Polar Opposites

8 - Guilt

Hakoda was the first to notice it. It was initially subtle since Elora had said very few words to anyone since the Fire Nation ambush. They had even tried to get Konoye and Petak to help the girl out of her shell but to no avail. It seemed as if she wanted nothing to do with them, the entire Water Tribe crew, anymore which was concerning because they were all stuck on a boat together.

In reality, that wasn't exactly the case. Yes, Elora felt awkward around the men. The flashes of her attacker's final moments on earth would flash in her mind when she looked at the warriors and made her stomach churn. Even days later, she still felt like she was covered in dried blood. She insisted on bathing every day (the majority felt so guilty about the situation that there was no more grumbling about drawing and heating water daily), but she never felt clean afterward. No matter how hard she scrubbed her skin - until it was red and raw - she still felt dirty. When her thoughts weren't consumed by lifeless bodies, it was concerned about how to get home. It was a hard thing to wrap her mind around – that she was in a different world. It throws a girl for a loop. Elora didn't have the mental capacity to have conversations.

Which is why Hakoda was caught off guard one night. Elora was still staying in his office. Tilom was still healing in the healer's room, and they were still short a cot. Plus, she had seemed to make a little nest on his bed and didn't want to leave it – other to bathe, of course. No one wanted to fight her on it, so she rotted there. Their nights spent together, with Elora on Hakoda's bed and Hakoda on a sleeping bag on the floor on the complete opposite side of the room, were filled with silence. That night, three days after the ambush, Elora was talkative. This should have been a happy occasion.

However, she was speaking complete nonsense. Hakoda had no clue what the woman was talking about – something about wanting "Taco Bell." What the hell was a Taco Bell? Her words were slightly slurred, and she giggled between every sentence. Hakoda slowly approached the woman, as if she was a rabid animal, but with a small smile on his face. It was hard to find her incoherent mumbles humorous. He thought that she was perhaps sleep-talking. "Elora? Are you ok?" However, all of the humor left his body when he got close enough to look at her. Her hairline was drenched with sweat, her skin lackluster, and her eyes completely unfocused.

With little thought, Hakoda's hand darted to her forehead. He rested softly on the damp skin, cursing when heat radiated to his hand. It was one heck of a fever. He started to pull his hand away so he could run to get Zokkik, but a surprisingly tight grip prevented him from moving too far. He sighed softly, "Elora, I need to go get Zokkik. I think your brain is melting."

Elora let out a humph of protest and weakly pulled on his arm with a whine, "I'm colddddddddd. Come to bed and warm me up." Hakoda blanched, "Your brain is melting." As silly as it was, her command made him nervous. A non-seriously injured Elora would never speak those words to him. He tried to gently pry her hand off of his wrist but was met with the beginnings of tears and complaints from the feverish woman.

La, why him?

He laid his hand over her and reassured her, "I'll come... get in bed after I get Zokkik. Ok, Elora?" She seemed to mull it over before wordlessly releasing her captive. As soon as he was free, Hakoda shot away towards the healer. He checked the healer's room, but only a sleeping Tilom was in the room. He broke out into a sprint, thinking of what kind of mischief a delirious Elora could get into – non-delirious one already got into enough as is. He sighed in relief as he ran on deck and spotted Zokkik speaking with Yunok. Both of the older men stared at their chief like he had sprouted another head.