"Oh so you can ignore my questions but I can't ignore yours?"
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Verena took a deep breath. It wasn't often that she was forced to act to help her situation.
She had cried to get into hotel rooms, pretended to be friends with people she's hated but this was new to her.
She's never had to act like she's happy when she was scared. Possibly because she had never been this scared before. But there was a first time for everything.
She's sitting at a table eating what she thinks is chicken and is watching Prince Zuko run what they call Katas with other members of the ship.
She's not the only one watching the Prince as Uncle Iroh's eyes are narrowed watching every move.
It reminds Verena of her mother.
Her mother watching carefully to fix any mistakes with a smile and a "Good. Now again." Her mother who would wait for her at the end of every competition with a list of corrections and the question of what she wanted to eat after.
"So the katas do what?" Verena asks after swallowing a mouthful.
Uncle Iroh looks at Verena, as though startled from his deep thoughts. "They're meant to help the Prince improve. Drills and new moves to add to his repertoire should he come to need them in a fight."
Great. The Prince runs these Katas to help him fight better. Because the Prince will literally fight Fire with Fire. The thought continues to leave her feeling uneasy at the fact of people being able to bend Fire in this world.
Maybe if she was able to bend , she'd feel less uneasy.
But she can't. So she's stuck feeling uneasy.
"Again." The elder says sternly next to her and it snaps Verena back to reality... if you can even call this that.
The Prince is panting, the effort of his katas obviously taking its toll on him as he works. He doesn't take a moment to breathe before throwing himself back into the rotation, showering his sparring partners in flames and dodging with what looks like ease.
Verena is not a fool however, she knows that just because someone makes it look easy does not mean that it is.
Verena is taken slightly off guard however at the sight of him jumping and twisting his body in mid-air to land and remain in a defensive position.
How long did he have to practice to get that right??
It's not that it was perfect because even she can see the suspended moment in time where his foot wobbles.
"No! Power in Firebending comes from the breath! Not the muscles !" Uncle Iroh corrects his nephew. "The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire! Get it right this time."
