lucetilogs | (no subject)

[Later that night, Katara knocks on Aang's door.

Quietly, though. She doesn't want to wake the girls. Or Roku. Who is probably asleep. Aang might be too, actually, but she's going to hope not.]

[Aang was awake, staring up at the ceiling, everything he had learned swirling through his head. There were many details Ikki had said that were easy to miss. But became impossible to ignore once Korra (~~and the others?~~) spelled them out.

He heard a knocking and, as to not disturb Roku (a non-snoring night), he gracefully hopped down to the floor without making a noise. And he softly cracks the door open to peer through with a corner of his face, speaking with a harsh whisper.]

Hello?

[Katara jerks her head backwards and responds with another whisper.]

Can you come out?

[There's a faint sadness in his eyes as he sees her, but he quickly blinks it away. Aang looks back to Roku quickly to make sure he's asleep, then he nods and slips out the door wordlessly.]

[She holds her finger up to her lips as she moves back, making room for him. Sleeping grandchildren. Sleeping Avatars and Friends. Sleeping Sokka, in the living room...

She makes her way over to her open door and nods her head inside.]

[...What? Still, he quietly follows her into her room.]

[She shuts the door quietly behind her and keeps her voice low.]

Let's go through the window and talk outside.

[He replies in an equally low voice.]

Yeah, sure. [So many things to talk about. Most of them he's afraid to. He starts for the window.]

[She grabs a sweatshirt (for Aang) in case the night is cool and follows after him. Barefoot, actually, so they probably won't go far.]

[Aang doesn't pay much mind to the barefootness. There is still a bit of a chill. He walks several yards and turns to make sure Katara is following.]

[She's following, and she moves quickly to catch up.

But she doesn't know quite how to break this silence, so she'll let him lead for a bit.]

[Aang keeps walking on and stops when the river is sight.]

Is this good?

[Dude, she would have been fine by her garden. The fact that you walked out all this way, and in silence, tells her that she needed to be more instead of less concerned.]

Sure.

[She steps up and looks - up? no, not quite yet - to him.]

I couldn't sleep and I didn't think you were either. I'm sorry if I woke you.

[He looks towards in her direction. He wasn't really sure why he had chosen the river. But he felt some concern that she was having trouble sleeping too.]

It's fine. I hadn't fallen asleep yet.

Edited 2012-07-13 19:01 (UTC)

Yeah.

[She sees that.]

So... how are you?

[He pauses and tries to think of a place to start. He just knows he has to be honest.]

I... I've been thinking about everything a lot, Katara. Everything that you and everyone else has told me. It's a lot, and... some of it scares me.

[...yeah, I'm scared too.

She sits down and motions for him to join her.

Tell me about it.]

[He quietly seats himself down. He knows he probably looks like he's a kid again, but he knows he has to work through this. And Katara's the best person to help.]

At first, everything looked... so happy and good. A city that helped the world to be in balance in a new way. Zuko's still alive and still himself. And... and o-our family. There will be Airbenders again. [Pause] But I can't ignore the bad parts anymore, when with every other arrival it becomes harder.

[...

Quietly, she lays a hand on his shoulder.

That's right, let it out. I'm listening.]

[He tries to look into her eyes.]

I... I never thought that there would be any other b-bloodbenders. Or that I would take another person's bending. And that it would... inspire someone else to try taking the bending of everyone, from my family and Toph's daughter! Korra's going to help them, but I can't. I won't be there in the living world for them or you or anyone!

[Yes. There's that. And the grief is so deep and the pain is so sharp she can taste it in the back of her throat. She shifts her arm to move along his shoulders now in a half-embrace.

She doesn't even know where to start.]

You help Korra help us. You do what you can to stop the person who's bloodbending and terrorizing the city - and you show him mercy. The fact that he was sick and twisted enough to take that and impart it to his children was not your fault, Aang.

[There's so much more to say. But it's twisted up inside her throat somewhere.]

Edited 2012-07-14 05:29 (UTC)

[Her hold helps to calm him, but his breathing is still heavy.]

I... I guess you're right. Like with Ozai, I really must have thought he'd be powerless without his bending. [Pause as he goes onto the other portion] Korra's really a great person. And I'm so grateful to her for saving our family and the city. But I still wish I could be there. Actually there. That I wouldn't leave you behind, and that I'd be able to see them. [His eyes dart in the direction of the house at the latter part of the statement.]

[She closes her eyes in pain.

"Our family."

"I wish I could be there."

"That I wouldn't leave you behind."]

I know, Aang. I know.

[Her listening is helpful. It makes him dig deeper.]

And it makes me hate this place and myself. Because now I... I want to stay here. I don't want to forget Ikki and Jinora, because this is all the time I'll have with them. And I know how horrible it is for them to be here. But I still can't bear the thought of them being gone, Katara!

Oh, Aang...

[She moved to pull them a little closer together, her heart aching for him.]