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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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[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 ]

[pabugotmoves]

Someone has to be the ratpig. [Bolin nods in agreement.]

Sorry bro- sis.. it's two to one. We're burning my skin.

Why is that so normal to say, this place ugh..

[arclightning]

Okay, just. Drink your tea, give me a second.

[ To stand up and go get the book from where Wu left it, to page through it with the intensity Mako gets when she's on a mission. She's not going to do anything that willfully endangers Bolin or Wu, and she really doesn't want to disappear.

But there isn't much more about the skins in there. That they may be valuable, which is... interesting and also horrifying, that it may speed up the process. Nothing about what the process means. Nothing about what happens to the other shed skins. Is that all she is? ]

[royalfling]

[ Wu tries not to be impatient, but he is impatient, watching Mako read and pace and read and pace and he wants to know what's going to happen. It all feels very urgent, like if they don't figure it out right now they'll never figure it out at all.

To distract himself, he turns to Bolin ]

You don't have to be the ratpig, Bo. We can, we can figure something out. Maybe somebody out there likes what they turned into! We could test on theirs!

[pabugotmoves]

[Well he. He doesn’t love this, that is for sure, but he’s also feeling the pressure of urgency.]

We don’t have the time, do we? And what are the chances we’d even find someone?

[He’s terrified of getting stuck in a body that doesn’t feel right, of course he is. He’s terrified that the book doesn’t guarantee you’ll turn back, too. But what choice do they have? Everyone is different so even if it works for someone else that doesn’t mean it will work for him.]

Why go through all that when I could just.. do the thing.

[Starting to pull up like it’s been decided. Skin there, fire there, it’s not hard. What would Varrick do? He wouldn’t overthink it, he’d just trust the process and it would work out.]

I’m just gonna do it-

[arclightning]

No—!

[ Mako snaps too-sharp, her head darting up. ]

Sit down, Bolin. We're not going to do anything reckless. We're going to burn a little piece of mine first to make sure.

[royalfling]

[ Wu grabs Bolin's arm to hold him back. He trusts Mako here. If Mako wants to try this, he should. She should. ]

Let's do it Mako's way. Okay? I don't want you to get hurt-- either of you to get hurt! But Mako knows what he... she's doing.

[pabugotmoves]

[Bo shoots Mako such a fuckin' look and clenches her jaw before looking at Wu and gesturing towards his- her sister- ARgH PrOnOuNS!!]

Does she?! Because last time I checked Mako is not an expert on magic skin burning, just regular skin burning. Whatever, just do it already!

[arclightning]

[ Mako shoots Wu an obscurely-grateful look and entirely ignores the one from Bolin with the grace of a sister who has been doing this for y e a r s.

Anyway, she has a piece of her own skin to rip apart and that's totally fine and not weird at all. She pulls at the similarly-scarred skin of her... his... left arm, yanks a bit free with a grimace, and goes to hold it over the sink for lack of anywhere normal to burn a piece of her own shed skin to bits. ]

If this makes me disappear, you'd better not do anything stupid.

[ And then, with a tiny little flick of fingers, the thing ignites. ]

[royalfling]

[ Wu flinches when the skin catches fire, covering his face with his hands.

But nothing really happens. Nothing at all. He peeks out from behind his fingers ]

Are you okay? Did anything happen?

[ He glances between Mako and Bolin, hoping for something. Anything ]