eachdraidh | video; afternoon of the 5th

Entry tags:

video; afternoon of the 5th

[ the feed starts with an angry chitter of fairies, the locket dropping down to its usual-not-usual spot for practice, strung through one of mako’s belt loops, hanging at his side like a set of keys. mako doesn't trust most of the world not to walk off with his possessions most of the time, and the convenience of the lockets is not lost on him. so y'all are lucky most of his height’s in his legs, or this whole video would be a whole lot of footage of knees. ]

—aybe if you didn't get in the way that wouldn't be a problem. We’re doing this out here for a reason.

[ mako be nice to the fairies. they'll spit in your food.

THE CAMERA PANS, swaying haphazardly as mako turns, showing off a great view of a meadow edged in a thin line of trees, some ways north of caer glaem near the station, a gigantic, six legged bison resting underneath a tree a short ways away. more panning, and then! hey there, everybody, it’s korra, standing a few dozen feet away on the rise of a hill in the meadow, so she’s little more than doll-sized on screen. and yet, her voice still carries... ]

Come on, Mako! We're gonna lose the sunlight if we don't hurry up.

[ korra you need to learn to be more patient. ]

I'm coming, I'm coming.

[ you can almost hear the eye rolling in his voice — and you can definitely hear the sigh, as the locket bounces while he jogs up the rest of the hill to korra's side. it’s a beautiful summer day, not a cloud in sight, and the wind ripples through the high grasses. ]

Has anyone tried to teach you lightningbending before?

[ he'd like to know how much theory he's gonna need to explain... since... he doesn’t really know the theory that well himself. ]

No. The firebenders that taught me said that it was the purest expression of firebending and... not everyone could do it. Even if I mastered the element, I'd probably never get a handle on it.

[ a shrug, like she's not that bothered by it. because… she’s not. at the time she was too jazzed to learn how to airbend to let it get to her, so! that’s good.

mako hums thoughtfully for a moment, then starts speaking, his tone somewhere between serious and bemused. ]

That’s a load of komodo rhino shit — Zolt sure wasn't a master firebender when I learned... but I guess they're kinda right about the pure part. You can't be wrapped up in why you're doing it, like you can with fire. Lightning just... is, you know? You have to just focus on the bending, and only the bending.

[ another little pause, and the sound of mako scuffing one toe against the ground, trying to find the right words, the locket swaying gently in time with his movement. ]

The way I think of it when I do it is... Imagine your chi is a spring, okay? And you grab each end and pull it apart, but it doesn’t wanna stay that way, so when you let go, it smacks back together. That's what makes the lightning. So...

[ his pointed fingers pass in front of the locket, trailing white blue sparks, painfully bright as he traces arcs through the air, maintaining a careful balance in his rhythm, each hand countering the movement of the other. at the last second, his left hand whips out to the side, and the sound of the lightning roars as he lets it rip into the sky.

lightningbending is awesome. ]

Pull it apart on the circles, and keep it even, then let it slam back together as you aim. Try it.

[ lightningbending is indeed awesome, and korra follows mako's movements without letting her energy flow, wanting to make sure she's got the actions and forms down before releasing herself to the turn of the world. taking in a slow, deep breath that fills her lungs, korra puts a large few steps in between herself and mako and pulls at her energy and—

KORRASPLODE!

a bright flash of fire and the sound of combustion cut through the air, and when the smoke clears korra's laying on the ground a dozen yards away, a long drag trail at her feet, indicating she'd slid across the dirt. on her shoulders. spirits, she's going to feel that in the morning.

the feed ends as mako (apparently unsurprised) hurries over to her side. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ things would be easier if korra could find a spiritual center and tune into the people around her as well as the world. there are parts of her still dense to the needs and feelings of the close few that she calls her family and though alice is still a new acquaintance, korra would do all she could to protect the other girl.

hearing those words she immediately thinks of mako, hearing about how his parents were murdered by a firebender right in front of him. perhaps something similar happened to alice in her past—it's the only reason korra can think of for someone to dislike fire. it's one of her favorite elements to use: it's destructive, sure, but it's also precise and easily manipulated and pulled from her core, energetic and befitting her personality. fire is more than just tragedy; fire is life, the heartbeat that powers the world. ]

...Sorry.

[ for frightening her. for making it worse. for whatever happened in her past to make her skittish around fire. ]

[ "Remember other things!"

Remembering other things are not as easy as Bumby implied. Bumby. If she could punch a wall right now, she would. She surprises herself for doing so well to keep her composure. Might give her nightmares later on, but still. If she bounces back from recoiling in fear, then Alice doesn't have to explain to Korra what happened. ]

It's fine.

[ Apologizing is a good start! ]

[ korra still feels... pretty bad about this, even though she's not quite sure how alice found out about her lightningbending practice. (technology, how does it work??) ]

If it helps you feel any better, I can bend more than just fire.

It does, yes, but it is as I said. No harm done. Especially if there is no harm done to you.

[ no alice please let her show off. :( ]

You're pretty swell, you know that? Not many people would care that much.

[ Alice is really, really tempted to mention that she knows how burns feel and that some of them don't really heal, but. No. That'll go down in an avenue Alice cares not to go down. ]

Most people happen to be so content with themselves they would not care for another.

Well, it's good you're not one of them...

[ hrffff did she apologize for frightening alice? she should probably do that. she apologized for rubbing it in, but.. not the initial shock. ]

Sorry for scaring you. We didn't mean for this to get recorded.

I know. And I also know that it wasn't your intention. I am more concerned for your safety at any rate and I am glad to see you unharmed. Burns take a very long time to heal.

[ there's a momentary and thoughtful silence on korra's end, and her eyes shift down, checking out one of her feet. she remembers when she first started firebending, how easily the element came to her and thus, how easy it was to lose control. she tried doing an over the head kick and ended up seriously scorching a patch of skin on the heel of her foot. ]

... Yeah, especially if you don't have a healer around.

[ That is something she doesn't want to remember, being seven years old and whisked away to the infirmary for a year. Her burns were bad, but they were mostly painful. She manages not shudder. ]

Well, that's a good thing that it didn't happen. No harm done?

[ she shakes her head ]

No harm done.

[ pause... ]

Hey, where are you located?

I am at the station now; I traveled here with Mr. Fëanáro and a few others.

[ !!! ]

We're on our way there, too. Maybe if we find each other, I can show you how I waterbend.

[ beat ]

And take you for a ride on Appa.

Ah, you are?

[ GIANT, FLUFFY ANIMALS. YAY. And sure, why not, Alice will bring her boon companion with her, the little white rabbit. ]

That sounds wonderful! You will like it here! There are many strange things, indeed, but wonderful things! And the beds are warm and comfortable, the softest I've ever slept on!

[ omg, alice like this is so cute, korra almost can't help herself. alice reminds her of ikki and jinora when they get onto subjects they both adore. ]

What kind of things do they have there? Radios? [ beat ] Oh, do they have movers?

[ Bring up animals and sure, Alice can be cute. At least it's not knives and blood, otherwise, Alice can be creepy. ]

Radios? Possibly? I'm not sure to what those are.

[ Alice takes a breath, scooting closer to the edge of her seat. There's a lot of things here. ]

The elven king Thranduil told me of things called "lap tops" and "internet". He also mentioned beds underground as well as water that comes on by the touch. And those things do exist and are far more wondrous in person! Oh, and strange boxes with a black glass in front of them and with a touch of a device, they can come on, and stories, I suppose, with moving pictures and sounds. It's like the cinematograph, but much more vibrant! There's brighter electricity, there's no need for candles or lanterns. A very minimalistic interior -- even the furnishings are strange.

That's what I found so far, but there's more I haven't discovered.

[ moving pictures and sound?? korra immediately lights up ]

Those are movers! [ beat. might wanna. clear that up, korra. ] I mean, the pictures that move and have sound? Those are what we call movers where I'm from, and they were just invented. My friend Bolin's supposed to be a big star but... I haven't seen anything he was in. [ because she was busy saving the world and such... ] Heh, I don't know what "laptops" are, but I'll find out when I'm there!

I haven't found what the "laptops" are so far, either, but they better have been worth the hype as others have made them out to be. It sounds like a silly thing, honestly. After that, this place is much like a small town; others come here too to avoid conflict. Oh, and there are many beings here aside from humans or "second borns" as the elves call us. They're a strange lot, very all and beautiful. They seem to talk to animals, too.

[ they go there to avoid conflict, huh... well, korra's always been one to throw herself into a fight, but maybe if mako or bolin decide they've had enough... ]

Who, the elves? [ what are elves, anyway? oh, if only they had christian christmas in avatar-world... ] Maybe they can talk to Appa or Naga for me, and I could figure some things out.

Yes, the elves do! Mister Celegorm happens to know how to talk to many, as an example; he's even tried with a bandersnatch.

[ THEY ALSO... kind of... don't sleep? How does that even work out, Alice doesn't know. ]

Perhaps so, but if you had Naga for a long time, wouldn't you know what she means?

[ nodding, korra files that information away for later when she's at the station. she'll have to hunt down this celegorm. ]

Yeah, most of the time, but I wanna know what I can do to get her to stop chewing on my bedframe. [ beat ] Or the couch. [ another beat ] And she likes to tear up the pillows sometimes when I'm out for a while.

Is it not for the same reason as a dog or cat? It couldn't be teething- or maybe it's for attention?

[ korra screws up her face for a moment. ]

... Before I got here, I had no idea what a cat was.

[ so, you know... no reference for their behaviors. 8( and she's never had pillows the likes of which the monarchs gave her when she arrived, so this is new behavior for naga. alice is on the right track, though: naga's feeling a little left out with all the excitement going on and then korra being in the infirmary for a long while. ]

Really?

[ How does she not know the glorious and bizarre animal that is a cat?! ]

Are there no cats where you're from?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only