Deer Country IC Inbox

[pabugotmoves]

Huh? Oh-- You've reached Bolin!
Yeah, I'm a pretty busy guy but leave me a message and I'll beep you back

Comments

[retsuden]

[ Somehow he isn’t surprised about that. ]

Yes, relatively. I arrived about a month ago.

Have you been here long?

[pabugotmoves]

Mm.. about as long as any of us have. September? October? I don't really understand the calendar here. But I know it's lunar new year right now so.. yeah, a while.

Are you settling in okay? You've found a house and everything?

[retsuden]

Were you in the dream before this as well? It seems like many here were.

[ Settling in. He's quiet for a moment at that. It's... difficult, to say the least, to think of settling anywhere other than Konoha. And he'd barely gotten into the idea of that until recently.

So he just... quietly ignores that part of the questions. ]

I did. Something a bit more like home than the rest of the architecture in this place.

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin nods in reference to the first question. He was there.

But it's hard to have two conversations at once so he focused on the second part.]

What's home like for you? This place doesn't really look anything like my city.

[retsuden]

Mm... Also very different. The village I'm from is in the middle of a dense forest at the base of a mountain. It's a lot warmer than here so far. It's mostly made of wood and stone and the roofs are more... curved?

[ He tries to visualize it by moving his hands in the shape of a traditional Japanese building, but it probably just gets lost in translation. He lets his hands drop back down, wrinkling his forehead. ]

It's been a while since I've been home. It's hard to describe it. But it's greener everywhere and the water is cleaner and the air is easier to breathe.

[pabugotmoves]

[Bo takes a breath like he's imagining lush green forests and still waters.]

Sounds pretty dreamy, Sasuke. Opal.. my last girlfriend? She was from a place like that. It was so beautiful.

[retsuden]

Many people did come to the Land of Fire for that reason.

What about your home?

[pabugotmoves]

Land of fire, huh..

Oh- it um. Well I'm from Republic City. It's kind of a new city, very metropolitan. We've got theaters and markets and a probending arena. Super love the arena, lived there for years, highly recommend the view.

But there are some nice parks you're not supposed to fish in but totally can, and Air Temple Island is just across the way. That's where the Air Nomads live.

You know my mom was from The Fire Nation? That kinda sounds like your thing.

[retsuden]

Some people have mentioned cities here. They said they have... skyscrapers? Does your Republic City have those?

[ It's obvious he has no idea what a skyscraper is. ]

Are your lands named after the elements that are most prominent in them as well?

[pabugotmoves]

We do, yeah. A few.. but hearing what some of the other people around here say when they talk about home.. I think we're like. Behind in that? Time wise? We just got moving pictures, if that helps.

And uh.. yeah. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's how it works. Republic City used to be Earth Nation but Avatar Aang declared it a melting pot for everyone regardless of their origin. That's one of the things that makes it so great.

[retsuden]

Mm. We got those in Konoha a few years ago, too. My teammates liked to drag me to every new release. It sounds like our homes are similar.

Did the melting pot idea work?

[pabugotmoves]

They do and Yes! It did! I mean, kinda.

People kinda stick to their own and there is some uuuh.. triad issues.. and we haven't had police for very long so it's kind of a whole thing. Plus you know there's all these "supremacy" issues with benders and nonbenders and I've been a part of like.. two civil wars but I don't think that's really the city's fault. It was people's fault and it happens anywhere.

Anyway we've put all that behind us now for the most part and we have a great new president and we're really working on uniting the country.

[retsuden]

[ He listens quietly. He doesn't know what a bender or a non-bender are, but supremacy is something he's more than familiar with, as well as wars, and a nation trying to unite.

He can't help himself; Sasuke ends up chuckling softly. ]

It's not identical in words, but I get the feeling our worlds have more than just moving pictures and elements in common. I'm... helping our Hokage to unite all nine nations together for the first time in our history in hopes that maybe there can finally be peace.

[pabugotmoves]

[Likewise, Bolin doesn't know what a Hokage is but he gets the jist and smiles, nodding knowingly anyway.]

People, right? It's wild. If it happens anything like how it happened where I'm from then you'll get there, it'll just take time.

Our focus now is to unite our new home here in Trench City! There's a whole new way of life to adapt and keep safe. Pretty exciting stuff, actually. Do you know what your blood type is yet?

[retsuden]

Mmm, Darkblood. Apparently.

[ And he sounds about as displeased with that as one could after last month, thank you very much. ]

[pabugotmoves]

[Ignoring ur tone, buster]

Ooooooh, that is so cool. Darkbloods are so cool, man. You're all crazy powerful. My friend Asami is a darkblood and she can do, like, anything with machines. I've never seen anything like it.

[retsuden]

I haven't attempted to do anything with it. Mostly it just seems like a pain. It stains everything.

[pabugotmoves]

.. Sasuke. Buddy. You know you don't actually have to bleed to use them, right?

[retsuden]

Yes. [ Maybe. ] Sometimes I bleed when I use certain abilities from my own world.

[pabugotmoves]

Oh.

That sounds.. rough? Like what, though? Our worlds are similar, can you bend the elements too or something?

[retsuden]

I'm not sure what bending is, but the techniques we learn as ninja are based in the elements, yes. I've no trouble with the basic ones anyone can handle, but my family's techniques are... harder on the body sometimes.

[pabugotmoves]

That sounds intense.

What element do you work with? I'm an Earth guy, myself. Mako is fire if he never told you.

[retsuden]

... All of them. Though my specialties are fire, lightning, and yin based techniques.

Is it common to limit yourself to only one where you're from?

[pabugotmoves]

[He just kinda.. stares.. for a moment.. before nodding.]

Uh, yeah. It's hereditary, so.. there's only one person in the whole world who can use all four. She's a big deal.

[retsuden]

Hn. Interesting.

[ He means that whole heartedly too, this is probably one of the more fascinating differences in worlds he's heard in a while. ]

We have seven elemental affinities. Most can only master one or two, but with extensive training, theoretically anyone could learn to use all of them. Inherited techniques are usually more focused, though.