[The moment he grabs her in a headlock, her elbow heads for his gut. It takes a moment for her to register that he's said anything, another moment still to realize his voice is not Amon's (though, in this moment, they're frighteningly similar.]
Let me go.
[It's a struggle not to panic and fight against him. She feels like she's only half present -- one foot here, the other in a nightmare she can't escape unless she can move.]
[ He could've done without the elbow jab. He grits his teeth and exhales, letting the discomfort pass, pain dispersing through his muscles, knowing she's operating on reflex. He's seen and felt it before -- triggers that spawn a retroflex of memory. Like Heaven's War, over but never gone, coming alive with the rotting mephitis in the air. ]
[ He loosens his hold on her -- by slow degrees. Steps back, his free hand lifting to remove his mask. The face underneath is hard and focused, gaze unwavering, ]
All right?
[ He's not asking if she's hurt. He's asking if she's still present. ]
[As soon as his grip is loose enough, she yanks herself free. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and almost doubles over coughing from the stench. At least it helps to clear her head. None of the fights she's been in have smelled like this. Not even the sewers where she and the others had taken shelter reeked this badly.
She forces herself straight.]
What are you doing here?
[She doesn't thank him for helping her. If she did that, she'd have to remember how Tenzin fell, the blood and the convulsions.]
[ He's not expecting thanks. He made the decision in a split-second; there was no threat to his life at her expense, nor was it a ploy aimed at tit-for-tat. (BK201? Saving a life instead of extinguishing it? No one would believe you.) He lets her cough, half-expecting her to start retching. The smell has a way of sealing itself into the mind; he already knows he'll be avoiding meat for a few days, and burning incense at his flat to chase off the odors in the air. ]
[ He looks past her, mind and body on red alert. Scanning the area for new or rejuvenated zombies, ]
Target practicing.
[ Fact. The zombies are unnerving, but useful for honing old skills. ]
[Target practicing on people... As if she doesn't feel sick enough already. But she doesn't have the energy for moral indignation. She has to take care of her friends first, before they recover.]
[ They're not people, Korra. Look at them. They're warped and rotting abominations. At her question, he briefly quirks an eyebrow, before handing her a thick coil or wire knotted to the inside of his coat. ]
How are you going to kill them? Decapitation?
[ As if he can't even imagine that she wouldn't. It's a matter of expedience for him; if these creatures get free, they'll cause more destruction, attack more people. Best to nip it in the bud. ]
[People are people. Dead or alive, cursed or uncursed, good or bad. Even if they weren't, she wouldn't try to kill them. She's only ever killed animals to help feed Naga, and even that was rare -- her masters didn't like the idea of her risking her life on such a "trivial" task.]
No.
[Aang had ended the Hundred Years War without killing. Surely she can stop a few zombies while doing the same.
She takes the wire and goes over to Asami first. She pulls the glove off her hand and hurls it away, then flips the other girl over and ties her hands tight behind her back.]
[ Hei watches her, making no move to assist, his stare unreadable. Her pacifist ideology would hold little weight for him; but then, he's past the point of holding life as sacred. In a world of realpolitik, one-ups and cutthroat tactics, it comes down to the survival of the fittest. ]
[ Kill your enemy before they kill you. ]
...What then? [ A detached curiosity, as he clips his mask back in place. He has no intention of filling his lungs with the stench. The mask itself is layered in a daub of citric salve to detract from the reek. Old tricks learnt on the battlefield never go to waste. ] Don't tell me you're planning to wait until midnight.
[He should've met Aang. Korra isn't a pacifist by nature; she's no more reluctant to kill than most human beings are, and this instinct is augmented by a desire to live up to Aang's legacy. Her own natural inclinations lean more towards Kyoshi -- not seeking to kill, but unafraid to do what is necessary.]
Why not? It's a curse.
[She has to believe that. She can't think that this is really Tenzin, really Bolin and Mako and Asami. She has to believe that their real selves are safe at home. (Yet at the same time, she can't see these creatures as anything but her friends.)]
[ He steps closer, keeping watch for any telltale twitches and tics in case the zombies rouse. He doesn't view them as the kids he'd met earlier in the City. In a place of illusions and doppelgangers, they're more likely just fragments drawn from Korra's memory. Just the City fucking with her mind. ]
[ She's better off killing them. For her own sake, and anyone else's. ]
It doesn't seem to be a normal curse. [ He can't pinpoint why, but there's too much build-up, too much widespread destruction this time. The City's way of warning everyone to stay on-guard, perhaps? ] You should get rid of them. While they're still out.
Dismember them. Separate the joints so they don't knit together. Sever the skulls from the neck. [ He's not trying to be callous; he'd just prefer if she not end up in the same crisis as earlier. He can't exactly say he's attached to the girl (those feelings are never easy for him to dissect). But he is very invested in keeping her alive. ]
[ Hei shakes his head, exhaling. Right now, her attachment is a noose around her neck, while these monsters threaten to kick the chair; she'll regret it once they wake up and the battle resumes. ]
They're not your friends, Korra. They're walking corpses created by the City. Even if you escape them, they'll find someone else to attack.
[ Just laying out the facts for her. Whether she goes through with the advice or not is her problem. ]
I won't let them. [She's not leaving them until this is over. She'll make sure they don't hurt anyone else. She ties Bolin next.
Some of Hei's ghouls begin to rise up behind him, capturing Korra's attention. She doesn't notice Tenzin coming back to life behind her, or how he leaves.]
[ He refocuses on the ghouls, armed and ready. Decimating their ranks isn't difficult. Several are still loose-jointed and dazed from the earlier clash. It's only when the last one drops, gurgling and spasming, does Hei glance back at the restrained group. ]
[ He briefly considers following. But his business here is concluded. He needs to check in with Mao about the situation elsewhere. Needs to make sure Yin's doing all right. The zombies will suffer an interesting game of cause and effect if he learns she's in danger. ]
[ There's a beat to watch Korra take off, before he heads in the opposite direction. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Action;
Let me go.
[It's a struggle not to panic and fight against him. She feels like she's only half present -- one foot here, the other in a nightmare she can't escape unless she can move.]
Action;
[ He loosens his hold on her -- by slow degrees. Steps back, his free hand lifting to remove his mask. The face underneath is hard and focused, gaze unwavering, ]
All right?
[ He's not asking if she's hurt. He's asking if she's still present. ]
Action;
She forces herself straight.]
What are you doing here?
[She doesn't thank him for helping her. If she did that, she'd have to remember how Tenzin fell, the blood and the convulsions.]
Action;
[ He looks past her, mind and body on red alert. Scanning the area for new or rejuvenated zombies, ]
Target practicing.
[ Fact. The zombies are unnerving, but useful for honing old skills. ]
Re: Action;
Do you have any rope?
Action;
How are you going to kill them? Decapitation?
[ As if he can't even imagine that she wouldn't. It's a matter of expedience for him; if these creatures get free, they'll cause more destruction, attack more people. Best to nip it in the bud. ]
Action;
No.
[Aang had ended the Hundred Years War without killing. Surely she can stop a few zombies while doing the same.
She takes the wire and goes over to Asami first. She pulls the glove off her hand and hurls it away, then flips the other girl over and ties her hands tight behind her back.]
Action;
[ Kill your enemy before they kill you. ]
...What then? [ A detached curiosity, as he clips his mask back in place. He has no intention of filling his lungs with the stench. The mask itself is layered in a daub of citric salve to detract from the reek. Old tricks learnt on the battlefield never go to waste. ] Don't tell me you're planning to wait until midnight.
Action;
Why not? It's a curse.
[She has to believe that. She can't think that this is really Tenzin, really Bolin and Mako and Asami. She has to believe that their real selves are safe at home. (Yet at the same time, she can't see these creatures as anything but her friends.)]
Re: Action;
[ She's better off killing them. For her own sake, and anyone else's. ]
It doesn't seem to be a normal curse. [ He can't pinpoint why, but there's too much build-up, too much widespread destruction this time. The City's way of warning everyone to stay on-guard, perhaps? ] You should get rid of them. While they're still out.
Action;
And how am I supposed to do that? In case you haven't noticed, they don't exactly stay down.
Action;
[ He's not sure when it happened. But it has. ]
Action;
No.
[It's too easy for her to imagine what he's describing, and it makes her sick.]
Action;
They're not your friends, Korra. They're walking corpses created by the City. Even if you escape them, they'll find someone else to attack.
[ Just laying out the facts for her. Whether she goes through with the advice or not is her problem. ]
Action;
Some of Hei's ghouls begin to rise up behind him, capturing Korra's attention. She doesn't notice Tenzin coming back to life behind her, or how he leaves.]
Action;
[ Minus one. ]
....Korra?
[ Who taught you to tie hostiles up? ]
Action;
She quickly finishes tying Bolin (not very well) and takes off after him.]
Action;
[ There's a beat to watch Korra take off, before he heads in the opposite direction. ]
ooc