spark || lin beifong

Chapter II - Introduction Part 2

"You're only 16? You speak like you're a professor!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"I'm flattered, Tenzin. But I fear that this is the result of having nearly nothing to do after every bit of my chores have been finished. I mean, I sleep sometimes but I mostly try learning new things. It's a big world out there and we only have an average life expectancy of 60 years, so what better time to get to know all its secrets if not now?" Leia's eyes were bright expressed excitement when she finished her little ultimatum. Then, she looked sheepish. "I'd cite the source for the life expectancy statistic, but I honestly can't remember where I got it. The newspaper, maybe?"

Aang cleared his throat to gain Leia's attention and she was quick to gather herself to focus on him. "Well, I guess that settles our itinerary for the afternoon. We're taking a trip to Republic City University."

Leia looked like she was about to cry.

-

Turns out, Aang had things to attend to, so Tenzin ends up accompanying the water tribe native to the university. It was a brief affair. Since it was summer, only the administrating staff was there to facilitate enrollment and answer any queries regarding courses and fields of specialty. Of course, Leia was still quite new to this and asked if there was a general course she could take before taking any specialized classes. The lady entertaining them quickly replied that there was, but that the course were meant for an age range much lower than hers. Leia was quick to think of a compromise and suggested letting her summer classes before the schoolyear started to at least give her a foundation of knowledge. It seemed the desk lady was more than happy to entertain someone who expressed interest in summer classes, stating that the only problem is that there would be additional pay, and that the teachers she would have would be students who wanted extra credit through community service in school. Leia expressed that she had no problems with that and the transaction was settled. They agreed that they would have a slot saved for her in each specialized course and that once her summer sessions were done, she would have to choose her specific field of dtudy.

While Leia was negotiating with the desk lady, Tenzin was there at her side, needing only to talk once to sign papers as Leia's guardian in proxy of his father's absence. He was yet again amazed at how the girl seemed to be natural in getting around and talking to people despite her lack of experience.

Leia was given a concise tour of the place and was given complementary school merchandise. She then profusely thanked the person who entertained them who she now knew was named Ms. Park Jihyo.

"Well, I guess we could say mission success?" Leia prompted, a smile on her face as she walked towards a Satomobile with a small, portable mechanical fan in her hand, courtesy of the university. It was also Leia's first time to ride on a Satomobile on the trip going to the campus when she insisted that she couldn't quite handle flying as her mode of transportation. To her convenience, the drive didn't cause any more of her gastric juices to spew out, barely feeling anything except for a headache.

Tenzin smiled back at the teen and responded, "Definitely. The way you negotiated your terms with the lady was so well-done, you barely needed my help."

Leia shrugged. "Well, it's not that hard to ask for clarifications and details. It's her job to inform incoming applicants and enrollees all about where they want to study. I'm simply a client that complied with the job assigned to her. It's not like they can throw me out for wanting to know all that there is for an agreement before I go for it. It never hurts to ask questions."

Leia's cheerful mood seemed to infect Tenzin, and before he knew it, he had a smile plastered on his face that usually was there because of something else.

Once they were at the Satomobile, Leia climbed in, followed by Tenzin. They sat side-by-side at the backseat. The driver was one of the air acolytes who volunteered to learn to drive since neither Tenzin nor Aang knew, preferring to travel on their own bison.