Make A Man Out Of You

Part 3

Make a Man Out of You

Chapter 11: Moonlight

"So that's what it is..." Kalok's voice sounded sinister somehow. "It wasn't my technique that needed perfecting, you had a defense for it all along." He took a step closer and you took a step back. "I thought you would tire of trying to talk to Eska and leave in frustration like the other diplomats. Water and fire are not meant to be friends, we can only be enemies!" In a fast movement his hands grabbed your throat, it was painful and you couldn't breathe. The just as suddenly he let you go.

You fell to your knees gasping for air and watched in astonishment as Kalok punched himself in the face, hard. At the other end of the hall way stood Eska and Desna. They were dressed alike, their masks identical. You were sure you would easily tell them apart if not for the matching masks. You searched for a sign of their respective identities and quickly found that one of them was wearing lipstick.

Eska stepped forward, stopping next to the window in the long hallway. The light of the full moon illuminated her as she declared, "you are here by charged with treason."

A flood of guards appeared from the hallway behind the twins and took Kalok away. The whole time he struggled against the superior numbers and protested with colorful words and a variety of insults for the Fire Nation.

"Are you unharmed?" Desna helped you to your feet.

"Yes..." You were confused and felt compelled to say so. "I don't understand..."

"He was trying to kill you," Eska explained simply. She took your silence as a request for elaboration and continued. "Kalok was trying to use a forbidden technique. It is linked to blood bending, but easier to master. It consist of partially freezing blood. This can cause it to stop flowing or at least cause some damage to the heart and veins as the small partially frozen shards are pushed through. The very existence of such a technique is in question, thus it's not legally forbidden, at least not yet. I noticed that you were able to neutralize the technique, thus I waited to intervene when I had evidence that would stand in court."

You understood was she was saying though it was still shocking. You considered being upset, but you perceived that neither Eska nor Desna thought you were in danger. They somehow imagined you to be a much more capable fire bender than you actually were. "I didn't do anything to neutralize it, my temperature went up on its own." You found yourself smiling inexplicably. It was odd, but you felt relief. You were relieved that the fire bending problem wasn't random, inexplicable or something caused by the weather. There was a reason for your ailment and that reason was being sent to prison. Then you felt disappointed at how easily you fell for it.

Searching for a less depressing thought to cling to, you curiously asked. "Why did he punch himself?" The twins remained silent and only looked at the window, the moon was full. "Blood bending," you realized.

"My sister is free to be as strong as she pleases now, but do not worry," Desna vaguely explained. You could only conclude that he was referring to Unalaq. Eska must have been holding back, hiding her true talent so her father couldn't use that kind of power.

"I understand," you breathed. "It was an emergency, I won't tell anyone. Desna, out of curiosity, have you...?"

"I have never tried to blood bend," Desna admitted. You were curious about what circumstance caused Eska to learn, but you didn't want to be nosy about a sensitive subject. Their gesture towards the full moon told you that Eska could only blood bend when that condition was met.

"I see..." You shifted uncomfortable. "I'll keep my promise and won't tell. There's no need to complicate things, but just so you know, I'm not really a skilled bender. I can't explain why that defense activated, but it wasn't willing." You thought that it might be better for your health if they didn't overestimate you.