shatterverse | Road tripping!

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Road tripping!

Mel never got her licence, though she always had an idea how to drive. Of course, those were 23rd century cars. The 20th century contraptions around this planet - after the first spectacular crash she's resorted to hitch hiking. It works better than you'd expect,mostly because every time someone begins to be less than polite, she can defend herself violently.

It's a drawn out search for her sister, not really having a clue where to look, and it's beginning to harden her where being with her girls had worked to soften. Journeying is lonely and it's only the commlink with the farm that's helping her sleep at night.

You could probably catch her anywhere on the great continent of Noram.

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What about the great continent of That Commlink Over There?

"Mel?" comes the scratchy-with-static voice from the speaker of the comm. "You there?"

That's Mel's favourite.

"Hey, Socks. How's it going?"

It is the best continent ever.

He snorts softly. "Remind to kick Steph for getting everyone stuck on that name. Stuff's good here. How's the search?"

"Unproductive," Mel says, stretching out in the field that's her resting spot for the evening. "You won't believe the thing I killed this morning though. All tenctacles and teeth. And tentacles with teeth."

"Spots on steroids? Sounds like fun."

In the way that there's a note of worry in Sokka's voice when he says that. He doesn't like tentacles with teeth attacking his sister!

"It was rocketship."

Mel disagrees. She sounds like it really was the best thing in the day.

Which doesn't stop Sokka from worrying but it definitely makes him smile.

"Having a good time adventuring, then?"

"Yeah," Mel says happily. "Loving it.

"Hey, you alone?"

"...technically." Sokka's voice carries a hint of wariness, not sure if he should be waiting for a joke or some information that's going to terrify him. "Hana and Loo are conked out on your bed, which is pretty damn alone for how heavy they both sleep."

"Oh," says Mel, disappointed.

"Give them a kiss from me, OK? They've been good?"

"No, but they've been normal." Sokka's grin is audible as soon as he figures out what she'd wanted. "Hang on, lemme get them. They'll sulk all day if they found out I talked to you without them."

"You're actually gonna risk waking up Tiny?" Mel says, incredulous. "Braver man than me."

"I'm wearing a fire-proof sweater. Or at least, I think it's fire-proof. Either way, it needs testing."

A long pause follows. He has to take his finger off the button to wake the girls, so Mel is left to guess exactly how much noise is being made with the microwave off and Sokka attempting to wake two tiny grumpy Firebenders.

Eventually, though, a softly panting Sokka, a sulky Hana, and a sleepy but excitable Loo are back.

"Mom!" Loo exclaims happily.

Hana has only a grumpy grunt to offer.

"Hey, baby girl," Mel says happily. "Are you being good for Ucle Sokka?"

"Yus!" Loo replies proudly, and her abruptly louder voice and Hana's upset squeal show that she's just grabbed the commlink to hold closer to herself. "I's bes'est!"

"Nuh-uh! Stupid!"

"No you!"

"YOU!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," interrupts a slightly harried uncle, and there are twin whines when he pulls the commlink away. "You two be nice or you can't talk to mom!"

"NO!"

"Hey!" Mel snaps through the commlink. "Behave, girls!"

Immediately, the other end of the comm is much quieter, if also sulkier.

"...you are awesome," Sokka informs his sister with a hint of awe in his tone. "Tell your mom she's awesome, girls."

"Sauce'um," somebody grumbles, echoed a moment later by another girl.

"Ruttin' right I am," Mel says cheerfully. "What d'you do today, Loo?"

"P'ayed wiff Spots!" Loo replies, immediately pulled from her funk with the opportunity to talk about the kraken. She goes on to tell Mel in-depth all about her sophisticated tea-party with her best buddy but it's a little convuluted.

"An' ven d'e monsers camed over but we fighted d'em an' had tea but i'tasted like pond so we quitted."

"Rocketship," Mel says proudly. "You take good care of him, OK? Put your sister on."

"Teeny!"

There's some scuffling before another soft, sweet little voice is heard.

"Hi, Mom."

...and sulky.

"Did'ju fighted mon'sers t'day?"

Partly sulky.

"Yeah," Mal says, ultra smug. "This one had mouths on its tentacles. I'd save you a bit but it kind of dissolved. Maybe I'll draw you a picture when I get home?"

"'Es!" Hana agrees, overjoyed. "I wanna come an' fights wiff you, Mommy!"

"Yeah, I want you here too," Mel agrees. "When you're a big girl, we'll definitely come fighting together."

Mothering, Fraystyle.

That little squeal was terribly insulted. "I's big girl!"

"Nuh-uh," Loo giggles. "You's teeny, Tiny!"

"Bigger," Mel says. "I'll tell you when you're big enough."

"No! I wan'-"

"Okay, that's enough," says Sokka, who must have put a hand over Hana's mouth, judging by her continued muffled protests. "You guys wanna train with Steph later? Then you'll be big and strong by the time you can go fight with mom, huh?"

"'ES!"

"Big enough not to argue with me in the battlefield," Mel remarks firmly. "And you definitely need to train with Steph. Don't tire her out."

"S'ephie, S'ephie!"

"S'ka!"

"I swear, Hana does that just to confuse us," Sokka notes suspiciously, and two little girls giggle in the background.

"Yeah she does," Mel agrees, failing to discourage her. "At least she knows she's just being awkward, which is important."

"So you aren't encouraging her to say our names the right way because it's funnier this way, is basically what you're saying."

Sokka sounds entirely too amused for this to be a real criticism.

"Soffa S'ka!"

"Louise, don't you start!"

The girls giggle again.

"You're encouraging them," Mel points out, doggedly hypocritical.

"No, I'm not!"

Girlish giggles are interrupted by tiny sleepy yawns.

"Anyway, I didn't wake them up so all three of you could make fun of me."

"No, you woke them up so I could tell them I love 'em," Mel says. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, O Bratty One. Take care of yourself, okay? And call in tomorrow!"

"No! No, Mom!" Some toddler or another grabs the commlink again. "Come play wiff us!"

"Soon," Mel assures her. "Swear."

"No, now! Now!"

"Soon," Sokka repeats a little more sternly, and twin grumbles wriggle their way through the commlink. "If you're real good, Mom'll bring you back some monster-pieces and tell you all about her adventures."

"Yus! Tell s'ories, Mom!"

"If Uncle Sokka says you've earned 'em," Mel says. "If I hafta come back because you've been bad, I'll skitz."

"We's good, real real good!"

"S'ories!"

"Lots of stories," Sokka agrees firmly, but it's obvious he's grinning, too. "Okay, tell Mom to be good and fight lots of monsters for you."

"Fights lots for me, Mom!"

"No, me!"

"I'll fight 'nough for both of you," Mel assures them. "Don't get Uncle Sokka get spun, K?"

The idea of a spinning Unca sends both girls into fits of giggles.

"All right, all right. Say bye, Mom! Love you!"

"Bye-bye, Mom!"

"Luff, Mom!"

"Love you all," Mel says, still trying to be tough, fighty Mom.

Jesu, she misses them, though.

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Road tripping!

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