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[pabugotmoves]

Huh? Oh-- You've reached Bolin!
Yeah, I'm a pretty busy guy but leave me a message and I'll beep you back

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[royalfling]

[ It takes Wu a minute to realize what she's asking, then he claps his hands together and nods, half-running over to Mako's little office to grab the book ]

Yes! We have it! Let me see-- [ He flips through it, like he was the one reading it which he definitely wasn't ] Shedding, shedding, oh, here!

One day, you simply fall asleep and when you awaken, you are an entirely different version of yourself. You will find a nearly perfect replica of your old self in a shed skin nearby. Ugh, we know. Or you might be an entirely new gender. Obviously!

These effects have been known to last for a few days up to months at a time. In some scenarios, the effects have become permanent.

[ Wu's reading voice slows then and he looks up at the pair of them with an expression of horror. He certainly doesn't want Mako's change to be permanent. He doesn't know what he would do if that were true ]

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin just. Crumples to his knees with a thwump, flapping his arms out helplessly. Of course he immediately also goes to worst case scenario. Here come the water works.

Ready?

Sob-]

I DON'T WANT TO BE A GIRL FOREEEVER!

[arclightning]

[ Oh spirits she's crying okay, okay, Mako can handle this, she has done this before. Zuko leaps off Mako's shoulders and scampers immediately over to Bolin, pressing her little feet onto Bolin's knees. Mako, meanwhile, sighs and rounds the couch. ]

Bolin! Bo! We're gonna fix this! Come on, you're fine, we haven't even gotten to the part about fixing it yet. Wu, is there more? Should've read the whole thing...

[ Mako's lack of education strikes again. A weird kind of guilt is curling in her belly. The book was just so dense. ]

[royalfling]

Yes, yeah! More, here-- [ It's hard to concentrate with Bolin crying but he does his best because maybe it'll help. He scans the rest of the page only to gag at what he does find.

He reads it slowly, looking up at the pair of them with a grimace ]

It is believed that ingesting your old skin or burning it alleviates the changes and brings you back to your original body faster.

[pabugotmoves]

I DONT WANNA EAT MY SKIIINNN!!

[arclightning]

You're not going to eat your skin!

[ Mako snaps, crouching down by her... brother. ]

Obviously we're doing the burning one! Calm down!

[royalfling]

[ Wu shuts the book, even though he catches that lotion can help stave it off so he sure is going to put a lot of lotion on as soon as he can. He steps back over to the two of them, biting his lip ]

Yours is still... in our bed, isn't it?

[ Gross, gross, gross, that is so gross ]

Please burn them. And the sheets, too.

[arclightning]

I'm not burning the sheets.

[ What a waste, those are nice sheets, Wu! Mako pushes herself back to her feet, frowning lightly. ]

But we're definitely burning both skins. Wu, you're sure you don't have one?

[pabugotmoves]

[A blub blub blub crocodile tears all over Pabu and Zuko. He’ll get it out of his system in a second, this is exhausting]

[royalfling]

[ Rude, Mako. Wu shoots her a glare as he sinks down next to Bolin and offers him one of Wu's magic calming hugs. Come here, buddy, he can make it at least feel less bad ]

You can look. Sorry to disappoint you, but I've always been like this.

[arclightning]

As far as you know.

[ Mako mutters, though the evidence is pretty clear that it is in fact her and Bolin who have changed, and Bolin not even all the way. It's uncomfortable to think that she's in some other version of home (when she isn't even yet committed to it being home) with someone who is and is not her girlfriend and is and is not her sister. Mako's discomfort is a palpable thing as she heads over to the book to read over the passage again. ]

Wu, there's tea for Bolin on the stove. I'm gonna see if there's any special way we have to do this.

[pabugotmoves]

[Wu’s Special Magic Calming Hugs (tm) are the best thing and greatly appreciated as he sniffles and tries to calm down, drying his tears on an oversized sleeve that drapes over his hand like an imperial court lady. ]

Sorry, I’m sorry, this is just so much.

[royalfling]

Hey, hey, hey, don't worry about it, buddy. I got you.

[ He keeps Bolin bundled close because Mako, no matter her gender, isn't really the hugging sort. Wu is pretty sure of that, at least.

When Bolin has stopped crying, Wu gets up to pour her some tea, pretending to ignore Mako collecting her weird skin corpse upstairs. He doesn't want to think about it, no, nope, not at all. ]

Maybe once they're burned, you'll be back to normal!

[pabugotmoves]

I hope so..

[A deep breath. Then another. Whooooosah okay.. okay okaay... This is. This fine. It's something. They're gonna be okay.

Give him another sec and he'll move to the couch, receiving the tea with a soft thank you and holding it like an anchor.]

I wonder how many people woke up different this morning.

[arclightning]

I'm guessing at least a third of the city, if we're any indication.

[ Sure, they're only 2/5 of Team Avatar, but still. Mako comes back down the stairs with her own... skin... sort of awkwardly bundled in her arms. She's held worse. She's slept in trash, this shouldn't be as gross and weird as it is but there's HAIR and it's skin and it is actually entirely gross. She may not be burning those sheets but they are sure as shit going to wash them.

The whole thing gets dumped on top of Bolin's little chest-thing, and then Mako immediately turns to wash her hands. ]

Okay. Before we do this, we need to make sure there's not a catch. You okay, Bo?

[royalfling]

What catch? Why would there be a catch? Did the book say there was a catch?

[ Wu waves his arms broadly because he certainly wants his Mako back, but-- well. Maybe this Mako will disappear. Maybe she doesn't want to disappear, and that's a valid fear. He bites his lip ]

You think, you think you'll go back? To your version of Trench?

[pabugotmoves]

[Bo is listening but doesn't feel the need to interject. He, too, does not like the idea of a catch.

Still, he nods when asked, because what else can he do. No, he is not okay at all but he needs to be and so he will be. If not for any other reason than Mako needs him to. Mako who is not his Mako but is definitely Mako. Mako who Bolin swore was their mother on first glance. She looks so much like her.. sounds how he imagines she would have. It's kind of hard not to stare.]

[arclightning]

I don't know.

[ It's soft, an admission Mako doesn't like. She dries her hands off and comes to sit heavy on the couch in front of Bolin, one arm curling absently around her own ribs. ]

But do either of you trust that it's that easy? Really?

[royalfling]

It's never that easy.

[ Wu still has an arm around Bolin, and he's going to stay there until he's not needed anymore, but his eyes track Mako, chewing on his lip. ]

But it said it might speed it up, so it can't hurt... right?

[ Hopefully. Hopefully the book isn't lying ]

[pabugotmoves]

Unless destroying our skins means we can’t ever get them back..

[Sorry to be the party pooper. Then again it could be the opposite. The sooner the skins are gone the sooner they can grow their own bodies back and put things right. ]

[arclightning]

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I don't want to mess this up. I...

[ It's Wu's paleblood, probably, sending something into the air. Mako's mouth twists. ]

I don't want to disappear.

[royalfling]

Okay. Okay! There are risks to doing it. But what about the risks to not doing it? Not that I'm not happy you're here! [ Said to Mako ] But don't you want to be back with your Wu? Your girlfriend? And Bolin, you don't want to be stuck like this forever, right?

We can always, ah, test it?

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin nods, brows drawn with concern. For himself, yeah, but mostly for his brother-come-sister. Saying something so candid like that.. the vulnerability..]

We'll do mine first.

I'm where I'm supposed to be, so it's safest. And then we see what happens and if it's fine then we can get Mako back to her world.

[Then quickly back to Mako-] Not that we don't like you but like Wu said, you have a girlfriend and a sister who are probably worried sick about where you are.

[arclightning]

I'm not using you as a lab ratpig, Bo.

[ That is a thought, though. Mako reaches out with one foot, brushes it against Bolin's knee for something like support. ]

You think that could be it, though? Your Mako switched with me?

[royalfling]

I... maybe? It seems weird that you, you would remember a whole different past and not be completely different. You know?

Someone has to be the ratpig! [ And he can't be! He doesn't have an icky gross skin to offer ]