Seventh flame [Voice/Action]

[restoremyhonour]

So.

Anyone got any ideas as to how to pass time when you can't leave your bed? I need something to do before I set the house on fire.

[Zuko has spent the last 2 and a half weeks in bed recovering. He's now at that point where he's been told to stay in bed for a few more days, but has enough energy that he doesn't want to. Come talk to him,

Comments

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[And the days have settled into a routine - she checks on Zuko practically first thing, gets everyone else set off, then goes back to spend some time healing and feeding Zuko. She tries to spend more time doing this in the morning, where he's stronger, and now she comes in with breakfast and a basin of water.]

Good morning. How are you feeling today?

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[She flicks an aggravated glance at Zuko. She wasn't just sitting there touching him with her hands glowing, there was actual work and concentration involved.]

It depends. Some of them are worse than others. [And she moves to address another scar, this one on his chest.] The closer they are to your vital systems, the more damage they've done. It's obvious that you redirected some of them, but still...

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

[Zuko sees tha aggravated glance. He's just wanting to be able to get out of bed. To be able to do things again. He's kinda sick of the routine the days have fallen into over the past two weeks, even though he's pretty sure that without her help he'd probably be dead.]

I was just asking. I'm sure you're as sick of having to heal me as I am of being stuck in this bed.

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[And he's still talking. Why is he still talking?]

You'll be better when you're better, Zuko. You can't rush it.

[And she moves her hand to his side, where he'd taken a particularly nasty one. His skin was still red and stretched out from the burns... she hoped that they'd fade in time. He had enough scars. Her tone gentles after a moment.]

You're definitely better. You should probably be able to get up and start strengthening yourself by the end of the week.

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

[Good news there Katara. He can be up by the end of the week. He'll shut up for a while now, letting you continue the healing.]

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[Ah, silence. It's so much easier to work this way. She continues to move her hands around his chest, eyes hooded as she concentrates. Katara is vaguely aware of his gaze when it rests on her, and there is some uncomfortable knowledge that before she'd had to begin healing him, the last time she was this close to him... had been under very different circumstances.

She's familiar with the patterns in his chi by now, and is practiced in moving and soothing out all the damage done to his system has come a long way - it's easy to find the natural pathways, and easy to encourage them.

She slides around to begin to do the same to his back.]

I should probably check the dressing on your hip too.

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

[Zuko will move slightly to help Katara be able to access his back better]

Okay. [He's used Katara checking these injuries by now. So once she's done with his back he'll move again so Katara can easily access his hip.]

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[She stands and makes room for him to lie on his side - it's less awkward that way. Peeling down enough of the side of his pants to get a look at his cut, she hardly connects what she's doing with Zuko at all. It's a cut, something that was infected and life-threatening and needs to be treated. That's the only way she can deal with seeing far more of him than she'd ever thought about.

She removes the dressing and prods at the healing skin. She's had time the past week to concentrate more healing on it, though she hadn't knit it together like she did Alexei's in order to make sure it healed cleanly.]

This is looking good. I should be able to heal it up for you completely tomorrow.

[And so she begins to reset the dressing.]

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

At last. [It sounds more like relief and less like a snide comment as he says that.]

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[Sigh. Now that the dressing is reset, Katara lets the water go back into the basin as she steps back.]

Are you ready to get up and walk around a bit?

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

Yes. [Is he ever. Out of bed would be great. And he'll start getting himself out of bed.]

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

Easy - take it slow.

[Katara moves over to the side to watch and catch him if he stumbles.]

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

[Zuko will stand up and start moving faster then he probably should.] I'm fine. See.

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

Go slowly.

[But that will be her only warning. She'll let him do what he wants for now - she doesn't give him long before he'll start to wear himself out. So she just watches, ready to step forward and catch him if she needs to.]

[Action]

[restoremyhonour]

[Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Katara. Zuko will start to walk out of his room take the short passage way down to the living room. At the turn in the passage way however, he's going to slightly misjudge things, clip his foot on the wall and over balance. Here we go a-tumbling down...]

[Action]

[markofthebrave]

[She followed him out of the room aaaaand manages to step forward quickly enough to grab him by his shoulders and stop him from falling.]

Ooof. [Fortunately, she's strong enough to support his weight and soon has him leaning up against the wall.] All right, Zuko?