reversible | 01 ∫ action

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01 ∫ action

( morning | in town, around the river )

[ By some cruel stroke of fate, Tahno finds himself waking up underwater. It takes a few seconds for him to realize what's going on and, more importantly, why he can't breathe. Reaching the surface is easy enough, but getting up on land proves more difficult. Everything's a blur as he tries to pull his body on to the shore, gasping for air all the while.

A little help might be nice. ]

( afternoon | shops )

[ Regardless of what happened earlier in the day, he's going to need some new clothes. Most of the styles in the stores are unfamiliar to him and thus not quite up to his standards. Picking items off the rack one by one, he gives them each a disapproving glance before haphazardly discarding them – and possibly having them land on passer-bys in the process. ]

No, no. This won't do at all.

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[There's someone else swimming through the river, having worked up a sweat from the morning's bending practices. Aang strokes over towards the man who suddenly appeared, not yet noticing his plight.]

Hi! How's it going?

I almost died. How do you think it's going?

[ Not really. He's just being overly dramatic, as usual.

After the panic, he doesn't have the energy to turn around and investigate the overly cheerful person who's questioning him, instead choosing to rest his arms on the bank. ]

[But Aang of course takes it as face value and swishes his way next to him along the bank.]

I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were in trouble. Do you still need help?

I ju—

[ Tahno's sentence is cut short as soon as he lays eyes on Aang. He isn't exactly a history buff, but everyone knows what the last Avatar looks like – his face is plastered all over Republic City. And for him to come face to face with the kid himself must mean... ]

I'm really dead. [ HOW? WHY? It doesn't even matter, because he's going to start griping about it anyway. ] I thought the Spirit World was supposed to be peaceful! [ Without all the almost-drowning and stuff. ]

[Aang feels a slight jab in his heart. That's been how every future person has reacted so far when they didn't know the deal about Luceti beforehand. So this was another person from after his death. He tries to keep up the smile, but he speaks calmly.]

This isn't the Spirit World. If it was, I should be tall and have a beard. [Or so he hears.] This place is called Luceti, and we're both here because they take people from all across time and space.

[ There's a long pause filled with incredulous staring before his features settle back into a frown. He thinks he's got it figured out now: someone wanted revenge and decided to trick him into thinking he's crazy. And it almost worked. ]

You honestly expect me to believe that? [ Tch. ] This is a little far to go for a prank.

It's no prank - I'm the real Aang! Watch. [He gracefully hops up onto the river bank - not wearing a shirt currently, it's possible to catch a glimpse of his scar and wings on his back - and then he grabs something hidden on his person.]

Would a fake me be able to do...

[And then he's doing the marble trick.]

...this?

[ NOT IMPRESSED. And he's going to assume those wings are part of some costume. ]

I'm sure all the councilman's kids could do that.

But none of my grandkids are as old ad me! And they can't use the other elements either.

[As he speaks, he raises some of the water around Tahno and releases some short bursts of fire.]

Edited 2012-08-05 05:33 (UTC)

[ ...now he's impressed. The waterbending spooks him enough that he nearly falls back in. ]

Alright, I get it! But how is this possible?

It's just the weird way this place works. They brought you from my future... or you could say I'm from your past. Are you from Avatar Korra's time?

Yeah, I know her.

[ Once some of the shock wears off, he climbs his way up the bank, sitting on his knees a few feet away from Aang. ]

Wait – you know her?

Yeah, I guess you could say we're meeting a little early here. You're not the first person from that time to be brought here. Her and a bunch of other future people have been coming all throughout this month. I've even been meeting my future family. [A shrug] That's Luceti for ya!

[ Future people? ...right. All this information is a little hard for him to swallow. As Aang talks, he takes a look at their surroundings, noting that he hasn't seen anywhere like this before. His gaze lands back on the Avatar just as he speaks the last sentence. What was that he just said? ]

Luceti?

Yeah, that's the name of the place we're kept in. The Malnosso have us all in this place inside a bubble, and they run all these weird experiments that are supposed to send us back home but do all kinds of weird things instead. I know it's a lot to take in, but... these are the lives we have to live for now. ...What's your name, by the way?

Tahno.

[ Introducing himself to Avatar Aang. From the past. He's still trying to wrap his head around this whole thing. ]

So we've been kidnapped. [ That much is obvious. Better question: ] Why?

N-nice to meet you, Tahno. [Not really. But back to expo-mode.] It's hard to say because of how confusing this place is. For some reason this world just takes people from different places and times, and even the Malnosso say they're not from here. But they keep us here because they say it keeps us safe and that they're trying to send us back home. But most of them are real mean.

[ Tahno seems pretty nonchalant while soaking up this information, almost like he doesn't care. Rising to his feet, he starts wringing the water out of his pants. ]

Guess it doesn't matter. Not like there's anything left for me back there, anyway.

[Aang frowns. He didn't consider what's up with this dude. And as the Avatar - he immediately feels responsible for whatever happened to him.]

I'm sorry. I... I didn't think that something bad may have happened to you. If... if I could help you...

[ The thought hadn't even crossed Tahno's mind until right this second. Aang isn't some flimsy Avatar in training like Korra is; he knows what he's doing. Why didn't Tahno think of this before? He suddenly looks a lot more hopeful. Maybe – just maybe – there was a way to fix what happened to him. ]

You can take bending away... so there's a possibility you could give it back too, right?

[Aang's heart sinks as he considers this. He had felt so guilty about Amon taking people's bending away, and now he had a victim right in front of him, judging by his words. Not even someone he knew - just some random citizen of his future nation, which made it feel even worse for Aang. Aang wanted nothing more than to repair Amon's damage... but he remembered what ~~presumably~~ happened when Lin had arrived.]

I should be able to. But here in Luceti... they have shifts that limit our powers. I can try, but I can't guarantee that it'll w-work.

[ Tahno steps closer to the Avatar, kneeling down on one knee once he's within arm's reach. Even though Aang sounds less than hopeful about the ordeal, he's blinded by the sheer potential of this working, sounding even more desperate than before. ]

Please. I'll pay you back, I promise.

[ He doesn't know how or with what, but he would do anything it takes to get his bending back. Anything. ]

[He feels a knot tighten inside him. A man on his knees begging for help, and Aang has a very little hope it can work this time. Still... he takes a deep breath, and he speaks in a calm and controlled voice.]

You don't owe me anything. Just stay still.

[And he concentrates as he steps closer to the kneeling Tahno, with his eyes closed. He places one finger on Tahno's forehead, and with his other hand he touches his chest. And he prays he can reach it this time.]

[ This isn't going to hurt. He knows that. But it still takes all of his composure not to pull away when Aang touches him. That feeling of having his bending taken away – having a piece of himself stolen away – is one he'll never forget. His breathing involuntary speeds up, heart thumping hard against his chest. All he can do now is wait.

And wait.

And wait.

But nothing happens. Nothing feels different. Maybe the process just isn't over yet. He slowly peels his eyes open, peering up at the Avatar in question. ]

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