"Alright. So what do you want to know? Ask away," Landon said.
"Oh, umm, well I want to know about my father. I know you said that you don't know why he wanted to keep this all a secret from me…"
"The best I could do is guess."
"Nothing makes sense, so I'll take anything I can get."
"Well I've known a few bright eyes in the past who have resented us telling them. They had preferred being ignorant about it. The thing is, when you know about your abilities, and you start to train in your bending art, it's extremely difficult to abandon it. It becomes a sixth sense. When you avoid bending, it becomes like a muscle that is itching to be stretched. But for us benders, we must control our bending when we are in public or else we face grave consequences. Some don't want to live with that burden. It's easier to be normal if you don't know that you aren't. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I think that I do. So you think that my dad didn't want me to live with that burden?"
"I'm only guessing."
Sienna pondered for a moment. Landon was convinced that she was going to start yelling like she had in the cave.
"Well I guess that doesn't really matter anymore. It's too late to fix," was her response, completely calm and level-headed.
Landon was surprised at her level of maturity. He let out a deep breath. He had not realized until that moment that he had been holding it. He allowed himself to loosen up, releasing the tension in his body.
"Anything else you would like to ask me?"
"Yeah… What exactly do you want from me? What am I even supposed to do from here?"
"Well, our organization is always looking for new recruits, and my family believes that you have a lot of potential. Your father was a particularly gifted Waterbender. He had rare abilities that I am hoping he passed onto you."
"I learned how to lift a bit of water a couple of inches into the air, and that took me nineteen years to figure out. Am I really worth the effort that you're giving? Do you always go to these lengths to recruit someone?"
"No, I don't. I usually just tell bright eyes about who they are, and if they are interested I will take them to the Cave. If not, I will tell them how to get a hold of me if they do become interested. It is a security hazard to bring in a strange bender when he can potentially be a threat. But you are a little bit different than some random bender off the street, Sienna."
She did not know what he meant by that, but she let it go.
"And that's it? You just need more recruits?"
"Well you can say that we have been having some problems with the government. There have been some information leaks, and officers have been arresting our men and women for things like 'tax evasion' and 'drunk driving'. We have some serious plans in motion, and we need the numbers in order to make them happen."
"Okay, I guess that makes sense. And my second question? What do I do from here?"
"Well, from here you can get training. We have Waterbending masters who can teach you to hone your abilities. They'll teach you how to master your element, and from there you can help our cause, if you're willing."
Sienna had been thinking about it throughout their entire conversation. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see what she was capable of doing. It had first started with acceptance, but it was starting to grow into excitement and anticipation.
"Alright," Sienna stated.
"Alright?" Landon asked, confusion obvious on his face. He was expecting hesitation.
"Well I'm guessing I'll have more questions later, but for now, my only question is 'When do I start?'"
A wide grin spread across Landon's face. Sienna wanted to laugh at his expression. He looked more like the little kid she remembered when he was smiling. He was always so serious now-a-days.
"You can start as early as tomorrow morning. I'll give Siku a call tonight and let her know that you've agreed to train. I've told her about you already, and she is very excited to get started."
The very first thing that Sienna thought was What kind of a name is 'Siku', but she decided to keep that question to herself. She simply nodded in agreement.
Landon snapped out of his joyful mood and went straight back to business.
"Alright. Be back here tomorrow morning at seven o'clock. I can take you over to the Cave, if you don't mind riding the motorcycle."
"I don't think your motorcycle and I got along very well the first time, but I'm willing to give it a second shot if she is," Sienna said jokingly.
"Yes, I'm sure she will be very accommodating," Landon said mockingly.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."
Landon got up out of his chair and opened the door for Sienna. On her way out, she paused.
"Oh, and Landon?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for making this so difficult for you. I'm actually starting to really appreciate that you told me," Sienna said. Her tone was softer than it had been throughout the rest of their conversation.
"I'm just doing my duty," Landon replied very formally and awkwardly. He closed the door behind her as she left.
Landon retook his seat and stared at the mountain of papers he still had to go through. He groaned to himself. As he picked up the first paper, a thought occurred to him.
"Oh shit, what am I going to tell my dad?"
He groaned even harder and started on his massive pile.
A/N: Thank you for reading my latest installment! If there are any discrepancies in the story, let me know. I change ideas for the story so much that I forget what I have actually written down and what I haven't. Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day!