Post by kaitokatashi on Sept 17, 2008 17:38:58 GMT -6
A snake-like stream of water rose from the snow out of nowhere and stopped in front of Pakku’s outstretched arms, forming a ball. Quickly, he stepped forward with his left foot and smoothly but forcefully pushed with his hands, sending the ball flying through the air.
“Now that I’ve demonstrated it twice, I’d like you all to practice. Remember your form and don’t aim at each other,” he said sternly, glaring with ice blue eyes at a boy who had giggled at his remarks. When the student was quiet, he nodded to the class and watched as they got up to practice the technique. Despite the fact that the students he was teaching were novices in the art of Waterbending, he figured that even novices would have more sense than they did. Unfortunately, they had proved him wrong on many an occasion, and it came as no surprise that they were in total shock when he punished them for horseplay. Although it had happened often, never in his fifty nine years had he encountered such amateurs. Then again, he encountered them all the time; the difference being that some of them went on to become proficient Waterbenders.
“Li, we are not Firebenders! We do not move our arms like we were trying to detach a pentapus!” he snapped, walking over to the student.
“Flow like the water,” he said, guiding the student’s arms as they went through the motions together. When he’d gotten it (for now, at least), Pakku brushed a strand of silvery hair behind his ear. He didn’t like snapping at them like he often did, but none of his students ever seemed to take their training seriously, not like…Katara. Ever since she’d come to the village, she’d shown him that female Waterbenders were occasionally good for something besides healing; in fact, she’d been one of his most promising students and was probably the youngest Waterbending Master in the world. He gave a chuckle as memories of their time in the village came flooding back; he recalled how Aang had been furious that he expelled him from the academy for teaching Katara in secret, how Katara had challenged and almost beaten him in a battle, how she had changed his perception of the customs of the North Pole Water Tribe. The smile on his face quickly faded as he noticed that the boy who had giggled earlier was fiddling with a bracelet, trying to keep it from falling off. He sighed in annoyance and continued to monitor the class.
Unfortunately, those customs were what had cost him the love of his life, Kanna. Katara reminded him so much of her that it was slightly painful, and that might have been part of the reason why he’d refused to teach her. Still, he hoped to one day reconcile with the woman he loved and perhaps take a step in the right direction for once.
When it became apparent that the students weren’t doing any better, he put two fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. When all eyes were upon him, he addressed the class.
“All right, I think that’s enough for today. Hopefully, we can continue to improve our technique and form tomorrow. I’ll see you all then,” he announced, sighing as his students left.
He knew how his students spoke of him; crotchety, old Master Pakku. Mean old Master Pakku. Why didn’t they understand that he was only trying to improve them by expecting nothing less than their best? He suspected that each new class he taught was slowly getting more lazy than the ones before it, but it also might be because youth squirmed under the weight of those in authority. He supposed that he might never understand what was running through the mind of his students, but that was to be expected.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. He turned around to find Li standing there, looking at the ground.
“Yes?” he asked. Li dug his foot into the ground and finally worked up the courage to look the Master in the eye.
“Master Pakku? I was wondering if you could help me with the technique we learned today. I want to make sure that I get it before we go on in class,” he said, sounding afraid. Pakku studied the boy and, after pensively stroking his moustache, nodded. Li’s face lit up.
“First, I’d like you to take your stance,” he said, analyzing the boy’s movements with his eyes.
“Good. Now, I want you to move just like we practiced. Bring the water up from the snow, gather it in front and launch it away from you,” he instructed, seeing Li nod with each point he made. The boy took a deep breath and went through the motions, stopping at the end to hear the Master’s appraisal of his technique.
“I noticed that your arm movements are still a little jerky. I want you to close your eyes as you move and envision the water’s energy flowing through your arms,” Pakku said, earning a nod from Li. Surprisingly, this little bit of instruction was all he needed to successfully perform the move. Although he wouldn't admit it, Pakku was proud of Li for showing the initiative to come back and ask for help on his own. Not many students did that, and that was a good indicator of students who showed great potential by going above and beyond simply coming to class. Just this once, he decided to bestow a small favor on his student for doing so.
“See? You have it. Would you like to assist me in class tomorrow? I’d like you to help the other students so they can understand the technique,” he said with a smile, and it was almost as if Li were actually glowing with how happy he was.
“Of course, Master Pakku! I’ll see you in class tomorrow!” he said and ran in the opposite direction, overjoyed at what the Master had asked him to do. Pakku chuckled as the boy left; the joy that students tended to exhibit when praised for a job well done was something he loved about being a teacher, and he supposed that was why he continued to do so despite the amount of apparent novices in the class. There was so much potential in all of them.
He sighed as his thoughts drifted to the war. He’d helped to drive off the Fire Nation soldiers who had come to invade the city, but it wasn’t over yet. He’d received word through the Order that Ozai had attacked Ba Sing Se and had succeeded in taking over Omashu. Unfortunately, Bumi had been captured, but there were more important things to deal with, like rumors that the Fire Lord was planning another invasion; unfortunately, there wasn’t enough evidence to be helpful. Still, he needed to be on his toes in case the Order or the Avatar asked for his help, which he would be more than happy to give. After all, what was the use of being a Master if he couldn’t show off once in a while?
A smile crossed his face as he watched the sun start to sink below the horizon. For now, he needed to concentrate on helping his students.
“Now that I’ve demonstrated it twice, I’d like you all to practice. Remember your form and don’t aim at each other,” he said sternly, glaring with ice blue eyes at a boy who had giggled at his remarks. When the student was quiet, he nodded to the class and watched as they got up to practice the technique. Despite the fact that the students he was teaching were novices in the art of Waterbending, he figured that even novices would have more sense than they did. Unfortunately, they had proved him wrong on many an occasion, and it came as no surprise that they were in total shock when he punished them for horseplay. Although it had happened often, never in his fifty nine years had he encountered such amateurs. Then again, he encountered them all the time; the difference being that some of them went on to become proficient Waterbenders.
“Li, we are not Firebenders! We do not move our arms like we were trying to detach a pentapus!” he snapped, walking over to the student.
“Flow like the water,” he said, guiding the student’s arms as they went through the motions together. When he’d gotten it (for now, at least), Pakku brushed a strand of silvery hair behind his ear. He didn’t like snapping at them like he often did, but none of his students ever seemed to take their training seriously, not like…Katara. Ever since she’d come to the village, she’d shown him that female Waterbenders were occasionally good for something besides healing; in fact, she’d been one of his most promising students and was probably the youngest Waterbending Master in the world. He gave a chuckle as memories of their time in the village came flooding back; he recalled how Aang had been furious that he expelled him from the academy for teaching Katara in secret, how Katara had challenged and almost beaten him in a battle, how she had changed his perception of the customs of the North Pole Water Tribe. The smile on his face quickly faded as he noticed that the boy who had giggled earlier was fiddling with a bracelet, trying to keep it from falling off. He sighed in annoyance and continued to monitor the class.
Unfortunately, those customs were what had cost him the love of his life, Kanna. Katara reminded him so much of her that it was slightly painful, and that might have been part of the reason why he’d refused to teach her. Still, he hoped to one day reconcile with the woman he loved and perhaps take a step in the right direction for once.
When it became apparent that the students weren’t doing any better, he put two fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. When all eyes were upon him, he addressed the class.
“All right, I think that’s enough for today. Hopefully, we can continue to improve our technique and form tomorrow. I’ll see you all then,” he announced, sighing as his students left.
He knew how his students spoke of him; crotchety, old Master Pakku. Mean old Master Pakku. Why didn’t they understand that he was only trying to improve them by expecting nothing less than their best? He suspected that each new class he taught was slowly getting more lazy than the ones before it, but it also might be because youth squirmed under the weight of those in authority. He supposed that he might never understand what was running through the mind of his students, but that was to be expected.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. He turned around to find Li standing there, looking at the ground.
“Yes?” he asked. Li dug his foot into the ground and finally worked up the courage to look the Master in the eye.
“Master Pakku? I was wondering if you could help me with the technique we learned today. I want to make sure that I get it before we go on in class,” he said, sounding afraid. Pakku studied the boy and, after pensively stroking his moustache, nodded. Li’s face lit up.
“First, I’d like you to take your stance,” he said, analyzing the boy’s movements with his eyes.
“Good. Now, I want you to move just like we practiced. Bring the water up from the snow, gather it in front and launch it away from you,” he instructed, seeing Li nod with each point he made. The boy took a deep breath and went through the motions, stopping at the end to hear the Master’s appraisal of his technique.
“I noticed that your arm movements are still a little jerky. I want you to close your eyes as you move and envision the water’s energy flowing through your arms,” Pakku said, earning a nod from Li. Surprisingly, this little bit of instruction was all he needed to successfully perform the move. Although he wouldn't admit it, Pakku was proud of Li for showing the initiative to come back and ask for help on his own. Not many students did that, and that was a good indicator of students who showed great potential by going above and beyond simply coming to class. Just this once, he decided to bestow a small favor on his student for doing so.
“See? You have it. Would you like to assist me in class tomorrow? I’d like you to help the other students so they can understand the technique,” he said with a smile, and it was almost as if Li were actually glowing with how happy he was.
“Of course, Master Pakku! I’ll see you in class tomorrow!” he said and ran in the opposite direction, overjoyed at what the Master had asked him to do. Pakku chuckled as the boy left; the joy that students tended to exhibit when praised for a job well done was something he loved about being a teacher, and he supposed that was why he continued to do so despite the amount of apparent novices in the class. There was so much potential in all of them.
He sighed as his thoughts drifted to the war. He’d helped to drive off the Fire Nation soldiers who had come to invade the city, but it wasn’t over yet. He’d received word through the Order that Ozai had attacked Ba Sing Se and had succeeded in taking over Omashu. Unfortunately, Bumi had been captured, but there were more important things to deal with, like rumors that the Fire Lord was planning another invasion; unfortunately, there wasn’t enough evidence to be helpful. Still, he needed to be on his toes in case the Order or the Avatar asked for his help, which he would be more than happy to give. After all, what was the use of being a Master if he couldn’t show off once in a while?
A smile crossed his face as he watched the sun start to sink below the horizon. For now, he needed to concentrate on helping his students.
