Friends or Foes {Bailey and Loo}

Clarissa sat with her feet up on the railing of the Imperial Arena, facing the Heavyweight Championship matches. She wasn't bitter about losing to the waterbender. She wasn't worried about how he would do going further in the competition. She was however, interested in who might have a chance at winning the whole thing.

Ranger laid under her feet, facing the arena and looking around her every few moments. There was some fight going on. A earth bender was going to be going up against some kind of mind bender? Clarissa wasn't sure what a mind bender was, but she was rooting for the girl named Trace.

"Dude, that boy has some skill." Someone said behind Clarissa, which made her laugh for a moment. "I know man, if he was a girl I'd probably ask for his number with that skill."

Clarissa didn't know what kind of craziness was going on. It was a girl. She didn't have enough body mass to be a guy, and come on. The way she stood, one foot firm on the ground while one was balanced with her toe.. There was no way someone could mistake her for a boy. Clarissa just shook her head and pulled out her magazine. She wasn't going to be focusing on what was happening in front of her, no more like what was under her feet.

It wasn't until Ranger stood, making his fur brush against her bare legs that made her scan the area around her for someone coming close.

Kuma was nervous for his upcoming fight. He didn't consider it a miracle that he had won his previous bout. In all honesty, he felt bad for treating a blind girl with such cruelty. He felt that way after most fights. He wasn't too keen on causing lasting damage to anyone, and he feared that he had hurt the girl unnecessarily roughly. It was just a spar, after all. He had done the same thing he did in the prelims: lost track of what was supposed to happen and let his instincts kick in. By turning to his instincts, he stopped holding back, and as a result, both of the opponents he had faced so far were hurt.

It was unfortunate that he was unable to find his first opponent and give them a formal apology. He was shipped off to the Vermilion Empire before he even had the chance. But now, he had the opportunity to find the blind girl, whose name he didn't even know, and apologize for giving in to his desire to hurt. He scanned the audience, hoping to find her sitting up there somewhere, watching the fight. A mind bender vs. an earth bender...man? Kuma squinted. Something wasn't right with the way that person looked. His eyes widened in recognition. It was the woman who had been with him back in Ba Sing Se when Cato was killed. He smiled, knowing she would be find. He'd seen her fight before, and he knew she would go far in this tournament. He secretly hoped he wouldn't have to fight her himself.

"Outta the way, kid! We're trying to watch!" Kuma turned around to find an angry couple trying to see around him. He hadn't realized he walked in anybody's way. He bowed apologetically and hurried to the nearest isle, almost slipping in a puddle of water. Water. He smiled, realizing he could use that to his advantage. He bent the water to his hands, carefully carving the ice into the shape of binoculars, curving the lenses to give him the ability to see further. With a convex curve, Kuma could see each person in even the farthest seats from him. Still, he couldn't find her. His heart sank. He feared that she may have already left the country. That is, until he looked in the one place he hadn't previously: higher in the stands behind him.

There she was, her pet fox at her feet. Kuma smiled, running up the stairs to greet her. He tripped as he tried to stop when he reached her, falling face first onto the stairs. "ow..." he moaned before using the railing to help him up. "I, uh, meant to do that." Kuma blushed slightly, thankful that she couldn't see. He offered a warming smile. "Hi, uh, I don't think we ever formally met, back in the arena, I mean." Why was he having a hard time with this? He couldn't seem to find the right words. He shook his head, trying to get into the right mindset. "My name's Kuma. I was your opponent the other day." He waited for a response. "Hey, sit down, you little delinquent! My kid can't see with your fat head in the way!" Kuma glared at the father behind him, who had a little boy on his shoulders. He grunted and turned back to the girl. "Is it alright if I sit here?" He asked, pointing to an empty seat next to her.

Clarissa looked over at the person as they made their way up the aisle to her. Something tripped him and made her laugh, she recognized the foot pattern and put a hand down on Ranger's shoulders to calm him. It was that water bender from her last match. Of course he was here, he had won. He was in the Heavy Weight championship wasn't he. Clarissa couldn't help but laugh as he tried to stand and act like he never fell. Everyone seemed to try to do that. She didn't necessarily mind either, it made her feel more like she wasn't weird, more normal.

Clarissa looked directly at the guys behind her yelling at him to sit down before leaning back on her chair and smiling. "Look here, First of all. You two dont deserve to be watching the fight if all your going to do is comment on how much you wish that guy down there was a girl. Secondly, He isn't in your way, you are in mine. Thirdly, If I have to look up from this magazine again because of you two, I'll throw you in the arena myself." She said, in a very calm and neutral voice as to not arouse Ranger. "Yes, you may take the seat next to me. Just be careful of Ranger." Clarissa watched the guys sitting there. She couldn't see their faces, but they had quieted down a bit. Once she was sure that they weren't going to complain anymore, she turned back to her magazine.

"I'm sorry for that, they think Trace is a guy, which is hilarious. That girl doesnt have enough mass on the ground to be a guy, and she fights way to dainty. I cant see why they think she's a guy." Clarissa whispered to Kuma after he sat down. She wasn't sure he had heard her, since she tended to whisper lower than most people, but she hoped he had. "It's nice to see you again, you know. Without the need to fight each other. This is Ranger, my guard dog, and I'm Clarissa Ray Burke. it's Kuma, right?"

Kuma stared at Clarissa in amazement as she stood up to the impatient and inconsiderate patrons behind her. Kuma could see why she had been able to get into the heavyweights. It was as though her appearance was to dissuade her opponents. Heck, it had almost worked on him. But she was tough, spirited, and strong-willed. Kuma almost laughed at the shocked faces that the men wore. Their expressions were a priceless mixture of shock and fear. Kuma would have taken a picture if he could.

Kuma took the empty seat next to Clarissa. "Thanks," he said, almost tripping over the fox that he remembered seeing in the fight. "It's always more fun to sit next to a friend. You can talk to them about the fight and everything." He listened intently as Clarissa described her opinion on the matter of Trace. "Well, she actually looks like a cross-dresser. And, come on. Do you really expect the average audience member to pay close enough attention to notice small details like fighting style? You and I are used to combat, so we can recognize the clear differences between male and female styles, and it helps that i've met that woman before. But a lot of the spectators aren't warriors at all. They're just common folk who came to have a good time."

Kuma was impressed at how much Clarissa could truly see. He could tell from her eyes that she was completely blind. But, judging by how she only dodged certain attacks during their fight, and didn't even see most of his airborne attacks, she likely saw through earth bending. It was a rare trait, but Kuma had heard of it being done before. Kuma was lost in her eyes and barely noticed when she was introducing the fox to him. He snapped out of his trance, looking down at the fox. He couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness as he remembered his own animal companion. "Nice to meet you, Clarissa, and yeah, that's my name. It must be cool to have a fox for a pet." Kuma reached down and stroked his hand through Ranger's soft fur. It reminded him, a little too much, of Cato.

Clarissa was a bit taken back as she listened to Kuma's explaination of Trace's appearance. A cross-dresser? What could possibly make a girl want to dress like a boy? Was she crazy? "What purpose does her dressing as a guy make for her? I doubt she can move any better in guy's clothing than in girls." Clarissa said as she watched Trace move. Kuma was right though, most of the audience wouldn't be able to tell just by the way someone fought what gender they were. A girl could come in in guys clothes and be treated like a guy; while a guy could dress like a girl and get the same reaction, if done right. Clarissa tried to think of any particular reason as to why a girl would choose to do so, but couldn't really find one.

"I wonder what she does. You know, when she isn't fighting." Clarissa turned to look at Kuma, her magazine sliding off her lap and onto the floor next to Ranger. The fox was already enjoying the attention he was getting from Kuma, and almost didn't notice the magazine land by his tail. "It might explain why she dresses the way she does. I mean, she's old enough to work somewhere. Maybe she works with a bunch of burly guys and doesn't want to be hit on 24/7?"

Clarissa looked down at Ranger as Kuma asked about it being cool to own a fox. "He's a fox? And here I thought he was just a really skinny dog. Ranger, why didn't you say anything?" She jokingly exclaimed, her voice staying low to not intrude on the others watching the fights. Ranger perked up at the sound of his name and gave a small cute smile before sitting there, letting Kuma run his hand through Ranger's fur. "Plus, its about a cool as being able to manipulate ice around you."

Kuma thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure. I know she has at least one brother. Maybe she's the only girl in her family? If that's the case, then perhaps she grew up with hand-me-down boy's clothing, or she just liked the way her brother dressed?" Kuma couldn't really think of any better reason than that. "Maybe to avoid sexist judgement?" Kuma shrugged, figuring it didn't really matter why she dressed like a man. All he knew was that she didn't look like a woman. Heck, when he first met her, it took him a bit to realize she wasn't the man she appeared to be. But she was scary. Very scary.

"I think she's a blacksmith of some sort. All of her weapons are custom made. Maybe she's a forger or something? One day, I ought to actually go check out that shop of hers in Ba Sing Se. It's pretty popular, as far as I can tell." Kuma considered Clarissa's suggestion that her job might effect the way she dresses. "Now that you mention it, working with metal would be a hassle in a woman's clothing. It's so loose, it would probably get in the way or get caught in fires more easily." Kuma nodded to himself, realizing that it was the most likely explanation. Or it could be combined with all of their suggestions. Kuma made a mental note to ask Trace sometime exactly why she dressed that way.

Kuma smirked at Clarissa's ice pun. "Come on, i've always thought that it would rock to create a small earthquake at will." Sure enough, she was smiling, and Kuma couldn't help but stare at her radiance. He would be lying if he said she wasn't beautiful. Kuma knew what beautiful was. He made intricate ice sculptures for a living, and was paid a decent amount for his creations. But this girl...she stood out to him in a way he couldn't describe. He couldn't help but smile at her puns and sarcasm. He leaned back, balancing himself with his hands on the bench. He didn't realize that he had put his hand on top of Clarissa's.

Clarissa smiled as she listened to Kuma explain more about the bender they were watching. It hadn't seemed to her that Women's clothing would cause a restriction, but then again, Clarissa was no blacksmith. She knew very little about how a forge turns blocks of steel into swords, but she trusted Kuma's words. For the first time in a long time, Clarissa realized how un-normal her choice in clothing was. Not many wore so little clothing, much less wore it well. The thought had never concerned her before. What did it matter to her what she looked like, she wouldn't ever know. As far as Clarissa knew, she could have been the ugliest girl in the Earth Kingdom; but no mirror would ever tell her so in person. "I do believe that a female blacksmith is just what this nation needs. Someone willing to go against the expectations and do what they want to just because they can. And from what I can see of her bending abilities, if she has any skill in Metal bending, her weapons could be exquisite." Clarissa said, looking over at the direction Trace was sitting in while they waited for Showbiz to announce why her opponent just disappeared out of nowhere.

Even though she could not see Kuma, Clarissa could tell he was handsome. The way his voice shaped his words, and the words he choose. It all seemed to resonate with her somehow. She could tell he was intelligent and wise from how he didn't even question her eyesight, and how he never mentioned it to her more than the once. Clarissa was lost in her own world, sliding into her mind when she started to focus on his words again and realized he was trying to make a joke back to hers. He had caught the joke, and actually laughed at it. Such a crummy joke Clarissa had thought he would just surpass it, but he actually played one back at her. She almost couldn't believe her ears. There wasn't a single person who could stop her from laughing. Each burst of laughter making her laugh harder at herself. She hadn't laughed in so long, really laughed, that tears started to come to her eyes.

Bracing herself on the bench, she placed her hand down by the seat. Ranger perked up, smiled at her and Kuma, then laid back down. It wasn't until Kuma's hand rested on Clarissa's that Ranger perked up fully and began to whine. She had always been so distant with others, that any form of contact worried the fox. Clarissa however, didn't mind. Had he been any other boy, any other person, she may have moved her hand away; but this wasn't any other boy. This was Kuma, the water bender not afraid to fight a fair fight with a blind girl.

Clarissa couldn't help but smile and look down at Ranger. "Darling boy, you shouldn't be so protective of me now." She said, using her other hand on purpose to pet Ranger's head. As if she had invited him, Ranger jumped up onto her lap and nuzzled himself between her and Kuma.