tampered | baby ballbuster

baby ballbuster

When; March 9-10
Rating; PG
Characters; Korra, Hei, Tohru, Jinora, Lin Bei Fong, Miles, and anyone else who wants in
Summary; Korra's been bb!fied. Again.
Log; She's just getting off of work when the curse hits. One moment she's glaring murder at some lecher dumb enough to leer at her, and the next she's four years old.

The people of the Underground are familiar enough with curses. They just laugh at the little ballbuster. One of them takes advantage of her size and confusion to pick her up.

"LET ME GO!" she screams, and bursts of flame shoot from her flailing hands. The crowd jumps back to avoid the fire, but they stick around, still laughing.

Korra tries earthbending, and manages to hit one man with a rock to the crotch. The crowd doubles over.

"Now she's a real ball buster!" someone shouts.

The little girl struggles and screams and uses all the bending she knows, but she can't break free.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ KORRA WHAT DID YOU JUST -- !?! ]

[ The bending goes relatively unnoticed, but the beer splatter doesn't. The peddler sputters and coughs, glancing around with bloodshot eyes for the perpetrator, his hair dripping, while his companions burst into guffaws. In a place like this, random bursts of aggression are no rarity. But Hei would prefer for the little girl at his side to stay under the radar. ]

Hey. [ His tone isn't angry, just firm. (Privately he's more amused than he's willing to admit.) ] What did I just say about not bending in here?

No you didn't! [It's unclear whether she forgot or if she didn't understand that his earlier scold had been about bending in general and not just stealing someone else's water.]

[ Ugh. Kids. Suddenly he's fighting a headache so severe, he thinks his cranium might pop. It'd be easy to repeat the behavior patterns of his keepers in South America, and just snap at her to shut up -- or smack her upside the head if she persists. ]

[ Except he's not mad at her. Just instilling a sense of caution. ]

Yes I did. No bending in here. Of any kind. You'll get into trouble.

Edited 2013-03-11 02:05 (UTC)

Why?

[SULKY AVATAR IS VERY SULKY]

[ AND HIS HEADACHE WORSENS ]

Because not everyone here bends. Or has special powers. If you use your bending on them, they'll feel cornered. They'll get angry and try to hurt you. Like the people in the bar. [ Neutral-faced, he meets her eyes. ] So no bending. Got it?

I'm not scared of them!

Of course not. [ There's almost a shadow of a grim smile on his lips, but it's gone too fast to catch. It's almost like explaining something to Pai. A sensation that is equal parts ironic and painful. ] But that's not what this is about. If someone hits you, you feel like hitting them back. Right? It's the same thing when you use bending on people who don't have any. They can't fight you head-on. But they'll look for other ways to hurt you. Like when you're tired or lost. So you have to be careful.

[ He sets his empty bowl aside, then drains his drink in three gulps. Adds, after a thoughtful pause, ] Bending's okay. But it's not okay to hurt everyone with it. [ Unless of course you receive a payment for your efforts. But. Details. He segues into the next subject. ] Now finish your meal. Then we'll get you cleaned up and out of here.

Edited (xDD) 2013-03-11 02:44 (UTC)

[Korra frowns -- more confused than petulant. She doesn't want to hurt everyone. Just the stinky guy making Li uncomfortable.]

But he was bugging you.

[ Oh. Well. That's... ]

[ He nearly smiles again, and scrubs at his mouth to stifle it. He half-wants to explain that he can take care of himself. Half-wants to know how she's seeing this situation -- seeing him -- through her child-eyes. Because. Kiddo, you make no damn sense. You cat-bag-brained Avatar. ]

He's just an idiot. Nothing to worry about.

[ Now finish your damn meal. He's not running a daycare center here. ]

[There isn't much left on her plate, so she finishes it quickly. Her mood is a little subdued. She'd been hoping for praise, not a lecture. She still doesn't understand what she did wrong.

But don't worry, the mood will pass soon enough.]

[ Korra isn't the only one subdued. Hei watches her eat, quiet and a tad withdrawn. A jeer bounces through his mind, My hypocritical ass. Who is he to lecture on Okay and Not Okay given what he does? He kills men, women and children for paychecks. There's no glossing that over, and he's never cared to. Killing is killing. Introducing sub-levels to it is like being a whore who demands credit for virtue because she doesn't kiss the clients she fucks. ]

[ He's a chameleon by training. He's putting up a front of decency for Korra's benefit. But there's no such thing as innocence by osmosis. Often, the opposite is true. It's one reason -- one of the many -- he'd broken it off with Korra in the first place. The longer she stayed with him, the more that mess would make her resemble him than the other way around -- pare her into something harder, bitterer, crueler. And that would be regrettable. ]

[ You remember Pai when you're around her. But make-believe time is over. Take her home. Now. ]

All done? [ Without waiting for a response, he rises and takes her hand. ] Let's get you washed up. [ This isn't the type of place that has 'Men's and 'Ladies' restrooms. Hell, a sink and a soap dispenser are enough. ]

[She lets him take her hand and lead her to the bathroom. Her own mood would have passed except she can sense his low spirits. She's too young to realize that people have lives outside of her, that their feelings can be influenced by things that aren't her; she can only assume that it's her fault.]

I'm sorry.

[She still doesn't understand what she did wrong, but she hopes that will make him feel better. He's the only familiar thing in this strange place. She doesn't really feel safe when he's sad and withdrawn.]

[ Hei wends his way in the dark red atmosphere of pressed bodies toward the bathroom. It's a screened spot partially roofed in tin, with a primitive sink and an earth closet. A bare bulb dangles overhead, a moth swooping around it, battering its furry body against the hot glass. He lifts Korra to the edge of the sink, scrubbing down her tiny hands and face with a methodical patience. ]

[ In the flecked mirror, he sees her reflection. Her eyes look like they're about to melt down her cheeks. ]

You did nothing bad. [ He makes the assertion in a quiet tone, squeezing her hand lightly before moving to rinse the other. ] Just keep the bending on the DL. [ He tries for a half-smile, aware she's taking cues from his body-language, and determined to reshape it to something reasuring. ] Know what DL means?

[She endures the washing with unusual patience (for her) and shakes her head in response to his question.]

[ She's being awfully good, he thinks, with an undertone of Why am I jinxing it? Finished with the clean-up, he turns the tap off and scrubs off her face with a rough paper towel, ] On the DL. On the chill. On the squash. Just a bunch of words that mean [ he swings her up toward the ceiling then sets her down again ] keep it quiet. At least until we're out of here.

[ He looks like he's playing, like this is a fun game. But inside there's a pang he can't place. He doesn't want to place it; he almost misses the old days, when he'd managed for long periods of time not to feel anything at all. ]

[His playfulness -- feigned or not -- is rewarded with a happy giggle. Children her age are both frighteningly perceptive and easily fooled.]

You're silly.

[She latches onto his hand and beams.]

[ Her giggle gets a half-smile, quiet and genuine although it doesn't reach his eyes (when does it ever?). She makes him think of popsicles, scabbed knees and running through sprinklers in sunshine. Lighter times. Except, recalling her older self, he wonders if a happy childhood is ultimately a disadvantage. Fluff and fences don't harden you sufficiently for what comes after, so when shit hits the fan you're running blindly for cover, lost among those who are better equipped at handling themselves than you are. ]

[ Or maybe it doesn't matter either way. What's the saying? No one's a virgin when they die. Life fucks us all. Accurate enough. ]

[ Hei lets Korra cling to his arm, steering her outside. There, the same man in baggy pants shuffles over, and taps him on the shoulder. ] Hook you up?

[ Oh for fuck's sake. Hei grits his teeth, fists doubled up, and resists the urge to snap his neck. ] If you don't get the hell away from me... [ Blinking blearily, the peddler staggers off. Hei watches him go, then glances at Korra. ] Don't buy drugs from idiots. [ Isn't the warning 'Don't do drugs?' Well. Whatever. ]

[It's funny how the things she reminds him of are things she would be completely unfamiliar with (save for the scabbed knees)...and not only because she grew up in the South Pole. She grew up in a world still recovering from a century of warfare, in a tribe that had been almost completely eradicated by genocidal conquest. Her childhood was happy, yes, but her only friends had been her waterbending master and a polar bear dog, and the games she had played had all been preparation for war. They might not be familiar with the phrase The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, but that is the philosophy the White Lotus raised her by. The Avatar is their gun.

But most of that is in Korra's future, and not relevant to the here & now. At this moment, she is scowling at Mr. Stinky -- hadn't he got the message?!?!? She lifts her foot up in the air, prepared to hit him with a column of earth that would teach him FOR GOOD.

But. She remembers what Li said about not using her bending against everybody. She gives him a sideways look, clearly debating whether to listen to him or not, and then reluctantly puts her foot down again without earthbending.

You better be proud of her. IT WAS REALLY TEMPTING.]

[ In that sense their histories share a fundamental similarity: They were both seen as instruments -- dangerous, valuable, but a means to an end -- rather than people. Where Korra was cordoned off and pedestalized as a figurehead, Hei was defaced and consigned to shadows as just one of the many cogs in a complex machine. But the end result -- the dehumanization -- is the same. ]

[ It's the same old story. Malleable and vulnerable, with unformed consciences, you can shape a child into the monster -- or monster-slayer -- of your choice. Often they end up being both. That's one of the many reasons child-soldiers never go out of fashion. ]

[ He watches Korra struggle not to earthbend the peddler. When she resists, there's a small measure of surprise, but also none at all. The power of suggestion is an effective tool. He's learnt that with adults, as part of his arsenal on manipulation. But those instances weren't half as gratifying as this. ] Very nice [ he says, and squeezes her hand with a quirk at the corner of his mouth. ]

[ Outside the bar's exit, a hand taps his shoulder again. Scowling, Hei turns, expecting that stoned peddler. But it's just a wizened old man, leading a little boy by the hand. The man touches the boy's head with an oily smile, opens his mouth to speak in straggly Mandarin -- and trots out a price. Oh. Great. There are child-peddlers here too. ]

[ Hei stares at him for a moment, impassive. Without a word, he scoops Korra up and takes off, at a faster clip than usual. ]

Time to go home.

[While Li scowls at the old man, Korra studies the little boy by his side. She doesn't understand the look in the child's eyes -- a twisted combination of terror, resignation, and despair -- but she doesn't like it. She doesn't like the old man holding the little boy's hand, either.

She reaches out to take the child's free hand when Li scoops her up and takes off. She screeches, struggling in his arms.]

PUT ME DOWN!

[They can't just leave the boy behind!]

[ Yes they can. In fact they're gaining distance with every step. ]

[ Hei lets her carry on squalling. Doesn't set her down; his brisk stride doesn't slow until they're out of the marketplace. Even as a child, Korra has a perceptive intensity about her surroundings, an overflow of feeling. Too bad it's wasted on a situation like this. He carries her along without looking back. His grip and tone are steady -- mind occupied only on getting her to the beach-house. ] It's late. You need to be home. [ The child, the old man, none of that registers on Hei's moral radar as anything other than mildly distasteful. ]

[ Korra probably sensed something off about the pair. But he's prepared to lie to her if she persists. She's too young for him to commit to an explanation of black, white and gray. More than likely, she won't get it even if she's eighteen again. ]

Edited 2013-03-11 14:58 (UTC)

[Korra doesn't need an explanation, and even the not-quite-lie about taking her home can't distract her. When she sets her mind on something, it is set. That quality is what makes her a master bender at such an early age, and it's what makes her bend a rock to whack him in the shoulder. It may do little more than loosen his grip, but it's enough so that she can wiggle free.

She tumbles to the ground, ignoring the pain as the rough street scratches up her palms, and takes off running, back in the direction of the boy.]

[ Goddammit. She's even worse than Pai. ]

[ The rock is unexpected. His grip slackens for a split-second -- but that split-second is all she needs to wriggle away and bolt. Before he can catch her, she's vanished into the patchwork of the crowds. Tch. Glowering, Hei shakes his head. Stupid, stupid child. She makes his own reckless choices shrink up to about the size of a pea. For a moment he's tempted to let her go. Part of him is immensely tired of this whole night, sunk down deep into ennui, wrapped in numbness. But at the same time, a bubble of inexplicable emotion swells in him, pushes upward, threatening to swamp him altogether. ]

[ The bubble bursts on a silent pop, and leaves clarity in its wake. ]

[ Anxiety. He feels anxiety. ]

[ Swearing under his breath, Hei takes off at full-pelt after Korra. ]

[Despite her size, she'll be easy enough to follow. She's no street urchin to duck and weave through the crowds. No, she barrels through the crowd like it's your job to get out of her way. People may shout and curse, but nobody cares enough to try and stop her.

Fortune favors the brave...and the foolish. She travels in a straight line, having already forgotten whatever twists and turns Li may have taken her, but the child peddler didn't stay in one place either. Korra sees him ahead, talking to a modestly dressed, almost maternal looking woman. But there is nothing modest or maternal in how she looks at the boy.

The woman reaches for the boy's hand and Korra raises her arms.]

DON'T TOUCH HIM!

[A wall rises out of the street, almost breaking the woman's hand as it comes between her and the boy. Another jut of earth knocks the old man away from the kid. The boy stands frozen in terror.]

[ This was not how Hei planned to spend his Saturday night. ]

[ He runs through the late-night streets in a zigzag pattern, fast, fast, it's like he's ice-skating except faster. The adrenaline is quicksilver, overlaying his anger and concern. It doesn't take him long to see the path Korra barreled through. The warm moist air of the market wraps around him like a sweaty fist. But everything about him is cold -- a seeing-eye personified. Even in the weekend crush, a child like Korra is easy enough to tail. ]

[ Rounding the last corner, he catches Korra's yell -- Don't touch him!. Takes in the surreal tableau in the dim alley beyond. Angry Korra. The peddler, his merchandise, and a customer. They all face the dead end of the alleyway. Hei steps slowly forward, eyes narrowed. Fucking kids. Fucking hero-complexes. ]

What's going on here?

[ His cold voice echoes off of the high walls. ]

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