Friend or Foe

With a nod, Merrick led Alasdair to the hull of the ship, still pretending that he was a slave. After a loud crack of thunder, Merrick smiled as he looked at the choppy waters, Well, that certainly isn't my doing... he thought, looking around for any other WaterBender, but soon realized to do so was foolish as he realized that the waves were created by the air that was caused by the storm. With a sigh, he walked to the command bridge, allowing Alasdair to go about his business as he saw fit. With a Fire Nation Naval Ship, we'll arrive in the Earth Kingdom... in... at the most two days. Maybe faster if i can put both my Water and Fire bending skills to work... he thought, scratching his chin as he messed with a few controls and set the ship off for departure.

It started off slow, but gradually gained speed, and there were giant streams of pitch black smoke emitting from giant cigar-shaped tubes that sprung up from the middle of the hull. It made an absolutely disgusting smell, though Merrick knew he would have to deal with it as best as he could. With nothing to do, he would decide to practice his current bending skills, even though he was a master. Right now would be a perfect time to make sure he's completely down with Lightning Bending. So, he awaited for lightning to strike, and when it did, his hand with up into the air, causing the lightning to strike his finger, and to the best of his ability, he channeled the lightning to his other finger, and allowed it to shoot from the tip of his right finger and towards the horizon. He hadn't bent lightning in so long, that he almost forgot how to do it, causing his hair to get frizzy, and his skin to smoke gently.

After he practiced lightning bending, he went to the side of the ship and looked as the passing water. He pointed his right hand towards the ocean and brought it up as if he were lifting something from the ocean, even though he was, which was a great stream of water. He closed his eyes and wiggled it around his body, allowing it to go in a great thin stream around his body. With his eyes still closed, he slowly exhaled from his mouth, which turned the flowing stream of water into ice, which made a swirly little cage for Merrick. Instead of using Fire Bending, which he was great in, he used heat bending, which was something he wasn't so good in. He heated up his body until the ice around him turned back into water and began to fall from its current position, but before it could go all the way down, he shifted his weight to his right leg, outstretching his left leg and holding out both hands, only to pull the water from the air and send it in a whip form to a bird soaring above.

When it reached the bird, he balled his fist up, and it encircled the bird and tightened its grip, squeezing the bird until it fell from the sky and into the ocean. [size=blue]Certainly a horrible thing to do, but nessecairy for training nonetheless.[/color] he thought to himself as he walked back to the command bridge and looked ahead. Several hours have passed, and the travel was going much quicker than he expected. There was possibly about another half day to go, which certainly surprised Merrick, he though it would take longer, but he had underestimated the speed of a Fire Nation Naval ship. Before he was to retire to bed, he decided to go find Alasdair and speak with him so he could know a little more about the man in which he traveled with before he would go to sleep on the same ship as he.

Leaving the command bridge, he walked around the gigantic ship, looking for the male. It was a rather dead ship, and now Merrick was regretting killing the Fire Benders, and if he took some time, he could have thought of a sneaky way to kill just the Captain and have an entire crew all to himself. But alas, it was too late for such planning, and the ship was nothing but a wasteland, with nobody except himself and Alasdair, of which he couldn't seem to find for the life of him. He continued his search for another half hour before finally finding him. Hello Alasdair, I apologise for the whole "slave" thing earlier. I didn't want to risk getting caught somehow. But we should be fine now, i suppose... Anyway, i didn't come here to apologise. If you don't mind, I came here to know a little more about you. I think it would certainly be wise to know the man in which i am about to let my guard down and sleep near... You underdstand, don't you?

Alasdair was really working hard. There were many things that had to be done so that they could travel really fast. But sometime he had done everything he needed to do and looked at the water. Fast he closed his eyes and felt the spirit that lived in the water. He spoke to it a little bit and then bended it to him on the boat. He decided to train his spirit bending a little bit, and with the allowence of the spirit he trained everything that was possible right now. The sent the spirit to spots where he wanted it, let it attack imaginary enemies, also used its water powers. Then, after a while, he stopped and after talking for a while he let the spirit go again. The whole thing had, again, reminded him of his mother. He hated it when that suddenly happens, but he liked it to remember his mother.

After that he looked around at the boat again if there was something he had to do. It was really quiet on the boat, not like he was used to. But he thought that Merrick had an reason why he had done it. Suddenly he heared the footstepps of Merrick behind him. The man did not seem to take care to be silent, and there was also no reason for that. There were only he and Merrick on the boat, so he would be more worried if he had heared nothing from the man.

Then the man told him why he had come. Alasdair nodded. "I understand your suspicion. I would be not very different if I had not seen what you are able to do.", he said to Merrick. Even if I do not think that I know everything by now., he thought, but did not said it loud. "So, is there something special you want to know or should I just start telling about myself and my life?", he then asked. Alasdair was not used to it any more that he should tell everything about himself. It was one of the things he had stopped soon after his mother died. Along with his happiness. He leaned against one side of the boat, his orange hair shining like fire in the sun.

OOC: Sorry im really busy and remembered i had to post. This one wont be long, i apologise.

IC: Merrick smiled, and then cleared his throat. I would like to know just about everything. Your name is Alasdair... could it be the very same Alasdair that was the previous Avatar's son? What kind of Bender are you...? What... what is your story?

Alasdair nearly began to laugh. "So, you already know who I am. But do you really have only heared about me that I am the previous Avatar´s son?", asked the man. Then he shook his head a little bit and looked down on the floor. "But I will answer your question if you really want to.", he said to Merrick.
He breathed in and prepared himself to talk. "As you already know, I am the son of Avatar Trira. I am a spirit bender. It had taken my mother and myself quite a long time to discover that. But since then I have trained really hard. If you want to say, I have two stories, one begun 27 years ago, the other one 18 years ago. Before this 18 years, I was a funny little boy who also liked to laugh much. You can also say I had feelings and showed them. I was together with my mother most of the time. So I have also seen how my mother died.", he told Merrick.
Then Alasdair stopped for a moment. He did not liked to talk about the killing of his mother. He had been too weak at that time to save her. He did not liked that part of his history. "When she died I changed completely. I pushed away every emotions, you could also say that I have no feelings. I trained harder than before, only for one goal. To kill the murderer of my mother. I have travelled around the world to find masters of as many fighting arts as I can learn. But I know that I still have this little boy inside of me that I had been long ago. And I also know that he wants to see his mother again, so I will have to find a way to talk to her if I want to life a normal life.", he finally finished. It was a really short version of his story, but he had known before that he would not be so good at talking. "So, and what is your story?", he finally asked Merrick.

Merrick nodded in silent understanding, and grabbed his chin and stroked it. Fighting types? Well, I know you're unable to bend it... but Fire bending and Water bending are not only bending abilities... they're also fighting styles. What is generally taught in Water Bending is to be graceful and strike with precision and accuracy. With fire bending, it's entirely different. Strike with strength and ferocity in an attempt to overwhelm your opponents. Merrick explained, gazing at the boy, who was roughly his age, though looked a bit older. If you want, i could teach you those fighting styles. Merrick offered, before wanting to give out his story, but also had another idea, Or, if you wish, I can help you avenge the Avatar's death.