tushanshu_logs | As your feet, they touch the ground

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As your feet, they touch the ground

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.

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Korra paused, fork hovering in the air just in front of her open mouth. For the first, and probably last, time Korra wished Tenzin was able to inundate her with that knowledge back home. Instead she was just trying to answer as best she could.

A puzzle to which each piece was one of the past lives within her; which the completion of would take a small eternity.

"It was shown to me by Wan. Well, his spirit anyway. But I don’t think anyone’s seen a lion turtle since back then. They’re just a mythical animal to most people."

Korra couldn’t help but ask with an amused smile. "Are you writing a book?"

Raine blinked at that last. "...Eventually, perhaps. There are aspects of our history that ought to be remembered, if only in the hope that no one repeats them. But as regards to my curiosity, no, I don't have anything of that sort planned. I'm simply curious about other worlds, and hearing about them is likely as close as I will get to exploring them in this case. You're one of the most gregarious people I've met here."

Curious was a bit of an understatement, but doubtless Korra could work that one out for herself.

"Not so bad yourself." She gave a smirk before continuing. "But I think I understand that. A friend of mine came from a really cool world and he answered every question I threw his way." Her fond expression turned into a thoughtful one and she absent mindedly began to wipe down the bar, picking a piece of food to eat with her chopsticks.

"Who else have you met here?"

She wouldn't have described herself as gregarious, but perhaps with all the questions she'd been asking... well. Raine shrugged a little, and tilted her head back, watching the ship overhead as she recollected the people she'd had an actual chance to talk to. "Beyond simply in passing... Skulduggery, Solomon, Hawke, Damian, Septimus, Annabeth, Tazendra, Iroh, Alvin..." She trailed off, leaving the list a little incomplete as she wondered whether to count Gene and Amelia. She'd met and liked both, but hadn't seen either in a while. "Many people," Raine concluded after a moment. "Some more talkative than others, but few who have actively volunteered to speak of their worlds."

She could understand that, at least. Her own world didn't have a particularly proud history. Still, to her insatiable curiosity, it was disappointing.

Korra lifted her head only slightly so her eyes could follow what Raine was looking at, and she kept the tip of her chopsticks in her mouth as she listened.

"I don't think I've met even half of those people." Said some what down cast before she went to pick at the remains of her lunch. "Well, not here anyway." Iroh she had only seen when she witnessed her future, and even then she somehow knew him. It probably would have felt different if she was there instead of just watching it unfold in the palace. "So many people arrive and leave that you kind of lose track of who's here. Over time anyway."

A piece of a rice noodle roll later, Korra added "Some people have pretty rough lives back home. I can see why they wouldn't want to bring it up."

"Do you have any idea roughly how many of us there are here?" Raine asked at that, curious. "I imagine with the constant flux it'd be hard to keep an accurate count, but you've been around a little while, correct?"

Korra's last addendum garnered a nod of agreement from Raine, and a briefly downcast expression. "...yes, that's true. I can understand that, certainly." She did know she could get a little carried away sometimes, in her quest for knowledge. "My own world has its problems. I can't say I'd be happy, going into detail, but there are beautiful things, as well."

Korra looked down at her thumb, lightly tapping the bar. "I used to, not so much anymore." She could actually find out the exact amount, their names, and locations; but that only would have reminded Korra of all who wasn’t there.

"But yeah, no world’s perfect. Trust me. Especially this one, but that’s why we’re here, right?"

"So it is." Raine was quiet for a few moments, contemplative. She looked up again shortly, back to normal. "Well. Thank you, for explaining, and taking the time to talk. I'm happy to return the favor, if there's anything you're curious about." She was pretty sure she remembered Korra saying something that implied she'd like clarification about artes.

Nodding at the thanks, Korra looked up at Raine and took in the woman before speaking.

"Artes and bending are different, I remember that. Is eleth like the chi of your world and in some kind of crystals?" Trying to remember her conversation with Asbel after their sparring session wasn't easy, but Korra tried anyway and was rewarded with remembering what eleth was.

Sort of.

"Eleth," Raine repeated thoughtfully. "Now that's not a term I'm familiar with at all. I'm certain, now, that my world and the one your friend was from aren't the same. They may share some similarities, but mana is the force that gives my world life, and it comes primarily from a tree, not crystals."

She paused there for a moment, realized she'd missed an aspect of what Korra had said. "But yes, artes and bending must be different. Artes can be learned by anyone with enough determination, but require significant practice to learn and are not what I'd call instinctive."

Pausing as she finished the rest of her late lunch, Korra blinked in surprised that Raine didn't recognize the word. "Wow, that's nothing like what Asbel told me. But he did say anyone could do artes if they tried hard enough."

Food for thought now that her stomach was full.

"What other artes do you know aside from healing ones? I've seen some earth and fire ones, but that's about it."

"I would have liked to meet him." Raine exhaled quietly, almost a sigh. "That much he was right about for my world as well, though it's worth noting that only certain people can use magic artes." She knew Korra would probably ask about the criteria, but that could be put off.

She moved on to the subject of her other artes. "Not many-- healing is my focus. I can temporarily increase strength or toughness in a person, though, and I am capable of a few offensive light spells. My brother's artes are much more visually impressive." A fond smile there, not quite a conscious gesture.

Korra definitely had the question about artes being magic and not magic, because to her, it was all just magic.

But what threw her off asking that was "Wait, you can make someone stronger or beefier?" All she could think of was the gift Eshai had given that imbued Korra with a temporary surge of strength, one she hadn't used yet. "How does that work? You can't just make muscles appear, right?" Magic's weird, she'll give it that, but for her; this one took the cake.

This startled a small chuckle out of Raine, though not an unkind one, and she shook her head. "No, nothing quite so dramatic." She definitely knew people who would have been all for that, though. "It's to do with efficiency-- the artes in question increase the subject's functionality temporarily, enabling their muscles to respond more to roughly the same amount of effort. I can show you, if you like."

Interested in this new type of artes, new to her anyway, Korra leaned in as she listened.

"Sure! That sounds like it'd be fun to try out. And the perfect place for practicing that sort of thing would be at the dojo in Wood, which I just so happen to run." Something she was obviously proud of. "I set things up if you give me a heads up beforehand. Seeing just how strong those artes can make someone is my kind of fun."

"That should work well. Perhaps at the same time you could demonstrate some of your bending?" Raine had already seen Korra heal, of course, but curiosity wasn't quite so easily sated. The situation would provide an excuse for both sorts of demonstrations.

“You got yourself a deal. I put on one heck of a good bending show if I do say so myself.” So humble. “Dojo’s easy enough to find, but I can send you the location over the consoles if you want.”

"I'd appreciate it." Both the bending show and the location data. She could find it, of course, but the console location data made navigating the city significantly easier. "When are you usually there?"

Korra nodded her assurance before finishing off the last of her drink. "Just about every day in the late afternoon into the evening before I start working here. Don’t worry, it’s open all day if you want a place to practice artes or just work out."

"Excellent." Raine wasn't entirely sure if most building materials would hold up to a Holy Lance, but in all truth she could likely use the practice to refine her Photon at the very least. "I'll let you know the day before I plan to drop by." She stood, then, intending to go, since that seemed a logical conclusion to their conversation.

"Sounds good to me." Korra dumped her plate in the garbage and picked up their glasses. Happy to have her shift not be a boring silence all night, she gave Raine a wave. "I'll keep an eye on my console!"

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As your feet, they touch the ground

that wasn't even a month! no worries<3

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