( He doesn't-- no, he can't even say that he doesn't understand why she's pushing him away. Of course he understands. He's been there himself. He steps closer, hand reaching out, but he hesitates on going much further than that. She clearly isn't appreciating the contact, and he knows he wouldn't appreciate further pushing in that direction.
[She doesn't actually scream it at him, but her voice is uncharacteristically harsh nonetheless, and it's accompanied by another flicker of fire on her breath.
Does he think he can save you? She grits her teeth, tries to stand, immediately collapses from the pain again. Stupid. Nothing can save you. You're the one people need saving from. Why, why can't she just silence her mind? It's impossible to solve the problem when she can't even think. You know the solution. He's making you weak. What- It'd be kind of funny if he was the first one you really killed. I'm not going to- It's what you do. Stop. He's the problem. Stop. Remember the dream? Remember Nanashi- Stop it stop it stop-
She glares at Shealtiel, eyes now glowing blue in the dark, still gritting her teeth]
I t-told you... to get...
[She's cut off by another wave of pain, and the fabric of her clothing begins to smolder and smoke. This time, she's barely able to stay standing and muffle the cry.]
( Blue eyes, like her fire. Anger, aggression, the same kind of conflict he remembers hearing when he first reappeared in this place. Is it...? )
Is this the same kind of demon-thing messing with you as when I ran into you again?!
( He doesn't know what to make of it. It's different, in many ways. There's no clear hallucinations, no partial conversations, just her telling him off. But the frantically aggressive tone of voice, some hints of her body language...
He reaches out without thinking, gripping the sides of her arms to stabilize her and support her. But as he does, when the fire bursts into his palms, he hisses in pain, pulling his hands back in reflex.
They hover, then, just a short distance from her but not sure if he should continue to touch, after those burns. )
[Demon? No, that had been different. There's no excuse this time. It's you. It's just you.
She feels his hands on her arms, and for a moment, there's stillness, a second of clarity that seems to silence the thoughts. The voices.
And then he pulls his hands back in pain.
You can't help it. Hurting people. Driving them away. It's what you do. It's what you are. Think clearly. He's right. She needs to- That proved it. This is internal. An effect of your psyche on this world. It's his fault. You need to eliminate the weakness. Please. You're going to hurt him no matter what you do. No. You need to eliminate him. Not an option. I just have to control this.
Another intense burning pang shoot through her, and blue fire flares out from her in all directions. She can't even think, she can barely see from the pain.
It's not like he'll stay dead.
Her eyes whip back up to meet his, and there's a moment where she looks like he's rarely seen her before- close to tears.]
Told... t-told you to-
[And then her face falls into an eerily neutral mask, despite the burning blue of her eyes. A moment later, she launches herself at him, lifting him by the neck as she propels him at the wall of her own treehouse with impossible strength.]
( Shealtiel had been so shocked at seeing her close to tears that he hardly anticipated the lashing out. He reaches up reflexively, burnt hands clenching over the hand at his neck moments before he's slammed into the wall of the treehouse. With a gasp, he shifts one of his hands outwards, calling his spear forward.
With a spin, he aims to knock Azula back rather than actually injure her in any way, at least for now. )
[She releases his neck in order to catch the spear in both hands, then wrenches it, trying to pull it sharply from him. Once again the level of strength seems impossible- she was in peak physical condition, but she definitely wasn't that strong before.
The good news is, she's released his neck. The bad news is, she's still radiating intense heat, and now small flickers of blue flame are erupting from her arm, cascading down to her hands before vanishing. Her face remains completely neutral, unresponsive to his words.]
( The spear nearly slips from his grip, but he lurches after it, grasping tightly with his other hand, knuckles going white. He can't lose this. It's too important.
It means the fire is licking closer, but he twists his arms and jabs a knee at her to try and get her to release it. Worst case, he could desummon it, but then he'd be without his weapon for the moment, and that takes some concentration...
Ugh, what is going on?
His eyes shift to the side briefly, scanning the area. Maybe running would be better. Their houses are in the way here. And maybe... the air, or the chase, would give her her mind back? )
[She moves her hands to intercept the knee, but too slow. It hits- and she's released the spear.
But the impact does too little. Whatever is giving her all that strength seems to be making her sturdy and strong, too, and she barely flinches back as he hits her midsection. She reaches down and grabs his leg with both hands, wrenching to one side with the unflinching ease of a machine.
Twin bursts of blue fire erupt from her back like wings, and she keeps her unrelenting grip on his leg as she suddenly leaps into the air, carrying him up with her.]
( Shealtiel has been carried in flight often enough now that he's not distracted by the majestic feeling of it. It's not very majestic when you're being pulled up by the leg like some sort of rat, anyway. The rush of adrenaline can help even an angel with pain, it turns out. With a yell, he flails and kicks his free leg, not seeming to care about the risk of being dropped at all. He cares more about being grabbed and carried. )
Let... go!!!
( Kicking, spinning his spear and whacking. She's so sturdy, she's unresponsive, this definitely isn't her. An imposter? No, she knew too much. It didn't feel like someone else before. Something revolving around her fire... Her combat, this dream world... He's slowly piecing bits together, but it's not helping him right now. )
[The blows smack against her torso, hard solid strikes that should double her over with pain, but she doesn't let go. Instead, she flies higher into the air. Fire cascades over her entire body, flaring out brighter and hotter as the two of them rise above the town.
And then, without warning, she stops, spins him around her, and then hurls him toward the buildings below. She follows only moments behind him as he falls.]
( It's only when he's falling (no, thrown?) that he realizes the danger, and his heart races in sudden nauseas panic. His wings won't help him even a little. Even instinct or reflex don't tell him to open them, and they stay hidden away and useless as ever. Visions flash into mind of wings, dark and beautiful, swooping in to save him...
But they don't come. They haven't been here at all. Nor in the place before this. He's been all alone. And even back home, he was only—
Shealtiel's arms lift up to cover his face uselessly for the impact. From how he's spun, he can see Azula in the distance, coming after him. A tiny voice in the back of his mind hisses all humans are the same, but it's muffled by the way his body slams into the buildings and his world goes temporarily black. He's not sure how far he falls, or through how many walls, but he comes to only seconds later, and moving feels difficult as the dust settles. )
[Even as he settles into the ground, Azula is on him, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder to haul him back upright. Her eyes are flat and lifeless as she rears back with one hand, the other still vice-like on his shoulder-
She manages not to yell, instead muffling it to a harsh, strained whimper. She's not even conscious that she lurches forward and grabs Shealtiel's shoulder the instant the joint snaps back into place, only realizing once the pain begins to subside that she's clinging to him rather roughly-
The flame fades from her eyes for a moment-
"Goodbye, Zuko," she repeats, meeting his eyes as she rears back to finish him off, but something stops her, something inside her screams out that she doesn't want this-
She releases him, the flames subsiding, stepping back with a look of horror.]
( For a long moment, Shealtiel wonders if it's ever going to stop. He's grabbed, yanked up, and then he sees the look in her eyes right before he's dropped again. That hurts, too, falling back into place with a hopeless grunt, but he's moving quicker, clinging to that look, trying to stand.
He can't, at least not so quickly after that. And he doesn't know what to do, or to say, to Azula. He can recognize that something is wrong, or off. That something isn't her. But part of him wonders if he's just making that up to protect himself, and another part of him says it doesn't matter...
Another part again says that it doesn't matter if it's her or not. He can't do anything helpful. Not ever, and especially not now. He coughs, some of his weight shifting to his palm that rests onto the debris next to him with a shift, but that's all he can manage. That, and a look, searching, at Azula. )
[As he sinks helplessly down to the ground, she takes another step back, staring at her own hand.
Well? Aren't you going to finish him off?
No. No. No, no-
Go on. Monster. You know you want to-
She meets his stare for a few moments, then turns and flees, leaving smoldering embers with every footstep, trying to ignore the strangely childlike laugh inside her mind.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2023-07-27 05:55 am (UTC)( He doesn't-- no, he can't even say that he doesn't understand why she's pushing him away. Of course he understands. He's been there himself. He steps closer, hand reaching out, but he hesitates on going much further than that. She clearly isn't appreciating the contact, and he knows he wouldn't appreciate further pushing in that direction.
But it doesn't mean he can just leave. )
What's... happening with your fire?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-27 09:48 pm (UTC)[She doesn't actually scream it at him, but her voice is uncharacteristically harsh nonetheless, and it's accompanied by another flicker of fire on her breath.
Does he think he can save you? She grits her teeth, tries to stand, immediately collapses from the pain again. Stupid. Nothing can save you. You're the one people need saving from. Why, why can't she just silence her mind? It's impossible to solve the problem when she can't even think. You know the solution. He's making you weak. What- It'd be kind of funny if he was the first one you really killed. I'm not going to- It's what you do. Stop. He's the problem. Stop. Remember the dream? Remember Nanashi- Stop it stop it stop-
She glares at Shealtiel, eyes now glowing blue in the dark, still gritting her teeth]
I t-told you... to get...
[She's cut off by another wave of pain, and the fabric of her clothing begins to smolder and smoke. This time, she's barely able to stay standing and muffle the cry.]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-28 03:37 am (UTC)Is this the same kind of demon-thing messing with you as when I ran into you again?!
( He doesn't know what to make of it. It's different, in many ways. There's no clear hallucinations, no partial conversations, just her telling him off. But the frantically aggressive tone of voice, some hints of her body language...
He reaches out without thinking, gripping the sides of her arms to stabilize her and support her. But as he does, when the fire bursts into his palms, he hisses in pain, pulling his hands back in reflex.
They hover, then, just a short distance from her but not sure if he should continue to touch, after those burns. )
Try to think clearly!
no subject
Date: 2023-07-28 04:12 am (UTC)She feels his hands on her arms, and for a moment, there's stillness, a second of clarity that seems to silence the thoughts. The voices.
And then he pulls his hands back in pain.
You can't help it. Hurting people. Driving them away. It's what you do. It's what you are. Think clearly. He's right. She needs to- That proved it. This is internal. An effect of your psyche on this world. It's his fault. You need to eliminate the weakness. Please. You're going to hurt him no matter what you do. No. You need to eliminate him. Not an option. I just have to control this.
Another intense burning pang shoot through her, and blue fire flares out from her in all directions. She can't even think, she can barely see from the pain.
It's not like he'll stay dead.
Her eyes whip back up to meet his, and there's a moment where she looks like he's rarely seen her before- close to tears.]
Told... t-told you to-
[And then her face falls into an eerily neutral mask, despite the burning blue of her eyes. A moment later, she launches herself at him, lifting him by the neck as she propels him at the wall of her own treehouse with impossible strength.]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-28 08:01 pm (UTC)( Shealtiel had been so shocked at seeing her close to tears that he hardly anticipated the lashing out. He reaches up reflexively, burnt hands clenching over the hand at his neck moments before he's slammed into the wall of the treehouse. With a gasp, he shifts one of his hands outwards, calling his spear forward.
With a spin, he aims to knock Azula back rather than actually injure her in any way, at least for now. )
What's happening?!
no subject
Date: 2023-07-29 07:12 am (UTC)The good news is, she's released his neck. The bad news is, she's still radiating intense heat, and now small flickers of blue flame are erupting from her arm, cascading down to her hands before vanishing. Her face remains completely neutral, unresponsive to his words.]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-01 05:00 am (UTC)It means the fire is licking closer, but he twists his arms and jabs a knee at her to try and get her to release it. Worst case, he could desummon it, but then he'd be without his weapon for the moment, and that takes some concentration...
Ugh, what is going on?
His eyes shift to the side briefly, scanning the area. Maybe running would be better. Their houses are in the way here. And maybe... the air, or the chase, would give her her mind back? )
no subject
Date: 2023-08-01 05:13 am (UTC)But the impact does too little. Whatever is giving her all that strength seems to be making her sturdy and strong, too, and she barely flinches back as he hits her midsection. She reaches down and grabs his leg with both hands, wrenching to one side with the unflinching ease of a machine.
Twin bursts of blue fire erupt from her back like wings, and she keeps her unrelenting grip on his leg as she suddenly leaps into the air, carrying him up with her.]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-01 05:22 am (UTC)Let... go!!!
( Kicking, spinning his spear and whacking. She's so sturdy, she's unresponsive, this definitely isn't her. An imposter? No, she knew too much. It didn't feel like someone else before. Something revolving around her fire... Her combat, this dream world... He's slowly piecing bits together, but it's not helping him right now. )
no subject
Date: 2023-08-01 06:33 am (UTC)And then, without warning, she stops, spins him around her, and then hurls him toward the buildings below. She follows only moments behind him as he falls.]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-07 05:45 am (UTC)But they don't come. They haven't been here at all. Nor in the place before this. He's been all alone. And even back home, he was only—
Shealtiel's arms lift up to cover his face uselessly for the impact. From how he's spun, he can see Azula in the distance, coming after him. A tiny voice in the back of his mind hisses all humans are the same, but it's muffled by the way his body slams into the buildings and his world goes temporarily black. He's not sure how far he falls, or through how many walls, but he comes to only seconds later, and moving feels difficult as the dust settles. )
no subject
Date: 2023-08-07 06:37 am (UTC)She manages not to yell, instead muffling it to a harsh, strained whimper. She's not even conscious that she lurches forward and grabs Shealtiel's shoulder the instant the joint snaps back into place, only realizing once the pain begins to subside that she's clinging to him rather roughly-
The flame fades from her eyes for a moment-
"Goodbye, Zuko," she repeats, meeting his eyes as she rears back to finish him off, but something stops her, something inside her screams out that she doesn't want this-
She releases him, the flames subsiding, stepping back with a look of horror.]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-07 06:47 am (UTC)He can't, at least not so quickly after that. And he doesn't know what to do, or to say, to Azula. He can recognize that something is wrong, or off. That something isn't her. But part of him wonders if he's just making that up to protect himself, and another part of him says it doesn't matter...
Another part again says that it doesn't matter if it's her or not. He can't do anything helpful. Not ever, and especially not now. He coughs, some of his weight shifting to his palm that rests onto the debris next to him with a shift, but that's all he can manage. That, and a look, searching, at Azula. )
AND /WRAP
Date: 2023-08-07 06:57 am (UTC)Well? Aren't you going to finish him off?
No. No. No, no-
Go on. Monster. You know you want to-
She meets his stare for a few moments, then turns and flees, leaving smoldering embers with every footstep, trying to ignore the strangely childlike laugh inside her mind.]