acatalepsy_logs | need the sun to break

Entry tags:

need the sun to break

Who: mako, ota otherwise! please bring me your babies c:
Where: various places
When: throughout the sickness event, the last prompt can cover any time period in it as mako won't progress past the first stage.
Rating pg for now! will update if it changes. some mention of a lightning-based injury tho!
What: settling in and maybe trying to mother-hen other sick people who need it. please toss me a pm or hmu on discord (violynnist#8733!) if you would like something custom for you, or to try another situation/scenario also! This was my intro post on the CR meme as well if that's easier to poke at c:

𝐏𝐑𝐄-𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒;

𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚;

( he's no stranger to the fey and fantastic. being friends with the avatar has meant years of encountering things that might have otherwise been beyond belief. he has a healthy threshold of tolerance for the scope and scale of strange than most people would probably expect of a no-nonsense cop.

his first thought is spirit wilds. even astoria herself sort of seems like one, though she looks human (he's heard stories of koh) and the misty phantasms that roam the temple grounds certainly don't disabuse that notion. mako is. quiet. taking it all in, listening, learning. he jots down notes, which is difficult to do when one arm is an out-of-commission ruin, strapped into a sling that pinions it to his body. he sort of rests the notepad in the hollow of his wrist, over the fabric of the sling and scribbles everything in police short-hand.

thrown into a new situation? doesn't know anyone or anything beyond astoria's welcoming spiel? time to wander the grounds of the temple. when he runs into other people, he'll approach them politely and introduce himself, )

I know it probably doesn't matter here, but I'm a Detective with the Republic City Police back home. My name's Mako. I'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right?

( he gestures with his notepad, obviously intending on writing things down. feel free to talk with him, refuse a statement, agree but only off the record, etc. he's a mostly-amicable (if. sometimes humorless) guy! )

𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛;

( he can't feel the sun. it's there, visible, a low-hanging presence on the cusp of dawn. it's a slightly different color than the one he's used to, and he can feel its rays on his skin, but there's. nothing. no energy, no... deep, abiding warmth that sinks down into the bones and drags the life and breath of fire to life through the conduit of his physical body.

it lends further credence to the thought he must be in the spirit world, or something very like it. he finds his way to the fighting ring and, still with his left arm in its sling, he tries a few right-handed jabs at one of the training dummies. nothing. nothing. he's stayed calm through everything else, being recruited — kidnapped, essentially — to someone else's fight, the whole thing. but this? it reminds him too much of amon.

out of frustration, he kicks at the air, the sort of slicing motion that would have swept fire away from him in an arc. and.

to his complete and utter surprise, a column of rock juts up out of the earth and launches the dummy several yards away. mako, instinctively, turns to look for bolin or korra or even beifong, the earthbenders whose company he spends the most time in, but. he's alone.

except, perhaps, for your character. mako looks a little sheepish at having been caught unawares — he's usually a little harder to sneak up on, so he's rubbing the back of his neck as he asks, )

Did you do that?

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐗𝐓𝐀'𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒;

( he hates getting sick. firebenders are pretty hardy, all things considered. they tend to run hot. mako isn't used to feeling ill, it's only happened a couple times in memory, and. his default state is ignore all physical discomfort. he doesn't seem to be badly off, either, given what everyone else is going through.

so. a case of the sniffles. he sucks it up. pitches in around the kitchens, makes himself available to anyone who seems to be suffering. he even tries to go out into the forest of the fey to see if there is anything out there, some plant or herb that can be used as a remedy.

if your character needs some looking after during the event, mako's your guy. he will dutifully help total strangers, tuck people in, carry them off to a bed and help them through the loss of their senses should it come to that! let him big-brother you. it's the squishiest you'll ever see him. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Huh.

( okay, but enough of that. mako pulls out a handkerchief (because let's face it, he's a nerd, he has one) and holds it out to the kid to cover his finger. )

Okay, but let's not get an infection showing it off. You could've just told me.

[ Minato stares at the handkerchief for a second before reaching out to take it in his clean hand, but not without hesitation. He holds it, and... doesn't use it.

Not to be rude (although it is rude) but because if Mako has one of those, then... doesn't he use it to blow his nose... Can he trust this handkerchief, Mako? ]

Sorry. I thought showing you would be more believable than using words.

[ Words that aren't put together very well to begin with, let's face it. ]

( excuse you, minato. mako is a fussy, finicky boy whose days of gross street manners are well and truly behind him. of course it's clean, and probably pressed, and definitely monogrammed. it was a gift from asami, okay, don't judge! it's good silk! if mako notices the hesitance, he doesn't comment on it, just waves a hand. )

Trust me, my sense of disbelief is pretty much on a permanent leave of vacation these days.

( he shakes his head a bit. )

Come on, let's go find somewhere for you to clean that up.

[ What an unnecessarily fancy handkerchief. This is what Minato will be judging Mako on, not the presence or absence of snot. He's a little scared to get blood on something like this so he'll just... hand it back with a mumbled "thanks" and turn his heels towards the kitchen, where he knows there'll be running water and maybe dish soap. ]

...What about you? Anything weird to report on, or things you've found in your investigation so far?

( youths. but he takes it back anyway, tucks it back in a pocket. he follows after minato, mostly to make sure he actually looks after that cut. mako is a fussy mother hen at the best (worst) of times, okay. )

Not enough to deduce a pattern yet. Just... more questions.

( which always happens at this stage of an investigation. it doesn't mean he's giving up hope. far from it, it's the sort of meaty challenge he appreciates as a detective. he'll figure something out. )

[ Real men wipe their runny noses on their shirt sleeves, okay. ]

Guess it's too early to tell for anything... Nobody really knows anything except Astoria. And I guess the ghosts wandering around the place. Have you seen them?

[ The misty servant people. He'd taken to trailing after them from time to time, but they keep phasing through walls and he loses track of them. Perhaps they'll see one in the kitchen. ]

( but the coast is clear when they get to the kitchen, and mako goes to start some running water to rinse out that cut. it may be minor, but you can't be too careful with infections, especially in strange places. )

A few of them. Chatty sort, aren't they?

( which is entirely unhelpful, but hey. he gestures minato over to the sink once the water's a decent temp. excuse him while he big-bros at you, kid. )

[ Watch the sickness literally be in the water and this is why they're all dying.

Minato hums in his throat in response, because yeah, chatty. e.g. they refused to speak at all when Minato approached them, and he's not even sure they noticed he was there, with no eyes to make eye contact with or even a face to tell they've turned to look at him. It was a little frustrating, like trying to speak to a wall... He imagines it's what trying to communicate with him feels like sometimes.

He sticks his finger under the water just long enough to wash off the blood, idly wiping his hands on the sides of his pants to dry as he looks about the kitchen. It's disappointingly empty of ghosts, but there's a warmth that's hard to find anywhere else. ]

...I wonder what killed everybody here.

[ That the place seems abandoned, that there are so many 'ghosts' around. ]

( young man, you don't wash an injury and then dry it on your pants. mako is just. beside himself with exasperation. have you ever even met an adult in your life, minato.

he points him back to the sink. )

Try again. This time, dry it on something clean.

( look, there is a drawer full of clean linens right there. the youths are going to be the death of mako, who is twenty-two going on two hundred if he's a day.

also the connotation of ghost is a bit different than spirit, but not so much that he's confused by it all. )

I mean... they might not be ghosts, they could just be separate creatures who've always existed like that.

[ The last adult Minato sort of looked up to turned around and almost murdered him and his friends, so he'd rather stumble through life without one, thanks. Still, he follows orders without question, almost automatically, that rule in life that he lives by that tells him it's easier to just do things without a fuss. ]

Maybe. They wash the dishes and stuff, though. Make the beds. But they won't talk to me. [ He frowns, pulling his hand away from the faucet a second time and shaking his hands over the sink to flick the water off his fingers. What are linens? ]

If they've always done stuff like that, they must have had people to do that stuff for. I wonder what killed them.

[ There's beds! A kitchen! Where are all the dead bodies, he's sure there should be signs of migration or a cemetery or something. ]

( he's just. going to scream internally for a while. was this child raised by wolfbats???

also that is an incredibly macabre thought. it's so blunt, not 'i wonder what happened'. i wonder what killed them. the acceptance and expectation of violence done speaks a lot about who this kid is and where he's coming from. there are a thousand reasons that this place might have had living quarters set aside unused for centuries, but. to immediately assume some violent end? telling.

mako lifts his right shoulder in a shrug. his left is still anchoring the sling for his arm. )

Maybe nothing did. They might've packed up and left, or accomplished their goals. You can't exactly take a house with you.

( one of the reasons that he doesn't care to really own one. he's a street-kid at heart. the only important things are the ones you can carry. )

[ Minato shrugs both his shoulders, stuffing his dry, clean hands into his pockets. (It's fine, it's fine) ]

Oh... Maybe.

[ No, it makes a lot of sense, considering that if people died, they'd leave behind all sorts of personal evidence that people used to live here, and the halls are devoid of such things— photos, toys, things he can rationally associate with a settled down family life. An empty place like this, it'd make sense that it's because people picked up their lives and moved on, taking all they could with them.

It really hadn't occurred to him at all, because it's not like he's ever had things like photos or toys or other memorabilia to worry about when he moves. ]

I was thinking about people like us, who came with nothing more but the clothes on our backs. There wouldn't be any evidence left whether we move on or move away.

Probably not.

( he looks at him askance, and then gestures for him to sit in one of the kitchen chairs. while he's here, he may as well throw some food together. korra and bolin both need to eat, and he has his doubts about minato's ability to procure food for himself. given what mako knows of him so far it wouldn't surprise him to learn that he just scrounges out of a garbage bin. )

I mean, I guess there's no telling if we're the first people she's had here.

[ Minato looks at the chair, and hesitantly approaches it... bypasses it, and takes the long way around to stand by Mako's side instead, not close enough to be in the way, but enough that he can watch what he's doing. For somebody who lives off fast food— really little difference from a garbage bin, aside from the fact that he actually pays for his meals— he had little ability to cook, but he's always interested in watching. ]

...It'd make sense if we weren't. If I could bring people over from other places, I wouldn't bring a hundred people all at once. I'd try with one or two first, a dozen at most. Small groups are more manageable anyways.

( well. okay. mako makes room for him, and although he's note explicit about it, he does very slightly alter what he's doing so that minato can follow along easier. chops things slower, stirs a little less vigorously, that sort of thing. of course, the fact that he can only do it all one-handed helps, too.

it does make sense. that's what amon did. start small. a few benders here and there to incite fear. then he moved onto more and more people. then the avatar. it's a sound strategic tactic, even though he doesn't think astoria's intent is aligned with anything like that. he is wary of her — he's still upset at the loss of his firebending. he can't feel the sun in the sky any longer, except as... well, an obvious source of warmth and light. but it used to feel like something that could sink down into him, align itself with his breath and the beat of his heart. it felt like a solid, stable presence. he missed it at night when it sunk below the horizon, and was renewed with the dawn. now it's just. a sun. he almost misses that more than the bending itself.

the meddling is annoying enough. but mako doesn't trust anyone who'd take others from their home to fight some battle she hasn't even bothered to delineate yet. mako isn't a stranger to fighting for a cause. he's been alongside korra nearly every step of her journey, ready to die for what she believes in. but korra won his trust and his regard. astoria's just earned his annoyance. )

Well, she's certainly powerful. What did you think of her?

[ Seeing Mako with his arm in a sling, the polite thing to do would be to offer to help, huh. Would Mako trust Minato around knives? a stove? He doesn't offer, either way, presumably under the impression that Mako would say no, and while Minato is supposedly here to learn how to cook, he pays no attention Mako's hands; rather, it's his face- he meets his eyes but doesn't follow his gaze down to the ingredients being prepared, and instead watches Mako's expression as he cooks. Like he's looking for something, maybe, and it helps when Mako is focused on his work and isn't looking back. ]

I dunno anything about her to form an opinion. [ There's the whole... kidnapping thing... and also the stripping of powers that he noticed immediately and profoundly, along with the manifestation of a new power he isn't quite sure of. But Astoria as a person? He just doesn't know her enough to say anything. ]

I don't want to make a judgement before I get to hear things from her... If you decide to interrogate her, let me eavesdrop?

[ Instead of, you know. Participating in the conversation himself. ]

( whatever minato's looking for in his expression, he'll find it's... mostly neutral. there's a tiny bit of serenity, perhaps, because this is something he's been doing for years now, and he happens to be pretty decent at it. he does genuinely enjoy the act of cooking, because whatever the work involved in meal prep it was always preferable to going hungry. he's at ease in a kitchen space, calm and attentive, focused and intent. he has an economy of motion that can only come from a martial artist, no wasted movements or unnecessary flourishes. mako can be a flashy guy, sure. but he saves it mostly for public displays of bending.

that comment about eavesdropping makes him laugh, though. minato has some very thoughtful comments, but he's a cautious person overall. there's a sense that he doesn't want to commit to anything until he's certain of the outcome, or of his own stance on the matter. it's a pragmatic approach he's not used to seeing in teenagers. )

I doubt she'll submit to an interrogation. But sure, if I get the chance, you're welcome to tag along.

Thanks.

[ There's a slow smile growing on Minato's face as he watches Mako work- faint and showing more in his eyes than on his lips- but it lights up when Mako agrees to let him come along. ]

A conversation, then. I like listening to people talk.

[ Again, rather than participating, but it's something that he's gotten much much better at in time.

With Mako agreeing to his request, Minato sort of suspects Mako thinks better of him than he should, especially with no retaliation to the "eavesdropping" word of choice: navigating conversations just isn't a forte of his, as it would be for Mako who seems to be used to asking the right questions and understanding implications, and it'd be a waste of Astoria's time for Minato to flounder through a conversation with her, maybe getting to know more about her better, but less about the situation which would be of more use for everybody else here. ]

( he scrapes what he's chopped into a shallow pan. he definitely does try to firebend at it, but. once that results in absolutely no increase of the flames beneath the oventop, he sort of just. sighs. and stokes it manually. )

You find you learn more about people that way?

( it's sort of an idle question. minato strikes him as a deeply introspective person, so... it's not surprising that he'd prefer to just. sit and watch other people going on about their lives. )

Mm. Yeah.

[ Actually, he finds he learns more about people on the merit that if they talk to him, he struggles with continuing a conversation sometimes if the other person expects him to carry the same weight in talking, but if they're caught in a conversation with somebody else, he can just sit back and figure out how they think, what they believe in, what they're like, without the distraction of having to be engaged in the conversation himself. ]

...You do things differently as a cop, right? Since criminals and stuff wouldn't want to talk to you... you've got to be more convincing to make them talk. Sounds hard.

( he shrugs. there are a million reasons he's good at talking to criminals, but he doesn't exactly want to up and share any of them offhand. he was a criminal first, before he was anything else. he learned to bend lightning from the boss of the triple threats. mako always knew how to navigate that world. translating that to working against it has been easy. he has plenty of contacts, and he knows how to motivate them. some need bribes, some need fear. some need promises of protection. he's thrown himself into bettering republic city. sometimes he feels like he makes a real difference. others, he feels like it's an absolutely unending slog. )

It's just conversation. Once you know how to talk to someone, they'll tell you anything.

( mako's not really good at light and casual conversation the way bolin is. he can hold one, but it's mostly about finding shared interests and common ground. being a detective removes that personal edge. it gives him a script to follow — even if it's a vague one. it's easier that way. )

[ "Once you know how to talk to someone" is that mountain that always feels so daunting for Minato, especially when he first meets somebody. And that first impression is often crucial, something he'd best not mess up on, as it's rare that he comes across somebody like Mako who he slices his hand in front of and is now watching him cook. Bizarre, but not unwelcome. ]

I see... I think. Your method's sort of like mine- become friends with someone, and they like sharing things about themselves with you. It just takes a long time.

[ But it's the natural progression of friendship. ]

( he sort of rubs his cheek down against his shoulder to stave off an itch. )

Ah... I think it's a little different when it's someone you're friends with.

( then again, korra's really... the only friend he's ever had. he cares deeply for asami, but. when korra was off at the south, it wasn't like they really sought out each other's company all that much. and mako doesn't blame her. he hurt her far more deeply than he feels he can ever come back from, and everything between them just... feels like a broken bone that healed wrong.

it was different with korra. both the dating and the breaking up. but outside of her, mako doesn't really do friendship. he's always been too closed off for that. )

With criminals specifically, it's easier if you sort of speak their language.

[ Is it that much different speaking to your friends than your enemies...? He'd never made much of an effort trying to understand his enemies, but they were the sort who contented themselves in giving melodramatic monologues while expecting him to stand there and take it quietly- which he did, but that's besides the point. ]

Pretending like that sounds hard... I wouldn't be able to do it.

It's not for everyone.

( being a cop isn't easy. everyone pretty much hates or fears you, even when you're there to help them. and you have to deal with endless potshots at your job, your worth, your integrity. it's all worth it at the end, though, if he can help even just one person. that's enough for him.

mako gestures for minato to sit at the table. nothing left to be done in the kitchen for the time being except let the pot simmer, and that doesn't need them. )

I think it's worth it, though, if it stops a crime.

need the sun to break

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i keep wanting to make a joke about establishing social links

just give in and let it out

honestly i'm just going to say mako's the emperor and have done with it all tbh

he does fit emperor very well

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