Bumi

Startled, Tenzin opens his mouth to say something, but stops.

He does indeed choose the inside rather than the outside.

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Breathing is difficult enough, talking a great deal more, but they are more than worth the effort.

"good choice." His other eye opens and he turns his attention to Katara. "the view in here is far superior."

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Katara squeezes Bumi's hand, but then gently lets go of her son, and moves to return to Aang's bedside.

Her voice sounds calm, all things considered. "How are you feeling?"

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He briefly considers lying, but decides upon a truth that conceals instead.

"...tired. so very tired."

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Bumi moves from his mother's side, to Tenzin's.

"We should let you rest. Save your strength..."

Edited Date: 2012-08-29 01:34 am (UTC)

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Aang raises a hand, calling for silence.

"there will be plenty of time to rest..."
The later is left hanging in the air.

He reaches for Katara's hand.

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Katara very much hopes it wasn't obvious that the same words were going through her mind.

She takes Aang's hand in both of hers, and as though it were merely a healer's advice, "No, I'd rather you stay awake a little longer now."

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"That makes two of us," he says before a coughing fit interrupts his thought. "The company is better."

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"Besides."

It's very quiet, coming from Tenzin - whose deeper voice is normally easy to hear even when he's airbending overhead.

"You snore a little, Dad."

(He'll try.)

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Even Bumi is taken aback by that, and pleasantly so given the amount of tension that releases from his posture.

"Like you're one to judge, Sifu Foghorn."

Thank you, Tenzin. Thank you.

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Now, Katara is glad her back is turned to her sons.

Because that puts her at as close as she's come to breaking down.

But it's all right if only Aang sees, and she presses her lips together for a moment before, quietly (and nothing of it in her voice), "All right, you two."

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He does see, and were he not already dying, to see her in such a state would surely kill him outright. Katara may be able to school her voice, but Aang no longer has the strength to keep his expression in check.

So much sadness.

"it's all right," he murmurs to her, gripping her hand in an effort to give her something solid to cling to.

Though from where the boys are standing Aang could mean their playful bickering.

Edited Date: 2012-08-29 07:32 pm (UTC)

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No it's not. But they're all so very good at pretense at the moment.

Sort of.

"I...Perhaps I can find a radio to bring in here?"

Errands and such are useful things.

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"...perhaps a phonograph would be better," Bumi offers for no particular reason what so ever.

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Maybe they're all being good at pretense, but none of them are so good at subtlety.

She doesn't look away from her husband, but makes herself smile, instead.

"What do you think?"

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"I think I'm the luckiest man in the world."

This is probably not the answer she was looking for, but that doesn't make it any less true.

"Music could be nice, but I agree with Bumi: Not the radio."

Good news may travel fast, but bad travels faster.

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Tenzin nods. "I'll move one in this afternoon."

Also known as immediately after he leaves the room - whenever that might be.

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"Wish I'd had the presence of mind to pack some records," Bumi says mostly to himself.

"There's some pretty interesting music coming out of the Fire Nation. You'd love the stuff the kids are bringing back from leave, Dad."

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Katara's gone about as long as she can manage without trying to heal something, so she lifts one hand toward the basin at her side.

Her other hand stays around Aang's.

But she doesn't have to force her smile when she asks her husband, "Considering another dance party?"

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Oh how he loves that smile of hers.

"always," he whispers as he brings her hand to rest over his heart. "life is what happens between dance parties."

"I've heard of this new music, though not the music itself. Zuko calls it noise. That alone is a ringing endorsement."

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To this, Tenzin's beard shifts slightly in irritation.

"I'm inclined to agree with Uncle Zuko."

Bumi will probably retort with something like That just means you don't get out enough.

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"Well I for one am completely and utterly surprised by that revelation," Bumi deadpans.

This? This is his completely and utterly surprised face.

"I like it," he says simply. "It has an upbeat tempo and you should see how the kids dance to it. It's all quick footwork and lifts."

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"It sounds just right for you."

Katara's still smiling, though she's silently counting out his heartbeats.

"But I don't think very many other Avatars tried to solving the problems of the world through dance."

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"I always knew I was special."

His heart, once as steady as a metronome, falters. When it does his attention shifts from his family to something just beyond them. Aang continues to smile, but the person he begins to address is Avatar Kuruk.

Word by word his voice grows quiet, until it's barely above a whisper. This moment of lucidity will soon end, his eyes will close once more, and the Avatar will sleep.

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