Take A Chance On Me - CHAPTER 8 Preview (ao3)
In the afternoon, Zuko asked Sokka if he would join him in visiting some schools. Sokka, who truly had nothing better to do, jumped at the opportunity. He thought Zuko could use some help anyways. The Fire Lord seemed to scare everyone, Sokka didn't want to imagine how kids felt about him. He couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as they entered the school yard, the children rushed towards Zuko, pulling at his robes and asking him to come play. He greeted each of them with a smile and a pat on the head. “Of course, I'll play. But let me introduce you all to Ambassador Sokka.” The children all waved to Sokka who crouched down and introduced himself. “Mr. Ambassador Sokka do you know how to play Kuai Ball?” Sokka grinned. “Oh boy, do I! And,” Sokka dropped his voice to a whisper, “I think I could even beat His Majesty.” Zuko came up behind him. “I am an all time Kuai Ball champion. I'd like to see you try.” Sokka felt the competitiveness erase any sense of affection he had for the other man. “It's on!” They split up into teams, each of them crowned the captain through the highly democratic process of playground rules. Sokka was serious about his game plan and so were the kids on his team. “We will bring glory to this side of the net!” “Yeah!” the children all screamed. Zuko's approach was much different. He hoped everyone would have fun. “Remember, it's just a game. So the most important thing is that we all have fun.” “Yes Mr. Fire Lord!” They approached the net and Zuko let Sokka start with the ball. He served and the game was on.
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