Welcome to Republic City!

[cyclicalitymods]

It was a bright and sunny normal day in Republic City. Children were playing, spirits were chirping about, and everything was going along like normal. Well at least that's what everyone seemed to think. That is until so many people seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. For some reason Republic City seemed to be more lively and the crowds bigger.

The spirits have grown restless as if something important was about to change, and to try to fix that change, the spirits with their big long tree like limbs dragged people into the world left and right. Even the vines covering Republic City seemed to help. Although the spirits had the best intentions in mind, some people were more affected by the grab than others. There's talk that people in this city don't even know what this place is. People who have never heard of the words "bender" or "non-bender."

Welcome to Republic City! And to those who already live here: Happy Saturday. Please make yourselves at home and don't mind a little spirit gunk. It's mostly harmless. Go enjoy yourself a classic mover. Maybe you're the athletic type. If that's the case, come watch a few Pro-bending matches or form your own team. Just watch out for any Satomobiles. They can be deadly no matter how pretty the driver is.

Please remember to enjoy your stay and don't cause too much trouble. The Republic City Police don't need more riffraff to take care of. And don't stray too far. To make the the peace is kept, there's a huge spirit barrier around the perimeter of the city. It seems pretty strong, but it won't be able to last forever. Still, it's worrying. Radio signals and telegraphs don't seem to be getting past it.

[ OOC: The game is officially open! From this point on, feel free to make any posts you want or tag into this. Please remember to tag your posts with Canon: Character. Finally, although the game has no real network, you're free to respond with prose or brackets, whatever you're comfortable with. With that said, have fun! ]

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[crowover]

Mikazuki heard about the strange people popping seemingly out of nowhere, he headed straight for one of the city's thicker vine forests. If spirits were involved as the rumors said, surely he'd have a better chance to find them there, right? Give the confused newcomers a warm Republic City welcome, maybe punch them a little.

Yes, punching was perfectly welcoming as far as Mikazuki was concerned. Maybe one of the strangers would fancy a friendly fight. Rumor had it that they didn't even know what bending was, so perhaps they have other mysterious powers in their disposal! He was getting excited just thinking about it.

But alas, Mikazuki found no cool mysterious newcomers in the vines. He did, however, find a small, bird-like spirit that kept following him even after he left the spirit grove.

Mikazuki didn't mind the company, but if the thing was going to hang out with him, he needed something to call it.

"Hey, you over there! Help me name my new friend!"

[raavashing]

"Have you tried asking it what it's name is?" Wan asked wryly. He was actually heading toward the Wilds Mikazuki had left only a little while before, but since the kid caught his attention on the way, he detoured over to talk to him. "If you have, and it hasn't given you any answer, then just start putting names out there and see what it likes."

[crowover]

"It doesn't really talk." He glanced at the spirit again. "I guess I can always call it 'you' or 'buddy'-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence, because the spirit's feathers ruffled and it snapped its beak. Clearly, these suggestions were too undignified for its taste. Mikazuki laughed and held a hand up in apology.

"Haha, sorry! Let's find a proper name, then. How about 'Birdie'?" The feathers ruffled even more, and the spirit gave the impression of an eye roll without actually rolling its eyes. "You're right, that's unoriginal."

He looked back at Wan, absolutely delighted. "I take back what I said, it talks alright."

[raavashing]

"Spirits usually do," Wan agreed with an easy laugh as he moved offer his hand to the spirit for it to land on if it cared to.

"Hello, my name is Wan," he said it to the spirit, not Mikazuki, "Your new friend must be very special for you to follow him out of the wilds."

Only after that was said did he turn his attention back to the human, "I'm not familiar with this spirit. It's not one of the ones that hangs out around my campsite. I can't give an exact name, but other spirits that are similar in appearance are often called dove-crows or crow-hawks. It depends on which spirits you ask."

And technically, Wan could glow it up to have Raava ask the spirit it's name, but that would give away that he was the- an Avatar.

[crowover]

The spirit landed on Wan's hand with a polite coo.

"Crow-hawks, huh? Sounds cool." Mikazuki held out his own hand. "I bet you're something even cooler, so bear with me until I come up with a really great nickname, alright?" The spirit flew back to him, though it decided Mikazuki's head was a better perch than his hand. It made him smile even wider--they were getting along already!

"You know a lot about spirits," he told Wan once the spirit shaped hat settled down. "It's pretty impressive. Have you thought about handing out flyers?"

[raavashing]

"Flyers?" Wan asked, his eyes softening as he watched the crow-hawk spirit settle itself down. "About what? And for what reason?"

[crowover]

"About spirits." A vague hand wave. "What kinds are there, what they're like. That kinda stuff. People can use the help." Especially the weird newcomers who had no idea what was going on.

[raavashing]

Wan shrugged, "I can just tell people myself if they want to learn. Besides, making flyers would cost a lot of money, right? I don't have any."

[crowover]

Mikazuki shrugged back, lightly. "I suppose more and more people would seek someone like you out. Since these guys," he rolled his eyes upward again, "are here to stay. It's actually pretty surprising no one tried to cash in on it yet."

[bookbends]

While at first Jinora looks a little confused at being called over by a stranger, when she hears the full request she looks absolutely delighted. Helping humans and spirits make friends? She was so in.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." When she reaches them she crouches down a little to smile at the bird spirit. "I wonder what kind of name you would want." And then she glances back up at Mikazuki for a moment.

"Have you know it long enough to know what kind of things it likes?"

[crowover]

Mikazuki smiles at her. He's always had a soft spot for kids.

"We've only met today, actually. I'm not really sure how to find out what it likes." He's never interacted with spirits beyind trying to firebend the vines away when they first appeared. "Are there special spirit bonding activities?"

If anyone would know of such things, it's an airbender.

[bookbends]

She looks thoughtful, trying to see if she can get a read on the little spirit. " Well some spirits like when we play tag or go gliding together, and some like when I read to them... I think it depends on the spirit."

Just like people, she supposes... but that gives her an idea.

"He obviously likes something about you, so maybe you share some likes or dislikes." Yes that was PROBABLY fool proof logic right there.

[crowover]

Share his likes? Mikazuki first thought was fighting. Maybe the spirit would like to search for worthy opponents together, humans or spirits or both. Heck, maybe it would even want to fight him, Mikazuki didn't mind. He would have to ask it later--it was inappropriate to discuss in front of a kid.

"Yeah, you're right," he told Jinora. "Maybe it would enjoy playing sports, or watching movers." And attending shady back alley meetings, but he wasn't going to tell that to a kid, either. "I wonder if spirits have to buy tickets."

[bookbends]

"Both of those things sound fun! I'm sure it would like them." And she's smiling at him because wow, he has such fun ideas. Back alley meetings and fights couldn't be further from her mind.

"Maybe they have special prices. Or maybe they wouldn't know what to do and would just let him walk right in." She looks a little embarrassed at that last suggestion, though. "But I guess that would be cheating."

[crowover]

"If they see it and still let it walk right, than it's not really cheating, right?" he winks. It wouldn't work more than once, anyway. You can count on business owners to set special spirit prices if they start frequenting establishments. Maybe Mikazuki should just tell it to sneak in or hide it under his clothes before it happens…

"Anyway, whether it has to pay or not, it'll be worth it. And once we hang out more I bet the right name will just pop in my head." He turns to the spirit. "You don't mind waiting a little for a really great name, right?"

It coos and flutters to sit on his head. That's probably a "yes".

[bookbends]

"I guess if they let them go through, it's not cheating." She concedes. Although that would depend on the spirit, she thinks. Some of them looked kind of frightening at first to most humans. "...Unless they're just too scared to charge them." She admits finally, although she does laugh at the image of a mover ticket seller being too alarmed to charge a large spirit whale.

"But I think you're right. The perfect name will come to you once you get to know each other a little more." And she gives a nod, convinced that this will be the case.

"It's just so nice to see humans and spirits being friends. I guess you don't always need names right away."

[crowover]

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to mind not knowing my name." Mikazuki tries to look up at the spirit, smiling. Not being much of an animal person, he's never really had that kind of interaction with another living thing. It make him feel strangely flattered, like it had chosen him.

"Do you have a lot of spirit friends?"

[windfire_donuts]

Well actually, he did manage to find a newcomer, but perhaps not the kind he was looking for; an immigrant from the Fire Nation rather from another world.

Though he'd been here a few days, Nezha had yet to explore the Spirit Wilds. Street bralws were all well and good (and put food in his stomach), but his opponents had become increasingly weak and boring. Perhaps a spirit would put up more of a fight?

Or, well, that was his thinking as he headed for the Wilds, spear leaning on his shoulder, (the head wrapped in a silken sash) until he was called out by a guy being followed by a small spirit. Nezha gave the bird a contemplative look, and decided against it.

"I'm not very good at names."

[crowover]

This kind of newcomer was also perfectly acceptable; they too could use a welcoming brawl to get them used to the city.

Mikazuki's gaze flickered to Nezha's spear. The lack of anything bigger than the bird spirit in the Wilds left him restless, itching for some activity--this guy could prove interesting, even if he looked a bit young.

"That's too bad! I had a few ideas already, but the little fellow didn't seem to like them. At this rate I'm gonna have to call it 'You', and it doesn't like that, either."

[windfire_donuts]

Nezha had already been in his fair share of brawls since his arrival, so he was a little late for a 'welcoming' one. But I digress.

The glance at his weapon did not go unnoticed, but at the same time, the youth had gotten quite a bit of attention for carrying the thing around even with the blade wrapped to render it nonlethal. Turns out that openly carrying a weapon like that is both illegal and bound to make a few people nervous, so unless Mikazuki says something about it, Nezha's certainly not going to.

"Have you seen anything more powerful than that around?" Most of the spirits he's seen outside of the Wilds have been small, much like that bird.

[crowover]

Mikazuki worked for the Triple Threats, his whole life was illegal. If people wanted to show off their weapons, that was a-okay with him!

"Not really. The last time I saw a big one was a few weeks ago, it yelled at me for trying to firebend the vines." The spirit's feathers ruffled, and Mikazuki turned to it with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry pal, I'm not gonna do anything like that again."

Once the spirit was appeased, he turned back to Nezha and smiled. It was a nice, friendly smile, but just slightly too wide. "Why? Looking for some exercise?"

It occurs to me that this guy might actually try to fight Zuko's dragon at some point like an idiot.

[windfire_donuts]

And of course the spear-toting boy immediately put together that if he attacked the vines then a big spirit might show up for him to beat up. Nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan.

"The humans around here aren't very strong, so street fights are boring. I thought a spirit might be more fun."

i think he and Mikazuki are going to get along splendidly

[crowover]

Mikazuki chuckled. He liked the already kid--he reminded him of himself when he came to Republic City.

"Boring? That's gotta suck. Maybe you just haven't met the right humans yet!"

Not that he didn't agree that a spirit might be more fun. It would be fun to watch, at least. He wondered if Nezha's knows the vines were also alive and didn't take kindly to people attacking them.

[windfire_donuts]

"Pro-bending looks fun." Yeah, Bolin, look out. He's going to try out for the Fire Ferrets.

"None of the newcomers are benders, so it would be a waste of time to fight any of them." Because only benders can put up a fight, amirite? Well, benders and potentially spirits, if he can find any to spar with.

[crowover]

"You don't have to be a bender to put up a good fight." Mikazuki was a bender, but he made a point not to judge. Violence was all inclusive and everyone should have a chance to enjoy it. "Maybe these people have mysterious powers we've never heard of. You have to fight them to be sure!"