Amethyst

A/N: I love that you guys are giving me suggestions! It really helps me ponder what I can put into my future chapters. I do like the ideas, I've just got to find a prompt that it would fit smoothly into before I can use it. That aside, thank you so much for the responses I've got from the last chapter! You guys are so kind. ;3;

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Flame

She always had a fascination with benders. When she was younger, she used to pretend like she was an Earthbender and would stomp around the house "bending" the furniture. As she grew up she realized she was quite enamored by the beauty of waterbending, and she loved watching Tenzin airbend on the occasions she had to see him. But, there was something truly fascinating about firebending. It was dangerous and exciting, and a part of her loved the thrill that came with it. She loved watching Mako firebend, but there was truly something entrancing about Iroh's firebending.

She noticed it subtly at first. She would watch the flame flicker atop the candle at dinner, slowly growing and fading with each breath that he took. She especially liked to see the way the fire would flicker with his laughter, laughing along side him. She caught the moments he spent staring into the flame, almost as if he could feel its power within him, and she found that it was difficult to look away.

He didn't hide the fact that he liked to use bending to keep them warm on cold days. He found it amusing that her fingers always felt like ice and didn't hesitate to warm his hands so that hers would stop shaking. His breath was always warm and he told her stories about how his grandfather relentlessly taught him the importance of the Breath of Fire.

"He would tell me that it saved his life," he said. "He insisted that it would save mine one day too."

"Has it?" she asked.

He met her eyes with a small smile. "Not yet. But it still might."

It didn't take her long to realize how extensive his training really was. She was surprised that he was taught how to meditate for years before he was allowed to learn the basic firebending forms. Aside from Korra, she really didn't know anybody who trained their bending with such dedication. Most people those days used it for menial tasks, or fun. Even Mako, a natural at firebending, only trained when he had a match coming up. Iroh joked that true firebending was a lost art and nobody had the patience for it anymore. His words intrigued her.

"Well then, how does a true firebender bend fire?" she baited him.

He had the decency to flush a bit at his arrogant slip of words. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Oh, I know," she said. "I'm just curious about how your bending differs from anyone else's."

Flattered by her curiosity, his embarrassed blush gave way to a grin. "Well, I was taught by the Fire Lord himself. That has to hold some merit."

She hummed through her self-satisfied smirk. "We'll have to see."

The General of the United Forces was not one to pass by a challenge and he met it head-on like a true Prince of the Fire Nation. They walked to a nearby park and he shed his coat before fluidly taking up a firebending stance with practiced ease. He gave a few deep breaths before moving through a basic line of forms. Even though he didn't do anything particularly difficult, there was a distinct difference between his bending and the firebending she had seen before. Every change in direction, every movement was calculated and precise; every burst of flame had a breath to accompany it. Every stance was strong and powerful and even with the small plume of flame that resulted in each form, she could see the potential that he held in reserve, the raw power that swam beneath his fingertips. He was so serious, so focused, that she didn't think she'd be able to break his concentration for anything.

But then he'd look over at her just to see if she was still watching and a flicker of warmth would bubble in her chest when she caught the small smile he tried to hide. Yes, she always had a fascination for firebending, but she quickly learned that she especially liked it when he did it.

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A/N: And suddenly my drabbles are starting to look more like drabbles. Tomorrow's prompt is more exciting, and dramatically longer, I promise!