There must be other hobbies...

[mortemscintilla]

WHO: Korra and Hei
WHAT: Post-Book 4. Two crazy kids take a break.

[ A quickie vacation -- that's how Hei floated it to Korra. Don't ask him where the money came from. Don't ask him to justify it. Just say you’ll come.  ]

[ They'd (half-jokingly, half-wistfully) planned a similar trip years ago, when still tangled in the mess with the Spirit Portals. It had never fallen through. War, its immediacy and aftermath, meant work, after all. The idea of a holiday was a distant fantasy in the overwhelming rumble of their busy lives. Lives full of conflicts and separations, trials and errors, from which frivolous indulgences were silently excluded. ]

[ Still, Hei had thought about it sometimes, in varying moods of sentimentality and cynicism. Time spent with Korra -- so close, so uninterrupted -- could've been either hellish or heavenly. He could imagine either a long dreamlike trip, driving with her tucked against his side, his arm around her, absorbing her pretty prattle in his ear. Or an interminable torment of sulky silences and shrieking fights, with flat tires, bad directions, shitty motels and worse meals to compound their misery. ]

[ In truth, it falls something in between. It's like they're two sugar-charged teenagers on a roadtrip, instead of adults who suffer from night-terrors and creeping stress triggers. Brimming with antsy energy, bickering over radio stations, greedily slurping noodles from the same bowl, but on the cusp of a perpetual uncertainty, as if they're not sure how long this grace-period will last. ]

[ They make it past the Hu Xin provinces before their rented Satomobile goes kaput. The vehicle, built for lowland city driving, struggles in the thinner air of the mountains, excess fuel backing up into the carburetor. No matter. They hitch a tow-ride until they find an auto-shop. Barely have to drop a penny, after the grizzled mechanic realizes it's The Avatar's satomobile. Fan belts, oil top-ups, lube-jobs -- shucks, they are on the house. ]

[ They come down to the Earth Kingdom in an evening train, stealing kisses between the snores of a grouchy old coot with whom they have to share the compartment. Share a hot bath and a slow, breathless fuck in an inn far from the best, but whose discomforts pale beside Hei's precarious contentment at being here with Korra. In the morning sunshine, they sail for the Mo Ce Sea, a crossing placid as a paddle round a pond -- until he's hit with a horrible sea-sickness. Slumped in their dim little cabin. it is hard to distinguish land from water. The floor seems to dip and roll beneath his feet. The slats of sunlight from the portholes make his head ache. Waiting to reach land, Hei curls up under the sheets of their bed, massaging his temples with both hands, gritting his teeth as he tries to master his heaving stomach -- while not-so-stoically ignoring the twinkle of amusement in Korra's eyes. ]

[ By the time they disembark at the Fire Nation's capital city, the nausea has receded, though his face rivals the color of the wan gray sky. It's almost dusk; he's logy and slow-headed from the long crossing. But the city, like every city, wakes him up. The lit-up buildings, in their towering brilliance, remind him of Bangkok, as does the stop-and-start traffic, the crowds on foot surging in and out of every dazzling golden entrance. Nothing like Republic City -- a place he's only just begun to pronounce with Home-flavored syllables -- but amazing in its own right. ]

[ As amazing as it was the first time he'd visited -- except now, Korra is at his side, bright-eyed and fizzling with energy like a can of soda all stirred-up. ]

[ Twining his fingers with hers, he squeezes lightly, ]

What should we do first?

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ To his credit, Hei blinks only a moment, spoon arrested in the air, before he shoots her a look, then a languid, private half-smile. Way too private for a crowded banquet hall, but that is a Contractor for you. ]

Suppose I let you win on purpose?

[ It's not his usual way. But neither is it a juvenile relapse into testing who's stronger. With his enemies, it was not about counterpunching, because that meant they were still making you fight their kind of fight. The way to win was to change the game entirely. ]

[anatural]

Then I guess you'd have to eat the soup yourself. You were the one sick on the boat, remember. I think you need it more than I do.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Fine, okay, you know what. If you keep bringing up his shame, you get no soup at all. Ever. ]

More for me.

[ (Maybe he can shanghai her into trying some of that snake-wine on the menu. It's supposed to be an aphrodisiac.) ]

[anatural]

[RUUUUUUUUUUUDE she wanted to play!] You're no fun. [She makes a face, kicks his shin, and piles her plate with actual fish. From the sea. Not regurgitated bugs.

The waiter comes by, asking if they'd like anything to drink.]

Water, please. And maybe some milk for this guy? [She be trolling.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Jesus, Korra. There is more to life than fish. Live on the edge a little. ]

No milk. [ He places a hand over his glass, while directing a small, sidelong scowl Korra's way. It lacks its usual edge, though: underneath his sullen surface, there's a small bright spark of something almost playful. ] We'll have a bottle of shéjiu.

[anatural]

[Hey, she's tried plenty of other foods! There's nothing wrong with eating fish! As the waiter nods and leaves, Korra leans over and lowers her voice.]

Do you mean to get me drunk so you can have your wicked way with me? [Because you don't have to get her drunk to do that.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ A smile tugs at one side of Hei's mouth. But he keeps a perfectly straight face, ignoring the lovely heat wafting off her as she leans in close, her scent like crushed grass and highland seaside air, carrying as if on a breeze. ]

Maybe it's so I have a chance to actually win at arm-wrestling.

[ His voice is matter of fact, but somehow conveys in even its most bland and ordinary tone a touch of innuendo. He breaks his gaze only when the waiter arrives, bearing a lacquered tray with a glossy red bottle -- one of those ridiculously enormous ones, bigger than a magnum -- and two golden cups. When the tray is set before him and Korra, Hei can see the dead cobras floating around in the bottle. ]

[ Dryly, without looking at Korra, ]

At least it's not bug-fungus?

[anatural]

[Korra just stares at the bottle. Snakes? Really?]

I am not surprised that that is a drink. You would have to be drunk to think drinking fermented snake juice is a good idea.

[mortemscintilla]

It's not poisonous. Believe it or not.

[ The waiter lifts the large aquarium-like bottle, pouring into the small silver cups. The liquid is a radiant green and yellow cocktail resembling the shades of lime and mango jell-o. It glows almost eerily, the overhead lights reflecting on its surface like a shimmering ring of sparks. ]

[ Quaffing the blood of an irradiated god, Hei thinks wryly. He takes one cup, nudging the other toward Korra. Clinks the rims gently together, before sniffing at the liquid in his cup, letting his eyes slip half-shut, and downing it in one smooth gulp. ]

[anatural]

[Just because it's not poisonous doesn't make it a good idea. She watches him down the shot and hesitantly picks up her cup. The smell is strong — unpleasant — reminds her of being out in the desert after the Earth Queen tried to imprison her. But she's feeling game for a challenge.

So she gulps it the way he does. And nearly spits it out.]

BLECH — [She looks around frantically and sees the next table has a glass of juice.] Excuse me I'm sorry I'll pay you back — [She grabs the cup and downs it. Not juice, unfortunately... but as a wine, it tastes better than the snake piss he put in her cup.]

That was disgusting. [And. Uh. Now she's going to sit down, because that's going to hit her soon.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei watches the unfolding disaster mutely, with an undecided mix of amusement and disbelief. Spending time with Korra sometimes is like being around a cartoon -- that comical volatility that triggers his disdain but just as often disarms it into a strange contentment. ]

[ A baffling affliction, love. It's already tamed him enough to accept a semblance of liabilities in his life -- allies, a visible homefront, interactions with individuals who bear no practical use beyond being Korra's family, a stable if not shady career. But Korra's recent illness feels like it's turned him downright mush-brained, at least between the tough love and prolonged separations. Good thing his capacity for intense emotion is, by nature, tightly-trammeled -- or else they'd probably be swapping Hallmarks and stuffed teddies by this point. ]

[ (Still, it's hard to deny that without Korra, he'd have gone round the bend fast -- back in the City, and out here.) ]

[ Dryly, ]

It's an acquired taste.

[ Yes, do sit down. And don't pass out on him. ]

[anatural]

Why would you even bother acquiring it?

[Bread. She needs bread. Something starchy. Rice works too — she scoops some more rice into her bowl and shovels it into her mouth. Soak up the liquor before it really hits her brain.]

[mortemscintilla]

A means to an end.

[ The end being drunkenness. ]

[ He watches her take starchy countermeasures, brushing off the fresh amusement tugging at the edges of his lips. Pushes his own plate, polished clean, aside, to prop an elbow on the table, chin nestled in his palm. ]

You don't need to be carried, do you?

[ His voice is slightly mocking but lacking condescension. He'd planned to sweat the meal off with a run -- (all right, more like subtle recon) -- along the mountainside and the perimeters of the resort, before taking a plunge in the hot springs with Korra. But he knows better than anyone how much of a lightweight she is. ]

[anatural]

There have got to be better means. [She slowly pushes the bowl of rice away and takes a deep breath.] Because I think that just made me sick. [At the very least, bloated and queasy, which could be the food, but the dizzy is definitely the alcohol. Hot springs right now, probably not the best idea.]

If you want to go do your little run thing [yeah she knows you want to go do recon, you've been together for how many years now?] I think I'll lay down for a bit.

[mortemscintilla]

[ How well you know him. (Just don't advertise that fact, or else he'll suffer a mini freak-out.) ]

You sure you're okay?

[ He sounds somewhat more concerned now -- and once upon a time, it might've been more for the sake of the resort's glossy marble floors. Logically, he knows she's just dizzy; after years of watching her melt into a giggly, jelly-legged languor after a few drinks, he's well accustomed to measuring how much alcohol she can handle, and when she'll be fine versus when she'll spend the night praying to the porcelain throne. ]

[ Still, despite her glowy sheen of good-health, his mind will always make those associative quantum leaps to the days of her illness, where the mildest surface ache could signal the innermost burgeoning of something terrible. He hasn't yet abandoned that silent paranoia. ]

[ Under the table, he lightly nudges the tip of her boot with his, ]

They have a herbalist here. And a pharmacy.

[anatural]

I'm fine. [And already tipsy, judging from the fact that she actually leans over and kisses his cheek in a display of goofy affection they normally eschew.] Just tell me where the room is.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei blinks in surprise at the kiss, but lets it go with obvious patience, his shoulders relaxed, his face expressing mild discomfort but no real embarrassment. ]

I'll take you there.

[ It's not overprotective fussiness, he tells himself firmly. He just doesn't want her wandering into someone else's room by accident. Rising, he cups the knob of her elbow, gently coaxing her to her feet. Steers her past the other diners, a few of whom are watching with a politely-disguised curiosity that makes the back of his neck prickle. Not self-consciousness, but a reflexive operational wariness, in case there's a potential threat among the onlookers. Outwardly, he seems completely at ease, drifting with Korra across the marble floors, among the tall tapestries and sculptures, the potted palms, toward the front desk. ]

[ Collecting the keys to their room, he bundles Korra into the elevator. There, he holds her away a little to look at her, smoothing her hair back from her face in a gentle wordless inspection. ]

[ After a beat, ]

No more wine [ snaky or otherwise ] for you.

[anatural]

[She makes a face at him.]

You're the one who ordered the bottle. You're the one who should remember that.

[Now are you done with that inspection? Her stomach feels gross and clearly the only cure is a hug. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuug.

The elevator dings, indicating its arrival on their floor. A beat later, and the noise belatedly startles her.]

[mortemscintilla]

The second glass [ which you stole appropriated from that poor idiot on the next table ] was your idea.

[ Despite the mild reproach in his tone, he accepts her embrace indulgently, keeping one arm slung around her, palm wedded to the small of her back in case she sways and loses her balance. The tiny ding of the elevator, like a coin pinging off a glass surface, presages the creak of opening doors. But Korra stays planted, caught up by the unexpected noise, dream-slow as if her brain is moving through sea-waves. ]

[ Typical. Hei bites the inside of his lip to hide a smile. Takes a moment to ensure the corridor is empty, before he gathers her in, swinging her up carefully in his arms. ]

I'll order up some carrot-and-mint juice for you.

[anatural]

I thought it was juice! [Also sudden dawning realization — ] Shoot I said I'd pay him ba-AACK!!! [Before she can turn back to the elevator and try to go back downstairs to pay the poor guy back for his stolen wine, Hei's swept her up like a babe.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Babe that you are, that's not why he's swept you up. Mostly it's so you don't trip and break your neck. ]

Relax. He's probably honored the Avatar drank from the same glass as him.

[ He hauls her with little difficulty down the corridor, fishing one-handed into his pocket for the keys and getting the door open with a few degrees more dexterity, The room is designed in the manner of all hotel spaces; comfortable and neatly-furnished. Despite boasting the Fire Nation's distinctive colors: blood-red bedspreads and upholstery, rich golden gilt and trimmings, the sum total gives off a sumptuous baronial vibe, instead of reminding him of something out of a bordello. ]

[ He carries Korra to the foot of the bed, lays her down gently, and kneels to take off her shoes. ]

Sleep in, if you want. We can try the hot springs tomorrow.

[anatural]

I'm not DRUNK I can take off my own shoes! [She kicks her feet a little too enthusiastically in protest — it's Hei, he'll probably be able to dodge — and then she leans down to take the shoes off herself.] Go do your recon thing. And check on that guy in the bar!

[She has absolutely 0 intentions of falling asleep for any length of time. The night is young, and sex in a hot spring in broad daylight just seems wrong.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ All the freaky things they've done -- and that feels wrong to you? ]

[ He nearly gets a face-full of boot -- but dodges in time. Lets his hands drop, after a moment, so Korra can pry her shoes off unassisted. Sitting back on his heels, arms outstretched so his palms rest lightly-splayed on her hips, he regards her for a moment. She looks muzzy and wine-flushed, but also bright and interested. Ideally, he knows the wisest course of action would be for her to turn in early tonight. It's been a long journey; they have plenty of time to kill during their stay here. ]

[ But let's be real. Much as Hei cares about her, he's not above thinking with his dick. Why turn down the promise of sex if she's clearly up for it? ]

[ So instead he leans in, pressing a light peck of a kiss to her mouth. ]

Give me thirty minutes.

[anatural]

Mmmm. [It's hard to let him pull away.] I'll be here.

[After he goes, she lies down and curls up, focusing on deep breathing to settle her upset stomach. Within ten minutes, despite her best intentions, she's fast asleep.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei had scanned the resort thoroughly during his last visit here. Enough to know the public and private layout as well as any of the employees; every bar, every corridor, every doorway, every closet. Now, it's less a matter of reconnoitering the parameter than it is in determining what exit routes and structural weak-points have altered. The answer: not much. Three new service entrances for the staff. An extra back-door leading to the garage. An indoor pool still under construction. ]

[ Other than that, everything appears copacetic. If there's an ambush, he'll know where the enemy is likeliest to slip in from. ]

[ Returning to the room, Hei allows that aspect of operational alertness to ... not switch off, but retract, like a spring-loaded blade clicking shut. His mind is on the hot springs, on Korra, anticipation soaking beneath his skin and suffusing his bloodstream. Of course, he has to cancel that when he steps into the room. Korra is asleep in the middle of the bed, breathing softly. He can trace the outline of her face in the semi-dark. The light from the single lamp clings to her, a golden dust. ]

[ Disappointed, but mostly amused, Hei settles quietly at the edge of the bed. She really is a child sometimes, stubbornly insisting she's not sleepy even as her face splits in enormous yawns. Smiling, he strokes the warm heap of her hair, the curve of her cheek, contemplating whether to wake her up or leave her be. Ignores the immediacy of old impatience, and decides on the latter. ]

[ There's always tomorrow. She can catch up on her precious shut-eye tonight -- while he scans the towering ring of mountains enclosing the resort for exits and hideaways. ]