[ It's callous, making her wield a blade so soon after that bloodbath with Pavel. But that's exactly why Hei's doing it. He's been raised on a refusal to soft soap himself in any way. Fear takes root in the wake of trauma. But if you expect to survive, it's your job to uproot it and to never let those sickly tendrils spread. Because once you stop trusting your mind or body, once you start freezing up at every little trigger, everything else falls apart too. ]
[ He watches Korra cut the lobster's head. She's businesslike, but imperceptibly trembling around the edges like a sighted deer, unsure, caught in a warp of memory. But when she goes through with it, there's a sense of almost-pride. So young and naive -- but a tough kid. She'll be okay. ]
[ He smiles like he has a secret locked behind the curl of his lips. A casual shift in weight, and then his hand settles around the crook at her elbow. He leans in, the movement telegraphed and careful -- giving her an out if she wants to pull away -- to press a light kiss to her cheek. ]
Quietly: ] Not bad. [ Honest, in his own way. Hand slipping off her elbow, he drifts out of her immediate space in the next blink. In the pot, water bubbles in a haze of steam. Lifting a lobster by the thorax, he lowers it head-first into the pot with a plop. ] Now drop yours in.
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[ He watches Korra cut the lobster's head. She's businesslike, but imperceptibly trembling around the edges like a sighted deer, unsure, caught in a warp of memory. But when she goes through with it, there's a sense of almost-pride. So young and naive -- but a tough kid. She'll be okay. ]
[ He smiles like he has a secret locked behind the curl of his lips. A casual shift in weight, and then his hand settles around the crook at her elbow. He leans in, the movement telegraphed and careful -- giving her an out if she wants to pull away -- to press a light kiss to her cheek. ]
Quietly: ] Not bad. [ Honest, in his own way. Hand slipping off her elbow, he drifts out of her immediate space in the next blink. In the pot, water bubbles in a haze of steam. Lifting a lobster by the thorax, he lowers it head-first into the pot with a plop. ] Now drop yours in.