the avatar state / implies emotional pain / or perfect control

[roc_on]

Jun did a show last night, so maybe he's holding it together well enough to do a lesson today. It'd sure help take Beila's mind off things; maybe it'd do the same for him. She can always fly away again if he's not feeling it.

Knock knock?

Comments

[fiery_delights]

He opens the door of the practice room looking tired, but less fretful than last time they talked.

"Oh, it's you. Hi."

[roc_on]

"Hey. Thought I'd stop by in case. I can just leave if you'd rather take a nap or something."

[fiery_delights]

"Nah, I've tried napping, it doesn't help. I can't promise a lesson up to my usual standard, but there's no harm in trying, right?"

[roc_on]

"Unless you accidentally train me to do something wrong and I have to painstakingly unlearn it."

[fiery_delights]

"I don't think I'm feeling that far off my game."

[roc_on]

"Right then." She sails into the basement, fire streamers fluttering after her.

[fiery_delights]

It seems Jun hasn't yet been able to install a wall mirror.

He watches Beila's fire streamers, but he seems distracted and pensive rather than focused on her progress.

[roc_on]

Well, okay. She can just sort of practice in front of him instead of on the beach.

[fiery_delights]

He rubs his face with both hands in a gesture of frustration.

"Well, I'm contributing nothing to this lesson, but at least I'm not actively setting you back," he sighs.

[roc_on]

She lets the fire fizzle out. "You look like you need, I don't know, chocolate?"

[fiery_delights]

"There's an idea," he says. "'Go questing for delicious food in an unfamiliar part of town', historically a very effective method of stress relief. Want to go see if this city is hiding any, I don't know, ice cream places I haven't seen yet? We can chat about bending theory, maybe I'll drop some useful insights."

[roc_on]

"Sure."

[fiery_delights]

"Great. Just a minute while I change into something less flamboyant."

He leaves the practice room, ducks into a dressing room, and emerges in much less than a minute dressed like a reasonably ordinary citizen instead of like, well, Delightful Jun.

[roc_on]

Beila's outfit is already pretty nondescript.

Off they go.

[fiery_delights]

They'll have to range pretty far afield to find an ice cream place Jun hasn't seen yet, but that suits him just fine. His mood seems much improved just from being outside and on the move.

"Did you get a chance to ask anybody about my theories of any-movement bending?"

[roc_on]

"I did mention it to the nuns, but the nuns were distracted by arguing with me about the Avatar State."

[fiery_delights]

"Oh?"

[roc_on]

"They think I need to be provoked into it at least once or twice by strong emotions before I'll be able to master it, but I read Meixing's autobiography and it didn't sound like the two versions had anything in common except for glowing eyes."

[fiery_delights]

"That doesn't necessarily mean you can do the one without the other, but it's hardly strong evidence that you can't... would it be dangerous to try?"

[roc_on]

"I don't think so. It sounds dangerous to go into the uncontrolled version, but that's what they want me to do anyway, and I don't think I could possibly make things worse by either failing to do it altogether or getting the wrong version under conditions of my choosing. Compared to flipping out because there's some sort of bad news character chasing me around, or whatever."

[fiery_delights]

"Then in my highly relevant and professional opinion as your firebending instructor, screw the nuns, they don't know everything. Arrange controlled conditions to your satisfaction, try it, see what happens."

[roc_on]

"Controlled conditions will probably just be 'in the middle of nowhere'. Although I'm not even sure that's strictly necessary, considering that the uncontrolled version burns itself out when there's no more distressing situation."

[fiery_delights]

"Might not be strictly necessary, might still be a good idea, in case of unforeseen disasters. And you don't seem to have any pressing emergencies to deal with, so it's not like there's a high risk you'll hit the uncontrolled version on your own without getting the chance to experiment first."

[roc_on]

"Yeah. I might never have a pressing emergency to deal with on my own, regular law enforcement is pretty good at its job."

[fiery_delights]

"So, no reason not to take your time."