[Open] Well Thought Plans

[Jian Xu]

Jian hummed cheerfully to himself. "I'm still grateful I'm a part of them regardless of my constant behaviour. It does keep me out of danger. When I'm actually listening." He mused. Despite not being that great of an acolyte, still having plenty to learn about the lifestyle in his opinion, he genuinely enjoyed it. Not to mention that, despite being blind, he liked feeling like he was helping with something. As in, keeping the Air Nomad lifestyle alive. It was a nice feeling.

He chuckled at her comment. "Is that a compliment?" He asked with a smile, "Why don't we just say we're equally reckless and call it a day, hmm?" Though he didn't know what exactly made her reckless, he knew about himself that the biggest reason for his recklessness was because he was blind, wanting to do and experience things a non-blind person could easily do. For all he knew Sazra was way more reckless than him.

His plan to jump out of the tree was easily dashed after what she'd said, though. There went that idea. What other way could he use to get out of here? He couldn't exactly stay up in here forever, but he wasn't going to regret his decision. Climbing a tree and meeting someone new because of it was fun. This was just a minor setback in his fun, but he'd find a solution.

It took him a moment for what she said about being the only kind of bender that couldn't help him. When if did sink in, though, he perked up considerably, turning to look in her direction. "You're a Firebender?" he asked enthusiastically, "That's really cool!" He didn't care that fire wouldn't help him get out of this tree, just that this person was a bender to begin with and benders were just amazing. "What's it like, being able to firebend?" He started leaning in closer to her as he spoke to her.

He backed up and thought about her question. "Well, when I'm not on Air Temple Island, I just like to walk around in Republic City with Nan. When something interesting pops up, I just go for it. If nothing happens, I just enjoy the sounds and scents around me. Nothing that exciting." At least, nothing that sounded exciting. The thing with his simple 'wandering around' though was that he ran into undesirable situations quite often. Though those moments usually happened when he didn't follow Nan around like he should have. "What crazy things do you do?" It's only fair to ask, too, right?

[Sazra Peo]

She shrugged then remembered he couldn’t see it and replied. “Sure.” His question made her give a small laugh. “I don’t call it a day before sunrise,” she informed simply. Sazra was a night creature, which she supposed was odd for a firebender, but it wasn’t as if she needed to fight people on daily basis and need to rely on the glare of the sun for support. “I work in the Orchid Lounge, the nightclub, not sure if you know it.” And she loved it. The smell, the people, the intoxication. It made life worth it. At least until she could become a Pro Bending champion.

He swept a look in her direction and Sazra smiled. He was considerate, this one. “As flamy as they come,” she confirmed, sounding quite pleased. It was pleasant to be met with such enthusiasm from a non bender (from the details of the day she assumed he was one). “What it’s like…” She paused to think, her mouth pursing to the side, a finger tapping the bottom lip lightly. “It’s like energy burning you from the inside, but in a good way. It’s excitement and anger and passion!” Her tone was rich with the love of her own bending. She poked him in the arm. “Would you have wanted to be an airbender?”

He was right, it didn’t sound exciting at all. It made her feel grateful for her own health and wholeness. "What kind of scents do you enjoy most?" When the question was turned on her she had to pause and think where to start. Usually, she would have paraded her exploits to the fullness of their glory but she felt careful about the impression she would be giving to him. “Well, I’m a kid really. I’ll stick anything in my mouth, touch things inappropriately on a whim, take deadly falls off high cliffs for running around a narrow path like a moron,” she listed vaguely. It was a wonder she wasn’t dead already, really. “I enjoy nightlife.” She considered for a moment, fingers playing through her hair, eyes to the side thoughtfully. “I would like to become a famous Pro Bender. But I don’t have a team yet.”

Revealing her greatest dream made her feel slightly modest. A queer reaction to her. She had never told anyone about it before. Deciding it was a good thing she turned to him again. “What are your dreams, Jian?” The smile was back in her tone, with a touch of genuine interest.

[Jian Xu]

"Hmm..." he mused as he let her words sink in. So she was a night person? He'd reword his phrase, but thought it moot. He couldn't really see a difference; just hear and feel it. "Orchid Lounge? Yeah, I've been there before. Maybe I should pay you a visit the next time I decide to go there?" It'd probably require a bit of sneaking, but the last time he'd been there it had been...an interesting experience, to say the least. Not one he'd mind repeating again. Though there was little point in going to a nightclub at any time other than nighttime. Or maybe he could just ask the acolytes for permission for once?

He laughed at the 'flamy' response and let her words sink in, mulling them over, trying to imagine what it was like. In the end he just sighed and looked in front of him again. "Must be nice." he replied thoughtfully. Firebending was definitely an interesting form of bending. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the only form of bending that didn't require it's element to be present somewhere in order to use, like with earth and water. He was snapped out of little reverie with a return question and grinned. "I won't deny that being able to airbend really would be awesome. Can't help but wonder what airbending would be like for a blind person," he thought. Something he did from time to time. "Though if I could choose, I'd still choose waterbending, but that's probably 'cause my dad's a Waterbender and well... Heh." He trailed off at the end. He didn't hate the fact that he was a non-bender, though. Occasionally saddened at the thought, but otherwise he was just fine. While being taught how to defend himself his father threw a few waterbending moves, so his fighting style closely resembled a Waterbender's.

He thought a bit about her question, never fully having stopped to think about it. "Good food. Definitely anything that smells like good food. Vanilla and lavender smells nice, too. A lot of things smell nice, really." If he really stopped to think about it. He usually didn't, though. Maybe he should start to more often?

As she listed the things he did, he couldn't help but smile. "Sounds exciting." One thing he could relate to a bit was the touching of things, though whether he did so inappropriately or not he couldn't really tell most of the time. If people thought he did so, they didn't really tell him. Or stop him, for that matter. When she mentioned her want to become a Probender, he turned his head in her direction again. "Really? I bet you'd be really good at it! I'd make sure to listen to all of your matches!" He said cheerfully. He didn't really follow Probending, but he wouldn't against starting now.

The return question was a bit unexpected and something he didn't really stop to think about often. He was starting to learn that thinking was indeed something he didn't do particularly often. Well, no time like the present, right? "My dreams..." he started, "I guess...I wish my parents would have a bit more fate in me? Being blind is not equivalent to being fragile and useless. If it was up to them I'd probably never leave the house." His tone a little melancholic before brightening up again. "Blindness be damned, I want to, and will experience everything."

[Sazra Peo]

“Sure should,” she encouraged, bumping her shoulder against his. “If I sit in your lap and act more than inappropriate just know I’ve probably had one too many challenge shots with Lunih. She’s my friend, coworker, something there,” she gestured vaguely, incapable of restraining herself from useless motion, “we have this running test of seeing who can adequately do the job while under the influence.” Her brows furrowed and she placed a hand to her chin in brief consideration. “Although I’m not very much different when I’m sober, though.” He might as well know early. Still, she felt considerably more reserved around him. Was it because of his blindness? She couldn’t tell.

“It’s awesome!” She kicked her feet high once, then started lifting on her arms in small, brief acrobatics. It was so hard for her to be still. Airbending for a blind person was beyond her ability to imagine fully. “A lot of running into trees, probably,” she joked easily, then tilted her head at his chosen element. “Why waterbending?” She didn’t seem satisfied with just the excuse of his father’s lineage. When he spoke of food she instantly developed an appetite. Some hot, greasy, steaming meat would be wonderful. She looked to him. “Do you eat meat?” She knew airbenders didn’t and he was an acolyte…

She gave him a look that wanted to say “You have no idea,” which felt so nice since he couldn’t see and she didn’t mean to say it. On the subject of Pro Bending, his encouragement made her smile. “Good, I’ll try not to sound too pathetic,” she was struck with some modesty. “I’ve never played before, my first matches are bound to paint me amateur. Although…” her voice trailed off only briefly. “I’m born and bred in Republic City. I’ve been attending matches since I was a little girl and have been training privately in the style for years now.” Whereas most people just barged in from their home nations, knowing their kind of bending, and expecting to instantly adapt. It didn’t work so easily if you weren’t heavenly talented.

She quieted, listening. It was hard for her to empathize, but she tried to imagine. “Best that you don’t listen to them, then.” The worst thing she could think of was giving in to limitation. She had to grin at his determination. ”Everything?” She further emphasized, but the tease she was about to utter died in her throat. Unexpectedly, she grew thoughtful. Looking out across the park, she asked in a more normal voice. “What do you think about marriage and having a… family?” The concept terrified her but her father seemed to expect it of her. Some uncertainty must have shown through her tone. She had no idea what brick had hit her in the head to be bringing up such serious subjects out of the deep blue with him.

[Jian Xu]

"Hehe, I'll keep that in mind." He tried to think of how he'd react if he did find himself in that situation, but found it difficult to do so. If only because he couldn't imagine her weight on him, how she'd talk or any of that. Though her last few words in that area told him not that much different from how she was being now? It still wasn't much to go by though. "Sounds like an interesting challenge either way. Who's in the lead, if I may ask?" He said, genuinely interested.

Was it just him or was the branch moving a bit? Then again it probably wasn't much to worry about; just her moving around and he couldn't blame her. He never quite stopped kicking his legs back and forth since he climbed up in here and for once he decided to not listen to the side of him that wanted him to stand on the branch. Though it was questionable how long he'd be able to hold out on that thought. For now he'd just laughed at her joke and not think about it. "Probably. I already do plenty of that on my own when Nan isn't nearby. Or even when he is, little jerk." Nan must have heard him because shortly after he'd said that the polar dog barked from his spot under the tree and he chuckled, "No offense, Nan."

As for her question, he just shrugged. "I guess I feel slightly more attuned towards waterbending? If I was granted a once in a lifetime chance to be able to bend an element of my liking, I'd probably choose that. I've even been thought a few waterbending moves during combat training. I also can't really hurt someone with water, unless I turn it into ice," he mused, "In short just...silly past influences, I guess?"

Her question on whether he ate meat or not made him halt his leg movement for a few seconds before continuing. "This is the part where I should say no, because I'm an acolyte and all that but it's kind of hard dropping a food you've liked practically your whole life. I'm slowly trying to wane myself off of it." he replied sheepishly. It also didn't really help that, even if he wasn't allowed to eat meat anymore Nan still had to, though just not very often. He tried alternatives for the polar dog.

Her modesty made him laugh, though not in a bad way. "I'd think that makes it that much more fun. It's an entire experience! And you already have a bit of an advantage there, knowing the style. I bet you'll be just fine." He encouraged. He never really held much interesting for Probending, but talking about it like this was making him want to actually get into it. Funny how talking to just one person could do that.

"Heh, I already don't really listen, so I'm on the right track." If anything they had to listen to him, and he was planning on keeping the order like that until they got to a point where they could listen to each other. At the same time. When she repeated the word, Jian arched a brow, sensing something behind her words and after thinking about it himself he had a vague idea of what she could have thought by that. She didn't seem to continue on that line of thought though which was just as good. Feeling a little restless, he started rocking back and forth, leaning further back and further front as time ticked by. On a particularly motion he found himself leaning a little too far back and felt himself fall for a second before he quickly regained his balance. He knew he had wanted to jump off before but not backwards. "I'm just a bundle of good ideas today, it seems." He said as he got over the momentary shock before shaking it off completely and proceeding like nothing happened.

He thought about her question for a moment, really thinking about it. "I'm...not sure? I mean, I've never really thought about it before. Maybe if the right person comes along? It personally isn't that appealing a thought to me right now, though. Maybe marriage, but a full up family is up for debate." The latter for various reason. He idly wondered if it was a necessity for Air Acolytes and figured probably not. Maybe. He'd have to ask.

[Sazra Peo]

Sazra let out a great sigh and gestured to the side. “No one.” There was frustration in her tone. “She’s just as good as me, that waterfox.” It bothered her more than a little. It didn’t take her long to be satisfied with what her brief acrobatics did for her need of motion. The polar bear dog’s bark startled her, but the brief fear quieted quickly. He’s down there and I’m up here and he liked me anyway, she reassured herself and returned to being demure and confident. “Have you had him for long? The… Nan.”

She nodded some to his explanation of his choice then said “I see. What element do you think would suit you least? I think it would be Airbending for me. I’m as spiritual as a rock.” She gave a little careless shrug. “But not at all as grounded.” Considering his imposed on vegetarianism she gave him a long look of sympathy that she wished he could see. It dragged into her tone. “Aw, man. Do you have to? What do they have against eating meat anyway?” Of course, being secretly enamored with history, she knew about how much they valued all life and the sensitive connection they tried to preserve with it but come on, sometimes you just had to eat meat, nature left it that way.

His encouragement buttered her ego and she was grinning like a little dragon. It was good that he couldn’t see. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” So he didn’t listen to his parents, who did? It was just as much the way of nature to ignore every advice your parents had to give as it was to eat meat as humans. Not that her mother had any advice to give, so trapped was she in the smothering grief that consumed her. She spent more time with Sazra’s dead little bother than she had with her living daughter since it happened. Actually, she never spent any time at all with Sazra. She didn’t like how her mood was darkening. Jian’s momentary loss of balance distracted her most opportunely and she grabbed him by the arm instinctively. “Whoa there. Don’t go breaking your neck so early. My conversation can’t possibly be that bad.” Her tone held a grin. She had to wonder what part of her was so sensitive to such movements.

She found she mirrored his sentiments then kicked the topic out of her mind. It was one of those things that didn’t need considering, not now, she was so young, although her traditional father disagreed. He had married her mother when they had been sixteen. SIXTEEN. They had been insane, she reasoned. To give up your freedom and fun so easily, especially when there were so many interesting people to get to know. “Soooo. Think it’s about time we start imagining how to get you down from here?” She looked to the ground. “I could go grab you an earthbender from somewhere, since I don’t think I’m buff enough to carrying you down on my back. Unless you have any better ideas?”

[Jian Xu]

Despite sounding frustrated with the scores, but for Jian it was exactly because the score was equal that made it so great, and the reason as to why Sazra answered herself. Though he could sympathize with her frustrations. If you wanted to win, equality was not what you wanted. "Nan?" he repeated, tilting his head down, "I've known him forever! It's kind of hard to pinpoint just when I got him. A little over a decade, maybe?" he thought to himself. "My parents gave him to me when it finally occurred to them that no, I'm not going to be a good, blind little boy and stay home. Nan's supposed to keep me out of harms way, but it's debatable how well he does his job, seeing how he likes to run away from me at times." He ended with a laugh. Not that he minded. Both of them seemed to be trouble magnets in their own ways. Nan was pretty old, but still as energetic as the day he got him.

Having considered which element he would have liked to use most, he also naturally thought about which elements he just could not or should never be able to bend. "Fire, I suppose. I mean, it seems awesome and everything, but... If I was able to see then earth; I'm way too mobile." He replied. He couldn't see, and the thought of hurting someone with fire because he couldn't see wasn't one he was particularly fond of. He didn't think he'd allow himself to firebend if he'd born a Firebender.

He laughed at her reaction to his not being allowed to eat meat. "I ask myself that too sometimes, but I do like the thought behind it. The Air Nomads were quite something. Besides, who am I to argue with their ways?" The vegetarian lifestyle wasn't that bad. Just something that he had to get used to. Oh, he just made himself want to try and not eat meat harder now!

He was happy for Sazra's concern about his near death experience, though he'd like to think that was a given. He didn't think he was that bad company and she already hated him and wished for his untimely demise, but now he was letting his thoughts get too far. "Of course not. You're fun to talk too. I just need to remember that a branch is not the ground and that falling will hurt." Despite being somewhat saddened at the thought of them parting ways - wait, who said that her helping him get out of here meant they had to part ways - it was probably time he get himself out of this tree. Sitting was starting to hurt. "You're asking the person who thought jumping out of this tree was a good idea if he has any better ideas to get out of here? If it's not too troublesome, I think an Earthbender should be just fine." He chuckled in response. He wasn't particularly fond of directly asking someone for help, but it was necessary sometimes.

[Sazra Peo]

He laughed and so did she, slapping her hand onto her leg. “Long time,” she said then she looked down to Nan. Maybe she could come to get used to the sight of him if she stared long enough. “What’s the worst thing you’ve gotten into because he ran away from his duty?” Sazra wondered when and if she would connect to an animal enough to have her own companion. Everyone seemed to be walking around with one these days. They were like fashion statements and she never liked to be behind in fashion. “What sort of companion do you think would suit me?” She asked suddenly, and of course he didn’t know her well enough to judge what was appropriate for her character, but she would get a kick out of hearing a first impression.

She nodded a little to his assessment, then reminded herself to talk. “I see. I’d feel quite at home with earthbending. I often find myself chucking rocks at people,” she laughed, and in truth, her personality had a rough edge to it. She was as happy to burn someone with an elegant flick of the wrist as she was to squash their nose in with a punch. She also stood her ground, stupidly stubborn most times.

She shrugged to his rhetoric question, then rolled her eyes at herself continued gesticulation with a blind person. “I’m not so modest as that. I’d argue with anyone, no matter how aged or respected.” Canting her head to the side she stared into the distance after bringing both legs on the same side of the branch. “Your importance has nothing to do with it. If you’ve got a new idea, share it! Even if all you’ll get is a change of mind.” Sazra wasn’t as stubborn as to never be influenced. She just gave people plenty of opportunities to challenge her views.

When he greeted her jest with genuine reassurance she had to grin. Sazra would never had considered herself boring, even when she truly behaved so, her ego wouldn’t make room for it. “Remember well,” she commented, “I wouldn’t want to have to be accused of murder. People might think I pushed you. Jail time is so not what I need right now. My fresh youth so cruelly wasted!” She let the grim scenario grip her for a moment before the subject changed. Pausing to finger her chin and consider his words, she nodded. “You’re right, that was stupid.” Without a moment’s thought more she pressed her hands to the tree and started descending carefully. “I’ll be back shortly, try not to get overcome with your restlessness and fall to your death while I’m away.”

In no time she was down, leaping down when close enough to the ground and landing in a performer’s correctly executed act pose, hands up in the air to her sides. “Right.” She started running like a crazy person around the park, putting on a frightened face. “HELP! Please help! An EARTHBENDER please! My friend needs help from someone who can shift earth! NOW PLEASE!” Some people stared at her, others collected their children to the side, and after several utterings, someone who had just entered the park stepped forward, his eyes filling with the urgency of her cries. “What? Slow down. Calm yourself. I can help, just lead me to the accident.” She grinned on the inside, looked like a consoled, relieved damsel and waved him to follow. “This way.”

They reached the tree in a run. The man looked confused, she caught her breath, then pointed at the tree with an apologetic but sweet smile. “Can you please bend him down from the tree? Sorry for the theatrics,” she brushed brown locks behind her ear and watched him with big eyes. “I would be ever so grateful if you did.” She approached him in a swayed, feminine fashion, one of her fingers lightly poking his arm. “I’m too frail to help him down myself, but I’m sure it would be no problem to a big, strong man as yourself.” Her eyes were playing across his face with quiet admiration and waited to see what he’d do.