[ when he hears 'general,' his first thought is riza introduced me. his next thought is, it has to be maes, as riza has been pretty close to him, given the sickness debacle. and it's confirmed, with mako keeps speaking. there's a soft hum of thought. ]
Mako, you said?
[ why is he asking about flame alchemy? ]
I usually get to know a man before I share my deepest and darkest secrets. [ it's said with some amusement, but part of him his serious. ] Are you new, here?
( honestly, he wasn't really expecting anything less. alchemy, as far as he knows, is a chemical science of some sort. not the sort of thing you divulge to strangers, even though he's not really looking for any secrets, just general knowledge.
his voice is very... well. he's extremely polite and official sounding, defaulting to a more detective-appropriate style of communication. no-nonsense. )
I'm happy to answer any questions you have in return. The reason it came up between Mr. Hughes and I ( maes!! did not!! tell him!! a rank!! he's sort of assuming he's just... a civilian liaison. ) is that I'm something called a firebender in my world. I manipulate and focus chi via a martial art that manifests as the ability to shape and summon fire. I'm just curious about the similarities.
( a very slight pause. there's a rustle of clothing as mako nods and then. realizes that it doesn't translate across the device. )
[ . . . how interesting. and it does, indeed, pique roy's interest. not enough to explain, fully, how flame alchemy works (that is a secret that is going to die with him), but interested enough to want to see firebending.
there's just one problem: roy can't really see at the moment, thanks to the sickness. his vision is slowly returning, and right now it's just very . . . blurred, but he still needs some amount of help getting around. not that their damn abilities work effectively anyway. ]
Brigadier General Hughes, spreading information that isn't his, I see. [ the comment is more to himself than to mako, but: ] There are more than one of you, in your world? These "firebenders"? Is it a common gift?
[ still not. answering questions about flame alchemy, but mako seems like a nice enough kid, albeit blunt and to the point. but roy can relate. young soldiers are usually fun ruiners. ]
( mako's a forty year old soul housed in a twenty-two year old body. he's been a killjoy for a decade so far, and it shows no signs of abatement. sorry, roy. also, brigadier general hughes, huh? he's going to make a mental note of that.)
It's fairly common. About a forth of the Fire Nation's citizens have it to some degree. There are more advanced subsets such as lightning mastery, and the ability to manipulate or generate explosions by agitating the combustion point of air.
[ what a forthcoming young man. roy supposes he should give him some information in return, though judging from mako's demeanor, roy is fairly certain he could pull imaginary rank and continue to ask questions without giving an ounce in return . . . but that would hardly be fair, and mako seems to be a responsible young person.
from what roy can hear in his tone, anyway. ]
We refer to it as alchemy; it's a science, not magic, or whatever else. It's a manipulation of established elements, gases, and other moveable parts in order to create something new. You don't get without give; equivalent exchange.
[ roy pauses. ]
I am the only Flame Alchemist in Amestris. No one else can manipulate, or create, flames like I can. It's that way by design; it's a powerful gift, and one that can be abused. As I'm sure you know, given your own abilities.
[ fire is a wild thing, without the right sense of control. ]
( the concept of alchemy isn't a mystery to him, but what roy says is illuminating all the same. there's a rather obvious scratch of a pen on paper, he's writing things down in his logbook, mostly because it's in his nature to keep detailed records. he pauses, though, at roy's last statement. )
I do know that.
( there's a certain sort of soft gravitas to his tone. personal experience. there's a reason he's as precise and disciplined as he is. every fire nation citizen has to live with what sozin had done. with what azulon and ozai perpetuated. what zuko helped to end. mako isn't exactly a fire nation citizen — republic city is its own entity, founded in peacetime and peopled with citizens from the world over — but the hundred years' war still hangs over his head. firebenders had a lot of recompense to account for. and the guilt and shame feels like an anchor around his feet, sometimes.
fire is the only element of the four that can get away from the bender. if you stop earthbending, the rocks stop moving. the air stops whirling, the water simply drops inert to the ground. but fire licks from one fuel source to another and consumes anything that has no means to fight it off. it's interesting, that roy is the only one. and it says a lot about his personality and capabilities just the same. )
Thank you for the information, sir. I won't keep you, I'm sure you have other matters to attend to. I appreciate your taking the time to speak with me.
( it seems he's about to leave it at that. but then, )
I have absolutely nothing to do, and I'm sure my friends are happy for the distraction.
[ roy is not one to sit around and have idle hands, and since being affected by the sickness, he's been caged up for almost a month. he's bored practically to death, and given his seeing-eye-dog riza is out doing something, talking to someone is distracting him from the reality that he's trapped inside until she comes back.
that weight in his tone, the i know, piques his curiosity, as does the sir and the offer for more information. enough to share a bit more, anyway: ]
You said there were different types of this 'firebending' -- what do you excel at? What does your craft look like? And were you born with a natural affinity to fire, or did you learn how to do it later in life?
[ and, perhaps most importantly: ]
And who controls the artform, and who can use it freely? Hopefully not the military.
[ judging from his own personal experience, it's a bad idea, okay. ]
( his answering silence is pensive rather than sullen. even with how much he's explained firebending to other people here, it's... different, somehow, when it's someone else who knows what it's like. for as much as alchemy and firebending differ, the way roy talks about fire is familiar enough that there's little division between the two fundamentally in mako's mind. alchemy, bending, that's just the window dressing. understanding the element is another thing entirely. )
Most people know they're benders by the time they're five or so. Usually, the younger someone is when their bending manifests, the more powerful they'll be. There are cases of people discovering bending later in life, but it isn't usually as strong.
( he's not going to bring harmonic convergence into this. it's just an unnecessary complication to something that's otherwise fairly straightforward. )
No one really... controls it. I mean, the military accepts benders, but there's just as many earthbending farmers as soldiers. It's not regulated like that, though it's not like people haven't tried. Benders are encouraged to train with masters, but I didn't ( he doesn't really consider what he did under zolt to be training, exactly. he'd call it a trial by fire, but that's a little tongue-in-cheek. ) and no one's ever said much to me about it. As long as you aren't actively hurting other people with your bending, it's just... yours. It's been a part of my world so long it's just accepted that way. For the most part.
( it's not perfect. it never will be. as much as he hated amon, it's still... hard to ignore the fact that on some level, he was right. no one could ever really be equal as long as some people had bending and some didn't. but even among benders there can be a disparity. some people can barely light a fire, but mako's well aware that he could singlehandedly raze a town. equal is impossible.
he drags his hand through his hair. )
I use fire itself, mostly. Lightning when I need precision or distance. I can't use the combustion. ( though he's never actually tried. it just never seemed relevant. ) And as for what it looks like... uh. It'd be easier to show you, if you're curious. I could describe forms and positions until the sun goes down but none of that really gives you an idea unless you've seen it in action.
( plus, mako's mostly self-taught. he watched other benders, mimicked them, made up his own moves and style. korra's mentioned that he moves more like a waterbender, soft power and fluid motion. fire is the only element that's almost entirely offensive, so maybe that's why. he had to temper it, to be a pro-bender. )
[ indeed, roy knows the element. he had been sent to war as a weapon because he was the only one with a mastery over the element. and as a result, roy would die with the secret of flame alchemy. it was a promise he would never break, to riza, and to berthold hawkeye.
and, in listening to mako, roy can recognize that same reverence, respect, and even fear of what could happen if it went out of control. his lips twitch slightly, at the news that mako couldn't use combustion -- but lightning. what a dangerous and terrifying notion. and after mako is finished, roy takes a few moments to digest the information. and, when mako offers to show him, he allows a faint laugh. ]
The sickness robbed me of my eyesight, temporarily, but it's getting better, slowly but surely. Whatever you show me now will be blurry, at best. It may have to wait a day or two until I regain more of my senses.
[ and mako deserves more of a captive audience than that. ]
I manipulate oxygen and hydrogen. I can carve pathways through the air, for the fire to go. Combustion, explosion, or simple flickering flames are all within my control, but most of my artform is less than subtle. [ roy is the Big Gun, and he knows his role within his team of misfits. ] I can create a cyclone of flames around you and not touch a hair on your head, or I can be a lot less . .. controlled. I don't actually manifest flames on my own, though; I have a pair of gloves that allow me to create sparks that I manipulate into fire, but I can use a lighter, if needed. I can manipulate it all the same.
[ he much prefers his gloves. ]
I can show you, and tell you portions of how it came to be, but I made a promise that I won't break to never share the exact science behind it. So long as you can respect that, I have no problem in showing what I can do.
( his attention is rapt, the scratch of his pen long silent. the basic understanding of alchemy is sufficient, and he can respect that it's not something roy would want getting out.
it's all very interesting, because if he stops and actually thinks about it, if firebending were less natural to him, he'd probably describe it how roy is doing now. his understanding is... scientific, where mako's is innate. but there's enough overlap that the soul of their kinship persists. )
I understand, and I'll honor your promise.
( he feels that's important to stress, the fact he isn't interested in pushing. mako has never needed secrets for secrets' sake. he's happy to let roy keep his, and will even help him to guard it if needs be. fire always has a cost. )
When you're more mobile, we can meet up and go over it.
Edited (word tweak) Date: 2018-09-27 02:18 am (UTC)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice;
Date: 2018-09-21 12:45 am (UTC)Mako, you said?
[ why is he asking about flame alchemy? ]
I usually get to know a man before I share my deepest and darkest secrets. [ it's said with some amusement, but part of him his serious. ] Are you new, here?
no subject
Date: 2018-09-21 03:21 am (UTC)his voice is very... well. he's extremely polite and official sounding, defaulting to a more detective-appropriate style of communication. no-nonsense. )
I'm happy to answer any questions you have in return. The reason it came up between Mr. Hughes and I ( maes!! did not!! tell him!! a rank!! he's sort of assuming he's just... a civilian liaison. ) is that I'm something called a firebender in my world. I manipulate and focus chi via a martial art that manifests as the ability to shape and summon fire. I'm just curious about the similarities.
( a very slight pause. there's a rustle of clothing as mako nods and then. realizes that it doesn't translate across the device. )
And yes, I'm new.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-23 02:27 am (UTC)there's just one problem: roy can't really see at the moment, thanks to the sickness. his vision is slowly returning, and right now it's just very . . . blurred, but he still needs some amount of help getting around. not that their damn abilities work effectively anyway. ]
Brigadier General Hughes, spreading information that isn't his, I see. [ the comment is more to himself than to mako, but: ] There are more than one of you, in your world? These "firebenders"? Is it a common gift?
[ still not. answering questions about flame alchemy, but mako seems like a nice enough kid, albeit blunt and to the point. but roy can relate. young soldiers are usually fun ruiners. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-09-23 04:25 pm (UTC)It's fairly common. About a forth of the Fire Nation's citizens have it to some degree. There are more advanced subsets such as lightning mastery, and the ability to manipulate or generate explosions by agitating the combustion point of air.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-25 12:56 am (UTC)[ what a forthcoming young man. roy supposes he should give him some information in return, though judging from mako's demeanor, roy is fairly certain he could pull imaginary rank and continue to ask questions without giving an ounce in return . . . but that would hardly be fair, and mako seems to be a responsible young person.
from what roy can hear in his tone, anyway. ]
We refer to it as alchemy; it's a science, not magic, or whatever else. It's a manipulation of established elements, gases, and other moveable parts in order to create something new. You don't get without give; equivalent exchange.
[ roy pauses. ]
I am the only Flame Alchemist in Amestris. No one else can manipulate, or create, flames like I can. It's that way by design; it's a powerful gift, and one that can be abused. As I'm sure you know, given your own abilities.
[ fire is a wild thing, without the right sense of control. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-09-25 02:10 am (UTC)I do know that.
( there's a certain sort of soft gravitas to his tone. personal experience. there's a reason he's as precise and disciplined as he is. every fire nation citizen has to live with what sozin had done. with what azulon and ozai perpetuated. what zuko helped to end. mako isn't exactly a fire nation citizen — republic city is its own entity, founded in peacetime and peopled with citizens from the world over — but the hundred years' war still hangs over his head. firebenders had a lot of recompense to account for. and the guilt and shame feels like an anchor around his feet, sometimes.
fire is the only element of the four that can get away from the bender. if you stop earthbending, the rocks stop moving. the air stops whirling, the water simply drops inert to the ground. but fire licks from one fuel source to another and consumes anything that has no means to fight it off. it's interesting, that roy is the only one. and it says a lot about his personality and capabilities just the same. )
Thank you for the information, sir. I won't keep you, I'm sure you have other matters to attend to. I appreciate your taking the time to speak with me.
( it seems he's about to leave it at that. but then, )
Unless you have further questions for me?
no subject
Date: 2018-09-26 01:31 am (UTC)[ roy is not one to sit around and have idle hands, and since being affected by the sickness, he's been caged up for almost a month. he's bored practically to death, and given his seeing-eye-dog riza is out doing something, talking to someone is distracting him from the reality that he's trapped inside until she comes back.
that weight in his tone, the i know, piques his curiosity, as does the sir and the offer for more information. enough to share a bit more, anyway: ]
You said there were different types of this 'firebending' -- what do you excel at? What does your craft look like? And were you born with a natural affinity to fire, or did you learn how to do it later in life?
[ and, perhaps most importantly: ]
And who controls the artform, and who can use it freely? Hopefully not the military.
[ judging from his own personal experience, it's a bad idea, okay. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-09-26 02:06 am (UTC)Most people know they're benders by the time they're five or so. Usually, the younger someone is when their bending manifests, the more powerful they'll be. There are cases of people discovering bending later in life, but it isn't usually as strong.
( he's not going to bring harmonic convergence into this. it's just an unnecessary complication to something that's otherwise fairly straightforward. )
No one really... controls it. I mean, the military accepts benders, but there's just as many earthbending farmers as soldiers. It's not regulated like that, though it's not like people haven't tried. Benders are encouraged to train with masters, but I didn't ( he doesn't really consider what he did under zolt to be training, exactly. he'd call it a trial by fire, but that's a little tongue-in-cheek. ) and no one's ever said much to me about it. As long as you aren't actively hurting other people with your bending, it's just... yours. It's been a part of my world so long it's just accepted that way. For the most part.
( it's not perfect. it never will be. as much as he hated amon, it's still... hard to ignore the fact that on some level, he was right. no one could ever really be equal as long as some people had bending and some didn't. but even among benders there can be a disparity. some people can barely light a fire, but mako's well aware that he could singlehandedly raze a town. equal is impossible.
he drags his hand through his hair. )
I use fire itself, mostly. Lightning when I need precision or distance. I can't use the combustion. ( though he's never actually tried. it just never seemed relevant. ) And as for what it looks like... uh. It'd be easier to show you, if you're curious. I could describe forms and positions until the sun goes down but none of that really gives you an idea unless you've seen it in action.
( plus, mako's mostly self-taught. he watched other benders, mimicked them, made up his own moves and style. korra's mentioned that he moves more like a waterbender, soft power and fluid motion. fire is the only element that's almost entirely offensive, so maybe that's why. he had to temper it, to be a pro-bender. )
no subject
Date: 2018-09-27 01:47 am (UTC)and, in listening to mako, roy can recognize that same reverence, respect, and even fear of what could happen if it went out of control. his lips twitch slightly, at the news that mako couldn't use combustion -- but lightning. what a dangerous and terrifying notion. and after mako is finished, roy takes a few moments to digest the information. and, when mako offers to show him, he allows a faint laugh. ]
The sickness robbed me of my eyesight, temporarily, but it's getting better, slowly but surely. Whatever you show me now will be blurry, at best. It may have to wait a day or two until I regain more of my senses.
[ and mako deserves more of a captive audience than that. ]
I manipulate oxygen and hydrogen. I can carve pathways through the air, for the fire to go. Combustion, explosion, or simple flickering flames are all within my control, but most of my artform is less than subtle. [ roy is the Big Gun, and he knows his role within his team of misfits. ] I can create a cyclone of flames around you and not touch a hair on your head, or I can be a lot less . .. controlled. I don't actually manifest flames on my own, though; I have a pair of gloves that allow me to create sparks that I manipulate into fire, but I can use a lighter, if needed. I can manipulate it all the same.
[ he much prefers his gloves. ]
I can show you, and tell you portions of how it came to be, but I made a promise that I won't break to never share the exact science behind it. So long as you can respect that, I have no problem in showing what I can do.
no subject
Date: 2018-09-27 02:16 am (UTC)it's all very interesting, because if he stops and actually thinks about it, if firebending were less natural to him, he'd probably describe it how roy is doing now. his understanding is... scientific, where mako's is innate. but there's enough overlap that the soul of their kinship persists. )
I understand, and I'll honor your promise.
( he feels that's important to stress, the fact he isn't interested in pushing. mako has never needed secrets for secrets' sake. he's happy to let roy keep his, and will even help him to guard it if needs be. fire always has a cost. )
When you're more mobile, we can meet up and go over it.