A Supermagnet, A Doctor, and A Twin Walk Into A Bar

[iamnotpolaris]

Milliways. Oh, bless.
Dr. Xavier could have finished her shift, made it home, and buried her head in a pillow if she had to. But this is much easier.
"Hi, Bar, can I have a stimulant that won't interfere with my judgement or dexterity or anything like that?"

Comments

[roc_on]

"That's probably nearly as draining sometimes. Anyway, I'm Beila Guxiao." Bow.

[iamnotpolaris]

"Emily Xavier." She inclines at the waist, but makes no move to get up from her bar stool. "So why are you world-famous, or would you rather interact with someone who doesn't have a clue for once?"

[roc_on]

"I don't really mind being world-famous, the interest of going unrecognized has already worn off. I'm the Avatar. Do you have those where you're from?" She sits at the bar. "I'll take her recommendation to take your recommendation." She gets a slushy apple-rose drink. "Ooh."

[iamnotpolaris]

"No, I don't think so. I haven't heard of any such thing, anyway."

[roc_on]

"It means I can bend all four elements and I have some nifty spirit powers on top of that. I am technically reincarnated, but apart from oddly timed births and deaths not so you'd notice."

[iamnotpolaris]

"All four elements? What, you mean like fire, water, earth and air?"

[roc_on]

"Yeah." She pulls a glob of ice slush out of her drink, makes it orbit her hand with flowing gestures, plops it back into the glass.

[iamnotpolaris]

"Cool. I think those are the Greek Classical Elements in my world. I do metal," she adds, the steel bracelet on one wrist deciding to do a mercury impression and twisting off to make a circuit around her arm.

[roc_on]

"Earthbenders on my world can do that if they specially train for it. A lot of cops are metalbenders, especially in Republic City. I haven't picked it up yet, I'm still in firebending my first go-round and then I can go back and learn metal and sand and lightning. But you just do metal?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"Well, I do magnetism, it's not quite the same thing. The earth is a giant magnet, so I can push off its magnetic field to fly, and I can do some stuff with things that are sensitive to electricity."

[roc_on]

"Ooh, metalbenders can't fly, they mostly vault around or zipline. So that's different too."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Ziplining sounds fun, but not as practical as flying."

[roc_on]

"It really isn't! I love flying."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Sooo...I'm guessing you fly using air? Or do you lift the water in your body or something, I'm guessing the air one would be more practical."

[roc_on]

"...I do not lift the water in my body, no, that would be really uncomfortable. It's air and a glider. Also I have a pet roc."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I thought it might be. What does a pet rock have to do with flying?"

[roc_on]

"...Did whatever weird language aura this place has - do you not have rocs? Giant birds? They eat fish?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"Oh, the birds. We don't have those in real life so far as I know, but we have stories about them. In my language, 'roc' sounds exactly like 'rock' and a 'pet rock' is something you give to kids who want a pet but can't be trusted to take care of a living thing."

[roc_on]

"Oh! That's cute."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I know, right?"

[roc_on]

"Yes. My roc is a bird, though, and I ride around on her. And when I'm not doing that she catches fish in the bay and sits on top of sufficiently large trees."

[iamnotpolaris]

"That makes much more sense in the context of flying. What's her name?"

[roc_on]

"Liqing."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Does that mean something? If it does it isn't translating."

[roc_on]

"No, it's just a name. My name doesn't mean anything either. Well, Beila doesn't, my last name is - do I just mean it differently when I say it and -? Swan-owl."