[Open]

[12goingon113]

Characters: Aang, Katara...and you?
Date: Mid-April
Location: The Midnight Hotel
Situation: Aang returns home post mugging.
Warnings/Rating:


Times were tough, and they only seemed to be getting tougher.
Day after day Aang returned to the construction site to help with the new development. Waterbending the sopping land dry, earthbending levees, firebending to cure bricks, airbending whenever possible to get from place to place quickly as needed.

It was some of the most grueling training he'd endured since before the end of The War.

To make matters worse, the ever dwindling supply of produce and grain meant there was less food to go around, with the lack of variety hitting those with dietary restrictions, like Aang, hardest. Of course even when there was food for him, he never ate it all, opting instead to share what little he had with those whose bowls he believed should've been a bit more full.

That's just his way.
Helping people is his duty, and he will not be negligent in his duties...never again.

Which is why when the middle-aged kedan woman comes to him seeking help he doesn't hesitate, he doesn't question. As he follows her she tells him of the strange animal currently wreaking havoc in her home. And please, won't he please help.

Only when he enters the house...there is no animal.
There isn't much of anything really. No animal, no furniture, no nothing. It's not until he tries to turn towards her to ask her what's going on that he realizes he can't move.

At all.
He's utterly paralyzed.
His mind races as panic sets in.

No he wants to protest, to scream, but can't.
There's not even time to focus in an attempt to call forth the Avatar State, because in seconds she's on him, rifling through his robes in search of something, anything.

His wages for the day.
The woven necklace he'd been working on.
The several decorative stones that he'd been planing to make meditation beads out of.

And then finally...his soul gem.
There's a clatter as the previous items fall to the floor in favor of stripping this one, singular item from him.

As quickly as the attack had begun, it's over. He hears her whisper something of an apology just before she exits the house, closing the door behind her.
Leaving him alone, still unable to move.

Comments

Day of, shaken not stirred

[12goingon113]

The paralysis is temporary, thank goodness, and as soon as Aang is able to move he does so. He gathers up his belongings and then carefully makes his way out of the home.

His heart pounds in his chest as he runs back to the Midnight Hotel. Back to somewhere safe.

[oceanblue]

She notices immediately that something is off the second she sees him across the lobby. It's not terribly odd to find him a little out of sorts these days given how hard he's been working despite her gentle pleading for him to take it easy. Food shortage aside, it's hard enough for him to support his special diet anyway, and the labor isn't kind.

But for the moment, she can tell it's not just a physical problem, and she's at his side the instant she's able to walk away from the scraped knee she's been mending. The child scampers off with his mother, waving goodbye.

"Aang? Is everything okay?"

[12goingon113]

He nods automatically, because keeping Katara from worrying is usually at the top of his To Do list.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he says a bit distantly. Even though things that would usually live in his pockets are currently residing in his hands.

[oceanblue]

And no matter how hard he tries, she's going to worry anyway. Seems thats usually at the top of her own To Do list.

She frowns a luttle, blue eyes full of concern as she looks over the items in his hands. "What happened? why are you carrying everything?"

[12goingon113]

"Oh." He looks down at what he's carrying, almost as if he'd forgotten he was holding stuff. "I um...thought it might be more fun? Yeah, more fun. To carry stuff. Rather than pockets."

[oceanblue]

She doesn't buy it. Not one bit.

"Uh ...Huh..." Cue extremely skeptical, don't-make-me-lecture-you pout.

....."So what really happened?"

I have to pick this day! Sokka's schedule is kind of locked down!

[theideaguy]

Sokka has... a lot on his plate at the moment. There's work that they're behind on at the Palace, setting up all of the Foreigners' new homes. That's definitely one of the priorities, and much as he'd like to spend all day home taking care of his friends like he used to before Malicant was defeated, he really didn't have the luxury of a flexible schedule to just call off work on a moment's notice. Then there was the fact that someone had been thieving in Stark Industries, and he's already promised himself that he's going to start investigating that to the best of his ability.

Little does he know what's happened earlier in the day, and it's certainly the last thing he needs. But still he's going to find out about it soon enough. He gets back to the Midnight Hotel, throws his things in his room, and then immediately heads next door and knocks. "Hey Aang, grub's on downstairs! Want to head down and get some food in your stomach?"

Usually, that would bring him straight to the door before he could even finish.

[12goingon113]

Usually, but not today.
Today Sokka will find the door to Aang and Toph's room slightly ajar. And rather than have Aang already out the door at the mention of a snack, he's seated with one hand clutching at his temples.

"...please don't mention food right now," he says quietly.

[gagtag]

[theideaguy]

Also, for what it's worth, the Check Engine light and Low Oil lights are on too. Time to take this in for a service checkup.

[theideaguy]

Well, that's... not the response he expected to hear. Aang was almost always up for food. Especially around this time.

He pokes the door open slightly further and peeks in, practically comically. "What's the matter? Did you already have dinner? Overstuff yourself on those neat little chicken wing things at the shop down the street again?"

[12goingon113]

Because if merely mentioning food wasn't bad enough, Sokka decides to double down and mention non-vegetarian food.

"Uhgh," he groans. "No. No food. I'm not hungry."

Day one, tired.

[12goingon113]

It's a trial to even get out of bed today, and once Aang is mobile, it's clear he's not running on all cylinders.

[lordhotman]

Zuko had been spending a lot of time at the construction site, but once he'd heard what happened to Aang, he quickly came back to the hotel. First stopping by his room and knocking to see if he's there. If not, he will search until he finds him.

[12goingon113]

As luck would have it, Aang is still in his room.

"Yeah?" he calls to the closed door. There's something distant in his voice, like he's not really paying all that much attention.

[lordhotman]

Hearing the voice on the other side, Zuko opens the door to peer in before entering.

"It's me," he greets curtly, glancing over at the sleeping Katara before focusing on Aang Whike trying to keep his voice down.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

[12goingon113]

Aang's seated with his back leaning on the headboard not far from where Katara is curled up asleep. He looks exhausted. Like day after he defeated Ozai exhausted.

"Hold on," he says. "I'll come to you."

Slowly, and with great care, Aang extracts himself from the bed, moving as if his still too scrawny limbs were made of much heavier stuff.

Re: Day one, tired.

[whitelotustile]

Iroh might have heard from Zuko. Or else he might just be a nosy old man. Either way, he is going to find Aang and have a cup of tea and some soup, just like you might for a sick person.

"Here. You need to keep your strength up."

[12goingon113]

It took more effort than he'd ever be honest about, but Aang managed to get out of bed and over to the table to share tea with Iroh.

In spite of his best intentions, Aang's hands shake as he reaches for the cup of tea.

"Thank you, Iroh," he says smiling weakly, almost sheepishly.
He takes a long deep inhale of the steam rising from his cup before sipping.
The warmth is reassuring, it's from that reassurance that he tries to will himself more energy.

[whitelotustile]

"take it easy," Iroh said. "A drained spirit is not a light cold."

This soul gem business had him concerned. Iroh knew enough about spiritual matters to know that things could quickly get bad.

[12goingon113]

"...I hate this," he says only after his sip, when he's placed the cup safely back on the table. "I feel so stupid, used, and useless."

Day Two, feverish and confused.

[12goingon113]

There's no getting out of bed today.
The lights are too bright.
There's too much sound.
He's too hot one second, and too cold another.

And sometimes...he's not even sure where or when he is.

[oceanblue]

She's concerned. She's far beyond concerned. In fact, she's absolutely terrified.

Awoken early in the morning by his restless stirring, Katara now sits at his side, her hand coated with glowing water and held just over his forehead, the other moving over his chest in an attempt to cool him down. She can't help him, she's tried everything, and it's beyond frustrating.

His body refuses to heal itself, despite the work of the best healer the water tribes can offer. Despite every beat of her heart willing it not to fail him. She's losing him, and she's scared.

The others are still searching for his gem, but she's still restless, still frustrated. But she won't be leaving his side. Not once.

[12goingon113]

For much of the night Aang has been too tired to actually sleep, and it's only been withing the last few hours that he's managed rest. Though judging by the creases on his forehead that rest has been fitful at very best.

Slowly though it seems as though he's starting to surface back to consciousness, and the closer he gets to waking up, the more he tries to turn away from the cool blue glow of Katara's healing water.

Someone's got a light sensitive headache.

[oceanblue]

The moment he starts to come to and turn away from her healing, she pauses and takes her hands away, banishing the water into a large bowl at the side of his bed. "Aang...?" She speaks softly, reaching back up to brush her thumb over his cheek as she gently cups his face, checking to see if he's actually waking up.

[12goingon113]

"'s bright," he grumbles almost incoherently, even as he's leaning into her touch.