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[anatural]

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[anatural]

[It's one thing to declare to yourself, two-thirds asleep, that you have to save your best friend. But it's not that easy to figure out how to bring her back from the dead when you're awake. She's been meditating on the subject for days, but honestly? The only thing she can think about is how desperately, painfully sad she is. It doesn't leave room for much else in her life.

Naga looks up as Chekov approaches, and lets out a friendly wuff to alert Korra to his presence. At first she's irritated at the interruption, but when she sees Chekov, it turns into a tired but almost happy smile.]

Hey. It's been awhile.

[candothat]

[Any anger he might have been nursing vanishes when he sees the expression on Korra's face. It's one thing to express irritation towards someone who is already irritated; it's another to make someone who has apparently been unhappy even unhappier.

Chekov pets Naga, pleased to she her up and well (if not alive).]

It has, yes. I'm glad that October is done with. ...How are you?

[anatural]

[Korra shrugs.]

Alive. [Dark, wry, tired. Chekov already knows the facts of what happened -- she doesn't feel like rehashing the emotional nitty gritty. (Opening up, still not something she does.)] How have you been holding up?

[candothat]

Always good.

[He approaches Korra warily, wanting to talk about what he came here to talk about, but hesitant to upset her further.] Ah--better. Lucy and I were hospitalized, and we are both better now.

[anatural]

[That jolts Korra out of her stupor.]

You guys were in the hospital? What happened? Why didn't you tell me?

[candothat]

[He immediately feels bad for not trying harder to contact her.]

I went after the monster and it bit Lucy's neck. We made it run, but Lucy came very close to dying. [He doesn't know if Korra knows that the creature was Hei. That's Hei's revelation to make, not his.] I didn't tell you because I was upset that you did not help that night.

[anatural]

[He bit Lucy?! Korra wants to ask how she's doing, if she's okay, but then Chekov says You did not help that night, and her expression shutters closed in irritation.]

What did you expect me to do?

[Lucy at least survived the encounter. In case you haven't noticed, Naga died.]

[candothat]

[There--there's the anger he needed, even if this feels wrong.]

I expected you to tell me where it went, at least, so maybe I would have found it before Lucy was hurt! I wanted you to come with me--to help me. If Lucy had not been coherent enough to shoot it, I would have been dead! [More gently, trying to cool himself down:] Naga was killed, I know, but there's nothing you can do for the dead when the living still need to be helped.

[anatural]

I told you that I didn't know! What was I supposed to do, make up an answer?! There wasn't anything I could do to help you.

[candothat]

How could you not know where a giant monster went?

[anatural]

Oh I don't know, maybe because my best friend died.

[candothat]

And for that, you would be negligent enough to let others die?

[Maybe it's unfair, but he and Lucy nearly died! Who knows who else suffered? And this mindset, this grieving while lives are in danger, just isn't something that he understands.

(And it's not just that. Chekov has been irritated with Korra before--little things, mostly--but it has taken time for him to get annoyed enough to say something.)]

You would do anything for Naga. Is no one else important to you?

[anatural]

[To be fair -- and neither of them are at the moment -- Korra wasn't herself at the time. Not just because of grief, but because of the Avatar state. (And monster Hei ran off really fast.)]

How can you say that? Of course other people are important to me! You're important to me!

[candothat]

[This is not the kind of situation in which teenagers are likely to reasonable.]

Am I? If I had died instead of only being hurt that night, when would you have known? How long would it have taken you to notice that I was gone?

[Because of course now is a great time to voice general insecurities!]

[anatural]

Somebody [probably Hei] would have told me.

[candothat]

And if not? Would you have noticed? You say we are friends, but sometimes it's as if we are only friends when it is a convenience for you.

[anatural]

What's that supposed to mean?

[candothat]

What do you think? I am here, always, when you need me to be. When I need you, where are you?

[anatural]

When haven't I been there for you? I've saved your life TWICE!

[candothat]

You are usually the reason my life needs to be saved!

[anatural]

Gluing Hei's furniture to the ceiling was your idea! And it's not my fault you went evil and KIDNAPPED ME.

[candothat]

Yes, but I wouldn't have done it without your influence, and he was your psychotic boyfriend! And being evil was not my fault, either!

[anatural]

You still can't blame me for it! Besides, HE'S YOUR FRIEND TOO. You can't blame me just because you don't like what happened.

[candothat]

[BUT HE USED THE PAST TENSE, OKAY. THEY WERE NOT FRIENDS THEN.]

Yes, okay, so we are both to blame for every stupid thing that happens to us! Derr'mo, maybe this is evidence that we should never do potentially idiotic things together, which clearly rules out everything.

[anatural]

[Korra stops in her (metaphorical) tracks.]

What?