i'm the avatar and you gotta deal with it!

[anatural]

When; Saturday, October 6
Rating; PG
Characters; Korra (anatural) & Li (mortemscintilla)
Summary; Korra is suddenly a baby for the day. She sneaks out the apartment and is found by Li.
Log; She woke up that morning in a strange room, with a strange girl. She covered her mouth to stifle a scream. Where was she? Where were her parents?

Carefully...very, very carefully...she slid out of the bed. It was like sneaking out to steal some jerky after bedtime. If her White Lotus teachers could see her now, they wouldn't say she was brash & reckless.

She made it out of the apartment and onto the street. This. This wasn't the South Pole.

She'd been focused before on her goal -- getting out of the apartment & finding her parents (or Master Katara) -- but the shock of these unfamiliar surroundings was too much for her. A few blocks away from the apartment, she curled up in a corner and burst into huge, ugly sobs.

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ With Cafe Satine closed, he's headed for his Underground safe-house. These weekends always disgorge tiresome curses. He refuses to be one of those affected. It adds risk to his identity. More risk than usual. Korra unmasked him in their last battle. Worse, she escaped. Walking the streets, hands in pockets, Hei calculates how best to deal with the issue. She has to be silenced. Before this escalates. ]

[ She will be. When we next meet. ]

[ Passing a dark lane, he stops. Despite the drone of pedestrian traffic, a sound reaches him. Someone sobbing. A child. Frowning, he steps closer. Part of him, by second-nature, watches for a trap. He's known thugs to use crying children as a lure for naive marks. Hell, he's done it himself as a boy. ]

[ But when he recognizes the girl, he blinks. ]

Korra?

[anatural]

[At the sound of her name, Korra immediately stopped crying and looked up. She doesn't recognize this man who knows her name, but that in and of itself doesn't bother her. She assumes everybody knows who she is, since she's the Avatar.]

Who are you?

[mortemscintilla]

[ She didn't recognize him. Of course. Leave it to the curse to complicate things. ] My name is Li. What are you doing out here? [ It comes out sharp and stern. An interrogation. He checks himself. That's not how 'Li' speaks. Especially not to children. ]

[ Is the act necessary? She wasn't an assignment. He didn't have to earn her trust. All he needed was to erase her adult-self's knowledge of his identity. Yet there was a thread of sincerity -- kindness -- as he drew closer. ]

Come out, Korra. Don't be scared. Did you get lost?

[anatural]

[She looks at him suspiciously.]

Where's my mommy?!

[mortemscintilla]

[ Where were her friends? They should be dealing with this. Not him. ]

She ... had errands to run. [ The lie comes easily. He's used it before on trusting children. Held them hostage as part of assignments. ] But she left me in charge. To take care of you. [ He crouches, extending a gentle hand. ] Why not come out of there? It's all dark and grimy.

[anatural]

[Korra hesitates, then takes his hand.]

When's she coming back?

[mortemscintilla]

[ He ignores a twinge of memory. Who was the last child he held hands with? Pai? No. It was Mai. Better not to think of her. The monster she became; how the Syndicate used her. ]

She'll be back by nightfall. [ Half-true. The curse ends at midnight. He tries a little smile. ] Are you hungry? We could get you a snack while we wait. [ He can't let a child wander the City alone. Better him than a bigger predator. ]

[anatural]

[Her stomach rumbles, and Korra promptly forgets to be suspicious.]

I WANT SEAL BLUBBER JERKY.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Seal blubber what? He frowns, even as his mind sorts through substitute foods. Do they even sell seal blubber jerky here? If not, he can tide her over with something else. ]

Sure. [ He rises, smile in place. ] We'll find you some.

[anatural]

[Korra clings to his hand with perfect trust.]

There's no snow here. [Stating the obvious, as though somehow Li could have missed it.]

[mortemscintilla]

You're used to snow, huh? [ His fingers curl lightly around her little ones. On someone else, it'd be a comforting gesture. But on Hei, it's just a way to insure she doesn't dash off. The protective clutch can easily become a cruel death-grip. ] But there's a lot of things in the City you'd like. Gardens. Carousels. A zoo. [ His voice is amiable. A direct contrast to the cold calculations in his head. Stay with her until midnight. Then wipe her memory out. All of it. ]

[ It's not a moral choice. But it's a logical one. She isn't the first child--or girl--he'll have attacked or killed. It's a matter of putting himself first. Just like any contractor. ]

[ Carousels. Think of carousels, Korra. ]

[ Think of the happiest place in the world. By midnight, I'll put you there. ]

[anatural]

What's a zoo?

[mortemscintilla]

[ A serene sidelong smile. ] It's a place where animals are kept. [ Outlandish ones that might correspond with Korra's world. ] A petting zoo too. So you can play with them and feed them. [ He leads her down the sidewalk. Swings their joined hands in a little goofy arc. Calculatedly playful. ] Interested?

[anatural]

YEAH!

[She bounces excitedly. And then, just because she can --]

Guess what I can do!

[mortemscintilla]

[ All absorbed interest. ]

No. What?

[anatural]

[She lets go of his hand so she can do a spinkick in the air, using her firebending to create a circle of flame.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He draws back, although his expression isn't as surprised as expected. Fire-manipulation? He knows Korra lost her powers back home. He's only seen her produce wind-gusts. It seems her abilities have returned with the onset of the curse. Or are they dormant, and she doesn't realize? ]

That's ... [ He should scold her. It's a public place. She'll attract attention. In his mind's eye, he sees a different city, a different girl. Mai, blank-faced, silhouetted by orange flames. His own voice snapping, Don't do it, Mai. Don't kill him. And Mai's cold reply: ]

[ But why not? ]

[ He shakes it off. ] That's amazing, Korra. [ His tone is patient. ] But you should wait until I take you to the City limits. You can use your powers however you like there.

[anatural]

[Korra scowls. She likes bending, and she doesn't understand why it should matter where she does it.]

Why?

[Idly, because life is boring when she isn't bending, she lifts a puddle of water into the air and turns it into a spinning ball, which throws rainbows on the street as it catches the light. The shifting colors distract her from her annoyance...and from his suggestion not to bend.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ If Korra's so casual about bending, no wonder she feels identity-less without it. A disadvantage, battle-wise. Too much reliance on supernatural powers leaves you arrogant. Open to attack. He's seen it on other Contractors. His cool tone cuts the bright threads the water-rainbow is weaving. ] Because you'll damage something. [ He doesn't need attention drawn to them. His objective is keeping Korra close until midnight. And incapacitating her. ]

[ But he doesn't want to scare her off, either. With studied nonchalance, he adds ] Wait until we're off the streets. You'll get lychee-juice if you behave. And a treat. [ A quick, painless end. ]

[anatural]

WILL NOT!

[Korra attempts to prove this point by turning the ball of water into icicles that she flings into the air and melts before they hit the ground.

She misses one, though, and it shatters. Some of the shards fly at her, leaving little cuts on her skin.]

Ow!

[mortemscintilla]

[ Case in point. The set of his lips is faintly disapproving. Tch. Messes. Sighing inwardly, he kneels before her. ]

Let me see that.

[ Quiet and matter-of-fact. ]

[anatural]

[She holds out her leg obligingly, though she's not at all upset about the cuts. She's a rough and tumble kid; she's shrugged off injuries much worse than this.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ At least she's not fussing. A tough little kid. He examines the cuts, decides they're nothing serious, and fishes a packet of cutesy bandages from his jacket. One of the many accessories to perfect 'Li's persona as a harmless idiot. A persona that Korra, all unawares, threatens to unravel. ]

There. [ He seals the bandages carefully in place. ] All better.

[anatural]

[She leans down and starts picking at the bandaid.]

What's that?

[mortemscintilla]

[ He stops her hand. But gently. ]

It's to keep the cuts safe. Until they close on their own. [ Her childish mannerisms skew his calculations. Make him ... protective. Except he's not supposed to be protective of someone he plans to kill. ] No more bending, all right? Let's get you lychee-juice instead.