Day 188

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and anyone!
Open: Open!
When: Day 188, morning
Where: Eastern Bastion
What: Tea time. =)
Format: I'll match.
Warnings: Honor.

It's not uncommon to find Zuko up at an early hour, but she usually spends the time doing something she considers productive--training or otherwise preparing for time on the Skyway. She doesn't leave herself much time for sitting and thinking, most days. She figures it's better that way, since her thoughts so easily turn negative. But this morning, she's trying her best not to let them.

She can be found seated cross-legged on the eastern side of the Bastion, just north of Dragonfield, watching the unaccountable sunrise with a cup of tea in hand. Actually, the whole set is with her, a plain but sturdy-looking earthenware pot and several more matching cups. She hasn't invited anyone to join her, but if any impromptu guests show up, she's decided to accommodate them. That's what her uncle would do, she's sure.

Comments

[hellpyre]

Yo, Sensei.

[Hope you don't mind being bothered by your recently gained student, Zuko.

Rin is just going to be flopping down next to her with that casual greeting--

... hold up. Is that a giant egg in her arms? Why in the hell is she carrying around a giant egg?!]

Mornin'.

[That's... just a thing she's doing because she doesn't bring it up at all as she lets out a yawn, tail swaying lazily behind her.]

[daughterofursa]

[Hello, pupil Rin.

Zuko isn't surprised by Rin's appearance... until she looks over and notices that egg.]

...that's not breakfast, is it?

[It's a pretty gigantic egg.]

[hellpyre]

... that'd be a helluva breakfast.

[Man how did she not think of that before?

Oh because there's an actual creature inside she'd rather have as a companion and not food.]

No. It's a Pokemon egg. I gotta keep it warm so it'll hatch soon.

[Which is why she's actually giving off a bit of heat right now, too.]

[daughterofursa]

[Good use of not!firebending there.]

Pokemon? What sort of animal is that?

[hellpyre]

[It's good practice for control, too. She doesn't want to overheat the egg, after all.]

That girl Hilda and her boyfriend come from a world where there's all these creatures called Pokemon! They're all different, though. It's just sort of a catch-all name for them I guess.

[She puts a hand on top of the egg.]

This one is gonna be a Tepig. It's like a little fire pig. I gave my brother one that's called Oshawott that'll have water powers.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko nods. Just another class of animals, all right. Not that she's familiar with most of the animals in the Bastion anyway.

She hesitates and then asks:]

Your brother, can he do things with water then?

[Yukio doesn't seem to share the features Rin pointed out as "demonic," so... she's not sure if he has any powers like Rin or not. If he does, she hasn't seen him use them.]

[hellpyre]

Ehhh...

[She wiggles her hand back and forth to indicate "kind of".]

He summoned some naids once - er "water maidens", but he said later that he was just finishin' a contract some one else started. Otherwise, no. He's not like me, he didn't get the powers from our father.

[She pauses, then adds:]

It's kinda stupid but... his name has the Kanji for "snow" in it, but I wasn't sure how well an Ice type would do here when I was talkin' to Hilda, so I picked water instead.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko shrugs.]

I've never had a pet. I wouldn't know how to pick one for someone.

'Snow' is close enough to 'rain,' at least how I know to write it. [Which is actually the same as Rin in this instance.] They're part of the same bending discipline, too.

[hellpyre]

I didn't either until Kuro, but... he's not here.

[So a Tepig it is!]

Is it?

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko isn't sure which she's asking about, but anyway she doesn't have anything to write with, so she just nods and goes on with what she can explain.]

The waterbenders in my world lived in two tribes, in the North and South poles. The North Pole was a huge fortress of snow and ice. ...it was pretty impressive, now that I think about it.

[hellpyre]

[Rin blinks a few times, canting her head to the side.]

So... there's fire... and water... other elements, too?

[daughterofursa]

Fire, water, earth, and air. With one exception, a bender is only born with the ability to control one of the elements.

Although, it doesn't seem that way for a lot of the people here, except for you.

[hellpyre]

[Rin shakes her head to that, pointing at herself.]

That's cause I'm a demon, and demons don't really work like that. And humans don't have abilities like that at all where I'm from. Not unless they're gettin' help from other demons.

[Like Yukio with the Niads, Shiemi with her Greenmen, Bon witb Karura...]

Also all demons are the kin of the seven Demon Kings. Earth, Rot, Time, Fire, Insects, Water, Spirits aaand... Light.

[Don't ask her to recite their names, she only remembers a few.]

[daughterofursa]

...insects? How do you have insects but not air?

[Maybe she should just be glad that isn't Rin's power.]

[hellpyre]

[Shima would be singing an entirely different tune if that were the case...]

I'unno. I know there are wind demons but think they fall under the King of Spirits... ? ... maybe. I'd have to ask Yukio. He knows way more than I do.

Hell, I hear demons fight for power in Gehenna all the time. Maybe the King of Air just got knocked out of his place or somethin'? It is all about who's strongest there.

[daughterofursa]

Maybe.

[Zuko looks uncomfortable at that idea, because guess what element also got knocked out in her world? Yyeahhhh.]

Anyway it sounds a little more complicated.

[hellpyre]

[Oops.]

Well, yeah. That's why exorcists have to go to school. There's a ton to learn.

[And for Rin who hates sitting still and doing things like homework and reading, it's not easy at all.]

If they didn't they wouldn't know how to handle demons that cross over.

[daughterofursa]

I guess you have to know about all seven kinds.

[...did she actually list seven or were there more?]

Benders don't spend much time studying outside our own disciplines, but.. it might not be a bad idea.

[hellpyre]

[There's eight not including Satan himself but oops Rin miscounted.]

Can you even do other... bending? Like an Exorcist that's a Knight could probably still rattle off an Aria verse or two but you did say somethin' about not bein' able to do the other kinds of bending, right?

[daughterofursa]

Right. But that doesn't mean we can't learn anything from each other.

My uncle invented a technique for redirecting lightning by studying waterbenders. He was a little unconventional.

[Oh yeah.]

Do you want any tea? I forgot to ask. [This is completely relevant to the conversation, honest.]

[hellpyre]

... oh. Your uncle sounds kinda cool.

[Rin nods to the offer, shifting her egg so it can sit in her lap better.]

I guess that's why all the beginner exorcist classes have us learnin' everythin', even stuff we're not gonna use in our Meister.

[daughterofursa]

...he was pretty cool.

[Even if she realized that only recently. She sets her cup down to pour one for Rin.]

He taught me how to make tea, too.

[hellpyre]

[Welcome to the world of not appreciating people until they're no longer in your life, Zuko.]

Oh... he did a good job then! This is really good.

[She laughs a little after another sip.]

Y'know for bein' Japanese I really don't drink enough tea. I heard it's supposed to be like super good for you, though.

[daughterofursa]

I don't brew it as well as he does.

[...did.]

I don't know how good it's supposed to be for you, but Uncle probably thought he could live off of it.

[hellpyre]

[Rin laughs at that.]

I know a lotta people in my country who thought that.