Praxis
EDIT: Fixed Panel 4.
Sara walked in the door, dumping the groceries on the counter. She looked over at the door and sure enough, Jim’s little shark puppy was still waiting for him.
The poor little thing had the saddest expression on its face, it was almost as though it knew that- Sara shook her head, a sorry attempt to clear her mind of the cobwebs that littered it. Don’t be silly, she thought to her self, it’s just an animal, it can’t know that.
She turned to put the groceries in the refrigerator, and paused at the sight of a picture of Jim and his shark puppy at what she gathered to be a park. Lightly running her fingertips over the cold, smooth surface of the photograph, Sara felt tears well in her eyes.
It had been a month since Jim had been lost in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver, and yet it seemed that no one had taken the loss of his presence harder than that damned shark puppy of his.
It sat in front of Jim’s door every single day, and had even dragged its bed beside the door.
Sara, being the only individual who could get close to the forlorn puppy without getting her arm nearly torn off was charged with taking care of him until housing was found for him.
She whistled softly, pulling out the treat bag. A few weeks earlier, the sound of the treat bag opening would have sent the little shark puppy in a frenzy, tripping over himself in an attempt to get to his snack. Now, he only plodded slowly to Sara, gazing up with her with sad eyes, and pausing to nuzzle her leg with his snout.
Leaning down, Sara placed the treat on the ground and patted the little shark puppy, scratching softly behind his eye ridges as she moved to sit down on the floor next to him.
“I miss him too,” she murmured, “I miss him a lot.”
Surprising her, the shark puppy crawled into her lap and snuggled into her, as though desperate for warmth and a human connection. Sara didn’t suppose she could blame him. Her dealings with the poor little guy had been rather brief and brusque; the pain was still far too raw for her.
But somehow, the small act of Jim’s shark puppy, his best friend, crawling into her lap and curling into her set her off. Her tears rolled freely, as she absentmindedly clutched the little shark puppy closer to her. He licked her chin, his raspy tongue scratching her skin and wiping away the tears that had gathered there.
Almost as though to acknowledge that she shared his pain, and that he wanted contact with someone as well, the shark puppy sat back in her lap and curled into her again, whimpering sadly on its own.
It did miss Jim. And it knew that Jim would never come back. But for some bizarre reason, that little shark puppy held out hope that one day it would see Jim again.
Until then, it would be a good shark puppy.
Because that would bring Jim back all the faster.
She couldn’t help it.
Her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness, she couldn’t help them.
Seeing them together was enough to set her off.
Mako and Asami were a match made in heaven.
There was no way a frumpy little Southern Water Tribe girl could compete with such a glamorous personality as Asami Sato.
No way Jose.
Forget Korra’s status as Avatar, as a teenage girl, she was as ordinary and as awkward as it was possible for a girl to be.
Katara couldn’t help but stop to admire the sunset.
Something about it always awed her, the amazing palette of colors painted in the sky, the quiet, peaceful moment when the sun sunk below the horizon, the way the colors lingered for a little as though reluctant to move on before darkness came.
She sighed quietly.
“Another day gone,” she murmured, brushing her salt-and-pepper hair out of her face.
“And what a wonderful day it was,” said a voice behind her.
Not turning from the stunning view of the setting sun, Katara let a smile grow on her features.
The quiet hustle and bustle in the cafe was comforting to Asami as she sipped her coffee.
Her freezing hands clutched the little paper cup with an urgency that seemed to permeate throughout her whole being.
It was the middle of winter, it was freezing outside, and her gloves had gone missing.
So, while the rest of her body was relatively warm, her hands felt like ice.
It’s difficult to watch your best friend drift away from you.
Those weekly movie nights turn to monthly movie nights, and one day, before you know it, you’re complete strangers.
Maybe it was because they had grown up, grown apart, Asami thought, propping her chin on her hand as she gazed blindly out her window.
“Sometimes you make it really hard for me to like you,” Korra muttered at her ceiling.
“I mean, sure, we get along just fine a lot of the time, but sometimes you’re just so aggravating that I wish I never had to deal with you again.”
Korra sighed heavily and rolled on her side, snuggling desperately into her bed.
“Sure, with Asami you look much better, but we can work together too, right?”
“I mean, I’d like to feel pretty once in a while too.”
Korra curled up on her side and hugger her knees, just as Jinora walked into the room.
“Bad hair day again?” she asked Korra wryly, a small smirk on her face.
Korra nodded miserably.
“My hair just doesn’t want to cooperate today. It’s being… difficult.”
Aang visits Katara as she sleeps.
“I’ll be back soon, Heibai,” Aang promised, patting the large panda’s snout affectiontely.
Heibai snorted in reply, and nudged Aang’s arm gently.
Stay safe, little friend.
Aang nodded gratefully at the panda spirit and stepped through the gateway, leaving the Spirit World and entering ours.
It was odd to see Bumi’s face doing something other than grinning maniacally. But considering the circumstances, it was okay.
He was sitting on Toph Beifong’s couch, with her daughter crying her eyes out on his shoulder.
And though he was terrible at conveying any feeling other than insane happiness, Bumi felt his heart hurt that the girl he loved was crying over his idiot brother.
“Mama! Mama, no!”
Korra looked around her frantically, desperately fighting against the swiftly flowing current of water pulling her down the streets.
“Help me! Mama! Please!”
Korra couldn’t think past the panic she felt, desperately fighting to get to her daughter.
She saw her little girl’s dark hair bobbing in the murky water, just a few feet from her.
“Mama!” her daughter shrieked.
Ginny sniffled, prompting Harry to wrap his arms around her.
Beside them stood Hermione, silent tears running down her face, leaning on Ron, whose jaw was clenched and face was pale.
