w e l p

[tribender]

Premature, shmemature - I'm ready now.


( ooc; warnings for spoilers in the comments, maybe??? )

Comments

[deformed]

Just don't fall off that platform. You're the new fire guy on Team Avatar now, stay alert.

[ We have a rep, broseph. ]

[fireferret]

Team what? She's on my team. I'm the captain.

[deformed]

Yep, that's how it starts.

[fireferret]

And that's how it stays.

[deformed]

I wouldn't count on it. Seems like a trend that all the Avatars are persuasive.

[ A beat. Hey, he's honest. ]

And annoying sometimes, but they grow on you.

[fireferret]

[He'll appreciate honesty. And he's seen Korra pull through in the end. But Mako's not a pushover, and he's been self-reliant all these years, so it's a lot to swallow.]

I guess we'll see. Too early to tell.

[deformed]

Yeah.

[ This is one wild firebender party. Check out how awkward the Fire Lord is. ]

[fireferret]

[Man, he pictured you all regal and intimidating in his head. It's strange to meet the teenage equivalent of the Fire Lord that helped found Republic City. He wonders what Zuko would think about the mess it's in now.]

If you're so good at firebending, show me.

[deformed]

[ He'd have a thing or two to say about all those anti-bending groups. ]

Right now?

[fireferret]

Why not? Or we can take it to the ring.

1/7

[deformed]

Here's fine.

[ Pacing away a short distance, he briefly closes his eyes and settles a familiar stance, old muscle-memory working with him -

[deformed]

- as he throws himself into a round-house kick, fire scooping up from the ground to encircle his feet and blast forward in fireballs. The last person he properly trained with was Aang on Ember Island and he uses the same close-range attacks so as not to hit anything (or anyone) watching. Flames soar up behind him protectively, tendrils spiraling forward in a make-shift tunnel to engulf a couple of dozen feet ahead -

[deformed]

- the end of it snarling with a flamethrower that rips right through from a sturdy fist to burn everything within.

[deformed]

The wall behind Zuko lapses as he uses the momentum of the over-throwing punch to swivel onto his back, a new offensive twirling around his feet to slash, whip-like, all around. With a lightness that belies his size and weight, he uses a couple of fluid moves from the Dancing Dragon motif to slide up-right and haul toward him all the heat out of the air, including any would-be incoming attacks.

[deformed]

The huge sheet of fire is thrust back down across the ground to ripple like a sea of frantic lava designed to burn through enemy feet -

[deformed]

- the entire spectacle ending when Zuko ignites a huge fireball that rips much father ahead then any other, mentally pictured mowing down any fleeing danger. It's not designed to knock someone off a podium, it's to make sure they never get back up.

And he's barely broken a sweat. ]

[deformed]

... Good enough for you?

[fireferret]

[During the demonstration - undoubtedly driven by sheer power and experience, the magnitude of which even Mako can't ignore - he's backed himself up a few steps. Not many, not allowing himself to outwardly show the distance he'd like to put between all of that lethal firebending.

It's different, that's for sure. Shaped by the generations that separate them, but something else, too. Mako has always been concerned with probending and the art of staying light on his toes, knocking his opponents off a ringed plateau into the water beneath - unconcerned with injuring them, scarring them, or worse.

Mako's brow draws together in tight-knit admiration. Maybe a little jealousy. He reminds himself of their differences; they live worlds apart, decades apart. Mako still has a long way to go yet, as much as he refuses to accept it.]

... All right, so maybe you're the Fire Lord for a reason. That was - pretty amazing.

[So much for being a rude asshole. He drags a hand through the short spikes of his hair.]

But it's not like I've had training with a Firebending Master before. That's usually an Avatar thing. I'm just some kid from the city. We don't get the luxury.

[deformed]

[ Ego? Stroked. But that doesn't really matter (as much as he appreciates the compliment) because although Zuko does respond well to respect, he gives out a lot in return. ]

You're a really good firebender, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

[ He can tell Mako's feathers are ruffled from the demonstration, immediately feeling guilty if he's alarmed him in any way. Fear isn't something Zuko's ever wanted to inspire, especially by accident. ]

If we ever met somewhere around here for certain, I'd teach you.

[ There's no way he wouldn't enjoy it, too. Helping Aang was one thing, but to hone an actual firebender would be ... time-consuming. Worth it for a whole other host of reasons. ]

[fireferret]

[He hasn't been a student before. It sits oddly with Mako. But, if the chance arose to improve his skills, he'd take it. Definitely.]

Yeah.

[Mako has some grudging respect for this tiny Fire Lord. And now for what's been lurking in his mind -- ]

Do you know anything about what's going on in Republic City?

[deformed]

Where?

[ Quizzical look is go. ]

All I heard is some people don't like benders. It doesn't make any sense.

[fireferret]

A place you founded with the last Avatar. [Shakes his head.] It's a mess.

[deformed]

What! Why?

[ FUQ DAT who's messing up all his hard work? ]

[fireferret]

You're both dead. Nobody's trying to keep the peace anymore.

[To put it bluntly.]

[deformed]

That's ridiculous! It's not like we'd die without leaving instructions, what's going on? Doesn't anyone know how much work we're putting into fixing the Harmony Restoration Movement?

Augh.

[ Why does he bother sometimes. ]

Who wouldn't want peace?