But the world is full of zanies and fools

[markofthebrave]

Who: Sokka, Winry Rockbell, Masaomi Kida, and Katara
What: Avatar AUs Collide!
When: Monday, 4/2/12
Where: House 56
Summary: Worlds Collide, expectations are challenged, and what are you talking about, Sokka, we've been dating for a month.
Rating: Y for Young Adults Yelling


Katara and her boyfriend, Bumi's ward Masaomi, are heading back to the house after Katara had an experience that left her shaken with an Avatar that doesn't remember her. Sokka and his good friend Winry from Omashu are moving her back into the Avatar House after her belongings had mysteriously vanished. What could possibly go wrong?

Comments

[markofthebrave]

...but Sokka, as far as I know, Winry is from Ed and Al's world.

[markofthewise]

[He wants to object. But. It fits. Kind of. And it's sick and twisted that it does. It makes him uncomfortable. Winry has always felt she didn't belong and now... now everyone was convinced she didn't.

Or she didn't at all. The second possibility he didn't want to think about.]

... and what's our relationship to her? The way you remember it?

[markofthebrave]

She's one of your best friends. You work together in the smithy. [She shrugged a little and lowered her voice out of respect] For a while, before Suki showed up, I thought you two might have had a thing for each other.

[markofthewise]

I thought you said you didn't remember her being in our world? I mean, we did have that thing in Omashu, but then me and Suki met up again in Serpent's Pass... and then there was Winry and Haru, so...

[Your story isn't adding up!]

[markofthebrave]

...what are you talking about, Sokka? I just told you how things were in Luceti.

[Blink, blink.]

And what about Haru?

[markofthewise]

But that never happened in Luceti. At least, not that I remember. [By the time he showed up in Luceti, Winry was interested in Haruki and he was still holding out for Suki.] As for Haru... he and Winry got pretty close while we were hiding out at the Western Air Temple.

[markofthebrave]

...why was Winry with us in the Western Air Temple?

[You suck at telling stories, bro. No wonder she gets the intro.]

[markofthewise]

Well, she ended up a refugee in Ba Sing Se. When we escaped, I brought her with us. She stayed with us while Aang was out of action. But once we went ashore, she wanted to stay on the ship. She wasn't too eager, you know, to go running around the Fire Nation with us. It kind of worked out, because she was pretty helpful to the Mechanist getting his designs done. I mean, we didn't win, but having the two of them to fix any mechanical problems would have helped... if we he had any. When we had to escape on Appa, we took her with Teoh, Haru, and The Duke.

*just get rid of that 'us,' please.

[markofthebrave]

...okay, that's not what I remember at all.

[This is more than a little creepy.

Let's just... back this up, see if they can find the place their memories diverge.]

What do you remember happening in Ba Sing Se?

[markofthewise]

Well, the Dai Li were running the place. We couldn't get to the Earth King and then Jet showed up with information on Appa. So we infiltrated their base and found Appa, but the Dai Li found us too. We managed to get away... well, most of us. [He looks away.] Jet didn't.

[He shakes his head at that point.]

But we got the Earth King on our side. It was going well, too well. Aang went off to get training in some Avatar spirit chakra stuff, I went to go see dad, and Toph got... well, kidnapped. But Azula and her friends managed to sneak in, disguised as Kyoshi Warrior. They got the Dai Li on their side and took control. Zuko and Azula cornered you and Aang in the tunnels beneath Ba Sing Se, with a bunch of the Dai Li. It was too much for you guys to handle and when Aang tried to use the Avatar State, Azula managed to get him with a lightning bolt. It... killed him. If you didn't have the spirit water, we would've lost him for good.

[markofthebrave]

[Her eyes wide, Katara shakes her head.]

No, no that's not what happened at all. Yes, Jet showed up with information on Appa, but Masaomi was there too and we all went under Lake Laogai together. We freed Appa, and Jet almost died, but Masaomi was able to shove him out of the way in time. After we invaded the Earth King's palace, and got him on our side, all those other things happened except I went with you, and Masaomi stayed behind to help coordinate the invasion. He spotted Azula in the Kyoshi Uniform right away and there was a fight - the earth king was killed. Ba Sing Se erupted in a civil war, but...

[She shakes her head, the thought of Zuko being part of something that had killed Aang - Aang, killed - was almost incomprehensible to her.]

I didn't even know Zuko was in Ba Sing Se!

[markofthewise]

[A civil war in Ba Sing Se? Because of Masaomi? NO ONE WAS SURPRISED. All of this happening seems like a fantasy.]

Zuko and his uncle were hiding out as refugees. But when Azula showed up, he took her side. He went back to the Fire Nation as a restored prince. [Not as bitter as he could be, surprisingly. Zuko was a friend now, amazingly enough.] But you're saying none of this happened because Masaomi was around?

[markofthebrave]

[Wow, Zuko, you suck.

Also, Katara recognizes that tone.]

No, I'm saying none of this happened because Azula was unmasked as a Kyoshi Warrior, and that happened because Masaomi was there. You might not have noticed, [she layers on the sarcasm here, still upset about his 'cheat-on-Katara' inference] but Masaomi used to be a pretty outrageous flirt. And Azula, despite being completely insane, is a very pretty girl. He recognized her from she rode into Omashu as a conquering princess.

[markofthewise]

[Yes, he HAD noticed that. Especially that time he was a little tipsy...

But. This is all just too weird.]

So everything in Ba Sing Se is different. And you- we never met Winry in Omashu?

[markofthebrave]

[She shook her head.]

And you don't remember Masaomi hitting on me while we were being covered in jemanite? We'd both wanted to throw him off that 'view' he he kept talking about.

[markofthewise]

[... right, because of Bumi's ward.]

No. I don't. And I became friends with him after that?

[markofthebrave]

Well, it was after the fall of Omashu that we saw a different side of him... he really helped out with the whole pentapox thing. But I don't think I'd say we were really friends until we were all stuck on the waiting list to see the Earth King in Ba Sing Se.

[markofthewise]

[The pentapox thing better not have been Masaomi's idea in this fantasy world...!]

Well, the one I know hasn't done much to show any kind of good side here.

[markofthebrave]

[Not at all. It was your extrapolation of her extemporization, just as always.

Katara frowns.]

I can't believe that. Even with your memories being different... How much time have you spent with him?

[markofthewise]

Not much. But I haven't needed much. The Masaomi I know was someone I didn't pay much attention to. He was like Sanji, just... weirder in different ways. But then you told me about him. About how he really liked you and wanted to be with you and wouldn't stop trying even though you weren't interested.

[markofthebrave]

...

Masaomi liked me a long time before I started liking him back, that's true. But that doesn't mean that he ever pushed me to do something I was uncomfortable with. And I remember telling you, after Chouji left, how I thought I should give him a chance. You were okay with it, but now... Sokka, it sounds like you not only don't know my boyfriend, but you don't know the person trying to be my boyfriend in your memories. How did that happen?

[How did we get so far away?]

[markofthewise]

I only found out because you told me. And I don't have any clue how long it was going on before then. And it's not like I haven't tried to get to know him. But he doesn't exactly make a good impression. Except maybe on my forehead.

[markofthebrave]

...you know, the way you said that, I'm not sure if you're upset with "me" for telling you or upset with "me" for not telling you. And if all you're talking about is an 'impression,' that tells me that you don't really know him at all.

[markofthewise]

Hey, you're the one who keeps making it sounds like I'm being some huge jerk for not wanting to run up and hug the guy. Sure, maybe I don't have his full life story, but he hasn't given me any reason to want to. After you told me what was going on, I had a talk with him and tried to convince him to give you some space. He treated it like it was a big joke.

[markofthebrave]

[Wow, way to over-exaggerate on what she expects from you, bro. A little civility does not translate into a hug.]

...wait a minute. In this - memory of yours, did I ask you to talk with him to get him to give me some space?