cyclicality | 003 - January Catch-all

[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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. ]

[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?

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?

[Firebending forms, huh? Somehow he feels like he's just signing up for trouble, but there's no way he can say no. He's just too nice to say no.]

Uh... sure? Lay 'em on me?

[ There is going to come a time when Bolin regrets his niceness. Yang might be backwater Fire Nation, but her father trained his girls hard in martial arts and fire bending. There's nothing that says training like literally having a fire lit under ones rumpus. ]

It's pretty easy-- You start with a squat. [ She squats, waiting for him to follow. ]

[Bolin really does not know what's awaiting him. Really. Bolin takes a moment to adjust his balance and stance before getting down into a squatting position.]

Seems easy so far. Now what?

[And perhaps that's where he realises that something's going to go wrong.]

Now for the... [gulp] hot part?

Yeah, that's kind of supposed to be the easy part.

[ Looks line he finally caught on. ]

You move-- and fast! [ So it's not like she's going to light his butt on fire and it just so happens that she likes Bolin enough to go easy on him. She doesn't waste another second, releasing a quick, yet rather small burst of fire right under his backside. ]

[Bolin isn't entirely quick enough, and so there's going to be a certain hot sensation that, while it doesn't burn him, will make it probably a little less likely for him to be just sitting down and calling it a day.]

Youch! [He stands up quickly before turning around and taking a step away from Yang. But... he can't be mad, and a sort of goofy grin just comes on his face.] You know I can't help but wonder if just ordinary squats are more like my style.

Yeah? [ She crosses her arms over her chest, feeling rather satisfied now. Hopefully she won't have to have him do a full set of hot squats. ]

Does that mean you're going to stop slacking off now? You're the one that's supposed to be setting a good example, you know.[ Even though Bolin might be the one in charge around her, Yang has no problem calling him out on his own lack of effort. She uncrosses her arms and tilts her head upwards slightly. ] Or do you want to lose our first match?

No... I mean, yes...? [That was too many questions all at once with different answers!? Gah!]

Okay okay, look... I don't want to lose a match. I love pro-bending! It's one of the best things I've ever done! I've just...

[He just needs a good sulk is all.]

Yang, I've just been so distracted with life of late. Way too much has been going on, and my life just feels like a mess right now.

[And for what it's worth, at least it's one of the first times he's actually slacked off a little.]

[ While Yang should have felt bad for lighting a fire under his butt, but she wasn't. If anything, she was rather pleased with herself because now rather than sulking, Bolin was actually talking. Moving closer, she clapped a hand on her shoulder. ]

All you had to do was say so. We can take a break, I don't mind lending an ear. I know-- why don't we pick up something to eat? That way we can talk over food, it's on the house! [ How could he deny if she was paying? ]

[Because she hadn't asked yet before then? Bolin's moping clearly hadn't surfaced above his terrible bending.]

Thanks, Yang. I mean, I just... sure! We could go get some noodles or something equally tasty!

[And it's true, he wouldn't deny free food; it's not like he was rich or anything, even if he was more or less okay. Thank you Nuktuk royalties, scant as they were.]

[ A good thing it didn't too, if it had she might have outright kicked his ass by now. But she liked Bolin and even though he was her couch, she didn't see any harm in also considering him a friend. ]

Noodles it is! I know a great little place a block or two from here. They have really great steamed buns too! [ A lot of Yang's money came from her father, sending both of his girls monthly allowance to cover rent and food. Despite the free money, she made sure she earned her keep. On top of professional bending, she worked part time as a waitress close to home... And while she was saving up for a moped, she didn't see any harm of treating a friend once and a while.

Just let me get changed first and we can go! [ Going out to eat in gross training clothes... probably wasn't the best idea. ]

Edited 2015-01-22 15:05 (UTC)

There's a good noodle shop near here? Man, I've been heading across the city for my favourite noodles after practice.

Er... yeah, that's... probably a good idea. [Because even if Bolin's been mopey, he's still sweaty from the effort of trying.] I could use a change first. And then after lunch, better practice... especially to ensure I don't have any more hot squats.

[Yikes.]

[ Snicker. ] You just haven't been going the right way! ... Okay, I admit it. I didn't find it, my little sister Ruby did. But it won't disappoint, Xiao Long honor!

... You might want to check your pants too, you know, common issue with hot squats and all. [ She crossed her arms, smirking. Even knowing she didn't fuel enough fire to actually ruin his pants, it was totally worth teasing him. ] After you're fueled on noodles, you won't have an excuse. But if you slack, I'm coach for today and you don't want to do my routine.

[ If she was in charge for a day, he'd have more to worry about than fifty hot squats. ]

[Bolin's hand automatically goes to the rear of his pants to check without thinking too much about it. No holes there, and that makes him relieved. But also, it makes him just... look flabbergasted.]

Your firebenders really must go through an awful lot of pants that way, you know that, right?

[But nonetheless, Bolin will stand at attention for that, as if suddenly he really wasn't the captain and coach of the team. It's exactly Mako would do, except it's totally not the sort of thing Bolin is good at doing... standing still and formal.]

Yes, ma'am. I... will make sure that doesn't happen?

003 - January Catch-all

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It took me forever to realise "couch" was "coach" XD

,,, hopefully no terrible typos this time :|

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