i_speak_softly | Seventy-Second Theory [Voice]

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Seventy-Second Theory [Voice]

[Don has been living in the tunnels since the beginning of the last experiment, and for that time he's been almost entirely absent from the journals as well. Today, he finally re-establishes contact with the outside world.]

Has anyone ever considered building another village elsewhere in the enclosure? [...] Don't we have an organization that's always looking for that kind of volunteer work? The "Blue Viscera"?

[The transmission ends there, but later in the day there's another one:]

If anyone is willing, I would be very honored to have a new sensei. I'm fourth-dan in bojutsu but I haven't been formally trained in two years.

[After dark, he seals up his lair and goes home. When he reaches House 55, he doesn't announce himself, but goes silently to the winter room and re-closes the door behind him.]

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Well, I wouldn't describe myself as such, but if you prefer the term, certainly.

No, I mean... [Where did he hear about this.] Are you from Katara's world?

Ah, yes. I would be from her world.

My name is Iroh, nice to meet you.

Donatello.

Isn't Aang the young guy with the arrow on his head?

[You sound old. Don would rather be trained by an old guy.]

Donatello, that is an interesting name.

[Iroh will pause for a second]

Yes, that would be him. He can be a bit goofy at times, but he is a very talented bender, and very skilled with his staff. He is actually a master airbender, the tattoos are only given to those who have achieved mastery.

... He's twelve.

[Not to be disrespectful, but Don's understanding is that it's literally impossible to be a master of anything at such a young age.]

He is the avatar, and all of them achieve mastery of their first element at a prodigious rate. He has also in my time fought and defeated some of the most talented and dangerous individuals on the planet. If it helps your understanding, consider that he can also access the knowledge and skill of his previous lives, which there are hundreds, and make use of them.

[A skeptical noise. Previous lives? Really, Iroh?]

Its a well established fact in my world. The Avatar is born each generation and is the only one who can master all four elements.

[You need to open yourself up to the spiritual side of things Donatello. This is coming from a man who has journeyed to the spirit world]

[But SCIENCE.]

I don't tend to do very well with people who are naturally talented. We don't understand each other.

[Embrace the spiritual side]

That is reasonable, I can relate quite a bit to that. However, it is important to take knowledge from a variety of sources, even those we may not like. It is in humbling ourselves, and taking knowledge from a variety of sources that we can improve.

[No. But he might manage to say hello to it in a friendly manner.]

I'll talk to him. Thanks, Iroh.

[Thats fine too]

No problem. If you want to work on your hand to hand skills, I'd be more than happy to aid you in that.

I'm not sure yet what I want to commit to, but thank you very much for the offer.

You are quite welcome. Take some time to think about where you wish to improve.

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