Just Business (Karena)

Anonymous

Feb 4, 2013 23:45:07 GMT -6

The best feeling in the world had to be that of waking up before noon with the scent of fresh bread hanging in the air of the home. A home, a store, a family was what this place was, even more so than it used to be to the woman. If someone had asked her a year ago where she lived, she would have tried to give directions to a place, but not it felt too surreal and comforting to be just a place. It was a part of her life, as odd as it could be for just a home and bakery.

Airi dragged herself out of bed, trying to push aside all thoughts of Equalists and cops from her mind as she dressed herself in a rather dull attire of grays and flat reds. Though this place may be more than a building to her, it only meant there was so much more to loose if anything happened to it. No longer could the benders of the Hitomi family be proud of their bending. To be flamboyant about it was as dangerous as it was to try and check out the probending arena, now. Her mother had even taken up to starting the oven with matches to light the coals instead of her bending. Even dressing as pridefully of their heritage seemed to be a give away to the Equalists of the benders in the area. So long as the neighbors didn't rat them out as benders, they should be safe... Right?

Stop it, she told herself as she ran down the stairs, knowing if she continued to let her mind wander that the anxiety would never end. To think that the time her memory was most under control that she would suddenly become stressed about the current city's problems. Sometimes she even caught herself thinking about giving in to her memory faults, like it would somehow toss her back a few months to a time a lot less stressful though more eventful.

"Airi," her father called as she hit the last step. "I need you to run a few errands."

"Oh, uh-huh,"

[/color] she absently replied, walking towards the kitchen.

"You alright?" Nosen asked, looking closely at his daughter's face.

"Yeah, just... worried, I guess."[/color]

"We all are, but life can't stop because we're worried. It'll be alright," he said with a smile that was almost contagious, slipping her a note with the list of errands she needed to run. Airi, not wasting any time, looked at the paper to notice they were in a bit of debt to a restaurant from needed to borrow a few pounds of flour to keep up with supply and demand. Yeah, she remembered that place! The rest of the chores seemed to be picking other things up like the fresh dairy products and dried goods for their non-professional uses, just for the family.

"I'll be back soon!"[/color] she called out as she picked up two five pound bags of flour in her arms, the note pinched between her teeth (making her words somewhat muffled and unpronounced) and shoes hanging lightly onto her feet.

The walk wasn't too far from where the bakery was, not by her standards. It felt like minutes before she arrived at the front of the shop. Then again, it could've also been her memory problem. Names and time... She wondered how anyone could remember such impossible things!

"Hitomi Bread and Goods' delivery!"[/color] she chimed happily, despite the paper in her mouth. "Where would you like these?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

Feb 7, 2013 23:30:14 GMT -6

Ichiro had woken up that morning, glad that he could sleep in a little. He was always grateful when he didn’t have to work the morning shift. Luckily, his father kept a good variety in his schedule. He wanted to make sure that his son had the proper knowledge to run any shift that he needed to, so his schedule never stayed the same. It didn’t really bother him any. The Waterbender liked being busy, so he always made it a point to have something to do – being at work was an easy way to do that. As it was, after waking up, he managed to make himself a good breakfast before having to get ready for work. The uniform wasn’t all that bad, but a little bland – a white shirt, black pants and apron. Of course, hair had to be back at all times if it was long, so he had to make sure to tie his long, brown hair in a ponytail at the base of his neck before going into work.

Work itself… turned out be rather boring. He was working with Ken and Ami today. His mother was off, and seeing that nothing was going, his father said that he was going to leave early today. He’d been working a lot, so he needed a bit of a rest. That meant, with no other manage here, that Ichiro was left in charge. Honestly, the dark-haired young man wasn’t sure that his father had really left for the reason he said. It seemed just as likely that his father left to test Ichiro. He’d probably call up at the restaurant soon enough. His father’s relief came in a few hours from now, so it wasn’t as if anything disastrous could happen between now and then. Well, it could, but it was unlikely. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being left alone, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Even though it was the lunch rush right now, things were rather dead. Ichiro had two tables, as did Ami. Ken only had one, but that was sure to change. They’d had a couple tables just leave. The Waterbender was in the middle of cleaning one off when he heard the doorbell ring. He saw Ken going to great whoever it was, so he didn’t left his head. After all, Ken knew what to do, and he knew that it was his turn next for a table. It wasn’t until he heard something about “Hitomi Bread and Goods” that he lifted his head to see a young woman with two bags of flour in her hands and a paper in her mouth, asking where they wanted the flour. He had completely forgotten that the bakery had borrowed flour from them, and they were due to replace it. Ken looked completely lost. “It’s okay, Ken, I got it,” he said, speaking up before Ken could come over and get him, which he would have.

Ichiro walked up to her. “Hey, my name’s Ichiro, follow me, I’ll show you where it goes.” He made a point of walking by Ami and asking her to watch his tables real quick while he helped the Hitomi girl… As he was walking to the kitchen, the name kept popping back to his head. There was something about that name, what was it? It had nothing to do with the Bakery, though that was for sure. It continued to bug him as they made their way to the dry storage behind the kitchen. “Here, go ahead and put it right there.” The Waterbender wasn’t going to say anything, but it was kind of stupid that he couldn’t seem to remember what else there was about that name that he should remember. “What’s your first name, if you don’t mind me asking?” Perhaps that would jog his memory, because it was pretty silly to just ask randomly if there was anything she knew of that he should remember.

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Anonymous

Feb 8, 2013 19:42:41 GMT -6

Would it be bad if she found the confused look of the waiter rather funny to see? He looked so lost in the situation and, if she had to guess, hadn't been working here for a long time. Then again, she worked in a family business. The only other people to work for them have been a few helpers she's found that needed a bit of coin, usually younger kids doing the dishes for them or simply waiting the cashier so they could focus on the goods. With the paper in her mouth, she knew it would be hard to explain something long and odd like returning flour in the middle of the day instead of just a few words and was glad when someone else stepped in at least looking like he knew what was going on.

And he did, in fact, knew! Ichiro (she repeated the name in her head a few times, hoping she'd be able to remember it for later if she ever had to call on him) lead her back while she wished she could strike up some conversation. Announcing her presence was one thing, with the paper and all, but like with the waiter, talking just couldn't be done well enough so they walked in silence.

She grunted in response when he directed her to the dry storage, making her way towards it, finding the last few steps the most difficult like only now did the weight of the flour dawn on her. As the bags hit the ground with a flop she dusted off her hands and removed the paper from her mouth noticing the bite marks on the paper as well as a bit of drool. Quickly, she crumbled it up in her hand. (It was so much easier to carry crumpled than daintily holding on to it flat. "I hope we didn't, uh, not return it sooner. Our suppliers have been low on stock lately,"

[/color] she explained with a sigh. After the attack on the probending arena, she guessed Republic City seemed like a gamble to invest in, hoping someone might buy your stuff. And if your delivery man was a bender- oh no! - they might get attacked and the mercendise ruined!

Airi actually didn't know if that was the case, but it was the best she could come up with at the moment.

His question took her buy surprise; she hadn't expected much else after she dropped off the bags. Still, it wasn't something bad. "Airi,"[/color] she said with a smile. "Hitomi,"[/color] she awkwardly added afterwards, not sure if he knew it was a family business or not.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

Feb 9, 2013 20:09:39 GMT -6

Ichiro gave a shrug as the young woman tried to excuse the lateness of the return. In actuality, her parents hadn’t been worried… yet. There was still some time before they were going to contact them to make sure that they hadn’t forgotten. The Waterbender hadn’t had an idea that she was going to dropping by. Thankfully, he knew what to do. Being in charge wasn’t so bad. He liked not having to answer anybody, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t still confused about whether or not he wanted his father’s job one day. He didn’t mind what he did now, but… that was different than wanting to do it for the rest of his life. Those he worked with were starting to get used to it, but there was still some that thought his father was showing favoritism towards his only child.

Ichiro brought himself back to reality as the young woman from the Bakery introduced herself as Airi Hitomi. She was obviously the daughter of those who ran the bakery – a family business just like his restaurant. “Ichiro Watashi,” he said, formally introducing himself to her, though he was still running his name through his mind. A part of him wondered how many family businesses there were out there. Were there a lot of them? Did people who opened businesses want their children to take it over one day, and run it, not just own it? Did it really mean something to them? He wasn’t sure, but knowing that there were more family businesses out there made him wonder if he really should continue with Watashi’s Restaurant. After all, he most certainly didn’t hate it.

Ichiro continued walking, his mind turning back to Airi. The dark-haired young man just knew that her name sounded familiar somehow, outside of the bakery. What was it, though? He kept running the name Airi through his mind, trying to figure out where he should know her from – Airi Hitomi. “Thanks for returning it. I’ll show you out.” He made his way through the kitchen, heading towards the dining room. Usually, his memory was fairly decent, so he felt like an idiot that he simply could not remember where he should know her from, and it was starting to get really annoying. Well, there was nothing to be done about it. Where could he know that name from? Maybe it was really the restaurant, and he was just overthinking things. It wasn’t as if it mattered or anything.

Ichiro was about to push the entire idea of out his mind. It wasn’t important. It was just a matter of annoyance when he knew that he was supposed to know something, but it kept slipping out of his mind. Then, all of a sudden, it popped into his mind – Probending. He didn’t know where it came from, but something just told her that she came from Probending somehow, that he knew from that match that he went to this year, Ren’ai and her team’s first match. Looking back at her, he asked, “This is going to sound kind of dumb, and I swear I’m not trying to hit on you or anything, but you seem familiar… Are you involved in Probending somehow? I just want to know that I’m not crazy.”

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Anonymous

Feb 9, 2013 20:50:11 GMT -6

"Nice to meet you,"

[/color] she replied when he said his own name in return. Oh, that's cool, she guessed. Another family owned business! With a quick remembrance of the place, she hadn't noticed anyone older than him. Was it just... himself? Like, did he start the restaurant? No, that was preposterous. He looked similar to her age and this place was rather well established, from what she heard from her mother and brother. Well, she guessed Republic City was filled with all sorts of people, so why not? Still, the idea bugged her that if it was family owned, that they let him act as the one in charge. Though with all honesty she figured it would be counter productive to leave just she and her brother to run a bakery on their own.

She followed him, taking a better look at the place now that her body wasn't preoccupied with other things like carrying bags or making sure the paper in her mouth was still fine. The place felt rather homely to her seeing as their bakery was their home, but it might not be the case for other people. Suddenly she wondered what type of food they sold here, if it might be Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation or Water Tribe styled foods? From the time she had with Bolin, she hoped it was the first two. Water Tribe food just didn't sit well with her.

The young woman couldn't help but to laugh when they reached the door and he fumbled with his words a bit. "Oh, it's fine,"[/color] she tried to console. She doubted he would've flirted with her. Not that she was saying she was unattractive but rather that there were better fish in the sea -so to say- and why settle on one that couldn't remember if it had eaten or not?

"Yeah, I was in a probending match once. Someone asked me to be an alternate for their firebender, just in case, yeah? So I agreed. It gave me something to do with my free time, training and all. The first- and only- match I played in was our team's first. We lost,"[/color] she rambled on. "I take it you're a fan of the sport?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

Feb 13, 2013 18:39:24 GMT -6

OOC: Sorry for the wait.

Ichrio listened as Airi explained to him that she had, in fact, been in a Probending match as he had suspected. It was the Raven-Eagles vs. Dragon Hawks match, the second regular season match. It had also been the only match that he had actually seen in person. The only reason he had been there was because he had known two of the participants, so the dark-haired man had made a point of getting the night off so he could go support them. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have been content to listen to it here. The kitchen usually had a radio playing it, and every now again, they had people request to listen to the matches so they’d bring the radio out so the patrons could listen to it. That didn’t happen very often, though, but it wasn’t unheard of in their restaurant.

Ichiro nodded his head as the pieces feel into place. Yes, it made sense now. He must have heard her name during the match when she was brought in his an alternate; he remembered now. No wonder there was something familiar about her. It wasn’t completely unexpected that the Waterbender hadn’t remembered her, though. He had, after all, been in the stands, while she had been on the stage. It was actually kind of cool to meet another Probender besides Ren’ai and Yuri, even if she had only been in one match, it was still an accomplishment. Airi didn’t seem to think much of it, though, but he couldn’t really blame her for that. They had lost after all. Ren’ai and Yuri had been in a bad mood ever since they had lost in the Quarter-Finals against the Flying Koi, and the Raven-Eagles had even made it that far.

“Yeah, I am, always have been. I’m not a participant of any kind, though” Ichiro said to her. “I’m more of a recreational bender myself. At least now I know why you were familiar to me. I just couldn’t place you. It only felt kind of stupid to me, so at least now I know why.” The Waterbender paused for a second, debating about whether to just go back to work. He glanced back at Ken and Ami, and saw that they were fine. One of his tables that Ami had taken over was gone, and Ken had gained a walk in while had been in the back showing Airi where to put the flour. That left Ami was three tables, and Ken with two. They were both fine for the moment, so he turned back to Ami. She would have to leave soon anyway, he figured, so it was no harm in talking to her for a bit. “That must have been cool, though. I was there because two our employees are members of the Dragon Hawks, Ren’ai and Yuri.”

Sometimes, Ichiro wanted to be a Probender, because it seemed such a cool thing. The other part of him didn’t, at all, and that was the part that always easily won over. He was a classical Waterbender, and had no desire to change his style to suit Probending. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t watch and enjoy it, though. “I asked my father for the night off so I could go and support them,” he continued. “I wouldn’t feel bad that your team lost, though. I mean, think about it, you won the final round, right?” He had known that Ren’ai hadn’t been happy about that, but a win was a win, and that was had mattered. “If you had been in from the beginning, instead of the other Firebender, things might have turned out differently. Your team did well.” Needing a replacement would have messed up any team. In fact, he didn’t think the Dragon Hawks had one at all. Of course, that was the reason why they had been short of a Waterbender for so long. Well, that and Ren’ai had a very hot temper.

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Anonymous

Feb 19, 2013 15:21:40 GMT -6

Ooc; sorry about it's shortness. I really didn't know how to write this

Airi nodded. "I probably would've been a recreational bender - probably just lighting the fire in the furnace or lighting my way - as well if my mom wasn't so worrisome about my memory. She thinks I'll end up in some sort of situation that I'll need to fight my way out,"

[/b][/color] she laughed, though, with all things considered, there was always the threat of the city's gangs. "Though I guess it came in handy when I had to fight in the rink."[/color]

"That's really cool, though! And when you see them next, tell them I thought that they fought really well. I wanted to say something after the match, but I thought it might have been awkward."[/color] It had been her first match and all and she had rarely spoken to the other teams. Usually she had enough energy to go around and just be herself, talking to people willy nilly, but she really had put a lot of herself into that fight, hoping they could win with a knock out. She barely had the energy to walk home that night.

"I hadn't really thought of the final round like that. Though I don't blame Anya. I don't think she was feeling too well that night."[/color] She paused. "Oh! And thank you,"[/color] she said after realizing that he had complimented her. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

Feb 28, 2013 23:11:56 GMT -6

OOC: Sorry for the wait. Been uninspired the past couple of days.

Ichiro wasn’t quite sure what Airi meant by her bad memory. He didn’t know her well enough to know if it was just an exaggeration or her mother’s worry, or if the young woman honestly did have a truly horrible memory. He had never heard of that with someone their age, but hey, stranger things had happened, he supposed. All the Waterbender could do was nod to that statement. “You did well regardless,” he told her, “for it being only your first match.” She may have also misunderstood what he meant by recreational bender. Perhaps that hadn’t been the best phrase to use, because it wasn’t that he didn’t train with his Waterbending or anything, he just had no interest in being a Probending athlete. He was classically trained, and very happy with that.

Ichiro thought it was nice that Airi had wanted to talk to the Dragon Hawks after the match. That was really good sportsmanship. Ren’ai could learn a thing or two about that. She was always so concentrated on winning that she forgot to be nice to the team that beat her after the match was done. “It may have been a tad awkward,” he told her, “but Ren’ai and Yuri wouldn’t have bitten your head off, I promise. ” Ren’ai could have a very hot temper at times, but she wasn’t a bad person. “I’ll be sure to mention that to them next time that I saw them.” He wasn’t sure if the girls were still sore about losing in the Quarter-Finals to the Flying Koi. However, he saw no reason at all not to deliver her message to them. They could take it however they wanted. It really wasn’t his problem.

Ichiro didn’t blame Airi for not thinking of the final round the way he had. He hadn’t participated, and in the place of her or anyone else that had, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to deal with it. Competing was not his thing, for starters. He wasn’t sure what was, but that was another thought for another time. “No problem. Sometimes it helps to have someone else looking at something from an outsider’s perspective,” he told her, though he couldn’t blame her. If the Waterbender could even handle the pressure of competing, it would be hard to be truly impartial. She seemed to be handling things very well. Others were angry and took out their frustrations on others. It was difficult to imagine himself in that position. It was not one that he had ever thought about, nor did he think it was something that he would be interested in.

Ichiro looked around, and realized that it was time to go back to work. The lunch rush was beginning to start, and he could not stand here talking to Airi. He had a job to do. “Sorry, it has been nice talking to you, but I have to get back to work.” He began to turn away, but waved to her as he walked back to a table that he had just walked in. “Talk to you later.” The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. His dad made a point of calling him, asking him how everything had gone. Of course, everything had gone fine. The next day was his day off, and he was always unsure of what to do. He was a workaholic, so without anything to do, he often got bored and found himself actually wanting to go to work to have something to do. That was really sad, and he had made a point not to be like that anymore.

After walking up, he made himself some breakfast. Ichiro read a book for a bit, but found himself getting ancy. Deciding to do something else, he got dressed and left his apartment. The Waterbender made his way to the park. It was a decent walk, but it gave him something to do. His clothes were a simple pair of pants and a shirt, in traditional Water colors. His long, brown hair he had left down today. It was not something he did all time, but he was headed towards the park, which only meant one thing – Waterbending, and he traditionally let his hair down when he did that. That would give him something to do, and he could practice his moves before his next lesson with his Master.

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Anonymous

Mar 6, 2013 15:28:02 GMT -6

"Oh it's fine!"

[/color] she colorfully replied, understanding that he had to get back to work. She had to do the same- those errands weren't going to do themselves. The firebender snickered softly at the thought of bags of flour, eggs and other items growing legs and walking about. As she made her way out, she stole a quick glance to see him waving her off. She returned the wave, of course, kind of happy with the day already. He'd been rather nice to her.

The rest of the day went on eventless. No one else recognized her as a once probender or held a talk with her aside from her family. Dinner had been nice as well- everyone gathered around the table after they closed shop and ate together. It was her brother, Aisen, that made the food: pork buns and steamed vegetables. He even made her some nice mint tea!

The next day seemed to start the same way: waking up well rested with the smell of their trade floating in the building. The only difference would have to be the fact she was let out from chores, errands and the like. Her mother and father wanted a bit of peace and quiet (she wasn't noisy, was she?) for the day, it seemed, seeing as they even sent off Aisen to do something on his own.

Today, she had thought to herself, I'm going to make those turtleducks know who's boss. Her fear of the dreadful turtleducks, however irrational, was something she had dealt with for a while. So long as she steered clear from the park, she had nothing to worry about, but as of recent - with the Equalists and all - it felt very suffocating to have so many fears hanging around her. The turtleducks seemed to be the easiest to conquer of them all.

Dressed in browns and maroons, she made her way to the park, surprised by the lack of animals, only then realizing that she seasons were changing. Great. Why hadn't she thought of that before?

"Oh,"[/color] she said before she realized it, but didn't she see a familiar face in the park? Airi wracked through her memory for a name but couldn't find one as usual. Nonetheless, she was here and so was someone she knew."Hello!"[/color] she chimed. "I wouldn't expect you to be here,"[/color] she mused out loud, no real reasoning behind her claims other than the fact the guy seemed to be very into his work the other day.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

Mar 10, 2013 21:44:40 GMT -6

OOC: Sorry for the wait.

Ichiro made his way to the park, and upon finally reaching it, he seemed to feel better once he was there. There was no doubt that there had been things on his mind lately, but Waterbending at the park seemed to make it better somehow. It seemed… away, somehow. It seemed away from the restaurant, his parents, and his destiny as the future manager of his family’s restaurant. The brown-haired man still wasn’t entirely s how he felt about that, and he wasn’t entirely sure what he could do about it, if anything. It felt as if his destiny was out of his control. It was frustrating, even though he knew he didn’t hate his job. He liked the people, and he liked the restaurant. He just couldn’t seem to come to terms with not really having a choice in the matter one way or the other.

Ichiro continued to walk in the park until he found the water. It was a nice day even if the weather was cooling off a bit with the seasons changing and all. Besides, it was actually nice to be out of the house for a while and not just because of work. It was then that Ichiro heard a familiar voice behind him, and turned around to see the young woman from Hitomi’s Bakery. She had obviously seen him and decided to greet him. There was no reason for him not to respond to her. She had been nice the day before, even if they had both been busy with their respective jobs working for their families. It was still nice to know that there were other family-owned businesses, though he did not know if she was going to take over the bakery or if someone else in her family was due.

“Oh, hi, how’s it going, Airi?” Ichiro responded. He remembered her name clearly, after taking all the trouble yesterday to find it out. The Waterbender still felt kind of stupid that he had forgotten, it had only been one Probending match months ago. Maybe he shouldn’t be that hard on himself. The Firebender made a comment that she wouldn’t expect him to be here. A friendly smirk crossed his face. “Well, I do get a day off every week, at least one.” With his blue eyes, he gave a glance around the area before turning his gaze back to the woman in front of him. “I like to come here to train with my Waterbending. I can usually find a nice spot near the lake out of people’s way.” He wouldn’t want to get anyone wet while he was practicing, now would he? Most people didn’t like that, after all.

Ichiro had actually come here to bend, and running into Airi was a happy accident. She seemed like a nice girl, and he didn’t have many people to talk to outside of his family, and those that worked at the restaurant. He had seen Jing in forever, so he wasn’t sure what had happened there. Oh, well, there was nothing that he could do about that now. “What brings you here?” It was nice to have someone to talk to, though he did want to make time to practice his bending. He had a meeting with his master leater on today, and he wanted to make sure that he had proper progress before he met with him. Also, he assumed that Airi had probably not just come here to come here, and had a reason for doing so. It didn’t meant that they couldn’t share a conversation for a bit first, though, right?

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Last edit: Mar 19, 2013 19:51:00 GMT -6

Anonymous

Mar 14, 2013 9:57:10 GMT -6

"Ah, I'm pretty fine,"

[/color] she told the waterbender as she rocked back and forth and the heels of her feet, arms behind her back. "You?"[/color] Airi asked, hoping to just sound polite if nothing else. "Oh? I guess I must be a workaholic then; I try to spend most of my time in the bakery,"[/color] she said with a light laugh. Sure, they took Sundays off, but even then it was mostly to make preparations for the rest of the week. Getting supplies in bulk and cleaning the kitchen. Even today, she was only out and about because her parents insisted. Now that she thought of it, probending and errands were the majority of things she did outside of the bakery, aside from meeting up with Bolin from time to time. It was different having friends.

"Oh! I'm always forgetting that firebenders are the only ones that can create their element,"[/color] she mused out loud for no real reason other than for something to say. "I've heard that even airbenders can create wind. Something about... like... oh, I can't remember,"[/color] she said with a sigh. Dang it. Stupid memory.

"My parents insisted that I've been working more than my share and told me to get out of the house,"[/color] she explained, shrugging her shoulders. Airi saw no problem in making sure their business ran smoothly. "But I came here for the turtleducks. Though I guess it's the wrong season?"[/color] Maybe they were here and she just didn't see them. In that case, there'd be someone she kinda knew watching her make a fool of herself as she would attempt to pet one.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

This user is a former member

Gia

Mar 22, 2013 20:42:54 GMT -6

OOC: Karena sucks, and she is very sorry. -_-

”I’m fine, too,” Ichiro responded politely. At her mention of being a workaholic, the Waterbender just laughed. “I know the feeling, trust me. I hate not having anything to do. I would probably work straight through, even if just for something to do, if my dad didn't schedule me a day off during the week.” He gave a light shrug, a small smirk crossing his lips as he did so. The Waterbender truly enjoyed his job, though some might not understand that. He knew that Airi would. She worked in a family business, though it wasn't the same as his, of course. It was nice talking to someone who had grown up in a situation that was similar to his own. From what he had seen, she seemed to truly enjoy working at her parents’ bakery – if she was willing to spend so much time there.

Airi mentioned something out loud about Firebenders being the only ones who could create their own element, though she went on to say something about Airbenders being able to do something like that as well. Ichiro wasn't sure what she expected him to say. In fact, the brunet wasn't sure what to say, so he chose to just nod with that she was saying. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with what she was saying, it was just… he didn't know what to say in response. Surely, she would change the subject, and sure enough, she did relatively quickly, going back to a subject that they both seemed to know something about – work. He gave a light laugh at her statement about her parents telling her to get of the house. He was laughing more because he understood exactly how she felt. He was often in the same position. He’d probably work every day, at least for a little bit, if his father didn't schedule him days off and never call him in unless it was an emergency.

“Oh, I know you how feel,” he said, thinking to himself that he was almost sure that he’d said something very similar just a short time ago. Ichiro figured that didn't matter much, unless he was being repetitive. He surely he wasn't, because that sure to only bore the poor girl, and that wasn't what he wanted.
Thinking, the Waterbender remembered that he had said something similar earlier, he decided not repeat himself. “As I mentioned earlier. I think it comes with the territory.” He sure that she could agree with that. The Firebender answered his question about why she was here – turtle ducks it would seem. As the weather was turning cold, he wasn't sure he could tell her that she was mistaken. It did seem to be the wrong season. Looking around, his blue eyes could find no sign of them. If they were here, they were nowhere that he could see, hiding off somewhere or something like that.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’re right,” Ichiro said. There was really nothing that he could do. He sorry for her that she had come all the way here, for no reason it would seem. He gave a shrug, and ran one of his hands through his long, brown hair. “I don’t see any, at any rate.” Sure, he was taller than her, but that didn't make much difference, but for something like this, it didn't make much difference. He honestly did feel bad for her, though. “It probably is the wrong season.” Ichiro wasn't a fan of winter, to be honest. He much preferred summer. It wasn't there yet, but it would be there before anyone could think about it. “Time goes by so fast sometimes, doesn't it?” It seemed that one minute it was one day, and before you could blink, months had passed and things were changing. You almost wanted to stop time sometimes just to stop things from moving so fast.

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Last edit: Mar 22, 2013 20:44:44 GMT -6

Anonymous

Apr 14, 2013 14:46:55 GMT -6

Airi nodded while listening to Ichiro, noticing he repeated himself but she didn't may much mind to that. She usually repeated herself a lot- more than often, actually. The woman decided to take a seat on the grass, her arms behind her, propping her up as she gazed out at the park. She hadn't come here that often, mainly due to the turtleducks but that one guy- the speaker person for the Equalists- always scared her beyond her wits. She was always too afraid to speak up and defend benders because he had that certain sureness to him, like he knew he was right. Anything she could've said wouldn't have been nearly as provocative because even she was having doubts about some benders, despite her big belief in the fact there would always be nice people and there would always be bad people.

"Sometimes I feel like I spend days inside the bakery and when I come out everything is different,"

[/color] she told him dreamily, like she was remembering those times of confusion as she ventured out into the city. The streets, the buildings, the landmarks were always the same and never changing but the people and the events of the city never stayed the same for too long. Inside the bakery, her only connection was listening to the radio as she worked or a phone call from somebody- but that rarely ever happened unless it was a customer. "I kind of want to go back in time instead," Airi confessed, looking up at the clouds. One looked like a flower.

"To before Avatar Aang died and just keep it there. Then there would be no Equalists, no big problems and everything was peaceful,"[/color] she mused. In her history classes, she found the times when the Avatar was an Air Nomad interesting, though that didn't mean she didn't like the other Avatars. Firebenders got such a bad rep form the hundred year war that some people had trouble believing that the Fire Nation Avatars used to keep the peace. "N-not that I don't like Avatar Korra!"[/color] she blurted out flustered. She had even meet the current Avatar once! "Just during that time she's growing up and training and stuff, the world just kind of gets out of hand, you know?"[/color]

She paused for a few moments, considering several things. "I'm in no hurry to go anywhere. Want a sparring partner?"[/color] she offered. She was skilled in fighting- to an extent. She had probended and was taught by her mom to use her bending for both self defense and offense. It was what made her actually suitable to probend, even if it was short lived.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Last edit by Deleted: Apr 27, 2013 10:56:50 GMT -6

Gia

Apr 29, 2013 21:12:41 GMT -6

Ichiro had started to feel that he was repeating himself a bit, and it made him feel rather stupid. The Waterbender had not realized how much he wanted people to interact with outside of work until he started hanging out with Jing. Now, if there was any chance at all that he may have found someone to hang out with, then he wanted to hang on to it. He had to admit that Airi had a point, when she mentioned how everything seemed different when you stopped working. It did really seem like that. He didn’t say anything, but simply nodded in agreement with her. He supposed that’s what happened when one spent most of their time working and not out in the world. The world seemed odd when you were out in it.

Airi’s next statement surprised Ichiro a bit. He honestly hadn’t thought about it, before. What would happen if you turned back time to before Avatar Aang died? The Firebender back tracked herself to try to cover up what she said. He understood that it wasn’t meant as slander against Avatar Korra. He waved his hand, seeming to wave away what she said. “Don’t worry, I knew what you meant,” he said. It was different having a young Avatar-in-training instead of an experienced one for such issues. “If you think about it, though, Avatar Aang was younger than Avatar Korra is now when he stopped the one hundred year war.” Yes, he had friends, but he figured that she was not doing this alone either. “I doubt the problem would have gone away, but you never know how he would have handled it.” They’d never know either, would they?

His Firebending companion seemed to be full of surprises today, as she offered to spar with him. That was the reason why he came here, to train. Evidentially, she had picked up on his earlier statement that he liked to come to train. It made sense, if he said that he must be here to train, yes? A smile crossed his face, and he nodded in agreement. “Sounds good,” he said, covering up how nervous he felt. He had never sparred against anyone other than his teacher. Of course, he knew in theory what to do against the other element. That was something his teacher made a point of telling him. It didn’t mean he’d be any good against a Firebender and a Probender at that. Sure, it had only been one match, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t train to get her position as an alternate, especially considering how well she’d done.

Ichiro waited until Airi was in position, getting into position himself. The brunet put his tanned skinned hands up near his face to protect himself. He needed to judge how best to start this friendly sparring match with her. Did he wait for her to start, or make a move first himself? He knew that she’d know how to handle a Waterbender, due to her experience, but that also didn’t mean she’d be any good against a classically-trained Waterbender. Granted, he wasn’t the best… The young man realized that the more time he wasted thinking about what to do, the young woman across from him could get the jump on him. Deciding in a split second what to do, he moved a bit closer to the lake, and then moved his hands over to the side. Bringing them up, a wave moved towards Airi’s side. It was not that big, but he hoped that it was a decent enough size to catch her off guard, if even for a moment.

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Anonymous

May 6, 2013 12:36:00 GMT -6

Airi was super happy when he agreed to spar with her. She hadn't done that in a while, not since she had done a bit of firebending to train that one girl. Oh, what was her name? She couldn't recall, but it wasn't the name that important, it was the time she had gone without properly using her firebending. Well, aside from starting the oven in the bakery, but that didn't really count! There was no thinking with that involved! There was no trying to counter another person's move. It just wasn't... what was the word? - fun!

She pushed one of her feet forwards and one back to brace herself for any attack, her fists up, one near her waist and one pulled close to her chest. The woman waited and waited, but the man seemed lost in though so she waited a bit longer until she realized he might be waiting for her to make the first move. "Go!"

[/color] she decided to yell before she made her attack. The fist near her chest threw itself forward as she let out a long and calm breath. From the fist erupted a long spout of flames but it quickly ended as her other hand swung up to throw another punch.

A wave came at her but she noticed to late. The water doused her first attack but it left her second one unscathed. Still, she didn't wait around to see if it had hit her target. Airi shifted her weight to her back leg, pulling her front one behind her to put more space inbetween her and the lake. With the motion, she swung out left hand and a quick whip of flames moved out like a pulse. This time, she did wait and see- intrigued by what he might do next. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

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Gia

May 13, 2013 16:34:01 GMT -6

Ichiro could feel his heart beating in his chest. It was so loud that he was sure that Airi could hear it. He thought it was stupid to feel so nervous right now. It was just a friendly sparring match! Nevertheless, his heart was racing standing across from the girl, but it couldn’t be helped. The Waterbender had agreed to do the sparring match, and backing out would seem… well, rather senseless. What use was practicing for all the years that he had if he wouldn’t able to protect himself when the time came? Isn’t that what sparring was for – practicing for the real thing? It seemed logical, but it didn’t make him any less anxious about sparring against her, despite the fact that he as an adept Waterbender. At least that’s what he had been told by his teacher. In addition to his racing heart, his body also seemed a bit tense.

Airi seemed to have decided to take the same time he had. Part of the brunet wondered if she had thought that he was waiting for her to attack. She sent two attacks towards him. His steam of water managed to cancel out her first attack, but not the second. His eyes widened, and he quickly brought up water from the stream and turned it to ice to block her second attack. It worked, somewhat anyway. The ice wall didn’t last through her attack though, and the impact of it caused it to break apart. He did not get hit by the fire that his opponent had sent towards him, so at least there was a bright side. He brought up another stream of water, but immediately cursed him silently for doing the same attack twice. His brain froze for a minute as he thought about what else there was to do.

You’re overthinking things, Ichiro, he told himself. The Waterbender then took another closer step towards his source, and quickly did a water whip towards her. He hoped that she wouldn’t have time to block both attacks, but another part of him figured that he was not doing so well right now. There’s a first time for everything. Besides, his teacher would find it interesting, at least he thought he would. Realizing that he was still continuing to overthink this, he tried to concentrate on the Firebender across from him. It as a just a friendly match between two people. Why was he so nervous? He wasn’t like this during his day-to-day life, and the fact that he was being like this now was stupid. The brunet repeated to himself that there was no reason to be nervous. He needed the practice, and it was just for fun.

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Anonymous

Jun 4, 2013 19:09:55 GMT -6

Airi felt her heart heavily beat in her chest, the world seeming to slow down around her as she took in the play field. None of her attacks managed to hit him but she expected that. After all, water and fire either overcome each other or cancel each one out, often resulting in steam. For a moment, she wondered if she could use it to her advantage somehow, but nothing came to mind in that moment and she decided to put it away from the moment being as she watched his movements that pulled a stream of water from it's source and hurled it towards her.

This wasn't probending, where you had to let go of the water once it was thrown so he could pull it around her if she ignored it - that is, if he thought of it. She had no idea what he was capable. Yet. Another breath filled her lungs and it released slowly as she side stepped the stream and thrust her right hand forward to cancel out the water. Only in her peripheral vision did she see a second attack coming her way. Her right arm still thrust out, she turned and forced the last of her breath out that resulted in a long path of fire in her hand's wake. She felt the sting of the whip on her hand but it was brief and part of the water gone as was her fire.

Time for the offensive, she thought to herself with a smile as she bounced through the steam and towards Ichiro. Another breath and she focused on her feet as she landed and kicked, a long flame pouring out fiercely. Without a moment to lose, as her foot came down, her left fist came forward and around it something like a glove of fire around it. Not wanting to actually hurt him hurt him, she aimed for his shoulder. With any luck, a burn could make it a little more painful to move around, hinder his abilities. N-not that she wanted him to be hurt, she thought a little too late.

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Gia

Jul 4, 2013 15:57:29 GMT -6

OOC: Sorry about the wait. Am moved now, so here's a post!

Airi easily thwarted both of his attacks, but he had expected that. She was a probender, and while that didn’t necessarily that she had any classic skill. It did, however, mean that she had skill with her element on some level. She had to be talented if she had been given the chance to participate, even if she had originally been an alternate first. Ichiro should have expected this, and it wasn’t that he didn’t… he just didn’t know how to handle this. He had come here to practice, and this was certainly going to be the best practice he’d ever gotten , whether or not he managed to hold his own against her. He wasn’t entirely sure of that yet, but the fight hadn’t really gone on that long yet. He was sure it was partly his own insecurities as well – this was his first time sparring against someone that was not his Master.

Airi side stepped his first attack, cancelling it out with a stream of her fire. That was the issue with water versus fire – they negated each other. It also made things interesting, if he was honest with himself. Although, he was too nervous to be as excited about this as he should be. Ichiro thought for a minute that his second attack was going to get her, but to no avail as the Firebender dealt with that attack as well. The brunet was not fully prepared for what happened next, though he should have been. His opponent for the day turned on the offensive, kicking and punching, sending two streams of water his way. Quickly as he could, the Waterbender bent some water in front of him and turned it to ice. It blocked her first attack, but it didn’t withstand her second, the flame coming right for his shoulder.

Ichiro swore lightly under his breath as he barely managed to move out of the way. He could feel the heat on his shoulder, though he knew that it hadn’t actually touched him. If he had moved a moment slower, certainly that flame would have hit his shoulder. If he thought his heart had been racing fast before, it was racing so hard his chest hurt now. My ice wall should have been stronger, the waiter thought to himself. He didn’t really have time to worry about his failings now. If he hesitated for even a second, Airi would get him. It was obvious that at the very least when it came to bending, she knew what she was doing. He had to be on his toes at all times, and he wasn’t sure he was doing enough to beat her right now.

Ichiro stepped towards the water again, having had to move away from it because of Airi’s second attack. He needed to be quick and sure, but he wasn’t sure how to do that exactly. Deciding to forget about worrying, he bent some water towards Airi again, this time coming at her from the side, aiming for her legs. Predicting that she might jump up to avoid the steam of water, the Waterbender attempted to move the water to block her, but a moment’s lapse in concentration caused his water to fall to the ground. Cursing again, he didn’t waste a moment, and got some more water and sent it at her again, this time aiming for her torso. The brunet hoped that at least one of his attacks was going to get to her, but he wasn’t entirely sure about what she was going to do next.

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