Teaching time

“How do you mean, wife?” Eska asked, her voice low and even as she saddled up beside Riley. She leaned against the railing, gazing directly into Riley’s eyes with that piercing, unflinching stare that seemed to look straight through her.

Riley rubbed the back of her neck, glancing around the unfamiliar landscape one last time. “I mean… I don’t recognize this place. I wasn’t exactly the most studious person in school, but I don’t remember anything like this from what I learned.”

Desna and Eska exchanged a brief, knowing glance before turning their attention toward the distant city shimmering on the southern horizon.

“And you do not recognize the city?” Desna asked, his tone carrying a faint trace of dry sass beneath its usual nonchalance.

Riley shook her head and let out a small sigh, cracking her neck with similar casual indifference. “No. I don’t…”

Both twins sighed in perfect unison and gave a small, synchronized shrug. Eska glanced over her shoulder toward the massive shadowy spirit looming on the far northern horizon. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly — the only visible hint of concern.

“We should enter the city,” Desna said calmly, “and see what the citizens are like.”

Without waiting for further discussion, he started down the wooden staircase embedded into the mountainside. Riley followed after him, confusion and skepticism plain on her face.

“We also need to see what element our wife can bend,” Eska added as she fell into step behind them, an amused smile tugging faintly at the corners of her mouth.

Riley paused mid-step, turning to look back at her. “What element I can bend? What, like… strength-wise?”

The beach stretched out before them, golden sand warm beneath the bright sun. Fish-like spirits leapt gracefully from the sparkling sea before diving back in with playful splashes. Turtles lounged along the shore before slipping into the gentle waves, while seagulls soared overhead, their loud squawks cutting through the salty air. The perfect weather wrapped everything in a comforting warmth as the three of them made their way toward the road ahead.

As they walked along the sun-warmed road leading away from the beach, the conversation turned inevitable. Desna glanced sideways at Riley, his expression as neutral as ever.

“You truly do not understand bending.” he stated, more observation than question.

Riley let out a short laugh, still looking around at the strange world unfolding before her. “No. I really don’t. You keep saying it like it’s obvious, but it sounds like something out of a kids cartoon to me.”

Eska tilted her head, walking gracefully on Riley’s other side. “I do not know what a... cartoon is but it is not that. It is the manipulation of the elements through the energy within one’s body. Water. Earth. Fire. Air.”

She raised one hand as they walked. With a casual flick of her wrist, a small orb of water lifted from a nearby tide pool, swirling smoothly in the air before freezing into a delicate ice sculpture shaped like a tiny turtle-seal. She let it float gently toward Riley.

“See?” Eska said flatly. “Waterbending.”

Riley stopped walking, staring at the floating ice figure with wide eyes. She reached out and poked it cautiously. It was solid. Cold. Real.

“Okay… that’s… impressive,” she admitted, blinking rapidly. “But how? Like, is it some kind of technology? Magnets? Hidden wires?”

Desna shook his head, his voice remaining dry and patient. “No wires. No machines. It is the harmony between the body’s chi and the element itself. A spiritual and physical connection.”

He lifted his own hand. A small wave rose from the ocean’s edge, formed itself into a thin blade of water, then shattered into mist with a sharp gesture.

Riley watched the display; her brow furrowed in deep concentration. “Chi…? Like… energy? Meditation stuff?” She waved her own hand experimentally in the air, mimicking their movements. Nothing happened. “So, I just… think about it really hard and water moves? That can’t be right.”

Eska’s lips twitched with the faintest hint of amusement. “Not exactly. It requires discipline. Focus. Understanding the element’s nature. Water is fluid. Adaptable. It flows and changes.”

She demonstrated again, pulling more seawater into a graceful arc that danced around them like a living ribbon before splashing back into the tide.

Riley tried once more, making awkward circular motions with her hands. “Like this? …Nothing. I feel ridiculous.”

Desna observed her attempts with his usual analytical calm. “You are not connected to the element yet. Most people in our world are born with the ability. It seems this world… is different.”

Riley dropped her hands, looking genuinely frustrated now. “So, you’re telling me people here can just… control water? Or fire? Or rocks? With their minds?”

“Correct.” both twins answered at the same time.

Riley stared at them for a long moment, then rubbed her temples. “I need a minute. This is a lot. I went from signing up on a weird dating site to being married to two people who can do actual magic with ocean water.”

Eska stepped closer, her voice softening just a fraction. “It is not magic. It is bending. And you are our wife now. If you cannot bend… we will simply protect you instead.”

Desna gave a small nod of agreement. “Until you learn. Or until we determine if you possess the ability at all.”

Riley sighed, looking out at the sparkling sea with new wariness. “Great. No pressure or anything.”