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[ 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. ]

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.]

[ 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. ]

[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.]

[ 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. ]

[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?

[Once again, she's being left with no answers, only more questions. There's no more anger left to keep her going.

Her heart stops when she sees Chekov. Damn it. How much had he seen?]

Chekov! Hi!

[She looks nervously at Li. How is he going to react?]

W-what are you doing out here?

[ God, Hei is in the wrong business. He should be writing soap opera scripts with the drama his life keeps spewing. He sees Chekov. Hears Korra's nervous babble -- dammit, she's making things worse. Quickly, he suppresses any reaction surfacing. He forces himself to think clinically. Anger isn't something he enjoys succumbing to. He prefers to be absolutely in control of his image as 'Li' and rage tends to wreck that in the worst ways. ]

[ Case in point: This. ]

[ He reshapes his expression -- his very persona. Sweet. Timid. Quietly calculating. ]

Oh -- Hi, Chekov. We weren't expecting you to be here too.

[ As if they've met by serendipitous chance. But the damage is done. Now Hei has to focus on making the problem go away. ]

[He has only seen enough to be very confused, and Hei might recover almost well enough to make Chekov question what he thought he saw, but Korra is not so convincing.]

I was walking and I thought I heard voices...?

[Li--or whoever--gets a frown. There is so much that doesn't add up.]

What are the two of you doing here?

Looking for a bathroom! I mean, Naga was. Looking. For a bathroom.

[The words come out in a panicked rush, and she has to bite her lip to stop herself from talking. She's standing next to an expert liar. She should probably let him handle the lying.

She shoots Li a pleading look. Please don't hurt him.]

[ The bathroom? He represses an eyeroll. Korra needs serious lessons. Hei's learnt early on that being a deep-cover operative isn't just having false documents and a solid cover story. To assume a role, you have to convey with total conviction that you are who you claim to be. That means believing it absolutely yourself. Enveloping someone in an attitude and emotionally drawing them toward you. He ignores Korra's pleading look. Focuses on Chekov. ]

[ This situation requires the delicacy of a neurosurgeon. ]

I was taking a walk. Then I ran into Naga. And Korra. [ Here, he manufactures a blush. As if her discomfort stems from something stupid-cheeky-flirtatious 'Li' said or did before Chekov arrived. ] What about you? You never struck me as the forest-y type.

[Naga was... looking...

No. Chekov isn't stupid, Korra isn't that easily flustered, and Li has been under suspicion since his memories were placed on the network--something that has not been forgotten in spite of a pleasant night of stargazing and eating cake. Li gets dismissed:] You have never struck me as a forest-y type, either.

[And now he focuses on Korra. Dishonesty is not one of her strong suits; if anyone will tell the truth, it's her.]

What is going on?

Like he said. We just happened to run into each other and were talking.

[She tried to do what Li had done -- make the truth into a lie that seems true -- but her discomfort is palpable.

She needs to get Chekov out of here. Quickly.]

But hey! Now that you're here, I kinda accidentally broke the dvd player? [This is true, actually. She had tried to get the dvd out the other night to return to the video store, and...well, it hadn't ended well.] Can you come take a look at it?

[She reaches out to grab Chekov's hand, and tries to give Li a bright smile.]

It was great running into you, Li.

[Naga, sensing the tension in the air, lets out an audible growl. If Li tries anything on Chekov right now, the polar bear dog won't hesitate to attack.

Korra shoots her best friend a glare. Shut up, Naga!]

[ Hei wants to cut the bonhomie bullshit. Chekov is clearly suspicious. Korra's high-strung chatter isn't helping. She's either very bad at lying or very afraid of the consequences. Probably both. He glances between her and Chekov as she starts leading him away. Tch. So obvious. ]

[ Pavel isn't an idiot. Subtle probing, a few choice words, and Korra's shallow bowl of excuses will run dry. He needs to deal with Chekov before that occurs. Just not through blatant force. ]

Leaving already? [ He affects a disappointed but convincing sigh. ] Well, if that's what you want. It would've been fun to hang out in the forest a bit. [ Naga growls, and he feigns a nervous little twitch. But his mind is elsewhere -- running through different scenarios. He can shadow the trio at a safe distance. Wait until Chekov is alone. ]

[ Then tie up the loose ends. ]

[There are entire layers of not-quite-right here, but Chekov knows that Korra is completely capable of dragging him along with her and Naga's behavior is disquieting, to say the least. Best to go along with them and save himself the indignity of being pulled through the forest. He can offer up a token protest, however!]

It needs to be fixed right now? Can it wait? I wouldn't mind hanging out.

[Li, what are you playing at?]

Sorry. I promised Asami another movie night.

[Come ooooooooon, Chekov.]

[ People aren't very perceptive of looks, which is fine with Hei. He does most of his info-gathering from looks. In fact, you can disregard about 99% of what actually comes out of another's mouth. Their faces tell an entirely different story. ]

[ Chekov's face is telling one right now. ]

[ A story that must be aborted. Fast. ]

I guess there's always next time, Pavel. Korra seems to be in a rush. [ An apologetic smile to both. As if Li has nothing to do with said rush. ] I'll see you guys around.

Edited 2012-11-26 04:09 (UTC)

Yes, of course.

[He gives Li another searching look, trying to divine what's going on through sheer will--which never works.]

I will see you later, Li.

[In many ways, Chekov is no better at lying than Korra (the difference between them being that he knows not to try lying); his expression gives all of his suspicions away. But he does go along with Korra and uncharacteristically perturbed Naga.]

[THANK GOODNESS. Korra almost forgets to breathe until she, Naga, and Chekov have put a fair amount of distance between themselves and Li. ~~So she thinks.~~ When she finally feels safe again, she lets go of his hand and smiles.]

Thanks for coming, Chekov. I really appreciate it.

[Please don't ask her anything more. Please please please please please.]

[ He nods a friendly goodbye to Korra and Chekov. Watches them depart -- before discreetly shadowing at a distance. Measured footsteps. Calculated camouflage. He has years of practice in the field. He knows how to draw himself in. Be almost invisible. ]

[ He's not letting them out of sight. Not until he's cornered Chekov alone. ]

[That tension, Korra? Noticeable and not doing much to render Chekov less suspicious. He glances behind them, half-expecting to see Li. There's no one there, of course (he's only being paranoid if he feels that they're being followed), and there's no reason to worry. Naga will detect any threats long before he does even if he calls upon all of his training.]

Korra, I'm always happy to fix whatever you might break. [With your delicate, lady-like, and oh-so-patient ways.] But why are you and Naga behaving strangely?

[Curiosity. Cat.]

[Naga herself doesn't relax until they're back within the City limits. She loses Li's scent in the urban stench.

Korra does her best to look innocent.]

We're not acting strangely.

Yes, you are.

[At least Naga is back to normal. Korra, not so much. But they are friends, and that means that he shouldn't pry if this is a matter she would rather not talk about for whatever reason.]

If this is something private between you and Li and you do not want to discuss it with me, please tell me. I will leave you alone.

[Thank you, thank you, thank you, Chekov, for giving her the perfect out.]

I really don't wanna talk about it.

[Lie. Korra feels like she's drowning. She can't tell what's real or not; she doesn't know what she's supposed to do. Everything is complicated and she wants more than anything to pour it out on someone who could make it make sense.

And yet truth. She doesn't want to talk about it. Not just because it would put Chekov in danger. Not just because she doesn't even know where she'd begin.

She doesn't know why Li is pretending to be someone he's not. She doesn't know why this is so important, he'd threaten to hurt her friends if she told.

What she does know is that he's spared her. More than once, and not with the goal of hurting her later. He's not Amon, cornering her while she's alone and promising to destroy her when the time is right. His attacks have been brutal and terrifying, but in a weird way, she can see them as self-defense. There's something in her gut that says he's...not an enemy.

Whatever his reasons are for his lies, they're his reasons. They're not hers to share.

She reaches out again to briefly squeeze Chekov's hand.]

Thank you for caring. And I'm sorry about lying to you.

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