Book 17.5: Fourth Wall

[savedtheworld]

[Behold Aang, the young air nomad. Physically 15 and now mentally about 16, he's grown quite a bit from his time in the Hundred Year War.

Today seemed like a good day to visit the library. He found out from Duck that there were stories out there where the characters came to life and left the story. So now he's checking around to see if he can find any books like this. Only to find unexpected visitors of a different variety...

Alternately? He can be found out in front of House 56, deep in meditation, trying to see if he can reach his past lives...]

Comments

[firecycle]

[Mako is wary and snooping about, at one point pasting his back against a bookshelf and peering out over his shoulder. He'd bolt, under normal circumstances, but he's got Bolin to look for and a whole building to search before he can even think about running.

The people here are strange, and strange is abnormal, and abnormal means deviation from the routine, and that spells trouble of a million sorts. All things considered, Mako can't help the ugly frown.

He rounds a shelf prematurely, though, and just about collides into Aang with a most undignified "oof!"]

[savedtheworld]

[It's a bump alright, and Aang stumbles back a bit while dropping a copy of Oliver Twist.]

Whoa! Sorry - Are you okay?

do you wanna build a snowman?

[summerlike]

[ Anna is really not dressed for this weather. Nooooot at all. This dress was even less equipped for snow than her ball gown had been, and suuure, maybe it wasn't quite so sister-whipped-up-a-blizzard here, but still. She's cold.

So when she finally stumbles upon a village and sees a young man with an arrow (???), she alights over to him a bit clumsily.

...Is he a sleep or... ]

Ummm - excuse me? Sorry - hellooo?

YES I want to build a snowman!

[savedtheworld]

Huh?

[His eyes pop open as he looks towards her. He's doing just fine sitting near all this snow, thank you very much.]

Oh - hello! [He meekly pulls up a smile and gives a light wave.] Can I help you?

or ride a dragon around the hall...

[dragoneer]

[ Speaking of unexpected visitors in the library, heeeeeeere's Hiccup! And Toothless, too. Don't ask who's brilliant idea it was to let a dragon in a library.

Hiccup, for his part, is fully engrossed in a book about joinery. It's a thug life, being a viking. ]

some company is overdue i started talking to the icons on the walls

[savedtheworld]

[Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Is that really Hiccup? Aang treads carefully.

...And approaches Toothless first, speaking with an awed whisper.]

Toothless...? Is that you? And... [He motions towards the dork with his book.] Is that really the real Hiccup?

[Maybe these are just their... book selves.]

[crystal_stasis]

[Serah had been looking around for a while now. This place was certainly strange, but she really didn't know what to think. The only thing she could think of was that she came back to life after her crystal stasis. She eventually found herself at the library when she was simply walking around.]

[savedtheworld]

[He blinks at the newcomer. Did she come out a book? She didn't have any wings, after all.]

Hi there!

[telltalecommander]

[Guess who else is in the library?! It's... a completely unfamiliar man to Aang. Dressed in his old United Forces uniform, he's standing in a corner flipping through a heavy book.]

Ooh, werewolves and vampires, eh? That's a good one.

[savedtheworld]

Werewolves and vampires? [Aang whistles with amusement as he draws closer to the man, peering towards him and the book.

There is some vague familiarity about the man, but it's hard to place. He looks Water Tribe, while his uniform looks like something from the Fire Nation. And something about him makes him think of a certain Earth Kingdom monarch...

Draped loosely around Aang's neck right now is the gift the Malnosso gave him for Christmas: a pair of pink earmuffs.]

That sounds like the kind of thing that's twice as good! But twice as scary. [He knows he'd think twice before reading it to Ikki, or he'd risk giving her (and himself) nightmares.]

[moonslayer]

[Careful Aang. If you meditate too deeply, you may not notice the fog that's creeping up on you. It's growing thicker and thicker as a man approaches, his stride a sluggish pace. He's muttering to himself and the closer he gets, the more audible his words.]

-The conqueror. I am the moon slayer. I will defeat the Avatar. I am Zhao, the conqueror. I am-

[savedtheworld]

[Yeah, he's not going to notice the fog really beyond a vague smell. But then his eyes snap open once he hears that familiar voice.]

What?!

[hadwanjob]

... uh oh, someone did your head tattoo wrong.

[Wan just stands over a meditating Aang, frowning in disapproval. How embarrassing.]

[savedtheworld]

What do you mean? [He says, popping his eyes open as he self-consciously rubs at his forehead.] Monk Gyatso and the other monks said it came out just right!

[teenwonder]

[He can't say much about past lives, but Aang certainly manages to reach something during his meditation period. When he opens his eyes next, there'll be a superhero settles beside him. Creeping. No worries, it's just how he does.]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang has that weird feeling of someone watching him. And when he opens his eyes, he quickly is lit up with excited surprise.]

Robin! Is that really you?

[that_is_asecret]

[Xellos approaches the meditating monk and proceeds to crouch down and give his nose a little poke]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang pops his eyes open at the stranger.]

He- hello?

[tailasoldastime]

[This library sure is crowded, more than Beast remembers it ever being. Still, he will attempt to catch a spare seat at a table and squeeze himself in.

The book of choice? The Wolf of Wall Street. He doesn't know why a street, or why it'd be full of walls, but there's a wolf in it so it must be interesting, right?]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang runs up to him to immediately wrap him in a hug.]

Beast!

[mamaterasu]

[Ah, meditation... Truly a relaxing, spiritual pastime. Where one would reach inner peace and/or nirvana through reaching out with the soul. It is a release of the senses, of earthly attachment, and of deep concentration...

And something Amaterasu clearly does not pay much mind to. At all, it seems. As she wanders by, she spots the little bald arrow-kid and trots right on up to him, tilting her head curiously. After a moment of snaring, she begins to sniff and snuffle at his clothes, nosing at his ears, the back of his neck, and of course his head. How come there are arrows painted all over you, kiddo? Is that some kind of new fashion she doesn't know about? This place is seriously weird...and you're the first person she's come across that kind of reminds her of the people back in Nippon.

Plus, he's got a strong sort of power coming off him, too, that's for sure...]

[savedtheworld]

[He was pretty deep in - but he starts to stir as he feels the wet nose sniffing at him. And he chuckles slightly.]

Hey... That tickles!

[getnaked]

[ meditating? try to keep doing that while a stranger is blatantly napping and snoring right next to, good luck!! ]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang carefully opens his eyes to find the source of the snores... for a second he'd thought in false hope it would be Sokka.]

Excuse me...? [Is it normal to sleep in the cold like this.]

[testingthelimit]

[Well sorry to interrupt your meditating Aang, but someone or something is going to zip by you at the speed of sound and might knock you over before settling herself on top of your house. What are you gonna do?]

[savedtheworld]

Whoa!

[Aang is suddenly bowled over by... whatever that was. He glances around in confusion.]

Hello?

Actually I think throwing old man Roku would be a nice change.

[flameoroku]

[And he'll have his memory of his time here...which was a very long ago for him obviously. Roku will quietly settle himself beside Aang as if Aang did manage to reach out for his past life.]

Do you mind if an old friend joins you?

Good

[savedtheworld]

[There's no mistaking that voice.]

Roku...

[He mutters before he opens his eyes and sees that the old man truly is there. It was kind of weird to see him there again... especially given their last confrontation. But mixed with those bitter feelings were memories of his time with Roku here in Luceti. Of one of Aang's most prized friendships.

He can't help but manage a soft smile.]

Of course. All old friends are welcome.