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.

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[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. ]

[Korra grabs the boy's arm and yanks him behind her protectively; he's too frightened to offer any protest. But she doesn't move closer to Li. He left her unknown friend behind before, and she doesn't trust that he won't try to do so again if she gets too close.

The customer tries to slink away as the old man gets to his feet and starts shouting in broken English] SHE'S TRYING TO KIDNAP MY GRANDSON!

[Korra points an accusing finger right back at him.]

YOU'RE A BAD PERSON!

[ One-handed, Hei pushes the hair off his face. With the other, he reaches out to snatch Korra's arm. The itch to hit her is overwhelming. Who takes off into a crowded market at night? To save a grimy street urchin? Hei understands the frameworks of prostitution rings well enough to know the old man probably has spotters located at strategic points. They're going to be alerting their own menagerie of back-up in a few moments. He doesn't know where that doped-up kid was snatched from or what his sob story is, but he knows, with the City being the replica of his homeworld it can sometimes be, that this is likely a trade-up for most children in his position. ]

[ Which doesn't make the situation any less aggravating. ]

[ To the babbling old man, Hei snaps, ] Shut up. We all know he's not your grandson. [ To the not-so-subtly slinking customer, ] Stay there.

[ Glancing down, he fixes Korra with a frigid eye. ] I told you not use your bending out here. [ If, come Monday, she has a mob of gangsters riding on her ass, don't blame him. ]

[Both old man and customer freeze -- aware in the way predators are when they're outclassed. They're just relieved the bulk of his wrath seems to be focused on Korra.

Korra's intuitive enough to sense the danger, but she doesn't care. She snatches her arm out of his reach and wraps it protectively around the boy, who looks like he's ready to bolt except he's not sure if the hell he'd run into would be better than the hell he's running away from.]

They were hurting him.

[She doesn't care if the bad guys get angry at her or try to attack her when she least expects it like he said. There's no point in being strong if you aren't going to use it.]

[ Little-known fact: The last time Hei got entangled with human traffickers, it was to on behalf of the Syndicate, and the assignment was to secure a Doll. Mao and Yin both know how that case ended. The only thing Hei has to show for the memory is a news clipping of shootouts and dead gangsters at the train station. It was written off as intermob violence. (It's been a long time since then. But he still thinks about Kenji -- his foolish choices and unfathomable luck). ]

[ (Except the latter always has a way of running out.) ]

[ He glances coldly from the customer to the pimp. Aware they're not going anywhere, Hei smooths a hand over his face. Anger gathers like static in his brain. Anger at himself for getting into this mess. Anger at Korra for being Korra. But there's already a clean-up plan in the works. It doesn't show in his expression, except maybe the set of his jaw and slitted eyes. There's no need to explain to Korra the structural beehive of flesh peddlers. At the end of the day, it's not his problem. He needs to get her out of here before more trouble arrives. ]

[ Finally, without looking over at her: ]

Take your friend and step out of the alley. [ He refocuses on the two adults, and adds, ] Don't come in here until I call you.

[She doesn't ask why. The coldness in his usually soft expression frightens her more than the bad guys. Not enough to stop her from what she feels she needs to do, but enough to make her obedient when she feels she's getting the bare minimum of what she wants.

She tugs her new friend none-too-gently out of the alley.]

It's okay. You're safe now.

[ Not quite out of earshot, Hei hears Korra say: It's okay. You're safe now. He shakes his head. Korra thinks this is the equivalent of saving a kitten stuck up a tree. But all she's done is complicate things -- for the brat, for herself, for him. But they'll deal with that once it happens. For now, Hei's mind has settled on the task at hand. Without a word, he advances for the adults. ]

[ His intentions must show in his gaze, because the peddler starts babbling in a desperate bid to buy time. Except it's too late. Everything happens in turns: he darts for the peddler, and there's a burst of electricity, ending with a follow-through and repeat of the lady customer, before she manages a shriek. Their bodies hit the ground almost soundlessly. Not dead -- but KO'd, with a half of tonight's memories erased. The traffickers will piece two and two together eventually. But in the interim, he can protect his identity and Korra's. ]

[ Once he's arranged the bodies out of the way -- inconspicuous behind a few crates -- he steps out of the alley. Wends his way back to Korra. He doesn't say anything to her. Just takes her arm in a vice grip. To the boy, he snaps, ] Beat it. [ He's not a fairy godparent. Knowing the kid, he'll either end up at the hands of a worse predator. Or back in the clutches of his former employers. Or, more likely, he'll seek them out himself -- a posterchild of brainwashing and drug dependence. Not all bondage requires chains and collars. ]

[Korra hears the woman shriek and quickly hugs her new friend, covering his ears so he can't hear. She doesn't know what Li is doing, but the little boy's been scared enough.]

What's your name? [He just stares at her blankly.] I'm Korra. [Still no response. It's getting irritating. Why won't he talk to her?

She cries out in pain as Li grabs her arm.] Let go! No! [The boy beats an immediate retreat when Li snaps, and Korra beats helplessly at the older man's arm.] WHY?!?!

[ Hei drags her forward without reaction, not caring if she bites or scratches him in the process. They need to vanish into the crowd. Now. Disaster travels fast in these parts of the Underground. There'll be repercussions, wide-rippling and inevitable, from tonight. But he'll make sure Korra gets home before that -- nothing else matters. ]

[ When he's sure they're a reasonable distance away, in a weed-choked lot overflowing with garbage, he swings Korra to face him. His gaze, so flat and opaque, is a basilisk's now. ]

Keep your voice down. [ Cold and measured. ] What you did was extremely stupid.

[Korra trembles as he glares at her, but she refuses to cry. She doesn't understand what she did wrong, and his anger at her is only making her angry at him.

And scared, because if he leaves her she'll be all alone and she doesn't want to be alone. This place is strange and overwhelming, and the adrenaline is fast leaving her system, leaving her weak and shaky.

She doesn't say anything in response, mostly because she can't. The effort it takes to meet his eyes without letting the building tears fall is too great.]

[ Somehow, Hei's been put in the unenviable role of disciplinarian. Irritated as he is, he's not sure how to handle the situation. She's not old enough for a full-on lecture on actions and consequences. That's never been his purview anyway. But a slap to the face like his teachers in South America used to dish out, just to drill a point in, wouldn't work either. That technique is fine for subduing a rebellious soldier. But she's not a soldier. Just a misguided child. ]

[ One who is bubbling with tears. Exhaling, Hei runs all ten fingers through his hair and rubs his sinuses. Suddenly he feels like a tired kindergarten teacher more than an assassin. In a different voice, but no less firm, he says, ]

Korra. Look at me.

[She does, though her jaw is clenched tight. A few tears trickle down her cheeks but she doesn't let her sobs break through.]

[ He doesn't try to touch her. Just crouches so they're at eye-level, and fixes her with a quiet look. He keeps his tone low, and there's nothing intimidating to his actions except just staying there. ]

Don't do that again. This isn't a safe place to run off alone in. You could have gotten lost. [ His eyes narrow. ] Or in the same position as that little boy. And I don't think either of us would like that.

[His words shatter the last of her defenses and she bursts into hideous, gut-wrenching tears.]

[ .........Oh for Christ's sake. ]

[ Hei doesn't move. If he was at a loss before, he's out at sea now. In his lifetime, he's handled life-and-death situations better than offering comfort. Let alone to a toddler. For a moment he stares and waits, the lines of his body tall but slanting toward her, as if silently pressing her to settle. Except it's not happening. He exhales. It's not frustrated enough to be a sigh, not entirely relenting to be defeat. But it's close. ]

Stop that. [ Not tender, but patiently reassuring. Reaching out, he uses a corner of his sleeve to dry her face, hand cupping her round cheek as he mops up droplet after droplet. (It makes him feel so stupid: she's not meant to be out here at all and he's not meant to care about her, the tiny little bird trapped in his bloody maw.) Get her home. There's an edge of finality there. This has gone on long enough. ]

[She wants to. She hates crying, especially in front of other people, but she can't stop. The dam has broken and the river drowns.

She lets him brush away her tears only for a moment before she latches onto his leg, both for the comfort of touch and the foolish hope that if she hides her face against him, he won't realize she's still crying.]

[ A quality that's apparently stayed intact all Korra's life. Hiding even as she presses closer. As if he can't practically illustrate all the furious workings in her little mind, see all the crazy force of her emotions, the flailing thoughts. Her tears seep against his leg. Carefully sliding his arms under and around her, Hei scoops her up and rises easily. Makes a soothing noise, head tilting to press his cheek against the mussed top of her head. His gentleness might be unnerving in other contexts, because that's the way his mouth looks when he says I'm going to kill you to victims who catch him without BK201's mask on. The way he says You can trust me to coax a mark into whispering secrets in his ear. ]

[ But none of that is relevant here. He's just trying to make her feel better. ]

Come on. Quit that. [ He squeezes her lightly, his nose in her hair. ] Let's get you home, all right?

[That gets her to look at him, coughing and sniffling but finally able to speak]

Mommy?

[She doesn't want to be in this mean, awful city anymore. She wants her parents.]

[ Hei meets her eyes, and there's nothing that betrays discomfort when he says, ]

She'll be back. By tomorrow night. [ Such a liar. ] You can play with Jinora and your Polar-bear Dog while you wait up for her. [ Would she have gotten Naga at this age? He has no idea. He's simply sifting through a platter of suitable distractions. ]

Nobody has a polar bear dog. They're meam. [And who's Jinora? She doesn't start crying again, but she does not look at all happy with his idea.]

[ He glances at Korra with a solemn look, eyebrows raised. Aha. No pet Naga yet, then. ] This one isn't. It's friendly. It especially likes playing with kids. [ re: With kids who are its owner. Still holding her, he falls into step in the direction of the beach-house. ] There are other animals too. Cats. Sheep. It's almost a zoo. [ His words, his tone, echo amiably off her distressed silence. He doesn't have enough energy to do cheerful -- not for much longer. But it seems important to set her mind at ease. ]

[She's not sure she believes him that this polar bear dog is nice. And she's not sure if she feels up to seeing cats and sheep for the first time. She doesn't want playtime or adventures now. She just wants her mommy.

She buries her head in the crook of his shoulder.]

I want my mommy.

[It's not a demand, just a sleepy complaint.]

[ Hei smoothes the hair from her forehead, then hefts her more securely into his encircling arm. The small weight of her somehow feels sad and heavy though she is so very light; her scent is a strange cousin to older-Korra's, but with that sweetness of pre-adolescence, before the pores get clogged up and the sweat turns rank. It's that scent that summons such depressing childhood memories, he realizes -- and tries to shake it off. Except it's easier said than done. You can transition to healing in some parts of your life; Amber's decision, his own, Heaven's War, the Syndicate -- Hei is slowly coming to accept all those facts. But it didn't have enough of an effect on the other parts. He keeps learning that, over and over, with Pai. ]

[ Eventually, quietly, ] Get some sleep. You've had a long day. [ There's a few things in his life that he'll never learn how to address (or, in most cases, will never deprogram his mind out of). But walking at a swift and balanced gait to not disturb a sleepy girl-child: he's very good at that. He's prepared to carry her until she passes out -- and he's gotten her home. ]

[She makes a quiet sound of assent, already two thirds asleep. The gentle touch to her hair, his quiet voice and the warm arm around her all conspire to make her feel safe again.

Before long, she's drifted off -- if not quite happy, then at the very least content.]

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baby ballbuster

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