Ask a firebender. Ask them how they fell in love with their partner. If you're lucky, they will tell you to mind your own business. At worst, make sure you have plenty of water nearby.
The blessed of Agni were prone to passion, struggle, and life. They were also prone to violence and barbarism, anger and violence.
Few managed to find a balance. A good portion succumbed to the darker impulses, leading them to rejoice and thrive in warfare.
However, they all shared a common trait inherited from their divine protector: they were drawn to strength.
So if you want to seduce a firebender, beat their asses and establish your dominance.
I
Lotor found Allura at the Southern Air Temple. To say he was disappointed was an understatement: he had come to find Alfor, not his daughter.
Lotor wanted to capture the man who had managed to evade the armies of the Fire Nation for almost thirty years, the former friend of his father.
He wanted to succeed in what the great Fire Lord had failed to do through inability, weakness, or old feelings. (There were rumors, in Caldera City, promptly made to disappear, about how the Fire Lord hoped to have master Alfor by his side.)
Destiny had other plans and set Lotor Allura on the road. He was underwhelmed.
"Prince Lotor ..."
"She is young. It won't be hard to take her away, " he said, clenching his fists. Better get it over with immediately and get rid of the thought. When he gets home, he will talk to his informant and express all his gratitude.
The leader of the resistance had never been to the temple, it was another red herring.
Lotor didn't take it well when he was deceived.
His mood changed when a typhoon knocked the soldiers he had sent off the mountain.
"My prince..."
"They were replaceable," was all Lotor said as Ezor shrugged, expecting the wrath of Zarkon's heir.
But Lotor wasn't angry. Far from it: Lotor was fascinated. The airbender alone had defeated a dozen soldiers, and she seemed ready to face another hundred.
It was a laudable feat, and Lotor always rewarded talent, wherever it came from.
His father insisted that he find a spouse and give heirs for the dragon's throne. The Fire Lord will be satisfied.
Lotor had just found his future wife.
His determination grew more when Allura beat him. And then she did it again. And again...
II
Acxa had never paid attention to the people who followed the Avatar. Why would she have to do it?
Her target was Takashi Shirogane, not random kids who decided it was a good idea to stand up to the Fire Nation without any training or resources.
They were destined to lose from the start.
Acxa considered them idealistic fools who refused to see the greatness of the Fire Nation, and if they couldn't see the reason, then they had to be eliminated.
So it was no surprise that she, at Avatar Roku's temple, didn't know who the girl in blue was in the Avatar group.
She learned it later when the girl blocked an attack intended to hit the Avatar.
"Step aside, little girl," she growled, the threat evident in her voice.
The girl frowned, "My name is Veronica, and I'm not a little girl. I'm a warrior from the Southern Water Tribe, and I'll kick your ass! "
Acxa held back a snort. Did the savage think she could fight her? She will go lightly, she had entertained her. She will only break a few ribs and will not leave her with any debilitating burns.
She was wrong: it was true, the savage's style was narrow and many of her movements were clumsy, but she had a bright mind and was quick.
She learned from her mistakes and imitated the way Acxa fought. She had never seen anything like it, and it piqued her interest.
The girl from the water tribe knew what the firebender's weaknesses were, and she avoided her hands. She was fast and she hit fast, immediately pulling back to attack from the other side, not giving Acxa time to figure out where the next attack would come from.
Acxa had never been the poetic type - she left certain nonsense to her prince. - but at that moment it looked like they were dragons dancing, red and blue mingling in the heat of the fight.
The dance ended when the girl managed to hit her in the arm.
Acxa froze.
She had a wound on her arm and drops of blood fell to the ground.
Acxa felt her blood boil, but not with anger. She was an elite fighter, chosen by Lotor for her abilities. No one had challenged her in combat for years. Not even the prince.
Yet, here is a nonbender of a barbarian people, she was not only holding up to her, but she had also hurt her.
This was making her feel something, and it was distracting.
"You fight well," she said, and she meant it.
The girl of the water tribe grinned, a ferocity in her features that made her look like a wolf.
At the sight of her, Acxa's heart raced.
It was taking advantage of her distraction that the other girl managed to punch her in the face and make her fall to the ground.
What a way to hit someone, eh?
III
" You!"
"Are you real or are you an illusion of the cave?"
Shiro was nearly hit by a fireball and his lips thinned, "No, you're not an illusion at all."
Adam growled, the weeks of frustration building up.
Adam had received orders from General Zhao to capture the Avatar before he was one of Lotor's underlings.
It was almost impossible. He didn't like to admit it, but the Avatar was a master of evasiveness, and he always managed to lose track of him.
(The credit went to Lance and I know a shortcut, guys. There was a reason why no one wanted him to drive Blue. Fortunately, he did it anyway.)
Despite all his efforts, calculations, and sleepless nights spent on the maps, Adam found him randomly while he was stuck in a cave.
Agni was probably laughing at him.
The fact was that Adam had come to Oma and Shu's cave for personal reasons. Academic at heart, he had always wanted to study the place of the legend. That was what had put him in the dark with Avatar Shirogane, stuck and having no idea how to get out.
The first to attack was Adam. He had to do it. The Avatar was an enemy and he had been ordered to capture it.
He didn't expect Avatar Shirogane to use firebending when he didn't even have a master's degree.
(Years he'd watched Krolia and Keith work out had helped. Shiro had no idea what he was doing, but he had a good memory and a ridiculous fortune. He did it.)
Avatar Shirogane was strong. Adam shouldn't have surprised him, because he was the Avatar, and being powerful was part of the job description.
But his fire was wild, which would have horrified Adam's teacher but which he found fascinating.
The very essence of fire was indomitable, and the fire of the Avatar could not be tamed by anyone.
Adam wanted to slam it on the nearest surface. And he wasn't quite sure it was for a fight.
Focus, Adam. You have a mission. Remember it.
Unfortunately for him, his treacherous mind lingered on the Avatar's toned bare arms and his ... um ... other merits of him.
"Are you okay?" Shirogane asked him. Who asked an enemy if he was okay? The damn Avatar, that's who!
"You're distracting."
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's go back to the part where I was defeating you. "
Avatar Shirogane dared to smile, "I'm pretty sure I was winning."
"Not a chance!"
" Do not worry. I'll make you remember. "
The Avatar is dangerous. He was the most dangerous being in the universe and he made Adam feel things. He had to get out of that cave before he made him do something stupid.
Too Late: the next time they met, Adam betrayed the Fire Nation for him.
IV
Keith couldn't remember who started the argument.
A moment before they were eating, the one he doubled with Shiro to learn fighting techniques without the use of bending.
"One of Lotor's elite guards can temporarily block people's qi. "
" So?"
"So we all have to learn how to defend ourselves from her."
Keith snorted, "Lance needs it more than me."
Lance stared at him grimly, "Me? Why?"
"You rely too much on your bending. You are helpless without water nearby and ... "
Lance surprised him by taking his arm and pinning it against his back, making him face the table.
"Who is helpless now?" Lance asked his ear in a hoarse voice.
Keith swallowed, feeling inappropriate parts contract.
He wasn't supposed to be so excited, but his mind raced to hundreds of different scenarios where Lance's hands went down, making it worse.
He grunted, "You were lucky."
"How about a rematch? So we'll see if it was just luck. "
For his sake, Keith should have said no and let it go.
But he was a horny idiot and accepted, dreaming that he was the one who pinned Lance to the ground.
It didn't go like that. Lance had learned well on Kyoshi Island and Keith found himself less than two minutes later with his butt on the ground and his throat dry.
Damn waterbender!