send me ‘ open up ‘ for a drabble of my muse talking about one of the most traumatic memories in their life…
LIN ISN’T USUALLY ONE FOR OPENING UP ABOUT MUCH OF ANYTHING, at least not until she’s really grown close to someone. And the more traumatic the experience, naturally, the less she wants to talk about things. Even with Kya, Tenzin, Bumi, and Izumi, it had taken her several long weeks before she’d spoken about the fight between her and her sister that had left her scarred. Though she was loathe to admit it, there was something freeing about doing so, about telling someone and allowing herself that release she rarely did.
“It was---terrible,” Lin said, cringing at the memory of it all. Just speaking about it sent a shiver down her spine, gooseflesh rising on her arms beneath all that metal she used as protection, both literal and metaphorical. Talking about it was almost like reliving it.
“I’ve never felt so...” she paused, almost embarrassed to admit it, “vulnerable.” There were people all over the world who went about their lives perfectly fine without being able to bend the elements but for Lin, it was all she had ever known. Bending wasn’t just what she did, it’s who she was. She was a metalbending police officer, without her bending, what was she?
Deep down of course, she knew she was more than her profession, more than her bending. There were several decorated officers on her force who were non-benders and she knew she was just as formidable and powerful without her bending but she’d never dreamed she’d actually be without them. Whatever her problems were with the Avatar, she would be forever indebted to her for returning her bending to her.
“It was a pain you couldn’t imagine. It was like a part of my very being was being stripped from me.” And in a sense, that’s exactly what it had been but she hadn’t expected it to hurt so badly.
“I’ve never been more scared in my life,” she admitted quietly. “But I’d do it again if I had to,” she said, her voice firm and strong once more. “Avatar Aang did so much to try to rebuild the legacy of the airbenders and Tenzin and his family are the only ones who can continue to rebuild. I would sacrifice myself a hundred times over for them if I had to.”
