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Post by Narye Matsuya on May 29, 2012 21:47:48 GMT -5
"Mmhm. I thought so."
His new student was doing nothing to hide his feelings after Narye had recounted the brief of history of the Hundred Year War, and Narye was picking up on every second of it. His intense gaze indicated equally intense thought or feeling as he stared down at his own feet, perhaps lost in his own feelings on the subject matter. Narye was not unfamiliar with that look. It was the look of a person grappling with something deep inside of them. It was best to let Lao sort it out for now, and wait for him to come back to Narye when he was ready.
The mention of the genocide of the Air Nomads seemed to come off as matter-of-factual. Not necessarily a proclamation or condemnation of the act. But more like a statement of something that indeed happened. But Lao's impression of an upset dragon showed how he really felt about it.
"I don't mind at all, Lao. It was my pleasure, but I'm pretty sure you already knew about most of what I told you... Listen..."
Narye reached out and put a comforting hand on Lao's shoulder.
"What happened back then may have been caused by the Fire Nation... But you are not them. You did not earn that guilt. There is no blood on your hands."
This was lesson Narye himself had to learn, and watch other people learn, as he grew up. Lineage and ancestry were important to a lot of young people, and that is understandable. But blood ties do not connect the actions of one individual to those that came after them.
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Post by Lao Shen on May 29, 2012 22:05:45 GMT -5
Lao didn't look to the man again as he started talking. His eyes were on the tree in the distance from them. He knew if he looked at one closer, his frustration would have set it ablaze. He didn't show it much, but he was raised with the pride of the old Fire Nation and the morals of the new nation. It wasn't so much that the guilt was on him... or at least... he thought so at first. As the man spoke, Lao attention returned to them both. I do feel guilty when i talk to others.. I didn't think I did at first, but now I know.
The firebender looked to the man, just noticing that his hand was on Lao's shoulder. The look was no longer one of frustration. His amber eyes showed the fire settling down in his spirit. He gave the man a small smile and chuckled a little. His own 'coping' mechanism. "Thank you, Mr. Narye. I needed that. I was told all of this by my grandfather, who told me the exact same thing. Its easy to tell him alright and agree when you're younger... but now that I'm older and I've interacted with others from different nations.. its different."
Lao looked towards one of the rivers. "Mind if I get a bit personal? Its nothing too deep... but like the younger students, I'm a bit curious as well." He chuckled a bit more and raised his hand to his face, a small spark of fire playing along his finger tips. "Have you been to any of the other continents: Fire nation, Earth Kingdom, the water tribes? I've heard that the Earth Kingdom and the water tribes are nice places to visit." Of course, Lao was trying to change the subject, but it wasn't out of anxiety of being read or known. He wanted to be more of a conversationalist, and was hoping that someone who seemed to carry a lot of wisdom had been to places outside of Republic City.
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Post by Narye Matsuya on May 30, 2012 7:28:39 GMT -5
Narye returned a genuine smile to Lao once he turned back to him.
"We all learn new things as we grow older. For some, it's a little more jarring than usual."
The feeling of helping this young man in such a way, and receiving an authentic thanks in return, was just the kind of thing Narye needed at this time. It may sound a little selfish, but Narye really needed someone to talk and connect to, even if it was someone he had just met. Discussing the matter with Lao made him forget about how lonely he sometimes felt, even if the feeling was only temporary.
Seeing as how Narye had successfully gotten through to Lao, and possibly staved off the spontaneous ignition of a nearby tree, he brought his hand back to his own side, but only after giving Lao's shoulder a comforting squeeze. The frank talk about history evidently made him comfortable enough to ask another question, something Narye was only too happy to indulge.
"I'm sorry. Can't say that I've been around the world really. I've either lived in Republic City or lived the rural areas outside of it. I guess that could count as the Earth Kingdom though... I don't know."
Narye had always been ambivalent about benders, preferring to decide to like them based on their character or personality, and Lao was no different. But he found himself a tad bit jealous that Lao could literally "play with fire" with such nonchalance.
"But I have heard that Water Tribe women are the prettiest. You ever hear that? I think it's because of their traditional bending style. Smooth and dance-like."
Narye raised his arm and slowly wiggled and gyrated it like a spider snake or, in this case, column of water generated by a gyrating Water Bender.
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Post by Lao Shen on May 31, 2012 20:07:50 GMT -5
Lao couldn't help but laugh at the man's comment and motions. He had yet to meet a woman from the water tribes, but now he couldn't wait. He was so used to the fair skin and golden eyes of the women from the Fire Nation. He wondered how much different a woman from the water tribes would be. Truth be told, Lao has probably already seen some here in Republic City. The attire of everyone in the city was so diverse that he could hardly decipher if someone was from a different place by what they were wearing.
Lao caught the spark of fire and closed his fist tightly around it, suffocating it. "No. I can't say that I have. Needless to say, you have my interest peaked in meeting one though." The fire bender leaned back against the back of the bench and crossed his arms as he looked over the park. "You know, I wish that was an easy way to predict women, from their element... Now that I think about it, you can see some of the characteristics from our women: hot-blooded, passionate... and at times restless." He chuckled to himself a bit at the comment.
"It would be nice to travel. See the world a little bit." Lao expressed, outstretching his arms in front of him and leaning forward to add a bit of dramatic effect. He sighed and let his body fall back against the back of the bench again, relaxing. "Well, its a nice dream."
Lao's mind suddenly ran through another wonder he had yet to get a grasp on. He hesitated to ask for a second, just so it would seem like some space between the subjects so he didn't seem to have a short attention span. "Hey Narye.. what do you know about these probending match things?" He asked, looking over to the older man.
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Post by Narye Matsuya on May 31, 2012 21:32:30 GMT -5
"Predicting women? Like that's ever possible."
Narye's smile turned wry and playful. Talking to Lao was getting more enjoyable by the minute. Even if Lao probably was not around Narye's own age range, it was still a breath of fresh air to talk to someone whom was not a teenaged student or one of their friends. At the very least, it meant he could talk to Lao about more mature subjects, such as the ladies. And the predicting thereof.
"So then what would Earth Kingdom women be like? Stubborn? Tough? Dirty?"
After that last descriptor, Narye made a face that said, "I wouldn't mind that actually."
"Traveling the world, eh? That does sound nice..."
He too looked up with a dreamy look on his face. Traveling abroad sounded like a fantastic idea. Even if he did not leave the Earth Kingdom continent. Perhaps he could visit Ba Sing Se or just see some of the natural wonders of the land. It would have been a wonderful trip. It would be, if Narye did not have to travel alone. Without someone to go with, even a globe-trotting tour would lose its spectacle to solitude. Narye may have lost himself in the sadness of that outlook had Lao not asked him another question.
"P-Pro-Bending? Oh! That. I've never actually been to a match, but I hear it's pretty exciting. My students are always talking about their favorite teams and players, and at least one of fellow teachers lost some Yuans on a Pro-Bending bet."
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Post by Lao Shen on May 31, 2012 22:44:05 GMT -5
He grinned at Narye's guess of what Earth Kingdom would be like from their little assumptions. He nodded his head and raised his eyebrow, Sounds good... if they're the good kind of dirty. He chuckled and nodded some more. "You know, you took the words right out of my mouth." He looked at the teacher out of the corner of his eye and noticed the face he was making after his comment. He had a feeling that the man was thinking the same thing he was. He chuckled and held his hand up palm facing Narye for a high five. "Nice one by the way."
Lao could almost see the man's spirit take a different turn after his comment about travel. Narye seemed to take on a more solemn look before Lao posed his next question. The fire bender rubbed his chin thinking about the sport. He had thoughts about getting into it, but he didn't know what it entailed. Unfortunately, Narye couldn't fill him in any more than he already knew. "I see. It seems like something a lot of benders around here try to participate in... or at least wish to. What do your students say about it?"
Lao looked from the man and noticed that the children had filtered away, slowly but surely. At that moment, the fire bender stood up and stood next to the bench. He didn't like sitting for too long and it started to get to him. He had to move a little bit, even if only slightly. He was content with just stand and moving to the side of the bench, this way he would be able to satiate his need to move and still be within ear shot of Narye and not seem too rude.
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Post by Narye Matsuya on May 31, 2012 23:01:37 GMT -5
Narye may have been getting up in years, but he was not above returning a high five. Hell, even if he was above it, it was just rude to leave someone hanging.
"They all seem very enthusiastic about it, to say the least."
For a second he wanted to ask where Lao was going in the middle of their conversation all of a sudden. Watching the young Fire Bender's movements precluded Narye's question when he made the recognizable movements of someone who just needed to get up and move or stretch about. An active man like Lao probably did not sit around all that much or for too long.
"Like I said, they've got favorite teams and even favorite Benders. I've had to break up a fight on one occasion when two rival teams were set to go head-to-head one week, and there were, of course, two boys who liked one or the other. There's goes one of them right now."
Narye pointed a finger at a teenage boy who was walking away on the trail. He was a tall-ish boy with short brown hair. On the sleeve of his shirt was a home-stitched patch of his favorite team's logo. He was just that big of a fan.
Now that he had the moment to think about it, something occurred to Narye.
"You know, I just thought of something. Some of my students come from different places. Earth Kingdom. Fire Nation. Water Tribes. However, the teams or players they root for don't always match up with their backgrounds."
To Narye, this was something that was definitely worth noting. It meant that the children were becoming less ingrained in their strict cultural backgrounds, and more open to just coexisting with other people. It was like the ideal of Republic City in microcosm.
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Post by Lao Shen on Jun 2, 2012 16:58:29 GMT -5
Lao looked to the little boy and eyed the logo stitching. He chuckled a bit to himself and smiled slightly. Lao inhaled slowly and exhaled through his nostrils again, this time however, no smoke came from him. "Well that's something else. He really is a die hard fan huh?" Lao did not pose this as a question to Narye. He said it as more of an observation to himself. He was still confused as to what drew these children and the other people of Republic City to the sport. He heard some of it broadcasted on the radio before, but he didn't feel much excitement. Obviously the entertainment could only be understood if he saw a match in person.
The fire bender's gaze drifted from the student to the teacher as the man continued to speak. He blinked a few times in place of speech, letting Narye's words sink in to his skull. The right corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk. "Oh yeah? Hm... Good for them. Soon the youth won't feel much of the old resentments. A new generation I guess." Lao chuckled and made his way back to the bench slowly, finally sitting back down next to the teacher.
"Someone suggested doing it, but I don't even know how its done. I've never seen a Probending Match." Lao leaned back against the seat of the bench and dug his fingers into the mass amount of hair atop his head. He scratched his scalp gently, closing his eyes in the process. "Oh well though."
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Post by Narye Matsuya on Jun 2, 2012 18:27:38 GMT -5
"Yup. A new generation. They don't hold onto the old grudges, but they still need to learn where they came from, or risk reigniting those grudges again."
The sentiment went right back to why Narye taught history to these kids. Sometimes it was not a pretty story to retell to them, even infuriating and confounding at times. But if they did not know how those things happened in the first place, using examples from their past, it would be only a matter of time before they did the exact same thing. Lao already seemed well aware of that concept. Knowing how his Nation began the war would prevent him and his peers from either starting another, or letting another happen by someone else.
When Lao mentioned that someone had suggested that he get into the Pro-Bending game, Narye found himself agreeing. Sure, he had yet to see Lao perform any substantial Bending on his part, but everything else about him spoke of excellent Bending ability. Plus, he looked the part.
"Hey, not seeing one shouldn't stop you from entering, and they'll tell you how to play. So consider me seconding that other person. Do it. Just to see if you can."
Narye jumped up from the bench, he had to get going soon, but he still turned to face Lao and reach into his bag for a paper and pencil. He wrote something on the paper and handed it out to Lao.
"And when you do get a match set-up, give me a call at this number and I'll be in the stands."
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Post by Lao Shen on Jun 2, 2012 19:36:45 GMT -5
A new generation. It was an exciting idea. New ideals, beliefs, and an open opportunity to meet new people. He heard from his grandfather that before, in his grandfather's youth, each nation pretty much stayed to itself. The people rarely interacted with each other and the hostility to and from the Fire Nation was enough to suffocate a whale. A smile of relief floated to Lao's face as he thought about what new experiences he'd really get in to.
The next moment, Lao's attention shifted. It was natural instinct. When Narye made the sudden movement, standing from the bench, Lao's eyes followed. He chuckled and stood up as well. "You think so huh? I guess I could. It does seem like it would be fun... at least from what I've heard." Lao got the feeling that the man was ready to go about his usual duties. It was understandable, every man had their own agenda to keep. Teachers have that much more: preparing for the next lesson, adjusting methods that might not have worked, and determining how to deal with misconduct.
The firebender grabbed the piece of paper and folded it, putting it into his pocket. "I will do that. Thanks for the talk by the way. I'll see you around." Lao smiled and extended his hand for a hand shake. He didn't see the need to bow again, the two were on a more casual level in his mind. He started to bounce on the balls of his feet a bit, having his mind set on finishing his run once the two were done.
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