十二

[anatural]

[action]
[This is the first time in weeks that Naga has left Korra's side. While Korra goes to meet Arthur, Naga finally takes the opportunity to get out of the City. She's a wild animal, and the tall buildings and busy streets upset her.

You might run into if you're at:

• the forest
• the drowning pool
• the city limits

It's been an interesting few weeks. Best be careful around her.]

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ A history of wilderness survival and ever-cropping restlessness draws Hei to the forest often. It's a good space -- secluded, plenty of obstacles -- to hone abilities that can quickly rust in the arena of suburban insouciance. Settled on a mossy boulder, he's sharpening his blades with a whetstone and greasy cloth, when he hears a twig snapping. He glances up. Locates the source. And scowls. ]

[ Naga. ]

[ There's a cursory sweep for Korra -- She'd better not be here -- before he refocuses on the bear. God, this is already promising to be a fun day. Like an acid trip version of that old Beatles number, Run For Your Life. ]

[anatural]

[Naga knows the sound of a blade being sharpened. A prey animal would have run, but Naga is a top predator. The sound of a knife doesn't frighten her.

She sniffs the air, catching Li's scent. Him. Her hackles raise, but her steps don't slow. To avoid him would be a sign of weakness, and that she will not abide.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Just as well. Naga isn't the blade's target. He lets the bear approach, alert but calm, still whetting his weapon. With no spectators, 'Li's spaz-and-sputter act is unnecessary. He uses the chance to observe and catalog. Truthfully he doesn't know what to make of Naga. He's never given animals much thought. They were either game to cook, or threats to deter in Heaven's War. This one can't be classified as either. ]

[ He watches her -- blank-faced, receptive. No move of caution, or welcome. ]

[anatural]

[Naga's eyes sweep past him, seeming to pay no attention to him. If you're attuned to the nuances of predator behavior, you'll notice the way her ears are attuned to him. She's ready for any sign of threat.

And then she sniffs the air. A rabbit is moving nearby. Her mouth salivates -- it's been too long since she's had hot, warm flesh.

Li is no longer her concern. For the moment, her focus is on the hunt.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei's perception is fine-tuned to a discerning edge. He focuses on the subtle cues, the shift of ears, the twitch of muscle. When Naga sniffs, he takes it as a sign. Interesting. Someone scented fresh dinner. ]

[ He won't interrupt. He'll watch. He's never seen a Polar Bear Dog before -- much less one in action. It should be an instructive performance. ]

[anatural]

[He's not going to witness typical polar bear hunting. Normally she would wait by holes in the ice floor and attack seals that surface for air. Her current circumstances are forcing her to hunt like a wolf. Fortunately, she's had some amount of practice -- not enough for her to survive without Korra feeding her, but sufficient to capture a tasty snack.

She steps carefully, making sure to keep downwind. But it's hard for her to step quietly in this environment, and the rabbit is very attuned to its environment.

It makes a bolt for safety, and Naga pounces. Luck is on her side. Her heavy paws crush the rabbit's spine, and she finishes the job with a powerful bite to its neck. Blood soaks her jaw and throat.

Her prey caught, Naga settles down and begins licking the rabbit. She likes to lap up the blood before eating.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ The behavior is normal to any predator. Hei is more interested in Naga's speed or aberrations in her technique. The animal is clearly more Polar Bear than Dog, discounting her attachment to Korra. She wouldn't be the easiest to tame. ]

[ He lets Naga tuck into her meal. Finishes polishing his blades, and tucks them away in his knapsack. Rising, he steps closer. Measured enough not to startle Naga while she's on attack-mode. Calmly, he watches the kill. That's another thing the war has left him with. He notices dead things -- animals, people -- with a detachment that borders on unsettling. ]

Does it taste all that good?

[ He's conversing with a Polar-Bear Dog. First Mao, now this. What is his life? ]

[anatural]

[What is your life indeed, Hei. As far as Naga is concerned, you're just making gibberish noises. Korra talks to her out of a human habit, but their real communication is all nonverbal. There are a few words she understands. Stop. Go. Food. Friend. Nothing that he said.

She pauses briefly in her eating to look up at him, then goes back to her snack. She rips the rabbit in half and swallows.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He'll take that as a Yes. Ordinarily he'd watch for a few moments. But there's no risking the chance that Korra might be nearby. He should get going. Maybe next time he sees Naga outdoors, he'll toss her a skinned rabbit as an olive branch. Or three or four. ]

[ Enjoy your snack, Fluffy. ]

[anatural]

[Too late! After finishing up with Arthur, Korra discovered that Naga wasn't home, and decided to go looking for her friend. It's not hard to guess where Naga would go.

So she finds herself in the forest, tracking the marks Naga's left on the ground.

She doesn't expect to find Li there.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Terrible timing, thy name is Korra. He recognizes the tread of her step instantly. Stops in place, his expression calm, and at the same time carefully concealed. ]

[ No word of greeting. He just nods. ]

[anatural]

[Why is this her life? Korra can't muster up more than mild annoyance. She'd pushed herself pretty hard in training, and she's still feeling the warm, languid happiness that accompanies heavy exercise.]

What are you doing here?

[mortemscintilla]

[ Why? Because incidents like this are footnotes in the life and times of Korra and BK-201. The City really is too hermetically sealed. He's getting claustrophobic. ]

Is that your business?

1/2

[anatural]

I guess not.

[She walks over to Naga, resting her hand on the dog's shoulder. Naga swallows the last of her snack and butts her head against Korra's side comfortingly.

She hasn't wanted to see him. She doesn't want to see him. It's not about the memories, or the regrets. Every day since she moved to Republic City has been a lesson in living with those. It's the questions that eat her up inside whenever she sees him. When he's not around, it's easy to believe that everything had been a lie. He's tricked her before. But when he's there, she can't believe it. She'd seen something real.]

[anatural]

[Her hand tightens in Naga's fur. She's so tired of this. She's tired of questions and doubts and second guesses. Enough running.]

No.

[She turns to glare at him.]

It is my business. Why can't you answer a simple question? How hard can it be?

[mortemscintilla]

[ Her anger is practically palpable. Like a heat illusion on a sun-baked highway. But she isn't the Avatar because she's a fucking coward, after all. He can't think of how to respond. Double-speak and deception are fixed facets of his life. Who he is. He's always had to keep his eyes peeled. Always looking for the bigger score, riding the cutting edge. ]

[ Always keeping two steps ahead of his allies so he can gauge the exact moment they become his enemies. ]

What do you want me to say? That I was here to stalk and murder your pet?

[ The sarcasm comes easily. He just goes with it because he doesn't know what to do with his emotional reactions to things. ]

[anatural]

[Her anger is all but a force of nature. The sarcasm hits, stings, but doesn't even slow her down. She advances on him, not giving him any space to run. If he tries, she's just going to chase.]

I want you to tell me the truth.

[mortemscintilla]

[ This is getting out of control. Professional training and cold logic warns: Stupid girl, stay away, I could snap off both your arms at the joints and pulp your larynx to ducksauce as soon as answer. He's practiced at appearing unfazed and detached, but this is bringing some cracks in that facade. There is rage just below his surface. ]

I don't have to tell you anything.

[ He doesn't owe her his routines or inner-confidences. She's safer -- better off -- not knowing anything at all. ]

[anatural]

[He may not be as expressive as she is, but anger recognizes anger. Korra isn't afraid of it or the unspoken promise of violence. Instead, there's a fierce satisfaction at breaking through to something human.]

What is your problem?! Why are you so freaking obsessed with lies and secrets?! Do you enjoy making things more complicated than they have to be?!

[mortemscintilla]

[ The four-flush front stays in place. But his eyes narrow. This is a line of questioning his training warns him to deflect. He wants to say, We aren't having this discussion. But that's tantamount to admitting how much more he has to hide. He knows he can kill her in a split-second if he chooses. Considers it for one such split-second, knowing perfectly well he can walk away without guilt if he does. ]

[ He's lived with Contractors all his life. He can think and act like one. He is one -- despite this stupid psychological thaumaturgy. ]

[ Instead he chooses a third option -- turning on his heel, prepared to stalk off. ]

[anatural]

Oh no you don't.

[She reaches for his arm, knowing it will result in a fight and not caring. One way or another, this is ending.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Just snap her neck. Human beings learn best those lessons which are taught through pain. There's no other way she'll back off. But a second voice, cool and modulated, almost like Pai's, intrudes: Contractors don't always kill. They sometimes end their mark's lives by leaving them alive: with a pulse but psychologically decimated. Through sweetness. Through manipulations. Through traps. But neither option appeals to him. ]

[ There's always a third route. ]

[ He takes a moment to acknowledge that this has become The Sum Of All Clichés, and makes his choice in a half-second. Shuts his eyes, shuts them tight and pulls her against him, hugging her hard. ]

[ The message is clear. Shut up. ]

[anatural]

[He never does what she expects.

Why does he never do what she expects?!

Korra's too surprised to resist when he pulls her in, or to struggle when he holds her tight. Truth be told, she's a tactile person, and the fastest way to tell her almost anything is through touch.]

What are you trying to hide?

[The question comes out, but she's not expecting an answer. She understands what he's telling her right now. She just doesn't understand why.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He keeps his eyes closed. Something bubbles up inside -- watery and second-hand. But he refuses to pinpoint what the thought or emotion might be. He resents it. All this dancing around is making him sick. In Heaven's War, he'd been a cold and virulent force. He'd once acted only according to self-benefit and survival, with no time for explanations. But all that ruthlessness was to protect Pai. ]

[ And she isn't here. ]

[ The memory of his sister doesn't obscure his view of Korra; he sees her for what she is -- young, alive, hopelessly rash. But he can't imagine her world or his juxtaposed. There's sincerity and honesty and Hei has dealt with the opposite for too long to be even remotely forthcoming. ]

[ Slowly, he peels his hands away, and retreats a step, eyes averted. Doesn't look at her again, before he turns to exit the forest. ]

[candothat]

[In what is either an act of fate or an ill-timed joke, Chekov, off of work and traipsing about the forest, very nearly walks into--well, he certainly thought it was Li, but there's nothing Li-like about the person he all but runs into. And is that Korra and Naga?

Feeling as though he has just stumbled upon something that he shouldn't have, Chekov holds up his hands to show that he's unarmed, as that's the done thing when one is in such a situation.]

Korra? ...Li?