FINALLY. I know it's been months in the wait, and I'm so sorry to have taken so long DD: but I just lost the drive for Avatar for awhile, I still don't quite have it back yet, but Sokka's Field Guide, Edition I: Dealing with Women just did so well, that I couldn't leave you all hanging. So here is the long awaited Sequel! Now, I'm not entirely happy with how it came out, to be honest, but you can expect my work to get better after I get back with the shift of all things Avatar. It's a different take, meaning, it's not Sokka keeping a record of wisdoms. Rather, it's one on-going conversation between Sokka and Zuko, and the pair are simply thinking up these scenarios ;D So yes, none of them are technically happening. Anyways, reviews are very much appreciated, of course, and any and all feedback - now, without further ado: Sokka's Field Guide: Edition II -confetti-

SOKKA'S FIELD GUIDE

A Three-Part Series

Part II : So She Choked on the Ring

'Hey, are you proposing?'

'What makes you ask that?'

'Well, you've been acting kind of funny lately...'

'I told you – I was sleepwalking—!'

'Oh, and I saw you buying the engagement ring.'

'Fine, I am.'

'Great! So how will you do it?'

'Great? You're not opposed to this?'

'Hey. Proposing means wedding. Wedding means food.'

'I don't know yet…I was thinking of hiding the ring in some custard…'

FIRST OVER-USED CLICHÉ: FOOD

It wasn't to say that he was particularly horrible in the culinary arts, rather, he didn't seem to have the natural talent concerning spices and herbs and other-such seasonings as, say, his female counterpart. Which was why whenever there was a meal to be prepared, Katara would see to it that the meat wasn't burned, or that the soup wasn't too spicy ("Too spicy? Those words put together in that order simply don't exist in Fire Nation culture," the prince had commented, earning him a rather poignant look from the waterbender). Usually Zuko would willingly comply to her requests—demands—threats that he stay away from her kitchen, and proceed to request—demand—threaten her to keep herself out of Fire Nation palace royal kitchens. It was a rather odd albeit functional ("Katara! I'm allergic to clam-fish!") relationship. They had come to accept the fact that Zuko was not gifted when it came to cooking, and that Katara was nothing short of a tyrant in the kitchens, and lived comfortably in some sort of strange mutual understanding.

Which was why, when Katara returned from penguin sledding with some of the village children (and Aang) to see Zuko standing behind her kitchen counter, the water in the pots began to rise and boil. Her kitchen was a mess. Her mother's kitchen was a mess; covered in flour and sauces and dirty dishes and there was sugar and salt and pepper and powder absolutely all over the ground, and somewhere toast was burning, and Zuko stood amidst it all, looking both shocked and terrified, completely oblivious to the small flame licking at a strand of his hair.

"Honey," he said, trying for a smile. A single fork fell from its bowl, taking down with it an avalanche of plates. Zuko cringed at the clamoring, the corner of his good eye twitching with every bang until the noise settled, and he peered unsurely at his hopefully bride-to-be. "Welcome home."

Katara's eyes were wide, nothing but alarm written across her face. There was her kitchen, her kitchen that she took such care of, that she cleaned and washed and kept in neat order, looking as though Aang had swept through it while being chased by the Sea Snake, and then there was Zuko – the true cause of the disaster – standing there like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, blinking repeatedly as ash from his burning hair fell into his eyes and absently swiping at the flame. "Welcome. Home." The waterbender repeated, trying to get her mind working once more and staunchly telling herself that Zuko did not look in the least bit adorable in her apron. "Welcome home? Zuko! Look at my kitchen! What have you done?!"

"I was just—"

"Everything's a—my, my dishes, my pots, my counter – Zuko did you burn the curtains?"

"I can explain!" The prince declared, as Katara marched towards the ruined area. "I can—I can explain!"

She glared at him, arms folded stubbornly across her chest. "You can explain how you managed to oh-so-conveniently shatter the penguin figurine that you hate so much?"

Zuko faltered – alright, so that little incident wasn't exactly an accident…

"Stupid penguin, what're you laughing about?" The flour-covered prince raged, thoroughly put out that his attempt at baking the cake with firebending rather than the oven had horribly backfired. The penguin laughed at him, its beak wide open into that taunting smile, wearing a hat tilted over its head, looking cute and cuddly. Zuko scowled into its painted face, recalling just when Katara had received the stupid gift.

Some boy had come over to give it to her when she finally returned home.

Zuko hated the penguin.

And the penguin laughed.

"It—it was mocking me!"

"Mocking you," Katara repeated under her breath. "Oh, for the love of—"

"Katara, I swear, I have a good reason for all of this, really, I do!"

Her eyes were even colder than the tundra, and for a moment Zuko wished he was outside fighting against raging glacial snows. It would certainly be easier. Katara fixed him with a chastising look. "Alright, so what is it?"

It was then the prince realized his reason was a secret, and after opening his mouth to answer, no sound came out. He closed it again.

"Well?"

Zuko stood up a little straighter, deciding that showing fear (though he had already shown quite a bit of it) would do him no good. "It's a surprise," he answered simply with all of the authority granted to any member of the royal family. And he swore the earth shook with her impending rage.

"A surprise?!"

"Katara—wait—!" He exclaimed desperately, raising up his arms in defense, when Katara noticed that there was one area in the kitchen that was untouched by chaos – the table. Atop it was a freshly baked pan of custard.

The waterbender gave her prince a measuring stare before stalking on over to the dessert. There was a strange look on Zuko's face, a mixture of horror and uncertainty that Katara found highly amusing. "So this is what you were making," she stated, searching for a fork. His face paled at the sight of her, and she wondered just what he was so afraid of. She dragged the fork across the custard and tasted it, deciding that no, it wasn't poisonous (and surely Zuko would have warned her if it was…)

Zuko's eyes widened as she took a bite of the custard, protest stuck in his throat. Katara was busy with her dessert, thoroughly enjoying it, and then she stopped, brows raising as her teeth hit something that wasn't the creamy custard. The waterbender scowled, prodding it with her tongue - it was round, and hard, and had a hole through it. She spat it out, curiously eyeing the custard-covered band.

The prince cleared his throat, cheeks bright, "Er...surprise?"

Katara arched a single brow, the ring held in her hand. "Zuko, can you do anything right?" She inquired irately, frowning at her prince who had inadvertently proposed.

Zuko gaped. "I—I—"

She laughed despite herself, despite her kitchen and her curtains and her apron that did look absolutely wonderful on him, and she walked over to her boyfriend and placed the ring in his palm, and his face – that beautiful scarred face of his that she loved more than anything – fell because she returned the ring and laughed at him and practically said that he was hopeless.

And she was smiling and he was confused, but he was heartbroken that she had refused and so why was she smiling so beautifully?

"You're supposed to get down on one knee," Katara informed, and the prince blinked, before hastily dropping quite gracefully onto one knee, and he was surprised that she wasn't angry anymore and wasn't smacking him over the head, and he was surprised that he couldn't breathe and that her eyes were watery, or was that simply a trick of the light? "Well?" she prompted, waiting, smiling, loving him with every fiber of her being even as another pot fell from its perch and clanged with the ground.

Zuko nodded and cleared his throat, "Er…Katara - will you—?"

And the door burst open and the couple glanced towards the threshold where Sokka held Suki in his arms and the older pair looked startled to find that the cabin was in use.

"Uh…have we come at a bad time?" The warrior inquired.

Katara only grinned. "No, you've come at the perfect time," she answered, before returning her watery vision to her friend, her lover, the man who couldn't cook to save his life. "Yes, I will."

It took awhile for him to process the information, between the rapid beating of his heart and its sudden stop, he only vaguely heard her answer that she would marry him, but he saw her lips move and read them as yes, and Zuko felt as though he had resurfaced from drowning, picking himself up off the ground and sweeping her up into his arms, and he laughed and she laughed and she kissed him.

"Aw!" Suki said in delight, "Isn't that so sweet?"

Sokka chuckled, hanging an arm about her shoulder. "Yeah, and about time, too."

He felt a prod at his side. "So where's my ring?"

Oh shit.

'No – don't do that, are you mad?!'

'What? What's wrong with hiding it in her custard?'

'Everything! Absolutely everything!'

'But—'

'It's a bad idea.'

'How do you—'

'Trust me.'

AND that's the end xD Hope it was alright, I'm rather rusty. So tell me what you guys think xD And no, Sokka isn't really looking to get married. He's just not that type - yes, he loves Suki, but the prospect of marriage is so stifling. Besides...I'm going to throw in a taste of some Tokka in here as well -cough- As for the timeskip, you can assume they're in their late teens, early twenties. 19-23 or somewhere around there C:

THANKS for reading now, and hope you guys enjoyed!

F L ii C K