Scene #5139: Learning about Eve

Owner	Pose
Sokka	Sokka was waiting outside the ice cream store, his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. Why? He had a very special date. He... actually looked normal. It was hot here, so fire tribe garb. And he made the fire nation outfit look gooood. He glanced to his watch, wondering if she'd show. He half expected her not to. But he suspected she would. She was still just a kid... and every kid needs someone to keep an eye out for them. He had some actual fun planned, too. Though her suspicioun of it being a 'date' had thrown him off, it wasn't... completely inaccurate. But less a date, more him trying to keep an eye on her the best way he knew how.
Eve	Eve's a dependable person. If she says she's going to do something she does it. Besides, this is about ice cream. The nice thing about ice cream is that anyone can get it... but it's also a treat. One that's a lot more enjoyable when shared. If Eve thinks this is a date, and judging by her call to Toph she does, she doesn't dress up special for it. She looks neat and pretty, she's wearing a nice dress, but then that's always the case. She's not wearing makeup or anything silly like that. Eve eyes Sokka as she approaches. Has HE worn something special for this? Well, it's okay. She's not going to begrudge him feeling this is something special. If he pushes the issue she'll just disabuse him. For now there's no reason not to be friendly. Or as friendly as she ever is to Sokka. She doesn't hate him or anything, but he IS a boy and he does sometimes seem to go out of his way to be annoying. He's not a terrible person at least.
Sokka	Sokka grinned when he saw her. Yes, ice cream! "Hey, Sparky." And then, before she could object, he tossed her... another one of those chocolates from before. Truly he was up to something. He had that glimmer in his eyes. But then, he always had that glimmer in his eyes. "So, you totally throttled me in the game the other say, so I figured it was only right i took you out to ice cream as a reward. Toph suggested this place, actually. Said it was really good. So, feel free to get anything you like." He motioned inside. IT was one of those fancy build your own sundae places! Yessssss! Pay by the pound!
Eve	As evidenced by the volleyball game, Eve's reflexes are quick. Not supernaturally-so, but well up to the task of catching a flying chocolate. She peers at it, not displeased, but slightly wary. She's not usually given to mistrust, but she has some reason to suspect Sokka's motives. He's a boy after all, asking her out... after seeing her in a bathing suit. Well no, it's probably not that. Probably. But her not knowing what's going on just makes her more uncertain. "Sokka." Eve greets. She blinks at the offer. Anything she likes? Well. It's a good thing she doesn't have anime stomach... because if she did Sokka would need an anime wallet! "It's good for you to admit your loss." Eve claims magnanimously. She's quite pleased with the outcome of the contest really. It's evidence she can do anything she can imagine, even if the imagining is about winning an athletic contest. "Are you admitting I'm an adult now then?" she asks curiously.
Sokka	Sokka hummed a moment, then nodded. "I'll admit you're as much an adult as Toph was at your age," he said matter of factly. And frankly, that was what worried him. He got a simple ice cream cone. "So. I know you're Toph's rival and all, I figured I should try to get to know you a bit better. I realized the other day I know practically nothing about you, aside from the fact you're pretty awesome and got a buncha fancy powers. So you think you're okay if I ask you some questions?" He paused. "And if any of them make you uncomfortable or nervous, just let me know and I'll let it go, okay?"
Eve	Eve considers, nods. That seems a reasonable confession. As adult as Toph at her age? Well, Eve doesn't entirely agree with that, thinking she's probably more adult than Toph is even now... but she can accept it as fair. Besides, Sokka's bound to be biased. She can't entirely fault him for that. Eve orders her ice cream. A cone of strawberry... with sprinkles. Nothing TOO elaborate. Turning back to Sokka she nods, accepting. "Not a bunch." she says, cryptically. "One." It's just one ability... but it's ridiculously flexible.
Sokka	Sokka nodded and took a seat, motioning for her to sit across from him, nibbling and licking his cone. "Oh, which reminds me. You ever go to the city Aquarium? Toph got some tickets from one of those special 'Your family donated a live whale to us, here's some season passes'. She doesn't much care fo it, but she felt I should go. Wanna come with?" He'd then take another lick and... "Ah, right. First question. You have any family in these parts? I don't think I've ever heard you talk about any siblings or parents or anything."
Eve	An aquarium? That might be interesting. Granted Eve would just as soon read about fish as watch them, but she doesn't actually object to going out and doing things in person. She's a bit shy, but she's not antisocial. She doesn't refuse, but then she doesn't accept either. "I haven't been there." is her only concession. Already asking for a second date? Sokka, you sly dog. But any points you make here are going to be lost on that question. A shadow, or at least a chill, seems to come over Eve. She lowers her head, not letting her eyes show. "Yuna is the closest thing I have to family." she admits. "I've never had siblings. Or parents."
Sokka	Sokka nodded, taking another lick of his ice cream. Right, touchy subject. He can't deny that he didn't expect that. He figured something had happened. She gave off that vibe. He was quiet for a while. Then... "Well, Yuna seems pretty cool. I haven't had much chance to talk with her, though. Toph seems to like her, though. So, how did you two meet?" Focus on something else! Also... "And hey, I think the aquarium has really good ice cones, too. Toph said it'd be my favorite part of the whole thing." Yes, bribe the little destroyer of worlds with sweets. It is the only way.
Eve	Eve isn't sure where this conversation's going. And she's also getting somewhat defensive here. She's not disinclined to talk, but she doesn't think Sokka should be prying unless he REALLY REALLY wants to know. She's not ashamed of her past, not exactly. The parts about Yuna though? That's kind of special. But there's some bad things there too... so Eve considers for a moment how to answer. Just for a moment. She runs several answers through her head at lightning speed, then settles on one. "She, and some other Union people, broke into my home." Eve claims softly. "I was told to find them and play with them. I started searching for them. The first one I found was Yuna, and I stabbed her."
Sokka	Sokka nodded, and... he actually seemed to be listening really well. "Really? You stabbed her? That couldn't have been fun." He took another lick and... "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Do you mind if I ask you who those people are who told you to do that? I assume they're not really in the picture anymore, right?" Oh yeah. He was already getting a pretty clear image. Inside he was fuming, but externally he looked really calm and attentive, as if he was hanging onto every word she said.
Eve	"It definitely wasn't fun." Eve agrees wholeheartedly, though she still doesn't raise her eyes. "It was my father. Or at least the man who called himself my father. He said I didn't need to have feelings, just to do what I was told. Yuna told me otherwise, even after. I preferred her way." And yes, Torneo Rudman is quite out of the picture now. "He's not really my father. I don't have parents." Eve notes almost absently.
Sokka	Sokka nodded, listening intently. "You're pretty smart, then," he said with a smile. "You were right, by the way. People need emotions. It's what keeps us sane. Sure, they bite us in the butt some times, but they're still something we need. I guess you really are a lot more adult than I originally thought. I'm sorry for treating you just like a little kid." He took another lick, his eyes close for a moment. "That's... pretty rough. Hey, Eve? Let me ask you something. You keep saying you're an adult. What does being an adult mean to you?"
Eve	Eve frowns. It's faint, but it's still pretty obvious with her otherwise-stillness. "Yuna said I could choose. I could be free if I want. And I didn't have to kill if I didn't want to." she admits. No guesses given for how THAT turned out, though the confession could certainly lead to another revelation that'll leave Sokka steaming. She seems confused by the question but again she answers quickly, seemingly without pause for much thought. "Responsibility for yourself. For your actions and choices." she says. Isn't that what it means to be an adult? Legally able to choose, to be responsible for your own behavior, and to answer to no individual? It has nothing to do with age, certainly.
Sokka	Sokka nodded and then eyed her for a moment. Before nodded. "You're right. By that token, you are an adult. You're very mature, Eve. You've been through a lot." He then paused. "But there's more to it than that, though. Being an adult also means you have to be responsible. For everything you do. Both your successes and your failures. It means when you can't do something on your own, you have to be mature enough and strong enough to ask for help." He took a small bite of his cone. "Like me or Toph. We're both pretty immature, right? But we're still considered adults. But there's a ton we can't do alone." He paused. "Well, a ton I can't do alone. There's not much Toph can't do. But when the time comes, we learned one of the most important things an adult can learn. How to ask for help." He paused for a second, then hummed. "How to put it... A child asks for help because they can't do things on their own and need someone to carry them. An adult asks for help because they can't do things on their own and they understand what can go wrong if they fail. So, Eve, let me ask you something," he said before taking another lick. "When the time comes when I and Toph need to ask you for help, will you be able to?" Not if, when. If there's one thing he learned from Toph, it was that making someone realize they were needed to give help, not just take it, made asking for things soooo much easier.
Eve	That finally gets Eve to look up. Only to fix Sokka with a look. It's a pretty common look that Eve gives to Sokka. It says, without words, 'you complete idiot'. "Of course." she answers. That should be obvious. She's gone out of her way to help Toph whenever possible. Helping Sokka... well, she'd probably help him if he needed it. If it was something important anyways. She won't help either of them arrest people that break idiotic laws or anything, but when her help's needed she'll be there.
Sokka	Sokka nodded and gave a smile. "Good. And when the time comes and you realize you need help, will you be able to come to us and let us know?" he asked, before taking another sip. "Or, well, Yuna I suppose. She seems like a pretty good person if you care that much about her. It's always good to have friends like that." He makes a mental note to get to know this girl. Because despite what Eve said, she... He blinked a little, then chuckled softly, holding out a napkin to her. "Here, you got a little on your cheek. Oh! I never got a chance to ask. Are you enjoying the switch?"
Eve	Would Eve ask for help? From Toph or from Yuna? That'd involve admitting her inability to do it herself. That'd be bad... but then, if it's something really big that no one person could be expected to do it, would that be so bad? Eve nods reluctantly. Whether she actually does it or not in a real situation, she can agree that she'd seek help if it's a suitably-large problem. That's the mature thing to do, surely. It just grinds that Sokka's pointing it out. Eve shrugs though. "I read the manual." she notes casually. Cover to cover.
Sokka	Sokka nodded. "That's good. and you know, there's nothing wrong with asking for help for small things, too. I ask Toph all the time for advice on my ward robe, or when I struggle with something i can't figure out. And Toph asks me all the time for help with her homework. She can do it on her own, of course. But everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. And besides, sometimes a person just needs to help someone else, you know?" He smiled softly to her. "If you don't mind me asking, how do you tend to feel when someone needs your help and asks for it? When you help them out and stuff?" He smiled a little wider after that. "Of course. But it's for fun. Do you need any help setting it up? I'm sure Tony has a robot who could set all the stuff up for you. It's a game thing, after all. Meant to have fun with it."
Eve	"You ask a blind girl to help with your wardrobe." Eve says, deadpan. This explains much. Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Eve just shakes her head. The rest of his speech makes much more sense though, and she finds herself nodding. Not answering, not that last bit. But it should be pretty obvious she likes helping those she cares for. And that she appreciates them coming to her even more. It means they think she can do so. Then Sokka opens his mouth again. Eve eyerolls. "It's a children's game system." she deadpans. "I've read the instructions. I can set it up." she gripes. If, that is, she had somewhere to set it up, and time to play, and appropriate power connectors or adapters.
Sokka	Sokka blinks a few times and then smiles. "That feeling you get, when others ask you for help? When they depend on you, and lean on you? That feeling like you matter, that you're important to them. That they need you? That's the same feeling they get when you ask them for help. Just remember that next time you need to ask for help." He paused. "I used to be scared to ask for help, you know? I used to be a little cretin about it. I thought it didn't make me manly. You know what ended up happening?" A wide grin. "Suki kicked. My. Ass. I mean, badly. It was humiliating. In like, three seconds she had me hog tied on the ground and in pain. You know what i learned? Never underestimate a woman, especially not as a fighter. And if you wanna grow, you need to ask for help." He then blinked a few times. "What? No, it's a game system. Tony and Toph play it all the time. Heck, Pepper does too. Games are awesome." He paused. "Or do you not like playing on your own? Do you wanna come by our place sometime? Toph's got that new system now. I'm sure she'd love to play you in it. And kick your butt, cause she certainly won't be kicking mine in it," he joked.
Eve	Eve can certainly understand what Sokka's getting at. Asking another for help is a sign of respect, a show of trust. She can appreciate it on an intellectual level; only time will tell if she can accept it into her heart as well. One doesn't grow up simply by wanting to appear grown up after all. "Never underestimate anyone." Eve states. Not just a girl. Not a kid. Anyone willing to fight should at least be treated as if they have a chance of doing so. "And just because adults play games doesn't mean the system wasn't built for children. I can set it up. And perhaps I will play Toph's system. It would be a shame not to compete with her on it." she says. Then pauses. "Um... why wouldn't she kick your butt in it? Do you refuse to fight against her?"
Sokka	Sokka blinked, then chuckled. "Why, because I'm the master of video games. No one can defeat me," he said with a cocky smirk. "Not even the great and amazing Toph!" he said, puffing up his chest proudly. He pointed a hand towards the heavens, a big grin on his face. He then glanced back to her and smiled. "Unless /you/ think you can defeat me, Sparky?" He took another lick of his ice cream. "Although, I suppose if THAT happens, I'LL be eating the victory ice cream, won't I? Hmmmmm?"
Eve	"Is that your own special talent?" Eve muses, deadpan. She might believe it or she might be mocking. It's hard to tell. At the reminder of ice cream though she unfreezes, gazing down at her own. It's ... starting to dribble, and she quickly attacks it in a moment of blissful concentration. When the sudden feeding frenzy ends, Eve looks up again with those disconcerting reddish eyes of hers. "Perhaps you will have victory ice cream." she allows. "Or consolation ice cream." she adds in much the same tone.
Sokka	Sokka nodded and gave her a cocky grin. "Oh? So, when do you want to challenge me then? Maybe if you manage to put up enough of a challenge, I'll tell Toph. But I won't go easy on you, squirt. No matter how young you are." His smile then loosened a bit, then he blinked. "Wait, you live with Yuna, right?" he asked suddenly. A rather... not so nice thought forming in his mind.
Eve	"Good." Eve says thoughtfully. She doesn't want people going easy on her because she's a kid, because she's a girl, or anything like that. She can handle losing more gracefully than she handles condescension. She pauses though, pursing her lips before shaking her head. "She lives in a very small home." Eve explains. A place in Ponyville, and she has no way of getting a larger one. or rather, she hasn't seen a need and Eve didn't request. Possibly that was a mistake, but then... Eve's somewhat independent right?
Sokka	Sokka nodded. "Huh, really?" Yup yup. Okay, now he's super mega worried about her. She didn't live with Yuna. Did she live alone? He'd need to find out, subtly. He eyed her for a few moments longer than was likely a good idea, looking... as if he was considering something. He was wondering if she showered frequently, did she eat the food she needed, was she living okay, how many people knew where she lived... "So, do you live on your own, then? Or are you helping someone else out?" he asked, before taking another lick of his ice cream cone.
Eve	If one were to assess Eve's physical state carefully, they'd realize she's generally neat and clean. And, in fact, doesn't wear threadbare clothes. She is, however, rather scrawny. She's always been scrawny, in part because she was neglected as a child. As an independent girl however, she doesn't always get enough to eat. Not because she can't afford it, but because she often doesn't bother eating while distracted by other things. Sokka's question gets a considering look. She has a lot of those. At least they're not glowers though. "On my own." she claims after a bit. She's an adult, or something like that, right?
Sokka	Sokka nodded, taking another bite of his ice cream. He smiled to her. "Figured as much. You don't live in the place you met Yuna, do you? Or do you live somewhere else?" he asked. He was already plotting out. She was a tad scrawney. Maybe he could start bringing her meals? Try to get Toph and Tony to try to get her to come out for 'picnics' and stuff like that? Something to make sure she got fed without actually realizing they were trying to feed her. Cause, honestly, aside from the fact she definitely needed someone to look out for her, she... well, really needed someone to look out for her. She was just a kid. A strong, smart one. But still a kid. He thought about Aang and how he would have faired alone. Yeah, no.
Eve	"It was too big." Eve confesses. That, and she wasn't particularly happy there. True it had lots of space for books, but she didn't like the memories brought up by it. She'd used it to help others, allowing free access to the villa... which meant she ended up with fewer and fewer books, not to mention other portables. She didn't mind that, but it didn't seem to be much of a way to help others. She's a lot happier on her own now, and the selling of that estate allowed her to finally put her 'father's' legacy to a good use. "And I prefer windows." she adds offhandedly.
Sokka	Sokka nodded. "gotcha. So, where are you living now, then?" he asked, taking another lick. "I'll get Toph to swing by sometime, play some games with you, too," he said with a grin. "Well, as long as you're not scared. I hear she can be a bit of a sore loser. Stars know I've been thrown around like a rag doll enough times to know it's partially true," he said with another one of his big, goofy grins.
Eve	Eve names a place, which is pretty useless unless you have a good way of identifying world, city, and address. She's not being flippant... it's just not that important that she make it clear. If Toph or Sokka want to visit sometime, she'll give them a beacon to follow, or good directions. Eve fixes Sokka with a dubious look. "How would YOU know if she's a sore loser?" the girl deadpan snarks.
Sokka	Sokka blinked a few times, then... "I-I've won, sometimes. I mean, it's not something that happens often with Toph, but I've managed it a few times." He then gave a little snort and reached out, ruffling her hair. "You're kind of a brat, you know that?" He didn't stop smiling, though. He just watched her for a few moment. "You know. You're almost a good kid. And an okay adult." He eyed her for a moment and... "Just... don't grow up too fast, okay? i know what it's like. That whole... need to prove yourself. To show everyone that you can handle things, that you can be just as tough and strong as them. It's good to be independent... but don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, okay? Cause there are a lot of people who are looking out for you and really want to be there for you, just like you are for them."
Eve	Eve tolerates the headruffle with obvious strained patience. She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't exactly look pleased. When its done she uses her fingers to push her hair back to a semblance of normal... and amazingly it falls back into place as if it had just been brushed a dozen times. There're advantages to having hair control like Eve does. "Almost?" Eve asks with a certain amount of protest. She's a good kid! Well, aside from stabbing Yuna, and some other incidents before she was freed at least. Stil she nods. It's not a promise to ask for help, but she does at least intend to be unfraid. Or at least to control her fear, which will just have to be good enough.
Sokka	Sokka nodded with a big hearty grin. "Almost. Hey, kiddo. You wanna know a secret? You wanna know why adults try so often to give kids advice, even when the kids don't want it?" he asked with a small smirk, before poping the last of his ice cream cone into his mouth. "It's cause we've made a lot of the same mistakes, and we're too prideful to admit that we really aren't any better and are going to make just as many mistakes going forward."
Eve	Eve puffs air upwards, setting some of her hair rippling. She doesn't have much in the way of bangs and the rest of her hair is too heavy to float, but the little puff at least makes things start to move and it's not QUITE a snort. "I learn quickly." she claims with an intense seriousness. "But SOME people should be told that they'll make plenty of mistakes too. Even if they're great Earthbenders."
Sokka	Sokka snickered. "Oh, Toph makes mistakes all the time. Heck, any day I don't make at least four mistakes I consider a success. But never five. That fifth one is just too much," he says with a sage nod. "I could tell you stories about the mistakes Toph and I used to make. Oh man, boomy boom boom man. Now there was a mistake that almost got us all killed. Freaking mind controlling fire benders..."