it goes in one ear and right out the other

[assiduous]

Characters: mako (assiduous) and korra (isnttheleaf)
Open? closed.
Where: the castle, avoiding the party.
When: the 3rd day rebirth's decline, evening.
What: while the rest of the travelers revel, avatar korra and team avatar's token firebender have... some things to deal with.
Warnings: none. language, maybe.

[ lina what are we doing i don't know what we're doing

so. you know what sucks? finding your brother, only to be taken yourself, and taken somewhere REALLY FAR AND REALLY DIFFERENT and okay being electrocuted really hurts, so. it's safe to say that his reaction to waking up in the castle is uh. LESS THAN POSITIVE. (he almost lit the old man's hair on fire, before he was uh. settled.)



THIS IS BULLSHIT

THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA and mako is not happy with it WHAT THE FUCK IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A SWORD you guys are assholes, just kidnapping him and giving him a sword and

whoa what's that commotion next door... ]

Comments

[assiduous]

[ okay. the only thing to do is... try their hardest to solve this place. mako stands a little straighter, going into Big Brother Captain mode. okay, he's got this. just going to try and pretend most of what was just discussed was never discussed okay. yeah. that's a great conflict management technique, mako. really. not gonna bite you in the ass ever, buddy. ]

Yeah. First is probably gonna have to be getting some more information, from someone other than those guys. Cash and supplies too. [ a pause, and a frown, as he looks over to drum. ] I don't think they're going to let us stay in this place, either.

[ WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE TO FIND ROOM SOMEHWERE. in this place that they don't have cash. :/ ]

[streamlines]

So we can either camp in the open or find a place to stay. Think the old guy has a map we can get out of him? What do you think, girl?

[her transition to addressing naga goes without missing a beat, the polar bear dog's nose against her cheek]

[assiduous]

[ mako nods, preparing to answer and— WELP KORRA IS TALKING TO NAGA UH.

um.

... okay? ] He might. Or we could try and get a look around town, see what we find.

[ you know, the one surrounding the castle ]

[streamlines]

Assuming we're already in town and it's easy to find.

[korra
you have got
to start listening]

Naga could probably track something down, if we're looking for a place to eat and sleep. Right, Naga?

[AFFIRMATION BY TAIL-THUMPING]

1/2.

[assiduous]

[ ............ korra ]

[assiduous]

[ ANYWAYS... ]

Okay.

[ drum takes this chance to uh. make a horse noise or something and try to eat mako's scarf again falkejrfsdkl NO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FORGET YOU, DRUM lkfajwelsfdkjdas


he may try to sell you in a few days though. js. ]

[streamlines]

Great, then let's go!

[korra hasn't exactly given much heed to the horse so she'll just be jumping onto naga's back and expecting mako to follow]

[assiduous]

[ CONVENIENTLY a stable urchin kid pops out from nowhere, all like, "drum'll be here for you t'morrow, sir" and i am lazy and stuff and okay so. ALRIGHT. uh

cue mako's uh. awkward naga riding style.

OKAY THEY HAVE AN ADVENTURE NOW RIGHT and by adventure i mean they find an inn that'll let them keep naga in the stable and well. haggling with the innkeeper for room and board takes less time than you'd think, though!! it's pretty obvious they're not from around town, and the promise of out-world cash is enough. one hiccup, though, and after the guy gets their hands on mako's hard earned twenty yuan.

only one room available. and no, he won't take refunds.

.... motherfucker

a.sdfmlwkesdafklsjdklf WHY IS THIS HAPPENING ]

[streamlines]

[hey HEY WAIT A MINUTE MAN

seriously who is out to get her in the feels here is this place who ]

Hey! You can't tell us something like that until after we've already handed over the money, bub.

[this avatar is doing a fairly good job of keeping the question of BUT HOW MANY BEDS WILL THERE BE KASDJHFGJHSDAG off her face

but the guy feeds them something about not having enough rooms in the inn at least they won't have to go to the stables and wrap bolin in swaddling clothes]

[assiduous]

[ "all you've done is give me fancy paper; i'm being very generous, as it is, and i assure you, the prancing pony is the only inn in town that'll let you keep a bear in the stable, even iff'n it's a tame bear. don't be a fool girl, your boy there's half dead on his feet."

um wow RUDE no he's not!!!! yes he is, he so totally is, korra why can a total stranger scumbag innkeeper realize this and not you probably because mako looks so exhausted normally anyway

mako just scowls, and puts his hand out for the key. he will sleep on the floor if he has to can he just sleep. ]

Tryin' to scam the people they're bringing in to save your place doesn't seem like the smartest thing, pal.

[ but!!! a key. yes. to the knife chamber... ]

1/2

[streamlines]

[the inkeeper's words draw korra's attention to how mako looks. it's true he normally looks exhausted, but looking for it now she notices his posture and movements are slower, more slumped. ...ah. and he probably has a point about naga, so maybe it would be better just to take it and get some sleep asap.]

We'll be warning other people of your little scheme. Come on, Mako.

[and now korra's taking charge!!! and taking him by the arm to pull along as she huffs away]

2/2

[streamlines]

[....but she slows down a bit when they've turned a corner and glances at him over her shoulder

because god he really can't have had a very good day]

[assiduous]

[ he lets her tug him along, as if it's too much effort to protest right now, in any way more than the look he gives her, and a short, ]

What?

[ HE IS FINE OKAY jeez

oh! look it's their room, just up ahead. right there. ]

[streamlines]

It's nothing.

[she lets go of him when they get to the room. for a moment she considers suggesting they return to demand another room, but, well, the concept of demands by aggression is beginning to become... a little less appealing.

so instead she goes on in. of course it's clearly meant for one person]

....I guess it's a good thing there's only two of us?

[assiduous]

[ he follows, slipping his sword back off his shoulder AGAIN (because he carries it like a hobo) so it doesn't bump off the door frame... mako has seen worse. really.

they can probably flip a coin for the bed right

right

right ]

Yeah... Could be worse, though.

[ like it could be gross and icky and whatever and there could be rats and bugs and a leaky roof and stuff??? ]

[streamlines]

[korra stands there awkwardly for a moment before coughing and saying] Well, I'm going to go, uh, find the bathroom. You settle in, I'll be back.

[AND MAYBE THIS WILL AVOID THE "NO YOU TAKE THE BED" ARGUMENTS she hopes]

[assiduous]

[ :c korra don't leave him here by himself he doesn't know what to do.

... okay well "settle in" to mako apparently just means "put your sword by the door and sit in the chair backwards and wait for korra to come back"

like, i mean, he didn't even take his coat off.

he's just sitting here. waiting.

look he's got a one yuan coin though! flippin' that shit here yea gonna flip heads or tails for the bed i guess? ]

[streamlines]

[korra takes enough time to come to the realisations that bathrooms here aren't quite as modern as the ones in republic city before she returns and

well mako hasn't decided to make this easy on her

korra clears her throat, then re-enters the room and flops (somewhat awkwardly) down on the bed. despite her sitting right on it, though, she decides to say (after a long pause)] You're probably a lot more tired than I am. You should sleep on the bed—I don't get cold very easily, I'll be fine on the floor.

[assiduous]

[ he had an unbiased solution ready, korra! >: don't coddle him. ]

I was... gonna suggest we flip for it. [ he turns the coin over in his fingers ] You sure?

[streamlines]

[...oh. oh, flipping would have been a better solution, wouldn't it.

welp.]

Oh—well, we can flip—but it's really not a problem. You should have the blankets, anyway.

[assiduous]

[ there's the slightest frown at that, because just because he's... forgotten things doesn't make him unable to take care of himself! and wouldn't it make more sense to give whoever's on the floor the blankets... ]

Heads, you take the bed, tails, me?

[ is that acceptable. ]

[streamlines]

[who says you dont need someone to take care of you and hold you while you sleep huh mako huehehueh]

Sounds like a fair enough deal.

[assiduous]

[ LE FLIP (insert some of laure's obnoxious prose about the sound of the coin being flipped and mako catching it and stuff. ]

Heads. Bed's yours.

[ I GUESS YOU CAN MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT THE BLANKETS IF YOU WANT i mean there's no way he'll say no to blankets okay not if he's sleepin' on the floor. i mean they slept outside in the park together already there's not really any more lines they can cross in this relationshi...p... except for the ones they end up crossing anyway and stuff WHOOPS. ]

[streamlines]

[korra's glad for the flip for a moment, then bites her lip when she looks back at the mattress below her. true to her word she jumps to her feet and pulls the blankets off in one yank.

nope, she's not even going to say anything about it, just dump them on the floor.]

We should probably just rest up now and try to figure things out tomorrow.

[assiduous]

[ he looks up at her as he pockets the coin, nodding silently and standing. he toes the pile of blankets up against the wall, before kneeling down, (one knee on the floor and sill not talking!) and rearranging them in a suitable bed-ish shape with uh. WELL, EXPECTED EFFICIENCY, TBH.

there's a moment where he pauses in his work, and his chin dips down, hiding the lower half of his face behind his scarf again. his eyes close for a moment, and his fingers clench slowly in the fabric. but the moment passes, and he finishes arranging his makeshift dmitri!bed, taking a seat on it with his back against the wall his gams stretched out in front of him.

... OKAY KORRA DO SOMETHING SO I DON'T FEEL WEIRD WHEN HE GIVES HER HIS COAT ]