015 ~ [Voice]

[distressedude]

[For anyone who knows Ion well enough to be considered a friend, or perhaps just well enough to say you've had a conversation with him at some point in the past, you just might catch a filter at some point during the day. It's a small, weak, empty filter and it'll disappear only a few minutes after it's made, so chances are you might miss it. But for those who happen to see it, there's an explanation that follows... though there's no filter here.]

[His voice sounds rather tired, and perhaps a bit sad.]

...when you can't set up a filter to someone, it means they've gone home, doesn't it.

[The way he asks, it sounds like he already knows the answer.]

Comments

[markofthewise]

Simon... Simon... yeah, don't think I met him.

[distressedude]

That's a shame... [A small smile.] He was really nice. I met him through Anise not long after I first arrived in Luceti.

[markofthewise]

Anise? [Think think think.] She might have mentioned his name once. Or maybe your name. There was a guy. She mentioned him a lot. I got a sort of, you know, boyfriend-ish type vibe there.

[Alas, if only he had been paying attention.]

[distressedude]

[Ion... doesn't know what to do with that "boyfriend-ish" comment right now, so he'll just focus on something else.]

You and Anise were friends?

[markofthewise]

Yeah, I guess you could say that. The Malnosso dropped her off in the snow so I, you know, took her home. We hung out after that. I mean, we were neighbors at the time. That helped.

[And they had lots of interesting experiences he won't get into.]

[distressedude]

[Sokka, Ion's opinion of you just skyrocketed.]

She told me before about the time she was left in the snow, but I didn't know you were the one who saved her. That was very kind of you, Sokka.

[markofthewise]

[And he wasn't even trying!]

Well, it's not that big of a deal. I just found her first. Anyone who spotted a girl dozing off in the snow would have done the same thing.

[distressedude]

That may be true, but you were the one who saved her. [Smile.] I'm grateful she had friends she could depend on while she was here.

[markofthewise]

... right. [Still doesn't think it's a big deal, but okay.]

I still kind of miss her, though.

[distressedude]

...I miss her, too. But it's better for her to be home instead of here.

[Even if it meant never seeing her again.]

[markofthewise]

Well, yeah. In most cases, anyway. It's not always better. But, you know, that's another story.

[He's just trying to be dismissive about the whole thing.]

[distressedude]

Mm... [He falls silent for a moment, but then he smiles.] But I'm sure it is for her. She has her parents waiting for her back home, after all.

Although I guess they aren't really waiting. They say time doesn't pass while we're here, after all.

[markofthewise]

I'm really counting on that to be true. I mean, things would be pretty awkward if I go back now and a year and a half has gone by.

[distressedude]

Perhaps someone in the village who was sent home and then brought back again would know for certain? It's unusual, but sometimes people remember having been in Luceti before upon their return.

[markofthewise]

Oh yeah, I know, I've had it happen to friends before. At best, they'll talk about dreaming in Luceti. But who even takes their dreams seriously? I mean, honestly, my dreams were already weird back home. Growing wings isn't going to be the most unusual thing.

[distressedude]

[A soft laugh.] That's true. I'm sure I would find it difficult to take a dream like that seriously... assuming I wouldn't just forget it as soon as I woke up.

[markofthewise]

Maybe it means we're all dreaming right now.

[Yeah, Sokka isn't nearly so philosophical as to believe that. But he's throwing it out there before it sounded dramatic and appropriate.]

[distressedude]

[Another light chuckle. Sokka sure is a funny guy.] I would hope not. I can't imagine how late I must be sleeping in to have been dreaming all this time.

[markofthewise]

It only seems long. Dreams are weird like that.

[distressedude]

Perhaps that's why people tend to forget their dreams as soon as they wake up?

[markofthewise]

... yeah, or something. [He's not a sleep psychologist, man!] I don't tend to put much thought into that kind of thing.