SHE WASN’T OBLIVIOUS.  Piper could see that there had been changes.  Incredible changes, really.  His size, his strength…  Both had grown vastly, though the latter for him had always been far greater than the AVERAGE person even since before his vanishing.  Why?  She hadn’t had a clue.  Though questioning it had never been on her mind.  Hercules had been - still was - her best friend, and his ( former ) wimpy look along with his abnormal abilities hadn’t meant anything to her in comparison to his k i n d and supportive nature.  When at her lowest, he seemed to have come in, and that was more heroic to her than any great monster defeat.  Yet, such wording had never left her mouth, and one day she had found him up and gone, another hole in her heart.  She had always wondered to herself if she should have just told him sooner.

         Now she would have the chance, but such words couldn’t escape her lips just yet.  Taking in the horror of the reality she was faced with.  He was getting himself involved in the very ordeals that killed her brother which meant he was going to be next.  Her best friend would vanish again soon, and it would be permanent.  No matter how strong he was, no matter that he just tossed a stature like a pillow, Piper just couldn’t contain the fear from rattling her head.  Michael was u n s t o p p a b l e, too.  That was what everyone said, that was what he told her, that was what she had tried to believe.

                                    And look where that had landed him.

         The rumble of the earth shook her legs, though it was hard to tell with how much she already seemed to shiver where she stood.  Though the shock was still nestling into her muscles, leaving her tense and almost sick to the stomach, Piper remained upright, and she even held her arms out weakly as he came running for the embrace.  Despite her concerns, the idea of being in his warm hold seemed appeasing.  A TEMPORARY relief from all the panic in her brain.  She wished there was an off switch for the mind, maybe she wouldn’t feel lost in a cacophony as often as she did…

                         Feet left the ground and her thin frame felt a bit squished in his titanic clutch.  Enough air was swallowed to keep breathing, and she mustered up a response despite how sticky the entirety of her throat felt.  “Ah, well.  Admittedly didn’t… didn’t expect to run into you here…  But I heard…  heard Phil, then.  Then I heard you, so I came- ran to inspect.  And, well.  HERE we are, I just.  You’re… fighting?  Training?”

     “I have SO MUCH to tell you!”

     Phil was yelling in the background. Pegasus had sprung up in the air to avoid the impact of the statue. And Hercules? Hercules only had eyes for his friend, the one he hadn’t seen in what felt like ages. In this moment of bliss, it didn’t instantly register that Piper sounded off. He’d gotten to know her quite well, could tell the difference between her usual shakiness and the times where something external had caused it, but the joy of seeing her after so long had blinded him temporarily. He was bursting with the desire to tell her everything, from the moment of discovery, the encounter with his biological father in the temple, and how he had started training with Phil. He couldn’t wait… but then at last, as he put her back on the ground, and the last of her words had rolled past her lips, the smile he wore on his face wasn’t mirrored on hers.

     -- Something was wrong.

     “I am,” he thus started, tentatively, concern dripping over his features now. He searched her eyes, as if they could tell him exactly what was going on, but they didn’t. And his memory failed him. She had told him about Michael. She had told him of the things that scarred her so. She had told him, he had listened, and then he had gone off in distraction of his own unexpected fate. But it would dawn on him later, when the ADRENALINE faded more and more.

love ♥ starters  || @enchantedorigins

     She wanted to and didn’t want to at the same time, and apparently the struggle was evident on her features. The thought of looking weak, coming off as a crybaby, as someone who liked the dramatic attention, was something she shuddered at at best. But there was an aching within that she couldn’t ignore. She missed her mother — a figure who would sadly never return — and her father — whom she hadn’t seen in ages. She missed the childhood she could have had, but never did. And she was afraid. Afraid of what might happen to Aang, afraid of failing the world, afraid of disappointing others in any way, shape or form. She had grown up too fast, and with recent events, the burden, too much to bear alone, now rose to the surface, strewing moments of PAIN in their wake.