I don’t..I don’t know. I can’t stand the dark.
Who: Azula and Korra When: 5/13 Where: Azula’s place What: Getting comfort, attempts at healing. Status: complete Rating: PG-13 Warnings: glossy depictions of injuries
Azula was as comfortable at home as she could be. Her face was bruised, her left hand wrapped up tight, and she really felt like she wanted to die. She’d been humiliated and brutalized, and she had a desperate fear of the dark now.
Korra had hurried over as soon as she’d heard from Azula. The girl hadn’t said much on the phone, but the Avatar knew that she just needed company right now. Human interaction was good for healing -- even if you were stubborn like Azula or Korra -- and the latter was more than willing to help her friend.
Entering the condo after being admitted by the doorman, Korra peeked her head in and called out “Hey, Azula?”
Azula looked up, wondering if she should have said nothing instead of saying something. But Ty Lee had things to be stupid about, and Azula didn't want to be alone right now. She sat up, hiding her damaged hand under the blanket. "Hey."
Korra entered the apartment, and approached Azula. She frowned at the girl when she saw her state. God, she looked banged up. She wondered what had happened. Moving to a chair nearest to the couch, she looked at the other girl sympathetically. She hated seeing her friends hurt. “How are you?”
“Very bad,” Azula admitted, shifting on the couch and sighing. She thought about how much to tell Korra. If she should lie. She was good at lying. She didn’t have the energy for it. “I got into a fight.”
Korra wouldn’t have questioned her if she’d been lying. She also wasn’t one to judge in any way, so in either scenario she could be nothing but supportive. “What happened?” she asked, leaning forward. The bruising was fresh.
“Long story short, he forced Ty Lee into sex with him,” Azula replied, her eyes flaring. “So I went to teach him a lesson. He wasn’t...he wasn’t human.”
Korra didn’t know what to say. She just stared for a long moment, and started wringing her hands in her lap. It took her a while before she let out a breath. “What do you mean he wasn’t human?”
“He could bend shadow.” It was the best way to describe it that she could think of. The way he manipulated shadows like a weapon. She rubbed at her throat with her good hand. “And he had a sword that..burned when it cut me.” Her hand dropped to the wound on her torso.
“Are you... Are you okay?” she asked. Though she knew that Azula wasn’t feeling well -- it was obvious with the physical scars she was carrying -- she wanted to know if she was mentally okay as well. She thought back to the torture that had been Amon in her dreams, and suppressed a shudder. Azula must be feeling something along the lines of what she’d been dealing with before.
“I don’t..I don’t know. I can’t stand the dark, I can’t.. I can’t bend as well. I can barely bend at all.” It was less bad than she made it out be, but it still sucked. She swallowed, then pulled her left hand out, and started to unwrap it.
Korra didn’t know what to say. It was hard to put herself in Azula’s shoes, because she’d never really felt this kind of pain before. Sure, she’d seen pain and felt it in her dreams. But she was sure it was very different in the real world. “Hold that thought,” she said, and then (she’d been practicing) she drew water from the kitchen tap and bent it over to them. Swirling the water around between her hands, it began to glow faintly.
“May I?” she asked, nodding at Azula’s wrist.
The stitches were ugly and the skin swollen and irritated. Azula eyed Korra warily, then took a breath and nodded her head. She was desperate, and willing to try anything. “Do it.”
Korra swallowed. Bringing the water closer, it was glowing as she pressed it against Azula’s wound. Working the water around for a long moment, she made a face. It wasn’t working like she’d dreamed. Sure, it was doing something. But it wasn’t healing at the level she could as the Avatar.
Meeting Azula’s golden eyes with her blue, she shrugged. It had been worth a try, anyway.
It almost burned. Azula bit back a whimper, keeping quiet and trying to remain stoic. The skin looked less inflamed, and she could almost feel something other than pain, but that was about it. She sighed. "It was..worth trying. Maybe you'll have better luck.."
She lifted her shirt up. Her torso was bandaged, and there was a patch below her ribcage.
Korra went to work on the other injury, settling the glowing water against her torso. She made face, concentrating as she tried to heal her friend. She glanced up after a moment to see Azula’s reaction. “Is that better?”
Azula nodded her head, breathing a little easier. Since it wasn’t something that had been reattached, it had seemed to heal a little better, and she gave Korra a smile. “Thanks...”
“Anytime,” she said, and moving her hands as if they were part of the water, she floated it back to the sink. It dropped, and she turned back to Azula. “How is Ty Lee?” she asked, a bit afraid of the answer.
“..she’s okay.” Azula smiled, a little relieved at the thought. “She’s okay. But she’s going to something stupid. If I can’t beat that man, how could she beat him?”
Korra was making a face. “She’s going to try and fight him?” she asked. That definitely wasn’t a good idea. Ty Lee was going to get herself killed. “Can I help?” she offered. Because if this Avatar hated anything, she hated bullies. And liked stopping them.
Azula frowned. “She was getting help from someone. If it’s who I think it is she might..have a chance..” She didn’t want any more friends hurt. She couldn’t protect Ty Lee or keep her safe, she wouldn’t sacrifice Korra too. “If you were stronger..”
Korra shook her head. She was never strong enough, she couldn’t airbend. She was a failed Avatar -- here and in her dreams. “Yeah,” she agreed. “If I was stronger.”
She reached for Korra, and actually pulled her down into a hug. It was all she had the strength for, but she could completely understand those feelings. If she’d been strong enough, she wouldn’t be in this position.
Korra was surprised a bit at the hug. That hadn’t been what she was expecting at all. After a moment, she smiled and put her arms (gently) around Azula to return the hug. “It’ll get better,” she promised, rubbing her back gently. “Things will turn out alright. They have to.”
“Perhaps they will,” Azula agreed. She’d blame the painkillers, later. For one of the rare times in her life she was willing to be on the things.
The Avatar leaned back and smiled, placing a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Everything will work itself out,” she assured her. It was the least she could do right now, failed Avatar or no.