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rabbithole

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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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"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.

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?"

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!"

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."

"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."

"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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Ai-Ling scowls, then giggles, then scowls again and tries to grab his wrists.

No fair no fair no fair no fair.

She'll say it out loud when she's figured out why.

Wrestling with your daughter-in-law is very highly frowned upon, especially when you're the high chief of the tribe.

Sokka answers this belief with more snow thrown in Ai-Ling's face, wriggling past her hands to make sure she can't grab his wrists.

Ai-Ling's squeals are a even mixture of enjoyment and frustration, and enough to draw some disapproving looks from around the village,which she cares for as much as Sokka does.

She coughs at the snow and shakes her faces away, spluttering. And answers it with a firm kick at - well, whatever body part is nearest.

"Ow!" It's not much of an exclamation when Sokka is laughing at the same time. "You'll notice I'm not hitting you!" he points out, grinning and laughing and grabbing her wrists.

To toss her over his shoulders.

She reduces the force of the toss by flipping herself, kicking at the snow when she lands, but at least she stays there.

"That's because you didn't hink of it first," she points out from the floor.

"No, it's because my wife hits harder than you do," Sokka replies, chuckling as he gets up and brushes snow off his parka, offering a hand to Ai-Ling.

Though he's watching her carefully in case she tries to throw him again.

She doesn't, this time. Part of training with Toph os learning when to stay the hell down and save your victories for a better day.

"Your wife hits harder than everyone."

Sokka grins and then drops the expression, feigning solemnity. "It's very true. In fact, it's why I haven't divorced her yet. Every time I try, she manages to convince me not to... percussively."

Ai-Ling beams at him.

"I wondered where Miki got it from."

"His sense of violence?" Sokka suggests, grinning back at her, slinging an arm around her shoulders to lead her toward the fire for promised hot chocolate.

"Or his good-natured attitude toward being beaten up by his wife?"

"That one," Ai-Ling confirms, at the second option. She leans against Sokka, curling into his body heat because it's really stupidly cold at the South Pole and she'll never get used to it.

Sokka just laughs - for her response as much as the leaning - and curls her closer, beaming. Ai-Ling has been living with them for more than a year and he's always known who she was and who her parents were, she would have been family without marrying his son.

Now it's just official.

"Put your hood up and I'll get you that hot chocolate," he promises with a grin.

Ai-Ling obediently reaches around and pulls her hood up tightly around her ears.

"What time are they coming back?"

She misses her man, dammit.

"As soon as one of them agrees to wear a watch on their way out," Sokka replies good-naturedly, grinning a group of children run past them. "Not too long, I'd suspect. Their stomachs won't keep them away from the cooking fire too long."

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