Last Airbender

He watched Coden walk past. Looked over at Alexis and Pala. Then lowered his head and stared at the puppy with the burnt ear. He should kill Coden. Right now. Grab his dagger and drive it through his throat and watch the life blood spill like a waterfall from the vein. But he didn't move. Only sat there, feet dangling from the back of the cart.

Why? Why didn't he go to kill Coden?! He should, after all the man did to him. Gale remembered his arms getting ripped up. Remembered Coden kicking him and beating him and twisting his ankle apart. Then he remembered getting hugged and caressed. Slight snarl forming across his lips before it vanished, forcefully calmed. No. That... wouldn't help.

So he took a step back - retreated again. There was the tunnel vision and the lack of sounds. He could hear himself breathing, saw the world sway as his head bobbed. Now... now he could think clearly.

What made it feel wrong to kill Coden?

He remembered being led around and protected when his dead mother wanted to kill them, remembered the fireworks and the singing stick and robot. He remembered the playground and the fireflies and...

Coden reminded Gale of Father before Gale learned of Father's treachery.

"....Pa..pa." He whispered unconsciously to himself.

Yes. That was it! Coden was Papa! Coden played with him and protected him and -

then why...?

the torture? The...

Reaching up towards him, agony wracking his tiny limbs. Still so crippled and emotional. Trying to get him to see that he loved him. That he - need- that he- couldn't-

But he said no. He said no! He said he was not Papa! He said he wasn't! And then he-

Dream like memories of the fully amnesic state. Being cuddled when he shook with child-like fear. Asking Coden who he was... getting the response... "Papa."

Why?! Why would he do that?! What did he get out of it!?

Gale knew what mother got, knew what Brother and Sister got! They got entertainment, they got laughs, they got rid of frustrations,t hey got- couldn't, wouldn't, remember that part yet.

The boy returned to himself, tunnel vision vanishing, and looked behind him, through a hole in the cart to see Coden. There he was. Why?!! that was what kept Gale from outright attacking - crippled him the same way with Father.

Why. What did Coden want?

Why betray him just to take him back again?

A sound. Gale's ears perked up and his head shot up. There! in the woods! He heard it! A moaning. A rustling. Squinting, he saw. Armor. Fire nation. enemy. Arm jutting at an odd angle. But he was up. He would kill them. Mother taught him that. Mother taught him killing killing killing. hurt hurt hurt. And he had learned how to implement it in his own way.

Soon the soldier was no more - nothing but bloody decorations for the trees.

Then his arm collapsed. Shoulders rolled in and head lolled. Gasp, gasp, gasping for breath as he had used too much, consuming a part of himself in the process this time. Was the battle over now? He could... not...

show weakness.

wanted to collapse over the cart, fall over and sleep sleep sleep in sweet oblivion. But that meant showing himself, leaving himself vulnerable. no, he would not do that.

Alexis nodded to Pala, not being able to come up with a verbal response. As the others got up to leave, she sat there, waving them off for a moment. She still had one last thing she needed to do. She just couldn’t leave this place as it was. She knew she didn’t have the time to conduct a proper burial for the dead, nor did she have the ability to procure the pieces she needed to try to coax the spirits on, so she muttered a small prayer, hoping that those soldiers left alive would bury their comrades properly.

Eventually she picked herself up and pulled herself into the cart, everything feeling rather sore and achy. She wanted to go try to talk to Gale, or comfort Coden, ask Pala about what she had meant… or something… but she didn’t know what to say, in fears of making things worse for everyone now, so she sat on the back corner of the cart, arms wrapped comfortingly around her knees.

Everyone seemed to be so sad, or angry, and it was all overwhelming. Angelique’s constant irrability grinding into her skull with every complaint. Pala’s anger and fear for the others here and her attempts to stave off a confrontation. Coden’s depression, then forced emotionless state due to Gale’s condition… And Gale, who finally gained back some of his memories, which now she wondered if that was a good thing or not. She felt like he should get them back, but with the pain and anger twisted up in his past, now she felt the guilt rise up again. That she should have done something to prevent some of his hardships from happening while he was under her watch. That if she had been paying more attention… If she had noticed whatever caused his breakdown today and stopped it… If she had somehow been able to stop the massacre they were leaving behind… Not to mention that she was the reason they were all stuck here… If she had realized what had happened, she could have tried sending them back right away, instead of worrying about power levels… She was supposed to be a leader… right? How could she make mistakes like that… How could she consider herself that if she couldn’t even come up with a way to fix the problems that plagued them? Curling up even more, Alexis’ head rested against her knees, refusing to look at anyone.

As she sat there, questions slid out from the back of her mind, wondering why she even bothered caring. For what momentary happiness she had been brought by being with others, all it ever seemed to lead to was pain. Pain and suffering for herself and everyone around her. If she hadn’t befriended Gale, fell in love with Coden, neither of them would be hurting like this right now. Would have had no reason to… The others would have probably not been brought here… if she had been working alone… It was better to be alone… But… Why wait for the eventual turmoil that will tear everyone apart? Why not just leave them now? Or better, leave in a way that would prevent them from ever coming back to hurt her like this again…

Pala looked around, in agony. She now saw what she had wrought. Together, they were once at least a fighting force, they worked together, and for now, Gale was somewhat unaware about his past...but her own ability to let the past stay in the past had brought it up all over again...
Gale...was gale. They had all become used to his distress, yet it waas something they all strove to help with.
Coden...seemed to actually be showing remorse. He looked broken, but still was trying to hold on. yet...even alexis seemed defeated.

She had to repay them for what she had done. If this went wrong, she could only depend on angelique, who was the only one who seemed to have hold on herself. Yet...she didn't look very willing.
She remembered so very long ago, when her mother taught her about the spirit healers. A shaman's role was to guide, and heal the broken spirits of his or her people. The group she was with...she could hardly call them her people, but they co-depended on each other and she needed to play her part.
The story went that in times of desperation, when all the shaman's people had been lost to despair, or injury, the shaman would go above the call of duty and share their own very spirit to heal those around them. She was...afraid, but she had to do it. First, she had to tip the scale of her power so she could start her spirit-healing. With a large show of power, she brought up a thick stone ring around the group. This would force her to use her shaman power, and at the same time protect them whilst she did it. If she were injured during the process, they might all be lost.

Answering everybodies confused expressions, she said,
"Come to me...i have something i need to do, to help us." They didn't seem very trusting, but eventually coden and alexis trudged over, bringing the almsot shellshocked gale with them.
Again, that world of white flashed into view, and everybodies souls were stained with turblent grays.
"I've...got to make this better. Or else nobody will ever get home. I know...i've given up my hopes of returning home, but you all still have a chance." With both hands, she took hold of coden, and alexis, and they in turn grabbed hold of gale protectively.
She saw the white clouds within her own body flow out, transferring through the others' arms, to pur into their clouded spirits. The whiteness lightened them, and in turn, gales...his storm was balanced a little, but he needed coden and alexis to lay it to rest. She wasn't sure if they would, or even could, but she had to hope. As the final part of her power left her, her own spirit was mostly grey, with her blackened hands still remaining.
The spirit world departed once more, and the whiteness in her eyes left her, revealing her normal icey blue eyes.
For a few fleeting moments she looked at the trio, and then collapsed backwards. Into a coma, sleep, just a faint, or even..death, she did not know. She depended on them now, and hopefully, they had the strength to save themselves.

He was dragged, kicking and fighting, over to the stone circle Pala had made. He did not want to go to where she was! But Alexis was going. Alexis was leading him, though Coden was close by. Alexis could be trusted, right? Right?! So he stopped and stood near her, eying the stone in which they stepped.

Make this better? Make what better? Everything was fine, perfectly fine! He just needed – what? Then she grabbed them and they grabbed him and he started struggling again, forgetting Alexis and forgetting Coden and only remembering where those hands always wanted to take him

Roughly grabbed on the shoulders and dragged down a gray hall that looked like all the others, knocked on the back of the head when he screamed too loudly. And those were the hands he was pushing away when Alexis and Coden had a hold of him

And then-

And then it was all over again. But… he shook the arms back and stumbled away from the others. The one was on the ground and he should kill her for tricking him like this! But… He tried summoning his anger. Tried to get that rage and hate and despair and helplessness that helped him explode stuff before. But it was gone.

“What did you do?!” He screamed desperately at her from the edge of the circle, taking another step back. It was as if a raging fire, roaring, uncontrollable, had been drenched. Had been completely obliterated. His blood was slushy ash that sloshed through his veins, coagulating around his limbs and brain. He needed to light that fire again. But he couldn’t, not here.

In frenzy, he made a mad dash to the edge of the circle. Needed to get away, needed space, needed to summon up his anger and shield again. He could feel it. The thing the rage hid under a mask of wood. That crippling helplessness that had made him reach out for Coden and call him ‘Papa’ for that first time.

Coden was prepared to just take the reins and drive the cart himself. It couldn't be any harder than riding a horse. Something he'd...never done. No sooner did he pick up the line did Pala call them all over. 'Really? Is now honestly the time?' His thoughts voiced silently with irritation. Alexis was easy to comply to Pala's request. Gale pulled along in her wake. Glowering at their little congregation, Coden's expression clearly voiced his disapproval to what ever they wanted to do. He only joined them when Alexis gave him a look that made the displeasure sink away stubbornly. Albeit reluctantly, he joined the circle.

What happened next was strange. He'd never experienced anything like it before. It was exhilarating, but calm. Did he trust this? Gale began to flail and curse, protesting every ounce of the process. Alexis struggled with the boy. Against his common judgement, Coden clasped onto the child to help control him. Hoping it didn't trigger some irrational act of vengeance.

Gale eventually broke free, as Pala abruptly collapsed. And watching the boy throw his fit, Coden couldn't help but blame himself. He'd done this. He'd twisted the child into what he was now. 'It will get better. He'll forget you, eventually. It may take years or a life time, But Gale would eventually just forget and cast you away all together, like you had him...' He knew He didn't want that though. If he knew the boy would listen, if he knew he could let go of the pride and strength and fear without regret, He'd break down and tell the boy the truth. Watching Gale storm away from the circle, Coden felt a temptation to do so. An invisible, choking assurance nudging him forward.

'Don't let him go. Don't let him out of your sights. He'd run at the first chance, and you know it. There's a possibility he could vanish and you'd never see him again.' The voice of Reason in his mind like a ghost of future. Showing him the what ifs and maybes he didn't 'Man -up' and do things the way he should have from the start.
Coden hesitantly bolted after Gale. just three steps to place himself at the child's heels. His hand darting from his side, and latching onto the boys wrist. Pulling him back and just...pulling him back.
The moment he had Gales hand in his, he felt a shred of doubt plague his mind. He could feel Gales wrath all over him before the boy would even turn to scowl at him. He shouldn't. It would trigger something. Touching the boy, just being near him. Gale would loose his mentality again or worse. And yet...
That ghost of pure intent hovered over his shoulder, keeping his hand bound tightly over Gales. A lump of unorganized words caught on the back of his tongue.

Alexis couldn’t tell what compelled her to do what Pala said. Possibly an effort to stave off the voice that was her but wasn’t… Or maybe she noticed Pala’s confidence that she had something that would help, and she herself had run out of options. She didn’t know… But somehow she found herself leaving her nook and making her way over, Gale and Coden in tow. It just felt right for some reason…

As Pala worked her spell, she was about to bolt herself, when she noticed something odd. The taint in her aura started to deplete, slinking away until it was a speckle in her aura. What had spotted and tainted her aura was almost entirely gone! That worrisome yelling and ranting and horrid thoughts and plans and whisperings in her ear was quiet… How… how was that possible? She hadn’t even realized it was so different now that she looked back. It had been so slow… she didn’t realize it had been so bad.

She numbly stood there, holding onto Gale as he struggled in her arms, unsure what truly happened. This was rather new for her. She knew that right now she should be complaining, knowing her standards about being mentally or spiritually messed with. But… it seemed like there was something preventing those negative feelings from surfacing. Blocking them from her… and for the first time in a long time… she actually felt… somewhat… happy…. She watched as Gale tore away from her, and Coden race after him. Instead of chasing after them, she realized that the law of plot would probably have this end up not as badly as she had thought… She should probably let them have their moment.

They’d get along again, and sooner than later, she’d figure out how to get her powers back… And from there she could go back to Fragment and save the worlds from the Tarot Master… The resistance was powerful enough by this point, the law of plot dictating that stories must have happy endings… And from there… Dreamy thoughts rose in her head about what she planned on doing afterwards. Feeling rather giddy, she bent down and picked Pala up, and managed somehow to pull the taller woman over to the cart, settling her down to try to make her comfortable. The smallest ghost of a grin grew on the side of her face as she glanced at her hand, the brightest it had been since… since before the tournament began. “…….thanks…”

Angelique felt her skin prickle at the outpouring of spiritual magic over in the little circle of joy. When Gale broke free from the others and ran, and Pala collapsed from exertion, Angelique rolled her eyes and made a derisive noise. This was a very good example of why spiritual healing should be left alone. It was too much trouble in the long run as strong-willed spirits were quite likely to resist like Gale apparently had.

She silently watched the fiasco as Coden ran after the boy. She hoped to the gods that there wasn't about to be a heartfelt confession within her earshot.

Though as she watched, she felt a bit of discomfort. From what she had gleaned of Gale's reactions and behavior over the time she'd now spent with them, she felt a rather uncomfortable familiarity, made her think of--

She stopped, growling slightly to herself. Almost a hundred years had passed. Whatever she had felt, whatever similarities there had been, had burned away long ago.

When Alexis brought Pala over, she stood up, moving over toward them. This happy fest was going to stop. Everyone felt...off, and it set her teeth on edge. Pushing the way too happy Alexis out of the way, Angelique knelt down by the unconscious woman.

"Her name's Pala, right? Any other names?"

When Alexis had expressed that she didn't know of any, Angelique began to ignore her, concentrating, forming the seals in her mind that reached deeper, touched the spirit. Using Pala's name in there, she found the threads of spirit that ran within the other woman. Using those, she bent them to form the seal to wake up, to shift around the threads so that the frayed ones that connected to her consciousness switched with others. Okay so her arm would probably be numb for a while...but at least she'd be awake and hopefully could fix the others. She really didn't feel like spending the rest of this "trip" with a bunch of happy hippies. She'd gotten her fill of them in the seventies.

Messing with another's spirit was always tiring, and as she pulled back from Pala, she fell back against the side of the cart, feeling rather drained. At least she didn't appear to have any other names of much power attached to her.

She felt angelique coming over....she could feel, she cnse what was coming.
She was...afraid. Angelique was a completely different being. A..phoenix was continuously reborn, passing through the cycle almost for eternity. Thus meaning, she had 0probably- been through the spirit realm a few times before.
Pala was unsure how they would react....

She felt angelique's touch, her own power climbing inside and interacting with her own, then eventually, withdrawing. She waited...nothing happened. Watching from inside her own mind, she found herself..worried. Nn inch of a doubt arose, then grew larger and larger, as she felt something within convulsing. And then, it happened - she felt her own ancestral power crack and shimmer, and thne explode - it couldn't handle angelique's influence! It was if somebody had attempted to light a campfire by placing it amdist a volcanic eruption.

Consciousness returned, but she found herself in that familiar state. The spirit world refused to fade away, and she found herself looking upon the group again in that state. She grunted, and the sound of her own drowxy voiced echoed inside her head.

"Oh no..." She mumbled. The balance had been lost within herself. She was going to be stuck like this...

Coden grabbed onto his wrist, rough fingers digging into his skin. Moving to grab his hand and just hold it. He wasn't forced back, wasn't tugged or yanked off his feet. Gale stood there, bet forward at an angle, one foot in front of the other, frozen as if a runner in mid-stride.

He could not bring forth the mask to cover his confusion and hurt, could not force himself away, could not think of anything but that one question.

Why? Why why why?

Gritting his teeth as if to cage back childish sobs, he stood there, saying nothing, waiting for Coden. But the man did not say anything, did nothing. So gale spoke, barely a whisper.

"Why?" He breathed, trying to keep the crippling need from his questions. "why did you-" kick me? hurt me? Not want me? lie to me? Abandon me?

where did his mask go to again? That woman took it. She took it from him and made it so he couldn't stay safe anymore. Safety was alone, it always was. which is why Gale's inaction against the warmth of Coden's hand confused him the most.

Everything in him said to let go. Let the boy forget him and live a happier life loathing him. That now wasn't the time and place. Rather he was just too prideful and hypocritical, with so many people around to witness.
Expression withering, Coden began to loose his grasp on what he was meaning to do. Gale deserved better than Coden's hit and go half truths and empty lies. Pathetic attempts at covering his own ass to keep 'looking good'. While whittling away at what he had left of Gale's companionship and patching the scars with scraps of their humanity. It sickened him, what he'd been doing all this time.

"What?" The question startled him. He'd almost forgotten where he was. Jolting back to reality, he stare into the face of his quarry. The answer was clear to him, but the words hung in his mouth. Why was it so hard to admit? He cared didn't he? Gale deserved as much as the truth.
Lessening his hold, Coden sorted his thoughts. It had to be quick. They had to leave. This wasn't the place for lengthy confessions or explanations. Carefully pulling away from Gale, Coden let go of the boys hand. "It was the only way I could protect you."

Protect him?! From... form what?! The boy still wanted to run, wanted to get away from Coden. But his legs shook, could barely support him, felt as if any shift in weight would collapse him to the ground. So he stayed there, bent away, freedom at his back and wide open. He swallowed hard, free hand emanating the warmth that Coden's own had provided, but feeling strangely hollow all the same.

His breathing hitched. Protect him. "H-how," he whispered through gritted teeth, "was that...? D-don't I have e-enough... s-scars? " He asked, ears flattening against the side of his head. Coden knew about the scars, had seen them on more than one occasion. what was the point in hiding them anymore? "E-enough shame?" wounds gotten from helplessness, from an inability to fight back, from weakness. How was adding more to that protection?!

Clawing at his arms, he removed the armbands, throwing them to the dirt. Mean looking red scars were underneath, revealing the source of Gale's fear for the fire and its ringing hot metal. "H-how..." He continued, fingering the numb areas, gasping down breath, dizziness making his eyes lose focus. "I-is m-more..." protection? Love? Aurion - he remembered the dragon - said that love didn't hurt. This... this wasn't love, then. It was just more helpless pain, more answering that did not alleviate Gale's confusion, but only drown him in it all the more, swooning on his feet.

He understood where Gale was coming from. He knew the next answer, but he bit back his tongue, so eager to defend himself. Giving Gale to opportunity to voice his own opinion. Accusing, but true. He almost couldn't hold his tongue, when all at once he spat his reply.

"What are scars and shame to a dead body?! Do you really think I enjoyed it!? "
His tone was filled with Anger, that Gale could not comprehend on his own; even as a child, why Coden had to do what he had. He couldn't help but let the anger fill his voice. He wasn't really angry at Gale, though. Just angry at himself.
"You KNEW I never would have hurt you. Not of my own good conscience! Why can't you see that?"

Alexis had watched with interest at Angelique’s magics, not seeing this specific kind of magic before. She was about to ask if it was something anyone could learn when the phoenix backed off away from Pala. A few seconds later Pala shot up, her aura greatly skewed. It was similar to how it had been just a few minutes earlier, when she had given Alexis the warning. Realizing somewhat that something was wrong, she watched as the woman panicked. Thinking back to how she had used the one kind of magic right after the other kind almost involuntarily, she thought of something.

“Why don’t you just use the other kind of magic you have again? They counter each other right?” Alexis said, a grin still on her face, acting as if the answer was obvious.

Never hurt... of... his own good.. conscious... those words made Gale dizzy and giddy. But there was something else that again steadied him. Slowly, he bent down and picked up the arm guards,and slipped them back on, hiding the burn scars. There was something else...

He stutter stepped, coming forward slightly. The world seemed to blur and burn together, colors and red twisting and spiraling. "Wh...why.. d-did you... n-not w-want me?" Gale remembered how be bared his neck for Coden in that last instance, not showing physical weakness, but his own emotional attachment. And Coden tore him away.

Grabbing at his arms, he hunched over slightly, staring at Coden's feet. He did not like this conversation. Again, he showed his emotional weakness. And what if Coden did it again? What if he just turned away and left him there?

And did Gale really want to be accepted back into his arms so easily? Could... could he? Could Gale forgive Coden for what he did? Gale would have died... but someone told him he would have died if someone hadn't found him as quickly as they did... was it luck or did Coden plan it that way?

((NEITHER! IT WAS LAW OF PLOT -shot ))

Seething, and breathing heavily, staving off the anger in him yet, coden found a seed of joy blooming in the pit of his stomach. It seemed he'd gotten through to Gale, but just a little. The Boy hadn't turned away from him or acted sorely when Coden yelled. He took this as an omen of good fortune.

The conversation wasn't over though. Gale asked another question. Confusion wrought itself across his face. When had he... Realization dawned him. A slow breath sucked in through clenched teeth. "I..." Didn't mean mean? I lied? That wasn't good enough. "I couldn't...Didn't..." What was it. Why had he said it. It was just another way to protect Gale, wasn't it? That's right.

"I didn't want you coming after me again. I put you through enough the first time. I thought if you believed I didn't love you, It'd keep you at a safe distance." When he said it, the idea sounded moronic. It had worked though, hadn't it? His only flaw was He couldn't keep away from Gale.

Gale thought the whole idea of safety through pain was moronic, circular and destructive. But...

Gale didn't know what to think now. It was abandonment through unrequited love. It was painful. He still hurt, still felt the slightest bit uncomfortable around Coden. He still didn't have all his memories either. It was impression left from the smooth strokes of the knife. Though it was hidden for now

"s-so... that means..." But Gale never finished his sentence. The lightheadedness finally took over and he collapsed onto the ground. The dull thump was immediately followed by a sharp squeal from his stomach. Gale felt sick and hot and that his head was full of cotton and mouth too dry to swallow the dust that was in it. He let out a soft groan and tried to rub his eyes, but his arms felt way too heavy right now.

While curious what Gale was about to say, Coden was more concerned when boy dropped like a wingless fly. And immediately stumbled into action. He was a second too late to catch him though, leaving Coden debating over scooping him up or letting him rest a moment.

Cursing silently he abandoned the debate. He should have seen this coming when He noted Gale swaying on his feet. He was reckless like Alexis. Using up all his energy in one shot and winding up vulnerable later. Deciding he didn't care whether Gale would complain or not, Coden scooped him up from the ground, cradling Gale in his arms.

"Lets get you in the cart. Mr. Farmer said you could have something to eat from his crates...." That was before the soldiers attacked. Speaking of which, they really needed to start moving.
"I think we've out lived our stay long enough. Out escort is surely terrified, and I haven't a doubt there are more soldiers in the vicinity. Is everyone ready to go?"
Returning to 'grumpy bossy Coden, The Gyspus climbed upfront with Gale and situated him inside the Cart. A slight spring in his step.

Despite their conversation, it didn't feel right when Coden picked him up. Gale was still worried and scared. But what of?

Would Coden hurt him again if he felt like Gale needed some protection!?

The boy, who was now sitting inside the cart, shuddered slightly and curled up against some crates. He didn't want more scars. He didn't want to be dead. The cart began to rock and lurch forward. they moved on for a while, Gale reaching into a crate to pull out a vegetable every now and then. Strange how he still felt as if he shouldn't eat everything in there... A moment ago, he would have cleaned this cart out and left.

But after one or two bites, of a strange pear thing, he stopped eating. Gale could still hunt... that is... if he was able to stand up. With unsteady hands, he straightened himself up and leaned against the boxes, colors dancing in front of his eyes before the world became clear again and he saw Pala sleeping on the floor of the cart and Alexis there and Angelique too. He looked only for a moment before looking away and out the back of the cart.

((sorry for not posting yesterday, was very very ill, still a little sick right now but it's not crippling any more, at least))


"I..i can't. I can't summon any of it. It's as if...i've forgotten it all."
She was painfully aware of everyone's emotions. Alexis' cheerfullness was refreshing, and pleasant like a spring breeze, yet the turmoil between gale and coden made her dizzy. She didn't want to stay like this.
"I can't find anything connecting me to the power i once held. It's just....not there anymore."

Angelique groaned, putting her hand to her temple. "Well that's just great. I'm officially returning to my former sentiments: magic should not be used for healing." Especially since Phoenix magic was, essentially, the manipulation of the spirit which could get quite dangerous. Truth be told she was almost proud that the woman was exhibiting so few side effects as she never considered herself any good at magic.

She glanced up at Pala. "So does this mean they're stuck like this?" She jerked her head in the general direction of Coden and Gale, then at Alexis. "And are you sure you can't access your powers? I really didn't do much to you, all I did was use your own spirit to wake you up."

Of course as it had involved switching a few anchor points around, she could've accidentally set the damaged thread to the point where Pala's powers flowed in, meaning that they'd be inaccessible for as long as she would've been unconscious...making the whole ordeal pointless in the first place. Angelique resisted the urge to groan again and start bashing her head against something.

Alexis frowned, even though her face still looked bright and cheery, “That’s not good… Maybe if I just reverse…. Oh wait… Nevermind… Hmmm…” Alexis said, looking slightly thoughtful. Trying to come up with a plan to fix up Pala. If she had access to her spiritual magic now… wouldn’t she just be able to use that to heal herself? Maybe she was just panicking, and the effects would wear off? She didn’t know, and this happy giddy feeling in her gut was very distracting, drawing her thoughts away from the conversation.

As the Birdy lady and Miss-Yells-A-Lot bantered back and forth, Alexis explored the cart, petting the strange livestock and poked at the unusual wares with a bizarre fascination. She stopped petting the pig-sheep when she noticed Gale leaving the cart for some reason she couldn't comprehend. As she hadn't even noticed him coming onto the cart in the first place, her curiosity broke her thoughts away as she leaned over the edge, trying to see where the boy went, or if she could see Coden outside. For some reason, she didn’t have the guilt and sadness clogging her up like before. She knew in some part of her mind that she should be worrying about this, but once the emotional curtain that had been dragging her along for the last few months was lifted, everything seemed to be perfectly happy and blissful. As for now, she just wanted to go out and…. Glancing back towards Pala and Angelique, she felt slightly conflicted. Should she stay and help?

The worrying thoughts were dashed away on a gust of wind and Alexis went off, deciding to explore a little more about the new planet she was on. It had been quite a long time since she had been able to explore without some serious or darker reason. This time it’d be fun!

The reactions of Alexis and Anelique were being processed through Pala's mind, but in the state that she was in much they were starting to become mere fleeting impressions in sand.
The only impulse going through her head was to sit, and watch, She no longer felt the need to reply, merely to follow, and watch.
The lack of whiteness in her own body had left her...empty.
Her family, back home, would say those who commit evil empty their souls, until all is left is blackness. Was...that what she had done? Had she actually emptied herself into the others?
It was hard to come to terms with what had actually happened, alongside Angelique's intervention. Yet, it was an inside battle and was not reflecting on her own distorted appearance. All the outside world saaw was a young woman, wit whitened eyes and a blank face looking at the ground, ignoring those around her.

"It...doesn't matter." She muttered. "We should carry on. I will take care of myself."

It had been a while since he last remembered hunting. The boy raced through the trees, landing a ways away on his hands and feet. Ah, yes. This knowledge of being able to do things, of what his limitations were. And he liked remembering how to actually track more than just fish.

Bending over to the ground, he looked for tracks, for bends in the grass. Slowly hopping around, he found what he wanted. On quick feet, he followed the game trail, carefully paying attention to where he was being led.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, there was a flash of brown. A rabbit skittered past and the boy gave chase. diving under branches and leaping over rocks, the rabbit stayed slightly out of reach. Closer he got... closer...

"GOT YA!" Pouncing, the rabbit was firmly in his hands. And, with a snap, it was dead. Grinning triumphantly, he retraced his steps, keeping an eye out. A rabbit should be enough. The boy even got lucky, finding another rabbit to take back. Two were way better than one!

Soon he reached the trail and his ears twitched, locating the wagon behind him, in all surprise. So he turned and idly made his way back to it, hoping they could cook the rabbits and eat soon.

Angelique started as Alexis took off from the cart, completely ignoring Pala's statement. "Hey! Get back here!" She moved to the end of the cart quickly, attempting to see which direction the other girl had gone.

"Idiot girl!" Pulling the Fire nation heavy armor off, though leaving the under clothes, she stood and jumped over the back of the cart, taking off after Alexis.

Coden had been half tempted to follow after Gale and drag the boy back to the cart. From the corner of his eye, he could see Alexis slipping away in the child's wake, followed by Angelique hot on Alexis' trail. Unaware that she wasn't really following Gale, Coden let his natural worry for the boy slide away from his mind.

He was left anxious, now. Were they ever going to get moving again? As long as they were sitting in one place, Coden removed himself from the cart and began dragging the remains of dead bodies to the side of the road. Tossing them in the brush and generally hiding them from plain sight. Just to get them off the road. As for the blood....
A brief experiment with his new fire bending abilities proved its usefulness in evaporating the reddened mud. At least now if other travelers passed them by on the side of the road, they wouldn't look so suspicious.

After burning up a small fraction of energy playing janitor, Coden observed his handy work, only to find himself staring at Pala. Watching her sit there quietly, he instantly thought of the snip its of conversation he'd over heard between the women.She'd lost her powers, so he'd heard. Something that ought to be grand news, in his case. Considering their...alliance.

Everything about the way she sat there bothered him. He wondered, quietly, what it was like to loose something like what Pala had lost. it must feel like having a huge piece of ones entire being ripped from their hearts.
While he wasn't the sort to be comforting and good heartened in these cases, He found himself drawn to her side. Making himself comfortable against the back hatch of the cart, Coden removed the cylinder straw hat a top his head and rest it in his lap with his hands folded neatly on top. And at a loss of anything to say, simply remained quiet. Hoping the serenity of his composure was enough to display the awkward condolences he meant to offer.