yet to stop shaking.

His head jerked back when Sokka spoke up. Mouth dry as cotton, Ron opened his mouth to say something then shut it again. No, his brother's dead body couldn't be dangerous. How could it? Maybe when he was alive and playing pranks but not like that. Finally managing to shake his head, he spoke up once more. "Dunno," he managed, "don't think so." He hadn't quite clued it together that it was a boggart yet. But it was more than enough to shake him up for the moment.

<333

[angle_on_it]

Something about Ron's omission of any sort of explanation coupled with the tension in the air sent chills down Sokka's spine. He couldn't begin to guess what the other boy had seen behind that door, but for it to have such a profound effect, he was certain he didn't want to know. He listened to his heart, still racing in his chest, and recalled it hadn't slowed since patrol had even started. Hoping he would have slightly better luck, the tribesman turned his attention back to the doorknob and took a deep breath, turning it slowly

Re: <333

[alwaysreturned]

Ron swallowed, not really wanting to open any more doors any time soon. If one door could be filled with such a horror another one might as well be, too. It's what he came to expect of this place, but they couldn't just find a better place to stick around just by standing there. No, it meant opening more bloody doors and hoping something behind them wouldn't be another ghastly illusion. He was just regaining the colour that had been lost in his face when Sokka opened the door. Relief flooded through him when Sokka said it was empty, but alas it would not last

tl;dr?

[angle_on_it]

Had circumstances been different, Sokka would have marveled at the magic before his eyes and wonder just how it was done. Then again, had circumstances been different, it was entirely likely that these two boys wouldn't be sharing this moment filtered through a rather strained and unyielding relationship built on a grudge, sitting atop a foundation of awkwardness.

At first, that very same image he'd only glimpsed before. Not Ron... definitely not Ron, but obviously family, probably an older brother by the look of him. Dead. For only the briefest moment, Sokka, knowing Ron to have several brothers, wondered why only one brother, and why that particular expression? It cast the first light on the depths of this Weasley's fear, even if he wasn't to understand that was what he was seeing at that moment.

But one Snap! later and Sokka's eyes were wide, unsure how or why he was seeing what he was seeing, but shocked nonetheless. Any outside perspective on the time he'd spent in bed with Hermione felt like an unwelcome invasion that sprouted

pfft this is a tl;dr log so <3 /keeps it

[alwaysreturned]

Ron's stomach couldn't stop its recoiling. He'd only had to face a boggart once before. That was ages ago, when things had been so much simpler. Just a thirteen year old boy who had faced a fight to get a stone for immortality and seen one of his best friends petrified, but the complete darkness in the world hadn't ruined the innocence in that one fear. Just a spider. Only a spider, but now it was so much worse. That damned locket had known, too, but this boggart knew more now. It amplified it and Ron's throat was a giant cotton ball once more.

The blood in his veins felt cold at the idea Sokka had seen that. So far into his mind that Ron had never really told anyone. He was a jealous, insecure prick, sure, but Harry hadn't known until that damned locket either. And now, well, now it was on some bloke he hardly knew over some event that had been terrible... He sucked in a breath, hearing Sokka's words to leave. He shook his head, not quite able to speak yet as he tried not letting his emotions get the best of him. Really, what was he

[angle_on_it]

There's a quiet understanding that Sokka expresses with just a nod. Even if they were both a bit angry, even if Ron's grip had been a little too tight to be friendly, Sokka could marvel at the fact that they'd managed to make it through more than one dangerous scrape together in so few minutes. He wouldn't have thought it possible if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, though he was sparing little of the praise for himself since he'd proved mostly useless up to this point

[alwaysreturned]

Ron's movements were sluggish at best for the moment. The recoiling emotions and feelings vibrated through his body in a way that made simple movements difficult. But the ginger knew he could not sit idle, not with R.O.U.S.s and boggarts so close by. He was still ashen as he closed the door behind them, locking it for precaution.

He nodded, however, when Sokka spoke up. A shaky breath and he raised the wand once more. He hadn't had to use this much magic actively in a while. Muttering the incantation, he frowned before lowering his wand. It was done, as far as he knew. Stepping away, he swallowed.

"Come on," he managed, "I don't fancy opening anymore doors. Best take our chances."

[angle_on_it]

Sokka wasn't about to argue. He nodded, standing by until he was sure Ron wasn't going to just drop to the floor now that everything was starting to calm a little. He took a long breath and tried to take stock in their situation. They needed a plan, so Sokka thought for a second and then spoke up again. "I think we should try going out the other side of the house. At least there'll be fewer there and we'll have a better chance of getting some distance on him." Not that distance would do Sokka a lot of good; not for the first time, he wondered why he didn't bother bringing his boomerang along with him.

"If you can clear a path ahead of us and keep it clear, I think I can take up the rear and hold off the fastest of them. They don't seem like they're as quick as we are, so we'll outrun them eventually." It wasn't a great plan, no, but at least it was a plan.

i'm sorry for the wait dear gdsgd prose has been failing me

[alwaysreturned]

No, Ron wasn't going to faint or pass out... Or anything of the sort, really. He was shaky, at best, but he wasn't completely off kilter. Really, he wanted this over more than ever now and it wasn't even Sokka's fault this time. His wand hand was keeping such a tight grip that his knuckles were once more turning white, as if he would never loosen up on its hold. Casting the other male a look, his lips dipped down into a scowl before he shook his head.

"S'not like we can just stick about here anyway," he managed, clearing his throat, "dunno if I like our odds." The way he saw it they were just two males who weren't on the best of terms against a pack of giant rodents. Hand running through his hair, he shrugged. "Let's just give it a go."