2 | rain rain go away... | open - Friday afternoon/evening

[warriorswolftail]

With his cast finally off, Sokka had taken to doing a little exploring on his own, though he always made sure to not go far unless he had some one else with him. Toph was back, but that didn't stop him from remembering vividly seeing her as a shadow not that long ago. It was an image that had settled in his mind firmly, making his skin crawl and his stomach turn whenever he thought about it. He was trying hard, very very hard to not, and to act as though nothing was wrong, but even that was starting to strain on him as the days wore on in to weeks.

This day he was in the long room, the area next to the stairs that led to the trolley platform, not doing much except wandering about in the open space, looking at the stone work thoughtfully. His thoughts weren't on the immediate area, though the gears were clearly turning in his head.

At least until the thunder outside boomed so loudly he thought his heart had stopped. He turned and headed to one of the windows, having to haul himself up to the ledge just to lean against the glass and watch as the rain came down and the lightening crackled across the sky.

"Whoa..." he mumbled to himself, marveling at the sudden change in weather. It was impressive, but he was more than glad that he was currently under a roof that wasn't open or leaking.

Comments

[warriorswolftail]

"... what."

The tone was flat, disbelieving at first, but followed by a look of understanding. Then anger. So it wasn't just some accident. Some one had killed Toph. Some one had killed his friend, and left her shadow to roam around the castle in misery.

Sokka's fist curled at his side, clenching so hard his arm shook. Damn.

He slid off the windowsill wordlessly. There was a certain fountain he had to pay a visit to.

[stillshinigami]

"Don't do anything til we mobilize, Sokka. That kid's a monster. Literally. We don't know what we're dealing with but we have strength in numbers. And I mighta already spoiled the element of surprise so we can't fumble on the other thing." Duo cringes.

"Toph wouldn't believe me."

[warriorswolftail]

"I need my sword," was the only thing Sokka said to that, "That fountain grants wishes, right? I need it."

[stillshinigami]

"Do it. Just keep quiet until we get this started." Duo replied, turning for the stairs.

Acting like he's in charge? He might have already doomed them all. Already made too many mistakes than they could afford.

[warriorswolftail]

Sokka stopped, letting out a sigh. He didn't want to do anything that would get them hurt, get Toph hurt again, but he couldn't do nothing either.

"I will. ... come with me, okay? Show me how to do this."

[stillshinigami]

"Gotcha." Duo said, waiting on the top step for the younger boy. Once there, he starts down the hall towards the pigeon room.

"I dunno if a sword'll do anything but it'll certainly help." He almost doesn't want to say anything. "I'll tell you when we get to my room. More details." Just not too at ease speaking in the open.

[warriorswolftail]

"It's all I got," Sokka said with a shrug, following Duo quietly. His mind was racing, gears turning again. What could they do? He needed details, obviously, but that didn't stop him from trying to figure out something without the proper information first.

[stillshinigami]

"It'll be enough. On the plus side, we've got Ratchet and that dragon on our side as well. If we can convince Toph that he's a threat?" He almost smirks, but his face remains mostly flat.

"C'mon, pal."

[warriorswolftail]

"That's gonna be the hard part..."

He shook his head a bit, stopping for a minute to give Duo a serious look.

"Toph doesn't trust people easily. She's too used to people treating her like she's fragile and weak. We didn't. That's why she joined us, that's why she taught Aang Earthbending when he needed it. If this guy has her trust, it ain't gonna be broken easily cause he obviously did somethin' to win her over."

[stillshinigami]

Duo's stomach sank when he heard that. He couldn't understand how Toph could be so... blind! Rhetorically of course, but if Harth was a vampire, he didn't even have a heart beat!

"He's had us all fooled all this time." He sneers. And here they are. The fountain.

"All you need to do is ask it for what you want. It'll show up around here within a day."

[warriorswolftail]

"Yeah..."

Sokka could only shake his head at that again. What could they do, besides continue their attempts to convince her otherwise, and prepare for the worst.

He neared the fountain, frowning at it thoughtfully. It looked different than he remembered it some how. Duller.

[stillshinigami]

"Shiit." Duo complained once they reached the fountain. "It's done for the day. Someone already made a wish."

He shook his head, then looked to Sokka. "Get here in the middle of the night and wish for it, until then I have some weapons for you."

[warriorswolftail]

Well. Damn.

Another sigh, this one followed up by a slight kick to the edge of the fountain that only gave Sokka a wince of pain for the trouble.

"Alright..."

[stillshinigami]

"It won't be too long. Just six hours or so?" Hard to tell the time without the sun.

"C'mon. Let's talk."

[warriorswolftail]

To that, Sokka just nodded quietly, still lost in his previous thoughts and coming up with all new ones even as he followed Duo. At least he was versatile enough to go without his sword for the time being, but he really would have felt better with the blade at his hand.

[stillshinigami]

Duo glanced back at Sokka and offered a smile, trying to at least work up some morale.

"Sokka?" He said as they got closer to his room.

"Toph told me you helped save the world. Bad as this place gets? Big as the threat is? I think we can take em'." Problem was, even though he said it, his words were still somewhat... empty. Like he didn't believe it himself. Like he didn't have anything to back it up with.

Like he needed a morale boost of his own.

[warriorswolftail]

Sokka heard it. It wasn't like Duo could hide it as well as he used to. Most of them couldn't anymore. He'd seen how even Toph had started to slow under the weight of what the castle brought. Shadow? Harth? The Queen? And that sense of being trapped... ? Some how it really was worse than any of the threats the Fire Nation and Ozai had brought down on them.

Still, he managed to echo the smile back if nothing else, half heartedly at that.

"... yeah. Thanks."

[stillshinigami]

Once they arrived to his room he pushed it open, turning his eyes to check for anyone in the room. Everyone in here he trusted. Once Sokka was inside, he closed the door.

"So. Vampires. Sucks blood, killed by sunlight and a wooden stake to the heart." Not sure about what else.

"According to Haku, the sunlight doesn't hurt him. And I don't know if we can handle the rest of it. Crucifixes and holy water are supposed to work too, but I dunno. That's just from the stories, yehknow?"

[warriorswolftail]

"... I have no idea what you're talking about," Sokka admitted once Duo had finished explaining. The teen just blinked a few times after that. Crucifix? Holy water? What?

[stillshinigami]

"Uuuh. Vampires are the living dead." He brings his hands behind his neck and unlatches the cross around his neck.

"This is a symbol for a religion back in my world. It's supposed to ward em' off, and the holy water? Just water blessed by a priest." Duo shrugs.

"Because it's the god of that religion that the vampires are supposed to fear or something so all this stuff hurts em'. And then cos' they're creatures of the night, the sun's suppose to hurt them too."

[warriorswolftail]

"I know what vampires are," Sokka said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest, "I guess we just have different stories or somethin'..."

[stillshinigami]

"I guesso!" Duo pouted.

"You have vampires?" Duo tilted his head at that, then smiled slightly.

"Whatever. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say we're dealing with standard dracula rules."

[warriorswolftail]

Sokka just shrugged. If that's what Duo thought, so be it. All they had to do was come up with a plan, right? And Duo obviously had some sort of experience here. Let him call the shots on which lore it followed.

[stillshinigami]

"Did you make your crutch out of wood?" Duo asked, leaning back on his bed, an eyebrow raised at the boy.

"...If we get a cross bow we can make a snipe. Lure him in to an open space." Duo nodded at that. "And as for you?" He grabbed his machete.

"Take it until you get yours."

[warriorswolftail]

"Yeah," Sokka answered with a nod as he took the machete. He stepped back a few feet, clear of Duo so he could give a good couple of swings after testing the weight in his hand. Solid, not the best craftsmanship, but he was impressed they'd been able to come up with something like that with the limited materials of the castle anyway.

"Thanks. This'll work. I used to have one back home... shouldn't be too hard to get used to again."