Chapter Text
“You know, I can see why the princess is so high-strung. Learning lightning bending so young is an incredible feat, and yet she can't even feel proud of herself for it because she isn't ‘perfect’.”
Zoey walked over to Mira's side as she stood by the door with furrowed eyebrows, clearly thinking about the training session they had observed a few minutes earlier. Rumi was lying back in her cot while staring at the ceiling, but she gave a hum in agreement.
“Is lightning bending that hard?” Zoey asked softly, and it took Mira more than a few seconds to respond.
“Well, ignoring the fact that it's basically a lost technique that hasn't been commonly used in centuries, it’s really dangerous. It requires focus and extremely good control to internally separate your energies. It also happens to be a fatal technique; it's pretty hard to survive being struck by lightning after all.”
“Oh.”
It was quiet for a full minute before Mira sighed.
“I can tell you want to ask if I can use it.”
Zoey gave a sheepish smile as even Rumi had turned to face them and raised an eyebrow from her spot on the bed.
“I could, in theory. I’ve read a few scrolls on the subject, but I don’t feel confident enough to try. I remember being young and stupid enough to try it only one time. It hurt really bad, and I ended up…” She squeezed her eyes shut as her breath stuttered for a moment. Rumi quickly got up from her cot to walk over, just as Zoey leaned forward to pull Mira into a hug. Rumi grabbed her free hand just as the taller girl opened her eyes again.
“It’s stupid but-”
“Neither of us thinks anything you say is stupid.”
Rumi snorted slightly, “So last night when she suggested that a platypus bear could beat a catgator-”
Zoey screeched and pushed Rumi out of the hug before completely clinging to Mira. “Ignore her! Nothing you’ve ever said is stupid, now continue.”
Mira looked down at their girlfriend, who didn’t move from her position on the floor, only offering a shrug and a nod, and Mira felt her heart loosen a bit.
“There was a raven eagle that I played with growing up. I was really attached to it. It was still just a baby at the time. The first and only time I tried bending lightning, I ended up hitting him, and he died. I remember being heartbroken over it, but I couldn’t even ask for help to save him because I knew my parents would realize I took those scrolls. I never did it again, and I even made sure to put each scroll back where I found them.”
The firebender wasn’t given a moment to dwell on her feelings before Zoey pulled her into a kiss, which basically stopped her entire train of thought. Once she pulled away, the younger girl rested her head on her chest with a sad smile.
“Accidents happen all the time. I know you’ve probably dwelled on that moment a lot, but I’m happy you shared that with us.”
“And I’m happy you didn’t hurt yourself doing something so dangerous alone.” Both girls looked down to see Rumi sitting on the floor with her legs folded underneath her. “Celine would’ve lectured me for ages if I even attempted something like that.” That statement caused Mira to scrunch her nose in disbelief.
“You’re acting like Celine wouldn’t have still lectured me if she found out about that today. She gave me a lecture about the time I pushed my brother in a muddy puddle when I was 7. That was ten whole years later, Rumi. Ten years!”
Zoey giggled and pulled the older girl down with her so they could both join Rumi on the floor. Mira didn’t bother resisting and instead flopped her body direction onto the youngest, who let out a small “oof-” before she shifted so Mira was lying on her lap.
“Mira, you never have to worry about talking about anything in your past. We won’t push you about it, but we’re always going to be here for you, no matter what. And I know, you know, we would never put you down about it.” Rumi changed her position so she was leaning over Mira and looking down at her directly.
Mira grinned up at her. She was right. During her teen years, she had a hard time believing that Rumi and Zoey would stay through everything, but by now she knew it was more than true. “I understand, princess.”
That caused Rumi to jolt back and slam a hand into Zoey’s shoulder when the younger girl laughed out loud.
“How many times have I said to stop calling me that!” She then buried her now red face into her hands. “It’s even worse when we are literally on a ship with an actual princess. So stop!”
The other two continued to laugh together for a bit longer, and eventually Rumi stopped blushing enough to roll her eyes and stick her tongue out at them. “You guys are the worst.”
“You love us.”
“Unfortunately.”
Zoey gasped dramatically, but before she could launch into a new tirade about her comment, the boat lurched slightly.
“Looks like we’ve finally landed.” Rumi stood up, with Mira following her lead, though Zoey stayed on the floor with a pout.
“We don’t have to work, right? Can’t we just stay here?”
“We could, but I think I like doing the barest minimum in front of their faces. Also, it’s harder to be caught unaware if we’re at least where we should be.”
Zoey groaned but also got up to drag her feet behind her girlfriends, who had started to head up to the ship’s deck.