ahappylie | Appointments & Messages

[Katara moves quickly, streaming water out of her waterskin as she goes.]

What is it, where is he wounded?

[He's coughing, and he's cleaning off the blood so she doesn't see it just yet, busy scanning him for any sign of drastic injury.]

[A few bruised ribs and some bruised pride, but the coughing comes from elsewhere. He waves Sokka off and tries to climb to his feet, noticing Katara and Toph. He'd been hoping to get out of here before they showed up.]

Sokka-kun, you...

[He sighs, tucking the used tissue into his sleeves.]

A cracked rib maybe, nothing more. Your friend is an impressive magic-user. I should train more to learn to combat that.

It's more than that, Master Souji. [He figures if Toph is even paying attention, she'll know he's lying, so there's no point in trying to hide it from her. Or Katara. So he looks up at his sister, his concern very evident.]

He's sick, Katara. I don't know if your waterbending can help, but... [He doesn't want this to be how Souji goes out. Even if he will come back, it's just not right.]

[And yep--Souji's lying. Poorly. And...well, it's something to do, at least. Reinforing Sokka's assessment of the situation.]

He's...in bad shape, Katara. Don't listen to him.

[Her voice is quiet.] All right, Sokka.

[Sickness. Something he's lived with for a long time, maybe? And he fought anyway... She doesn't know Souji well, but she remembers how kind he was to her when Sokka had been taken for their 'infiltration.' Add that to the wounds Sokka had received in sparring with him over the past - year? - and she begins to get a general sense of the man. Whatever was happening, he deserved her respect.

Even if fighting with Toph like he had while he was sick was an idiotic, bullheaded thing to do. And had anyone even told Toph that he was sick? What had Toph done to make this so much worse?

She kneels across from Souji, but though the water is still on her hands, she doesn't place them on him yet.]

Will you let me try to help you? I don't know if I can. But I'd like to try. At least I can fix your rib.

[Sokka...the one thing he never wanted to tell anyone and you-- There's a flash of anger, but it gives way when he realizes how futile it is to be angry. It was his fault it got this bad and if he can stop himself from coughing worse, perhaps he can still keep it from his friends back at House 40 and 50. They can't be allowed to know and that means he has to accept the help here, as much as he doesn't want it.

He lets out a shallow breath and nods, smiling faintly.]

I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. If you fix my rib, I'm sure the rest will take care of itself in time.

[No. It won't.

It's Haruhi's fault he even knows as much as he does and he's kept it quiet for Souji's sake. But he can't keep it a secret when it's come down to this. And frankly he's disappointed that Souji has let his pride come before his health. If this kills him, it won't do anyone any good...

As much as he wants to angrily snap that the rest won't take care of itself, he keeps quiet for his teacher's sake. Though right now with the way he's trying to act carefree about it, that's becoming really hard to do right now.]

[Wait...he was sick? Sick sick?

She doesn't...have to feel bad about this. No. She didn't. So why couldn't she get this knot out of her stomach?

...But how bad was it? And how much worse had she made things?

...She should just leave. She didn't need to be here. She was just...]

[Katara may just take that as permission to do all she can, instead of the obviously limiting use Souji may be implying. >>

But he's not her only concern right now. Sokka's about two seconds away from exploding and Toph's silent. Neither of these things are good.]

All right. If you lay down, it will be easier to set the bone. Sokka, will you help him?

[It's a question for Souji's sake, not Sokka's.]

[He glances at the others and then drops his gaze. Oh, it's time to be serious then.]

It isn't anyone's fault but mine.

[He winces slightly as he leans back and starts to lay down.]

[Darn right it's your fault. But he can't bring himself to blame him, anyway. He's just going to do as Katara instructed and help him lay down, providing a small bundle to rest his head on.]

[Why...why didn't Sokka tell her she was fighting someone sick?

Maybe a sick guy had an excuse to be a little sissy. He certainly shouldn't be fighting someone who can throw rocks at him.

Do something, Katara...]

That's good, thank you. [And now she lays her water-coated hands directly on Souji's chest, one by his heart, one by his ribs. Souji will feel a cooling, comforting sensation spread out from those hands, like aloe on a burn or stepping into shade on a hot summer's day.]

Sokka, why don't you and Toph go keep anyone from coming into the barracks for now.

[That is not a suggestion, for the record. She's just going to give Souji some privacy while she tries to figure out what's wrong and what she can do, and give her very upset companions something to do while she's at it.]

[And once they're gone, Okita sighs slightly, trying not to cough anymore as Katara works her magicky thing.]

...She shouldn't blame herself. Can you tell her that for me?

You can tell her yourself. [Gentle as she may have been before, Katara believes that some things should come from the source.

There's still blood - fluid in his lungs. And she can see the way his chi pathways have deteriorated behind the bottom of his lungs, see the way it's spreading to other organs...

First things first.]

Let's get some of this fluid out of your lungs. Open your mouth. [She transfers the water on to one hand, points her fingertips down towards his chest.] And I'm sorry - I can't imagine this will be pleasant, but at least it will be quick.

[So she'll draw the fluid up, out of his throat and his mouth while keeping a constant low-level pulse of healing energy to strengthen his lungs and encourage proper breathing.]

I don't know if she'll want to see me.

[And won't be pleasant? He does as she asks, but the feel of fluid coming up out of his lungs makes him choke. It feels unnatural and he has to fight against his instincts to close his mouth. She wasn't lying when she said it'd be unpleasant.]

[She freezes the foul-looking liquid and discards it in a small ball far beside them.] Sorry about that. Just focus on breathing easy.

[And when she returns both hands to his chest, he should find that remarkably easier to do. She'll start concentrating on his ribs after a moment or two, but first she intends to see him breathing well and numb the pain.]

And whether or not she wants to see you should have nothing to do with it. If you have an explanation to give, you should be the one to give it.

[She's quite firm on this, not quite accusing him of dodging out on what should be his responsibility, but she won't be changing her mind.]

[Nngh, the feeling of that stuff coming out and the sight of it being frozen and discarded turns his stomach. His lung still ache, but it's a dull ache, the sort that he's getting more and more used to. He winces slightly as he tries to bring his breathing back under control, reaching up to take one of Katara's hands.]

The explanation I have will only make her feel worse.

[It's been awhile since he's been scolded like this, however, and he smiles faintly, letting go of her.]

But I'll have to, I suppose.

[She frowns in concentration, and begins using a mixture of bending and Nala to hold his cracked ribbed in the proper place. She's gotten quite good at this, and is even able to use her bending to numb the pain.]

...how long have you been sick?

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[At Katara's instruction, Sokka reluctantly heads outside with Toph. Once outside, he leans against the building, sinking just a bit as he thinks about what's going on inside. He might seem like he's angry at Toph, but he's not. At least not entirely. It's mostly himself and Souji.]

Edited 2011-08-05 18:41 (UTC)

[She considers just...leaving. Going off to be by herself for awhile in the woods. But that also feels cowardly, no matter how much she doesn't want to be here. No matter how much she does not want to talk about this.

So she'll just wait to see if Sokka says anything, standing a few feet off with a growing desire to punch something.]

[He doesn't want to. But after an awkward enough silence, he finally speaks up.]

It's not your fault. [Sure, a little less mocking and gloating would have gone a long way. But she's a kid.]

[She gives the earth a good, hard kick.]

...Why didn't tell me he was a sick guy?!

[He's had a long time to wrap his around this. And right now, his only answer isn't as nice as it could be.]

Because he's stubborn and proud. [And stupid.] He doesn't want people treating him differently because of it. [And Sokka never has had to. But now...]

Yeah, and now he's really hurt because I fought him and I didn't know. Something...really bad might happen because of me.

[She can't bring herself to say what. Was it even death with the way people could be resurrected around here?]