bookbending | IC Contact Post

[She hasn't been given any respite from nightmares since Aang intervened during the curse. The variety is almost impressive; the City has given her plenty of fuel over the past 10 months.

She wakes up with a choked scream. The nightmare flees to the recesses of her mind, leaving only scattered remnants of images -- hands on her body, a pair of fangs, the slice of a knife and a bone-chilling cold. She pulls her blanket tightly around her, shivering even in the warmth of her room. Trying to muster up the courage to leave her bed and sneak out to see Naga. The polar bear dog's presence doesn't keep the nightmares at bay, but her warmth at least staves off their chill.

Focus on your breathing. In. Out. In. Out. She inhales, exhales, counting each breath and hoping she didn't wake anyone with her scream.]

[Jinora is a light sleeper. Korra's scream, no matter how muffled, rouses her. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, the girl makes her way to Korra.]

Korra? Did you have another dream?

[Shoot, Jinora's the last person Korra wants to wake up. She forces a smile, but there's no way to hide how her body shivers from an imagined cold.]

Yeah. It's fine, though. Just a bad dream.

[The girl crawls onto Korra's bed and snuggles up to her, not believing that smile for a second. She's not dumb.]

Must've been some dream. [She hesitates.] Do you want to talk about it?

[The little girl isn't Naga, but she's nearly as warm. Korra wraps her arms around Jinora and rests her chin on the top of her head.

Do you want to talk about it? Yes. No. She doesn't know.]

I honestly don't remember that much about it. It's just fragments of images and feeling cold. [The cold of being City dead, though Korra will never tell Jinora that. She doesn't want to talk about those few weeks she spent as a walking corpse. It's too painful and brings up too many frightening questions that she would rather not think about.] I'm sorry I woke you.

[Jinora gets very still.]

Do you remember any of the fragments, or why you were cold? [She sighs in response to Korra's apology.] It's okay. I'd rather be awake than finding out you're having bad dreams alone.

Just...hands and fangs. [And death.]

It was just a nightmare. Why don't we think about something more cheerful?

[That sounds sufficiently unpleasant.]

Korra, you can't always not talk about what scares you. That doesn't make it go away.

I'm not not talking about it! I told you, I don't remember anything. I can't talk about what I don't remember.

It's not just the dreams! You don't tell me anything and something's wrong!

[Argh Korra doesn't want to deal with this right now. She's too tired.]

Nothing is wrong. It's just...curses. And work. Everything is fine.

[Jinora's sleepy and she doesn't think she can out-stubborn Korra right now. As such, she just crawls under the covers and makes herself comfortable.

Not that she believes Korra.]

I'm staying here tonight, just in case you have more bad dreams.

[Korra rolls her eyes, but she's glad. She lies back down and tucks the little girl against her. She feels warmer already.]

Thanks.

[Instead of answering out loud, Jinora just wriggles closer. Not that she'll admit it, but it's nice to have someone there... even when that someone is a secretive Avatar.]

IC Contact Post

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night

❊ tuesday night