( it's the detective in him. a name. not his name. for all mako knows, he'll cheerfully chirrup fire lord zuko before he disappears again, quiet as a shadow and twice as hard to pin down.
that flip is a marvel of physiological engineering. he's never seen anyone move like that. not even tenzin, who by all rights is the most graceful person he's ever met, or asami, who's a close second. mako wants to. pin him down, and take him apart, and figure him out in all the most infuriating ways.
he's never gotten a read of malice off the guy. nothing mean, nothing sadistic. even the criminals he drops off are just... banged up. but it's never in places that intersect with massive pain-points. the broken bones are never compound. never any significant damage to the trunk, the sort that leads to internal damage that leads to death. mako knows he's decent, which is one of the reasons why he's so damn up the wall about it. because if this guy would just. take five minutes and work with him, he thinks they could accomplish a lot together. )
Look, I practically invented this hustle. 'A name' means you aren't going to give me anything even close to yours. And I already know, your version of 'helping' would just be to throw me off the scent.
( it's foolish. but mako is so tired of this. he just pinches the bridge of his nose. )
I know you're connected. I know you either come from wealth or have a wealthy benefactor. I know you must've had some experience in your past that makes you want to clean up the city. I know you hate violence. You know the city, so you're either from here or you have the resources to learn it, and I do mean all of it, so... full access to city planning somehow. And I don't think you're a firebender.
( he didn't have the right. reaction. to the flames. he's not sure how to really articulate it. it wasn't like his body language changed massively, or that he said anything about it, but there was just... something. mako's instincts are sharp, and he's been relying on his ability to read people since he was a child. he knows when to listen to his gut. )
no subject
that flip is a marvel of physiological engineering. he's never seen anyone move like that. not even tenzin, who by all rights is the most graceful person he's ever met, or asami, who's a close second. mako wants to. pin him down, and take him apart, and figure him out in all the most infuriating ways.
he's never gotten a read of malice off the guy. nothing mean, nothing sadistic. even the criminals he drops off are just... banged up. but it's never in places that intersect with massive pain-points. the broken bones are never compound. never any significant damage to the trunk, the sort that leads to internal damage that leads to death. mako knows he's decent, which is one of the reasons why he's so damn up the wall about it. because if this guy would just. take five minutes and work with him, he thinks they could accomplish a lot together. )
Look, I practically invented this hustle. 'A name' means you aren't going to give me anything even close to yours. And I already know, your version of 'helping' would just be to throw me off the scent.
( it's foolish. but mako is so tired of this. he just pinches the bridge of his nose. )
I know you're connected. I know you either come from wealth or have a wealthy benefactor. I know you must've had some experience in your past that makes you want to clean up the city. I know you hate violence. You know the city, so you're either from here or you have the resources to learn it, and I do mean all of it, so... full access to city planning somehow. And I don't think you're a firebender.
( he didn't have the right. reaction. to the flames. he's not sure how to really articulate it. it wasn't like his body language changed massively, or that he said anything about it, but there was just... something. mako's instincts are sharp, and he's been relying on his ability to read people since he was a child. he knows when to listen to his gut. )