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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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.

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.

"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."

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."

"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.

"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.

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."

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...?"

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.

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."

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.

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."

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."

"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.

It felt like she was alone, and Korra was looking at her hand when Zatanna squeezed her fingers.

Then her face hardened and she snapped out. "You can't promise that! Mako couldn't, Jim couldn't, Kyle couldn't, Bro couldn't, Julie couldn't, Zuko couldn't, Leo couldn't, Toph couldn't-" She had to stop. The list was big and she could go on, only it would have made her feel worse.

Putting her hands on the bar, Korra hung her head and let a harsh breath out of her mouth. That she maintained her composure since Jim left up until now was a testament to how much she actually did listen to the starship captain.

When she looked back up, she sounded tired even though there had hardly been any work to be done at the tavern. "I can't promise it either."

You do realize it's a promise he can't keep?

Superman's words to her, the day she confided in him about Jack making the very same promise to her. Because she'd asked him to. Korra wasn't asking now, but she felt compelled to make it anyway, And her response to Korra now was the exact same one she gave Superman:

"I don't care." It wasn't the reassurance of the promise itself. It was the reassurance that he wanted to promise. That he would keep it if he could. The sentiment meant far more to her than anything else. "Besides...just try and stop me."

"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?"

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?"

"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.

She was too tired to get angry about it, and that was saying something considering it’s Korra. "Promising that just makes it worse when it does happen."

I know.

"Hasn’t anyone promised you that and just end up leaving anyway? They don’t get a choice." The only reason she wasn’t begrudging Mako and Jim’s recent departure. They wouldn’t have left her here if they could have decided for themselves.

She hoped so anyway.

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?"

"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."

"It's not about the fact that they have a choice or not, Korra. It's about the fact that they care enough to want to stay."

"A lot of good that does for either of us. I'm stuck here with a monster trying to destroy everything and Mako's back home at the time I left, and he's going to stay that way now until I get back home!" She's had too much, the last disappearances were the straws breaking the arctic camel's back. That anger burst through the emotional fatigue and erupted right out of her mouth.

"I didn't ask to be here! I didn't want to have to face Amon again! I didn't need to be dragged into someone else's war when my world needs me! I didn't have a say in ANY OF THIS!"

She threw the towel at the door with enough airbending behind it to fly right through it into the kitchen behind. "And wake up! We have a customer!"

So Zatanna might have instinctively ducked when Korra threw the towel, the tips of her hair just barely getting caught in the windy backlash of her bending. This...was not how she had pictured their conversation going. So, basically, business as usual. One would think she'd learned by now....

Though, to her credit, this time she didn't fault Korra for getting mad. She didn't yell back. She only waited until it looked like the coast was clear before daring to peek up and over the bar.

"I told you, I'm not hungry right now. Really. I'm fine."

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As your feet, they touch the ground

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