savedtheworld | Book 4: Winds from Tomorrow [Action: May 30th-June 1]

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Book 4: Winds from Tomorrow [Action: May 30th-June 1]

[Action: Days 5-7]

[It's odd for Aang, waking up in House 56. What is this, some sort of bunked bed? He can't remember whatever led him to sleep there. Doesn't this violate his decision to maintain some distance from his younger friends? He slips out of the house early in the morning, or tries to. It's possible that anyone else in the household could have caught him before he was able to leave.

Aang spends the rest of the day and the next two days going back to his daily routine. He meditates in the forest near Avatar House. He goes through town, either casually strolling or zipping through on his Air Scooter, to stay social. On Day 5, he also has to set up his tent near his meditation spot again. Where could his old tent have gone?]

[ooc: Aang is aged up (kinda)-canonically to around his 40s. He also remembers Luceti in an alternate way where he was brought here at this age. The shift has also caused some memory fluctuations (who's that Yakone fellow again?), although the possibility always remains that he's actually from a somewhat alternate version of canon (aka my handwave if my few assumptions get jossed)

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Well... maybe it would help if you told me some of what you remembered.

[He rubs his head.] That would be the smartest move, wouldn't it? [He looks down into the noodles as he gathers his thoughts.]

I was raised as an air nomad, and everything changed when I turned twelve. I found out I was the Avatar, and... that led to me running away. To the iceberg. From just now, I'm guessing this must match what you know. You and Sokka discovered me a hundred years a later. [A small smile.] We went penguin sledding. And after we had our first fight with Zuko, and... you found out that I really was the Avatar... we set off so I could start learning the other elements.

...well, so far so good.

Good! We went to the North Pole, first. I started learning Waterbending from Master Pakku and then my teaching passed over to the esteemed Sifu Katara. [A wry smile.] Then we went to the Earth Kingdom. Hm... that was where we met Toph, and I started learning Earthbending. I had a real hard time at first, but eventually I managed to tackle it.

[He flt silent for a moment. Next we the desert and Ba Sing Se. Memories that still hurt.] That's when we had losses. Lost Appa in the desert. Jet... Jet fell at Lake Laogai. And for a little while, I... was gone too.

[...this is all too general for her to figure out, and as she was about to ask for more detail, he started talking about, well. That.

And there wasn't any more to say. She goes very still.]

You still remember that?

[Part of him's a little hurt by his recollection's being questioned. But he understands the necessity of it, with all the tricks that this place plays. He tries to keep up a smile as he continues.]

That's something I can't just forget. [He closes his eyes to dismiss the painful electric memories, and opens them looking back at Katara.] And I still remember waking up for just a few moments and seeing just your face. That smile was the best welcome I could have asked for. [The smile has become more genuine by the end of the sentence.]

[She smiled a little awkwardly at that, strange as it was to hear from someone so much older, that was still... nice.]

No, I meant... that's something I would have hoped you'd forget.

[After all this time...

She wouldn't wish him to hold on to that much pain.]

[A wave of relief comes over him, awkward circumstances aside.]

I understand. But remembering pain is as important as remembering joy. [Even if he did seem to forget whatever happened immediately before he came here... something linked strongly with pain.] And... before I knew it, I had hair. Then we spent some time in the Fire Nation, getting ready for the invasion. [He looks down.] That's another bad memory. When I let everyone down, including including your father and all of you.

Well, that's a little after my time. But from what I heard, it wasn't exactly your fault that Ozai knew about the invasion.

Right. You were brought here from [Hama. Bloodbending. Don't think about it.] before the invasion in my memories, too. [He shakes his head.] But you're right about that. We didn't count on how unreliable the Earth King was, or how sneaky Azula could be. [Or take even one look at the Kyoshi Warriors.] It's still not a fond day to remember. [Aside from the kiss, but of course he's too uncomfortable to mention that.]

That's understandable.

[She looked into the campfire for a moment.]

...do you remember being caught in that storm together? Sokka was out fishing and we took refuge in a cave.

[...which... might be the glossed over version.]

[He nods and also sees what she did there.]

Yes. That's when I shared earlier memories with you.

[Well. They were the only two there. And she hadn't shared that with anyone in Luceti. So...

I guess he's as close to real as... I know, anyway.

That left a whole other passel of strangeness to deal with.

But Katara just smiles.]

I bet this was never something we would have thought of back then.

[He chuckles.]

Definitely. I was still trying to figure out how to be a 12-year old Avatar. None of us could have imagined anything like Luceti, or that we'd all be dropped here from different points in our lives. Let alone that a bearded me would be eating noodles alongside a teenage you.

[Aang gives a small shrug and slurps up the last noodles in his bowl.]

[...I see your table manners haven't changed much.

She refrains from correcting him, because... that would just be too weird.]

When did you grow the beard?

Just around a decade ago. Someone had liked the way I looked with hair, and this seemed like the easiest way to please that. It also gave me a new goal out out-bearding your brother.

[Oh, mercy, a beard contest.]

It's not... quite the same thing, you know.

[He sighs.] Yeah, yeah. But it still looks pretty neat, right?

Yes, it looks pretty neat. [Small smile.] You're very handsome.

[For a guy old enough to be my dad.]

[Perhaps a very similar conversation happened when he first grew the beard. His cheeks still do glow faintly, coming from someone young enough to be their daughter. He the rubbed the beard confidently.]

Thanks, Katara. It's been a while since I've heard a compliment like that. [Since the last time he can remember leaving home.]

[She resolutely ignores that blush. It was a compliment to an older version of her friend and there was nothing weird about it. Just... there was something weird about all this.

..."became sweeties."

No, she's not thinking about that right now.]

If you remember living out here the whole time, I can see why.

[Isolation = bad; Community = good.]

If you're so set against staying with us, then why aren't you in town?

[Making new friends and getting complimented on your beard.

...why does thinking that way feel weird?]

Edited 2012-06-08 16:34 (UTC)

[He's been trying for the best of both worlds.]

I wanted to try something more like a classic monk lifestyle. I still make time to go through town. And there are a number of interesting people who happen upon my campsite, whom I wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. And it helps me connect with nature, too! Moro actually complimented me yesterday.

You've always had a way with really big spirit animals.

[He laughs.]

Like good old Hei Bai, right? Of course, Moro's really picky compared to the spirits back home, so I felt special. At least I can still be a spirit bridge of some kind around here.

She's always liked you.

Edited 2012-06-09 02:40 (UTC)

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