003 - January Catch-all

[lavamylife]

[Bolin has been busy. In fact, his social calendar has pretty much been jam-packed for about the last month, and it shows no signs of easing. Every once in a while he won't be present in Republic City as he's off to Zaofu with the love of his life on what he thinks ought to be a life-changing field trip, but it actually turns out to be a boring, boring thing since he barely gets to see Opal while he's there. Meanwhile, when he's back in Republic City, he's splitting his time (perhaps marginally unsuccessfully) between training at the arena, getting the Fire Ferrets on their feet for the upcoming tournament, potentially working with Varrick on a new mover idea, and... well, he's helping the poor, needy foreigners by buying food and supplies for them. With the last of these, he's practically prioritising them over himself.

And so, if you catch Bolin, he's going to be looking a little tired, thinner, and perhaps more than a little stressed and frustrated.]

A. At a café [Open]

[You might find Bolin in a small ramen shop in one of the less expensive districts in town. While Bolin's got some money stashed away, it's not like he's making a steady income quite yet with the pro-bending thing or the acting gig, so he's been a little more thrifty on himself, especially since some amount of food is going to help others.

[The meal he's eating will look a little meagre, and while he hasn't asked any of his more well-to-do friends for help (because this is something he's doing on his own for now), he will probably still be a little hungry when he finishes. After all, he's the equivalent of a pro-sports athlete in the middle of training.]

B. Air Temple Island [Open]

[In his few moments of spare time, he will try to get to Air Temple Island, but he'll remember about halfway there that Opal's not at home, and he'll look kind of dejected and sad. There's a lot on his mind, and he could totally use a friend to talk to him, though he's not exactly going to be rushing to perfect strangers to spill his guts.

[That said, he's got his fire ferret Pabu and his adopted turtle duck Kitsi with him, and he'll be feeding them in the attempt to make himself feel a bit better about life. He'll just say that he's taking them out to enjoy nature, especially since the turtle duck seems to have taken a liking to him.]

C. Pro-bending Arena [Open]

[Bolin is working out at the gym. Yang and/or the NPC waterbender that are officially on the Fire Ferrets might be with him as well, and he's explaining how things go. However, he doesn't seem ridiculously into it, and he's just not quite hitting the bricks like he's used to. But the last thing he wants to do is disappoint the fans like last year, his sponsors, OR his teammates, so he's keeping at it, trying to get a rhythm going.

[But he's clearly distracted, and occasionally he'll just miss a target outright. It's not like he's doing overly badly--he still manages to do decently. But it's not his usual thing.]

D. Republic City, near a Pet Shop [Open]

Turtle ducks, turtle ducks for sale! I've got 26 of them looking for a good home!

[Yes, Bolin happens to have a large box full of turtle ducks that had been deposited in his apartment by the spirits' good(?) graces. He's adopted one, the smallest of them, and of course Pabu is on hand to "help" him sell some turtle ducks. But it seems like there's not many takers for them, seeing as how so many other places got plastered with turtle ducks for some reason. And so he's just having one of those moments.

[Help a guy out?]

E. Varrick's Studio/Yacht/Wherever [Closed to Varrick, Dove, and/or Ty Lee]

[And after enough hiatus, Varrick has finally started the plans to make a new mover, and Bolin's of course going to be attending the meetings, you know, since he's going to be one of the stars in the new film, of course. At the very least, there will be talk about what's going to be happening along with a general meet-and-greet with all of the actors. Bolin will be dressed up a little for the attendance (at Lord Varrick's insistence, of course; he doesn't want any low-class people in his presence), and otherwise Bolin will be looking around somewhat awkwardly, waiting to figure out what exactly is going to be going on.]

F. Zaofu [Closed to Opal]

[Bolin is off for his one-week pilgrimage to Zaofu with Opal, and at the very least he'll be travelling there with her. However, Bolin isn't looking forward to it as much as he was the first time last month as, despite their best efforts, Bolin didn't really get to have much Opal time given that she was busy with meetings to actually help run the city. So perhaps Bolin's not going to be quite so fond of the place now. I mean, just how many times can you go around the city appreciating the "fine" "sculptures" created my Skrillex Beifong?

So Bolin's going to be bored to tears, but he's still going to try very hard for a brief bit to see Opal when she's hopefully less busy. If there's such a time?]

G. Create Your Own?

[OOC: Want to plot? Have I not given you enough options?? Ping me on Plurk. Or send the journal a PM if you like, either or.]

Comments

I'll go for... oh okay, F. You twisted my arm.

[airyopalescent]

[Even on the trip back to Republic City, there seems to be precious little time to spread around for the young woman. She had been handed off a stack of things to read as the airship set off and for the most part Bolin will find her begging off to go finish up the paperwork.

It's late evening by the time she does finish and she's more than a little worn out by the time she thinks to go find him. She always seems to be somewhat worn out these days though.]

Bolin?

[lavamylife]

[The airship seems incredibly too small right now. Granted, it's not like it's the biggest airship on the planet, but he's pretty much all by his lonesome without anyone really around that he knows, and that's not exactly the best environment for Bolin. Well, true, Opal is there, but she's been practically occupied the entire week he's been there to visit with her, and yet amount all the time they've had the entire week are a few minutes here and there and then a very brief good night hug as a veritably exhausted Opal heads to bed.

[Bolin will be found looking out the window. Normally he'd be planning something amazing for Opal after her workload was finished, setting up something elaborate and romantic and special, but a few too many ruined plans and a few too many dashed hopes means that he's just being shockingly quiet for once, nursing his doldrums with exotic views.

[When he hears Opal, he'll turn his head around to see her. For a moment there's a stir of excitement, and it'll reach his face. Yet he knows that she's probably not done yet, and even if she is, she looks completely tired already.]

Oh, hey, Opal.

[That's not exactly Bolin's usual spirited self talking.]

[airyopalescent]

[The brief spark of excitement dried up quickly. There's a pang that comes along with that. She had been far too busy far too many days and had seen similar looks wither up without much she could do to apologize for them. This was simply how politics and this city running business went, at least for her. Her mother always seemed to have more luck in balancing but she wished she knew how she did it.

In the end Opal settles down heavily next to Bolin. She's worn out and really doesn't want to face his own displeasure on top of that.]

Good evening.

[lavamylife]

[The spark may not be in Bolin's eyes, but he still of course has his deep feelings for her, and it's not like he's going to show absolutely no affection to her.

[He puts a gentle hand on her shoulder and gives it a light squeeze, flicking a brief smile at her.]

Another late night? [Which of course is an obviously answered question since it is practically dark out; they won't be getting back to Republic City until the morning.] You should get some sleep, you know. I heard you were up early today too.

C. because she needs to practice NOT on the street

[phoenixstrut]

At first she had been surprised to see the arena on the list of practice locations she had been given, but upon inspecting the others, had decided that it would likely be the safest and nicest. It appeared Republic City had not been as safe as she had been expecting--silly girl, but really, who would have expected to get stalked home or harassed because you weren't a citizen??? Thus, she found her practice twice as important, and had decided that, at least three times a week, she would train.

Hard.

When she finally finds her way to the gym this particular day in her simple workout gear, she's surprised to see Bolin training alone, and even more surprised to see him miss more than once. From what she's heard, he's supposed to be one of the best, and, concerned but not wanting to be rude, decides she should at least say hello.

"Bolin? That you?" she asks, though it's obvious, heading over after she sets her bag next to where Maomi has curled against a wall. She'll walk slow, not wanting to entirely interrupt his training.

[lavamylife]

Both Pabu and Kitsi—Bolin's new turtle duck—are here watching him train. Well, more so Pabu, when he's not practically having to babysit the young fledgling turtle duck. For Bolin's part, he's not punching with his usual flare, but instead he's just trying to keep his mind distracted and off of one of the big things on his mind.

So far it's not very effective.

But when Dove enters, Bolin glances over briefly before going back to his training. "Oh, hey, Dove," he says rather casually. It only hits him a few moments later that she's not someone he actually expects to be here! "Dove? What are you doing here?!"

[phoenixstrut]

His surprise catches her off guard, and she stops walking, one of her hands lifting in a slight shrug. "Your brother told me this was a good place to practice bending," she explains simply, subtly questioning Bolin to see if it was actually okay. "So...same as you, I guess."

Its then that she notices he looks a little...tired. And stressed. And maybe thinner?
"You okay?"

[lavamylife]

"Oh you finally ran into Mako, huh?" Bolin says rather conversationally. He's grinning a bit cheekily at that. "I guess this is probably one of the better places to do it. I mean, sometimes the management will get all paranoid about people who aren't part of the Pro-bending League being in here, but if anyone asks you about it, you can just tell them that Bolin sent you." He points a thumb at his chest, feeling like he's doing a good(?) friend a solid.

But her questioning of him makes that grin sort of fade. "Who, me? Totally fine! Actually, I feel rather great! Everything's peachy!" He can't even fake a good grin as he's trying to do this, and eventually it just sort of falls flat. "Who am I kidding? I'm not even into training today."

E. Because her name is there and yesssssss :3

[phoenixstrut]

She wouldn't have missed this for the world, and just as Bolin has spiffy'd up, Dove has forgone her normal attire (though really, in a city this big with a passion for fashion like hers, that's not too terribly unlikely anyway) in favor of a simple--but downright lovely-- red dress that drapes just off the shoulders. When she arrives, and spots Bolin, she's immediately relieved; he's a safe person to start a conversation with, and with the bright smile that appeared when she noticed him, she's quick to approach and attempt to save him--and perhaps herself-- from awkward milling around. "Hey, Bolin!"

Oh, I *guess* I'll RP with *you*. ;p

[lavamylife]

Bolin's at least familiar with some of the crew that's going to be here for this thing, and... he's on friendly terms with... some of them... and less friendly terms with a few of them since he really didn't know much about acting at all the last time and made them work a little harder just to get the right shots until he got used to it. But at least he's holding is own at this thing as they start to figure out what this new spiel is going to be. It's still a little awkward, but certainly not as bad as it's going to be for Dove.

But still, he's going to appreciate Dove's company a lot more than a few others'. "Oh, hey, Dove!" he says with a broad grin! "I was wondering if you were going to be here. Have you heard anything yet about what the mover's going to be about? I think I got a brief hint about it, but I... still haven't seen any scripts for it."

well THANK you :P Don't get TOO excited... Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself

[phoenixstrut]

Dove isn't entirely sure of what she's getting herself into, but she's ready to face whatever comes at her. This was, initially, one of her reasons for coming to Republic City, after all. Luckily for herself, she's a born and raised social butterfly-kitten, and once she gets her bearings there won't be a stranger in the room by the time she's done with it. Maybe. In fact, she thinks she might recognize a few from tours she's done previously, though she's never come this close to a mover crew.

She positively beams, though, at Bolin's always warm welcome. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," she tells him, her tone bright and excited. "And no... I haven't heard anything about it. Should I be worried? What did you hear?"

[lavamylife]

Bolin just shakes his head at Dove's questions. "Me neither, actually! Then again, Varrick's usually been pretty quiet about everything until pretty much the day of the shooting. Well, okay, not exactly. Last time I knew already that he was going to be making a mover about Unalaq... and the whole Water Tribe Civil War thing... but I really didn't know what costume I was going to be wearing until I practically arrived on the set!"

C. BRO, WUT R U DOING?

[streetferret]

Good shot.

[Mako arrives just in time to watch Bolin miss the net entirely. His jacket's open and he's got his old duffle bag with him.]

Iiiif the other team's already in the water.

[lavamylife]

[For that brief moment, there's something of an awkward grin on Bolin's face... though it falls moments later because, yes, it's very obvious to both him and Mako that it was a bad shot.]

Yeah, I know. Ugh! My head is just not in the game today. Not that we're actually playing a real game, but...

[streetferret]

[It doesn't take much for Mako to notice it's more than just lack of practice that's got his brother distracted.]

What's eating you, bro? [He heads over like it's simple Fire Ferrets practice, taking off his jacket and tossing his bag on the ground.] It's going to be like last season's first match if you don't stick to it.

[lavamylife]

[What are you talking about, bro? He's been practising all last week in Zaofu because there's literally nothing else to do?

[Bolin just takes a seat on the bench, and, just because Mako asked, Bolin is just going to spill the beans about everything.]

Oh, it's just... I can't seem to find any time with Opal these days. Ever since the Spirit Barrier thing got torn down and she visited Zaofu and found out her entire family went missing, she's practically had no time to do anything but paperwork and meetings and whatnot. Even when I go to Zaofu with her to support her, she's just... never there.

I just don't know what to do about it.

B is for Bumi.

[abitofawildman]

[Bumi is attempting to meditate.
He's even in the meditation pavilion.
Just sitting there.
Meditating.
Yup.
Meditating.

Nothing.
So he takes a deep breath and tries again.

For the love of all that is great and small would someone come and save him?!?!]

[lavamylife]

[Bolin is not meditating.

[Bolin is just walking up to the meditation pavilion.

[Looking at Bumi.

[Awkwardly.

[Yup.

[Awkwardly.

[What the heck?]

Uh, Bumi?

[abitofawildman]

[His face is scrunched up in a mask of forced concentration.]

Mmmmhmmm?

[See? That was kind of zen, right?]

C is for Friends Who Do Stuff Together?

[savedtheworld]

[Aang's here, he's watching, he's even wearing a silly hat to cover up his forehead arrow!

And the monk's eager to contribute applause each time Bolin strikes at the target. ...Even when it misses.]

Operation WAFFLE: We're All Friends, Friends Love Each Other

[lavamylife]

[For the most part, Aang's applause is actually rather encouraging. It's actually keeping him going a bit, even if he's not always hitting his target.

[But then there's a particularly bad throw that's just wide off the mark, and that's when Bolin just knows the applause isn't actually a measure of his success.]

Oh come on, I wasn't even close that time, [Bolin just says a little bit dejectedly.]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang frets.]

I wasn't paying attention to that part, Bolin. Your form was still great, and you tried your best, so I thought that was really great!

C

[yangarang]

[ Training is probably Yang's favorite time of the week-- or day, in her case. Even if Bolin isn't training, Yang keeps herself in top form. Running, push-ups, sit-ups and even the occasional weight lifting. She knows if she's going to have the crowd screaming her name she needs to be good and there's no point sacrificing form.

But it's hard to work as hard as she should when her couch isn't going as hard... Finishing her last flame-clap push ups, she stands and glances at Bolin. ] Hey, Bolin? Ever done hot squats?

[ The tiniest of smirks tugs at the corner of her lips-- she knows just what he needs to get pumped up. ]

[lavamylife]

[Normally, Bolin would be operating in top form, but this week was a little different. This week, Bolin wasn't on top of Yang, and he's ever so thankful that he's picked a firebender with a severe case of being on top of her own training.

[Bolin perks up a bit, trying to shy away the doldrums, before looking at Yang.]

No? What are hot squats?

[yangarang]

It's a kind of fire bending training, but you don't have to be a fire bender for them. [ Her smirk has now turned into a half-grin. ]

I think they're just what you need today. Want to give them a try?