Like a Moth to a Flame [tag: Jin]

yukari

Jun 18, 2012 19:39:58 GMT -6

She stalked around her target, circling it, eyes narrowing in concentration. A dense misshapen metal ball propped up by a tall metallic cylinder grotesquely reflected the setting sun’s light that streamed in through the windows. They lined the wall behind her, making the dust-covered concrete floor glow an almost orange-gray. The musty air still around her, it was almost as if the warehouse were her stage; fire-girl in a fire-colored room, about to show off her skills on the already half-molten ball only a few yards away.

A sudden rattling of the windows as one of the newly manufactured cars of Republic City drove by was her cue, setting her into motion. Left leg slides forward, crescent mooning on the floor, providing the momentum needed to lift the right leg, spin, jump—and kick out, release a burst a flames towards the center of the metallic cylinder. Without pausing, Yukari continued into the next phase, reciting the movements in her mind. Thrust left hand forward and send another quick burst towards the ‘neck’ of the ‘opponent’. Then, as left foot comes down, stomp and use that extra force as a focal power point. With that power in mind, Yukari arced her right arm as she swung towards the practice dummy, and twisted her palm to release a spiral-like burst of flames that was aimed right at the dummy’s ‘head’.

Panting, sweat trickling down the side of her cheek, and chest heaving, Yukari paused, watching the metal dummy grow from a warm orange color to a cold, dull silver once again. The bandages around her hands were a bit charred, and her clothes stuck to her body from sweat. She slowly came back to a resting position, and stared at her handy work, still a little out of breath. Practicing fire bending for three hours could seriously be exhausting, but rewarding. Yet, she still needed a lot more practice. Trotting up to the dummy, she inspected the damage. There was a small dent and char mark on the center of the tall cylinder, as well as a mark where Yuka would expect one’s neck to be.

“…Shoot.” Sighing, she noticed how not centered the spiral mark on the metal ball was. It was a good four inches away from the middle. Her aim was off. And if it was off for a target that wasn’t moving, what could she expect from one that was running about, and trying to attack her at the same time? Running her hands through her hair, she stared at it, wishing the mark to move those four inches over to make her feel better. It was her aim that she had been trying to improve today. She glanced at the wall on the far side of the room. It was an improvement from two days ago, when she had been missing the entire dummy and hitting the wall, but after three hours for three days, she had hoped she would be pretty good at her new move.

Scowling, she recalled what her father used to tell her when she was younger, and learning the basics of fire bending. ‘Pateince, Yukari. A flame can’t melt a candle all at once. It takes time.’ She knew this to be true, but at the same time, she whole heartedly believed that if the flame was hot enough for a certain amount of time, it should melt it pretty quickly. And her bodily aches proved just how ‘hot’ she had been burning the past three days. Turning on her heel, she walked to her bag, and picked up a water bottle, taking a swig, and prepared herself to practice again. One more hour wouldn’t hurt.

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Last edit by yukari: Jun 18, 2012 20:06:37 GMT -6

jin

Jun 19, 2012 15:05:00 GMT -6

There was something different about today; maybe the sun was brighter, or maybe the delicious taste of fresh air was sharper. His hands laid comfortably inside of his brown jacket pockets, his back was straight, and his eyes were forward. He was something new. Was that confidence he felt? It certainly felt like it. He still cringed when too many people crowded around him, and his feet shuffled a bit faster and his frame hunched to make him smaller, but as soon as the area cleared of the small groups his strut returned to normal. Even his hair stayed up, away from his amber hued eyes. He looked good, and he felt good. His life, it was really starting to come together.

"That's him! He's the one!" And then in a single moment Jin's entire body covered itself in goosebumps, and his body halted. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. That didn't matter though, that wasn't what worried him. No, this was about to turn a perfectly great day into a very bad one. His heart pounded, his blood rushed, and in an instant his body shifted it's weight and his feet started moving. He couldn't stay there and he wasn't about to take any chances. His eyes stayed forward as his body moved from side to side, cutting in and out of the narrow alley ways. He could hear the sound of pattering feet behind him. One, two, maybe three people were coming after him. They were fast, but Jin was too, and he could beat them with experience. He did this almost for a living - running from potential threats, keeping himself hidden away.

And then a ray of light almost shined through the darkness of this tragedy. There, an open warehouse, and they weren't anywhere near him yet. Jin rushed around, grabbing the brim of the over-sized door and with a quick spin hid behind the door with his face against the door. As the sound of the of people chasing vanished, Jin couldn't hep but hear something else coming up from behind him. Not again... His body was slow to turn, but when the frame came into sight the tension built up from running dissipated into absolute nothingness but instead was replaced by something else. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he wasn't upset by what he had found. She was cute, and much shorter than himself.

Jin chuckled for a moment, shrugging and rubbing the back of his head. He didn't really know what to say, intruding in her...training? Jin noticed the target, and the small scorch marks on it. He tilted his head, looking over at the girl. "You're a firebender." His tone implied that he too bended fire, but it also left him open to continue speaking. "And you're training - from the looks of this thing" He said, tapping the metal target. "A probender?" Jin got ahead of himself, and he noticed this as he walked up to the girl. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. I'm Jin." He said, extended his hand finally reaching the girl. A very faint, small smile etched across his features.

[OOC - Sorry if this seems random, was thinking of a way for him to get to the warehouse]

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yukari

Jun 22, 2012 23:37:40 GMT -6

Tossing her water bottle to the side, Yukari stalked back the middle of the room, and decided to do some point practice, rather then wear herself out when she couldn’t even aim. She shook out her annoyance from her failure, and drew a deep breath—centering herself. Preparing to become a force to be reckoned with; a fire-bender.

As she took another deep breath, she brought herself into stable footing, feet slightly apart, knees slightly bent, and fists at her side. From there, she felt the flame of her soul; and let it build. Feeding the fire within her with the determination to improve her aim, she called the fire into the palm of her right hand, and thrust her open fist forwards, twists her palm to create the spiral effect.

The spiral didn’t really do much for power; it was more to confuse the opponent, and to wow the audience in a pro bending arena. After all, it was a show! She watched her flame turn the ‘cheek’ of the ball bright red, and continued this exercise, trying to improve her aim. She was about to throw her fourth fire spiral, when something broke her concentration; sending the spiral cascading into the wall on the far side of the room. Cursing, she turned and glared at the disruption.

Some guy had just swung himself into her training room. Her. Training. Room. This was supposed to be her private, out of the way area no one knew about. And now this… Yuka scowled at the man. He didn’t seem much older than her, though he was quite a bit taller. His clothing was rather plain, but he wore a collection of bandages around his neck. But his skin… Yuka cocked an eyebrow. Perhaps she hadn’t been found out after all, but was simply being contacted by the spirit world?

But that thought immediately disappeared as she heard a clamoring pass by the warehouse. So he had been chased here. It was only perchance that he happened upon her training space. That made her feel slightly more at ease, but she was still rather annoyed at the disturbance he had caused. She had now lost all focus she had drawn up.

And now he was talking to her!

“What’s it to you?” She asked, in retort to her bending element. She took a hesitant step back, before holding her ground, as he came closer to her—to her practice target. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion as he continued to speak at her.

“Do you make it a habit to talk to random fire benders?” She demanded, staring up at the boy. She swatted his hand away lightly, feeling her raw hand throb under the bandages. A minor setback, when it came to self-training in fire bending. “What is it you are doing here? Perhaps you are a probender, and just trying to scope out the competition before the tournaments begin?” She tossed her head, shaking her black bangs out of her eyes, and looking coolly at the boy from a distance out of reach—not that it would help, if he decided to attack her with fire bending.

“Just so you know, I can scream pretty loudly. And I’m awfully good at starting fires. I made a man bald, earlier this week. So no funny stuff, or you’ll be on fire, and those guys chasing you will be here in a few seconds.” She stared haughtily, in all her five-foot-four glory. She just needed to know what this guy was doing here, before she allowed him to be so friendly.

[OOC: it's fine! it works. Sorry for Yuka's personality!! And for taking so long to reply.]

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Last edit by yukari: Jun 22, 2012 23:38:22 GMT -6

jin

Jun 23, 2012 15:11:06 GMT -6

This girl clearly wasn't too happy with Jin popping up in her training room. If she hadn't said anything he could still tell from the way she looked at him. There was obviously distaste with his entrance and even more so with him speaking. Despite that though Jin wanted to, nay, needed to talk to more people. He needed to get comfortable with people if he was ever going to be successful at being a probender. Still, he almost found the way she reacted to him cute. He shook his head and kept his cool with her words. He couldn't show just how easily disturbed he was, less she use it to her advantage. Still, she asked him a question, and he was going to answer it regardless. "For curiosity sake, is all. I mean, I'm here, and you're here. Mine as well try and make nice."

The words came calmly, and Jin didn't take her swatting at his hand to heart. He shrugged briefly before placing both hands into his pockets. Though he did take notice to the bandages. Jin assumed it an injury from training. Firebending most of all could be a very unforgiving element if you had a misstep and from the look of things, she had just that. A misstep that led to her eventual injury. He didn't comment on it though, everyone deserved their own privacy and he wasn't about to pry nor did he have any right to. Soon snapping out of his three second thoughts on her bandages, Jin looked back at her and laughed. "Random firebenderS? No, not normally. But I'd rather talk to a random firebenders rather than three thugs." A short, hesitant laugh escaped from the young man before taking a step back. He placed his weight on his back foot, cocking his body slightly to the side.

"Oh no no! I would never dream of scoping out another team. That's the truth..." He sighed. But now that she mentioned it, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to do so. At least it made tactical sense, but Jin would never dream of doing something so dastardly. It was shameful, and only cowards, or people that had no true talent would dare scope out another team. Jin was glad that the thugs passed, and he was now safe though that notion was easily debatable. "I just happened to wined up here. I was being chased, and this was the quickest, and easiest way of getting away from those people."

And then she threatened him, although it seemed less of a threat and more of a promise with the way she had said it. He believed her too. His skin went numb, his back chilled out with goosebumps running down his spine and he rose his hands from his pockets shaking them from side to side. "The fire I don't mind, just don't scream. I'd rather not have to fight, and I'm sure you don't want MORE people knowing about your secret hideout here"

[/color] Jin hoped that what he said would be enough to persuade her not to scream. He believed she could scream. Small woman were capable of many things - his mother was living proof of that. Jin soon settled and placed both hands back into his pockets.

"I certainly don't mean any harm. If you really want me to leave, I will. But, I think I can help with your training."[/color] Jin took one more hand out, raising his fingers and spreading them apart. Soon a small flame lit on each finger, and then with a quick clasp of his hand the fire vanished. Soon opening his palm a proud flame sparked into his hand. Dancing across his palm with elegance. "I'd like to think I'm pretty good at what I do." Jin closed his hand once more, the warm sensation soon fading as his hand once more entered his pocket. Jin literally defined walking redundancy with his actions, but they were safe, and they weren't risking himself. Or anyone for that matter. Jin let a very small smile etch itself across his lips, trying to seem as sincere as possible.[/blockquote]

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Last edit by yukari: Jun 23, 2012 15:12:09 GMT -6

yukari

Jun 25, 2012 15:16:53 GMT -6

Was he serious? Yukari narrowed her eyes in suspicion, again. It was rare to find someone who was ’just willing to help’, though not impossible. Yukari was just used to meeting those who wanted to take advantage of her; it’s why she pretty much stuck to herself, and no one else. She felt like he was being honest though. He didn’t mention why he was being chased, but he didn’t seem too dangerous. Even with the fire bending tricks he pulled, Yukari still thought she’d be able to get the upper hand, if it came down to it.

“Yeah? You want to help me? Why on earth would you want to do that?” From the sounds of it, he seemed to be a probender too, or at least, an aspiring one. Why would he help someone who could eventually become his opponent? That was, if they were ever lucky enough to fight each other.

She was curious though, to see what he’d share. Perhaps she should let him; to take advantage of someone else, for once? She walked around, still keeping her distance from him, but her body language obviously no longer threatening. “Well?” She demanded. “What is it you think you can teach me?”

She made sure her guard was up, after asking this. For all she knew, he’d throw a fireball right at her face; he seemed harmless enough, but Yukari was always bad at reading others’ thoughts. She stood, ready to protect herself, yet curious as to what this ‘Jin’ was going to show him. “Ahh--…” She faltered, quickly glancing sideways, before pulling back into her usual, overconfident demeanor. “And the name is Yukari.”

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jin

Jun 25, 2012 16:02:45 GMT -6

Jin understood the hesitation better than anyone. There was a part of him that was still feeling that way right then as he spoke to the girl. He could of ran right then and there, and while she would of thought he was strange, or weird, and probably would never talk to him again - which would of been a shame - he'd be out of any situation that could make him lose it. Yet, there still was something that made him want to stay, and help her. She could of been future competition, but that fact wouldn't change if he helped her or not and it's not like he'd show her every last ace, or any of the ace's for that matter. Jin laughed softly to himself before he nodded and started to speak, walking toward the dummy once more. "Why not? Just because we might play one another doesn't mean I shouldn't help someone that might need it."

Jin was leaning down at this point, poking the metal dummy but he quickly shot up, turned around and hesitantly laughed and waved his arms like he had when he first entered the room. "Not that I"m saying you NEED help or anything, but that helping people is the right thing to do!" He rubbed the back of his head nervously, spiting himself in his mind. Good goin' Jin, nice job He sighed and then turned toward the dummy once more, inspecting it before walking toward her, but just enough away from her to give them both their personal space.

"Why not just show you? I'm horrible at explaining things." Jin said quietly as he removed the brown jacket from his torso. A small white shirt clothed his body before centering himself. His amber eyes closed and Jin remained quiet with his hands risen to his chest. He took in a deep breath and as he exhaled he lowered his hands almost as if he was pushing the air from his body. Then, with one more deep breath he rose his hands once more taking in all the air he could. Their bending, both of them, came from within. They were the source, and they were the controllers. They were the drivers, and they were also the passenger in their own bending element.

Jin centered himself, lowering his hands to his waist before raising one hand to throw a jab. His body fluently followed the jab as all of the energy flowed through him and was released at the base of his fist. A flame burst from his hand and then another as he repeated the process with his left hand. Jin then clapped both hands together as a stream of fire escaped his hands heading toward the dummy. Each burst hit the dummy gently knocking the center of the dummy back a bit only for it to re-corporate for the next hit. As the stream finally ended, Jin stepped back and took in two more deep breaths as he released the stored oxygen and once more centered himself. "That wasn't anything special, but I've been training for about seven years." And then Jin heard her name, he smiled and once more extended his hand. Maybe this time she would take it. He meant no harm, and had no ill-intentions toward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Yukari, but why are you training by yourself, if you don't mind me asking?" His words were calm, and sincere but he almost felt uneasy asking them. He had just met her, literally minutes ago, and he expected her to open up just like that? He wasn't sure actually. He wasn't a social butterfly, but he was open when it wasn't in groups. He inwardly sighed to himself, mocking himself at the inner dialog and conversation he was having with no one but himself. I'm such a loser...

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Last edit by yukari: Jun 25, 2012 16:09:00 GMT -6

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