The pool, Sunday morning

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

It had been a week or so since Dinah had practiced TK-water-bending, and not practicing with Azula any more meant she was going to have to figure this stuff out on her own, now. So Dinah was pool-side, feet dangling in the water, carefully making water-shapes: whips, funnels, and then the waterfall sheaf. A swimming workout would happen after she got the hang of that last one perfectly.

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[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

Jak... was still hurting in at least five seperate places. He was bored, though - not an unusual state - and so swimming quickly became the only option.

For, like, the whole trip down to the pool. Once he entered the pool, he just stopped.

And watched.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

The waterfall was always complicated; lift the water, hold it like a bubble, then make a flat telekinetic surface underneath it. Then slowly erode the surface under the water backward. Reading about Niagara Falls had helped Dinah visualize that one. Now she had the hang of it, like a little rolling tread underneath the water, but concentration had to be total, or it all fell apart.

The water spilled free down fifteen feet in a perfect cascade, and she had to concentrate even harder, so her glee at getting it right didn't mess it up.

Whoooooooooooosh.... And froth and bubble and churn as the spillover hit the pool.

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

...This was probably the point where Jak had to say something, right?

"Hey."

Look, that was something.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah turned her head, and seeing Jak, concentration went splat. As did the waterfall, in one huge splash, soaking Dinah's front and making her gasp as the cold water hit her face. Good thing. Helped cover up the blush of embarrassment.

"...hey, Jak." She wiped at her face and gave him a sheepish smile. Her throat worked for a second, and then she said semi-coherently, "Practicing. It's getting easier. You know?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"It looks good," Jak offered, resisting the urge to rub the back of his head or anything nervous like that. Instead, he shrugged a little bit.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." Dinah couldn't help remembering the last time she'd done that with Jak here, and hoped the blush wasn't getting worse. Self-conscious, she wiped the rest of the water off her face, and blew out a breath. "Here for a workout? I can hold off on practicing, if it'd be in your way." See, they could talk like normal people. This was all good.

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"No, I just figured I'd go for a swim," he said. He had a couple of bad blue splotches on him, but they were still hidden under his shirt, like good bruises should. "Don't stop training on my account."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Okay. Thanks." Although how well she'd concentrate with him there was open to debate. To get her focus back on something a little easier, she started to form a water whip, pulling up a ribbon of water from the surface. It also gave her an excuse not to look at him when she said, "So. Uh. Azula said you had a talk. With her." She cleared her throat as the shimmering thread started to thicken. "About me."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

Jak shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Maybe I had something to say."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"When I said you didn't have to? I meant, 'please don't.'" Dinah grimaced, frowning hard at the water to keep from frowning at Jak, emotions churning like the water. "I mean. Thank you for being concerned." Dinah stole a look at him, expression still a little confused on that score. He barely acted like she was there, most of the time, and then he threatened Azula about her. "And she didn't seem pissed off. But she's..." Her arm waved, and the whip responded, twisting like a snake. "Dangerous."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"Some people would say the same about me," Jak pointed out, shrugging a little. (Maybe a little gingerly, but. Bruises) "I can handle Azula."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. I know." But he didn't have to. And then he did. Which was just... yeah. Dinah cracked the water whip upward, sending it snapping down hard, then asked, "So. You been back to the city lately?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"I just came back yesterday," Jak said, making sure to watch the water, not Dinah herself.

He almost mostly succeeded, too. "Jono tagged along."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"He did?" Dinah brightened, because, hey. Back-up. Or maybe a vacation? "How'd that go? Did you guys get to do anything fun, or was it all business?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"We were going to hit up the Hip Hog," Jak said. His tone was a little less combative, and a little more... questioning? "You know. The bar."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"With Tess the bartender. Who keeps teasing Dax." Dinah grinned, and felt glad she could do that around him again. Had a reason to. "So, so, so wrong."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"Hey, if it keeps him talking to somebody else, I'm not complaining," Jak said, with a verbal shrug that was...

... pretty familiar, for a girl he'd been avoiding.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah snickered, and kicked her legs in the water, amused. "So things are going well." She tried to smush down the hope in her voice there, that things were getting better for him, thought she mostly succeeded. "That's good. I wonder. Sometimes." A lot of the time. Just not as painfully as at first.

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"Depends on what you call 'well'," Jak replied, poking at a spot on the knees of his trousers. "The Baron's still ruling the city, the Metal Heads are still poking around the walls, and Krew still stinks worse than the sewers."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Someone really needs to hose him down. Bet Dax would do it if you said that around him." Dinah looked over at Jak, finally, as a funnel of water rose from the pool. Addressing the rest of it, she took a breath and said, "So, you're still getting jobs. And getting through them okay."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

Jak shrugged again. "Is that such a surprise?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

After a month, not as much. "More like a relief. But yeah, maybe a little. Especially when I know the risks you take." Dinah shook her head, concentrating on the funnel again, watching it slowly rise, and said, "So. Jono got to see the city? What'd he think of it?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"I... think he was glad to see the Hip Hog," Jak said. Oh, look, now he was scratching the back of his head. "We kind of ran into some KG on the way."

Some KG, Jak?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"KG?" And Dinah remembered that gesture well enough for her eyes to be widening already. "Which means... and some? How many, some?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"...A couple of dropships full? I wasn't really counting."

Oh, that was reassuring.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Asldkfjfkj," said Dinah's brain, and her mouth said something with a couple more vowels but wasn't any more coherent. She dropped her forehead to her knees and tried to stifle the heart attack that was happening. One arm flailed out toward Jak, and the funnels of water had long since collapsed into waves on the water.

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"Whoa!" So much for leaning against the wall and having this conversation, you know, at a friendly distance. Jak walked down to the side of the pool quickly. "...Dinah? You okay?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Uh. Hunh?" Dinah took a breath, still hugging her knees, gulped, then re-evaluated. "Mostly. I just... two dropships?" She finally lifted her head and turned to look directly at him. "Did you run away? Please say you ran away!"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"Three, I think." Oh now SERIOUSLY, Jak. "We were stuck on one end of the water slums. Nowhere else to run to."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I asked," Dinah reminded herself, scrubbing her face. "I did. I just... it freaks me out Jak, to think of you and Jono, or just you and Dax, against armies. Especially when you're not scared at all."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"What's the point in being scared?" Jak asked, squatting down by the side of the pool. "I'm probably dead anyway. I'm just not planning to let them get away with it without causing some damage."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

That explained a lot, but reassuring it wasn't.

"You're not dead, don't-- I don't want you to die, Jak!" Dinah wanted to punch him, and her hand rose in a fist before she remembered that he'd been hurt too much, and he didn't want her touching him, so she slammed it down on the concrete instead. Her voice was rising too. "How can you be okay with them killing you? How can you not want to survive that place?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"I just want to take down Praxis for what he did to me," Jak said, pulling up onto his feet after he saw her reaction. "Like I said. I'm going to do some damage."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Please--" Dinah took a breath, and got to her feet. "I'm sorry. Look. I won't yell." She hugged herself, chilled. "I know I can't get it. Not really. I'm just scared for you," she said, her voice dropping. She tried to laugh a little, sounding strangled. "What, you can threaten Azula for me, and I can't want you to be okay? Not allowed to worry?"

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"It sounds like you're telling me not to go back at all," Jak said, something angry shuttering over his eyes.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I know that's pointless." Dinah was calmer, but still shivering. The sheer futility of the situation hit her again, and she bit her lip, hard, to keep the tears back. Breathe. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm not. I swear." She swallowed. "I just... want you to be there, Monday mornings. When I check."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"I'm not getting any missions today," Jak said, shrugging. "Probably." Way to misinterpret.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

That almost surprised a giggle out of Dinah. Awkwardly, feeling her face heat up, she said, "But you might get one tomorrow. Or later. And it's not like I'd know. If you were okay. Until I dreamed you weren't." She swallowed again. "I'd want to know."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

"I'm around when I'm not there," Jak pointed out, watching her from his new standing location. "I'm not going to be able to call you every time I go out."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Why not? Dinah wanted to ask, but instead she said, "I know." She rubbed her arms, trying to get warm. "And I'm not your mom or anything else." She gave him a resigned half-smile. "But I didn't want to crowd you. So. Checking in class. Listening to the Radio. Glad when you're there. That's all."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

Jak shrugged again. "Or you can knock on my door," he volunteered, finally. "Happy?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Dinah said, letting out a small breath of relief. "You can do the same, you know. If you're looking for video games. Or just to hang out."

[unborn-renegade.livejournal.com]

There was a long, long beat.

Then, finally: "Thanks."

He took another step back to allow her some space.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome." Dinah slowly sat back down, and dipped her legs in the water again, closing her eyes. "I'm just gonna... work on the spirals here." She swallowed. Talking to Jak was kind of exhausting, sometimes. It felt like they'd reached detente, but she still wasn't perfectly okay. "So, you know. Feel free to work out."