(no subject)

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

You know how if you repeat a word often enough in your head, it loses all meaning and starts sounding like nonsense? You know the word has a definition and it should mean something to you but at that moment, there's nothing to it. It's blank and empty and just there.



Sokka is standing in front of a small pyre a mile or two down the road from the farm. He wanted to be away from the main house, for attention and to spare anyone else the smoke and smell. It's been burning most of the night and is in the process of dying down, but even that should take a few more hours. At least until after the sun's come up.

The body resting on the wood base is small and slender and wrapped up in a bed sheet.

He has a feeling he should be feeling something.

But if you get your heart broken enough, it stops making the effort to heal and you stop feeling the effects of it.


He's watching the flames more than the body.

Comments

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

If he registers Mel's leaving, it's not much. Hana's hot little hands on his and insistant tugging are a lot harder to ignore. Sokka blinks down at his tiny niece and smiles a little for her, ducking to get an arm under her butt and hoist her up onto his hip.

Steph and her handhold get blinked at. He hadn't realized how many people were there.

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Hey," Steph says quietly, leaning against his side.

Behind her, Suki comes running up from the farm too, but stops to wait at a distance from Mel, Sokka, Steph and the girls.

[slayer_fray]

"Mama," Loo says plaintively, and Mel forces a smile for her, kissing her forehead and smoothing her hair, rocking the sleepy toddler until she's asleep in Mom's arms like the baby she's just not anymore.

Mel says nothing to Sokka. She's said nothing to him yet and she doesn't know what she will when she says it. She's just waiting for him to come back to them.

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Hey."

Sokka glances at his girlfriend, lips twitching briefly into a smile but-- that's not right either. Hana cuddles up at his side and he squeezes the arm around her in a brief hug.

Everyone's upset and tired around him.

"You don't have to stay. It's gonna be a while."

[alwaysroomforhope]

"I've got nothing else to do."

She isn't letting go.

[slayer_fray]

Mel does smile, a quick flash of something easy because there's no deep happiness behind it.

"We can wait."