Last time we ended on cliffhanger...

Ohhhh...

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Longshot almost covered his eyes when he walked into view. Smellerbee dropped the act and Sokka's neck at once.

"It's just Longshot," she said to Sokka, while Sokka looked dazed for a moment, then instinctively wiped his lips.

It's not as if he enjoyed it. Did he?

Longshot threw Sokka a glance he couldn't read, as he had the back of his palm over his mouth, which caused the Water Tribe boy to drop his hand immediately, almost guiltily.

"We have to have someone we can trust that knows we're out here," Smellerbee reasoned off Longshot's look

Something niggled at the back of her mind; Did it work? He doesn't look jealous… and then panic set in, but she hid it under a cool facade.

Oh spirits, what was I thinking, kissing Ponytail! Yick!

Trust? He answered her with an unspoken question. The benefits of knowing someone as well or better than you know yourself was to be able to read what they are thinking at the times that you most need to.

This was one of those moments. "You heard him today – he wants our help. He's not going to tell the Avatar and Katara that we're here, just so long as we stay out of the way until we're needed" she said, having thought this through.

Sokka nodded somewhat absently, too absorbed by the half-grown moose-lion Longshot dragged behind him, the red-fletched arrows still jutting from its flesh. He could only imagine what Aang and Katara were rustling up. Most likely fish... again.

"Perhaps, I'll just stay here until they come looking for me," he said, his eyes mesmerized by the meat.

Smellerbee gave him more than a little push in the opposite direction. "Not if you don't want us to get caught, Ponytail," she called after him.

Sokka picked up some twigs and ambled back to the others, somewhat confused. Toph had tried to kiss him before. Well, correction, she was trying to kiss Suki - but she'd thought it was him, right? And now Smellerbee? But this wasn't the same... it wasn't possible his irresistible Water-Tribe charm had worked on another girl-warrior.

Sokka had almost lost count, well... on one hand anyway.

They needed to find Jeong Jeong - before Sokka lost his mind. Girls! He missed Suki, and he knew that nothing would be right again until after this war... And now... he was more motivated than anything to stop it.

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There's very little people reading this... so it might be the end of the road for me...

Love to the Boomeraang Squad: Liselle & Charlee & Moi.

And to Beta: Sylvacoer. Thanks!!!