a high speed collision

[anatural]

WHO: Korra and Bart
WHAT: Korra and Bart meet

[These days, Korra doesn't usually go out on the hunt for new airbenders. The Air Nation has grown large enough that the nomads can handle it on their own. Going out to find this newest airbender she's heard rumors about is really just an excuse for Korra to do a little digging into other whispers on the street. Growing tensions between benders and non-benders in certain areas. Abuse of spirits. She's not sure what's real and what's just a rehash of old history for the scare factor, but if any of it is true, she wants to nip it in the bud.

She's seated in a small café, nursing a glass of lychee juice and wishing Asami had been able to come along. A vacation with her girlfriend would've been even better cover than looking for another airbender. Also, Asami is better at this spy stuff than Korra is. Also, Asami. But Asami is the one person in the world who probably has even more ambition and drive than Korra herself. After helping rebuild Republic City from the damage Kuvira caused, Asami set her sights on helping the various nation-states in the Earth Kingdom modernize and improve inter-state commerce. No time for multi-week jaunts with her girlfriend.

Korra sighs. Spying alone is boring.]

Comments

/slides in late

[killerspeed]

[The worst part of being an airbender, Bart thinks, is the constant fear that someone will inevitably recruit him into the Air Nation. If he's going to be a nomad, he's going to be one on his own terms - and not because some jerk with fancy tattoos decrees it. (Bart may have also paid the news less attention than he should have.)

He's been trying his best to keep his powers on the DL, but bits creep out when he least expects it - for instance, sudden gusts of wind when he comes screeching to a halt. So far, he's been too fast for most to catch him, but when he's thirsty, his defenses are lower than he'd like to admit.

Sure enough, a slight breeze occurs near the entrance before Bart screeches to a halt and orders his usual, one tall glass of mango and peach juice. He shiftily glances around - the cafe's nearly empty, so no one saw that, right? - before hastily taking a seat outside near some girl. She looks familiar (like he's seen her on the news familiar), but right now, his juice is a far more pressing concern.]

never late!

[anatural]

[WELL HELLO THERE. Korra perks up when she sees a guy come in with a tell-tale breeze at his heels. She may not be catching any rumors, but it looks like she may have just caught herself an airbender. Grinning, she turns her chair to face him.]

Hey there.

❤

[killerspeed]

[He can't quite help returning the grin - normally, he has to approach the cute girl, not vice-versa. Either today is his lucky day, or he's in trouble.

He's gonna pray for good luck.] Hey yourself. You come here often? [He pauses, amending:] But actually. I've never seen you before.

[anatural]

That would probably be because I've never been here before. [He doesn't recognize her as the Avatar. Great! Maybe. Korra isn't actually sure. Some people are delighted to join the Air Nomads when they've received a personal invitation from ~the Avatar~ (taking down Kuvira had made her popular in a way none of her other victories had. She's not quite sure how to feel about that). Other people found it deeply unnerving. Asami was a lot better at figuring out who was who.

She decides to go out on a limb and assume that, if he doesn't recognize her, he's not the type to be flattered by celebrity attention. Keep it low-key for now.] You in a hurry to get somewhere?

[killerspeed]

Not anymore. [He's got places to see and people to meet on any given day - it's kind of part of his solo nomadic lifestyle. People needed messengers, and as it turned out, Bart was faster at delivering packages than most couriers.

She looks scary-familiar, though Bart thinks he must've confused her for someone else.] I was gonna grab some more work, buuut I think I can take some time off. What's up?

[anatural]

I'm just curious. What kind of work do you do? [She doesn't give her name just yet. Even if he doesn't know her face, everybody knows the name Avatar Korra.]

[killerspeed]

I'm a courier. [He shrugs.] Most stuff goes through the mail nowadays, but the important and fragile stuff? That, I handle.

What about you? I mean, what do you think about this place? [It's impolite to ask a lady about her work, right? Bart's not sure what the proper etiquette is, but hey - she did say she wasn't from around here.]