M Moving Rocks Ain’t Hard Kid

Cho

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Flashback

He shot up with a start, sweat pouring from his brow. Covers clutched to his chest, he gasped for air, a muted scream clawing its way out of his throat. One hand drew its way up to his shoulder, his nails digging into his skin, knuckles paling from the pressure he exerted. His shoulder seared with pain, it didn’t matter that it was in his head, he could feel every inch of it burning with white hot pain. He wrenched his eyes open to escape the vision of a pair of jaws closing in around his head.

It was dark. The middle of the night most likely. Cho glanced about as he gathered his wits about him. He was unsure how many nights it’s been that he’d woken up, drenched and panicked, feeling as though the walls around him were closing in. It’d been too long, either way. He’d shied away from checking in with Sigmund and the others, perhaps out of fear that he’d be pulled into something like that death game again. He ripped the covers back and stood from his bed with a sigh, his focus turning to the window. It stood open, the curtains billowing in the gentle breeze of the cool desert night. He rested his head against the frame and peered out over Uruk. At least Sutor was good for one thing, they’d sorted out a home for Cho, though he didn’t question the means or their methods.

He turned his attention to a building he’d visited some days prior; the library.

————————

“So, what is it you’re looking for?” The mousy, blond archivist asked Cho as he scoured the bookshelves.

“I’m.. not really too sure.” He replied, barely giving the archivist a second glance, “I need some information on an entity called Shaan. And uh- I dunno if it’s something you know anything about, but I need some Earthbending scrolls. I heard something about Sandbenders out in the desert.. They've got carts that float over the sand because of their skills. I figure that could be useful here.” He gestured, vaguely, to the whole of Uruk. The archivist pondered for a few, long moments.

“I can’t say I know of anything that contains information on this Shaan entity you mentioned. But if you can give me some more information, maybe there’s something... Now, Earthbending scrolls. Those are something that we have here, archived away... dusty old things. There weren’t too many that believed in the ability to move rocks and the like with your mind. It sounds quite fantastical when it’s said out loud, I must admit!” She let out a hushed chuckle, “I could pull them for you, if you’d like?”

Cho shook his head a bit, in disbelief. “You- you don’t- ... huh. Yeah. I’ll take the scrolls.” He sighed, dismissing the arguments that rushed through his head.

“I’ll be back in a moment. Keep browsing if you’d like.” Cho nodded and went back to reading the spines of dusty tomes. None of them were of any particular interest to the Earthbender. He shifted a few to get a look at the covers before placing them back with a huff.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” A voice called out quietly behind the Earthbender. Cho spun on his heels, greeted by a man, about his own height and beaming a grin.

“Them?”

“Oh- sorry. An Earthbender. I’ve read those tomes and I’ve heard about the Sandbenders out in the desert. I’ve always wanted to meet one.”

“Well. Yeah. I am.” He smiled, a little apprehensively, as the man before him extended a hand. Cho took it and gave it a quick shake, though the man held on for a few moments too long.

“I’m Nass. It’s an honour to meet you, truly.”

“Cho. Pleasure to meet you too. So uh- Earthbenders, huh?”

“Yeah! I read about you folk in this archive. Figured I’d want to meet one of you one day and see it for myself. I mean, if you don’t mind that is?”

“Oh- um. Well, sure. But not right here. I wouldn’t want to trash all the books by accident or something.” Cho forced a quick chuckle, “Once I’ve got the scroll, maybe I could show you a thing or two.”

“That’d be great! Really great, actually. Can any old person learn how or-“

“I’m not too sure. I know there was an influx of benders when the Avatar opened up the gateway to the Spirit World. I’ve not met any other benders here, but maybe it’s something that’s dormant in everyone. Maybe not. Maybe I’ll have to go to the Spirit World and try to open a gateway here, eh?”

“That’s a lot to unpack. You’ll show me some stuff, though, really?”

“Sure, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?” Cho scoffed, “I’ll show you what’s in that scroll.”

The Archivist returned moments later, a pair of dusty scrolls in hand. Immediately, Cho recognised the Earthbending scroll and beamed a grin, a hand extended to take it.

“I do need these back. At some point. I also brought this one, I’m not sure if it’s of any use to you, but we had a Firebending scroll.” She passed the pair of scrolls over and folded her arms, “We require these back. In the same condition. Sooner rather than later. And in one piece.”

“Of course.. of course. I’ll get them back to you as soon as I can. Thank you.” Cho dipped his chin a little, before turning on heel and ushering Nass out with him.

The pair exited the relatively cool interior of the archives out to the oppressive heat of the desert. He was still ill at ease in the heat. He’s barely gotten used to the cold of Inverxe before they were hauled away. Still, there was some shade to be had here and there. A cool wind whipped through the streets occasionally, dredging up some loose sand with it. Cho gestured for Nass to follow him as they set out into the streets. He was looking for a clearing, if anything, exciting brimming in him at the prospect of the contents of the scroll.

A small square rolled into view as Cho rounded a corner. It seemed quiet enough, there were a few locals, but that wasn’t an issue. He rushed for the center, Nass following quickly behind. Cho caught the attention of a few individuals as he skidded to a halt and unfurled the scroll. He placed it down in the sand, carefully. He let out a dejected sigh as he read the contents.

“I already know how to do this…” Cho huffed, “Guess we should return it.” Nass hesitated a moment before speaking.

“Well, what if I try?” He enquired, “You could teach me, right?”

“Uh-oh-uhm-well,” Cho stammered, “I can give it a go. I dunno if you’ll be able to or not, it might be wasted effort...”

“I’m all for it.”

“Alright.. well.. copy the poses on the scroll. You gotta- it’s all well and good posing, but you gotta extend your feeling beyond- uh. Sounds dumb, but you gotta feel the earth beneath your feet. Like it’s an extension of you, yknow? You move, the rock moves. Earthbenders are sturdy. Resolute. Heck, stubborn, even. It’s gonna take a while for you to figure it out.”

Cho took the stance noted in the scroll, feet wide apart, knees bent and his arms bent, elbows at his hips. Nass followed along as Cho lifted his right foot and took a heavy step forward. The sand resonated beneath the Earthbenders foot as a small rock lifted from beneath the sand, worn smooth from years of erosion. Nass gave a sigh as nothing emerged from the sand at his movements, but continued on. Cho thrust forwards with a fist and the rock shattered into innumerable pieces before dropping to the sand once more.

“Focus on those two movements for now and we’ll go from there.”
 

Masahir N'air

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The sublime dancer had been plodding about the city on her day off. It was one of those relatively rare days where she could either slip away without notice or convince her mother and Morene that she could do without the menacing aura of a grizzled eight-foot-somethin' tall bodyguard's presence. She'd been jogging laps around the city center for about twenty minutes when she stopped for a second to catch her breath (and made sure the 'girls' weren't in a position to snatch her breath or knock her upside the chin). She rested on a shaded wooden bench and popped one of her wireless earbuds out to listen for the streets and people moving in sprawling ambiguous groups.

All that she saw was a couple of young men tossing rocks around in the empty square, or rather, one trying to teach the other how to move it with his mind? The dancer squinted and stood, it was hard to distinguish their features in the beaming light of the morning sun, even with the refuge of the shadow she claimed. She pursed her lips, only for her eyes to widen in amazement as the man in green sent a fist sized rock straight into a glazed pot. She hustled over to the duo, flashing a bright smile and resting her hands on either side of her toned, bare waist.

"Wow! Hey cuties~ That was pretty impressive!"

"Oh, ha- thanks! I didn't mean to brea-eak-- oh uh- ..." The young man in green slid into a stuttering pause as he'd turned to see the woman, a look of relatively flabbergasted recognition setting over him.

"How'd you do it?"

"Oh geez- you're- uh... okay. Wow...." The young earth bender quickly looked down and rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks going warm red. The heat of the sun was little more than a forgotten gripe. Hadn't Victor called her his prize or something like that while showing off a centerfold of her once? The blush on his face deepened.

"... I'm what~?"

"Beautiful!" Blurted out the other man, the trainee. The Earth Bender breathed out a muted sigh of relief at Nass's response, as if he were thankful the man had stopped him from making the same goofy mistake.

The woman laughed, flashing perfect white teeth in clear amusement and then blew a kiss and a wink at her complimenter. "Thank you Sweetheart~ That's very nice of you." She turned her gaze back on Cho and studied him, staring hard into those wonderful deep-green eyes of his, "but seriously, you're that earth bending guy from Dante's Abyss, Cho right?"

His eyes widened and Masa felt a uncomfortable twinge of dread prickle across her skin in a visible wave of goosebumps. She shivered slightly and shook herself, "dios mio, seems like its gonna be a pretty hot day out today, huh?"

The Earth Bender shook his head, fighting to snap free of just how woozy his stomach felt. "Uh, yeah... I'm Cho. Just Cho." He took a moment to breathe, "you're Masahir N'air?"

"Yeah! Does my reputation precede me that much in this place?" She chuckled, running a hand through her thick curls of hair.

"Ah... No, Victor just really liked bringing you up actually."

"Lord Victor Wolfe?"

"... Yea."

She sighed, mumbling, "why am I not surprised?" under her breath before continuing, "and what was it he enjoyed bringing up about me?"

The young man averted his gaze and rubbed behind his ear, "uh... uhm, well... He kinda liked to uh..." The utter social discomfort coming off him was palpable, and it didn't take much for the fiery woman to make an educated guess.

"Oh! That pig! Did he really? Let me guess, just 'locker room talk', right? Ugh. You'd think he'd at least take me out to a private dinner or something first before running and telling all his guy friends about how I flirted with him one time over text." She rolled her eyes with a pointed sneer before her expression relaxed. She smiled at him again, softer, more gentle this time.

"So, how long have you been here in the city Cho?"
 

Cho

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"So, how long have you been here in the city Cho?" The Earthbender faltered under the dancer's gaze for a moment. The question itself wasn’t difficult. Far from it. Forming a coherent sentence was the problem.

“Couple weeks, maybe. I dunno. There was a spaceship. Kinda weird. But you- uh probably know about that right? You were…. There..” He huffed, inwardly cursing himself, “That’s when Victor- Sutor- whatever sent you those pictures-” Cho glanced up at Masa for but a second and scrambled for a new line of conversation as he saw her expression darken.

“What about.. You? Have you- How long..?” He winced, the expression lingered for a while as he mulled over his words.

“”How long have I been in Uruk? I imagine we got here at the same time after whatever that evacuation was.” She shifted, something obviously weighing on her mind. “It’s strange, everyone was pushing and shoving to get out but I haven’t really seen any of the deep elves here. You’d think some of them would flee here, to Uruk. It’s a fine city.” Her tone sharpened, taking on an uncharacteristically cold edge.

“Oh. Well. I thought they were on your ship.. My- Victor’s- Sutor’s ship just had a bunch of mercenaries and gold. Surprised I made it out of that in one piece, actually…” Cho snorted a laugh. He flexed his fist, an imagined twinge of pain shot through his forearm as he recalled the brief scuffle on the ship.

“My ship?” She puzzled aloud. “Our ship is just a small single-crew ship for four, maybe five people. You’re not telling me that Victor didn’t... No, that’s silly. He’s gross but he wouldn’t just leave a bunch of people to die like that, right? He called himself Emperor for the love of the gods.” She’d begun resting her hand on her jaw, thinking deeply with her thick brows furrowed. Her other hand dropped from her waist, instead her arm wrapped across the front of her midriff.

Soon her eyes shot back up to Cho’s face. “Please tell me he didn’t just have gold on his ship, Cho.”

Cho recoiled a bit. His features contorted into a frown as he wrestled with the implications of what Masahir was saying.

“I- there were mercenaries as well.. But that was all. I got a good look at the ship.. I don’t- “

She held her face in her hands as Cho confirmed her fears. The weight of the truth pulled her down until she found herself sitting on the ground, looking past her new acquaintances’ feet. “That’s awful...” she mumbled quietly at first as an ember inside her heart lit. She was back on her feet in a heartbeat, her anger giving her the strength to stand. “How could he- how could he do such a horrible thing? He- He’s a Prime for gods’ sake! He can- He could just make all that gold whenever he wants and he just chose to- ugh! I can’t believe this-”

She turned away from the two men, running her hands through her hair and pulling at it gently. “I don’t know what I expected, but I don’t know, I certainly didn’t think he’d just-” She let out a breath in a sneering scoff, her tone calmed into a cool point once more. “Mi ama was right about him, I guess.”

“I’m sorry.. I didn’t- I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or anything.. If it helps.. I punched him on the way over?” He forced a laugh, glancing between Masahir and Nass in turn, “I didn’t know he was like that. I should’ve made sure...”

The dancer cut through the tension in the air with a chuckle, though her face was just as serious as before. “He deserves more than just a punch! I don’t think any of us really knew or could’ve known. Honestly... He’s a monster in sheep skin.” She reached a gentle hand out and touched Cho’s arm, “it’s okay... You didn’t know... I didn’t either and... I guess maybe I thought I knew about him, but I realize that he’s an actor like most politicians.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Cho sighed, heavily, “After everything, I should’ve checked. He left them and the- I felt the heart of that volcano…” He wrung his hands in front of him, clearly ill at ease.

She looked up, studying him with those big keen eyes before she closed the gap between them. “Oh, hun... I’m so sorry...” Her hands snaked around his waist and pulled him in towards her in the biggest, warmest hug she could manage. The earthbender was quick to stop his fidgeting, color rushing to his face again. He stood, for the longest moment, with his arms hanging at his sides before finally reaching up to pat Masa on the back a few times.. “I can only imagine how you feel...” She stopped for a second to think. “I didn’t mean to make you upset. Let me make it up to you, we can talk more over breakfast if you want?”

“You want to go for breakfast? I don’t really know anywhere.. I guess we could find somewhere.” He held on to the hug for a few seconds too long before finally realising and taking a few steps back, “What kinda thing do you get for breakfast? I dunno what there is to get here.. But in Republic City, we had these uh- sugared fruits and uh- porridge. It was pretty great to be fair..” Cho turned to face Nass for a moment, an apologetic grin creeping across his face.

“We’ll catch up in a bit, right? You’ve got the scroll.. Keep trying the basics while I’m going?”

Nass gave an unsure grumble but nodded nonetheless and went back to practicing the stances and basics in the Earthbending scroll.
 

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"You said you liked sweets, right?" Masa inquired. They'd been walking for a few moments at this point, taking in the sights around the city as it began to wake from it's nightly slumber and into the day. She seemed to blossom with the heat of the sun, nearly glowing under its rays, and Cho often found himself quite a bit awestruck that she was talking to him.

"Yeah, I think sweets are pretty good." He beamed at her.

"So... You like breakfast food like pancakes and waffles and stuff like that?"

He nodded enthusiastically, unable to help but wonder what tasty breakfast place she was gonna show him to. He found himself quickly distracted when she'd paused and pulled out a fancy looking rose gold rectangle from her cleavage and started tapping and swiping her fingers across it. He frowned a bit, cocking an eyebrow as he looked at the device curiously. "Hey, Miss Masahir?"

"Si, mi lindito~?" She didn't look up.

"What's that thing you're using? I've seen some others using them before but-"

"But back in your world they didn't have anything like this? Don't worry about it hun, lots of people get confused about these, I saw it all the time back in my old home." She motioned for him to walk closer beside her so she could show him. "It's called a smartphone, or a communications device. You see, I'm just going to the internet and looking at a good up-to-date map of Uruk. You know, Uruk has a few really nice websites online with tourist tips and all that..."

She showed him all the cool little gidgets and apps on her phone. Taking time to explain that her favorites were her camera- which had an absurd amount of mega-pixels (something that Cho was still having trouble understanding)- and her social media platforms that she enjoyed dwelling on in her free time. Eventually she wrapped back around to showing him a map of Uruk and some reviews.

"Okay so, you see this place? It's called the Nippurian House of Hotcakes, and it looks amazing. I bet it'll taste and smell even better though, you interested lindito?"

"Yeah that place sounds delicious honestly... Also... What does 'lindito' mean? You keep calling me that but uh..." He trailed off and tangled his fingers in his twisted locks, but felt a sense of relief when she smiled back at him, clearly amused.

"Lindo. It means beautiful, or cute in your case~" She couldn't help but laugh when his face went red again. “Whaaat~? You don’t like being complimented, mi lindito~?”

He stammered for a moment before finding his verbal footing. “I-uh, no it’s not that it’s just-...”

She took the opportunity to grab him by the hand and pull him along the street with an amused smile, “it’s just what~? If you keep taking this long to spit things out, we’ll be at the restaurant before you get your thoughts out~!” She stuck her tongue out at him and giggled.

The young man blinked and gave a short chuckle in his surprise at her teasing. He felt equal parts dazed and star-struck as she pulled him through the bustling streets. Her hand was so soft, and her smile... He shook his head to wake himself up from his fanciful daydreaming. He needed to get his brain in order and stop making a total fool of himself in front of such a dazzling woman already!

Ah, he hoped he wasn’t being a real weirdo or too awkward. Victor had really hyped her up to him and, he hated to admit, several others. Well, at least the assassin had taught Cho one valuable skill of society; how to not be a total skeeve towards women. He’d do anything to steer far clear of whatever that reputation and attitude was likely to earn him.

... Probably a pretty nasty STD and lots of drama, if he had to guess, he thought with a distinctive shudder.

Anything to avoid that level of nonsense.


His inner monologue was cut short as an awfully mouth-watering aroma drifted past his nose. Cho looked up to find that they were standing in front of the aforementioned Nippurian House of Hotcakes.

She studied his face as he stared at the building, and couldn’t help but find herself grinning right along with him. He looked positively excited about trying this place out, the savory-sweet smells drifting from the kitchen were simply to die for- though she wondered if they’d really compare to her mama’s absurd cooking prowess.

It seemed like the place was already starting to get busy pretty quickly. Masa scooted up to the host podium and with a few flutters of her dark lashes and quickly murmured flattery she again grabbed her earthbender by the hand and guided him behind the host to their table. If Cho was put off by her use of charm, he surely didn’t speak up about it.

“So uh, how have you been liking Uruk so far...?” He ventured after they settled into their seats, wanting to know more about the sparkling diva that was gazing from across the table at him.

She tilted her head and pursed her lips as she thought, “honestly it’s just sorta like Nippur the second, yanno?”

“Nippur...?”

“Oh! Disculpame, it was that last city I was living in. It was in a whole other set of worlds, can you believe that?” She glanced over the menu, already knowing what she was planning to order.

“For real?”

“Yeah.”

“What was it like there?”

“Dios mío, the whole place or just where I lived? Because I didn’t really leave the city that much... Travel was a bit difficult for us for a while there.”

Cho was quiet as he contemplated his tri-fold, fidgeting with the edges of it. “Uhm, you can just talk about the city if you want?”

She lit up, “it’s the only home I remember. Strange right? Most people I met there had memories of something from before, but all I really remember is Nippur- You know, King Gilgamesh was there as well?” Her eyes went all dreamy as her voice filled with a warm reverence, “he made both cities... Isn’t it such a miracle? He’s just so powerful. What are the chances that so many of us would fall into the same new multi-verse?”

She trailed off as an uncomfortable feeling rolled in her chest. Her dark, smart eyes studied him as he anxiously worked his hands and twiddled his fingers. She’d noticed, and now she understood, at least partially. The man in front of her went as stony and tense as one of his rocks when she mentioned her King, it blanketed over her body and left a bitter taste in her mouth that water wouldn’t wash out.

She plucked her glass from the table and tired in vain anyways. “You’re an Earth Bender, yeah? I’m curious Cho~ what’s that like?”

This time his face brightened at the question. "Bending? It's great. It's like... People in my home world can control the four elements. I can Earthbend- uh, but you already know that- So, I can move stuff like rocks, sand, earth... I just learned how to lavabend, which is pretty great!”

He paused to set his menu down, clearly invested in informing the divine diva about his talents. “There's uh- back home, in Republic City, there's a sport; Pro-bending. Two teams of three- my team is the Gorilla Goats. Lin, the Earthbender? She's amazing. She does this one trick-" The young man caught himself on a tangent and blinked a few times, clearing his throat and awkwardly going quiet with a fluster as he put his hands down. He cracked a slightly nervous smile and rubbed at his ear.

The dancer reached across the table and gingerly rubbed the back of his hand in flirty reassurance, “don’t stop, lindito~ I enjoy hearing you talk.”
 

Cho

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Cho paused and glanced down as Masahir rubbed the back of his hand. All too quickly, he could feel his heartbeat in his ears again. He quickly cleared his throat and reasserted himself with a grin.

“It's uh- It's not that easy to explain. I could show you, one day. Maybe. If you want?” Cho barely gave her a chance to respond before continuing, “So other people.. Back home, they can use other elements, like Fire, Air and Water. There’s like sub forms of each.. Firebenders can sometimes channel lightning. That kinda thing. But the Avatar.. Oh man. The Avatar can use all four main elements. It’s their job to like.. Bring balance to the world or whatever. Bridge between the spirit world and ours or something.”

“That sounds pretty... Intense~ Did you know the avatar in your world before you left? It seems like awesome power, honestly."

“I didn’t know her. She was called Korra. Came from the Water Tribes. And uh- yeah. She made one heck of an entrance. Took on some of the triads on her first day in town. Pretty brave, really!” Cho nodded a few times. He glanced down and a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies erupted in his stomach. Masahir’s hand had lingered on his and he’d been too caught up to notice. Soon enough, the butterflies were consumed by the pit that formed in his stomach. What should he be doing with his hand? Should he reciprocate? Pull away? No, that would be stupid.. His inner doubts were quickly interrupted as Masa tapped on the back of his hand with a finger, an expectant eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat again and broke eye contact for a moment, saving himself from getting even further lost.

“I’m sorry.. Did you-?”

“It’s okay, lindito. I asked if anyone could learn to bend the elements or if only specific bloodlines would be able to?” Masahir asked as the waiter approached, a notepad and pencil in hand.

“Are you ready to order?” The young, dark skinned man asked, gesturing vaguely to the pair, a coy grin spread across his face.

“Uh- the hotcakes, please, thank you.. Just syrup is fine. Fruit if you’ve got it?”

The server just nodded, jotting the order down before turning to Masahir, his coy grin only growing as he eyed the beauty before him, “And for you, miss?”

“The same, please. With strawberries, thank you.” She returned the smile briefly then turned back to the Earthbender, “You were saying, lindito?”

“Not everyone has the capacity, I think. But there was this thing called the Harmonic Convergence. A bunch of people who couldn’t bend before suddenly could. Like, a tonne of Airbenders sprung up outta nowhere. It was wild. So who knows? Maybe people are capable of it, but just don’t know it, y’know?”

“How old were you when you realised you could bend earth?”

Cho quickly swallowed a mouthful of water to speak, “Uh probably five or six. Stopped a Buzzard Wasp from stinging me by swatting it outta the air with a rock.”

“That’s pretty lucky! Is it the same age for everyone?” Masahir inquired, resting her chin on her hand as she gave Cho a cursory once over.

“I don’t think so. My brother.. Found out he could Earthbend when he was a bit younger than me.” A wave of palpable, at least for Masahir, guilt washed over the Earthbender and came to a halt like a lump in his throat. He gave a wistful smile before Masa interjected.

“How does it work then? Is it like magic?”

“Um, no, not quite. It’s all to do with Chi and Chakras. Bending is basically the ability to manipulate your chi to the point where your energy extends beyond your own body… if that makes any sense at all. Non-benders are able to manipulate their Chi as well. And other peoples. Chi-blockers are kinda scary. They can, like, shut someones bending off for a while.”

"... that sounds awful to experience. I imagine that'd be like snatching a tiger's stripes or claws from her." Masa’s expression shifted slightly.

“Mhmm. I imagine so. Well, there’s a whole other story on that side of things.. Probably not breakfast conversation material, though..”

“Hmm. Maybe you’re right,” Masa began, her lips curling into a grin, "I'm not gonna get jumped by some jealous pendeja for taking you out to breakfast, right~?"

“A.. what?”

"... You don't have a girlfriend waiting on you at home, do you, lindito?"

Cho coughed, inhaling a mouthful of hotcakes and choked… loudly. He wheezed and hacked for a long moment, desperately fighting to keep his cool. Masahir let out a quiet chuckle as Cho slammed his hand into his chest a few times.

“Ugh. Sorry- sorry. A girlfriend? No, why? Would you be jealous if I did?” Cho snorted a wry laugh, it was obvious he didn’t truly believe that would be the case.

"Who knows, lindito~ I'm not really the jealous type though, but I do like spending plenty of quality time with interesting people... I hope that's not a problem~?"

"Doesn't sound like it should be a problem... do you know a lot of interesting people then...?"

"In Uruk? Not yet, but being a celebrity tends to have its benefits and open some doors for a beautiful young woman like me."

"Hah- I'm sure it- Celebrity? That's uh- what?"

She squinted and rolled her eyes, "so Victor showed you all about me but didn't mention that I was a singer and dancer? ... Men. It figures. It’s okay, lindito, I’ve had more fun talking to you than him anyway.”

Cho sank back in his seat a little, his expression stiffening slightly. “Sorry.. He had a magazine.. I didn't- I wasn't trying to be weird or anything.. Shoulda put two n' two together, though. It's not like you'd be in a magazine for nothing, right?"

She hummed softly in amusement, "my looks are certainly not 'nothing', and that's enough for most magazines~"

Cho sank into the chair further, wishing the ground would consume him whole, "Sorry- I'm uh- I’m no good at this..”
 

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She cocked an eyebrow and watched the earth bender in front of her slinking further and further down into his chair. Masa couldn’t help but let out an amused snort. He’d been so tall looking when they had sat down, and now he was surely threatening to slip half-way under the lip of the table.

She swore, it was like the man had never dated or flirted in his life.

It was kinda cute honestly, how bashful and flustered he was over her. She loved that she had that sort of effect on people.

The diva gave a soft sigh and, still holding his hand, moved over to his side of the booth and slid herself in next to him. In one strategic decision, she’d taken total control of the space between them, her thick lips pulling into an amorous smile. Her free hand trailed down the line of his soft jaw so feathery soft that he found himself leaning into her touch, his eyes drifting until they were half closed. The brunette could feel all the warm fuzzy haze of his nervous desire, and in that moment decided that she would have him, her nervous little panda poodle-moth.

She pulled Cho in and pressed her soft lips against his, eliciting a soft noise of surprise from him that she eagerly caught. After a moment Masahir moved away, parting from her breathless date and couldn’t stop herself from chuckling in amusement. His whole body was tense, before he seemed to relax back into the seat, a scarlet blush on his face. “You’ve really never kissed a girl before, have you lindito~?”

He somehow went an even deeper shade of red as he blinked hard several times. “I- uh, I... Hhnmm.. Was it- phew,” he let out a shaky breath, “was it uh... that obvious?” He grimaced slightly, and she could feel a small swell of embarrassment under the excitement of his pounding heart. The scent of her rosy perfume lingered in the air around him.

Another quick kiss to his warm cheek reassured him, and she gave a low whisper, her breath fanning across his ear. “It’s okay Cho~ we can always get more practice together in private if you want, I’d love to be your teacher~”

“I’d like that pretty girl- I mean ah- pretty good. It was pretty good- really good... wow.”

Then it dawned on him, as his scrambled brain recovered. “Oh... Oooh. Thaaaat’s what you meant by quality time..” He rubbed the back of his neck as the diva moved back to her side of the booth. She was certainly one hell of a woman, that much was outright undeniable.

He couldn’t help but think of those beautiful geodes he’d seen on Inverxe, how the light hit them and scattered in a thousand directions in a thousand different and amazing rainbow prisms. Surely she was as gorgeous as those gems, he thought before rejecting the notion in his head. No, she was warm, hot like the sun and full of inescapable life. She was soft now, but he’d already started to see the finer points of her edges, of her temper and desire. She was passionate. She was like a flickering beat of living fire.

She’d cut into her pancakes, pouring syrup all over the decadent garnish of strawberries and whipped cream in a languid stream. She took a nice big bite and gazed at him from across the table before giving him a fluttery wink, swallowing her food and blowing him a kiss.

She’d really love to kiss those full, gentle lips of his over and over again until he couldn’t help but return the urgency of her need. Her heart melted when she made him all airy and breathless.

He only anxiously choked on his hotcakes once more before he calmed down and recovered enough to finish his meal without accidentally inhaling it.

“These hotcakes are muy delicioso, but... They don’t really hold a candle to mi mama’s moonsugar pancakes, honestly.” The diva put her fork down and pushed her plate towards the open end of the table, disinterested in the final one-third, though she’d eaten every last strawberry.

“Your mom is a good cook?”

Masa nodded enthusiastically, and Cho couldn’t help but wonder idly about what the mother of a gal like her even looked or acted like. His heart didn’t know if he could deal with another woman as intense as the one across from him. Somehow, he’d almost figured a woman like her just... fell from the sky, or sprung into existence at some god’s divine insistence.

“Oh yes, she’s absolutely phenomenal. Literally the best food I’ve ever eaten- she can cook anything flawlessly... at least, we haven’t found anything she can’t yet, haha! Plus she's just really good at making sweets. Maybe you can meet her one day, if you’d like. It’s my day off today, but we run a shop close to the palace, actually, called the Golden Scale. ... If you ever need anything you are more than welcome to stop by and see me.”

She fished a band of bills out of her more-than-ample cleavage and left payment and generous gratuity on the table. Masahir cast her dark eyes at her company with a dreamy expression as she redeposited her dosh in her bra-of-holding, “did you have anything else planned today, lindito~?”
 
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