OPEN.

[sanguine]

THAT MORNING.... // Closed to Yang Xiao Long.

[Ah, what a lovely morning! It was a calm and relaxing day, and Yang had a handful of hours before she had to go to work... so, Ruby was taking her time and reading the Republic City Times, hoping that today would be the day she'd finally land herself a job!

After a few minutes of leafing through the paper, however, she felt a sneeze come on. It was going to be fine, she thought to herself, knowing all too well she finally got to the point where she was able to control her airbending enough to know not to send her or any nearby objects flying when she let it go.

But, when she did... she had another problem on her hands. One that was, well, on fire, for one.]

H-WHAT?! [There are flames everywhere! How did she catch her newspaper on fire?!] Oh no! What's going on?! Yang! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!!

[Cue the screaming and flailing and overall panicking.]

----

LATER THAT DAY....

[A. What's this? Little Ruby... actually found herself a job? That's great!

Well, if you like being dressed up in a chickencow suit and dancing around in front of a restaurant in order to hand out flyers.

She sure is working hard for her money. Who knows, if you come at the right time, she might be actually handing out dumpling samples! Most of the time though, she will be doing a variety of various dances in order to grab your attention!]

Hey! Come on down and get our world famous dumplings! The noodles are just divine! [...] Watch me break it down, so you can break your fast~!

[Now she's busting out the big moves. Please stop her before she tries spinning on her head.]

----

EVEN LATER THAT DAY....

[B. Okay, now there's screaming. And flailing. And things are on fire again.]

Aah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't know what's going on!! Why me?!

[This time, it's a huge stack of flyers that she was assigned to hand out. They're all burning and Ruby's trying hard to put them out, but-- wait. No! That'll catch the suit on fire! That suit costs a month's pay!

Help?]

----

COMPLETELY LATER THAT DAY....

[C. Well.

She tried.

It was a valiant effort to make her own money, but Ruby had been sent home for being "hazardous to her working environment" or whatever. She has an hour or two to kill, so she's making her way to the park and flopping down next to the Korra statue, face in her hands, sighing loudly...]

Why is life so hard? I might as well have caused an explosion...

[Oh, no. She's SAD. Cheer the young girl up, maybe?]

----

(ooc. COMPLETELY OPEN. Say hi, take a flyer, make fun of her in the suit, idegaf. Please help this beautiful disaster. She doesn't know why firebending is a thing she is so lost oh my god.

Oh, and even though I have brackets here, if you prefer prose, just reply as that. I will follow suit. :3d)

Comments

[yangarang]

[ Really, how many times did Yang have to tell Ruby that she didn't have to look for a job? Time and time again she had reminded her sister that she would do all the heavy lifting, so to say. The entire purpose of their move to Republic City was so that her little sister could properly learn to properly use her airbending, not for her to get a job.

Instead of commenting this time, Yang just rolled her eyes and continued about the morning. It wasn't until Ruby sneezed that she poked her head back in to bless her. What she wasn't expecting to find was a small file and her sister flailing. ]

Wait, wait! Hold up! [ She rushed to her sisters side. ]Calm down, Ruby, you're just making it worse! We need water--

[ Yang made a mad dash for the cup of water she had left on the table, only thanks to Ruby's flailing she only managed to knock it over. Frustrated, she flung her arms up... and the puddle of water went up as well. ] What?

[sanguine]

[shrieks when she feels the water flying at her. It probably put out... like.... a corner of the burning mess.]

What's going on?! I set something on fire and now my leg is wet!

[Maybe she should throw the paper down and start stomping on it. Yes.]

[yangarang]

[ Yang is more shocked than anything now, she barely registered what Ruby said. Instead, she just stared at the droplets of water and the wet spots from ... whatever it was she just did there. ]

What-- Don't ask me, I'm just as confused as you are! [ At least they weren't on fire, but first thing was first. They needed to put it out before it put their apartment out. Grabbing the knocked-over cup she made quick work of filling it up from the sink and throwing it on the fire (and Ruby). ]

[sanguine]

[SPLORSH.

Well, Yang gets an A for effort. Half of that is splashing all over her, but it looks like the fire is put out! A triumph! A huge success!

Now, Ruby's just flopping over, looking pretty upset over a pile of ashes.]

I... What happened?

[yangarang]

[ The fire is out and both themselves and their apartment are safe from harm and that's the most important part. Yang is just as clueless as Ruby though and crouches down next to her. ]

Did you say you set that on fire? How? [ Her brow furrows. ]

[sanguine]

I-I don't know! I was just reading, and then I felt a sneeze coming on, and instead of making the pages fly everywhere, there was fire and then I started panicking and it was a very traumatic moment which I am totally sorry for!

[yangarang]

You sneezed fire? [ This wasn't good... ] You don't need to apologize, it's not like you could have helped it...

[ And now that she mentioned it, Yang hadn't really noticed it until now but something did feel off. If she just bent water, it was possible that after all this time... ] Hey, Ruby... remember when we thought you might have just been slow to pick up on firebending and me and dad just kept trying to teach you the basics? Do you remember any of those moves?

[sanguine]

It was less sneezing, and more the fact that I sneezed and then my hands were on fire except... it didn't burn me, it just... burned the paper!

[She makes a face, biting her lip as she mulls over everything she had been taught in the past, having trained with her family for years upon years... to no fiery avail.]

Yeah? I mean, they've been helping me with learning airbending and defending myself, after all.

[yangarang]

That's not quite what I mean. [ She crossed her arms over her chest. It really did sound like firebending, it just didn't make sense. They had tried for at least a year to get Ruby to bend fire and she didn't have so much as a spark. Why would she be bending fire now? ]

Can you do something we taught you now?

[sanguine]

Um...

[She's pausing, looking around.]

In the apartment?

[yangarang]

Uh...

[ Yang does the same. ]

Yeaahh, no... Let's move outside. [ She rather likes their apartment and would rather not risk Ruby catching it on fire for real this time. ] Just, let me get something just in case...

[ She grabs a bucket and fills it up in the sink. For a second she stares down at the water, wondering if she should see if she really can bend water or not until she decided against it. For now. It really was best they both waited until they were outside. ] Okay, let's go.

[sanguine]

Good idea! [Ruby's not thinking much about the bucket of water aside from the fact that it was a contingency plan... and a good one at that.

She's holding her arms around her body as she ducks down, hurrying down the stairs alongside Yang, hoping she's not about to spontaneously combust or something. She honestly would't be surprised at this point. First random airbending, now this!

Okay, they made it out into the open. Nothing too flammable nearby. Let's try this.

She breathes in deeply, posing her arms, and thrusting them into an offensive stance. Fwoosh! And she keeps moving, her arms aflame as she finishes off the moves she remembers training for... ending in a much larger emission of fire than she had intended, one that sends her falling backwards at the spark.]

Whoa.

[yangarang]

[ Placing the bucket on the ground, Yang stood back far enough for her own safety. She watches her sister, arms crossed over her chest the whole time.

She should be surprised, but she's not. ] But how and why. Can you still airbend?

[sanguine]

Maybe more avatar stuff? Or maybe all the spirits doing their... spirit-y things? [She shrugs, trying to make a little whirlwind with her palm, but... hey, look. A fireball!]

Well...

[yangarang]

Maybe... [ Whatever it was, Yang didn't really like it. How could this happen?

Regardless of why, it was Yang's turn. She looked from Ruby to the bucket of water. Her goes nothing. She's not really sure how to do this at first, she only vaguely payed attention to the way Weiss moved a few weeks ago.

Unsure of what she was really doing, she flicked her wrist and moved her hands in what she hoped was the right motion. And what do you know? She managed to flick the water out of the bucket, which fell over. The water suspended only briefly before it fell in a sprinkle of rain.

Now she was the damp one. ] This doesn't make any sense!

[sanguine]

Uhhh, why... [She shakes her head. Nevermind. It was likely going to be the same answer to the question as to why she could spontaneously firebend all of a sudden.]

Well, is there any way you can show me how to like, reel back the firebending? I know how to control it when I'm fighting, but if I'm going to sneeze another explosion, I'd really like to be able to control it!

[yangarang]

[ Ruby was right, her own bending might be gone but she could worry about that later. Before she let Ruby leave the house she needed to know how to control her bending... If only she could have started with a spark like normal new benders do!

For now she abandons her bucket in order to (tentatively) step closer to herself. ]

Okay, so your bending comes from here. [ She pokes her sister in the area between her diaphragm and her stomach. ] It's warm like a batch of freshly made cookies.

[ Already her own anger is reeling in at the situation, but what a bummer to not be able to feel the fire within herself right now... She takes a deep breath, demonstrating to Ruby how it's done by placing her hands in fists before her chest, knuckles touching each other. ] You just... kind of bring it down.

[ Taking another breath, show lowers her hand until it reaches her stomach. ] And you'll still feel it within you, but it's not as warm. It's just enough. Never let it bigger than a little candle, got it?

[ Yang spoke from experience, as someone who let her own bending get out of control more times than she would like to admit. When she got angry, the flame took over her whole body until she couldn't see anything but red. ]

[sanguine]

[In the midst of all that sage advice, Ruby's just nodding.]

Okay, so feels like when you beat too much spicy noodles and it makes your heart burn. Just let it tingle at your fingertips instead. Got it.

[yangarang]

... Yeah, sure. Whatever works for you.

Now time to give it a try! [ She claps Ruby on the back. ] Got get 'em, tigerbear.