video; un:mako

[arclightning]

Uh, hey. Mako here.

[ Nailing it so far, right? Mako's standing in front of a half-blue, half-green wall, dotted with small lunar sconces. Everything looks kind of dusty and half-finished, and the watery afternoon light illuminates yet more dust drifting around him.

Notably, a small dragon, red-scaled and content, is draped over his shoulders like a scarf, watching the Omni with bright eyes.

Mako glances momentarily off the screen, mouths something, and then looks back, clearing his throat. ]

It's come to my attention that a lot of you have been setting things on fire left and right since we washed up here. Obviously, this is dangerous to you and the people around you. If that's you, you need to make an effort to control it immediately before something worse than singeing your clothes happens.

For those of you who just washed up, I'm a firebender. That means I can do—

[ He holds up his left hand (scarred with strange marks) in front of himself and splays his fingers, making a small puff of fire appear and hold over his palm. It flickers there like a candle flame, dancing between Mako's fingers, before he drags it in a small arc and lets it go out. ]

—that, and—

[ Another flick of his fingers, this time producing little purple-bright sparks that zap between the tips and then dissipate. ]

—that. And a lot more.

So. If you need help learning to control your powers, and you do, come to the Raccoon Room in Cellar Door on Wednesdays. You'll see the sign. I've been doing this since I was a kid. Anyone else who wants to help, feel free to drop by too.

[ Finally, he looks up, his serious expression dropping just slightly. ]

Trust me. If a bunch of snotty six-year-olds back home can learn how to do it, you can.

[ The little dragon huffs in agreement, fire puffing out of its nose, and Mako reaches forward to cut the feed. ]

Comments

[notimeforfailure]

My -- You mean the Professor?

[Her tone is one of great surprise - but there is a ring of some deeper emotion there, too. A guarded expression comes into her eyes.]

I...

I'm not sure. There was... a sort of calmness about him. Confidence. It felt as if he were always speaking specifically to you and your situation - and he somehow understood instinctively what it was you needed.

I suppose it was a bit of hero-worship, in hindsight.

He had a knack for... letting you sort of talk your way into the solution you already knew to be true.

[arclightning]

...huh.

I could use that.

[ One of Mako's strengths—especially compared to his chatty friends—is being quiet, and letting Bolin talk himself through problems while Mako listens is one of the more effective ways to get him to problem-solve. Maybe that'll work with everyone's bending...? ]

The confidence, for sure. Nobody's going to trust me if I act like I'm out of my depth.

[ Mako pauses, contemplating that for a long moment before looking back up at the Omni, and Lysithea. ]

He's pretty important to you even without the hero-worship, huh? Did you get to see him again, back home?

[notimeforfailure]

I don't know if he pretended, but... well. At least, the advice he gave was always sound.

You don't need to pretend, Mako. You are a master of fire magic.

[At his next question, the haunted look returns.]

...He's dead, Mako.

He died in the first battle. The night I returned home. At least... there were too many bodies to sort through, and we had to flee the battleground. No one has seen hide nor hair of him since.

I guess the Empire might be keeping him captive, but I believe they would have announced it, if so.

He was... important to all of us.

[arclightning]

[ Dead.

It's such a final thing when they aren't here. Mako's expression shutters, understanding warring with something like anger on Lysithea's behalf. ]

That's rough.

[ And still, despite the shadows of his own loss pressing on him, Mako never knows what to say to things like that. I'm sorry? He is sorry, but that doesn't change anything. It was too soon? It will always be, and platitudes have never helped with the yawning cave of grief left behind, the stumbling-through and pressing-on that the living have to do in the spaces the dead once occupied.

Mako looks at her, and sighs quietly, shaking his head. ]

I want to hear more about him when you get time, alright? Over tea or something.

you forgot the 'buddy'

[notimeforfailure]

[Lysithea's smile is taut, not altogether genuine as he responds. The Professor... was something she tried not to think about. Really, there was no point in conjuring up those memories. Who would have thought that the first major casualty of the war would be the man on whom they all relied?

Secretly... she has kept track of the time, still. It is almost at the five year mark. Garreg Mach lay abandoned now, she knew, but... if she had lasted in Fodlan for the full five years, she thinks she would have made the journey.

Perhaps some of her other classmates would have, too.]

Of course.

You don't need to hear this right now. I'll catch up with you again soon, Mako. It's -- good to see you again.

lmaoo

[arclightning]

[ It's the kind of thing Mako might say—changing the subject so he doesn't have to talk about anything painful anymore, sidestepping it under the guise of concern—and so he accepts it with a nod and a small smile. ]

I'm glad you made it, Lysithea. Let me know if you need any help setting up a house, alright? I helped with one wall, I can help with more.

[notimeforfailure]

Thanks, Mako.

It's my great hope that there will be no 'setting up' needed this time around. If that's not the case, then I'm just very bad at picking places to live.

I'll talk to you soon.