witchesreign | [action; infirmary; locked to katara and toph--read ooc note]

[Katara isn't quite sure why she had bothered to stick around, but somewhere deep, deep down inside, she can't help but feel slightly responsible for Zuko's condition. Maybe if she hadn't gotten him so mad to make him want to stomp off to the Training Center, this whole thing could have been avoided.

Thankfully she has received permission to skip the remaining portion of the morning classes to stay within the infirmary with the excuse that she's waiting for her "friend" to wake up. She's sitting next to Zuko's cot now, her arms folded off to an unoccupied portion on the side of the cot, her head tucked neatly inside. It has been a long morning after all, and several hours have passed since Zuko had been admitted into infirmary, hence the light slumber that Katara has fallen under.]

[Toph had gotten permission as well, and she was on the floor a few feet away from Katara, fiddling with a piece of metal she had taken off of the floor. First it was an arrowhead, next it was a ball, then a flat piece of metal. Katara had fallen asleep a while ago.]

[There's a pause in the deep, even breaths several minutes later, and then only something Toph would be able to 'see' - a change in the heartbeats, muscles tensing up as Zuko tries to shift on the cot, his groan barely audible and hoarse.

He's trying to fight through the thick blanket of pain and haze that's been layered on his senses, the fingers on his free arm curling around the light sheet laid on top of him, grasping.]

[Toph's eyes widen at the sudden change in Zuko's heartbeat, and she turns her head toward him, listening ever so carefully. At the gasp of breath, Toph scrambles up from her spot on the floor over to Katara, shaking her arm.]

Katara! Wake up! Zuko's waking up!

Mmm?

[The hazy state of sleep takes a bit for her to shake out of, but after a few moments she's aware that Toph is trying to wake her up.]

W-what? [She slowly raises her head from the bed, and her half-opened eyes flutter open completely when she sees the signs of Zuko regaining consciousness.]

[His lashes flutter for a moment and then lift. Zuko finds himself staring up at the ceiling with hooded, dazed eyes still unaware of the two at his bedside; he winces at how bright the lights are, closing his eyes again and goes to turn his face away only to suck in sharply at the twinge of pain at his neck, his entire body locking up.

It knocks the breath from his lungs. Zuko feels suddenly sick to his stomach, the pain's that bad.]

Hey, hey, relax Zuko. Don't move suddenly, okay?

[Katara, on the other hand, is more hesitant to make herself known-- after all her presence might trigger Zuko's anger once again and cause more unnecessary strain on his body. When she sees his wince of pain, Katara can't help but mimic the reaction as she tries to imagine just what he has to be going through-- she's sure it isn't all that pleasant.

But after some inner debating, Katara slowly hovers above him, an uneasy expression on her face as she looks down at him.]

... Yeah, you should probably stay still.

[Zuko's mouth is dry, it feels like one of them stuffed cotton balls into it to suck up all the saliva. He knows Toph is here with Katara; he doesn't really know her name but he recognizes the voice from before. He's trying not to move then, really he is, but when he sees her leaning over him and blocking out the light there's confusion muddled in with the pain.

There's no anger. Just ... a lot of pain and uncertainty.]

...yo-you... [He remembers what happened, their dance, their arguments, the Grats. The ... T-Rexaur.

If it's even possible, Zuko pales further beneath already pale skin, his breathing coming out faster, distressed. Perspiration is beginning to bead on his brow. But Katara's still alive right? The T-Rexaur hadn't hurt her? How was he even still alive?]

How--?

I earthbended the T-Rexaur back into the trees, and Katara used her rather horrible ice slide to get us out of the training center and over here.

[While Toph begins to explain the situation, Katara detects the change in his breathing pattern, the paling of his skin and the slightly panicked look in his eyes. Without another thought, she bends the water from a nearby pitcher to coat her hands which she then presses to his temples, in hopes of soothing his frantic state.]

It's okay, Zuko-- you're okay. [For once, she uses a coaxing and comforting tone as she speaks to him, almost a coo in an effort to calm him down.]

[It even hurts to swallow his own saliva! What in Agni's name had he gotten himself into?

As soothing as her voice is and as wonderful as the cool water feels against his temples, it takes several moments before his body calms and he brings up his good arm, fingers grasping at her forearm. There's a tremor in them, that movement alone only adding to the never-ending ache at the base of his throat and around his chest area and one shoulder.

Zuko gazes up at her, silent, and eventually his lashes lower bit by bit, body gradually relaxing into the cot. His breathing evens out but his grip never releases her, only loosens somewhat.]

[Toph sighs, relieved when Zuko finally starts relaxing. She was worried when he started panicking, his heartbeat had gone up way too high. Thankfully it was settling down now.]

Want me to go get the doctor, Katara?

Mmm... maybe in a bit, if he doesn't feel any better. I want to try to use my abilities before we have to resort to the medicine of this world. [She's a bit wary of the things they use, unnatural elements which seem too foreign for the body to process. Katara simply keeps her hands at Zuko's temples as the water glows, but there's a flicker of surprise in her eyes when he grabs her arm. Katara can't help but send him a slightly reprimanding look at his action.]

Hey, don't move-- it'll only hurt more.

[Temporarily she lets the water around her hands fall to an empty basin, and with her bending she brings a small sphere of water to his lips, hoping a little liquid would help make talking easier for him.]

Is there anywhere else that hurts? I'm not sure if my healing abilities can ease the pain completely, but I can try.

[It helps a lot more than she thinks but at the same time his body's reflexes kick in and Zuko's trying to lean his head up to properly drink. The pain's back and this time in tenfold, his fingers biting into her arm in response, as his entire body locks up on him for a second time. His breathing is back to coming in short, ragged pants, brows deeply creased in the expression of severe pain.

This whole laying still thing. It's really not going to work out so well for him.]

Ne-neck--! Chest.... shoulder! [The last word is mostly rasped out, and Zuko tries his hardest to justlay still and not move. This is nearly as bad as the pain he'd received from the fire burning the left side of his face all those years ago.]

Zuko, she said to don't move!

[Toph hissed out, listening to see if Dr. Kadowaki was coming. She trusted Katara's healing methods more than hers, only because she had seen Katara's first hand.]

Zuko, you need to stop moving!

[Katara is getting a bit panicked herself with the way the pain filters across his face, though she tries to remain calm. Her hands move to immediately sheath her fingers with water, and she presses a palm against his chest, another to his shoulder. Closing her eyes, Katara concentrates on the flow of chi in his body, attempting to subside the pain he's experiencing.]

Try-- Trying-- [Zuko grounds out, squeezing his eyes shut. He's trying to block out their scolding tones and the pain all at once. But as he feels the coolness against his bare skin he tries to focus on that, breathing in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, repeating the breathing technique to try and help Katara.

It's working, slowly but surely, and his body and muscles relax. Breathing alone hurts mostly because of how the ribcage expands with every breath he takes, only adding to his discomfort.]

[She can feel his haggard breathing evening out, and Katara opens her eyes to look down at him, the corners of her lips lifting into a small, encouraging smile. The hand on his chest slides up to his collarbone, fingers resting on the lower portion of his neck, and the water under her control works to soothe the pain once again, her other hand remaining on his shoulder where the central source of pain resided.]

[Even the pain on his face eases away into a move relaxed expression. It isn't until several moments later that Zuko opens his eyes, bright gold and unfocused until they do focus on her face above his.]

... Thank you. [It's softly murmured between them but surely Toph's able to hear it; he's directing the gratitude to both of them, not just Katara.

Zuko's fingers move away from her arm and he's careful to lower his arm slowly to rest on the cot next to him. He watches the waterbender's face then, the glow still in his line of sight. He's almost afraid to ask what she's doing to him, but he bites his tongue and concentrates on the calming glow and cooling touch, the pain diminishing more and more.]

[Her eyes widen for the briefest of moments when he thanks her, but she manages to give him a small smile in return, completed with a small shrug of her shoulder. Out of reflex, the hand near his neck reaches up to brush some strands of his hair from his eyes-- purely because she doesn't want him to go through the pain of pulling off such a simple task in his handicapped state.]

There's no need to thank me-- I mean, I kind of got you into the mess anyways. [Her eyes flicker downwards then, concentrating on her hand still pressed against his shoulder, the water glowing as it works to lessen the pain. There's a long pause, before she quietly admits:] Sorry about that...

[The door bangs open.

Here's Sokka, still looking half-dead from the illness that has kept him bed-ridden long enough to single-handedly destroy most of his vacation time AND apparently addle his brain to the point that he signed up for Dance. It must have been fever-induced because he doesn't remember doing it but it's there on his schedule. In fact he was trying to rub it off with a thumb when he kicked open the door.

He's just stopping by the Infirmary for a round of medicine, but hey... uh, everyone's here. Sokka blinks a few times and then fists his eyes because, yeah, he must be hallucinating Katara touching Zuko's forehead like that, so. Maybe he should get his temperature taken again while he's here. Maybe he should still be in bed.]

Did I get everyone sick?

[It isn't until after Sokka speaks that Katara remembers that her hand is resting on Zuko's forehead-- and it is promptly snatched back, both hands now clasped behind her back. But instead of letting the embarrassment of being caught acting nice to Zuko consume her, Katara immediately rounds on Sokka, hands on her hips as she moves towards her older brother.]

Sokka, you're still sick! Are you really planning to go to class like this? I could go to all your classes and get your assignments for you, you should stay in bed and rest!

Edited 2010-08-23 16:55 (UTC)

Katara, if he's still sick, you shouldn't yell at him.

[Why Toph was the voice of reason was beyond her. It had been one crazy morning already. First dance, then the t-rexaur, and now the infirmary with Sokka threatening to get everyone sick.

She plops herself down in a chair instead of on the floor this time.]

We're here 'cause Zuko got mauled by a T-Rexaur after he and Katara stormed out of dance class after getting into a lover's spat.

[Because Zuko CLEARLY didn't learn the first time around, as soon as Toph mentions 'lover's spat', Zuko's turning his attention to her so he can explain to her and Sokka what had really happened, his head is moving to turn towards her ... only the sharp pain is back and he's biting back the pained shout, groaning and squeezing his eyes shut. He wants to bang his head back against the bed so bad, repeatedly, but knows that if he tries even that he's going to regret it.

His fingers grasp at the sheets at his one side, teeth bared and tightly grit in the grimace. Even if it's just the ligaments in his neck moving, that alone still jars his clavicle and Zuko's left feeling light-headed and dizzy, left feeling like someone's scraping dull knives along the bone. The nausea is back again, the pain enough to turn him as white as the sheets.

~~One day, Sokka. He'll break your collarbone just so you can feel the pain he's feeling now - that is if you try to beat him up anytime soon.~~

There goes the, you know, content moment he had with Katara brushing hair out of his eyes (yes, Katara, he was at least coherent for that) and, you know, not yelling at him and trying to have a screaming match like before.]

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