(no subject)

[hot_water]

Tahno paints as if he's sparring. The waterbender pinches the air with his fingers and whips his hand forward in a sweeping arc away from his chest. Blue-tinted watercolor jumps out of its container and splashes across the bare canvas, set up a few feet away.

The boy smirks, striking the air with the heel of his palm. Red joins the blue, a blotch of color to the left of center. He crooks the middle and forefingers of his right hand--raking what would be ice along an invisible opponent--and smears the colors together.

He had once timed himself at six strikes per second, and now he puts that record to the test. All of his movements are tightly controlled--but neat, designed to roll into each other. He may as well be dancing. Pigments fly out of their jars, some blending in the air before staining the canvas. A double palm heel finishes the piece, and he lowers his hands.

Tahno saunters up to the canvas, curling his fingers around a tilted hip. "Hm. Not bad," he drawls, and picks up a brush to add the finishing touches.

Comments

[makesthings]

Sameth watches him paint, its an interesting process, a little like how he works with the Charter but all with water.

He has a spiced wine, sword at his side and his surcoat on, his cloak is over by the fire.

[hot_water]

Tahno is used to admiring--or appraising--eyes on him. His gaze never leaves the canvas, but he addresses Sameth all the same. "See something you like?"

His voice is deep, rumbly, and there's a purr to it, through not fault of Sameth's; that's just how Tahno normally speaks.

[makesthings]

"How are you controlling the paint?"

There are many kinds of magic in Milliways and he used to be more familiar with all of them, this isn't immediately recognizable.

[hot_water]

"I ain't controlling the paint, just the water it's mixed with," Tahno explains, rolling his wrist to bring a glob of blue out of its container to hover. He turns to Sameth to give him a once-over, and curls his free hand on his hip.

"With bendin'. It ain't magic, before ya ask, but we benders use chi--energy in our bodies--to manipulate the water. And that takes movement, you got me?"

[makesthings]

"Oh, bending, yes, I used to know people who could do that. I haven't been having doors that consistently for a while,"

He smiles and traces a Charter Mark in the air before it becomes a flame, what he does is also about controlling and manipulating just with the Charter.

[hot_water]

Tahno cocks his head and tilts his hip in that direction as well. "Huh, neat. Can ya control more than fire with whatever it was ya just did?"

[makesthings]

"Charter Marks and yes, I can use the Charter to make things, heal people, it all depends on what I need,"

Gently, he sends the flame away and the Charter Mark on his head shifts from glowing gold to its normal darker color.

[hot_water]

"Are all of ya stamped with that"--he waggles his fingers at his own head--"glowy shit on yer heads? Kinda makes it obvious who can use the Charter and who can't."

[makesthings]

"Most people in the Old Kingdom are, yes,"

Not everyone's as strong a Charter Mage but he tends to hold off on that part since it usually leads to how he's a prince.

[halfemptyglasses]

It's a nice little performance, and Mirai sits to watch.

"I didn't know you could do that," she comments softly.

[hot_water]

Tahno spins the brush in his fingers, stepping to the side to let her see more of the canvas if she wishes. "'ey, little miss. Yeah, it's a skill I've got," he drawls, rather superfluously. "Ooh. Stay right there, and I'll paint you, too."

[halfemptyglasses]

"Ah, I meant with the water bending. I wouldn't have thought to use it that way."

She looks over today's choice of baggy clothes, swallowed up in a loose dress and her usual oversized cardigan, and what she imagines is a tired expression after looking through her phone book for a lead on a testing facility.

"Are you sure you want to?"

[hot_water]

"Oh, yeah? All forms of bendin' can be used in some pretty cool ways," Tahno drawls, working on the painting a bit more. "Bendin' ain't just in the muscles, but the brain, too."

He cocks his head. "I'll only paint ya if yer okay with it," he says, a bit more gently. "You look fine to me."

[halfemptyglasses]

Well, she doesn't particularly feel like moving anyway. She nods with a soft, "Okay."

[hot_water]

Tahno smiles. Not a smirk, or an amused twist to his lips, but a genuine, pleased smile. "Okay," he says in return, with a small nod.

"You thirsty?" the boy asks, sauntering over to the bar. He orders a new canvas, and sets the old one aside to dry. Then he stirs his paints with the motion of his fingers. "And how've ya been anyway? Ya look worn out."

[halfemptyglasses]

"Ah, just preparing for my license. I think there's a written exam. There usually is for stuff like this."

But she nods at the drink offer and goes, "Maybe an iced coffee?"

[hot_water]

"Iced coffee sounds good," Tahno drawls, and orders two of those, one of which he carries to her. "Oh, man, good luck. I'd offer to help but I'm, like, much better at throwing ice and stuff at yer head than studyin'."

Then he returns to his canvas. "'Kay, stay as still as you can at first, but once I get yer hair done you can move around a bit."

[mix_it_up]

Asami is sitting at a table nearby, a book of notes open in front of her, spinning a pencil between her fingers.

She does occasionally glance up at Tahno - mostly because the sound of his painting is a little distracting.

[hot_water]

Unfortunately for Asami, Tahno spotted her a while ago, and now that he's finished the painting, he determines that he is free to visit. He sashays up to her table and lays his fingers on the edge, resting his free hand on a cocked hip. "Fancy seeing you here."

[mix_it_up]

"It's nice to see you too, Tahno," she replies, careful and polite.

As she speaks, Asami puts the pen down on the table, and closes her notebook. "I didn't know you painted."

[hot_water]

Tahno releases her table to cup his cheek. "Yup, and I sell 'em too," he drawls, knowing the one he just did is worth about four nights on the town to the right buyer. "Hey, as you probably know, the Wolfbats just won a match. You wanna celebrate with me?"

[mix_it_up]

She raises her eyebrows, a little apprehensive, but asks -

"What did you have in mind?"

[hot_water]

He shrugs, a fluid motion built from years of training. "I dunno. Whatever yer comfortable with. Yer with someone else, so dinner would probably be out of the question, but watchin' someone else's probendin' match maybe?"

[mix_it_up]

"Well, I'm in the arena pretty often," she answers, smiling slightly now. "You'll probably see me sometime."

[hot_water]

"Well, there you go," Tahno drawls cheerfully. "I'll come find you, and we can watch the qualifiers. Those are always fun matches."

He cocks his head, letting his perfect hair fall where it may. "So how you been, Asami?"