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.

Comments

guihrsjkn oh gosh i will tonight!! i disappeared, sorry!

[rediscovering]

"Then I don't want to know, if it's not a clearcut answer. Nevermind."

He wanted to know she was okay. He wanted to think she gained clarity, joined his side truly, shed their father's views. He wanted to hope she had a statue, too. But that reaction does not read any of those, and his whole demeanor turns stone cold. Maybe Azula really does know better not telling him what happens in their future for a good reason, not just an Azula reason. It was hard to tell the difference between the two these days, so much under her influence again. It was hard to imagine what might happen to her story. He really has no clue — no basis for hope except one that happens in an alternate reality... But something in Korra's tone isn't promising, the way she shakes her head. It hurts not to imagine, too.

[avatar_state]

She winces, a bit. It'd be rough, she imagines - and she reaches out a hand to put on his shoulder, if he'll allow it.

"I wish I could tell you otherwise. I mean, all we have are your accounts. Your future accounts, I mean. So maybe you had a reason. Maybe she needed you not to."

[rediscovering]

"You mean... ...I outlive her?"

His tone and look are both dark. This was not the subtext he wanted to read. Surely he becomes an old man, from the sounds of it, but— Azula's barely two years younger... This wasn't the future information he wanted. It's all too much.

[avatar_state]

"Woah, hey, don't...you don't know that. Neither do I! I meant maybe she needed to...you know, stop being obviously Azula."

She shrugged.

"There's a lot of potential explanations. Maybe she took up a new life, or a new name. Or people were looking for her."

[rediscovering]

"So she disappears..."

It's not much better. But Korra's explanation is a bit reassuring in its mystery. Zuko could understand wanting to get away from... things. But Zuko's not even seen Azula's breakdown at the ripe old age of fourteen. How can he begin to imagine what more in life might inspire her to defect? It's disconcerting. He's doomed to be worried about her, from the sounds of it. Now he's doubly so. Beyond that, what's it say of his own life after the war, that his sister, the princess, becomes shrouded in mystery, too? Their mother disappears, Ozai's imprisoned, Azula disappears, Uncle dies eventually... Sounds like his friends are spread all over... Does he just go back to living in isolation the palace, even more isolated than he'd been as a child, with even more stress than that, surely? He's apparently a great leader. But what's that say of his personal happiness? He's already lonely enough back home. This whole experience in space has been his first genuine stab at not being alone or in peril. He already knew it'd be his only stab at it; but now with perceived confirmation, he's not the optimist to find the silver lining by nature. It takes him time to access that clarity — it takes him thought.

"I don't want to hear any more. I'm sorry."

[avatar_state]

She nods, in reply.

"I understand. It's...it's a lot, I'm sure. I wish I could give better words of comfort. But I think all I can say is that it turns out the way it's supposed to."

[rediscovering]

"I know it must... And destiny never happens the way you think it will... That's what Uncle's always said."

He gives her a glance, knowing they share an odd bond with Iroh in common somehow. If Iroh said it, it must be true in his book. This is the highest degree for him. It's all so surreal. He's no idea what to make of it. But it is what it is and in the moment, he feels Korra's still surprisingly good company, all things considered.

[avatar_state]

She laughs at that, nodding.

"Oh, yeah, he's...gosh, he's so right about that." She smiles at him, feeling something in that moment as well. She wishes she could have met this Zuko first, seen his journey, just a little bit.

"I mean, when I started, I thought all there was to being the Avatar was fighting the bad guys," here she puts on a voice and mimics a series of punches, "that if I just nailed the problem hard enough it would go away, and I'd Fulfill My Destiny. But it's been so much more complicated."

[rediscovering]

"Tell me about it..." He says with a huff, very much sounding like a troubled teenager in this moment, exactly who he is — one who's grown enough to be able to act young at long last.

His eyes shift this way and that. He's not really sure how Avatar memories work... He'd heard Aang had made contact with Roku but he really isn't clear on what's inherited through reincarnation when you're, uh, the Avatar...

"You, uh— You know my story, right...? About capturing Aang? My search?"

Gonna add details that make sense here. That may or may not horrify him. :P

[avatar_state]

She'd love to explain it. The combination of study of records and what gets passed on from meditation. Granted, she's been severed from all of that - though she hopes to restore it, someday. Somehow.

"Uh-huh," she replies, quickly, in an attempt to put him at ease. "I mean, are you kidding? Even if I wasn't the Avatar I'd...I mean, there's plays about it! Books! I mean, there was this street painting by the bending arena I used to compete in, and it was, like, teen feet high! Just you and him, all- oh, right, sorry."

She clams up, belatedly, realizing she's undoubtedly said too much.

[rediscovering]

Oh, god... Indeed. His face is awash with anxiety rather quickly, a slight flush he can't blame on the heat of the hot spring. He hopes any future plays about them were better than the one they made in Ember Island... He's got no idea how to react to this, how to respond to this. In a way it's really not oversharing... But he has his complex mixture of pride and shame that combat his humility, which is far more a practice than a trait. And now indeed is a moment to practice his humility and reactivity. So simply enough, eyes drifting down to the water in front of him sheepishly, he merely says:

"Oh. Okay."

[avatar_state]

She senses some of that, but figuring out complex emotions in other people is very much a growth market for her.

"It's just..." she tries, not backpedaling but perhaps sidepedaling, "you're a historic figure." She searches for a comparison. "Oh! Like, think about how famous figures you knew got remembered. The lessons people drew from them, the way they would talk about them."

She pauses, deciding against telling him what else she knows - namely, that in the plays, the actors all want to play Zuko, more than Aang - the challenge of portraying his conflicts and complexities is considered a benchmark of skill.

eheheh /theatrical bow

[rediscovering]

"I know... I mean— I know I am no matter what. I know it's coming. I'm Fire Lord. But— it hasn't happened for me yet. I'm still the traitorous prince until then... when I go home, I mean. But— I haven't been home in over half a year. It's just— strange to hear it. Hard to let it sink in. Right now, here, in this place, in that other place, I'm just... Zuko. ...Just Zuko."

Talk about portraying his conflicts and complexities. His voice is tentative, speaking slowly, eyes still fixed on the water in his lap, seeing without seeing. It is the only chance he's ever had for a normal life. And the only chance he ever will have. He'll never be "just Zuko" at home and never was before, either.

[avatar_state]

"It was for me, too," she replies. "It was for Aang."

"It's just...weird to get used to. The idea that you're going to do something important, that there's this great destiny and stuff."

But she smiled.

"I'll be honest, though - I'm pretty sure you were never just Zuko. I don't think anybody is 'just' anything."

[rediscovering]

"No... I never was. I understand you but— it's different... being royalty. It's lonelier."

Wrapped up in the glamor surrounding the lives of princes and princesses, it's something commoners don't assume — a word that has unfortunately re-entered his vocabulary, having kept the company of the children of modern aristocracy all this time, along with his sister who was still far more invested in their prestige than he was. But it was still something so ever-present and relevant even when he kept it a secret — maybe especially now that he's kept it a secret. It changes one's social skills, needing to be perfect at all times, seldom leaving the palace, not being allowed to interact with anyone "beneath" yourself — which was... everyone... It's no wonder Azula and Zuko ended up so maladaptive, their parents' abuse aside. They were never allowed to adapt. It was dishonorable to adapt. Now he's had to make peace with that two galaxies away on his own with a gaggle of other teenage boys who've never lifted a finger to cook or clean in their lives. But at least none of them ever had any friends until very recently either... Birds of a maladaptive feather flock together, so it seems.

[avatar_state]

"Kept aside from the world, told there's a certain way to behave? That there is an inevitable end you must always work towards?"

She put on a theatrical face.

"Nope, no idea what that's like." But she smiled, opening one eye to look at him.

"I know it's still different, but I think you can translate. I think Aang could, too, in the end. I think he understood the burden."

[rediscovering]

The face actually gets a little huff of a laugh from him — because for Zuko one puff of air through his nose counts as a laugh, but it's quite the accomplishment for Korra, even if he only shows the edge of a smirk. There's something organic about her, comforting, comfortable — perhaps because they'd already been friends before...

"I wish he were here," he muses, but double-takes. "I-I mean— no offense. You're nice."

Sweet, awkward, baby prince... Not the Zuko she knew — but not quite a different Zuko, either.

[avatar_state]

Oh, no - there was something to him that was very much the Zuko she knew. A certain earnestness that strayed into awkwardness - she had to admit, she liked the consistency there. It spoke to who he was, at his core.

"None taken, Aang was...something. And he's been my guide in rough times. It's not just that he was my most recent life, but...we agree, on so much. Principles, I mean. Which makes the irony that airbending took me so long to master all the more prominent, I guess."

[rediscovering]

Earnest and awkward, that's him, for better or worse. But these days, much for the better.

"Mmn. ...I think about him a lot since being here. I wish I could ask him advice. I have air magic. But it came to me first before any other elements. I haven't produced any water magic, and the only time I managed to use fire magic was when I — well... I'm not proud of how I used it," he dodges his own remark, eyes straying to the left, away from her. Was when he retaliated against his best friend (who'd, to be fair, decked him twice by surprise amidst an endless rain of dynamite) with a furious, fiery kick knowing already that he was fully covered in explosives. His emotion got the better of his logic. His sadness turned into anger which turned into danger — as always... He's never not going to be ashamed of that, even if he's been told to forget about it. He can't.

"I haven't managed to use it any other time since then, though, because I was so furious — I was distraught, more like it... But I don't want my fire magic to be bent on rage ever again. Uncontrolled emotion and fire aren't a good match. Sokka's struggling with that, too... But I can't help him because I can't produce any flames. Just air..."

[avatar_state]

Well that was interesting.

"I can't speak to the magic, since I've yet to even dig into it - but it's interesting that air magic came to you first."

She just listens to the rest, turning it over in her mind.

"Well, at least you've figured out the important part - but as a firebender I'm sure you already had at least an inkling. It's a lot more controlled than people think. Passionate, sure, but it has certain rules."

She pauses.

"I have a suggestion for the water. But it will absolutely make you feel silly." She quirked a lopsided grin.

[rediscovering]

"Oh, no... What is it?"

Zuko's become surprisingly close friends with a fair few silly people as it is. His silliness tolerance has shot way up in the past half a year. Still nowhere near the silliness tolerance of someone, y'know, normal, let alone someone actually silly, but he's learned to shoulder a decent enough sense of humor hanging out with a bunch of flamboyant high school boys. If it's something that will help him with his magic, he's down to try almost anything. But he is on edge about it, whether or not he succeeds at making a joke about it... His jokes are always still kind of factual...

[avatar_state]

"Well, actually, it's two things," she says, looking thoughtful. "One I can show you, the other I'm a klutz at, so."

She points at the water.

"Try to do your moves underwater. Like, submerge up to your neck and do your exercises - water is all about a sort of...organic flow. It might help you get a sense of the fluidity and grace needed."

"The other suggestion is, of course, dancing."

[rediscovering]

"More dancing?! Again?! I just did another dancing spell to synchronize magics with people... Why dancing?!"

Oh. He hates this. He has been a very good sport about dancing, coming from a culture which discourages it, sees it as inelegant. He will defend forever that the Dancing Dragon is not a dance and is 100% a firebending form with a misleading name, despite having actually danced with the dragons himself, but he's also even already taught that to one of his new friends here recently, too... He's been dancing his little tuches off lately! Just at the embarrassing thought of it, he's ready to submerge himself a little deeper into the water anyway...

[avatar_state]

She laughs, and she can't help it. After a moment, she wipes away a tear.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...just...oh, gosh, you sound exactly like me when Katara trained me. I hated dancing. Haaaated."

She subsides into giggles.

"That's why I suggested an alternative. I still haven't gotten the hang of dancing. I step on way too many toes, for a start."

[rediscovering]

He's a bit disarmed being laughed at, and the surprise shows in his face, which softens after a moment. He's slowly but surely learning to take himself slightly less seriously... He's got silly enough friends now to train him in that, after all. And it's kind of endearing hearing that he apparently seems to share a lot in common with the next Avatar... He doesn't exactly know what to make of that, but he likes her company rather naturally. It earns the trace of a smirk across his lips, eyes on her still as he relaxes a little into the water again.

"We don't dance in the Fire Nation. At least when I'm from. But the other day I did this, uh, magic practice in a meditation tent— with this girl..." Just the way his eyes dart to the side at the mention of her hints that she must have been a pretty girl, too. "It was a trust-building exercise. She said she grew up in a forest alone raised by her aunts, who taught her songs and things, and so she meditates by singing and dancing... So... we did... I wasn't much good at dancing, she had to show me how, but—"

He skips a beat, awkward just at admitting it. He'd not mentioned this encounter to anyone yet even though it was a rather moving experience for the boy. But it did make it clear to him that there's magical, meditative, spiritual power in music, which he'd callously overlooked for ages just because he was salty about having to do too much tsungi horn practice and annoyed at his uncle's carefree attitude at sea. So that ruled all music out, inadvertently, until recently...

"She, um— turned the tent into an enchanted forest. It was... I mean, obviously it was magic, but it was like magic. So I know there's more power behind song and dance than I used to think..."