SoleAccord

A Symphony of Elements

“If you can’t help but feel that way, then there’s definitely something still there Bolin. It’s just a matter of confronting it together.” Mako was the last person to give his brother advice for dealing with his feelings for the Avatar, but that level of confusion was something the both of them shared. He loved Asami deeply but had yet to really understand what drew him to Korra. The qualities she had were easy to name, as were the flaws, but what necessarily drove him to leave Asami so harshly? The easy answer would have merely been ‘hormones’ which would lead any male to try to get with as many women as possible, and that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Hoping it wasn’t down to DNA coupled with instinct and instead wishing for it to be a lot less complicated and perverse in sound, he’d need to do what Korra and Asami were doing right now. An outlet for the talk was right beside him, but Mako himself knew he was the root cause of the misfortune Bolin and Asami had dealt with.

“I don’t know what went wrong for me. First Korra kisses me, and I started doubting my feelings for Asami the minute I saw how happy you two were. I’ve never been the jealous type, so nothing really adds up.” Maybe, just maybe, he relished in the thought of the Avatar wanting to know him and be close with him. No, perhaps instead it was just the fact it was a girl itself, and not just any girl, but the Avatar. He didn’t eat up the fame as well as Bolin, but something just triggered in him when he saw those two so happy, and he didn’t like the feelings that emerged from it. They were going to be together a lot more when it came to working for the police force, and as brothers they should perfectly understand what’s going on in their heads. That little pep-talk during the pro-bending competition simply wasn’t good enough for him anymore, and it never should have been good enough for Bolin.

“You though,” Mako glanced to Bolin again, before once again diverting his vision to the streets ahead. They were all but clear and those fortunate enough to still have transportation were speeding by. This pocket of the city was the very least wounded as a result of Amon’s war. “You’ve always been a magnet for girls. I never thought Korra in particular would have wound you up like that …I guess you wanted to get pretty serious, huh?”

-

Asami was starting to push into what Korra called her ‘tolerance’, and it was no secret that she could be impatient when it came to sitting still and listening to something for long periods of time. She had failed as a friend, she knew that much, but the situation with Bolin was …delicate. Bolin was a great guy and she did wrong him, but there was just that nagging in the back of her head that urged her to clear the air with it once and for all. Patience was a virtue she still had to grasp and tightly. So taking a silent deep breath, the Avatar used her ears rather than her mouth and took in the rest of what Asami had to speak on. To better keep silent she had eaten larger portions of the muffin she had eaten to better show self-control. Asami had a right to speak about her feelings, especially after what had happened to the relationship she’d describe as ‘perfect’. Hot young pro-bender meets gorgeous daughter who would inherit a powerful company, where did the Avatar from a modest little pole down south come in on that perfect picture?

Then it was starting to come down to Asami looking back at her own faults, and even though Korra had some jealousy to her she wasn’t sure she could think of a legitimate one to use against Asami without spite behind it. Rich, beautiful, sweet, and that’s ignoring her usefulness in a dangerous situation. Unfortunately Korra wasn’t comfortable enough to really talk about how Mako really made her feel deep down, because like Asami she was confused as to what ‘went wrong’ with all of this. Maybe forgetting the guys wasn’t a bad idea after all, but Asami hadn’t exactly hurt either of them, she did.

“Well… I’ve messed up, we know that. Getting my bending back changed things, helped me stop myself from making a pretty big decision. You don’t know what I was willing to do to stop feeling so hopeless and worthless Asami, and I hope I never have to go through something like that again.” It might have made more sense to her now that until she cleared everything with the boys, she couldn’t just ‘forget’ about them after all. That still left Asami’s relationship too, and she was the only ‘girlfriend’ Korra ever had.

Well, unless Naga counted, but this wasn’t really the time or place to get into specifics.

“I did hurt Bolin, I did make Mako confused, and I did destroy your otherwise happy, perfect relationship. I’m sorry, and I’m going to make sure I fix things for everyone, and I can’t rest until I do.” Without even being aware she had finished her muffin right on time, and had resisted the urge to try and put the Bolin situation to rest. Maybe with a level head she could try to clear it now, at least a little. “And in all fairness I had no idea Bolin was that ...well …I just wasn’t thinking about him like a boyfriend. As far as I was concerned, the term ‘date’ meant ‘hang out’ at that point. I’m new to the whole relationship thing. So, I don’t know, maybe try to ease up on that subject a little bit?”

Korra frowned and stared at the ground beneath her. Acknowledgment of hurting Bolin was one thing, and they had a great time together, but it was hard enough looking back to the moment she broke his heart without being reminded of how great he was to her.

“I’m not the first girl he’s ever looked at anyway, at least I shouldn’t be. So I messed up, but how was I meant to know how far he’d go on a single night together? And then Mako confronted me …” Holding her head in her hands, Korra began to groan as all her thoughts began to overlap. It was her fault, but not all her fault, but sort of all her fault. There was no ground she could stand on and she knew full well she had her part in this.

She was starting to wish Amon showed back up to distract all of them again.

~

The presence of Lin had been pleasant in such a harsh time, but Tenzin regret to feel that it didn’t change anything for him. The same concerns were present, all that her presence here meant was that she cared and wanted to aid him however she could and it was certainly enough for him. He only wished he was more presentable than he was now, clearly exhausted with small bags under his eyes didn’t quite sell just how exhausted he was across all fronts. His emotions were up and down, sleep was an afterthought these days, and the girls were in distress as well. Rohan was also difficult to keep an eye on, and Pema had grown so weak she could no longer safely hold him for extended periods of time. In response to her hand on his shoulder, Tenzin placed his own on her hand in a gesture of thanks. Lin’s presence was not unwanted and because of their close history he felt he could open up to her unlike any other person, exception being his own mother.

“Thank you, Lin. I'm glad you could find time to come.” Expressing gratitude for her thoughtfulness, the airbender would examine her care package and find that all items could certainly be useful. Jinora was the reader, and could do with a good distraction. Ikki enjoyed her share of food and would love a good meal and a dessert to go with it. The first response was to refuse any help, but the reality of his own weakening state of mind and body was overwhelming that possibility. He DID need Lin, having already refused the aid of the air acolytes and promising to call on them should he need anything. This was his family, and it was his responsibility to take care of them. Leading her inside, what was once usually bright and lively was now dim and silent. Ikki and Meelo were no longer running around playing together, Jinora wasn’t going over what she had read recently, and Pema and Rohan together weren’t …

A buildup of tears were felt, but did not leave the ducts within his eyes. Not in front of Lin, Tenzin promised himself that much. Now to distribute the meal Lin had brought, and it was perfect timing as well. No one had eaten since breakfast, and Tenzin hadn’t eaten at all despite encouraging his daughters to.

“I apologize if the welcome isn’t as lively as usual, but as you might have guessed their condition hasn’t improved. Still unable to identify what is causing them to feel so weak and drained, still …still powerless to do anything myself. Mother is coming, but I fear not even her skills will be enough to fight what’s afflicted Pema and Meelo.” Inhaling sharply, Tenzin had moved to get the children for a meal, but had discovered that Ikki had already entered the room and looked to Lin immediately. Being able to do little more than offer the Chief a wave of the hand, Tenzin’s youngest daughter hurried over to her father and hugged him tightly.

“Mommy wants to see you, she said it was important.”

“I’ll go right now, and you can help Lin get the table set up to eat. Where’s Rohan?”

“Jinora’s reading to him in her room.” Tenzin could smile at that thought. Jinora was adapting to the role of big sister well, and had begun to take over most of her mother’s duties when he wasn’t there. Making sure everyone was able to eat, drink, the simple things that he shared with his wife as parents. Hugging his youngest daughter tightly, Tenzin quietly nodded to Lin with a quiet assurance that he would return shortly, leaving Lin and Ikki alone.

Ikki’s usual bubbly personality had dimmed as a result of the sickness afflicting Meelo and Pema. She did not share her father’s immediate ability to hide emotions, and was quite clearly unhappy with the way her life was changing. Mouth dry and eyes half-shut, she had made the approach into the kitchen and with a little help from a generating air ball, reached up high to retrieve the bowls they’d use for the soup.

“How’s your life going?” The tone was surprisingly bitter, as opposed to the slight cheer of hugging her father. It seemed that Lin’s presence was not exactly the jump for joy by all parties in the home.

Attack on Titan: Corruption and Oppression

Template coming soon

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

It wasn’t an intervention viewed as necessary to the healer, but it did prove that for all of Natsumi’s happiness she too could be brought down by cruelty that she generated in such a twisted form. The state of her arms brought pain to Kaede, but the pain of failing to make certain she didn’t restore her arms entirely would have hurt much, much more. With all energy placed into this single task, the crisp arms of the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki would be restored, all traces of the Kyuubi being vaporized as the energy still rested dormant throughout her wounds. They’d remain bandaged for now, but the feeling would be coming back to her friend in a reasonable amount of time. With her mind at ease and Natsumi appearing to be in much better spirits, Kaede hugged her once more before they would return to the main area, where it appeared Chizuma had been good company for Ryozan.

At least …she hoped so.

With Natsumi offering a kind greeting and Chizuma muttering something likely to be related to Ryozan’s eligibility as a son-in-law (she knows her well), that left Kaede with the task of bringing Ryozan much more into the ‘fold’. It didn’t seem like Takeo’s intentions were to put him in an uncomfortable situation, but the fact of the matter was that he wouldn’t have known anyone here very well, and leaving him to the interrogation of Chizuma wasn’t exactly the most ideal welcome imaginable. Natsumi didn’t appear to mind his presence, so that would mean he could become better acquainted with them. The injuries taken care of, Chizuma had hurried everyone out of the medical bay and had made certain they would all get a taste of a nice barbecued meal she had been preparing. Her spirits never seemed to dull, but that only made the Leaf Village a brighter place. Having gone inside, it left the girls and Ryozan outside together in the meantime.

Taking a seat on the porch, Kaede took a good long look at Ryozan. He appeared like any other shinobi, but appeared very reserved for his age. There didn’t appear to be much of a thrill when it came to being with him, but he also didn’t seem like a very bad person to spend time with. Having spent so long with people during treatments, Kaede had a decent grasp of people who had troubles, and she was going to wager that something might have been on Ryozan’s mind.

“I apologize about before, but I’ve kept Natsumi waiting long enough and just wanted to get her here. I don’t think I saw you during tonight’s battle, were you in hiding?” Kaede could understand not wanting to battle and wouldn’t call Ryozan a coward if he chose not to get involved, but the unfortunate reality was that the window to do that had grown very small. She couldn’t judge him, yet it wouldn’t stop others.

-

The Hyuga were a proud clan, full of strength and not to be taken lightly no matter the situation. Unfortunately, so was the Hokage himself, but it was out of respect for the role that Kenji had done the mature thing and allowed them to speak on their disappointment with …enthusiasm. Kaede was sent away so she might not bear witness or try to defend those who ‘abandoned her’ as her father detailed it, while her mother had remained quiet and mouthed an apology to him from afar. He acknowledged it, allowing this rant to continue. Though not all of it could be put on him, words of disappointment went out to one of the Branch’s own, a man by the name of ‘Dren’ who had been assigned to Kaede specifically. Although they had given a good share of disappointing words about him, it was ultimately Kenji himself who they were questioning. Silence fell upon the meeting room; surrounded by most of the Main Families members, Kenji wasn’t intimidated, merely apologetic.

“I apologize once again for allowing Kaede to be in any risk, and for my daughter’s outburst. I couldn’t have foreseen that, she’s normally been calm and cheerful …what you saw or might have heard about was a side of her I’ve never seen, and as her father I hope you can forgive me for allowing the pride of the Hyuga Clan to be in danger.” Kenji’s words were not empty, and though the fury of the Main Family was still there his charisma when it came to diffusing an intense situation was causing them to relax slightly. Before much more could be said between the two parties, a member of ANBU had stepped inside.

“Hokage, sir, we’ve got news.”

“This can’t wait?”

“It concerns the Hidden Mist. It appears the attack was a success—“

“Of course it did. Again, this couldn’t have waited?” Kenji was a little on edge, obviously so were the Hyuga. You didn’t interrupt a meeting between clan’s like this so carelessly.

“Well, it’s …concerning the Mizukage. Apparently a man by the name of Sangetsu Hozuki intends to take the mantle, and requests a meeting.”

Kenji narrowed his eyes dangerously and glanced towards Kaede’s father and mother, who were also meeting this new information with some questionable glances. The Mizukage was not only a close friend, but from what he last heard the Land of Water wasn’t exactly in a rush to find a new one. He knew Sangetsu by reputation, and didn’t like what he knew about him.

“Do you mind?”

With both shaking their heads, Kenji would step outside with the ANBU leading, only to find Takeo himself standing alongside a few Hunter-nin. A group of three were huddled closely, and who appeared to be the messenger obviously appeared very much alone beside Takeo himself.

“Full report. Now.”

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Ryozan had done well in introducing himself, because she had no idea how to do it; “This is a strange boy Mr. Watanabe asked me to bring along.” didn’t sound so appealing no matter how you placed it. Glad to know his name, Kaede was ushered in by Chizuma, informing her that Natsumi was ready and waiting for her. It had then become clear that Ryozan’s suggestive implication for his invitation had brought out the protectiveness of Natsumi’s mother, who didn’t seem willing to let him stay alone with two girls, one being her own child. Offering an apologetic smile to him and hoping that Chizuma would go easy, the Hyuga would step further and further away to make a silent entry into the medical bay of the Uchiha Clan. Celebrations were in order despite the casualties, but here Natsumi was looking down and avoiding her in a fashion similar to how Kaede had avoided her earlier. It went without saying that they had to clear the air before things could become normal once again.

In the middle of her self-pity, Kaede had come to her quietly and without hesitation brought her arms around Natsumi. Firmly securing her in a warm embrace and careful to avoid her scarred arms, covered though they may be, Kaede brought her left cheek against Natsumi’s and rocked in a motherly fashion.

“Whether your father asked me to or not I would still have come …because you need me, don’t you?” she mumbled, pulling back and smiling at her best friend. It might have come as some sort of shock to her, but Kaede was truly happy to be here, even letting the baked goods she kept in hand settle on Natsumi’s lap for this hug. It would go against any responsible parent’s wishes for sugary treats to be consumed before an appropriate dinner, but the only responsible parent wasn’t here right now. No offense to Chizuma, of course. The lime-green haired wife of the Hokage had always been the more lenient of the two, and since they were children would often help sneak sweets when Kenji or Takeo didn’t happen to be looking. 'What they don’t know won’t hurt them.'She’d say in a hushed tone.

Moving her hands down to the bandaged arms of Natsumi, Kaede had begun to let the strong flow of chakra circulating throughout her body constantly sink through the bandages and tend to the scarred and dead tissue within and around her arms. Kaede believed things would be okay between them, but Natsumi was owed an explanation that she was happy to offer.

“I avoided looking at you earlier because I didn’t want you to feel worse about what had gone on. Besides, that wasn’t really you at the time …you wouldn’t have tried to hurt him like that. As long as I didn’t break, you wouldn’t have felt so much worse than you might already.” Hopefully it made sense. Leaving Natsumi idle like this for so long wasn’t her intention, but she underestimated the hospitality and good spirits of the Akimichi time and time again. As her energies seeped through the skin and flowed among the tender bones, nerves were being nursed and the renewal of life was being attempted through otherwise deadened arms. Even with her accelerated healing skills she would need to be careful, the damage wasn’t like anything she had ever seen before. Activating her Byakugan and looking closely, her examination bore fruit in the form of chakra traces throughout her body. Some of the chakra was obviously Natsumi herself, but other parts, mostly her arms, showed more of what she might consider ‘taint’ in her natural chakra pool.

“So that was the Kyuubi’s power. It's dangerous.”

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

No one to expect his return, Takeo could figure out several possibilities based on that response but wouldn’t want to dwell on it too much. Having lost his wife much too soon he had known what it was like to not have anyone waiting for you to return home, and the feeling wasn’t as enjoyable as the average teenager might have expected. For the sake of his granddaughter he intended for Natsumi to never have to experience that level of loneliness, and so he warned Kenji to never die on her, or he’d kill him in the next world too. There was no intention of delving deeply into Ryozan’s personal situation, only to make him a small offer so he wouldn’t feel left out tonight.

“Well, you can spend some time with my granddaughter and make a friend. No one should really be alone tonight, no matter the spirit they’re in.” The offer was without notice to Kenji or Chizuma, the latter was the more welcoming of the two. Natsumi’s spirits seemed low, but perhaps if she were to talk to people her age she could try to forget what had happened and instead focus on the positivity around her. Tonight was special, and he didn’t want her spending it alone and upset regardless of her situation.

“Takeo!” A cheery voice just behind the pair called out, and upon turning around both would find Kaede Hyuga hustling up behind them with treats in hand.

“Kaede! I figured you were with Natsumi by now.”

“Well, I’m on my way now …the Akimichi Clan wouldn’t let me go without taking something to go. They were convinced I wasn’t eating enough.”

“I see.” Takeo glanced to Ryozan. “I’ll make this short: Mind taking him back with you? Chizuma will understand, I just don’t know if Kenji will, but he’s got no one to spend some time with. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to …be yourself?”

Kaede nodded her head. Although unfamiliar with this new boy, she was not beyond making new friends, especially if they didn’t have any to be with. The timing could have been better, but she could multitask when it came to healing severe wounds and trying to make conversation. Coming beside the two, she would have introduced herself had Takeo not already given her name, but hadn’t given her this boy’s name. She would neglect to point this out, because although introductions were a crucial part in getting to know one another she was already pressed to assist Natusmi, who she had left alone far longer than intended. “Of course.”

“Is Kenji still with your family?” Kaede had nodded, leading Takeo to grimace for a moment. Kaede wouldn’t take offense, as she too understood what it could be like when the Hyuga had felt crossed. “I’ll go take care of him and make sure he doesn’t cause an incident. Hokage or not he’s always had a temper. You two be well.” Bidding farewell for now, Takeo proceeded in the opposite direction he led Ryozan prior, prompting Kaede to join beside him and proceed to the compound in a small jog.

“We can talk shortly, there’s someone I need to see.” She wasn’t moving fast, but fast enough to have Ryozan pressed to keep up. Within a thirty second period of jogging, Kaede would hustle up to a specific building within the Uchiha Clan’s compound that was used to hold those who’s care the clan wished to oversee personally. It was rarely necessary to use but they took care of it even so. With a rapid knock on the door, the one who had come was none other than…

“Chizuma!” Kaede noted. Natsumi’s mother was anything but ordinary as a woman, and didn’t appear too distraught about the situation in the previous battle, which meant she was either incredibly good at masking her feelings or had gotten it all out. Ryozan was difficult to introduce, but if he was with her then maybe she wouldn’t refuse to let him in with her. If Takeo wanted to have him along, then Kaede saw little reason not to allow it. “I’ve come for Natsumi, is she still in?”

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Posting within the next couple hours, I just got settled. Did anyone know that moving sucks?

I mean REALLY sucks?

A LOT?

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

It's not about entertainment demands, its about failing to commit when you have a cast entirely willing to help you get involved, and then claiming 'boredom' when you hadn't been engaged to begin with, not only wasting their time but everyone else's too. Just a huge slap to the face of everyone who bothered to read what you did manage to bring to the table.

But seeing as this is a pretty big deal for some people, guess I won't do it again.

EDIT - And just so there's no confusion, its not the fact they wanted to leave, its the reason behind it. That's my real problem, ignoring the resources you have at your disposal and suggestions people offered just to say 'nah' and not try to rekindle the fires at all. It's not cool.

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

Imperfectionist said
...It's possible that the "perfectly good" ideas weren't actually as good as you thought. Before you go wishing illness on people because you're frustrated, look at yourself, and see if you've given these people any reason to .

More than enough creative suggestions were offered to let them continue writing, but they didn't put any effort into using them and didn't try to communicate with any of us so we could help them. There were plenty of friendly people who were happy to help, and they chose not to communicate with any of us, thus I'm here bitching about it. I know some of them from another site, so I'm not surprised, but that doesn't change the irritation that comes from it. You couldn't understand unless you were there, so it's just going to be easier for you to assume I'm the bad guy when I tell you I gave them material they could have used and think it was bad. Some people just don't take help they're given and back out because of it. Not everyone is guiltless when someone else calls it out. That being said unless you're in my shoes you're probably not going to understand my own perspective, but don't leap to the defense of the very type of people I'm complaining about. And don't take 'diseases' that seriously, because I'm not, it was just to better convey how irritable I am about the matter.

Let me bitch like the thread is meant to allow before this gets derailed and closed like the last one, I at least feel better getting it out without a flame war ensuing.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Working on it, just establish yourselves in Suna. We'll get some rebels there for sure if they wish to interact with others.

Still in process of moving by Saturday so posting may be a little slower than usual for a little longer. I'll try to get something up tonight ruro. Chev, Sketcher, Innue, Kaitou, THUNDERCATS, HOOOOOOOOOO!

Post :I

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

LowKey123 said
Yes, but it's still almost unbearable and it stops you from doing some things.

Good thing I didn't say how terrible and crippling it would be to their everyday lives and left it up to imagination then. I'm annoyed, I'm releasing that annoyance through bitching, please let me do that.