[ With a soft snort, Mako drops down to the flattest part of the log he can find, tugging Varian with him. ]
Well, lucky for you you're talking to the best firebender in Republic City. Korra's words, not mine. Pretty sure Lord Zuko could still kick my ass if he really wanted to.
[ Big brother tone, activate! He can tell just how worried about this Varian is, and—well, of course he is. Mako was terrified of his own hands for years afterward, used his bending to protect himself and Bolin and dreamt of flames spreading uncontrolled from his hands, consuming everything he loved. He'd always made things worse, not better, in those dreams. Necessity had pushed him past his own fear eventually, but it lurks, still, in the factual way he talks about how dangerous it is. He says it like a fact, because to him, it is.
(But it isn't true. Not really. All forms of bending are dangerous. Non-benders are dangerous. The world is a dangerous place.)
Varian sounds terrified, and looks worse, and Mako understands with a deep ache. ]
Listen to me. You can hate that this happened to you all you want. I know how you feel about magic. I still don't know what I think about the fact that there's probably another me in Republic City somewhere living my life. Somewhere out there, in Corona, is a you without any magic the way you think you should be. But you can firebend now, and you're going to learn to control it because you don't want to hurt people. You can learn. You're a smart kid.
no subject
Well, lucky for you you're talking to the best firebender in Republic City. Korra's words, not mine. Pretty sure Lord Zuko could still kick my ass if he really wanted to.
[ Big brother tone, activate! He can tell just how worried about this Varian is, and—well, of course he is. Mako was terrified of his own hands for years afterward, used his bending to protect himself and Bolin and dreamt of flames spreading uncontrolled from his hands, consuming everything he loved. He'd always made things worse, not better, in those dreams. Necessity had pushed him past his own fear eventually, but it lurks, still, in the factual way he talks about how dangerous it is. He says it like a fact, because to him, it is.
(But it isn't true. Not really. All forms of bending are dangerous. Non-benders are dangerous. The world is a dangerous place.)
Varian sounds terrified, and looks worse, and Mako understands with a deep ache. ]
Listen to me. You can hate that this happened to you all you want. I know how you feel about magic. I still don't know what I think about the fact that there's probably another me in Republic City somewhere living my life. Somewhere out there, in Corona, is a you without any magic the way you think you should be. But you can firebend now, and you're going to learn to control it because you don't want to hurt people. You can learn. You're a smart kid.