#coolpretense

Katara moved gracefully, twisting and moving her hands in well-practiced forms, the water following her hands. She felt it, just out of reach but under her attentive control. She ran and pretended to attack invisible antagonists, water gushing forward. She caught it again before it hit the ground, twirling along and redirecting the flow to hit another nonexistent enemy. 

Katara took a hard stance, her breath already coming with some difficulty. The air here wasn’t as thin as where she was from, but during the winter it still had a bite to it. She moved her hands to her sides and slowly forward, controlling the motion, imagining the push and pull of the tide. The water of the lake swayed in accordance with her sinuous movements, coming high up on the shore of the lake before retreating once more. She pulled water from the lake with a careful motion of her hand, balling it up and watching the water ripple as the gentle breeze passed over it. She moved the water more gently now, artfully rather than defensively, making the water shine in the sunlight like a show. 

She turned her head, noticing a stranger watching her out of her peripheral vision. 

“Can I help you?”