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legend of korra: korra

十二

[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.]

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No, but I would like to find Li and talk with him. [quietly] Something is not right with him.

No. [She comes to an abrupt halt and grabs his arm, hard enough to leave bruises.] Chekov, don't. Just leave him alone.

What? [And also ow. She does get him to stop, however.] Why? I have been friends with him for months.

[How does she explain how does she explain how does she explain?]

It's just... It's just not a good time right now. He's got some personal things going on. He wouldn't want to talk about it.

[This is getting ridiculous. Chekov pulls away from Korra, patience at its limit.]

You can talk to him, but I should leave him alone? Should I stop talking to all of my friends?

What? No! Chekov!

Can you just trust me? Please?

[He can't very well say no to that, although he's reluctant to say yes.]

Okay, yes... I will trust you. [But not happily and not without being deeply, deeply uncertain about this.] I'll leave him alone for now.

[She lets out a heavy sigh of relief.]

Thank you.

[ooc: Totally cool with handwaving the rest so the Hei/Chekov madness can begin!]

Of course.

[Gah, what are these feelings of annoyance and dissatisfaction, and why did they bring guilt along with them? What's going on? How can he possibly figure out what's going on when he's not supposed to ask about it or talk to Li?]

I will be by later to look at the dvd player.

[ooc: Okay. ^^]

[ Out of control. That's the only way Hei can describe this mess. Idiotic and out of control. Something about the City has snagged at his sentimental underbelly -- drawn it out with harmless curses, real stars and soft beds. Blunted his alertness. Now he has liabilities to handle at every step. Crouched perfectly concealed on a fire-escape, near Korra and Chekov, he watches them converse. Hard to determine words over the pedestrian clamor. But he can read lips. ]

[ No details spilled. But he's not taking chances. ]

[ When Korra and Chekov part ways, he slips to follow Chekov. Amusing, how killing him would be easy -- regardless of crowds or location. Hei can dispense death just by brushing past him, delivering a fatal voltage. Erasing minds is trickier. He needs to get Chekov in a secluded spot. ]

[When he parts ways with Korra, Chekov is visibly troubled--more so now that he believes he's unobserved, just an anonymous part of the crowd. Knowing that something is wrong and being unable to investigate it is immensely frustrating.

And something is very wrong. Li hadn't seemed troubled the last time Chekov spoke with him, and his entire demeanor in the forest when he had been with Korra was off. It was almost as if Li had been another person, just for an instant. Naga had looked ready to attack Li, as well; that doesn't mean anything in and of itself, but it's puzzling.

Chekov wants little more to get out of the crowd so he can think in peace. Wholly unaware of Hei, he veers off towards Xanadu, first at a brisk walk and then, as the crowd thins, at a jog. A little exercise and time alone--that's what he needs to sort this out.

He's in a flat-out sprint by the time he hits the City's outskirts. Chekov is a thinker first and foremost, but he is also an accomplished runner: the youngest to win the annual Starfleet Academy marathon, accustomed to running barefoot for two hours each day to stay primed. What he lacks in size, heft, and combat experience, he makes up for in speed.

He doesn't stop until he's sure he has gone far enough to avoid company, but, should Hei fall behind, it's not difficult to determine where he went. Running is not a terribly stealthy activity.]

[ He can tell Chekov is preoccupied -- bet with absolute certainty what ideas are running through his head. And Korra wonders why he's so adamant about keeping himself to himself. The slightest crack in demeanor, the briefest slip-up, and Citizens appoint themselves amateur Philip Marlowe's in The Story Of Your Life. Whether it's out of boredom or self-righteous concern, Hei neither knows nor cares. But secrecy and self-preservation are the indisputable laws that govern Contractors. There are no complex collieries to it. Certainly none here. ]

[ When Chekov takes off at a sprint, Hei follows. At a distance, keeping to shadows and corners. His shoes, light and high-backed, make no sound. The idea that assassins wear metal-capped boots is a myth. He doesn't kick with his feet unless he has to; the attack is too slow. Balance is far more vital. He's impressed though; Pavel certainly can run. But so can Hei. He may not be in active warzone anymore, but his reflexes have hardly suffered for it. The opposite. He's experimented and trained his body to push past human demarcations to survive in a field of superhumans. ]

[ He doesn't chase Chekov all the way on foot. The last few laps, he determines his quarry's course. Falls back to take a short-cut between buildings. Taking Chekov by surprise will be easier. No witnesses. No messes. ]

[Frankly, Hei could be stomping around in iron boots and Chekov might not notice. There aren't any curses today and this part of the City isn't populated by monsters, so his attention to his surroundings leaves much to be desired. It's sloppy, yes, but the City encourages a sort of complacency.

Running is itself a moving meditation--a chance to let the mind go blank so it will be ready to rip apart any problems put to it later. It's about pacing, breathing, pushing past discomforts, moving through cramps and twinges to a runner's high, all to a measured heartbeat.

Chekov approaches Hei, fully unaware of his presence.]

[ Active meditation is something Hei understands. Fighting. Recon. Cooking. They all come with their form of stress and stimulation -- but it's a positive sort. It creates an opening which leads automatically to passivity. Placing your whole body in motion makes you aware of your center. Eye of the storm. ]

[ Except there's no storm here. Just pro forma stillness and concealment in shadows. This routine is something Hei can do half-asleep. Chekov barely passes by before Hei swoops from a corner, fluid and fast. His palm closes on Chekov's head, little prickles of static preceding a sudden mean jolt. It's a low-level current -- not painless but hardly mortal. The most drastic effect will be dry eyes when Chekov awakens. ]

[ Memories of the past few hours miraculously absent. ]

[The unfortunate part of being aware of one's center at the expense of one's surroundings is that threats go undetected--not that Chekov would have had much of a chance of fending Hei off even at his most alert. Hei is a professional; no amount of vigilance can thwart someone who knows what they're doing.

Chekov is down before he even registers the threat.

He will, of course, wonder why he is where he is when he wakes up, and a significant memory gap will be the cause of some concern (when your brain is your most precious asset, any irregularities are worth being concerned about). For now, though, Chekov is out.]

[ You'll awaken alone on a park-bench at Xanadu, Chekov. Birds twittering. Children playing. Flowers blooming. Remarkably scenic -- a terrible headache aside. Sssh. Irregularities are the norm. Especially if you're human. ]

[ Perhaps you've simply been working too hard. ]

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十二

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/creeeeps

Hullo, favorite creeper!

Favorite? There are OTHERS? O:

Well, no...

>3<

No, I think you mean <3

All the <33333 ^^