[ Hei isn't one to mollycoddle. He rarely has the patience. ]
[ You'll do better than him, he could reassure Korra, as a reflex lie, except he'd have to struggle to keep a straight face in the maw of absurdity. Reassurance is such a sad, pathetic thing. Deep inside, everyone knows the truth. Except dismissing Korra as a pale imitation of Aang isn't fair either. Aang may have been a wunderkind. But it's apparent he grew up in different circumstances. In a war, the adversity and volatility can bring out the worst in you -- or the best. Korra, shuttered away for years, hasn't been similarly tested. But that doesn't mean she isn't made of powerful stuff. Despite her occasional nightmarish moments of stupidity, Hei's never lost his sense of Korra's uniqueness and strength. A strange bundle of confluences, she's innocent and clever, making mountains of joy out of a molten sludge of grief, rainforests of hope out of water and dirt, fresh liquid dreams out of salt tears. ]
[ She is alchemy achieved by instinct, the instinct of a miracle which is not aware of itself, but which has nonetheless found a use even for spent breaths of futility. ]
That doesn't make you a failure. [ Flat, but factual. He hasn't felt the sense of inadequacy in a long time. But that doesn't mean he's forgotten what it's like. ] Things were different when Aang was alive. So comparing yourself to him will just make you miserable. He was Aang. You're Korra. So just ... [ A beat, his tone making it hard to tell whether this is meant to be lighthearted or a wry admission of the truth. The most likely story; both. ] Just be Korra. I've seen her do enough incredible things, all on her own.
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[ You'll do better than him, he could reassure Korra, as a reflex lie, except he'd have to struggle to keep a straight face in the maw of absurdity. Reassurance is such a sad, pathetic thing. Deep inside, everyone knows the truth. Except dismissing Korra as a pale imitation of Aang isn't fair either. Aang may have been a wunderkind. But it's apparent he grew up in different circumstances. In a war, the adversity and volatility can bring out the worst in you -- or the best. Korra, shuttered away for years, hasn't been similarly tested. But that doesn't mean she isn't made of powerful stuff. Despite her occasional nightmarish moments of stupidity, Hei's never lost his sense of Korra's uniqueness and strength. A strange bundle of confluences, she's innocent and clever, making mountains of joy out of a molten sludge of grief, rainforests of hope out of water and dirt, fresh liquid dreams out of salt tears. ]
[ She is alchemy achieved by instinct, the instinct of a miracle which is not aware of itself, but which has nonetheless found a use even for spent breaths of futility. ]
That doesn't make you a failure. [ Flat, but factual. He hasn't felt the sense of inadequacy in a long time. But that doesn't mean he's forgotten what it's like. ] Things were different when Aang was alive. So comparing yourself to him will just make you miserable. He was Aang. You're Korra. So just ... [ A beat, his tone making it hard to tell whether this is meant to be lighthearted or a wry admission of the truth. The most likely story; both. ] Just be Korra. I've seen her do enough incredible things, all on her own.