Spirit Wilds Vagabond Catch-All

[raavashing]

Who: Anyone that's taken up residence near Wan's abandoned apartment in the Spirit Wilds + their friends
What: Catch-all for threads happening in that general living area
When: Oct 4th-Oct31
Where: The Spirit Wilds Vagabond Hippie Commune (not actual name of neighborhood)
Warnings: None!

Post a Top Level for people who are living or temporarily crashing here to tag your character for any reason. It's open to all, not just people wanting to punch/arrest/visit Wan.

Comments

[dustonmyfeet]

"Caveman." Followed by a firm nod -- though accompanied by a grin that said she was having more than a little fun at his expense . . . and that he'd probably solidified a nickname on top of it. "Unless you like 'Geezer' better."

Mental note that she'd have to come back to lion turtles later.

But back on the more serious topic. "I get about feeling distant from people. Maybe not even trusting them so much." (Though she was tentative about that part, given how he tended to interact; it didn't fit at all.) "And probably about not wanting to tell them you're older than dirt. But that doesn't really explain the Avatar part. I mean, all kinds of people are coming in from different worlds, different times. It's not like you have to hide it with people you know already deal with Avatar stuff."

[raavashing]

Wan made a face that she couldn't see, but she could probably hear in his tone as he muttered to himself, "I'm not sure if either of them are better than Stinky."

He straightened up then leaned back a little, "I'd just..."

Wan didn't even know anymore. Or at least he felt that way. The world was amazing and he'd already learned so much about his legacy - or what would be his legacy - and it was all so... surreal. He knew he couldn't just tell the world who and what he was. That was for Korra to decide. But he also wasn't sure he wanted the world to know. Everyone in this time, they relied on there being an Avatar. Everyone in his time... most of the humans would prefer if he stayed out of things. He knew he couldn't, he knew he had to be in the middle of their affairs if he was going to bring peace. Be in the middle of their wars to stop them... but he wasn't needed the way the humans of this era looked to the Avatar for help and support and inspiration.

"I don't want to let anyone down."

[dustonmyfeet]

Stinky? Now that was awesome. She'd have to remember that one.

But she was distracted from the revelation by the words that came next. And she frowned faintly, silent, musing into the dark.

. . . Maybe the words hit more to home than she'd expected.

"Yeah," she said at last, and it was like a release of breath. "I guess if no one knows who you are, no one can expect anything of you."

[raavashing]

Though Wan hadn't been thinking of it in exactly that way, he realized she was right. He was scared of letting others down, but the only way they could know he had, was if they knew who he was.

"Yeah," he agreed, leaning back and looking up. "No one used to expect anything of me. No humans, I mean. Most humans I met after I became the Avatar disliked me. My presence, my speaking with the Lion Turtles they lived on, forced their lives to change in ways they didn't like. Ways many of them weren't ready for. But they were ways that needed to happen. Humans had been living for so long on the backs of Lion Turtles that most of them thought their city was the only one that existed.

"But now... now they look to the Avatar for aid, for inspiration... some even treat the Avatar like someone to be... worshiped. I don't know how to handle that. I don't know how Korra handles it."

[dustonmyfeet]

"I like being famous." Toph's voice was a quiet thread. "I like people knowing me. After having no one ever know who I was . . . it feels good, you know?"

"But at home, I get to make my own reputation. Here, it's all set, all wrapped up in a box, and I don't get any say in what people think. They already know -- or think they do. And they expect me to be that person . . . whoever she is. I just want to be me."

[raavashing]

"Yeah, I know," he said and it wasn't a lie or an attempt to sympathize. He did know that. He'd been very excited to learn all about what had happened to him, to the legacy he left. But with it came expectations and people who thought they already knew who and what the Avatar was. And really, Wan was still learning to be the Avatar. He was still defining his destiny... but in this time and place, it was already defined for him.

"There are a thousand Yin's out there," he murmured after a moment, his tone wry and suddenly a little upbeat. "But I bet you could make the name famous."

[dustonmyfeet]

A small smirk of appreciation from her at that. The idea of making a second name for herself, even in this place, despite whatever reputation was currently up at bat? Absolutely appealed.

Practically, though, she knew perfectly well that there were only so many blind earthbenders that looked like her in the world. For now, better to lie low, claim bits of glory when she could.

"What about you? What are you going to do?"

[raavashing]

"What I have been doing," He said with a shrug and a genuinely happy smile. Not one she'd be able to see, but there was no mistaking it in his voice. "Helping the people that get ignored and pushed to the side. The homeless and hungry. The people bullied by gangs. Anyone I can make life a little bit better for. And teach those I can how to live in harmony and peace with the spirits that are now a part of their city."

Wan stretched once more before standing up and stepping out a little ways from her, "I'm still looking for someone to show me how to use the power of earth in better ways than I know. Are you still up for that?"

[dustonmyfeet]

The smirk increased, though this time it was for him. "I've taught one Avatar. I can probably handle you too."

A pause. "And I meant about people knowing who you are, too. Are you going to tell the others?"

Because if he wasn't, he was effectively asking for her silence, and this was something that needed to be known.

[raavashing]

Wan had been getting himself back into a proper bending stance, but all attempts at it dropped at her question. He settled a hand on his hip and shook his head, "I don't really want to right now. They have their Avatar. Or Avatars. They don't need another one making things even more complicated. If it needs to come out, I won't deny it. But I'm not just going to announce it. I don't want that kind of attention if I can help it. I'd rather just be able to help people when and how I can without anything else getting in the way."

[dustonmyfeet]

Her eyebrows shifted up. "So you want me not to tell."

From the sound of things, that meant not telling Zuko or Jin, not to mention the others there from their own time. As she'd pointed out in the beginning, his choice to be incognito was affecting more than just him.

[raavashing]

"I want you to not volunteer it," he said slowly. "If one of them asks outright, then... yeah. Go ahead. I can't, won't, deny who and what I am. But that doesn't mean I have to shout it from the rooftops, either."

[dustonmyfeet]

She shifted, drawing her legs up beneath her, head tilting. "I followed you out here because of the others. Because if you ended up being someone that would be a threat to them, I was going to find it out . . . and probably make sure you got buried as deep as I could make you go."

Her head lifted in his direction. "But what this is . . . since it doesn't hurt them, it's not any of my business. You deal with it how you want, and I'll go along with you. They won't find out from me."

[raavashing]

"Thank you," the smile was back in his voice. "But I mean it. If they ask, it's okay to tell them. I don't think it will come up, but if it does, I don't want you to lie for me. I'm not going to ask anyone to do that for me."

Even if he sort of already had asked Aang to do just that - but then, Aang was also him and he had no problem lying about himself if he felt it worth it, so...

[dustonmyfeet]

Her shoulders lifted. "If they ask, I send them to you. You're the one who should be explaining it, anyway."

Pushing off the ground, she echoed his earlier stretch. "By the way . . . just because you're an Avatar, don't expect I'll go easy on you with the training."

[raavashing]

Wan snorted, laughing and thinking she had to be joking, "Why would that make anyone go easy on me? I think they'd want to go harder just because they knew I could take it."

[dustonmyfeet]

He might live to rue that comment.

Her teeth flashed a grin. "Good point. I'll have to bring that up with Twinkletoes; he's been letting himself go a little too much lately."

Abruptly a fist went out, catching him solidly in the arm. "Catch you in the morning."

[raavashing]

Wan wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not for Aang, but he felt like it was for him. A challenge was something Wan usually met with enthusiasm.

The punch to his arm, less so. Not because it hurt - he'd taken worse blows before without flinching - but because of how sudden it was.

"Uh... sure..."