TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's slightly chilled waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of earbuds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life. A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter. The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual. Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer. B ⦿ The Language of Flowers Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot. The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need. Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox. C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you. A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss. Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive) Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone) Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend) Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them) Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe) Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while) The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life! Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps. A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin' The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom! To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch! B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch! Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned! C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks. You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy! MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. • If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

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Korra | Legend of Korra

[avatar_state]

Arrival

She wakes up to the feeling of sand sliding under her back, and water all around her. She sat up, coughing, shaking her head to clear it of the strange fog that came with a sudden awakening. She looked out into the water, right in front of her - and saw the manatee, eyeing her from just a little bit further out. She coughed again, managing a smile.

"Thank you," she said to it, with a nod, "I don't know if you can understand me, but...thank you." The manatee moves off, as she pushes to her feet. She looked down at herself, her blue tunic soaked. She sighed, then tried to bend the water away from the garments, making a few graceful moves, stepping back then forward, extending her arms. Nothing happened.

"Huh," she said, looking around. Ok, bending wasn't working - panic about that later. She then, blessedly, saw the wet bulk of Naga shaking herself off, a shower of water spiraling into the air as the polar bear dog shook herself dry.

"Well, looks like we're in a right mess," she said to Naga, with a sigh. "But we'll figure this out. We've been in worse. We've..." Then she felt the weight on her head, and tilted it back.

Looking right at a small fairy with blue hair, in a blue dress.

"Um."

The Red Spring

By the time she reached the Spring, she was more than ready for a refreshing dip. Behind her, snoozing happily by the warm waters, lay Naga. Snoring, just a little bit. Beside her in the water, floated a little boat she'd made out of twigs and some leaves, with her familiar resting happily in it. She wasn't sure if fairies could drown, but she wasn't taking any chances. Or leaving her out of it.

Thankfully, she'd even found a swimsuit that she could borrow, a blue pair of briefs and a white bandeau. Those who saw her for the first time might well notice what that revealed - the musculature of someone trained, and honed.

And, when she was getting into the springs, clearly someone not at all affected by cold, by her casual attitude towards it.

Arrival!! OMFG HELLO

[waterdroplet]

Katara is always in the area to welcome new arrivals, see if there's anyone she knows and seeing if anyone there needs help from healing magic or any other kind of help really.

And there have been surprisingly many arrivals from their world, really, these surprises just keep coming and coming and today's surprise may be the wildest one. Not just because she is staring at a real polar bear dog but because she also has never ever seen a tame polar bear dog and wow, is she in for even more surprises soon.

Whose familiar is that? Is she even a tame one? Sorry, Naga, this waterbending master just keeps staring at you eyes wide as plates like this is the biggest surprise ever.

"You're a... polar bear dog..." She is a polar bear dog, right???! (Yes, Katara, yes she is.)

Okay, look, at least Korra can possibly see Katara before she'll notice her too??

It is just RAINING AtLA and LoK for me lately and I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

[avatar_state]

She heard the person before she saw her. And as she leans around Naga, scratching her behind the ears, to get a good look - she's distracted for a moment by the fairy leaning forward to get an eager, better look.

"Hey, hey, I can't see - and we really need to figure out your name..."

So all she recognizes, in the first instant, s garb that can only be Southern Water Tribe. And knowing what a polar bear dog is...well, it doesn't exactly take a Lin Beifong to figure it out.

"Hah, yes, this is Naga! Don't worry, she's friendly. She's been my best friend since I was six. Haven't you, you big sweetie?" She gave Naga a quick hug, eliciting a 'whuf' from her.

But then she took in details. Namely that hair style - and those eyes. They were younger, filled with energy rather than wisdom... And her jaw practically fell off.

"Katara?!"

LOL I have played these situations as Korra before, never been on this side but I LOVE THE RAIN TOO

[waterdroplet]

Katara is so surprised and confused and whatever else all at the same time. There's the young woman like obviously there would be someone with the polar bear dog but she has no idea who or what she is expecting...

She almost reaches out to her to stop her going so near the dog. Sorry, Naga, this is all new to her. Then she says all of those words and Katara is less worried about it and even more confused about all of this!! But it's genuinely heartwarming to watch even a quick moment of their adorable, affectionate relationship there and it also makes it easier to believe what she says...

"Since you were six? I-- But there aren't any tame polar bear dogs and you don't seem that much older than me..."

Hello! Welcome to the I Dropped My Jaw To The Ground club. It's today's theme, apparently, still not showing any signs of stopping, when the stranger recognises her. Is she really a stranger? Maybe there's something familiar? Well besides the dog. No, Katara has never seen her before.

"...You know my name? Have we... met?"

Maybe she is from a little further in her future???

But I'm glad to meet you, fellow Korra-player! (Do you play others?!) And this is already lovely!

[avatar_state]

She took a long moment to take in the moment, not at all sure what to make of it. She just blinks a few times, her mouth hanging ajar. It takes the fairy to jar her into action, knocking her a few times on the forehead with a tiny fist.

"Oh, wow, wow, this is..." She smiles in disbelief, shaking her head, temporarily dislodging the fairy, who circles her a few times before landing again, this time on her shoulder, and immediately settles in like she owns the place.

"Wow," Korra finishes, lamely. "Right, ok, right - in reverse order: I'm the first to tame one, actually. And we...have. A long, long time from...where you are."

Really glad to meet you too! Nope, just this girl and Korra @ goestoextremes and yes this is!

[waterdroplet]

Korra can take all the time she needs with this because, really, Katara is doing the same for a little similar reasons at least. She's going to ask about the fairy later and Naga will get so much attention later, once Katara's attention won't be completely on her.

She's starting to smile a little too. This is a really confusing situation but she can't help it as soon as Korra gets some words out. That's much better than Katara's own abilities with words at the moment, she needs one moment more to get any words out. But this is amazing? Someone from home, someone who knows her even though Katara doesn't know her but Katara wants to get to know her too!

"Wow is a really good description of this." Oh Katara, you have no idea, not yet.

Right. Different points in time from their home world. Good thing traveling with the Avatar has gotten her used to many... Time things. She's from far away in Katara's future? Her eyes light up. What's that? Hope? Yes, among other things. It's almost like part of her has a feeling where this is going but she doesn't want to assume... Or get her hopes up or anything. But Korra can tell her anything! Katara is from after the war is over but she sounds like she's from so far away in the future, but she still knows her there?? Katara actually has no idea what to say to her other than more disbelief of polar bear dog taming because wow, but Naga is obviously tame and friendly, so it's time for more questions!

"What's your name? Which Tribe are you from?"

"Just" they say, as if they aren't clearly rocking two amazing characters. :)

[avatar_state]

She leaned against Naga as Naga, for her part, observed Katara, tail thumping gently. From her perspective, the scent was familiar but different, and either way it said 'potential future treats and scratches', so it paid to invest early.

For her part, Korra was still astonished. Even when she'd had access to Aang's memories, those had seemed...well, like a Mover, really. There and real but...a view of it, not the thing itself. This was wild.

She spread her arms wide at the latter question, laughing and gesturing to her garb. "Southern Water Tribe, of course! And I'm Korra." She left out the Avatar part for now - there was enough overwhelming going on as it was.

The Red Spring

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu unfortunately could not find a swimsuit, and was in the hot spring water with just a towel covering her... mostly since that seemed to be what she saw others doing. Honestly, now the Korra is here with a swimsuit, she kind of wishes she had looked a little harder. ]

O-Oh, hello...

[ ...she's very muscular, isn't she? ]

[avatar_state]

[She had a way of finding things. She asked questions, and because she practically radiated genuine and straightforward, she tended to get answers. And in this case, her a-to-b thinking had led her to what seemed to pass for a lost and found.]

[There was nothing wrong with the towels, of course - but she also knew her life. And she wasn't going to risk suddenly having a fight on her hands and having to worry about clothing falling off.]

[She smiled at Yuzu and lifted a hand from the water to wave, reaching out with the other one to pull her fairy's boat back as it risked wandering away.]

Oh, hi there. Are you new here, too?

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu nodded, trying to keep her mind on reasonable things and not in the gutter. Meanwhile, she sinks a little deeper in the water to try and preserve her dignity. ]

Yeah, I wasn't really expecting to take a cold dip so suddenly... but this is nice.

[ She can't help but notice the large polar bear in the water nearby. ]

Is that... yours?

[avatar_state]

[She nods, smiling, entirely oblivious to that. Despite her relationship with Asami, she is pretty much entirely oblivious to the effect she has on some people.]

Yeah, it is. And that's Naga. Say hello, Naga! [The Polar Bear Dog lifts her head for a few moments, tail thumping visibly, then goes back to her own activities - to wit; lazing.]

She's been my best friend since I was teeny. She's a polar bear dog!

[songstressedout]

H-Hello...

[ A Polar Bear Dog... she’s seen a lot of things, but something like that is definitely new. In any case, she raises her hand a bit and waves in response to Naga’s... acknowledgment? Let’s just call it that. He seems pretty docile, though. ]

They seem nice... all I have is this little guy—whoa!

[ Right on queue, Yuzu’s familiar (a small baby Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon), suddenly runs up and leaps into the water—and by extension, Yuzu. She yelps from the suddenness of it all, but Odd-Eyes seems happy at least. ]

[avatar_state]

[She reaches back to pet her.]

She is a big huge softie, yeah. And oh hey...

[She can't help but laugh at that, moving closer to get a better look.]

Oh hey there, little one! You're a dragon aren't you?

Arrival

[bendless]

Sokka went to the beach every month to check on new arrivals. He didn't want to miss on who might arrive from home and he had been very successful in finding familiar faces (even his girlfriend!) so he was hopeful.

He didn't expect to see a polar bear dog, however. "W-W-Whaat?!" Sokka is backing away a little, even if he's trying to keep himself calm just in case it's someone's familiar.

Sokka is wearing his water tribe clothes, at least for some familiarity.

And a SOKKA?! I am just drowning in great tags here now :D

[avatar_state]

She leans around Naga's bulk to see him, giving a wave.

"Oh, hey, don't worry, her name's Naga and she's very, very friendly! I...wait, hang on just a minute!" And then the clothing clicks in and she waves more enthusiastically.

She practically rockets up out of the water, hands on her hips.

"Southern Water Tribe?"

plot twist, he's the Avatar now - also I'm very excited to see a Korra, hello!

[bendless]

Well, it's true that the large bear-dog isn't attacking him, so he calms down a bit more, looking at the girl with her. Huh...

"Yeah. You too...?" At least the outfit seemed like it was, even if a bit different from their current ones. "Wait, is this your familiar or is she... your companion?"

He's seen a lot of different companions and ridden animals so it shouldn't be that weird, but he's never seen a tame polar bear dog.

Oooh nice twist. And hello! So thrilled!

[avatar_state]

"Familiar...?"

She has to think about that one. Being Korra, she hadn't exactly waited around to have things explained to her. But she can make guesses from context as good as anyone.

"Oh, no, I think that's her." She pointed to the dozing fairy in her little leaf boat. "This is Naga. She's been my best friend since I was a little kid."

She wrapped her muscular arms around Naga's neck, giving her a hug.

"She's a big sweetie." A point Naga emphasized in her own way by yawning, revealing the size of her teeth.

[bendless]

Sokka looks at the fairy. Oh, yeah, he's seen people with fairies. That makes sense. Especially since the polar bear dog is already named.

"Oh, okay that-" OH GOD HER TEETH ARE HUGE. "- that's." He clears his throat. "That's awesome. Since you were a kid, huh? Sounds a lot like Aang and Appa somehow. A friend for life with an animal, you know? But a lot of people have animals as friends."

Anyway! "I'm Sokka by the way."

[avatar_state]

What some of that would result in was the swimsuit-wearing woman suddenly being right there, a look of surprised glee on her face and her hands on his shoulders. How he'd take that was anyone's guess, but she's in the sort of gleeful territory into which 'personal space' is only a belated concern.

"You're Sokka?! Oh my gosh, the Sokka! Hah! Oh, goodness, I've heard so many stories about you! All the legends! And I mean, I've seen you once or twice when sharing memories with Aang but you're the Sokka! Wow!"

red spring;

[rediscovering]

Zuko only occasionally visited the springs — really, only when he was depressed, in fact, after yet another fruitless search for his uncle amongst the new arrivals on the shore. He'd made a habit of searching for the old man, ever since Sokka and Katara had found Zuko himself on his first day and told him that they regularly checked the shores for their loved ones, which struck him as a great idea. And while Zuko and Sokka and Katara all shared a majority of loved ones from home, really, Zuko just searched for Iroh. After two months being here, the long ride, the long day searching the crowds, and the long time spent thinking alone afterwards, he's tired. He looks tired.

More noticeably, very young. Zuko's not yet seventeen, not the old man Korra once knew. His hair is cut short, wellkempt, chic, clean, his skin clear but for his scar, looking overall healthy and handsome in a simple beige yukata the inn had leant him as a robe for the springs. It's seldom that Zuko is ever alone, particularly when he's feeling upset and put out like this, comforted by the company of his own familiar — a small red dragon, about the size of a ferret, with a much similar temperament, too.

The little creature scurries ahead of the boy quickly while the fire prince fusses from afar to prepare himself for a dip in the water. The dragon is meantime making trouble behind its master's back as almost always, circling the edge of the hot springs before climbing up onto the nearest rock, posing regally as if claiming this rock for itself. And that one. And that one, too. In fact, the dragon just struts all along the stone lip of the springs, back and forth — all right beside and behind Korra, too. If she looks to it or speaks to it, eventually it will stop and stare her in the eye for a long, maybe slightly disconcerting moment. But it is quite more majestic up close, despite its small size, its whiskers waving curiously while it refuses to look away from her, and inches closer til it's right up close to her face. Rude? Awkward? Um...?

AND A ZUKO?! With teeny dragon!

[avatar_state]

It was probably the beige that ensured she didn't see it was him right away. Instead, her attention was riveted on the dragon. She pushed to the edge of the spring, resting her arms on the ground and watching it as it approached. And it might rude to some, but for her.

"Hey there, fella. Aren't you a pretty dragon! Figuring out which rock is the best? Warmest maybe?"

She lifted a hand from the water as it approached, so it could get a sense of her scent. "You're beautiful, you know that?" It took a few moments to notice the man beyond the dragon. At which point she rocketed up to a standing position, an incredulous look on her face, waving her arms in a very enthusiastic - or very Korra - manner.

"Zuko?!"

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ c: hello hello and welcome!!

[rediscovering]

Oh, the dragon takes all this doting in stride. It just raises its head high, turning slightly as if to show off another angle. It had found the best, smoothest, warmest rock, thank you for noticing. Finally, someone who knows how to compliment a dragon right...! "Beautiful" doesn't hurt either. When Korra calls Zuko's name, however, the dragon shoots off in turn, running to meet the boy as he approaches. Hello, you're welcome, just a harbinger of destiny over here, finding the Avatar for you, kid, no big deal... Spiritual sense is a mysterious thing; thankfully, the dragon can't talk, and the best he can do is to just scurry over to the prince, proud of the new friend it's made him.

Zuko, on the other hand, is none the wiser. He's disrobed by now in red bottoms, yukata folded in his hands with his cell phone carefully placed on top, body about as well-trained and muscular as Korra's in his spry youth as he is. He, however, is also physically taken aback, halting in his tracks, even slipping one foot backwards in a firmer stance unconsciously. You can take the boy out of the war zone, but... Even though he's already well familiar with these spirited away timey-wimey shenanigans, he's not been on the receiving end of this before. He has no clue who this woman is. And it's disconcerting to him when a stranger knows his name. Especially a strong stranger. Even if she seems happy, he's already gotten beat up in a similar situation since being here, with the tables flipped; he's learned to expect anything. He doesn't drop his things, nor does he set them down, just stands still and stays cool, but his resting scowl deepens, eyes narrowing, tone steely.

"...Come again?"

Korra, he was different as a teenager, okay. We all were. This is not the worst chapter of his life being here, but it's still far from the best. It's rough, buddy.

[avatar_state]

"You're Zuko! Sorry if I startled your dragon, they're lovely. Is that Druk?!"

She'd met the fully-grown version of Druk on the occasions she'd met the retired Fire Lord. A truly impressive animal. But she slapped the water, in disbelief.

"But you're so young, does this...this place does that? Changes you or...mixes us all up?" She's half talking to herself by that point, trying to work it out.

[rediscovering]

Zuko's flabbergasted, suspicious, a little nervous? Like— this is reasonably kind of a scary situation, naturally, right? Not that he'd admit to it, but he's confused at best as he listens to her questions.

"...I have no idea who you are, woman!"

He's having a bad day, Korra. For many days. However disgruntled he may be, though, there's no reason to be rude and cut her off like that. The dragon stretches out its neck and bites the side of Zuko's foot, which he pulls back in pain with a dirty look down toward the little beast. Why does his familiar scold him, yet misbehaves so much itself? It always works, though; the dragon knows best. Zuko casts his gaze aside awkwardly, setting his things to the ground before he gets into the water. He needs to remember how he felt when his best friend from another world didn't recognize him here; it was heartbreaking and disorienting. He has no idea what his relationship to this woman might be — he's "young" to her, apparently? — but it's probably best to be respectful of it, having been in a similar boat not so long ago himself. He settles in not far from her, but not near her either, leaning back against the edge. The dragon comes and sits on the best rock it'd found, rather between the two.

"...The worlds mix up time. If you know me from our home world, I don't know you. I'm sorry."

He may not meet her eye, keeping his eyes downcast into the water, but at least his somber, even tone is more respectful. He's clearly trying to reel himself in.

[avatar_state]

She is very close to working up a 'listen here, bucko' style of speech at the 'woman' when the dragon takes matters into its own talons.

"You wouldn't," she said, instead, swallowing that for later, if needed. "I know you from...a lot further on. When you're...well, a lot, lot older."