milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Mirai carefully cracks her door open, taking a peek inside. No bandages lunging after her, so at least there's that. She shudders and firmly shuts it, leaning against the frame a moment. She's not sure she can wait for her courage, as it's failed to show up yet. But even so...

Mirai sighs, wrapping her arms around her middle. Not today.

Sometime later, she's sitting in the rafters. The dark is oddly nice. She might be above your table, getting ideas for dinner. Don't mind her, though.

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Tahno steps through his door today, shutting it behind him. He orders a glass of water from the bar to toy with and a shot of firewhisky to drink, and then glances up.

"Little miss?" he asks, approaching where she sits in the rafters, his water winding sinuously around his fingers. "Ya wanna be left alone up there?"

"Tahno-san?" she calls, her voice soft. "I dunno... It's not unpleasant here."

Tahno first wonders how she managed to get up into the rafters, but then he recalls her bounding about like a rabbiroo when they were training. He fetches a chair and stands on it to heft himself into the rafters, straddling one a bit away from her.

"Huh. I ain't never been up here," he drawls, glacing around. "I like the view." He plays with his water like some might play with clay: absently moving his hands about. "So how're ya doin'?"

"Oh, pretty much the same as I usually am," she answers. "You?"

"Pretty good," Tahno explains, his water bouncing from hand to hand. "We won another match at home, surprising no one, and are that much closer to the finals. I'm lookin' forward to 'em. Crushin' the competition and all."

She gives him a faint smile at that. "How many are left?"

Tahno holds up three long, thin fingers, water surrounding them. "Just three more qualifiers, and then it's the grand finale," Tahno drawls, and freezes his water into bangles around his wrist. "Are ya hungry?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking about dinner."

She fiddles with her fingers a little before asking, "Anyone you're worried about? In probending?"

"Awright. We can eat somethin' up here if we want, or we can get down," Tahno drawls, glancing to the wait rats scurrying below.

He shakes his head to her question. "Nah! I mean, the Avatar's part of a team, but they're the sorriest excuse for a team I've ever seen. And even though she's a decent waterbender, she ain't got no control or finesse. She bends like a firebender--all rage and power."

"The Avatar?" Mirai asks.

"Yeah! So ya know how there's earthbending, firebending, waterbending, and airbending, right?" Tahno drawls, his bangles chiming as he gestures. "The Avatar can bend all four elements. They're a reincarnation of previous Avatars and stuff--I don't understand it all, really, but it's cool."

"Reincarnated? They're a hero or something?"

"Nah," Tahno drawls, shaking his head. "I mean, they sorta are? Well, they can be. They usually do great stuff, 'cause they're supposed ta keep the world in balance and remain neutral, so they're where the action is."

"I see," Mirai goes. "That... that must be a lot to ask anyone."

"Yeah, I guess," Tahno drawls, shrugging. "They seem to handle it okay. I mean, I ain't never heard of an Avatar havin' a breakdown, though they might. It's not like they can just quit bein' the savior of the world."

"Having a breakdown isn't very heroic," she says. "So I guess if one did, you might not know."

"Yeah, but it ain't like they're not human, y'know?" Tahno drawls, shaking his head. His perfect hair bounces as he does. "This new one we got... She's young. She don't even know airbendin' yet. She's got a temper and is easily goaded. She's very human."

"Yeah, but I mean... That's what history's like?" Mirai goes. "We learn about things that people do or what they're born into, but not always what they're like. You know about this Avatar, but what about the ones from years ago?"

"I know about Aang and Kiyoshi and Kuruk," Tahno drawls, furrowing his brow. "But yeah, that was mostly what they did. The people who remember what they're like are all super old now, in Aang's case, or dead in the others'."

He shakes his head. "But that's true of all people, right? Ain't no one's gonna remember that I like moon peaches after I'm dead except for the people I'm really close to."

Mirai feels like that's not the same but lacks the words to say so. She looks down and hops to the table below.

"Ready to eat?" she asks, glancing back up.

Tahno jumps down onto the table, his footfall a bit louder than hers. "Sure, let's do that," the waterbender drawls, his bangles glittering. "What're ya hungry for? And oh, yeah, how's the sparrin' going?"

Mirai shrugs. She'll eat just about anything.

"Ah, s-s-sparring," she goes, fiddling with her glasses. "It... that is... I guess it's..."

Tahno drops into his seat and flags down a wait rat. "Yeah, sparrin'. What're ya gettin' so nervous for?"

"It... the thing about that is... it... it's not really sparring anymore..." she says, cleaning her lenses so hard she might break them.

"Hey, hey," Tahno drawls, and reaches out to cover her hands with his own. "Chill out. Relax. Ain't nothin' gonna hurt ya here. Yer pretty safe. Awright?"