Favorite People and Places [Closed]

[12goingon113]

Characters: Katara and Aang
Date: Sometime after Katara arrived, but before the world went to crap
Location: The Turtle's Head
Situation: Catching up is hard to do.
Warnings/Rating: Warning: Totes Adorbs


"It's just a little bit further this way," he says as he excitedly waves her across yet another walkway towards...well, he hasn't exactly told her yet. Not specifically anyway. Only that this is his favorite place on the Turtle.

Not the lionturtle. Or the sealturtle. Or even the turtleduck.
Just turtle. Yeah, that's weird for him too, and it shows on his face every single time he says it.

"I'm pretty sure this is the most spiritual place around."
The closer they get to their destination, the more a feeling of calm begins to creep into the very air itself.

"I can feel it."

Comments

[oceanblue]

"...uh-huh..."

She can't believe it at all, but she's at least amused that he's trying to so hard. Her next question is slightly more serious though.

"What about your firebending? You know... now that Zuko's here, you could start working on that again..."

[12goingon113]

This trip to the Turtle's Head is not turning out the way he'd hoped. At all.
Aang takes a big breath and sighs almost all of it out, flopping backwards on the ground as he does so.

"Can we not talk about firebending, please?"

[oceanblue]

She blinks and looks over at him properly as he flops backward onto the ground.

"What? Why not? You turned out to be a great firebender."

[12goingon113]

"Maybe where you're from, but where I'm from firebending is still really scary and I haven't tried it since..."

He goes quiet, throwing one arm over his face to cover it.

"...the last time."

When he burned you. Yeah, someone is still afraid of letting go to that degree. Even after the whole chakra clearing.

[oceanblue]

"I understand..." She softens and reaches over for his free hand. "I know it's scary, and that what happened last time was out of your control. But it was your first try; I promise, it will be okay... when you're ready to try again."

She smiles reassuringly; Katara has every bit of confidence in his abilities. "I know it's going to take some courage to try again, but you really are good at it with some training..."

She pauses and shrugs a little. "And besides, I'm a full fledged healer now. I'm not afraid of getting a little singed. ...Which won't happen." Or at least, it didn't back home.

[12goingon113]

"But it wasn't, Katara. I was in control, I was just...goofing off. And if that can happen when I'm goofing off, what'll happen when I really can't control myself."

He moves his arm a little to look up at her.

"What will happen when I can reach the Avatar State again?"

There's more than a bit of fear behind his eyes.

"I don't want to be responsible for hurting people like that ever again."

[oceanblue]

"Aang..."

She hesitates, then sighs, resolved and her gentle smile still in place.

"I'm not saying you've got to learn it right now. But I know you well enough to know you won't hurt anyone when you're ready to try again. Even in the avatar state. You just need to be careful in your training, is all. And you will be. I've...seen it."

[12goingon113]

His eyes search her face, looking for signs of insincerity or falsehoods...but there are none. When he smiles next, it's tight-lipped and still apprehensive, but it's undeniably a step in the right direction.

"Okay. Thank you, Katara. Even...even Wan was pressuring me. It's been really tiring, is all."

OH MAN I FOUND A LOST THREAD

[oceanblue]

Well... at least she's able to get that much. Satisfied for now, she softens her smile and tips her head. "It's going to be okay, Aang... I promise."

After a moment's pause, she attempts to lighten the mood a little and asks, "So... this Wan guy...Who is he, exactly? I mean, we met, but only for a little bit before he brought me to you and Zuko..." If he was pressuring Aang toward learning the elements, he had to be someone close enough to understand the young avatar's hesitations.

HAI!

[12goingon113]

"I hope so," he says with a sigh.

"Wan? He's another Avatar. The first Avatar, from ten thousand years before Korra."

Re: HAI!

[oceanblue]

Her response is swift, much like her reaction to the knowledge that Toph had a daughter.

"What!?"

[12goingon113]

"That was my first reaction too, but...he is. I can feel it. Even with my chi blocked, I can feel it."