capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

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(no subject)

WHO:

anoblelie ~~err maybe Toph at some point if she feels like showing up~~
WHERE: A somewhat empty corner of a city park
WHEN: Last Monday, a couple hours after Azula arrived in the City and this thread took place.
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY: Azula is looking for a metalsmith. Erik is intrigued.
FORMAT: Prose to start, though that could change.

The park had a fair number of patrons given the day's weather. Erik had managed to find an unoccupied bench that was distant enough from any children to provide some quiet. He kept his communicator on hand in case the woman he had planned to meet up with needed further directions to his location within the park. As he waited, he rolled a familiar coin between his fingers without ever physically touching the metal, a gesture that was practically subconscious to him at this point.

Erik had found the request for armor curious, though it did not seem completely strange to him. Though it had largely fallen out of fashion, he could easily see the benefits of good armor, particularly for imPorts. New possibilities for the application of his powers were almost always fascinating to Erik. It would take little convincing to persuade him to take on such a project, he just wished to know a bit more about who he would be working with before dedicating himself to it.

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[~~Damn that Toph~~]

The park was an area she'd quickly become familiar with on her first few days in the nation, and she found it once more with no difficulty. Azula had managed to negotiate her way into a more suitable outfit than the bed robes by the time the meeting rolled around, clad in a black pants suit as she entered the park. The concept of finite finances was neither one she'd ever had to face nor something she had yet contemplated, and so at the moment it was beyond her how much of a dent the simple outfit had put into her now limited budget.

She approached the bench with a light step and a welcoming smile. Though this sort of thing was typically sorted for her, she was no stranger to engaging in the creation of her own weaponry. A leader could not afford to rely too heavily on any one specialist or another, after all. True power came from personal perfection in all areas. She stopped before the man, taking in his appearance with a practiced eye as she spoke.

"Good afternoon, Erik. My thanks for meeting with me. And on such short notice."

Erik moved to stand as the young woman approached, if only because his sense of propriety told him not to simply remain seated when greeting a woman. "Good afternoon," he replied. "It is nothing, really." He gestured at the bench, tilting his head slightly in silent inquiry of whether Azula wished to take a seat for their discussion or not. He was indifferent either way and slipped a hand into his pocket, returning the old coin to where he had kept it for years.

The mutant could tell from the other imPort's demeanor that she was likely some sort of aristocrat. There was a time where he would have felt distaste for her based on that alone, but he had begun to move past such feelings for those born to privilege. He had recently come to witness that not everyone who was raised in a position of power would feel the need to abuse their wealth or authority, and having such an upbringing did not always mean that their childhood was an easy one. Still, much remained to be seen from this woman before Erik would be able to determine whether or not she seemed trustworthy.

"Did you have anything in mind pertaining to a... demonstration of my abilities?" he asked, getting straight to business.

Azula slid onto the bench with an easy smile, crossing one leg over the over as she made herself comfortable. A public demonstration worked well enough for her, and she tilted her head at the man at his question. She was more than accustomed to others offering to accommodate her wishes, of course, but it wasn't something she had fully considered. Still, the answer was simple enough.

"Whatever shows them best."

Erik gave a small nod in response to that. He did not bother to reclaim his seat on the bench just yet. The mutant turned his attention to a nearby lamp post, one of many that lined the side of the walkway that wound its way through the park. Holding up a hand in the direction of the post, he focused his attention on it and after a moment the metal began creaking. The lamp seemed to twist itself into a knot. The act was quite effortless for Erik, as obvious by his impassive expression.

"I can do more intricate work as well, of course," he explained, turning his attention back to Azula.

She let out a small, pleased noise of consideration at that. Well, wasn't that interesting. As far as she'd been aware the little blind tag-along of the Avatar's had been the only earthbender that had stretched to include metal as part of her ability set. Fortuitous to find another here...particularly one with no association with the annoying child. Or so Azula assumed, as he hardly would have met with her otherwise. Unless, of course, this were all some elaborate trap. Which remained a possibility. He would have had to be the one to think it up, in that case.

"Isn't that a stroke of luck. I didn't realize so many benders had arrived here before me."

Erik looked mildly curious at the term she had used. There seemed to be quite a few people in the City who recognized him as a mutant, and he was gradually becoming used to the term "imPort", though "bender" was not something he had been addressed as before. He moved to take a seat on the bench once more, leaving Azula a comfortable amount of space.

"Benders?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Azula kicked up one foot without much more than a quirked eyebrow to go with it, and a jet of flame shot off from the tip of her toe to quickly vanish in the air only foot or so before her. She then swept one hand to the side in casual gesture, nearly a shrug, and another trail of flames following a similar fate.

"Elemental bending. That is what you do."

Erik watched her demonstration with intrigue shining in his eyes, though he kept his expression otherwise impassive. He had not seen such an ability before, at least not yet in his own timeline. It reminded him a bit of one of the mutants he knew, though at the same time it was quite different. This young woman was also quite advanced in her apparent control of her own abilities compared to the young mutants he had met. It reminded him of himself, if only a little and he could not help but wonder if her training regiment had been anywhere near as intensive as his own.

"Impressive," he remarked with a quirk of his eyebrow. "I suppose that is true. I have simply not heard it referred to as such."

"I know."

There wasn't anything particularly smug about the statement, Azula just took it as a fact that she was impressive, born lucky as her father had always said. But there was some gratification to having it recognized by one who knew nothing of who she actually was. The novelty of not being known as a princess as still fresh enough for her not to mind it yet.

"Whatever do your people call it, then? They must have some term for recognizing the most gifted among them."

A brief quirk of an eyebrow was Erik's only visible reaction to this young woman's apparent pride in her abilities. He could not fault her for being so confident; rather, he found it almost admirable.

Erik nodded at her words. "Where I come from, it is a rather... recent phenomenon for individuals to have such abilities. There are not many of us, and few know of our existence. The ones that are aware of us call us mutants... the next step in human evolution," he explained. A frown briefly came to his features. "Though they do not always recognize us as gifted. They fear us, and that fear begets hate."

"Naturally. They fear us, as well. And why shouldn't they?"

Azula leaned back into the bench, becoming fully comfortable as they entered such a familiar topic. Poor Zuzu. From her father's description of events he really had been so terribly shocked to learn people feared and hated the Fire Nation rather than admired and envied it. The idiot.

"The present always fears the future. They look at it- at us- and see their end. It would all be so much easier if they simply learned to accepted the unavoidable and embrace new beginnings."

Erik could not help but smile a bit. He was certainly beginning to take a liking to this young woman. It was quite comforting to see that there were others in the City who shared his opinions on such matters. If only he could succeed in persuading certain others to coming around to this way of thinking, he would be quite happy indeed.

"My sentiments exactly," he replied with a respectable tilt of his head in Azula's direction.

She gave him more of a smirk than a smile in return, contented at the apparent good sense her metalship possessed. It really would be unseemly to have to argue politics with one's tailor.

"Then consider your talents approved, Erik. I look forward to your results."

Erik gave a small nod, moving to stand once more. He offered a hand as though to shake. "You can send me specifications over the Network," he suggested. "I will get started on this project as soon as I am available."

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