Fandom Avatar: A Collision of Spirits [Main]

[Lady Warlock]

Lakota “Lake” of the Southern Water Tribe
Although he hadn’t really been able to gather much intel from the tribe’s council before he had started running with all the energy that he could muster, Lake had managed to grab one thing of importance before his journey began. That had been the letter Tenzin had sent to the Southern Water Tribe in the first place. It mentioned trouble - lots of trouble - in Republic City. An organization called the Equalists was apparently on the rise and they were a threat to benders all across the world. Lake’s eyes narrowed at that statement because he truly doubted anyone who couldn’t bend an element could truly pose a threat to him. That wasn’t the point, though.

Nope.

None of Lake’s concerns had anything to do with the letter; rather, Lake wanted to prove that he could be a valuable asset to the world even though he’d killed his mother by being born and even though his physical form left him about two feet short of what everyone else had. He wasn’t a child anymore and he was done being treated like one. This was now the only way he could get his tribe to believe in him and in his capabilities. His aunt smiled every time he practiced his waterbending. Why couldn’t everyone else? Now Lake was going to make sure they smiled, and he was gonna make sure Korra could smile as she watched him, too. After all, Lake held fiercely to the belief that those who died still watched over them and though he sometimes dared to imagine his mother could see him and smile, Korra seeing him and smiling was just a safer guess.

Lake threw the piece of paper into the water knowing that the ink would wash so that his tribe couldn’t try to send someone else in his place and then he dove into the water and started heading on his merry way. Waterbending made swimming so much easier… and so much faster.

The piece of paper had contained a set of coordinates on it. They weren’t coordinates that Lake was familiar with, but he knew if he got himself into the general area it had specified, he was sure to find something. He was surprised it wasn’t closer to Republic City since that was apparently where the problem was, but that was something he could try to figure out once he was back on dry land. Lake wasn’t sure how long he’d been moving through open waters by the time he started to search for anything that seemed obvious, but he knew he was in the right area; it was hard to explain how he knew it, but he did.

After a fair amount of time searching, Lake found what he thought he was supposed to be looking for.

There, right in front of him as he floated in the water, was a lion turtle. Lake was almost certain the lion turtle wasn’t aware of his presence yet, and he was honestly slightly afraid of what would happen if he made his presence known. Spinning swiftly, Lake created a cyclone of water that allowed him to rise out of the water and land softly on his feet upon the forest that was the lion turtle’s back.

“Hello?” he called out, unsure if anyone would call back. The forest had an eerie feeling to it, after all. It was as though the place concealed many secrets and Lake knew absolutely none of them.

Welcome to Avatar: A Collision of Spirits! Our rp begins with our characters meeting up on the back of a giant lion turtle where bending all started in the first place. Each nation was sent a letter from Tenzin that asked that nation to send a representative to a certain location in the middle of the water. It does not say what is there, but when characters arrive, they find a giant lion turtle in that exact spot. How your characters got the letter is up to you as the character’s creator. Some of you already mention it in backstories which is fantastic. Others… well, be clever. How your character comes to arrive at the giant lion turtle is completely up to you. They can take a boat. They can fly if that’s an option for them. They can ride on the back of a whale. Have fun with it! Your first post should involve your arrival in the forest on the back of the lion turtle and then we’ll go from there. Feel free to ask any questions you have in the OOC.

Jannah RedLeftHand36 The Suspicious Eye ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[Jannah]

You had been chosen...

The letter that had come that day by messenger hawk had been a peculiar one. A call to adventure? Precisely the kind of action she had been seeking for far too long? Yei's eyes had widened as she had read its contents carefully inscribed by her nation's calligraphers. They had chosen her, supposedly at bequest of the Fire Lord herself. Of course she hadn't been certain whether to be stunned, flattered, or both. The call, or whatever it was, was something she simply could have not ignored. The world did not have an Avatar and there were always risks cropping up - risks that could not so easily be quelled by the average mercenary. No, supposedly they needed an elite team.

And an elite team Yei was gladly willing to join. At best it was a call to the adventure she desperately sought. Upon leaving the famous Jasmine Dragon itself, the woman had set out practically overnight. Her destination was little more than a set of coordinates on a map, but she figured that anyone with the means to summon her there trusted her ability to track it down, and arrive punctually.

The journey itself had been exhausting but now Yei was certain that she was on the final stretch. Merely within sight sat a giant island. It carried an aura of wonder and mystique that easily drew the firebender towards it. It was no ordinary island, that she was certain of. "Well, let's go see what this is all about. Hmm?" She uttered as she pressed her arms firmly against her sides and began propelling herself into the air.

Up she went, ultimately allowing the flames and the current to push her towards the floating island. She pressed on before finally landing with a thud, panting as she attempted to recollect herself. The forested island remained eerily silent with only the sound of her heavy breathing penetrating her surroundings at all. Was she alone? Were the others still arriving?

Oh yes, once again I'm the best. She wore a smirk as she began walking the vicinity of the island. Yet, a strange sensation began to overtake her - a sensation as if the island was...alive. "A Lion Turtle? Could it be? I thought these things were gone." It was only when she heard another voice that all her sense of wonder quickly turned to surprise.

"Hello?" She quickly called out in hopes of connecting with the voice. It was inevitably another of the chosen, perhaps a Fire national like herself. The possibilities were open and oddly it made her feel comfort in knowing this was not an adventure she was to partake in alone.

 

[RedLeftHand36]

Feng

Two Weeks Prior

KA-BOOM!!!

"That's not the kind of distraction I was hoping for."

Two figures moved quickly through the darkness as chaos ensued on the other side of the port. The second figure did not respond to the first's comment. So far no one was hurt. That was the deal. Normally, the reclaiming of a stolen ship from pirates would be a bit beneath him, but Feng had been asked by his friend Ling Huo to do so for a rather skittish fellow named Shu. In hindsight, skittish was an understatement. Annoyingly wimpy was more accurate. At least the mouse-like man was kind enough to ask that no one be harmed in the process.

"I can't believe you made me come with you. What if the distraction doesn't work? What if someone is still on the ship? What if they track us down? What if-"

A thickly-gloved hand smacked Shu on the side of the head. Feng put a finger to his helmet at the level of where his mouth would be.

"Sorry," Shu whimpered. "I know I can count on you, I just worry a lot. If Ling Huo recognizes you for your skill, then you gotta be good at what you do, right?"

Feng offered no reassurance, and simply walked forward with haste, Shu following close behind. In a matter of moments, they were on the stolen boat that rightfully belonged to Shu. No one on the boat. That was certainly a stroke of luck. The two readied the boat for port leave, and just as they were about to head out, several shouts could be heard from outside the ship.

"What do we do?"

Feng quickly slammed down on the anchor-lift, and gestured for Shu to take the helm before heading out. Shu attempted to speak up before Feng shot him a glance. Though his face remained unseen, his mere presence offered a stern feeling. Shu nodded, and thus Feng rushed to the stern. A rather large group of men were rushing towards the boat, angrily yelling. Feng hopped over the stern railing and landed on the port dock, and pitched several petrol bombs out towards the pirates, setting a large fire ablaze as Shu took off with the ship. The fire walled off the pirates from getting any closer to the dock, and yet, Feng rushed towards the fire, anyway, chucking two flash bangs at their feet. It all happened in a flash, both literally and metaphorically. Feng ran through the fire, protected by his armor and flame resistant clothing, though he had to momentarily hold his arms over the slits of his helmet. Slamming into one of the pirates, he slammed a large, circular capsule, resulting in a small explosion of mist, over the pirate's face before they went limp. Concentrated hydrogen sulfide vapor. The rotten egg stench would unpleasant in itself. Luckily this was only enough to put a grown man to sleep, but it had other uses. Potentially deadly if inhaled enough. Corrosive properties in liquid form. Flammable, as well, though, with these, Feng wouldn't do much damage by lighting them up, but it could certainly be useful in some situations. Drawing his great-machete from his back, Feng kept attention to his pouch of hydrogen sulfide capsules, keeping at least one hand close to it at all times. It was unfortunate that he promised to employ non-lethal measures. It made things a bit difficult.

But he supposed he could use the challenge.

Slamming his great machete into the wood at his feet, Feng clenched the capsules in his fists. A punch. a kick. Using his protruding great-machete to swivel around with force. Slamming capsules into one face after the next, Feng started to thin out the pirates' numbers.

CRACK

The ground in front of Feng exploded and knocked him to the ground, though he recovered rather quickly.

"You're not the only one with some toys!"

A large, somewhat fat, bearded man with a nasty sneer shouted from a distance, carrying what looked like a portable cannon with him. Feng felt like he had to take some notes, here. More pirates seemed to show up before another shot was blasted at his feet. As Feng fought back, the sudden and growing roar of an engine echoed from the sky. A small airship came floating down from above, and suddenly a burst of fire came from it. But it was not an attack; A man came down from the airship, slowing his fall with streams of intense and concentrated fire from his hands before landing on the pier. The man, with gently graying, short hair and intense, amber eyes, formed a small barrier of fire between Feng and the pirates before beginning to shoot fireballs at them.

"Let's get out of here, Feng!"

Feng nodded to the man and ran towards the ladder after breaking his great machete out of the pier floor, beginning to climb up as the fresh arrival kept the pirates at bay and countered the portable cannon with his bending. As Feng made it up the ladder, he took a canister from one of his pouches and threw it at the pirates, aiming so that the man with the cannon would be in its area of effect as well. As the canister hit the ground, it popped loudly, and a thick smoke filled the air, allowing the other man a moment to escape up to the ship, boosting himself with his firebending. And just like that, the airship took off.

Inside the airship, Feng checked his pouches and pockets, mumbling incoherently and almost inaudibly as he counted up what he used in the fight. The older man sighed as he took a seat. This was Ling Huo. Ling Huo was a member of the Order of the White Lotus, and had been a partial guardian and mentor to Feng ever since several years after his mother died. The two had met due to a misunderstanding during a hit Feng had took up. It was funny how their first meeting came so close to ending both of their lives. And ever since, Feng had made it a policy that whoever hired him had to offer some participation in the task. As Feng fiddled with his belongings, one of the several crew members of the airship brought in some tea for the two of them. Ling Huo thanked him as he returned to the cockpit, and smiled before initiating one of the very common one-sided conversations he had with Feng.

"I appreciate your use of non-lethal techniques, Feng. I'll admit, I was a bit worried you'd get carried away after Shu was able to get out of the situation. I know he comes off as a bit excessively squeamish, but he's a good man."

The older man gestured for Feng to have a seat across from him. Though he did not take off his helm for tea, he did sit peacefully. A momentary silence washed over the room. Ling Huo felt silly, knowing that Feng held little in the prospects of conversation, but he supposed the attempt was well placed. After a sip of tea, he inhaled in a thought to just continue his words, though he was caught off guard, much to his amusement, as Feng brought out a small and thin shoot section of bamboo to use as a straw for his tea. Still too shy to take it off, the old man thought. He had decided it best not to pressure Feng to merely take his helm off, though the silliness certainly made it a bit difficult to get serious. He wondered if Feng did that intentionally. He could never get a proper read, but he knew that Feng was a very deliberate person, even when he did relax. After a second to regain his composure, Ling Huo took a piece of paper from a shelf beside him and put it out on the table.

"I know you're not one to take much on current events, but I'm sure you know about the current Avatar being assassinated quite recently. The man is the son of the previous Avatar, and originally intended to eventually guide Avatar Korra. But... well... a new plan was needed. Different people of different nations to represent the same thing the Avatar is supposed to represent. He sent out a letter to each nation with specific instructions. This is a copy of one that made it's way through White Lotus hands. I believe they're going to need someone like you, Feng."

Feng tilted his head.

"I understand you don't think you're the type of person needed but... I doubt whatever group is being made will be be comprised of people as close to the ground as you are. You've been all over the world. You've met all sorts of people. You've dirtied your hands. A lot. So please. Accept this request of mine. I know it doesn't have much to do with you but..."

Ling Huo lowered his head and sighed. Feng leaned in and gently put his gloved hand on the table.

"...I had a vision, Feng. And I know you aren't much for that kind of stuff, but it's important."

The older man raised his head and stared intensely into Feng's helm.

"If you take this path I'm asking you to take... I believe you'll meet your father."

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Present Day

"We're at the approximate coordinates mentioned in the message, but I'm not seeing much."

"Well of course not. There shouldn't be any land here, according to the maps."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm pretty I see an island over there in the distance."

The bickering in the cockpit came to a halt as Lin Huo entered in, all of a sudden.

"We should be about there," he stated open endedly, hoping one of the crew had some modicum of reassuring news.

"Yes, sir. There's a particularly small island just up ahead. I guess the coordinates were slightly off, but I guess that's easy to do with such a tiny piece of land. It wasn't even on any maps."

Ling Huo sighed before stepping closer to peer out the windshield.

"Because it's not land," he whispered to himself. "Get us down there quickly, but take it gently, and make sure you come in from the south-west."

"Uh... yessir...?"

Though somewhat confused about the orders, the crew did as directed, and the man with graying hair went back into the other room, patting a recently awoken Feng on the back, fully armored and geared, large and heavy backpack slung on his back. The older man motioned for his armored friend to follow him to the outside deck as the airship slowly descended and softly turned. About a minute later, they were hovering just above the water, and at the edge of the strangely steep island.

"This is it, Feng. Your journey begins here. I'm sorry that you must enter your destiny alone, but I assure you... you won't be alone after you step forth."

One of the crew came out with a particularly large and mean looking messenger hawk on his arm, and a second later the hawk flew over to perch on Feng's shoulder. It was one of those unassuming things about Feng, but the man had a knack with animals, and with it, an appreciation for them. He gently scratched the bird's head as Ling Huo offered his farewells.

"If you need to, utilize Khan here to send us a message. We'll be in the skies for a while. But try to communicate with the people a little. They're probably going to be pretty scared of you if you don't."

Ling Huo saluted goodbye to Feng as the crew member went back in to his post.

"By the way, whatever you do, do NOT use your explosives here whatsoever. And DON'T burn the place down. None of that stuff. I'll see you later, Feng."

And with that, the airship took back off into the sky.

Feng looked up for a bit as it left before turning to the rest of the island. His head turned towards the water for a moment. The tide... something about it was off to Feng. Then it clicked: It appeared that the island was moving. Was it a floating rock with air pockets? He could only wonder. He wasn't going to check out the situation beneath the water though. Not with all his gear on. He'd drown too easily, and, more importantly, a lot of his explosives would get wet and become useless. With that in mind, Feng hiked up the somewhat steep hill and into the forest of the small island. And almost immediately after finding more even ground, he heard a voice call out. And then another one. And so Feng ventured forth.​

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Ryoko Raja

The ocean was almost a second home for Ryoko, even after so many years she fell right back in place on the open sea. Traveling the open seas she had already mapped out a wind pattern to take. Moving quickly across the sea Ryoko looked out at the vast world she was going to explore. "So much to explore." She said aloud as she taking a deep breath of the ocean air. It had been a while since she left. Nothing more than a stroke of luck that the letter came for her when it did. Ryoko didn't know what she would have said to her mother.

Though was strange tha Tenzin would ask a non bender from the Northern Water Tribe when they produce so many water benders. She wondered what kind of waterbender was chosen from the Southern Water Tribe. Given the odd choice already I'm sure they're quite unique. Ryoko thought as she looked at her map, following the current course the location should be near soon. A smile grew on her face as she gripped the handles of the helm, she was excited to uncover this mystery location.

"Ah! It's a Lion Turtle!" Ryoko exclaimed as she leapt onto the bow and learn in looking closer as the vast creature. "An Island on it's back a lion turtle is the largest living creature in the world. It's a very old adult given its size. From what I recall there was a book saying they served as protectors of mankind by housing human cities on their backs. Apparently they have symbols on their foreheads, that sometimes show an affinity for one of the four elements. I wonder what element this lion turtle is?" Ryoko thought out loud to herself as she grew closer, noting the other abandoned boats on the wayside.

Seeing a shadow cast over her she looked up, "a fire nation airship." Looking back at the island she wondered aloud, "I suppose others have already arrived."

Feeling energy flow through her body she shook her hands and stepped back onto the deck. She had her responsibilities, but her curiosity getting the better of her. She adjusted her sail to pick up the updraft of wind and move her towards the head of the lion turtle. Punctuality was always a secondary thought to Ryoko, everything was when it came to a new discovery.

Reaching where the lion turtle's head was, she looked over to catch a glimpse of the lion turtle's head but it was deeply submerged. Moving a bit closer, in an attempt to get a closer look the ship was soon taken in by the current that the lion turtle was producing and pushed back toward the sides of the turtle shell. Letting out a upset groan she wasn't going to give up just yet. Pulling up a rope she tossed it and tied it to a nearby rock. "I'm not giving up. If I can't see their face from the sea I suppose I'll have to do it from the back." Pulling the boat over she tossed her pack onto the turtle's back and hopped on herself. Securing her knot she opened the pack and pulled out her bone gauntlets. She's hardened her hands against Ice, steel and stone, but the added protection never hurt. Gently closing the pack she picked it up and began to make her way into the forested area. Hearing the voices of other calling out Ryoko stayed silent and listened to them call out. Gathering her bearings she figured out which way lead to the head, luckily it was near where the voices were.

"Well here we go." Taking a breath she made her way up the turtle's back and into the forest.

 

[GrieveWriter]

Senya
As the others began arriving at the island, a small figure sailed through the air above whilst occasionally taking note of their presence. But this figure cared not for the new people at the island, as it's goal was far more important. It kept its gaze on the waters below, eyes narrowing occasionally whenever one of the arrivals managed to startle its targets. Eventually, it swooped down from the air before plowing through a cresting wave, emerging on the other side victoriously with a small fish trapped in its teeth. With haste it bit into the struggling creature and angling its wings towards the island, flying down towards a clearing where a singular figure waited.

Having long abandoned her little boat in the woods, Senya meditated upon a rock jutting out in the middle of a clearing in the island's foliage. From her position, she was able to hear the approaching voices of people, yet she made no efforts to move or call out to them. Given the distance, it was only a matter of time until they were upon her. But her expectations were one thing, soon she'd have corroboration. It descended towards her in the form of Winged Lemur she'd named Roos, who landed upon her shoulder before digging into its meal.

Senya slowly opened her eyes, smiling up at the sun above as Roos enjoyed his meal. Only when he was halfway through devouring the fish did she reach up to rub the back of his head, "How many, my friend?"

Roos paused in his consumption, with half a fish still dangling from his mouth. He took a moment, but eventually clenched a tiny hand and knocked it against her arm several times.

"That it?" she tilted her head to the side before shrugging as her eyes went to the woods before her "Guess there's still more waiting to be done, then."

Letting Roos dig back into his meal , Senya focused as several figures became clear even before they made it through the foliage out into the clearing. From what she could see, they were as deliciously varied as she'd hoped, something that she took no small amount of interest in. After all, this was only part of the Team that would be acting as the defenders of the world in the Avatar's place, Senya liked to believe the strengths of every kingdom would be visible to her by the time they'd all be assembled. The unity of elements and cultures, that was what this would be.

So when the first members of this team appeared before her, she casually raised her hands and softly applauded their arrival. Looking from one to the other with casual enthusiasm, she nodded to herself before lowering her hands.

"Ah, more allies have appeared before me." she sighed before reaching up and tapping a finger to the side of her lips "I was unaware of what I was to do after my arrival, so I was worried Roos and I would be lost if there'd be nobody here to guide us."

Closing her eyes, she reached up and petted Roos before stifling a laugh, "But now, such a worry means little in the face of my own excitement." she stood up on the rock, with Roos clinging to her and making several grouchy noises after slurping down the rest of his meal "I am Senya of the Air Acolytes, the knowledge that I shall be aiding the finest in the kingdoms brings me no small amount of joy."

( Lady Warlock Jannah RedLeftHand36 The Suspicious Eye )

 

[Lady Warlock]

Lakota “Lake” of the Southern Water Tribe
With all the newcomers arriving on the island, one right after the other, the echoes of “Hello” were abound and even those that didn’t shout out were without a doubt aware of the others in the area. Although the lion turtle’s back did contain a surprisingly vast space, it wasn’t so vast that more than a couple people could occupy the space without being aware of one another in the same general vicinity. The closer people wandered to the center of the island, the more they would realize that a very thick fog was starting to gather around them; it was almost ominous, but there was something about it that also managed to remove any threatening sensation that would’ve normally accompanied an ominous fog.

It felt as though the world didn’t want them to be afraid of that which brought them all together. Rather, the world seemed to be attempting to cut them off from the rest of the world for the briefest of moments. They had to be able to come together as one if anything else was going to fall into place the way it had to for balance to be restored.

The young waterbender heard several ‘hello’s echoing through the brush and trees. “I’m here!” he called out again, not entirely sure if they would know where ‘here’ was. Of course, he was the worst at staying in one place for long so even if they came to that exact spot, they weren’t likely to find him.

Instead of staying put, Lake walked straight into the fog unafraid of anything that it might mean. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. He couldn’t go backwards; he was certain the tribe would refuse to take him back. Lake also wasn’t the kind of person to run away from anything, let alone something that felt like destiny itself. Thus, as footsteps carried him forward, he had the expression of a man rather than an expression that would’ve matched the child that he appeared to be. His brave steps forward rewarded him, too. The fog that seemed to come out of nowhere seemed to have wrapped around the lion turtle in a ring with a clearing in the center. It was within this clearing that Lake found Senya, and his eyes went wide as he hadn’t even known such a person so different from himself could exist. Sure, he knew that there were people taller than himself - that existed within his own tribe - but everything about her screamed “different” from anything he had ever seen before. Worldly was not a term that could describe Lake in the least.

He had to chuckle at what she said, though. “Uhm… finest in the kingdoms… yeah. I’d like to hope that I can meet that title, but my tribe would certainly beg to differ,” he commented with some cheer in his voice. Although that was the first thing he remarked about, his eyes quickly went to the animal on her shoulder. “What is Roos?” he asked, having never seen such a creature before. “And what is an acolyte, while you’re at it?” He figured it would be better to get his questions out sooner rather than later. Lake wandered if she would have questions for him too, like why he was so small. He really hoped she didn’t.

That remained to be seen, though.

GrieveWriter Jannah RedLeftHand36 The Suspicious Eye ThatGuyWithSouvlaki CelticHero37

 

[Jannah]

Yei of the Fire Nation
​

Voices echoed through the foliage, indicating that others had begun arriving on this little island that was actually situated atop a rare and elusive beast. Already Yei found the situation developing around her to be something completely surreal. It was almost as if she was no longer within the physical world at all, but perhaps the spirit world. She had never been the most spiritual person herself even if her masters had often pushed it on her as part of her training. The Fire Sages too had emphasized the spiritual over the physical, an aspect of the art of firebending that was seemingly oft forgotten. The woman couldn't help but to display some sympathy towards the viewpoint herself due to the destruction firebending disconnected from the spiritual could cause. Fire, unlike the other elements, was volatile and often difficult to control.

Yet, the woman knew she was far from the spirit world. She still retained the ability to bend, something that was supposedly lost when one exited from the physical domain. Also, she was definitely not alone. At least some sense of mystery was also dissipated as a young woman outfitted in orange Air Nomad robes made an appearance. An airbender?

No, an Air Acolyte. Yei smiled as the girl revealed her identity. She had heard of the Air Acolytes. While not benders themselves they supposedly studied the ways of the Air Nomads and attempted to live like them. At the very least this girl looked the part. Most of all, she evidently had something useful to offer to Tenzin's team of misfits that was tasked with defending the world in the Avatar's absence.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Yei of the Fire Nation." Yei greeted the girl, revealed to be Senya, with a traditional bow. It was in that moment she noticed more of the new arrivals flooding in. Among them was a young boy and quite possibly the smallest person the firebender had ever set eyes on. She kept her gaze glued to him before offering a similar bow to that she had graced Senya with moments earlier.

Already the boy was becoming something of a curiosity to Yei. He seemed like an unusual choice for an elite team, prompting all manner of inquiries into the woman's mind. Who was he? Why had he, of all people, been chosen? At least he had the element of surprise on his side; certainly few would deem him an actual threat, thus would hesitate to attack. Perhaps it was already a strategy the boy utilized in battle. The firebender, all thanks to her own training, knew it was a dangerous precedent to underestimate any opponent. One always had to prepare for the worst, and this boy definitely possessed some manner of hidden power within him.

 

[RedLeftHand36]

Feng

Fog.

Fog was a double edged sword in the midst of battle. Your enemies couldn't see you easily, and you couldn't see them easily. Thick as it was, Feng could only see a few feet in front of himself as he meandered further into the haze, trudging forth towards the center of the island. No doubt others were heading there. Feng crouched steadily, one hand on the ground as he took one of his tomahawks in the other, and resumed his gait close to the ground. As he inhaled, he noted there wasn't much smell to go by. Everything was obscured by the smell of heavy moisture, though he supposed using his nose to track was a bit of a silly idea. The only thing he had a nose for was combustibles. Speaking of which, Feng hoped all this moisture wouldn't screw with his materials that weren't sealed.

More voices.

And suddenly, the fog disappeared, taking Feng by surprise. A clearing like the eye of a storm, he was out in the open, air far more clear than the rest of the small island. Bringing himself to stand upright, and putting his tomahawk back within his belt, before Feng were several others: A girl dressed in bright oranges and yellows. Air Nation clothing. A bender? He wasn't sure on that front. Another girl, who, at the very least, looked Fire Nation. And judging from the very faint smell of smoke, she either played with fire a lot, or, more likely, was a firebender. And finally a... child? No. His face and voice, though still quite young, gave way to that he was older than he looked at first glance. Absolutely tiny, though, especially compared to Feng's larger and taller than average frame.

He kept close to the edge of the fog as he observed them all silently, unsure of what to do, but suddenly he realized something and an idea had hit him in the head. Reaching into one of his pockets, Feng pulled out the copy of the letter sent to the Fire Nation, and quickly folded it into a paper-airplane, tossing it towards the middle of the others. He crouched to the ground once more, though, this time, took a resting sit upon the wet ground, keeping watch of them all, a hand scratching the head of the messenger falcon Khan once more as the bird kept quiet as well. Feng felt it was perfectly proper to assume these were the others who heeded the call sent by the man named Tenzin. He supposed he could begin to see why Ling Huo had asked him to come. What people were here had obviously not seen much action in their lives.

Feng meandered in thought. Was this all there was? Children who probably couldn't take a life when it mattered? He supposed, in age, he wasn't much to talk himself, as he was still rather young, but at least he knew he had what was necessary. This was no job for those not willing to do what was needed at any cost. Feng had heard of stories of various Avatars. He always personally liked the stories of Avatar Kyoshi. Raised in poverty, exposed to the cruelty of the world, she had always done what was necessary. Xu Ping An. Chin the Conqueror. The confrontation towards the Earth King during the Peasant Uprising, though the unforseen results afterwards was certainly unfortunate. Feng certainly admired Kyoshi's strong-willed nature. Of course, the thought of a woman built like a fortress tower certainly struck a positive chord in his thoughts, as well.

Feng forced his mind back at the matter at hand. He supposed his presence in this band of unique individuals was well placed for a few different reasons indeed.

Imagine that... Ling Huo was right, so far.​

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Ryoko Raja

One of the last to arrive she looked around at the others and gave a polite nod. Glancing at each member there, she could feel her curiosity growing. Two members of the Fire nation, the Southern Water Tribe member, and a Air Acolyte. How interesting the earth nation members are not here yet. Then again maybe it's fitting in a curious way. "I am Ryoko Raja, here to represent the Northern Water Tribe. I look forward to getting to know each of you and working together." She said smiling back at everyone. they all look so interesting. A bender and non bender of each region. What an amazing concept. Everyone must have lived such grand and different lives. Her eyes sparked with adventure as she was excited to begin a whole new chapter of her life.

Noticing the twitch of a tail she looked over at the lemur. "Ah a Winged Lemur how adorable! I've seen a few at the Northern Air Temple. Can I touch you?" She asked the lemur wanting to respect it's privacy if it prefered. These creatures though appeared very sweet are quite intelligent and have very distinct personalities.

"I recall that most of the Winged Lemurs are born in the Western Air Temple given the climate. Is that where you studied?" Ryoko asked as she looked over at the girl. Curious about her as well. "I'd love to hear about your life. I've learned a lot from the northern temple acolytes and benders but I'd love to learn about every region." Listening to her reply she couldn't stop the blazing train of thought she had. She couldn't believe how wild all this was. A librarian now meeting Tenzin's chosen delegates of each nation on the back of a lion turtle.

The lion turtle.

"The head! I almost forgot!" She exclaimed. Looking over to the others she pointed North. "I'm heading up North to the lion turtle's head. I want to see it's face when it rises up. You're welcome to join me. If it does rise up it's likely to tilt everything here." Touching the thick mods on one of the rocks she ran her hand down it to the grassy base. "Given the stable vegetation growth I'd estimate it may be soon." Pausing she ran a calculation in her head. "Or in another five years." She said with a laugh, "lion turtle's can swim for years without popping up for air."

"Either way I'm going north. You're welcome to join me." She gave them all a nod before passing them and make her way up through the forest north to the turtle's head.

GrieveWriter Jannah RedLeftHand36 Lady Warlock ThatGuyWithSouvlaki CelticHero37

 

[GrieveWriter]

Senya​

The moment that Roos heard his name being called, he finished swallowing the remains of the fish and scurried to the top of Senya's hair. The Acolyte didn't seem to mind, looking up with yet another smile as Roos looked in the direction that his name had been called. His little hands and feet clung to Senya's head in a practiced manner, as the two had spent long enough together for him to know exactly where to perch himself. That being said, before he could focus too much on Lake, the girl in Water Tribe colors approached enthusiastically.

As she spoke on Winged Lemurs and how adorable she found them, Senya found her eyes instead going to the other assembled members of the team as they offered their own introductions. She noted the paper air plane and watched it flutter to the ground nearby before her eyes went back to Ryoko just as her speech went to the topic of Senya's studies. Seeing a perfect jumping off point, Senya glanced back to the Water Tribe boy.

"It is as she says," she nodded before holding her hands out before her and letting Roos leap down into them as he began picking curiously at her robes "Air Acolytes study and follow the teachings of the Air Nation, the vast majority of us are not of Air-Bender descent, yet simply seek the fulfillment such a lifestyle may bring."

As he picked at her robes, Roos folded his ears down in response to her request to touch him. Senya nodded down towards him before closing her eyes and recounting, "I for one have studied at every known Air temple, and I suppose I was considered something of a prodigy by my mentors and peers. Such claims have led to my presence being requested here."

Shaking her head, Senya pulled Roos back into her arms before whispering towards him. In a mere moment, he went sailing from her arms up into the air and circling above in the sky. It was during this point where Ryoko revealed the true nature of the moving island they were on. It was something that Senya had ascertained already, but something she was unsure the others had known already or not. Numerous texts from the Air Temples spoke of the Lion Turtles, with her being able to connect the dots fairly quickly as a result. Apparently Ryoko was determined to see the creature's face, something which Senya could understand.

But she made no move to follow once Ryoko continued on her journey. Tenzin and his allies had gone to a lot of trouble assembling this group, and Senya wasn't willing to split with them so soon after finally meeting. If the others were to follow, that would be different. But as it stood now, Senya merely nodded to Ryoko as she continued on her way before raising a finger towards the sky. Almost immediately, Roos dove to the ground and scooped up the paper plane.

"An understandable desire, I'll admit." Senya said in response to Ryoko as she lifted an arm for Roos to perch upon "The others have not arrived yet, so you have some time to sate your curiosity."

Taking hold of the offered letter, Senya skimmed over it with a smile before looking up to both the Water Tribe boy and Yei "But the true goal for our arrival here is still summed up by these messages."

Roos took his place on Senya's shoulder as she reached into her robes, using the time to pick at bits of fish still in his teeth. As he did so, Senya pulled her own letter from Tenzin from her robes and compared the two side by side for a moment. After noting the differences, she folded up the original piece back into a paper plane before casually tossing it over to Yei.

"It would seem our other ally from the Fire Nation is here as well," Senya said while sliding her own letter back into her robes "A cautious type this one, but who could be faulted for such an approach given the setting?"

Placing the tips of her fingers together, Senya closed her eyes once more, "An assembly of representatives from all Nations and elements aiming to act in place of the Avatar. Such an undertaking has never before been attempted."

( Lady Warlock Jannah RedLeftHand36 The Suspicious Eye )

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

ZORZO
THE HAMMER
​

The small boat puttered along, over wave and along the sea, its agonizing old engine cutting out half a dozen times during the trip. The coordinates he was given were vague, and Zorzo couldn't read a map, though the Air Nomads had tried to teach him. Luckily, the fisherman from the small Earth Kingdom village was more than happy to take him in exchange for some coin, and news from the City. The old timer grieved to hear of the Equalist takeover, as he had a granddaughter in the city then. Zorzo told the man that if he ever by chance came across her, he'd try and save her. It was true, though he wasn't positive about the odds. The woman was an earthbender, meaning she was very likely dead. Yet, hope was all that the common man has to cling to sometimes, so Zorzo didn't say anything of that to the old man. Had I changed my mind sooner, maybe she wouldn't have needed saving, he thought to himself, casting his gaze down to the dark waters below.

They came up on the lion turtle, Zorzo standing on the prow of the small boat to gaze up at it. Lion Turtles were something from legends, massive creatures with islands upon their backs. Zorzo didn't even think the things were real until now, really. They really gave Avatar Aang the ability to take away bending, and in doing so, enabled him to bring air bending back. It was the reason he had the ability, and it was that fact that saved his life in Republic City. Being a bender, and being on the receiving end of the Equalist's aggression had enabled him to wake up, and realize the truth of the 'revolution'. He whistled as they drew up alongside the lion turtle, and Zorzo grabbed the straps of his workman's bag in calloused fingers, pulling it up and onto his shoulders, then onto his back, the tools it carried swaying. He grabbed then, his massive sledgehammer, hefting it up onto his shoulder. He huffed, and turned back to the fisherman. "Good luck on the way home, Zi. I owe you plenty."

The old man looked up with a half-toothed smile, "No, I owe you, Zorzo. First man I've met willing to go and try and find my darling An."

Zorzo gave a simple, solid look, and dipped his head. "I'll give it my all, Zi." With those words, he turned, and began to walk into the floating, living island. He'd obviously never seen a Lion Turtle, and in the depths of Republic City, in the bowels of its factories, he'd barely seen any living thing at all. That industrial hell had changed him, it changed all of them. Sometimes, he looked back, and wondered what happened to the bright-eyed rebel who ran away from home. He'd gone out, seeking adventure and a bright, new life in the City. Then the City killed that boy, murdered him and dropped his corpse in a meatgrinder. It'd done the same to her, his Bara. Charming and sweet, doing anything to help another one day. And the next, she was trying to kill him, spitting venom and murdering people. All the hope he'd had in that city, all the chance of a revolution, gone. The people's anger had been wielded like a weapon against them, used to divide them. The whole trip, the several days of crossing that ocean, he kept himself occupied with one thought. The Equalists would burn. He was no firebender, but he'd pour the gasoline, light the torch. Only when they were gone, their hate stamped out, could a new movement rise from the ashes.

After all, Republic City, for all the shining towers and stories of wonder, had one lesson to teach. It's suffering that brings progress. Workers won't get rights until they bleed for them. Ideas won't change until people suffer for them.

But a few minutes later, in which the city-dwelling worker got lost in the small island's forest, Zorzo found the way to the others, and stumbled into the little clearing they occupied. The first thing he thought on arrival, was that they... certainly weren't the people he was expecting. The other Air Nomad, a non-bender from his knowledge, looked the part, certainly. He was honestly surprised they'd let him come, and didn't just send two monks instead. Beside her, there was a paper plane on the ground, a fire nation woman whose presence spoke of fire and smoke, the same sort of aura the firebenders in the factories had put off. She was in casual garb, which surprised him. He'd have expected the fire nation of anyone to have sent soldiers. Perhaps it was simply her casual garb? Then there was... a child? From his garb, he came from the North or South Poles, but he was very clearly a child. The thought didn't sit well in his head. He'd seen enough kids lose limbs and die screaming on the production floor. Avatar Aang and his friends may have saved the world as teenagers, but none of them were 'chosen' for the job. The nations weren't corporations, why would they send kids to do an adult's work? It wasn't like they were paying any of them, and it was a question of being able to pay the kid less.

A frown on his face, Zorzo stepped forward, clearing his throat. The hammer still rested heavy upon his shoulders, and he dipped his head in greeting. "Hey. Name's Zorzo. I'm the Airbender." He spoke in short, flat sentences, with little emotion in the tone of voice. He'd always sucked at introductions.

 

[Jannah]

Yei of the Fire Nation ​

The team that was quickly assembling on the island was working out to be diverse, to say the least. Yei knew that it was no accident. Tenzin, and whoever he had worked with, had intentionally set focus to compile a varied skill set. At least half were benders of their respective elements, but the other half? There remained much mystery and intrigue about them. The Water Tribe woman seemed intelligent, perhaps a strategist of some kind. Every operation needed brains, which is where she was bound to come in handy.

It was the airbender who remained the most surprising to Yei. She knew that Aang himself had had to rebuild the entire nation, but some of its current members were far from fitting the profile of a true Air Nomad. This man was no exception. Yet, it was surely his ability to bend that truly mattered and somebody had believed him skilled enough to play the role as protector; saviour. "I would have not taken you for the airbending type upon first glance." The firebender admitted with a chuckle before once again shifting her attention towards the Water Tribe woman, Ryoko. "You seem well-read and curious. I can imagine there's plenty you would love to learn about the Fire Nation. The academy ensured to drill it into the heads of all of us."

Yei offered a smile to Ryoko. What was there to even teach her that she did not already know? A woman like her was probably practically a walking encyclopedia already. In fact, any travels around the world she engaged in at all, at least up until now, had probably been with the sole purpose of obtaining more knowledge. It was something she was not about to put past the woman. It was almost admirable of her as it took a very special sort of person to be able to think things through so carefully. The firebender knew that she was not that sort of person; what was the point when one could simply intimidate and fight through their adversaries? Fear was unsurprisingly an effective tool in manipulating the outcome of battles. An opponent could barely strike at all if they feared brutal retaliation, and it was exactly that the firebender was so capable of delivering. Fire was fierce. Just like her.

It was the large armoured man, however, that managed to create many more questions in Yei's mind. So far, he had remained silent. Perhaps he was shy, or simply wanted to watch and observe. His armour and demenour managed to scream Fire Nation, although he was nobody that the woman personally recognized. Not yet at least. What did he even look like without his helmet on? She doubted that he was any sort of sword or light weapon specialist as she could only imagine how difficult agile movements would be while outfitted in such heavy armour. It was clear that his expertise laid elsewhere. She supposed that the entire group would be learning everyone else's specialties sooner than later. They were now officially a team and bound to each other. There was no getting out of that one.

"We're no Avatar but I sense a great deal of diversity here, precisely the sort of balance the Avatar would be seeking. It's no accident that any of us are here." Yei noted in agreement with Senya. The Acolyte had been right. Whatever was happening here was revolutionary, novel. The world lacked a fully realized Avatar, yet problems persisted now. The world needed a saviour. The woman began to think about all those poor souls that had been left behind in Republic City. Truly it was a dangerous time to be a bender in the once great city and centre of the new world order and the Equalists had seen to that. It was a shame.

 

[CelticHero37]

Mai Lee and Ronan Cheng
Collab with ThatGuyWithSouvlaki​

Mai stopped outside the port village that appeared over the hill ahead of her. It had been a long journey to get to this point, she had left Kyoshi Island about a week ago, her and five other warriors unwilling to stand idly by as people were suffering in The United Republics under Equalist rule. They did not leave with much, just their armor, a change of clothes, some provisions, and a couple of boats they stole for the pier. It was the dead of night, and they had to avoid the gaze of both the fellow warriors and the village so it was not an easy task, and time was short. They had little to navigate with, a simple compass and an old map that dated back to the 100-year war.

It was touch and go, they had little funds and there was always the ever-present danger of being pursued by both the local authorities and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. Word seemed to travel quickly even in a place as vast as the Earth Kingdom, radios, and such devices seemed to be more common than Mai had thought. However, what surprised her more was the effort behind the pursuers, they really did not want anyone to leave the country. Changing to civilian clothing helped a little to avoid pursuers but more than once they had to engage local guards or slip out of a village in the middle of the night.


Now she was alone, she had split from the group, it was decided that she was to continue on to the destination on the letter while the others decided to do what they could in Republic City. She worried about them, she felt like she was sending them to their doom despite how capable they were. She had to trust them though and accept that she going to the meeting might be the best hope for any of them going out of it alive. She took a deep breath and made it the rest of the way down to the village. She wore a dark green dress with a yellow accent, common wear for a villager. She did not appear armed but had her fans, shuriken, and tanto blade at secret pockets in the dress hidden from view but with quick access. Her Katana hidden in the backpack she slung on her shoulders. She was ready for trouble if there was any.


There was a crash coming from one of the market stalls in the village. Ronan was standing outside calling out, “Fang! No! That’s not for you! Don’t make me come in there!” A chattering sound came from inside the stall and a lady screamed, “Aaaaaah! Vermin! Kill it!”


There was another crash followed by chattering and then a creature the size of a cat came soaring out of the market stall with a stalk of grapes in its mouth. The fleshy wings carried it out onto Ronan’s shoulder.


“Fang, what have I told you about…” Ronan had been about to yell at the creature named Fang when he heard something coming from the market stall.


“kill it kill it kill it!” came the voice of the lady as she rushed out with a large kitchen knife. There was then a metallic ‘shiny’ and the lady had to stop in her tracks as she found herself staring down the length of an arming sword.


As Ronan held the blade, he asked, “How much are they?”


“We’re not open this late,” she demanded.


“I’d return the grapes, but they’re half-eaten. Do you want the money or not.?” He asked.


She grumped and finally pointed to a sign. Ronan put down the sword and took out some money. As he did so, he explained, “He’s not vermin, mam, he’s just hungry because I kept him up late.”


Nearby Mai had moved towards the market place hoping to get some supplies. The town seemed quiet for the moment, no guard or local militia seemingly present at the moment so moving about was relatively easy. The issue was that she seemed to have arrived too late in the day as all the shops and stalls seemed to be closing, particularly the food stall. She groaned, this was not good but her attention was drawn to the commotion caused by a Mongoose Bat nearby. It proved to be a good distraction as both the stall owner and the Mongoose Bat owner were quite amusing when attempting to control the situation.

She stood watching them, trying hard to control the need to laugh out loud. She was also impressed by the Mongoose Bat owner, most would shirk their duty and make a break for it. She was tempted to intervene but thought it was best not to draw attention and so attempted to move on.


“Hey what is going on here?!” She heard a gruff male voice call out from nearby. She froze as the sound seemed to come from behind her. She waited a while before a group of burly soldier types brushed past her towards the stall. The lot of them looked well-armed and Mai had the sense more than one was an earthbender. Their attention was drawn to the commotion rather than her but Mai cursed having a squad of the Earth Kingdom troops was the last thing she needed. “Well? Explain yourselves!?”


The woman looked terrified particularly as she still held the kitchen knife in her hand. There was a moment of hesitation before the woman dropped their knife and pointed at Ronan. “Hhh… Set the animal on my stall…” She blurted out. “I was just closing up and going home I swear!”


Ronan turned his head to meet eyes with the guard. “You must excuse Fang here, I kept him up a little late and he was getting hungry, so he made a surprise purchase. I must say, though. Haven’t you got better things to do than going around harassing villagers? You’re not likely to get any straight answers approaching people like that.”


One of the soldiers seemed to recognize Ronan and tapped the frontman on the shoulder, “Hey… that’s Ronan Cheng. I think it's best we leave him alone.”


The guard leader seemed to hesitate at the mention of the name though he tried to keep a stern tough exterior. Mai had to admit she was a little intrigued by how the name affected the guards. The leader frowned. “That pest goes out of line again, I don't care who you are. You will lose the pest under a rock.” He threatened but Mai figured that the threat was empty. He waived the rest of his warriors and motioned to leave. He took a few steps past the two at the stall before pausing and turning around to face Mai.


“Who are you? You are not a local around here. What is your business here?” He asked his hand reaching toward his weapon, a rather large Warhammer hanging by his hip. Mai cursed under her breath as she thought quickly for an excuse. “I...I... I am a refugee...From the northern territories…”She said trying to act shy and cowed. The leader smirked and approached her, close enough to tower over her in an act of intimidation. Mai moved her hand subtly toward her fans.


“Oh, a refugee? Really?” He asked, looking doubtful. “I somehow doubt that. Maybe I might have to arrest you and get the truth out of you. Can't be too careful with spies… Unless you have something to make me look the other way.”


Mai inwardly groaned. The guard was smarter than he looked but not that smart, a blessing but not that much as she still had to deal with him somehow. The shy girl act will only encourage him while attacking him though tempting against a gangster-like him will draw too much attention to her. “I..I am telling the truth… I have nothing…”She stammered her eyes moving towards Ronan, maybe he could help with his connection she wondered so gave him a pleading look.


Ronan’s eyes flashed to the peculiar movements of the girl. She was reaching for a weapon, that much was pretty clear to him, though he doubted the dim brutes in front of him did. Reaching into a rucksack tied to his back, Ronan pulled out a piece of paper and said, “We’re traveling to Republic City. This ‘pest’ happens to be my companion and that girl is my servant. Go ahead, take a look. Heard about this letter? Either way, I’m sure you’ll recognize your lord’s mark among the seals. Actually, I’ll help you out, it’s this one right here.” He then folded the paper and stashed it back in his rucksack before adding, “But if you still feel we’re out of line here, you’re welcome to go tearing up this beautiful little town with your earth bending. By all means. I’m sure the woman here would appreciate that much more than the payment I gave her for her troubles. In fact, why don’t you start with her stall right there.”


Ronan’s eyes pierced the distance between them and he stood his ground. He certainly had no desire to have the village troubled with an earth bending fight, but he knew he had to back the claim of the letter and seal up with some character or they might find some way of calling it a hoax. He’d been in the military long enough to know how to play this game. Either way, these village guards were out of their league. Even if he wasn’t the best -- which he didn’t think he was by far -- he was certain he could take them on with no trouble, so the sass wasn’t exactly unfounded.


Mai breathed out slightly in relief as Ronan intervened, though she did not much like the idea of being considered a servant girl. Still, she looked down, not meeting the guard’s eye as she waited for the guard to react to the news. The guard studied both of them and frowned, she could see the cogs working in his eyes, he doubted all this is true but once more he knew Ronan was pretty much untouchable. He groaned. “Fine, you are cleared to go but you will be wise to leave town as soon as possible. I am prone to changing my mind.” He said finally with a last attempt to face in front of the others. “Let's go, lads,” he ordered the other guards and finally made his way to leave them.


Mai waited silently until the pair was truly gone before finally approaching Ronan. “Thanks.” She said simply. “I could have handled them myself, was tempted to but thought best not to start a fight…. However much is deserved.” She commented. Again there was a moment of silence before she moved to leave. “Have a boat to catch thanks again.” She did not want to be delayed any further or have the soldier question her further whether sympathetic or not. She moved toward the coast, it was likely too late to hire a boat but likely she will have to steal one. There had to be a fishing boat docked she could steal.


“What is a Kiyoshi warrior doing disguising themselves and sneaking around this village for a boat?” asked Ronan, not giving her a chance to weasel away. After all, he had just declared the girl his servant. He couldn’t have her going off and ruining his reputation now.


Mai paused almost when Ronan called out to her and seemingly guessed who she was and her purpose. He was smart to guess, not smart enough not to call it out loudly, though maybe he did not know the situation. She turned to him, tempted to play dump again but a look in his eyes said he would not be fooled and he seemed trustworthy.


"Can you say it any louder? The guards might not have heard." she hissed at him as she moved closer to him. She considered how much more she would reveal."It is important, I am called to restore balance and fight the equalist." she explained.


In reality, Ronan hadn’t spoken too loudly, but her reaction told him how sensitive she felt about the situation. “Yes, so am I,” he stated, “That’s the letter I was showing them. But this doesn’t make us criminals here. We have to get going, though. I have a boat waiting for me right over there. We can talk on the way.” By that time, Fang had finished nibbling on the grapes and threw the stalk down with a satisfied ‘eep’.


"oh, you are? I am glad the Earth Kingdom had seen sense to send someone."She said a little surprised from what she had heard the Earth kingdom was too wrapped up in its divisions to send someone. She indicated for him to lead the way, though she felt he was trustworthy she still kept a close eye on him and had hand close to a weapon. "I am Mai by the way. You pretty much guessed where I am from. You have good eyes to guess since I am in civilian clothing, most people expect the whole armor and makeup.”


“Anyone can wear armor. Posture and poise are not so easily altered.” Fang straightened up and 8

chirped, exaggerating his posture playfully as if he understood what had been said, “Besides, you gave yourself away when you reached for that weapon. Confirmed my suspicions.”


"Who said I was reaching for a weapon?" She said with a teasing smile, indicating she was not really denying what he was saying. She was reaching for a fan after all that technically wasn't a weapon. "Clever soldier boy, or should I say master? Still, you haven't introduced yourself when I have. Or you cute troublemaking friend." she added, indicating to Fang. Nearing the port she noted a couple of guards patrolling so she went quiet, lowering her head and holding on to her bag. She gave an air of subservience, playing her role as a servant following her master. The two guards seem to let them past without much issue. It seemed word of Ronan's presence had spread.


"You are handy to have around."She said with a smirk regaining her more confident posture once out of ear and eyeshot of the guards." I am almost looking forward to working with you."


Ronan blushed very slightly when she said ‘master’, but didn’t give away much. “I had introduced myself and my friend fang when we were dealing with the guards. I’m Ronan and this is Fang. In any case, It will be good to have a Kiyoshi warrior along. Here’s the boat.” Ronan got on and extended a hand to help her.


Mai could have sworn she saw a red tint appear briefly on his cheek at the mention of master and smirked a little. "I know, was curious if that was the same name you would give me." She said simply. When he offered his hand she smirked at him but didn't take it, stepping into the boat quite easily on her own. She took off her pack and fished out the letter and map taken from Kyoshi warriors. She read a little before looking up at the sky." you have any idea where this place is. It seems like it is a few miles west of here but my map shows that there is nothing here." She said to him. "I admit it is an old map but still things can't have changed that much."


“Well, there’s only one way to find out. Perhaps it’s a test, but I have another idea, we’ll see.” With that the boat set sail. The trip went relatively smoothly and was surprisingly fast thanks to the design of the boat. The only trick was when they reached the coordinates. Ronan was certain they’d find something but wasn’t sure what to look for, but eventually, he spotted the turtle, “Well, I hadn’t actually expected my guess to be correct. How on earth did they manage that? It sure is a sight, isn’t it?”


The trip was surprisingly comfortable and smooth, with her luck so far she half expected to be facing a long journey on choppy seas and storms. Though she helped in the running of the boat she did not have to do much and it was good to have a little reprieve from having the responsibility of travel and survival alone. She did not reply when she saw the lion turtle, she was in awe at the sight. She almost did not believe it, having to come closer to truly believe her eyes. “I heard stories of Lion Turtles but never thought I would see one...Wow…” She said, trying to study every detail, hoping to see the leonine face but it was either out of view or underwater. “Look at that forest… It might be ancient… “She muttered and smirked at herself as a thought came to her mind. “Could it be the one who helped Avatar Aang… Impossible… Never mind...” She waived the thought from her mind and then pointed at a nearby shore.”We can port there, it seems like others did so as well.”


Ronan did just that, and before they knew it, they were in the forest itself as well. “Do you see anyone?”


Mai looked around. She could see no one at first but after a little walking, she began to hear voices talking nearby. “Hey… Hear that?”She said before trying to listen and get the direction of the talking. Soon she seemed to find the source and moved towards it. She soon saw several people, they seemed to be the representatives of the other races. “It looks like we are the last to come….”She whispered aside to Ronan before stepping out and revealing herself to the other. “Hello! Sorry if we are late.”


“At first glance, I’d say almost everyone is here. I hope everyone made it without much trouble. My name is Ronan Cheng. It’s nice to meet you,” added Ronan.

 

[Lady Warlock]

Lakota “Lake” of the Southern Water Tribe
Curiosity of a ChildAlthough plenty among the group were glancing at Lake with questions regarding what a child was doing amongst them, the young waterbender couldn’t hear it so it may as well have been nonexistent. Perhaps it was something to do with his youth and general inexperience in life, but Lake was not very good at reading people. Well, he knew the proper way to interpret angry glares and the like, but beyond that he may as well have been blind for all that he truly saw. Naivety was something that knowledge of the world tended to take away, though, and given the journey he was preparing to undertake, it likely wouldn’t be a problem for long. That naivety would vanish right along with his youth.

For now, though, it remained and it was accompanied by a childness aura of playfulness that imbued everything he did and said.

“A winged lemur?” Lake repeated when he was finally given a name for the creature that was sitting on Senya. “But… where are its wings?” He didn’t see any wings on the animal. At least, none that were obvious anyway. The young waterbender’s hand reached for the creature curiously and in a very similar manner to how Ryoko did as she was talking about the creature.

He was so lost in amusement at all the newness that was around him that Ryoko’s sudden exclamation about the lion turtle’s head nearly had him jumping out of his own two feet because it was completely out of the blue. Well, it felt like it was, anyway. Though he didn’t voice his question, Lake was asking himself what could possibly be so special about a lion turtle’s head when they were in the midst of a gathering the likes of which hadn’t occurred in the history of all history. That question never made it out of his mouth, though, because Lake was surrounded by far too many far more fascinating things to address and figure out. While he took in the sights of everyone around, he realized everyone was pulling out their letter and he found himself reaching into his vest only to remember a single very important detail.

Lake did not have his letter with him. It was lost to the waters that brought him here. He certainly hoped no one asked about it.

There wasn’t too much time to dwell on it before his previous question was answered when Roos took to the skies. “So cool!” he proclaimed as he watched the winged lemur until he couldn’t see it anymore. After that, it was time to look at the rest of the crew that had gathered and one thing became abundantly clear. Not only was Lake the smallest person among them, but he was also the youngest. More than that, though, was the fact that some of the newcomers looked downright scary. Lake was used to dealing with bullies his own size or even normal human sized, but these people were on another level. He supposed he shouldn’t expect any less of an elite team with representatives from each of the nations.

“Hello!” he leapt at the opportunity to greet the two… earth people? They had to be from the earth nation because those were the only representatives they were missing. “I’m Lake. Southern water tribe waterbender person.” Yes, that accurately described what he was as far as he was concerned. “That makes everyone, right!?” his excitement was only growing, but he also realized in that moment that although they’d gained quite a few bodies, they had also lost Ryoko to a unique curiosity. “I’ll go get Ryoko and bring her back.”

And then Lake was running in the direction that the other water tribe member had already headed. Surprisingly, the fog that had been present only moments ago seemed to have faded, at least, in the direction that he headed after the other girl.

A Visit from A SpiritMeanwhile, although the two water tribe representatives had now run off, the fog around the remainder of the group only seemed to grow thicker and thicker until they had to all come tightly together in order to continue to have a visual on one another. It became clear that this was not a natural fog, not only due to the weird way that it acted, but also due to the calmness it seemed to carry along with it.

“Tenzin took a risk by sending out all those letters…”

A voice seemed to ring through the fog like musical bells. It was soft, feminine, but it seemingly lacked any true source to be coming from. There was no figure, no visual spirit, either.

“He had no way of knowing if the enemy would find them or if the team it created would be even remotely capable of meeting its goal.”

Mystery surrounded the voice, but it was also flooded with authority. It couldn’t be interrupted.

“Unfortunately, Tenzin is no longer in this world to guide you and he has not yet appeared in mine to assist from afar, either. It seems you’re on your own.”

Sadness and grief were there now.

“He may have left some of his plans on Air Temple Island. If they haven’t ransacked the place yet…”

A wisp of wind consumed the air, blowing away the fog and the smooth musical voice right along with it. Yet one more thing could vaguely be heard.

“Good luck…”

Two Water Tribes“Ryoko!” Lake called out as he chased after the girl who was faster than he would’ve initially anticipated. Leaping and jumping and sprinting was fun and all, but Lake was trying to take at least some of their mission seriously so that he could prove himself.

Finally, Lake managed to catch up to her at the edge of the lion turtle’s back and right in front of them was its head - completely submerged underwater at the present moment in time. He couldn’t help but frown at the sight of it because he knew she had wanted to see its head. Finally, an idea popped up in his head and he knew he had to do it quickly or they would be late for whatever the rest of the group was already doing. “You wanna see its face, right?” he asked, although he didn’t really need her to confirm it. He remembered that fact well enough. “We’re gonna go check it out and then get back to the group.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lake took a few steps to the left and dove into the water with a sort of grace that none had likely guessed him capable of in the first place until they actually saw it happen. Then, once he hit the water, a whip rose up and grabbed Ryoko, bringing her into the ocean right along with him, although Lake had it fully prepped once she joined him there. Bending a bubble of water around the both of them so that they could breathe - albeit for a limited time - Lake pointed to the lion turtle’s face. It’s eyes weren’t looking at them at the moment and Lake guessed that they were hardly more than shrimp in the eyes of something so massive.

“Pretty awesome, right!?”

However, neither one of them would be able to savor their newfound discovery for very long because it seemed whatever spirit decided to guide the group had known that they’d run off and decided to visit them as well. For the two water tribe members, though, a cyclone appeared in the water in front of them - not disrupting Lake’s bending - but snatching their attention nonetheless. When the cyclone settled, there was a woman. Her face was non distinct and her body was not quite visible, but it was definitely a woman.

“This group has so much to offer and yet the two of you find other things more interesting? Do you not realize you’re now a part of history?”

Despite the words scolding them, the voice was soft and kind.

“There’s a reason the two water tribes are kept separate, you know. I’m beginning to wonder if you and the team might solve it.”

Another curiosity was thrown into the mix.

“First, though, your insight might be needed to get the team off the island. Air Temple Island calls to you all. There’s a boat sailing not far off.”

Seemingly done with them for now, the current carried the woman away until she was nothing. She hadn’t even been there in the first place.

“Whoa! Did you just see that!?” So many things were new for Lake in just this single day. Spinning a cyclone underneath them, Lake got both himself and Ryoko back to the surface. “We gotta get back to the group! I forgot to tell you that the rest of ‘em showed up after you ran.”

The Suspicious Eye CelticHero37 Jannah GrieveWriter RedLeftHand36 SirDerpingtonIV ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[RedLeftHand36]

Feng

Another one. Lots of blue, probably meaning this one was from one of the water tribes. Particularly fancy dress probably meant Northern, but that was more of an educated shot in the dark. The girl seemed particularly cheerful and lively, something that seemed to be a strange trait shared by others in the group. It was lucky that Feng's helm had muffled his exasperated sigh. He could hope that he'd be able to see a better side to all this when the time came. But it didn't look to good from his perspective, so far. The water-tribe girl started chattering on, and though he toned out most of it, as it seemed to hold no importance to him, as most talk did, the mention of a 'lion-turtle' quietly caught his attention. He did not react to the sudden realization, at least, not externally, but it certainly took him off guard. So that's what this island was. The certainly explained the movement, he supposed. He had heard of such things only in campfire stories he had reluctantly joined in the past. That's probably why Ling Huo had requested him not to use any explosives on the island. He wouldn't want to piss something that big off. Though, he mused to himself, he was curious how much gunpowder it would take to at least knock the thing out. He shook his head of the thought, though. He heard these things were linked pretty closely with all that spiritual crap, and he didn't want to take the chance of it reading his mind or something. He was never particularly knowledgeable on stuff like that. And just like that, she wandered off.

Once again he was glad his helmet muffled his sighs.

More talk, this time provided by the Air Acolyte girl. Admittedly, Feng was never fond of monks. Not the people themselves, but the ideas of pacifism and spiritual enlightenment. He knew it probably wasn't meant in such a way, but it always felt like the ideology was rather pompous, and more so irritatingly useless in matters of conflict. He wasn't about to say anything of the sort, though. Not as if he often spoke his thoughts, but still. Oh, wait... now it seemed she was talking about him. It was always a strange feeling when an absolute stranger described him. A cautious type from the fire nation, despite the ease of ascertaining such an analysis, was a rather apt description, but he was only cautious with people. He wondered if the description of cautious would still be used if they knew him. Hmmm. How would Ling Huo describe him, he wondered. Despite his imagination, Feng could never guess what others might truly think of him. He supposed that was normal, however.

Another fresh face. At first, Feng felt his hand twitch towards one of his tomahawks, but he calmed himself as the man simply looked around before introducing himself. Feng felt he did something right as the man with the sledge-hammer appeared to not even see him. He had to stifle an amused chuckle in the back of his head.

An airbender?

This was probably the most pleasant surprise of the whole situation. Not only someone who actually seemed like they could hold their own, but an airbender of all things. Had the man not introduced himself as such, Feng would have assumed the man being of Earth. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Once again, however, Feng refrained from comments, though Khan let out a small screech from his beak. Feng brought up a finger and tapped the falcon's beak to let him know to stay quiet. He didn't like the attention that might possibly bring. At least he wasn't exactly surrounded by enemies.

Two more fresh faces. At this point, the sellsword only felt a twitch in his eye. HOPEFULLY this was the last of them. And HOPEFULLY they would be people with more than just being good benders under their belt. Both seemed, and at this point had to be, from the Earth Kingdom. They had practically immediately announced themselves as part of the group with seemingly no amount of caution. The small water tribe fellow also introduced himself. Lake. Funny name. And in the blink of an eye, he ran off towards the other water tribe member who had left mentioning the lion turtle. With a feeling of irritated boredom, Feng kept to himself as he brought out one of his many sets of matches and played around with them after lighting a few, fumbling them around in his gloved hands, keeping them close to his armored body to keep them from being extinguished by the breeze. And yet, suddenly, a gust of wind took them anyway as the fog seemed to have suddenly and greatly intensified. Something seemed very wrong. Fog didn't act like this at all. And then a ghostly voice echoed in the mist. Feng took two of his tomahawks in each of his hands, rolling into a ready stance. To say he was uneasy about this was an incredible understatement. As quickly as his hands could allow, he took a flare and snapped the end to light it, tossing it in the middle of them all to illuminate the fog as Khan screeched again and took off into the air. The voice mentioned Tenzin and Air Temple Island before the fog seemed to be blown away by the wind. Only the same people were there. Still uneasy, Feng crouched to the ground as Khan landed back upon his armored shoulder and after stepping his heavy boot-clad foot on the flare to put it out. He had no idea what happened, but he didn't appreciate the panic. He put his tomahawks back away on his belt. Hopefully the Lion Turtle wasn't bothered by the flare.

 

[GrieveWriter]

Senya
Senya smiled at Yei's optimism, well perhaps it would be more fitting to say that her current smile was empowered by it. That expression was only amplified once Zorzo revealed himself to be the Airbender of their group. Senya tilted her head at him, but wasn't as surprised by his appearance as Yei. Having traveled the world several times, she'd seen Airbenders of all walks of life. Just as she was not originally of the Air Nomads, yet chose to follow its mantras to an extent. Still, the fact that he had been the one to answer the call in place of a more traditional bender was intriguing. Her smile momentarily became something closer to that of a smirk, but the arrival of the Earth duo simultaneously led her instead to stand upon the rock and fold her hands behind her back.

"And that would indeed make everyone." she noted almost immediately after Lake said the same thing. He was quick to offer to go acquire Ryoko, something Senya appreciated as she was about to suggest the very same thing. It was almost amusing how quickly the rest of their party had assembled the moment she'd taken her leave. Senya brought a hand up to her mouth as she restrained a small laugh. But just as Lake raced off, the fog began to grow thick. Senya raised an eyebrow at this, but maintained her ever-present smile even as she realized the nature of the thickening mist.

Even before the voice had started, Senya had folded her hands together and closed her eyes. Once it did start speaking, Senya remained still as a statue despite Roos immediately growling at the voice coming from all around them. The Lemur's head spun around several times looking for it before he resigned himself to just clinging to Senya in agitation. It spoke of Tenzin, confirming to Senya the accuracy of the letter. Tenzin was no longer among them, his death fresh if he hadn't even made it to the spirit world yet. Senya took its information in stride, but apparently the same sentiment was not the same for everyone.

The as of yet unnamed chap from the fire nation immediately prepared for battle, wielding weapons and attempting to clear the fog with a flare. Such efforts were in vain, of course, and Senya once more had to stifle herself from showing how humored she was by the attempt. The fog cleared itself once the voice indicated that Air Temple Island would be their first destination. As it dissipated, Senya gave a brief bow before raising a hand up to Roos. Garnering his attention with a scratch behind the ear, Senya whispered something to him which prompted him to take to the air once more and sail off.

"You two arrived just in time, it seems." Senya spoke to the representatives from the Earth Kingdom as she hopped down from her rock and walked over to the fallen paper airplane "I am Senya, and our destination seems to have revealed itself. Air Temple Island, just off the coast of Republic City. Its been a while since I last visited, but it would seem that's where Tenzin's left something to aid our efforts."

So close to the Equalist problem right out of the gate. Oh well, Senya could enjoy cutting to the heart of a matter right off the bat. As she retrieved the folded up letter, she turned to their unnamed representative from the Fire Nation as he put away his weapons.

"Unfamiliar with the Spirit World I take it?" Senya noted before adjusting the paper plane a bit and tossing it back to him in order to return his letter "No matter, I suspect its assistance in our goals will be minimal."

It was at that point that Roos returned, landing back upon Senya's shoulder and picking at her hair as she pet him. She leaned her head towards him right as he pointed. Her smile returned as she folded her arms behind her back yet again. Good, it seemed their water tribe allies hadn't gone quite too far away.

"But it is correct, nobody traverses the world's oceans quite like those of the Tribes." she noted as she began walking in the direction both Lake and Ryoko had run off in, the same way that Roos had pointed "We can continue the introductions once we have them collected and are on our way. There's only so long that the Equalists will go before razing that island after all."

( The Suspicious Eye CelticHero37 Jannah Lady Warlock RedLeftHand36 SirDerpingtonIV ThatGuyWithSouvlaki )

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

A quick look around revealed to Mai the sudden fog the seemed to sneak up on them, it was so thick and impenetrable she could not see the surrounding forest beyond were the other were. "Wow...That came up fast." She said a little unnerved. She could not explain it, but she could feel that there was something unworldly about it. It soon became clear the fog was of spiritual origin. Something spoke out to them giving out their next destination. She did not know much about spirits beyond the stories and general descriptions she had read and learned in her time. To see the effect of one first hand was incredible. "Wow... Tenzin really went all out with this. I am surprised he head a chance to do so.." She muttered out loud to no one in particular. She sighed, her only knowledge of the man was from her Leader and the description was not flattering, yet he still gave his life to fight the equalist and made contingency plans for his death. Whatever this man was he should be respected and the world is lost without him. A sad thought.

Not to fall into depression she turned her attention to the others: the armored soldier type was certainly an impressive figure, she even a sinister vibe from him. Maybe it was his giant size and lack of visible features of the man beneath removed the humanity. Dark , raven curly haired girl with the blue bandana was more of an attractive sight. There was certainly something in her manner that exuded a confident firebrand which she could not place as a good thing or a bad thing. She also so seemed to be one of the youngest there and she wondered what that said about her skill and strength. Than there was the brown haired airbender with the lemur, quite a cute little creature. She had a carefree manner about her but when she spoke to them she seemed too serious and professional for her appearance.

"Yeah, we were delayed from the port we came from. The local guards were less than welcoming. I am Mai Lee of the Kyoshi Warriors." She replied to the airbender. " It does appear that Tenzin has something planned for us. I just hoped he planned for us to arrive... I suppose that does not matter though. We appear to be of a capable group, I am sure we can work something out." She said giving a confident smile as she followed Senya. "You have a cute friend. Would you or he might if i pet him. I never thought i would see lemur or an air bender in my lifetime."

GrieveWriter

 

[Jannah]

Yei of the Fire Nation​

It was a relief to Yei that the entire group had managed to arrive, and in one piece to boot. She remained consistently reminded of the dangers posed particularly in Republic City. No bender remained safe in the city and it was said they had their bending stripped from them completely. It was enough to make the woman cringe. She could not even imagine living with such a crucial part of her identity being stripped away just like that. Her bending, for what it was, was inherently part of who she was. It was an extension of herself, much like a soldier so proudly wielding their weapons of choice. Sooner or later, she at least hoped that the team would approach the city and take down the reign of terror.

Reigns of terror had to wait, though, as a much more immediate threat came into proximity. Visibility around the island began to become more limited as the shroud of fog ascended. It blocked out nearly all else.

What the hell?

Was somebody else present on the island. Was the lion turtle attempting to communicate with them, a true rarity in a world that had largely forgotten such creatures had even existed?

"Who is there?" She began to query as she ignited a small flame within the palm of her hand. Come right out here and I'm ready for you...

Her face formed into a smirk, but then finally into an expression of awe as a booming voice seemed to drown out all else. The voice was authoritative and seemed to come with a specific list of instructions. Almost like...a messenger? Whoever it was clearly possessed a deep link to the spirit world, somebody much more spiritually mature than herself. She recalled the Fire Sages speaking of such matters, stating that some could travel between the two worlds through means of meditation and enlightenment. It certainly put the Air Nomad's spirituality into perspective and she wondered if it was an Air Nomad trying to communicate with them now. They were well-known to have been the most spiritually inclined of the four nations during their height, leading to the most reasonable conclusion.

"Okay, clever ploy. You can show yourself now, O authoritative one. We should get to know who is summoning us to Air Temple Island." Yei jested upon allowing the voice, whoever it belonged to, to speak. Despite the mystery surrounding it instinct told her that it was not in her best interests to ignore it. She extinguished her flame and sighed. Somehow the masters back at the academy would had been trying to create a moral lesson out of the encounter, one that would have definitely escaped the mind of a passionate teenager. Yet as an adult, and an adult now with a duty to the world, she was going to investigate. She was going to see this thing through to the end.

"If we're being summoned directly to Air Temple Island for our first assignment then the situation in Republic City could be worse than any of us anticipated. Perhaps the Equalists have finally infiltrated it too." Yei eyed the others and shared her worst suspicions. Surely it was time to jump into action, assemble to do exactly what they had been brought together to do. It was time to fight for world peace and balance.

 

[CelticHero37]

Ronan Cheng
​

The first thing Ronan took note of upon joining the group was the youth of Lake, the self-proclaimed 'waterbender person'. He asked himself how someone so young could have been chosen for this task. Of course, he was aware that the avatar was usually located at a young age, but that was an exception. Thus, he concluded that this kid had likely not been the first choice of his nation. Either that or perhaps they had found the Avatar after all, but that was highly unlikely. Either way, Ronan knew he'd have to keep an eye on Lake. The kid was their wild card.

When the fog began to close in around them, Ronan's expression didn't change. This whole time he had given away no emotion, and the fog hadn't phased him either. He did move a bit to keep the group in sight, but other than that, he stood his ground; his hands relaxed at his side.Being an intellectual who was aware of the power of the natural world, he understood all to well how easily they could be put at the mercy of said nature. Whatever would come, would come. For Fang, the Mongoose Bat, however, it was a different story entirely. At first, the winged companion furled his tail and shifted his weight on Ronan’s shoulder, then he chortled out a warning as if saying he was a big boy. Then his wings unfurled and he made himself look big as he chattered aggressively. Then his ears perked up as if he had heard something and he went quiet, only letting out nervous warbles from time to time after that. and chortled a bit to get their attention as if they hadn't noticed. Despite all this, Fang never left Ronan's shoulder.

As the voice came through the fog, he listened intently. The fact that this Tenzin was no longer with them was worrying, and he figured the equalists were already at air temple island if that was the case.

Once the fog had cleared, Fang had relaxed and started preening himself, and the others began to discuss, Ronan added, “I’m going to have to agree with our fire nation friend here. The equalists likely have control of the island, especially given Tenzin is no longer with us. I would steel yourself, Senya. For I doubt it will be what you remember. It is imperative that we get there as quickly as possible. Every moment may count.”

Before more could be said, Ronan felt a weight shift on his shoulder as Fang spotted a new friend. Fans poised and moved to get the right footing until he found the perfect moment. Leaping into the air, he soared over and tackled Roos in a playful manner. He was a very outgoing and friendly Mongoose Bat.

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Ryoko Raja

ResponsesWatching the large and imposing figure of the airbender, he was certainly a clear contrast against Senya. It was quite interesting to see him, far from the ideal of a airbender, he was a enigma. One Ryoko was looking forward to unraveling. He must have a fascinating life story. She knew there were those that chose to live outside the national ideologies, her father was one of them, and she liked to think she was in her way. Believing life is too short to live one way she respected his difference, living as oneself rather than a nation. Or at least that is what she assumed, the only way she can know for sure is to get to know him.

Looking from Zorzo to Yei as she flattered her. Ryoko smiled back, a bit embarrassed at the compliment. Rare to ever have someone compliment her so honestly, she wasn't sure how to reply. "Thank you. And yes! I am quite interested in the Fire Nation. Whenever we would get new vendor I would always try to grab as many books from other regions. I've read a few of the academy's literature, and it's fascinating. I always look forward to learning more." Ryoko replied.

Looking at the cute lemur lower it's ears she smiled softly but pulled her hand back, giving the creature it's space. Listening to Senya mentioning training at every air temple she raised her brow in surprise. Not in her statement, as acolyte it wasn't surprising to live as a nomad. No, what caught her attention was the sheer knowledge and experience that Senya must carry. There were so many interesting and knowledgeable people Ryoko couldn't help but be eager to pick their brain.

However, one thing at a time. Ryoko told herself. If she jumped on everything that interested her she'd never learn anything. Focusing on the lion turtle she adjusted her pack and made her way north. Her pace fast and focused.

The Spirit and LakeRyoko was at the edge of the shell as Lake arrived. She had already set up a rope to climb back up after the dive. Latching her bag onto a nearby tree she looked over to him as he called out her name. "Ah, Lake, right?" She took off her glasses and slipped them into the backpack before stepping back to let Lake catch up. Watching him look over the edge at the submerged lion turtle, noticing the state of the lion turtle.

As he looked back at her she nodded, "yeah though I'll probably have to dive down. Hence the rope to climb back up." She had expected the turtle to keep his head down, but that was not going to stop her. Fully ready to freedive down to locate the head. What she didn't expect was Lake's proactive response by jumping into the ocean and pulling her down with him.

Adjusting to the new shock she gracefully bent to the water and dove into the water. Piercing into the bubble she bounced a bit as they were encased in air. Looking around she let out the breath she was holding and smiled at Lake as he seemed to bend a bubble of air around them. "Yes. This is very impressive." Ryoko replied looking around, trying her best not to smile wider at his childlike reponse. She had to admit she liked seeing this side of him. She was curious how he would carry himself surrounded by others, but she was glad he wasn't going to stifle his age. She stepped forward and looked into the face of the creature. Tilting her head as she inspected the profound furrowed brow of the lion turtle. It was truly amazing. Sitting on the ground she took a mental picture of the lion turtle, to draw later when she has the chance.

Then as if out of nowhere a cyclone appeared in the water holding the visage of a woman. Her voice echoed though the cyclone and Ryoko listened calmly her heart and mind racing as she tried to take in everything about the interaction. Taking in every word, ever gesture of this mysterious spirit Ryoko had a lot to think about. With a second glance the current washed the woman away and left them there with the mystery of her words.

Looking over to Lake as he spoke up Ryoko smiled, "it's certainly a new mystery." Letting Lake lift them up and back onto the turtle's back Ryoko went over to the rope she set earlier. Picking it up she began to wind it back as she nodded to Lake. "The other have arrived? Wonderful. Give me a moment to place this in my pack and we'll be on our way."

Placing the rope into the pack she unhooked the backpack from the tree and back onto her back she made her way over to Lake. "Ready!" Walking along side him she let the words of the spirit settle in her mind. There was so much to uncover, she couldn't help but be giddy. She looked over at the boy and tilted her head, she honestly had a slight aversion to benders. Years of bullying in the Northern Water Tribe made her weary. However, being a librarian changed her outlook on the younger generation. "Thank you for coming with me Lake. I think Tenzin made a great choice in choosing you."

Back with the Group

Walking back with Lake she rung out her hair as they made their way to the group. Noticing the other missing members she smiled at the earthbenders and air bender. "Ah, it looks like we're all here now." Bowing to the newest members she introduced herself again. "I'm Ryoko Raja. It's a pleasure."

Knowing that starting off about how a spirit appeared to them would sound odd, she decided to keep it to herself. Looking around she spoke up, "we're headed to Air Temple Island correct? I have a ship attached to the lion turtle. There's another boat not too far from here headed towards the Air Temple. We can take my boat and catch up with them and try to board in the night. My ship is big enough to hold us, but a Northern Water Tribe ship will be too obvious. Better to blend in with a registered boat."

Realizing she was making plans on her own again she stopped and shifted her weight. "If that sounds agreeable with the group." Ryoko added. It was quite interesting to have to work with a group, being quite independent she would have to acclimate to gaining agreement with others. "If not, now is the time to formulate our next steps."

GrieveWriter Jannah RedLeftHand36 Lady Warlock ThatGuyWithSouvlaki CelticHero37

 

[Lady Warlock]

Lakota “Lake” of the Southern Water Tribe
The young waterbender nearly froze with concern as Ryoko mentioned being glad that he’d been chosen to join the party and a sudden fear flooded his entire soul. Would everyone in the group absolutely hate him when they found out that he hadn’t actually been chosen, and that he’d stolen the note and run to join the adventure of his own accord? Lake suddenly imagined the entire group throwing him out and he knew that that would feel worse than all the bullying he had ever endured at home because this was a group he actually wanted to be a part of. Back in the Southern Water Tribe, he hadn’t really wanted to be in any of the social groups that had always excluded him due to being a freak so it hadn’t really hurt his feelings at all. Just his body if and when they decided to make things physical.

“Uhm… yeah, I’m glad I’m here too!” he tried to maintain his upbeat attitude as he replied. For now, it was his secret to keep and he would figure out how to deal with it sooner or later. Hopefully it would happen sooner, but Lake wasn’t optimistic about that. He just needed to prove himself well enough and then he could tell the group. Then they wouldn’t be mad because he will have shown that he belonged there in the first place.

Lake walked with Ryoko and they were swiftly able to rejoin the group that they’d abandoned to see the lion turtle’s face. The short teen waved at everyone again, glad to be reunited without any trouble. “Did we miss anything?” he asked really quickly before Ryoko spoke of a plan that sounded really good to him.

His attention turned back to her and he asked, “You have a boat, Ryoko!? That sounds like a great plan! Show us where to go and then as we’re heading to the other boat, we can get to know everyone a little bit and figure out how we’re gonna approach Air Temple Island, right? Let’s go everyone!” Lake waved for everyone to follow him and then promptly realized that he didn’t know where Ryoko’s boat was so he couldn't actually lead the way like he’d initially intended. One thing was becoming apparent about the teen waterbender, though. Patience was not his strong suit. Granted, they were in a situation where time was of the essence, so maybe it was intentional.

Bruno Ignatz
Sailing his boat wasn’t an easy task when he was doing it alone, but Bruno didn’t have much of a choice because he had no one else to help him sail it. Usually Shura would’ve been his assistant, but… well, that wasn’t an option anymore. He hated that he had to keep sailing, but he knew it was what she would’ve wanted.

He didn’t know, though, that a team was likely going to be seeking him out quite soon. Bruno didn’t know that the world still had purpose for him other than creating a memorial for his wife in the city that had been her home. The city had turned on her. Bruno had been forced to watch and lacked the power to help her at all. Now Shura was gone. Everything about her was gone. They hadn’t even let him scoop up the ashes that were left behind. Lost in sorrow, he knew that her family had things of hers, items he could use to create a memorial. But would it really be an appropriate memorial if it didn’t exist in the city she’d called home her whole adult life? Even though it had turned on her, it was still where her heart lived.

“Ruff!” barked the one other living creature on his boat.

Bruno offered a very soft and subtle smile to the dog that he had taken care of with his wife for so long. His hand patted the dog’s head and he muttered, “We’ve got a couple things to do yet before we can play forever, boy.”

Jannah RedLeftHand36 The Suspicious Eye CelticHero37 GrieveWriter ThatGuyWithSouvlaki SirDerpingtonIV

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Ryoko Raja

Ryoko looked over at Lake and nodded. "Yes it's tied to the southeast of the lion turtle." She raised a hand and gestured to the southeast where the blue sails of the boat could be seen from the break in the trees. "It is large enough to hold us all. Though the some of us would have to sleep on the deck. There's only four beds in the cabin." Glad that Lake was up for it she wondered if the others agreed.

Leading them down to the ship she let each one board before untying the boat and hopping on. Letting the lion turtle's current push the boat away she made her way through the group. "Excuse me, pardon me." It was so strange having so may people on a ship, Ryoko thought to herself as she hopped up and tilted her head. The ornament on her hair swinging in the direction of the wind. A determined smile brightened pulled down the mainsail and bending it to the wind. Her own form of airbending.

The ship caching the wind she tied down the ropes and made her way to the helm as she looked out to the open sea and made their way towards the direction the ship the spirit showed. It wasn't visible yet but Ryoko had faith in spirits. She didn't know why but her instincts told her to trust this. Looking out at the others she smiled, "Feel free to relax. I can run this ship no problem!" Catching onto the current she locked the helm in place and let the ocean take the boat along.

Settling in on the open sea, she loved the ocean almost as much as adventure. Dropping her pack beside her she pulled out her sketchbook and pencil. With one hand on the helm began to quickly sketch the lion turtle she saw. She wanted to keep a record of what she saw before it's lost to her. Keeping track of the ship by feeling the tension on the helm and the wind catching on her hair, Ryoko focused on the sketch.

GrieveWriter Jannah RedLeftHand36 Lady Warlock ThatGuyWithSouvlaki CelticHero37 SirDerpingtonIV

 

[Jannah]

Yei of the Fire Nation​

So Air Temple Island it was. The mutual agreement came to Yei as a pleasant surprise, but nobody could argue with a booming voice from the spirit world she supposed. Ordinarily group tasks came with much disagreement and disarray, but this one seemed to be made significantly easier, all thanks to spirit guides. They truly were just like the Avatar, a group of elites with mastery over all four elements. The woman was feeling pretty confident with her place within and all that would be accomplished if they worked together without conflict of interest.

Transportation had remained a major question for the team, but luckily some had brought along boats. Naturally, the Water Tribe had relied on such means of transport. They were masters of the sea unlike any others. Not even the top Fire Nation naval commanders could compare. It was a logical conclusion for Yei to draw, leaving her rather excited to experience the Water Tribe's expertise firsthand. Ryoko did carry a sense of confidence that the firebender could trust.

"I don't mind deck. It's not like I have any problems with keeping warm." Yei quipped as their captain made the ship accommodations known. It became obvious that it was a small vessel not at all intended for larger crews, yet its captain carried the same sense of certainty she had as she had initially boarded.

The embarkment itself went surprisingly smooth, definitely allowing for all aboard to rest easily. Yei herself settled down on the deck near the others and unleashed a sigh. If there was any time to relax at all then now was it. Within hours they would be arriving at their destination. Or days?

How far away was Air Temple Island from their current location exactly? Yei blinked in concern. "I hope you know where you're going. Days?" She mused quizzically. It wasn't like she had any experiencing in navigating ships herself, but she was not about to openly admit it. No, she would remain in the background and wait until she was truly needed. Taking down bands of dangerous pirates or monsters of the depths she could handle, but steering a simple ship out of harm's way less so. Very quickly she realized that this was Ryoko's task. It was her ship, something she likely had some degree of pride in, after all.

 

[RedLeftHand36]

Feng

"Unfamiliar with the Spirit World I take it?"

Even as Feng remained silent, feigning indifference in his movements, the words grated against his ears. In truth, he loathed such things. The spirits were cause for barely anything more than superstition and deception. How many people had been tricked by merely other humans pretending to be spirits at this point in history? But he supposed it didn't matter, now. The possibility of this being a trap was there, but it was particularly slim. There would be no reason at such an early stage in this fateful game. At least, not for something so... bizarre. The dissipation of fog only led to even more talk. Barely any of it much more than noise at this point. As he caught the paper plane back into one of his leather gloved hands, he crumpled it in his grip. He no longer had need for it, and merely stretched his wrist out before the device attached to the underside of his forearm spewed fire, igniting the paper. He continued holding the paper for a moment until most of it was ash, smoldering into the air with the breeze. He exhaled slowly as he brought his attention back to his surroundings.

For a brief moment, Feng had simply considered contacting Ling Huo for a ride back in the airship, but, ultimately, the point of registered transportation was a hard-hitting point, and he wasn't sure if Republic City had much in the way of identifying sky traffic. It was better simply to not take the chance. Besides, he supposed this was a good way to build... rapport... if nothing else. Not in any sense of interest in the others, but simply for the sake of cooperative efficiency. Hesitant no less, Feng was among the last to gather onto the boat. He said nothing, as he always tended to do, but he hoped they would figure out that the man would stick to the deck. He didn't need much in the ways of comfort. Besides, he always actually liked being at sea. Perhaps it was the solitude and cooler temperatures. Perhaps the beauty of the ocean at night. The rocking of the tides. The cooling ocean spray. He'd have to put a fair amount of his toys into his back-pack, though, to ensure that they stayed dry, but with their numbers, he wasn't too taken aback upon this realization of planning.

As they all set sail, Feng put out a sheet of paper and a piece of writing-charcoal.

'Ling,

Heading out towards Air Temple Island. Possibly a trap, but I doubt it. If things go wrong, I'll survive. I'll find a way to contact you later. Be careful.

~Feng'

The armored man waited a moment, breathing deeply but gently for a moment, before rolling it up and placing the message in the carrier tube strapped to Khan. The messenger falcon screeched once more as it took off for Ling Huo, as Feng sat on the edge of the boat, gazing up at the sky. He took a moment to wander his mind. He wondered how many more years he could keep this up. He was still young, yes, but he wouldn't be young forever. And he was all too aware of this. Even now, in his youth, he felt... tired. Constantly drained, though, admittedly, more emotionally than physically. But even then, there were times when he felt so exhausted. He wondered what it'd be like; To rid himself of all his weight, and leave himself to float among the seas. To just curl up and sleep for an eternity. Weightless. At peace. But then, he wondered how long it would take before he got itchy again. His earthly desires had no room to be quenched. There wasn't any reason to abandon them. And even if there was reason, he doubted there would be any reason good enough for him to be done with them. Maybe this was the great middle-man: Sailing the seas. But... maybe not. There was no proper answer for what he wanted. There probably never would be.

And that was okay.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Mai followed along as the plan was made to go to the air temple and followed everyone to the boats, not saying much. It was a strange sensation to be in this group, back with the warriors she always seemed to take prominent role while here seemed to take a back seat. This made her a little jittery feeling she needed to do something to prove her worth despite knowing there wasn't much she could do. There was a plan said, though she was had some experience with sailing she could hardly be compared to a water bender and didn't know much of the sea beyond the earth kingdom. She sat a while looking around at her companion as toyed with her fingers.

She sighed in frustration before standing, there wasn't a lot of room on the boat but still she had to do something. She began to stretch and began to perform some fighting moves. The lack of space was actually a boon, she needed to practice fighting in less than ideal situations and insure her techniques are still effective. Despite a few wobbles near the beginning, her moves were graceful almost like her dance as she waived her hand around like holding a fan. Still practising did not compare to actual fighting, and she wouldn't mind an actual fight.

She looked around at the others. "Who is up for a little practice. Hand to hand in a challenging arena."She said to anyone that could listen. "Call it a team building exercise. Getting to know each other by the way we fight." She added looking around. "Come on, even you benders need to brush up on non-bending fighting just in case."