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the shirshu ততততত
There truly was no reason for Hika to have to leave one of her favorite things to do. The girl still isn't even sure why she's here, sitting on a beach after having been left behind while Sokka went 'ice dodging' through rocks.
Well, she hadn't been left behind. Hoji was far too scared to get on such a small boat where he wouldn't be able to hear-- he hated flying on Appa for that very reason, otherwise, he loved the bison-- or be able to tell what was going on, so the twins stayed behind and played tic-tac-toe in the sand until the four got back.
They sit cross-legged across from each other, one with a vibrant grin, and the other with a look of defeat she's never worn before.
How could she be so bad at a simple game? She could kill a game of Pai Sho, but the second it comes to making crosses and circles in the sand, she was worse than her mother was at cooking.
Hoji marks another 'x' in an open box, smiling and letting out a victory giggle as he sets the stick down at his side instead of passing it onto Hika. The bunny that has been following the two for a while nudges his hand, shuffling his head under Hoji's fingers as it awaits pets.
It takes the girl an embarrassingly long time to realize she had just lost for the tenth time in a row. Hika sets her head in her hand as she lets out a huff but otherwise leaves her anger at bay.
Something ceremonial is happening at the twins' left, but seeing as they have no idea what it is, they stay silent, now watching with equally confused glances as Bato dips his fingers into a clay bowl.
"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks." He says, a tone of sincerity and peacefulness in his tone. "For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise." He uses his thumb to put an arc and small dot on Sokka's forehead. The blue paint rivals the colors of his prideful eyes, yet the two colors were still at a tie in Hika's mind. "The same mark your father earned."
Bato smiles at the last comment, but steps to his left, dipping his finger in the clay bowl once again and marking a crescent moon mark on Katara's forehead. "For Katara," he says, "the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us."
It stirs a sick feeling in Hika's stomach as her fingers brush over the wrist of her opposite hand. Small scars, the same shape of Katara's 'mark of the brave', line her wrist, some having faded from time, and a select five that had just healed past a scab.
She looks back up as Bato moves on to the Avatar, the monk's mark being a simple arch across his forehead. "And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe."
"I can't." Aang glares down at his feet, the curtains of disappointment and shame blocking Hika from seeing anything other than the key features of his face.
Hika partially understands why he turns down his mark. Aang is proud of his identity, having clung to the Air Nomad ways for almost everything he does, so accepting that may feel like he's losing touch with a nation that's already gone.
