braavado | IC CONTACT (FOR HAVEN)

Where are you? I'll be right over.

[There's some silence, and then--]

Wait. You broke them during the cave-ins?

[Does that mean he didn't say anything when they met up before??]

[He's about to protest that he can come find her but. Something in that tone makes him hesitate.]

I'm in 18.1. And yeah. [-- And because he can guess what she's implying...] Wasn't important then. It's all right.

[She exhales, pressing her thumb against her forehead as she keeps from saying anything. She can save the lecturing for when she's there in person.]

I'll be there. Just give me a few minutes.

[Their apartments are close enough that she doesn't take too long to get there. Korra pushes the door open.]

Steve?

Yeah, in here.

[He's sitting in one of the room's rickety chairs, doing a repair to one of his shield's straps, but he sets it aside as she enters.]

So how does this work?

[She drags another chair over to sit beside him, tugging on her water skin.]

Healing's a part of waterbending. I'm just going to use the water to direct the energy in your body, speed up the process.

Where are you hurt? [And now her bottom lip sticks out a little.] You could've said something earlier. You've been walking around with broken bones for days now.

[should he... take his shirt off is that a thing that should happen he has no idea. He gestures to his ribs, though, along his right side. As far as he's been able to tell, he's got a segment cracked loose across three ribs. Not the worst pain he's ever been in, but he hates having his breathing impeded.]

The ribs happened after, few hours before the explosion. The arm's mostly healed now, and wasn't a big priority then. I had decent range of motion and full circulation.

[Korra mutters something under her breath. Steve might catch a few words like "not a big priority my butt" if he listens hard enough.]

I'll check the ribs first and then look at your arm. [She doesn't trust your injury descriptions anymore, Steve.

Korra pulls the water out of the container and presses the bubble over the area he'd gestured at. The water glows faintly as it soaks into his shirt and makes contact with his skin.]

Should this come off?

[He picks at the shoulder of the shirt, a plain tanktop.]

And I've got it bandaged, too. If that'll interfere.

It should be fine. The water can soak through all of those.

[As it's doing now. Korra closes her eyes and concentrates on what the scan is telling her, and when she opens them, she's scowling a little.]

You've fractured your ribs in a few places. And you've been walking around like this. [She gives him a look that basically says "are you kidding me?" ]

[And climbing. And running. And-- yeah. He exhales faintly and glances away.]

It's really not that bad. I'd have contacted you sooner if it was.

[He really does mean that!!]

But--broken ribs, they're some of the most painful injuries you can get.

[She's had a couple herself, when she was younger and training in the compound.]

[Korra pls stop worrying about him. He shifts, obviously uncomfortable.]

I've-- got a higher pain tolerance than most people. Captain's honour.

[Never stops worrying!!]

Are you...like the supers? [She looks thoughtful, though...she doesn't think that's quite it. Since he actually broke his rib and all, while Kal and them have a harder time of getting injured that badly.]

[With a wry gesture to the ribs,]

Not quite as durable. But about five years ago I went through a series of scientific enhancements. I was, ah-- the world's first 'super soldier'. Sort of.

[His expression twists a bit on that little tag-line.]

[There's a shift in her expression, and her free hand comes to a rest on his arm. Maybe this wouldn't have affected her as much before, but being in Haven, the thought of anything done to the body automatically makes her shift into concern.]

Experiments?

[He shakes his head, a little mad at himself for letting her think the worst.]

Willingly. I was a volunteer.

[She seems to relax a little. Though she's still leery of any kind of experiments, he at least knew what he was getting into.

It also makes her remember something that she saw while Steve was having trouble with his new powers before. She's certain the memory she glimpsed then had been him, though Steve looked so different then.]

Was it...something to do with how you were before? Was that why you volunteered?

[His jaw ticks off to one side.]

Sort of.

[He glances down at the faint glow of the water, and then towards the door.]

I was sick a lot growing up. [Understatement of the century.] So when my country went to war, there were-- restrictions, health-wise, related to a lot of what was wrong with me. Tried a few times to enlist, but it didn't matter.

[He lifts his left shoulder in a half-shrug.]

Met a man who was willing to give me a shot. He did more for me than I can ever explain. I'll always be grateful for that.

I think I saw...something. When you were having trouble with the mind-reading? I saw you in my mind, but you looked...different.

[Almost unrecognizable. Korra shifts her gaze to the side, realizing what all of this means.]

You wanted to fight and protect people. [This much she can guess from what she knows of him.] You volunteered for the experiments so you could enlist.

[He smiles, crooked.]

Well, I was a foot shorter and about a hundred and fifty pounds lighter back then.

[When he thinks of himself now, that's still the person he sees. He's only Captain America in the history books, and to the people that don't know him very well.]

And yeah, that's-- about the size of it. The thought that there were people that were off fighting and dying for my freedom, while I did nothing-- that... it didn't sit right with me.

You're brave. Not a lot of people would think like that, or put themselves through experiments so they could help other people.

[She wonders, if she were like that--weak physically from some sort of illness--would she keep on fighting and trying to protect people like Steve did? She'd like to think so.]

So those experiments made you...stronger?

[It never does sit well with him, being praised for what he thinks should be a normal reaction. A lot of men volunteered for Project Rebirth, Steve-- was just the one that got picked.]

That's one way of putting it, yeah. Stronger, tougher. I can about keep up with a car if I've got a good pair of shoes.

[A bit of a joke, that.]

Sometimes it's enough to make a difference. Sometimes it isn't.

[It is a sad state, and Korra would realize that if she actually thought about it.]

What do you mean? If you were a "super soldier" or whatever you called it, that means you got to fight, didn't you?

[He nods, firm.]

I did. But fighting's not always enough. You can't plan for every contingency.

Yeah... [Korra's smile is wry as she looks down.]

I sort of learned that the hard way.

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