rocking in the water
Written as: itsallanoxymoron
Prompt—Amon and Korra. Equalist!Korra helps teach classes on how to perfect chi-blocking pertaining to each specific element: earth, fire, and water. Amon revels at turning a brash, hot-headed girl into an inspiring teacher and passionate lover.
A note from the author ~please be aware that these updates, like most everything I write, will be spastic; you may submit prompts by reviewing; this is my OTP; I am writing a multi-chapter fanfiction for this pairing~
one. they scooped you up on sugar maple wings
"Hello, ladies and gentleman," grins Avatar Korra somewhat easily, mockingly. "Welcome to Elemental Chi Blocking 101, my first class ever. Be prepared for the worst two hours of your life." She steps down from the platform and walks through the ranks of the senior veterans. "I understand that some of you hate benders with a burning passion—and today, for two hours only, I ask you to forget that hate. Failure to do so may result in complete and total vulnerability in the battlefield."
As she walks, she stares hardly into the faces of each person. They are dressed in their work out gear, completely free of their masks. Most know to keep their faces clean of any and all emotion during training, but others let their distaste and hatred for her shine in their eyes. But their leader claimed her to be worth something—and everyone suspected their relationship but no one dared speak of it—and who were they to doubt their doting leader? Two spirit-touched people were not such that you wanted to aggravate.
"I think we'll start with something easy today, don't you? I hope no one minds getting a bit wet." Korra smirks.
^.^
Amon oversees the class from a long, rectangular window on the left wall. The instructor has split up the large group—Korra working with group A, C, and E. During this time her second, Kenji, perfects chi-blocking with ranks B, D, and F. It was an ingenious idea—and Amon is quite ashamed he didn't come up with it himself—to perfect chi-blocking so that there were different styles which corresponded to each type of bending.
Things are going well, he thinks. Turning, Amon asks, "What's for dinner, Lieutenant?"
^.^
"Alright. Now that you all have separated, Kenji and I will demonstrate what we hope you all will be able to accomplish very soon."
Kenji, her assistant instructor with jet black hair and startling blue eyes, steps up. Korra takes a waterbending stance, hands poised. With a simple flick of her wrist, the dance begins. She aims the shards of ice for his face at an astonishing speed, and Kenji merely ducks rather than jumping out of the way. (Benders will suspect that, Korra had told him. Duck, and it's harder to retaliate, to bend the water backwards.) Korra bends water underneath his feet in an attempt to cause him to fall, similar to an illegal probending move. Within moments, Korra's chi is being blocked by simple jabs—she is still in her stance.
To everyone's surprise, the Avatar laughs and bumps fists with her second. Since when did the Avatar become so . . . friendly?
"Well done. He makes it look easy, though. Most waterbenders," she states, "will be in a state of paranoia, frantically coming at you with everything they've got, which is their best moves and dirtiest tricks. Groups A, C, and E will be training with me on how to think like a waterbender. The rest of you will be with Kenji for a lesson on anticipating waterbending moves. Tomorrow, you will switch instructors. That is all."
^.^
Kenji and Korra each take two other people to help instruct, respectively. "Today," barks Kenji, never one for stalling or petty words to liven spirits—always down to business, "you will familiarize yourselves with the most fundamental of waterbending moves. You will each get copies of authentic waterbending scrolls. I want you to practice them. Each of you should be able to find adequate places to block the bender's chi—remember what you learned in from your first chi-blocking lessons—but these places depend on the stature. Partner up—one of you will present a stance, but the other shall try to block their 'bending'. Begin."
^.^
"Okay, boys and girls," Korra grins. "Playtime."
Korra has the veterans in a large circle, leaving her in the middle. The large basin next to her is filled with cool water, and it sings for her. She has every student mimic her movements, calls out every imperfection she finds—which isn't much. They were not of the highest rank for simply no good reason at all.
"You, Iskah,"—the girl straightens, perfects the stance—"loosen your shoulders." And then she speaks to the group as a whole: "You must all let your emotions flow—like water. You must do this even if it is painful, even if it is the last thing that you want.
"And then," she whispers—in awe, in reverence, in respect, "you will finally be free."
^.^
"For the last thirty minutes of your time in hell"—a few people grin, disagreeing—"you may challenge me."
^.^
Round after round of different names, faces, tactics. Korra bests most of them, though she commends every single person who accepts the challenge. Whenever she accidentally uses another element—usually firebending, because the waterbending styles are closer to that—she apologizes and the round restarts.
At the end of class, Korra says, "Very good today, ladies and gentleman. I will see you all again tomorrow at 0900." Some people groan and Korra just smirks in her "deal with it" manner. "You are dismissed. Head to your next block, soldiers."
As the crowd exists, Korra goes over to where her water is stationed—next to the platform which she started the beginning of class on. Amon stands next to it, half cloaked in shadows. He dons it with ease, same as which he has over the mask.
"So?" she asks him, taking a sip. "What did you think? Was I too harsh, too overbearing?"
He could answer with: You're perfect, which would be the customary response from a lover. But Korra values his honesty, and so that is what he gives. "You are not the mediocre teacher I had expected. You humor the class, putting them at ease, while simultaneously being hard-pressed to affect, giving you their guarantee of utmost effort. Have you done this before?"
"Almost like you," she murmurs. And then, louder, "But no, this is my first time. Perhaps Aang took some pointers from Fire Princess Azula before she went crazy, though." Korra winks. "Or maybe I'm just a natural?" She lets the question hang.
He chuckles.
^.^
"You know what I think? I think," Korra snuggles closer into him, "that they should be taught while they're novices, you know? Sort them out by their personality traits—have all the hotheaded ones perfected in chi-blocking firebenders and stuff." She shrugs, and yawns sleepily. "It's just a thought."