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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[ 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

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Re: Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Re: Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333

Saturday - closed to Hei <333