03 | Video

[selfinteresting]

[Remember this picture, Ange? (doesn't Battler look like a dork (doesn't dad look as cool as ever)) Mom managed to find it.  And now it's being broadcast, isn't it great...

]

Happy birthday, Ange~ Will you come over for dinner tonight? We can have a little party just like we used to.  Well, not quite the same seeing as your father isn't around, but we all know the highlight is having Battler there anyway.
I want to make up for our absence, in some small way. 

[Locked from Ange]

I'm extending an open invitation to any of Ange's friends as well.  I'll be making dinner as well as dessert and you're welcome to stay as little or long as you like.  The only condition is, please keep it a secret from Ange, I want it to be a surprise.

Comments

[markofthewise]

That's a nice looking family you've got there.

[selfinteresting]

Why thank you. I don't like to brag much, but in this case I might make an exception...

[markofthewise]

Why not, right? So I guess the little girl is Ange, huh?

[selfinteresting]

You guessed right. She's hardly changed, right?

[She laughs, because, well, in some ways that's true, such as her hairstyle, in others it's massively untrue...such as her entire attitude...]

[markofthewise]

I don't know about that. She looks a lot happier there.

[The Ange he talked to didn't seem so happy. 8|]

[selfinteresting]

She's still like that - only much more infrequently. Well, most of the time I see her that way, but I am fully aware it's not the case. Even so you could still pick her out in a crowd.

[markofthewise]

Well, the hair is the same. [He's dubious about the rest, but he's not Ange's mom.]

[selfinteresting]

[shhh, this whole family still thinks she's just plain moe, okay.]

She still whines in the same way too - don't tell her I said that.

[markofthewise]

Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. [... maybe.] Any other embarrassed secrets you have?

[selfinteresting]

They might be a little inappropriate.

[markofthewise]

... right. Forget I asked.

[selfinteresting]

Oh, it's that easy to scare you?

[markofthewise]

Scared? I wouldn't call it scared so much as not needing to know that kind of... stuff.

[selfinteresting]

Hopefully the thought will give you some appreciation for what Ange has to go through.

[markofthewise]

Having a mother out to humiliate you must be tough.

[selfinteresting]

It's any good parent's job.

[markofthewise]

Really? I don't think my dad ever did that. [Then again, Sokka is plenty talented at humiliating himself already.]

[selfinteresting]

Then you were missing out on a key part of childhood!

[Okay her parents didn't either, but that's a little different.]

[markofthewise]

Yeah. Maybe. [His dad has kind of been missing for the last four years, so.]

[selfinteresting]

[Well see there's your problem, it's only fun with teenagers, so he's been missing the key years here]

I'm happy to rent out my services. if needed.

[markofthewise]

Well maybe I'll hire you out on behalf of my sister sometime. But without knowing the right stories, I'm not sure you'd do any good.

[selfinteresting]

If it's for your sister, you'll just have to fill me in, right?

[markofthewise]

Pretty sure it's not worth the risk.

[selfinteresting]

Fair enough. But still, I feel sorry for you kids, mine love it, you can go ahead and ask them.

[And you'll get a no from both...]

[markofthewise]

You... don't really have to go feeling sorry for us. We're fine. Good, even. [A pause.] So who are the other guys in the picture?