She took note of his subtle preparation, but said nothing of it, instead nodding. "That's good. Thank you for trusting me--for that, at least..."

For a moment, she said nothing more, gathering the strength to say what she should. "Listen...Wan... I. I want to apologize," she began, pausing again as she considered her lengthy mental list of things to repent. Starting from the beginning, it seemed, felt best. "I know we started off in a really bad way, and I'm sorry. What I did to Zuko, that night..." She shook her head, willing her throat not to tighten over the memory of the pure thought of the boy in general. "I panicked. I hate using that power... I hate that I'm even capable of using it... it wasn't something I sought out or wanted to learn. It was all an accident." Another pause, another hard swallow.

"But I couldn't let Zuko take his life. Not after everything he's gone through and what he means to me--to us."

Her own words stung more harshly than she had expected, but she kept her gaze steady on the man, even without meeting his own.