"Wan, I am sorry about your human friends"
"Thank you, Raava; but don't bother. I know you are only mimicking what you have seen among other humans." Wan was staring at the ground. Raava noticed that his eyes were glossy.
"Vaatu could have been lying-"
"Stop." He raised his eyes to her. "What are you trying to do?" He turned on her. "You don't have any emotions. You've never felt anything but your own pride." Raava's eyes would have been wide.
"I-I," she didn't know what to say or do, so she decided to leave and give him time.
Wan saw her leave but was too numb to do anything except land on the ground with a soft thud. Mula came up next to him and rubbed her head against his arm.
Raava wandered outside of a Lion Turtle City. She studied the humans carefully but could not find what she was looking for. "I cannot afford to go anywhere else," she mumbled to herself. She was still searching when she saw something. In the city's market where people were bustling around, there was a young man and girl walking side by side. They were not holding hands or showing any kind of affection. They were just talking. Raava few closer to them but remained hidden.
"All he wants is for you to accept him," the girl hissed. "Is that so hard to ask?"
"I don't trust him," the man replied.
"So? You aren't Dad. You can't just tell me who I can like." She placed food from a stand they were at in the basket on her elbow and dropped coins into the vendor's outstretched hand.
"No. Dad is dead." The man stopped her before she could go on shopping. "He told me to look out for you."
"Yeah, look out for me, but you're trying to control me." She yanked her arm from his grip. "You're my brother, so start acting like one."
Raava paid more attention the girl's appearance than the conversation. She was a petite girl but had many flattering curves. Her hair and eyes were dark. Raava looked down at her spirit form and wondered.
Wan sat up from the tough grass and looked around him. "Where did she go?" he asked Mula. "I thought she would have been back by now." He stood and hopped on Mula's back. "Let's go find her."
It was sunset when Wan came across the city. He spoke to the Lion Turtle and was granted access to find Raava. Mula stayed outside. The city was going about its daily business. First, he checked the housing area. Then, he checked a maze of taller houses where she might have gotten lost. He pondered asking the people if they had seen her, but what would he say? "Hi, have you seen a white spirit with blue markings?" No.
He was running a hand through his hair in frustration when he saw the market. He knew that if she was somewhere in this city, that was the last place she could be. A bickering man and girl were in a corner of the market square. Wan stood in another corner and spread out his vision to try and find Raava's light. He could not see anything though, and as the sun fell even more, he began to worry that he had lost the spirit.
The market was closing. The leaving vendors watched him suspiciously but left him alone when they saw his worried face. "Raava?" he called out into the large, empty square. "Raava, tell me you're here!" He started to walk around the space. "I'm sorry I said that to you before. I was just upset. I had no right to say that to you." The only light guiding his way was the fire in his hand, but then he turned around and saw another, a brighter, whiter light. "Raava!" He rushed towards the dimming light. Once he got there he frowned. "Raava?" He bent down and looked closer. Sitting against a wall in an alley-looking space was a petite woman with her legs straight out in front of her. Despite her small body, she had many complimenting curves. Wan's eyebrows furrowed. "Raava, is that you?" The curtain of long, white hair shimmered as she moved.
"Hello, Wan." The voice was younger, less critical sounding; but sure enough, it was her.
"You're human," he breathed. He looked at her arms and legs, the white dress that covered her, the blue markings on her forehead. "I didn't know you could do this."
"I didn't either," she whispered. "I'm glad you saw the light I sent out just now." He still hadn't seen her full face.
"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" His mind hurried. If she had been hurt because she ran away from his yelling, it would have been all his fault.
"No, it's just…" She let her voice fade.
"What?" And then she looked up. There was nothing wrong with her human form. If anything, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He looked into her face and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry." Tears ran down from the lids of her crystal blue eyes to her chin and down her neck.
"No, I wanted to do this, but," she paused. He looked back up at her and gave her a small and sad grin. He untied his scarf from around his neck, just then realizing how cold it was outside; and wrapped it around her neck. He pulled it up like a hood to cover her face. "Wan, I don't know how to change back." Wan's hand lifted from the hood in surprise.
"You don't?" he asked.
"No," she whimpered looking back down. She started to cry again. "And I- I don't know what this feeling is. It- It won't go away. I can't stop this rain coming from my eyes."
"Hey." He used his hand to lift her face back up and smiled at her again. "It's ok. We can figure it out." Raava could not help but cry. It was not just the fact at how she could not change back to her spirit form; it was that she was feeling so many emotions at once. She was afraid, lonely, sad, and… happy. She was happy that Wan had found her, happy that he had come looking for her when she did not return, and happy that he scared away some of the fear and loneliness.
She could not tell him. No, she would not tell him.
"What do you say we get out of here?" He stood up and offered her his hand.
She had to tell him.
When she didn't reach up and take his hand, he squat back down to her level. "What is it?"
"Wan, I," she avoided his eyes, "I don't know how to walk." He did not say anything. All he did was put his back to her and hold his hands out backwards.
"Come on." He looked back at her with soft eyes. She had seen this with an old man and child earlier in the market. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself forward for him to grab her legs. She gasped at the warmth that spread from the places his hands touched. "At least you can use your arms," he joked. She felt a tingle in her stomach and smiled into his hair.
The cold air was all around them as they left the city, Wan thanking the Lion Turtle when he went to collect Mula, who smelled Raava before accepting her. Raava felt none of the cold anymore. She had been shivering wildly when Wan found her, but now she felt nothing, just heat. She could see the frigid wind hit Wan, but his scarf protected her face. His arms protected her legs. She pulled up closer to him, trying to warm his neck with her arms. If this is all I can do, she thought, I'm going to do it. Thank you, Wan.
"Hey, Raava," Wan said. He gestured with his head toward the sky. "Look." She tilted her head up slowly, eyes widening when they saw. The stars were so beautiful.