tushanshu_logs | Catch-all for October

"Sure! I haven’t had another waterbender to train with since I got here." Unless one counted her fight with Amon as training. Being taught by Katara was one thing, but actually waterbending with her previous incarnation.

Well, that’s just something else entirely.

"If you want, I can get a razor for you so next time your hair starts to grow out you can shave it?"

"Yeah? I would like that. Uh...not that I don't appreciate the help. It's just...I haven't had someone else shave my head since I was little."

Back when Gyatso was warning him to stand still, or he would feed him to the lemurs.

"Hey, no offense taken. I’ve never had anyone else shave me, I think I’d find it just as weird."

. . .

Pursing her lips and blinking at Aang for a second.

"Now what’s the wait time on this necklace?" Not serious in the least, going by her putting her hand on her knee and leaning on it. "Now that you have your monkly head back."

He covers his mouth under the guise of scratching his nose, but really it's to hide the fact that he's trying not to laugh.

"Not much longer," he says after wiping away his smile. "Actually, since you're here you can tell me how long you'd like it, instead of me just guessing."

He holds it out to her for inspection. The weave isn't as flowery as the one he made for Katara, but instead resembles the bone choker Sokka always wore. Korra didn't strike Aang as someone who really went in for dainty.

Looking at it more closely allowed Korra to see the Southern Water Tribe influence and she tried to come up with an estimated measurement, but her mind drew a blank.

"Um, I don't know." It could be a necklace, but the way it was looking Korra would put it at being a choker.

"How does it fit so far?" she asked as she elevated her chin so Aang could place it on her to get an idea.

Aang looked at the necklace, then at her neck. With a look of pure concentration so strong it even prompted his tongue to stick out a little, he leaned forward and tried to wrap the necklace around her neck.

"Hmmm. If you want it to be snug against your neck, Then I've got maybe two more pattern repeats. If you want it looser than that, it'll be more."

It wasn’t until he was done that she just realized that he had to stretch his back to test the necklace out. "Sorry, I should have done that." But at the same time, he did need to try and push his limits a bit to get back his normal range of motion.

Which for an airbender was incredibly important, if her not!adoptive airbending family was any measure to go by.

"Loose then. I can wear it with the dress I have. Once in a while something fun comes up and some of us foreigners get together." She didn’t have any neck jewelry to go with it and she really didn’t want any. But a simple, hand-made necklace that reflected her culture, well that was a lot better than any metals or gems.

His head tilts in confusion at her apology. Sure his back was stiff, but it felt loads better now than it did when he first woke up here. And really, she's solely responsible for that positive change, so there's no real need to apologize.

"You don't have to apologize, Korra. I'm okay," he then offers her his most goonie of smiles.

"Loose it is then," and with that he sets back to work, undoing the holding knot he'd put in place and continuing onward.

"Are there a lot of those? Get togethers, I mean."

How could the previous Avatar be a little on the dorky side? From what Korra had seen and heard, Aang had changed the world after saving it. A serious undertaking, and even when he was kind there was a sense of responsibility that he carried.

But-

Twinkle-toes.

Toph’s nickname for him, one she used even when they were older.

After hearing the question, her first instinct to say no. Then her mind went from the Bacchanal, to Zatanna’s Movie Night, to the beach party, to tamales at the Reyes’ suite, and to the grand opening of the Brazen Turtle. "Yeah, there actually is. All it takes is for one or two people to get together and invite the others."

She smirked as she watched him work.

"Why, thought of something you’d want to do?"

"Everything," he says, his small ever-present smile widening. "If I'm going to be here, I'm going to make the best of it and try to meet as many people as possible."

His fingers deftly manipulate the string and it doesn't take him long to get back into the rhythm of weaving. Conveniently this draws his attention to the necklace, which provides him with a great excuse for not looking at Korra.

"Toph told me that time back home freezes while we're here, and that not everyone here is from the same point in time."

Korra couldn’t help but smirk, because that had been exactly how she felt after her first day of arriving. Though, she didn’t want to meet everyone, that would have included Amon.

That next part causes her to pause and her eyes fall to the necklace he’s weaving.

"Yeah. There’re even some people who have another them show up from a similar word to theirs." Right now she was trying to figure out if this would roll around to her and where she came from, or rather, when she came from.

His hands fumble, and then stop. His mouth forms a firm line as he tries to wrap his mind around what Korra has just said.

"...you don't mean in a reincarnation way, do you."

Now she knew that this could lead to something way too complicated, even for her.

"No, I don’t. Like take this guy named Tony Stark. There are two of them here and they both come from different worlds, never knew each other until they got here. Sure, they have a lot in common, but their lives were different. There are a few people that have another them here, but not too many."

She shrugged.

"That’s kind of normal for the turtle." Words Kyle said came to her mind and they never seemed more accurate than just then.

This place is super weird even on the best of days.

"Oh. Okay."
He begins to weave again.

"...is there another me here that no one is telling me about?"

"Nope, you’re the only Aang here." A simple shrug paired with a mild smile was all Korra gave on that and she watched him continue his crafting.

"I think Toph would have lost her mind if there were two of you."

"She probably wouldn't be the only one," he says allowing himself a small smile.

"Though...it might be kind of neat for there to be two of me. That'd be half the training for both of us, and it'd be kind of nice to have some help with the whole Avatar thing. It's kind of a big job..."

"No, she wouldn’t. I only had just enough water to save you." At the next statement, Korra took a very deep breath and nodded.

Every ounce of her wanted to wholeheartedly agree, expound on how no one understood just how much of a weight that is to constantly be carrying around, just how everyone expects you to be perfect and be able to solve any and every problem imaginable. Or worse, unimaginable.

"…I’m sure it is."

"I shouldn't complain, it's just...sometimes its really hard, and lonely."

Especially now that he's gone through the motions of severing his earthly attachment to Katara.

"It’s- Being the Avatar is. a big job." There was so much more she wanted to say. Let him know she understood, on the same wavelength, was in tune with the feeling, had precise insight into just how difficult it really was.

"I don’t think I could save the world if it came down to it."

"me neither," he admits quite honestly, in a very soft voice. The confession is followed by a long pause, where the only sound is that of his taking a slow deep breath.

"...but I've got to try."

Never did Korra think Aang had that much doubt in himself. Half of her wanted to snap at him for even thinking he would fail and the other half wanted to pull him into a hug for voicing exactly what she doubted in herself.

"You’ll do great." She said softly and she put her hands in her lap. "Just- yeah. Trying is all the Avatar can do."

His is a small dry laugh.
Oh yeah, he'll do great.
Look how great he's been doing already.

Missed 100 years.
Has no one to show him how to do his job.
Oh yeah, and was struck by lightning and barely escaped with his life.
He's doing fantastically!

"I just hope it's enough."
Because have died, and will continue to do so, because of him.

"Hey." Her voice is a little louder and she straightened up from her slouch. "It’s enough."

After a moment, she realized just how long they had been there talking.

"Did Toph already stop by?"

Edited 2013-10-15 19:27 (UTC)

"Thanks Korra."

Aang briefly looks up and offers her a small, forced smile.

"She's been around, yeah. Why? Is everything okay?"

No.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if she’s been keeping you company. Aside from the art room, this place can get pretty dull." She mentally tacked on even for volunteers at the end of her sentence.

"When your waterbending’s back up to full strength, maybe we can go to the beach." Beach on the edge of a turtle’s shell, and she referenced it so casually. Clearly she had been here too long.

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