[She lets out a sniff, but that's it, before she takes his hand and pulls herself up. In her other hand, she carefully keeps the dragon bird tucked against her chest.]
The best way to find out where you got lost is to go back along your path until you reach a point you recognize.
[Wan led her deeper into the dark forest, his hand firmly wrapped around hers.]
You might not remember the steps you took to get here, but you can see them. And once you get to a point you recognize, it'll be easier to remember how you got there.
[Holding onto him reassures her as they walk, and suddenly the dark forest doesn't look as scary as it did before. The little dragon bird she's holding lets out a little chirp that cheers her up, too.]
There were these really mean spirits, and then this really big, scary-looking spirit swallowed us!! And then we got washed down the water....and then we got separated and I woke up here.
[The path Wan led her on didn't seem that obvious at first, but every so often there was a little bit of water sparkling brightly just to the side. A faint trail of water and light.]
Talking to spirits is no harder than talking to other humans. They're all people and you just have to be willing to own your mistakes when you make them.
[He gave her hand a squeeze as he nodded at the trail of water and light, which was getting stronger. The small puddles were larger now, grouped closer together and it was much easier to see the path it was taking them on.]
At the other end of this, when we get there, are the spirits that got mad at you for stepping on their friend. You're going to have to apologize again because they'll probably still be mad. It's important you don't get mad back at them because you have a dragonbird friend who needs that light of yours to help them find home once we're out of here.
Then they're still mad at you and you have to accept that.
[Said kindly, but very firmly.]
Apologizing doesn't mean they have to forgive you or stop being mad. They don't even have to accept the apology. Apologizing isn't for your sake. It's for theirs. To let them know that you are sincerely sorry for having hurt them in some way. I know that it hurts to not be forgiven and to have people mad at you, but you can't control the actions or feelings of other people.
There might be. And you'll have to accept that they feel that way.
[He squeezed her hand to get her to look back up at him.]
But it means you don't have to forgive everyone that hurts you, either. Just be sure if you're not going to forgive them, it's over something really important. Not something small or petty. Do you think you can remember that?
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But I don't know where to look.
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[Wan led her deeper into the dark forest, his hand firmly wrapped around hers.]
You might not remember the steps you took to get here, but you can see them. And once you get to a point you recognize, it'll be easier to remember how you got there.
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There were these really mean spirits, and then this really big, scary-looking spirit swallowed us!! And then we got washed down the water....and then we got separated and I woke up here.
[That's totally helpful, right?]
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[The path Wan led her on didn't seem that obvious at first, but every so often there was a little bit of water sparkling brightly just to the side. A faint trail of water and light.]
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[It takes a little longer for Korra to notice the water and light on the trail, but she eventually does, when the number begins to increase.]
What are those?
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[He chuckled lightly, shaking her hand in a gentle manner to get her to look back up at him.]
And that, is the path you took to get here. You can tell, because the water still holds a little bit of your light in it.
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[But she’ll get distracted by Wan’s explanation instead of thinking of those meanie spirits.]
I have…light? [She looks down at herself like she’s expecting to see her body glowing or something.]
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[Wan said with a nod. But he was going to go back to that first point. It was important.]
When you said you were sorry, did you mean it? Or did you just say it because it was expected?
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Ummm both? I was surprised! And then lots of his friends showed up and said they didn't like me.
[She looks up at Wan.]
Is it always this hard to talk to spirits?
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[He gave her hand a squeeze as he nodded at the trail of water and light, which was getting stronger. The small puddles were larger now, grouped closer together and it was much easier to see the path it was taking them on.]
At the other end of this, when we get there, are the spirits that got mad at you for stepping on their friend. You're going to have to apologize again because they'll probably still be mad. It's important you don't get mad back at them because you have a dragonbird friend who needs that light of yours to help them find home once we're out of here.
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Oookay. [A little reluctant, but if Wan says so, then it must be true.] But what if they’re still mad at me after I apologize again?
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[Said kindly, but very firmly.]
Apologizing doesn't mean they have to forgive you or stop being mad. They don't even have to accept the apology. Apologizing isn't for your sake. It's for theirs. To let them know that you are sincerely sorry for having hurt them in some way. I know that it hurts to not be forgiven and to have people mad at you, but you can't control the actions or feelings of other people.
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So there might always be people who don’t like me or keep feeling mad at me?
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[He squeezed her hand to get her to look back up at him.]
But it means you don't have to forgive everyone that hurts you, either. Just be sure if you're not going to forgive them, it's over something really important. Not something small or petty. Do you think you can remember that?
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But how do I know if something is too petty or if it’s something that I can’t forgive someone for?
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