onlyeverdoubted | TLV Inbox

[A pause while Bodhi reads over the past messages. He's not sure after a semi-cursory review that that's a fair characterization. The hands thing definitely felt like a rhetorical flourish, but it's not like he has any pride to get in the way now that he actually understands what she wants.]

It was stupid to ask you why you'd want to be able to firebend, and I admit that I'd be angry if the Admiral chopped off my hands and everybody tried to make you justify myself when I said I wanted them back.

[The missed you makes it painfully obvious he just copied and edited her mini-manifesto, but he really does mean well.]

[That definitely does not go unnoticed, and unfortunately, she's not inclined to assume the best of him - he must be mocking her, she thinks.]

Very funny.

I hope you realize how unhelpful you've been.

[He can't see why it would be.]

That really is all I can think of that might let me actually be any use to you. And I don't know anything about having powers. Though the hands thing is a pretty good analogy.

And yet you won't take it seriously.

[Once again he has a snotty remark to keep to himself, but if insulting him makes her feel better she's perfectly welcome to keep it up.]

I'm trying, but so far you've just told me the thing about the hands and I thought that was the end of your point.

You just recited what I wrote by rote, copying it nearly word for word, not even bothering to change all of the pronouns. I'll bet you didn't even bother to properly read any of it.

I wanted to make sure I got it all.

[Ugh!!!!]

Turn on the voice function.

[She wants to hear for herself whether his tone sounds mocking or genuine.]

[Bodhi doesn't really sound mocking even when he is--he prefers blandly plausible deniability then. But while he isn't particularly bothered by officious rudeness--really, she can't say anything to him he hasn't thought himself--he's flustered by having lost the thread and failed to find it so many times. He thought his point was perfectly clear. Which he always thought of as one of the advantages of text.

So when the voice does click on, he comes across as, well, profoundly and regrettably himself.]

Right, I, um, I can s-say the bit again, sh-should I start with the part where I'm stupid, or, um, or...

[... Oh. Well, that's not the teasing, lilting response she'd been expecting.]

No, that's not necessary.

Firebending is just what it sounds like. I can create fire, and I can keep it under my control. It's not going to rage out of control and ruin anything on the Barge.

[Unless she wants it to, he has to assume, but setting things on fire isn't very hard. He's sure most inmates who wanted to cause trouble that way could start a fire for purposes of property damage.

He's more worried about people getting in the way.]

L-like I said, I don't--there are people from my universe with... powers, there's one onboard, actually, but I'm not one, so I'm sure I don't really get it. B-but fire... I mean, that very specifically is a pretty dangerous thing to toss around. I'm not accusing you, I'm saying that's basically putting a weapon in your hands and the admiral is, um, is less than likely to appreciate the idea on that level. What do you usually actually use it for?

Day-to-day use - lighting candles, and other stuff like that. But most importantly, I need it to stay on top of my training. I can train and exercise without it, but it's not ideal, and my skills with fire will atrophy if I don't stay on top of it.

[Candles sounds soft of nice. Though the space trucker has only a very vague idea of what they even are, and that thanks mainly to the Admiral's awful Christmas party.]

I'm not in the gym a lot but I don't think it's... what you'd call... especially fireproof? If, um, if you ask to t-train in the enclosure I'd be happy to let you in and out...

I told you, I can control it. I've trained in plenty of places that aren't made to be fireproof.

[He supposes he could go back to texting, but he already made the switch, and this way he can work and talk at the same time. There are occasional faint shuffling noises over the connection as he gets to be more at ease.]

I'm looking for things to tell the admiral. I really do--I realize it's important to you, but I'm still proposing arming someone I hardly know, and who's obviously an effective soldier.

Don't talk about it to him like it's a weapon. You're not really arming me. The hand analogy still works here. Someone with cut off hands can't shoot a gun, but you wouldn't call giving them their hands back arming them.

[PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE OBVIOUS PUN, BODHI]

[He doesn't think he has to be the one to tell the admiral setting things on fire has the potential for destruction.]

I'm just... there are going to be restrictions, I'd just like to know what you can live with.

I can live with anything. I think you mean what will I be happy enough with, and the answer is no restrictions at all. Anything else is livable, but not acceptable, and I won't pretend that it is.

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