[ Waiting doesn't really bother Ikki that much. She's been up since early in the morning because she's always up early in the morning (and asleep at a reasonable hour, being...seven). She'd just sort of settled in to show Soren her new marble trick while they waited.

It's a sort of game. I show you something, you show me something. The only way it was different from normal was that Chien wasn't there to bystand. ]

It's not as cool as the advanced airbending you did last time, but it's fun, huh? [ what are move names like aerial ace. "Something cool to show you" had been how Chien had described it.

For his part, Soren seems about as impressed by human child airbending as ever, trilling in a way she's pretty certain Chien could interpret for her if he were around. ] Grandpa showed it to me a little bit ago! I meant to show you last time, but I forgot. I've been trying to do the slash thing, but it's haaaaaaard! You must've practiced it really hard.

[ Yep. She's pretty clearly been talking Soren's ear off during what little waiting she's been doing, with pauses for the familiar chirps and trills. It's easier to think about airbending tricks than the missing person she...keeps thinking about. It's really weird to stand there with Soren without Chien, though. ]