We're not in Republic City anymore.

[avatar_state]

She sat, cross-legged, meditating. One day, she'd find a way to reconnect with her past selves. All the previous avatars, stretching back through time. But the meditation itself never hurt. To think just a few years before how bad she'd been at it. So hotheaded, so rash. She'd been tempered. By hard experience, but also by wonderful people.

So she smiled when she felt the breeze stir her hair. It was a reminder, to her, of so much. But then she heard the creaking of a door.

Her eyes opened, and she stood. There weren't any doors here, not out in the wilds beyond Republic City. But there was one, in the face of a boulder near to her, grass swirling in front of it like it had always been there, just a part of the scenery. She stepped forward.

She didn't remember taking hold of the handle. All she remembered was the flash, and then there was...another city. One she didn't recognize, with strange smells, and strange sounds. She turned in a small circle, eyes wide and mouth open.

"How does my life keep on getting stranger?"

Comments

[avatar_state]

She let it dissipate, with a nod.

"Some people. Each of the elements have their own practitioners - only the Avatar can master all of them, however."

[itmeanstruth]

“I wish I could do that.” He smiled, chuckling at the thought of growing up with elemental powers. “If I could, though, my brother would probably have water, just so he could drench me and put it out.”

[avatar_state]

She grinned.

"That's where I started, was with waterbending. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. It sort of comes naturally to many of us."

[itmeanstruth]

“Ohhh... it’s a tribal thing. That makes sense.” He nodded.

At least, it made sense that a group of people known as a water tribe, a close knit group of families, would have water powers. It actually took him a minute to connect the dots between the fact that Korra had mentioned waterbending but demonstrated firebending.

Eventually the smile turned quizzical. “But you just used fire...”

Wait, there was a word for this. She’d just said one.

[avatar_state]

She looked thoughtful for a long moment.

"Well, we're part of what could be called a nation, and those were arranged around bending abilities at some point so far back that nobody really remembers how it happened."

"And yeah, the Avatar is...well, our job is to maintain balance, to keep darkness from becoming a threat to the world. So, a very long time ago, the first Avatar was granted special powers over all of the elements."

Plus an internal manipulation of their chi that resulted in the Avatar State, but that was for another time.

[itmeanstruth]

“Okay, that’s really cool.” From the shift in his tone, it was clear he meant that in a heart-felt, honorable sense. Being able to make fire was neat, but learning what she did with those powers made them far more impressive.

This young woman, and these other Avatars that came before her, were definitelu worthy of respect.

[avatar_state]

"It...kind of is, yeah."

She's honestly not used to people approaching it like that much, these days.

"I miss just getting to practice for the joy of it, if I'm honest."

[itmeanstruth]

Minoru smiled. “I wish I could help with that. Not sure what I could do besides be a moving target, though.”

Which, the more he thought about it, might actually be kind of fun... doing parkour when the space around him was constantly in flux? As long as he didn’t get lit on fire, he was actually okay with this.

[avatar_state]

She chuckled.

"It's nice of you to offer, really. But I'm not slinging anything at anyone who isn't a well-trained bender. It's dangerous."

[itmeanstruth]

“Too bad, it sounded kinda fun.” He chuckled too, but didn’t press the issue. “But I get it. Being burned alive would definitely end the fun real quick.”

He wasn’t sure what else she could do with the other elements, though he could imagine earth probably packed a real punch. Water would probably put all his childhood water gun fights with his brother to shame ten times over. And air... well, he certainly wouldn’t mind a boost between building jumps. If it even did that.

[avatar_state]

"It is, but, y'know, 'no setting civilians on fire' is kinda a rule I try not to break."

[itmeanstruth]

“I don’t know if there’s other benders there, but they’ve got a bar off that way called the Viper’s Pit. They’ve got a big sparring ring out back. You could probably ask around and see if there’s anybody like you that you could practice with.” He offered helpfully.

Minoru hadn’t gone there himself. Most of his knowledge of it came from the nurses and other hospital staff up at work. He’s had to help patch a few people up every now and then.