distressedude | 026 ~ [Voice/Action] | Forward-dated to Sunday

[It's been two weeks since the incident with Arietta, and there was still no sign of Anise in the village. They never even had a chance to speak before she left for a mission, likely in an attempt to put some distance between herself and Ion after their argument. It's strange to think that the last time they went this long without speaking to each other by choice was around this same time last year, though for a very different reason. He's been so caught up in dealing with all of this that he actually let the anniversary of the day he first confessed his feelings for her pass by without a single thought!]

[It was strange to think so much time had already passed. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it really.]

[But sometime in the late afternoon, he opens his journal. There's no need to bother with a filter while Anise is still out of the village, and it isn't as though Arietta is the one he's trying to reason with here. Her anger is easier to understand and deal with. There's an uncharacteristic hint of exasperation in his voice when he speaks, having spent the last week and a half mulling over this without any obvious solution coming to mind.]

How do you stop two people who hate each other from continuing to hate each other? [Not a very eloquent way of asking, but it's the simplest way he can think of to explain the situation.]

Though this isn't the sort of problem I'm expecting an easy answer to, I was hoping someone might be able to offer some suggestions. Or perhaps if anyone's had any experience in dealing with a situation like this, it might be of some help.

[And regardless as to whether he's heard any solutions to this problem or not, he'll be spending the remainder of the evening in various places around town. He spends about an hour at the library, not quite able to concentrate on his reading. Giving that up, he goes for an aimless walk, lingering on the various bridges around town for a few minutes before moving on again. He probably looks more spaced out than he usually is, and the cold chill in the air probably isn't helping matters. By the time he arrives back home, it's been dark for awhile and he's shivering quite a bit. He probably should have worn his winter coat today.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's worth a try. I just need to find a way to explain things to her so our conversation won't end like my conversation with Anise did...

Well if you remember the things that upset your Anise friend, you can try to be more careful and sensitive about it with your other friend!

In that case, I should probably try and figure out what went wrong in my conversation with Anise... to be honest, I only really remember that both of us were angry at the time. I'm not entirely sure if anything in particular upset her other than perhaps the topic itself.

[And it's kind of hard to talk about a topic while trying to avoid talking about the same topic...]

That sounds tricky, but I'm sure if you put your heart to it, things can work out for the best. Figuring out everything that's bugging them can definitely help you take steps towards helping them. What's your name by the way?

Oh, I suppose I should have mentioned that earlier. My name is Ion.

[~~You know, that guy Toph is totally all oogie for.~~]

Ion?! You're Toph's friend who plays with her in the forest?!

[Why did he expect someone... more man-like?]

[Plays with her in the forest what--]

I... guess that would be me, yes. Does that mean you're a friend of Master Toph as well?

Yeah, she's one of my best friends, and we live in the same house, and we come from the same world, and she's my earthbending teacher, and now she's teaching me metalbending! My name's Aang, by the way. It's great to finally meet you, Ion!

Oh, you're Aang! I've heard about you from Master Toph as well. [Though mostly just enough for Ion to know he's something called the "Avatar" and someone very important back in their world.]

Though if you don't mind my asking... what do you mean by "playing in the forest"?

One of the trees told me about it! You know, that one week when they were spreading rumors? They said that you and Toph go into the forest sometimes to play... I think.

[...........]

[You'll have to give Ion a minute here, because that is quite possibly the most horrifying thing Aang could have said.]

[........................NO SERIOUSLY HOW DOES HE RESPOND TO THAT.]

[DID TOPH EVER HEAR IT?]

[DID ANYONE ELSE EVER HEAR IT?]

[Why would a tree even say something like that? Geeze.]

[He clears his throat and composes himself after a rather long moment.]

...I see. Well, I can't exactly speak for the accuracy of those trees, given all the other things they were saying... though it is true that Master Toph and I are friends.

I know that much! Toph did confirm that you were friends. But I mighta heard it wrong, I'm not sure. I heard it when I was wearing a hat that made me think a little weird and love tea too much. Toph should have a better memory of exactly what the tree told us. [Pause, before he giggles.] But it might've just been something silly, like that you eat trees or something!

[It's a weird change of subject, but it's enough to get a chuckle out of him -- probably one of the first honest laughs he's had in awhile, really.]

I don't think it would surprise me if it had been something strange like that. I do recall that particular experiment being rather odd...

I know! It might've been one of the oddest experiments I've ever had! But at least I got to learn your name early. Have you and Toph been friends for a long time?

I think it's been... yes, it's been a little over a year since we first met. Though I don't think we really became friends until after some time had passed.

We met after one of my friends recommended me for her manliness lessons, after all.

Wow, you've really known each other for a while, then.

Right. The manliness lessons. I heard about those. It sounds real silly. You should be as much of a man as you feel like.

Oh, I don't think they were silly at all! There may have been certain lessons that didn't seem particularly useful, but overall, I like to think they helped me become a bit stronger than I used to be...

[Stronger being a relative term, here. In his eyes, he's still rather wimpy -- and not just physically.]

...although all things considered, I may have not been a very good student. "A bit" still isn't very much, I'm afraid.

That's a good point. If they were really helpful to you, than they couldn't have been silly. When I think about it, I guess her manliness lessons must be like my earthbending lessons, just without the actual earthbending, so that's gotta be good for you.

Are you sure? Maybe you're better than you know. But either way, a bit still more than nothing!

026 ~ [Voice/Action] | Forward-dated to Sunday

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