⚡ 9th zap | action ⚡

[i_am_not_cute]

[Early in the morning, Pao-Lin returns from her mission, exhausted but itching to get back to normal (Luceti) life. Two weeks just for combat testing? What the hell was that about? She's a pretty fit girl, and there'd been two days of break in the middle of it all, but some of the things the Malnosso made her do strained even her. Which, she supposes, was the point of it all, but it still sucked. She's so very glad to be back in the village, with friends and good food and her own apartment, and when she gets back to said apartment she sits on her couch with some snacks and her journal to check what she missed. There's going to be a lot to go through, but after being up and about nearly nonstop the past two weeks, Pao-Lin doesn't mind sitting still for a while, so sit still she does, eagerly flipping through the pages.

The eagerness quickly fades when she comes across Ginia's journal post not two days before, declaring the departure of one Rupert Giles. The announcement unsettles Pao-Lin: Giles was one of the first people she'd met in Luceti, someone who seemed like he'd always been around and always would be. Although the two hadn't been that close, she'd liked him a lot and they'd experienced quite a few things together. To have him just suddenly be gone...

With unease burning in her throat, Pao-Lin continues perusing past entries. Seems like some sort of experiment happened while she was away...not that anyone seems to remember what happened then. (Perhaps for the better? She's certainly glad she missed out on things.) There's an announcement from the Malnosso about the missions, and --

Toph. Toph is gone, too.

Her heart thuds against her chest, tripping over the news. She has to take a moment to catch her breath so she can process things. How could this happen? Pao-Lin wonders. Weren't she and Toph supposed to become even better friends in Luceti in the future? They couldn't do that if she were gone! Were Toph's future memories really just fake ones created by the Malnosso, then? In other circumstances, Pao-Lin's innate optimism would take over and reassure her that maybe Toph, like Luca, would come back eventually. She'd have to, if they were going to be much closer later on. But Pao-Lin's tired from her mission, and barely recovered from learning about Giles' departure, so she's not bouncing back into shape as easily as she should.

The final blow comes when she finds Mia's voicepost about Amiti being sent home. After that, Pao-Lin doesn't even bother checking the rest of the entries.

Three friends, gone within two weeks. She didn't even get to say goodbye to any of them properly. And none of them had even known she was gone, either: by the time she'd actually found the mission summons in her journal, Pao-Lin had to report in. There was only enough time for a quick message to Luca letting him know that their drawing lessons were temporarily on hold, and then she had to get ready and head out, more concerned with what she'd have to do on this mission than about losing friends in the meantime. It's not like the girl has any shortage of them in Luceti, but they're still all dear to her, seeing how few she's had in her life prior to this.

Pao-Lin slowly closes her journal and sets it on a nearby coffee table, next to her forgotten snacks. She lies down on the couch, clutches a pillow to her chest, and silently cries a little.]

***

[Once she's pulled herself together sufficiently enough, Pao-Lin heads out into Luceti to go about her day. Despite having spent most of the past two weeks involved in strenuous physical activity, she'll still go through her kung fu forms by the river, though her movements won't be as spirited or as focused as they usually are. She'll take her main meals at Seventh Heaven, but she'll drop by the bakery for some pocket food before wandering aimlessly through the streets, not going anywhere in particular but not wanting to stay at home and brood, either. At night she can be found at Good Spirits, staring morosely at a melting milkshake. If approached at any point, she'll put on the brightest smile she can, but at this moment the brightness will be less like sunshine and more like a flickering lightbulb.]

Comments

[shadedsunlight]

[It's a good variety of skills, but Ginia feels inadequate compared to people with magic and powers.]

It's a self-defense system from Israel that focuses around strikes, wrestling, and grappling. It's designed to taken down an opponent as quickly as possible.

[i_am_not_cute]

How long have you been training in it? Did someone teach you or did you learn it yourself?

[shadedsunlight]

Someone taught me, back in my world. I've been training in it for eight years now.

[i_am_not_cute]

Oh, I see. [She considers what else Ginia told her.] What filial magic do you know how to use?

[shadedsunlight]

Healing magic from Nala and I've picked up a few tricks from Kipinn.

[i_am_not_cute]

Oh, you know Nala's magic? Me and Grune have been trying to learn that!

[shadedsunlight]

Helios helped me with her. She's definitely been useful to learn. How's that coming along?

[i_am_not_cute]

Ah...we haven't really gotten to do much yet -- I only got to talk to Nala once before I had to leave for my mission. But now that I'm back, I definitely want to start learning again! [It'd be a good thing to occupy her mind and keep her from brooding too much over recent events.]

[shadedsunlight]

I wish both of you luck. She's quite friendly and easy to learn from once you get the initial connection. I was worried I wouldn't be able to learn from her, but I guess she'll teach anyone from any world. [A light laugh.] I think studying anatomy textbooks helped too.

[i_am_not_cute]

Oh, that's good that she'll teach anyone. [She makes a slight face.] Do I really have to study anatomy textbooks though...?

[shadedsunlight]

No, you don't have to. I did to have some sort of base. It's easier thinking about how something should heal when I understand how it works.

[i_am_not_cute]

I guess that makes sense. [It doesn't make the activity any more appealing to Pao-Lin.] You said you knew Kipinn's magic too, right? How much do you know about that?

[shadedsunlight]

Not as much, but I've been focusing on a single skill. [She sheepishly rubs the back of her neck.] I've been working on using Kipinn's power to boost my speed.

[i_am_not_cute]

Oh, that sounds really neat! How do you do that?

[shadedsunlight]

I keep the wind to my back for some extra lift and speed. It's still a little tiring and I can't do it for very long, but I'm getting there.

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin thinks this over. She hadn't considered that as a use for wind magic. She'd been thinking more along the lines of Sky High's tornadoes and razor wind.]

Hmm...maybe if I learned wind magic, I might be able to use it to fly a little with my wings...

[shadedsunlight]

Perhaps. I'm not sure these wings are suitable for any flying, but I bet you could get a good float or glide going.