As your feet, they touch the ground

[alphatar]

Characters: Korra (alphatar), Open
Date: June 9th, Late evening
Location: Brazen Turtle (Center of Keeliai)
Situation: Doing her job
Warnings/Rating: N/A

With the recent bombings and need for the kedan to have safe housing in the foreigner’s former suites, business at the Brazen Turtle has taken a dip. Food isn’t easy to come by, though the bar managed to get enough to serve its patrons. As barback, Korra’s tending to the bar since the drinks don’t need too much stocking.

Overhead is the scale model of the Starship Enterprise she had gotten Jim for Christmas and it has her attention when there’s little to no customers. At a simple, sullen command it flies sporadically or circles over the bar where she’s at. Depending on her mood, something that’s she’s distracting herself from by wiping down the bar, even if it doesn't need it.

The ship's lights and occasional sounds are soft, but poignant as always.

Comments

[backwordscompatible]

She wasn't there to drink. Well...not alchohol; Kyle may have been gone (a thought she tried not to think about, really, less that pang of sadness sweep over her once more), but Superman was definitely still around. And had that little habit of knowing where she was at any given time thanks to her own heartbeat. The traitor.

She was there, to put it simply, because that's where Korra was.

"Any recommendations?" It was partially a joke, given what happened the last time she let Korra dictate their night, as she slid into a familiar barstool across the counter.

[alphatar]

A night Korra wouldn't forget, it was the only time she had fun, gotten in trouble and learned something valuable all in one day. But she wasn't ready to have a repeat of it, not after she made her promise. Though she had been tempted while she was working the past four days.

"Have you had the omichron mix?" Korra put a clean, white towel over her shoulder as she gave Zatanna a polite smile, obviously there was a catch. "The non-alcoholic version I mean." Her tone's anything but sullen anymore, seeing Zee was always a reminder that not everyone she held close was gone.

[backwordscompatible]

"I have absolutely no idea what that is." Although she grinned at the non-alcoholic specification. "Sure. Give me one of whatever it was you just said."

[alphatar]

"One O-mix coming right up." Korra said it with a bit of a ring in her tone as she turned around to take bottles down from the rack to mix with, and she put her hand on one for a moment before moving onto another one. Almost made a mistake on the non-alcoholic part.

"Did you want something from the kitchen too? The chef could probably use a wake up call." Once she had what she needed, Korra turned back to the bar and got a glass out from under the bar. "On the house." Zatanna didn't come for the meal or the drink, so Korra looked at her expectantly as she started making the drink.

[backwordscompatible]

"Maybe in a little bit. I'm not really hungry right now."

Korra was partially right. She wasn't there for the food or drink...although she was definitely curious about whatever it was Korra was concocting for her now. It was easy to see why the young Avatar had gotten the job. She certainly had the right demeanor for it.

"So...how've you been?"

Considering Korra's state of mind the last time they spoke--over pasta--Zatanna figured her concerns were warranted.

[alphatar]

Once Korra had the drink all set, she popped open the small umbrella to put it in the drink. But her hand stayed steady in the air at Zatanna’s question, and Korra’s eyes settled on the effervescent, lavender liquid. A little over a year ago, Korra would have said she’s settling in.

Now she couldn’t escape from the continual disappearances of people she liked and cared about. The numbers kept growing.

Releasing the umbrella, Korra put the drink on a folded napkin and slid it over to Zatanna. She couldn’t lie or hold it in like she did last time. That was unfair to her friend, and if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t fair to herself.

Her voice dropped to a low mumble. "Jim’s gone." As was Bro, but Korra was trying to handle each empty space they left behind at a time. She looked down at the bar after wiping off a drop of the drink that was spilled. "I don’t want to be here by myself."

Taking a deep breath, Korra looked back up at Zatanna and her voice was back at its normal volume. "The bubbles aren’t like soda, it’s a really smooth drink. The kedan like it."

[backwordscompatible]

Her shoulder slumped. Of course. Hadn't she just gone through this with Jack? He'd lost Clara. She lost Kyle. And now Korra lost Jim...so soon after losing Mako.

"You're not by yourself." Instinctively, her hand reached out for Korra's. Giving the older girl's fingers a gentle squeeze. "I'm still here. And I'm not going anywhere. Promise."

[burnseternal]

If there was one place that most people wouldn't expect Saint Walker, it was at a bar, but his calling in life had an odd tendency of taking him into places he would not normally go. This venue had been the choice of his companion, a man that had suffered severe injuries from the bombings, and a man to which Saint Walker offered guidance at best and a listening ear at worst. Though his companion certainly wasn't shy when it came to the consumption of alcohol, Saint Walker abstained for the duration of their visit, hands securely wrapped around a single glass of water.

Eventually his companion left, and Saint Walker found his eyes drawn to a rather familiar young lady behind the counter. He drained his glass of water before making his way over and catching her eye, a small smile upon his face.

"Ah, Korra. Good evening."

[alphatar]

Korra was drying off the clean glasses she had brought in from the back, placing them under the bar once dried and she had to stop when she saw him. There weren’t too many people that had a subtle, yet strong presence like the Blue Lantern did.

"Hey! Saint Walker. You here for food, drinks, or both?" She was thankful he wasn’t there on Lantern business; she had her fill of disasters on the turtle, and she gestured to one of the stools. "Gotta admit, I never thought I’d see you here." Korra resumed cleaning the glasses as she waited to see if she should rouse the chef in back or not. The glasses caught the glow of the strings of hanging lanterns overhead.

[burnseternal]

"Neither," he replied, though he did seat himself on the stool that Korra beckoned towards. "I had seated myself nearer to the back, with a friend - and it seems that upon his absence, I have run into another!"

There were many words to describe war, awful, terrible, bloody words, but at this time, the most apt was a deceptively simple one: busy. There was much to do, as there always was, and he hadn't had the time to seek out as many people as he wished to in these trying times. If he had, he would have sought Korra out sooner than now to see how she was doing, both with the new pressures imposed upon Keeliai as a whole, and upon her specifically.

"How have you been?"

[alphatar]

Even with her natural exuberance, Korra had a difficult time answering his question, so she decided to buy that time by getting a tall glass and filling it with water. "I’ve been better." After it was filled she pushed the drink over to him, a thin layer of broken ice forming atop the water as she did so.

"A lot of friends have returned home. I don’t know if it has anything to do with that thing in the palace or not." He was easy to talk to, and Korra even poured a glass of water for herself. "How about you?"

[burnseternal]

Saint Walker accepted the glass of water with a word of thanks and wrapped both hands around it as he listened. "I have been keeping busy," he said simply, the most accurate description he could think of. He couldn't call himself unhappy, but seeing the hardships that they all had to suffer through was far from a pleasant experience.

Luckily for him, doing his duty was the natural reaction, something that he would do no matter what planet or what universe he found himself on, but he knew that not everyone had dedicated themselves to a purpose as single-mindedly as he had, and that not everyone was so used to being alone.

He couldn't say that he was sorry that some of their kind were being sent back home, back to where they belonged, but that put others, like Korra, in a tricky spot. "It is always hard to lose the ones you care for, whatever the cause," he said, voice gentle.

[alphatar]

"Yeah, it is. And I don’t think I’ll ever see one of them ever again." Korra hated admitting it; she should be stronger than that. She took a deep drink from her water in an attempt to wash down the doleful tone of her voice. More than enough of her time was spent dealing with their absences when she was by herself and Naga.

"What do you do when that happens?" Then she paused for a moment before adding: “Has that happened to you?”

[sophos]

Annabeth doesn't frequent the Brazen Turtle - bars and alcohol aren't really her scene. But she did help Bryn out with the building when the woman first started up, so she does like to check in now and then.

She ducks inside, taking a cursory glance around the room, but her eyes land on the spaceship, distracted by it for a few moments. She's aware of Korra over at the bar, but it takes a moment to get hold of her ADHD and pull herself from staring at the model.

"I'd say sorry for intruding, but it looks a little dead in here tonight."

[alphatar]

Rearranging the rack behind the bar, Korra had a bottle in her hand when she heard someone and she whipped around. "Annabeth, hey!" She set the bottle down and put a napkin while grabbing a glass from under the bar to put on it.

"Yeah, it’ll probably start picking up after everyone knows that food’s safe to eat again. Have a seat, can’t intrude if we’re open. Food, drink or both?" Though Korra already made her mind on giving Annabeth a free drink, she tended to do that.

[sophos]

She lifts her hand in a little wave, closing the distance over to the bar and hopping up easily into a stool.

"I could do both. Doesn't hurt to eat out now and then. I'll pass on anything alcoholic, though." The least she can do is give the tavern a little business right now. "What do you recommend?"

[alphatar]

"I’m not big on the alcohol either, so I got just the thing." Like clockwork, Korra got down bottles from the rack without missing a beat and whipped out a glass from underneath the bar. Mixing the fruit juices, carbonated water and syrup was all too easy and Korra even went to show off bending the liquids instead of pouring them.

"There you go." Holding down both corners of the napkin the drink was on; Korra slid it over to Annabeth. "Beached Turtle. I think it tastes sweeter without the alcohol." She grabbed one of the menus at the bar and set it next to the drink. "How’ve you been? With the whole soul lantern and explosion thing going I mean."

[sophos]

Annabeth's drawn into watching the process of how it's made, curiosity and distraction both. It's interesting, at least, especially with the way Korra uses her bending. It reminds her of Percy, but the thought makes her happy instead of morose.

She grins when it's set in front of her. "Beached turtle. Named after our friend down there?" And she gestures are the ground, reaching for the class in the same moment.

A sigh. "Not too bad, considering. Is it sad that incidents like that feel kind of standard here?"

[alphatar]

Korra only gave a seemingly innocent shrug of her shoulders, looking up at the small starship sailing between the lit lanterns above them. Which of course gave away that the drink was indeed named for Asti.

"Yeah, it really is. I was hoping our attack on the palace was going to be successful and we could change everything back to normal; but this is normal..." Since the bottles were already out, Korra started making a drink for herself.

"And I know it sounds silly, but I really miss my suite."

[ruinsprofessor]

Raine hadn't actually been to the Brazen Turtle before, but she knew of it, and she knew enough people who did know where it was to get good directions. It was, however, a couple of weeks after the initial invitation before she found her way over. She had the time now, after all, and she intended to take Korra up on her offer of further conversation without time pressure.

This was not the sort of establishment Raine usually had cause to frequent, but if she was discomforted she hid it well. She paused just inside the door to look around the space, then headed toward Korra. "Hello," she said, lifting one hand in a wave. Her staff was in the other; lately she didn't feel comfortable going far without it. "We met a few weeks ago, at the hospital...?"

[alphatar]

Having more than enough time on her hands to make sure everything was in order and the bar was fully stocked, Korra was sitting with her feet propped up on the bar. As soon as the door opened Korra was immediately on her feet and wiping off where her boots had been. The only telltale sign she was sitting with her arms crossed staring at the ship floating above the room was the whirl of a dying wind.

"Oh, hey. Yeah. Raine, right?" Said rhetorically, Korra was confident in remembering names and faces. Especially faces that liked bending. "Have a seat. We got drinks and food."

[ruinsprofessor]

"That's right." Raine took a seat at the bar, leaned her staff against it. "And you're Korra, correct? Food and drink would be welcome, but I'm more interested in learning about your bending, if the offer's still open." She took a moment to look around again, and this time her eyes lit on the floating ship. "If you have the time, that is."

She was reasonably sure Korra had said it would be fine even though she was working, but there was no harm in confirming. She tracked the ship's path, briefly fascinated, before returning her attention to Korra.

[alphatar]

"Trust me, I’ve got time." Said with a wry smirk, her tone reflecting it, and she pulled a glass out form under the bar. "There’s a lot to bending." Korra reached up and grabbed a bottle of clear, blue liquid.

Bending’s a topic Korra knew all too well, even then she’s still learning. "Water, earth, fire, and air. Those are the four elements, and in my world there’s four nations: one for each element." Once she opened it up, a small amount followed her fingers until it filled the glass. "The Fire Nation, the Air Nomads, the Water Tribe, and the Earth Kingdom." A simple twirl of her hand made it into a bit of an ice slush. "If you’re born a bender then the element depends on your parents." Fetching a small bottle from the rack, Korra poured in a thick yellow syrup and mixed it in by moving her finger just above the glass. "My parents are from the Southern Water Tribe, so I was born a waterbender. Mako and Bolin are brothers, but Mako’s a firebender and Bolin’s an earthbender because their parents were from different nations. Asami, ...my friend, her dad’s from the Fire Nation but she’s not a bender."

Talking about them was easy enough, and Korra tone was fond as the drink turned green. "What else did you want to know?" She slid the napkin the glass was on to Raine, a sweet and flowery scent rising up from it.

[ruinsprofessor]

Raine followed both Korra's motions and words with undisguised fascination, watching the liquid swirl and change states. "Everything," she said promptly, with a little smile. She touched the side of the glass, then the rim. Inhaled the aroma cautiously. "Though I realize that's rather broad. What you're doing looks like what I would call magic, but your ease with it brings to mind a summon spirit rather than any mortal mage, and -- as I believe you told me, back then -- it is not, in fact, magic. I can't sense the movement of mana." She was thinking out loud to herself at this point, staring through rather than at the drink before her.

In a moment, though, she was focused again. "So elements are tied to bloodlines, but that itself is no guarantee of the capability. You said something about chi, didn't you?" Evidently deciding it was worth investigating further, Raine took a small sip of the drink. "What is this?"

[alphatar]

"That’s a Beifong Beatdown. Doesn’t pack that punch without the alcohol, but it’s sweet."

The lighting from the hanging lanterns shone off the counter after Korra gave it one more wipe down and she gave a quiet command so the small starship became stationary over the bar. "Chi is the energy that flows through paths in your body. Bending is being able to extend that chi outside your body to manipulate an element."