savedtheworld | Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

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Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

[By now, it almost seems like a way of Luceti - that whenever good news happens, it will be followed by bad before long. Just yesterday, Katara had come back to the house. As herself. But today? The house woke up to a different empty room. Toph's.

It seemed like so soon since she had given him his last metalebending lesson. He still had so much to learn. And he still remembered so clearly when she showed up, tunneling from the earth like the little badger mole she was. Her original presence in Luceti may have precluded his, but when she came back, she was from the same time as him. He know that aside from missing one of his best friends, he'd miss being able to relate to one of the few people from that time.

But in a way, Aang knew this could be for the best. He remembered how she had worried about her life, with everything the future had shown to them. The short time that her daughter was around. How Toph feared the possibility of having to live her life in Luceti without ever returning home, that she might not become the person she thought she was supposed to be. But now she didn't have to worry about that anymore. She could live that life for herself. And hopefully, she'd find peace and happiness in that life. They could all still be friends there, too, in that lifetime.

Aang spends a little time wallowing in his grief, first. After all, he misses her already. Then he remembers one of the first things she told him when arriving. "Missed me? After only a month? Come on, don't get sappy!" With a faint smile, he nodded before he rose to do what he had to do. Toph had put her hopes in him.

And he soon addressed the journals.]

Hi everyone. This is Aang. You should know that Toph Beifong is... She's gone back home. I guess our world can only go so long without its greatest Earthbender around. She left some letters to hand out, but everyone who knew her should know... She cared about you a lot more than she says. Even her punches had friendship in them.

[He grabbed the letters that she had left behind, knowing all too well what they all said. After all, he was the one who had to transcribe them for her.

And so, Aang starts to play the distribution game. He first gives out letters to those around the house. If there were any who did not find about Toph's absence at the same time as him, then he would give them the letter and the news prior to the journal announcement. Then, he seeks out Suki, Ion, Fenimore, Shikamaru, Masaomi and Saori to deliver their letters. If there's any he can't find, he'll leave the letter at the door of their house. Or in their mailbox. Do we have mailboxes?

He tries to go about his normal daily activities afterwards, showing few signs of anything wrong. Places to frequent include the Welcome Center, library, tea shop and item shop. And in the evening, after dinner, he takes some of the remaining metal sheets lying around the house out to the forest to do some metalbending practice on his own. Still, every time he messed up, he could almost feel the punches.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Indeed. It's a relief to have her back to her usual self. Staying in an altered mindset for too long isn't good for anyone.

It really is. And it's scary to wonder what it'd be like if it was for too long. She's been taking it very well so far.

But... but then again, couldn't it be good for other people? Like if... a bad person comes back from before they were bad. If they spend lots of time as the good self, can't that... help them? [He may be referring to someone specific here.]

Individuals are different, and experiences can have different effects on people. Whether or not an individual is considered "bad" or "good" is irrelevant. In the end they will decide how the experience has affected them - and you can't force a person to accept a mindset that has been unwillingly forced on them.

I see. That makes sense. But... but Mithos. Is that really the way he used to be? It's not a - a trick or anything?

I'm afraid I'm not the person who can confirm that. If that's how Mithos used to be, it was a very long time ago. A very, very long time ago.

I see. It's just weird. Because right now... I can get along with him, and it's like he's like - like me. But the way he was before, was... It was so different.

After his sister died, everything changed for him. He took her last words, and ... [Well, she hadn't really said what he had done to Aang before, did she? She trails off abruptly.]

A-and...? [He asks quietly. Mithos had mentioned his sister's death to her, and it was something that weighed on him. It sounded like that could have been where things went wrong.]

Are you certain you want to know this? The whole story isn't very pretty.

[He pauses for a moment, but then he gives a grim nod.]

I usually try to stay away from him like you said, but I wound up talking to him once after Christmas, before he got kidnapped. Even if the story's not pleasant... I think it's important that I understand what can make a person be like that.

I see...

Well, why don't we take a little walk? [You never know who might be wandering around the library.] I hope you're bundled up.

[Okay Mom.]

Yeah, I got my stuff right here.

[~~Even though he was somehow okay just wearing his monk clothes at both poles in the show~~ Aang quietly shuffles towards a nearby table, where he left a jacket, scarf, goofy-looking hoodie hat and gloves. He places them on as he walks alongside Raine quietly.]

[For a few moments they walk in silence. She hasn't decided on a set location, but would rather not risk being overheard. Maybe her house...? In any case, once there are less people in the area and no trace of Mithos, she'll begin speaking again.]

Anyway...

Mithos in his present condition is... presumably how he was in the past, before things went badly. He was part of a group that was trying to accomplish several tasks; ending a great war, trying to end prejudice, and make sure that the world itself wasn't destroyed, and so forth.

I see. He - the way he is now - he told me something like that. It sounded like they were heroes. T-they stopped a war, like my friends and me did back home.

Has he... told you anything in great detail? In his current state and the way he usually is.

There weren't a lot of details, but I did hear some- some troubling things. The way he is now... he told me about how they stopped a war, but there was still trouble against people called the half-elves. He still seems optimistic.

But the way he was before.... the him who's not nice... He got mad when I found a state of- of Lloyd. He told me that... [He says with a still quietness] he lost his sister to enemies. And Th-that Lloyd... He ended him.

... I see.

[She frowns a little, at his hesitation and at his words. Still, she needs to find some point to begin this story, even if she's not certain how much she should tell him. Perhaps she'd simply watch and see how he reacted to any of it.

She continues walking, her tone distant.]

I've told you before that Mithos isn't as young as he appears to be. The great war that we've spoken of took place over four thousand years ago. The Mithos that is here now is... from that time.

Wow. [He blinks for a moment as it really settles in.] That long... and he still looks like a kid.

It was because of his Cruxis crystal. He doesn't have it with him now, but when activated, it... transforms the body into something inorganic, that doesn't age. And when the body itself is destroyed, the person's consciousness is drawn completely into the crystal.

[It's kind of a hard concept for him to grasp, but he tries.]

So... so it's a magic crystal that he can keep him him- his self in? Or... no, not magic! Mana?

Yes, that's right. He could use the crystal to manipulate his body's mana at will... even giving himself a way to change his body into a more adult form.

That way he'd look a little closer to his own age. [But you could tell he's bad because he doesn't get a cool beard like Aang.] What did he look like when- when you guys met him?

We first 'met' him in his adult form, as Lord Yggdrasill, the leader of Cruxis. But then ... he deliberately returned his form to the way he looks now, in an attempt to integrate himself into our group ... as Mithos. He succeeded quite readily in that.

L-Lord Yiggg... yiggdrizzle? [He shakes his head.] So he tricked you? Or was he trying to be good?

Yggdrasill. ... It's his last name.

And yes, he tricked us. He even thought he could make my brother choose between him and Lloyd, when all my brother wanted was to have both of his friends with him. But that wasn't Mithos' true goal.

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