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[fire-frays.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling was as good as her word regarding her conspiracy with her mother-in-law. Shortly after she moved to the South Pole, she began to experiment with leather dyes, and in the following year the villagers had to get used to this crazy Earth Kingdom girl who liked to wear their traditional coats in a rainbow of colours. She's particularly proud of the coat that Steph assures her is definitely eggplant.

If pressed, she'd admit the dyes are her attempt to see how far she can push the tradition of her adopted tribe, but the quirks that are just naturally her cause as many strange looks from the villagers. Thanks to Steph, they're used to a woman who can fight and who hunts,but it's still an oddity. And then of course, there's the broadsword a certain Fire Nation colonel gave to her as a wedding gift.  She takes it as a compliment to her natural charm that she gets away with it.

Miki's out hunting with a small group of younger boys at the moment, and Ai-Ling takes the opportunity to prove she can also be a good wife, which is why she's all ready to prepare whatever food he brings home, and is now working on repairs on the igloo they share with his entire family.

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[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

The family doesn't seem to complain about any of her quirks, though. Then again, Panya is twice as odd as Ai-Ling when it comes to fighting and, at fifteen, still hasn't shown the slightest interest in boys aside from who she can beat up. Steph, whose hair is white by now, is still a highly regarded spirit woman, and Sokka aged twenty years in a moment and is far too old to have an eighteen year old as his oldest child.

Not that it makes any of them less spry, being odd. Sokka isn't too far from Ai-Ling right now, working with her on the igloo, offering advice in low tones, more suggestions than orders.

And when she gets hit with a snowball gently lobbed in her direction, now and again, he is always looking innocently in the opposite direction.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling never ever accuses him of having anything to do with them. She just picks any lumps off her clothes and works them in. Or puts them to the side, one of those.

Mind, the only reason she puts up with them for so long is because of her side-project. The ultimate fluff-covered ice-lump in the style Panya taught her to use against Miki.

Only when it's absolutely perfect does she chose her moment to aim it between her father-in-law's shoulder blades.

[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

"Oof!"

And down he goes in a cloud of snow thrown up when he hits the ground. He's ancient, after all, Southern Water Chief Sokka, sixty or maybe even older. Steph can hardly move, and while he's certainly better than that, he's still an old man.

And struggling a little to get up at that.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, he can't be that injured, right?

Right?

Ai-Ling tries to ignore that she knocked him down, waiting for him to get up. A few seconds later, though, she's hurrying to his side. "Are you OK?"

[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

A wrinkled, weathered hand grasps for her shoulder in his struggle to stand.

And flips her neatly onto her back, buried in the snow while he laughs.

"You, my daughter, are far too gullible!" Sokka informs her brightly, laughing as he gets easily back to his feet. "Panya should be teaching you to get rid of that, along with how to make an iceball!"

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling squeals so loud it's almost a scream as she falls, and then just lies, folding her arms.

"Oh that was so not fair."

[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

"That was hilarious," Sokka informs her happily, beaming as he offers his hands to help her stand. "But I'll make it up to you with hot chocolate if you're going to be angry with me.

"Hot chocolate will be revoked upon tattling to my wife or son, so you know."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, like I'd admit to Miki that you dumped me on my ass," Ai-Ling scoffs. She reaches up to take Sokka's proffered hand, then flips him over her head in revenge.

Old men get no mercy any more.

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

They are being watched, silently.

Well, sort of silently.

... okay, Miki's terrible at laughing silently. But it's windy so sound isn't carrying, and he's also not going to tell them he's there until they look back over to the village entrance and spot him.

[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

A flipped Sokka holds tight to Ai-Ling's hand and flips her with him. He isn't married to a former-Robin for nothing, and no daughter-in-law of his is getting the better of him!

Nor is he going to let his son laugh at him.

...without getting a slushball to the face while he does it.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling is not as observant as Sokka, neither does she particularly need to be. If he's going to flip her, she's going to use her small frame to her own advantage and land exactly where she wants to.

Like astride his chest.

[not-goingback.livejournal.com]

"Oof!"

Ai-Ling is so very cruel to her poor, aged in-laws. Beating up on a poor old man like Sokka.

...who smushes snow in her face while laughing.

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

"Ack!"

Miki snorts with laughter and backs off. He'll come back to harass his dad later.

Still with laughing.

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

Sometime later -- after the hunt has been put away and cleaned and people not Ai-Ling have started cooking -- fur-wrapped arms wrap around her waist from behind to lift her into the air.

It's like 'hello' but better!

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Much better!

Ai-Ling's arms reach up over her head and she clasps her hands around her husband's neck.

"Mmmm hello."

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

Miki beams at her and kisses her, quite a lot really. It is entirely inappropriate to behave this way in public, which is why he does it.

"Hi. Dja miss me?"

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Ai-Ling works her way around to face him, letting her hood fall back so he can kiss her more. Yes, it's probably stupid, but she doesn't feel the cold as much as, for example, Steph.

"But next time I'll totally see you coming and get a few shots in first."

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

"Dad got me for you," Miki tells her, lifting mittened hands to cover her ears from the cold and grinning, kissing her nose. "So it's OK, you don't have to."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"I'm so going to take that old man down," Ai-Ling promises, snuggling into him some more. "No one attacks my husband except me."

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

"That's 'cos nobody else needs to after you're done with me," Miki complains, although it's not a very serious complaint, not when he's busy hugging her tight and grinning.

(He can has a wife! It's been over a year and it still makes him beam like an idiot.)

"Why's he making you mend the igloo, that's not your job!"

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"I got bored," Ai-Ling admitted. "It was this or darn your socks, and I'm not doing that."

She's never touched his socks, and she's never going to. Pants, she'll mend. Socks, never.

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

"You should come teach the boys hunting too," Miki says, grinning. "Or run sock-mending lessons. I think all the women in the tribe are joining your anti-sock party, so they're gonna need it."

He thinks it's awesome -- because it's Ai-Ling doing it.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"You want everyone to mend socks the way I mend socks?"

Theory: Miki is crazy!

[littlemiki.livejournal.com]

"You mend socks better than I do," Miki points out. It is true!

... it doesn't say much for her skills, but it is true.

"It's OK though. I'm crazy enough to put up with you anyway." Moar kisses!

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Then they'll all just have to wait until your sister visits again," Ai-Ling says.


"When is your sister visiting again?"

She is never ever ever going to get tired of having a big family.

EVER.