Second Report - Necessity Is The...

[lessabrasive]

[ The communicator clicks on, revealing the sunlit decore of Twilight Town. Sunset Hill, specifically, for those familiar with the location.

What should also be familiar is the statue in view of the camera. Not so familiar? The portal set at the base, the glow pulsing brightly. Invitingly, even. A pricklemane bounces towards it, then stops, tilting its head from left to right and waggling its ears in a show of interest. ]


This wasn't here when I passed by this morning. But it looks like the wait for something new to happen is over.


[ After 10 seconds or so of focus, the camera swings around until the firm frown of Lin Beifong is visible. ]


We don't know what might be through here, and securing a safe point on the other side is a priority. I plan on crossing over shortly. Anyone in Twilight Town is welcome to join me, but I recommend being ready for combat.


[ooc: this post is action/prose friendly! feel free to reply to Lin, or go ahead and do your own thing in a seperate thread. :D ]

Comments

[lessabrasive]

Beifong.

I'll wager you know Agent Washington? [She won't hold it against you. Much. Maybe]

[allfunandgamesuntil]

Yeah. We come from the same place.

[Uh oh, looks like someone didn't have a good first impression. He'll have to see if that's public on the comms.]

[lessabrasive]

[ Seriously. Does that guy EVER make a good first impression? (..His second one was tolerable: they had a civil conversation, at least.) ]

There seems to be a number of you from the same world. You don't happen to have 'keyblades' too, do you?

[allfunandgamesuntil]

No, where we come from relies more on technology than magic. As far as I know we don't actually have magic at all.

[Not that it's easy to distinguish, once you got to a certain level of magic or tech.]

[lessabrasive]

I understand. Republic City is at the forefront of technology on my world, but that doesn't seem like much compared to the worlds of others. [1920s equiv era for the win..?]

I'm told bending is like magic, but from what I've seen, it isn't at all like what others practice here.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

[York nodded.]

A lot of the people here are from the same set of worlds, so I guess their magic is all one kind.

[lessabrasive]

That would make sense.

[Her head tilts to one side.] So, what is it you do?

[allfunandgamesuntil]

[York laughs]

I'm a soldier. We've been in a war for a while now at home; creatures from another world are trying to kill us off and, obviously, we're trying to stop them.

[lessabrasive]

I'm sorry to hear that. [About war, that is, not being a soldier. She can appreciate what that job entails.]

Until recently, my world was somewhat peaceful. The last major conflict was the Hundred Year War, a little over seventy years ago.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

[York nods.]

Until recently?

[lessabrasive]

[Lips flatten.]

Yes. Unfortunately. A group began preying on the fears of the people, sighting injustice against those without bending abilities. Driving a wedge between benders and non-benders. [her head shakes] I wish I could say it only led to an insurrection, but things are never that simple.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

I'm sorry to hear that. [He sighs.] We've had problems with our own people too; you'd think that fighting for survival against aliens would bring people together, but on some planets, people took the opportunity to rebel against the government when the military was busy.

[lessabrasive]

[Her lips form a disapproving line.] Some people have a very narrow view of the world. Things that are far away can't reach them, and have no consequence.

The Equalists would have everyone believe they wish for exactly that, but would enforce it through kidnappings, threats and terrorism.

And then, we have this place. [Empty of most life, save for Moogles, and whoever has been poached for a mystery puppeter's enjoyment.]

[allfunandgamesuntil]

This place is weird by anyone's standards.

[lessabrasive]

Tell me about it. [snort] Even my mother's adventures with the Avatar in her youth weren't this odd.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

Avatar? What's that?

[It sounds interesting. Not something he's familiar with, either.]

[lessabrasive]

[A sidelong glance. His world lacked magic, and 'bending' could arguably come under that umbrella - so not knowing the Avatar is not as surprising as it could have been.]

On my world, there are four primary elements. Fire, Water, Air and Earth. All beings have the latent potential to control one of them. Both myself and Bolin, for example, are earthbenders.

Only one person in the entire world is born with the ability to control all four elements; they are known as the Avatar, and it is their duty to ensure balance in the world.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

That's a heavy load to put on someone's shoulders.

Probably nice if you can rely on them, though.

[lessabrasive]

It can be. But the Avatar is..special. [How to explain it?] They are also able to connect with the spirit realm, and receive guidance from their past lives. Though our current one has been..having trouble with that.

[Korra is many things, and all can agree that 'spiritual' is not one of them.]

My mother was friends with her predecessor, who brought an end to the Hundred Year War.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

[York nods. Unforgiving job...had to be a smaller population, though, if one person had to handle all of them. He couldn't imagine knowing that someone was born with the ability and right to try to make things work between peoples. Some worlds really were that different.]

You'll have to tell me about that sometime. We can swap war stories.

[lessabrasive]

[A single world's population was still handful enough for any one person. Some things only the Avatar could handle. But they were certainly not alone.]

The Avatar isn't there to solve all the world's problems. Just the ones that disrupts the balance between all things. [And then, there was the problem of Amon. For a passing moment, Lin looks pained, before offering York a faint smirk.]

Sounds like a plan. But first, we should get on with this little excursion.

[allfunandgamesuntil]

Be there in a jif.

[York speeds up; it's about time to meet up after all.]