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! ]

Comments

[dustonmyfeet]

He might get it back. Eventually. Maybe in the same shape he'd left it.

Maybe.

"Is everyone wearing one of these?" While she had asked, Toph's tone clearly said that she doubted it. "People just walking around the street like it's fashionable? Or are you trying to make a statement?"

As for the rest . . . few had perfected deadpan like Toph had perfected deadpan. "Yeah, I'll take the sightseeing tour later. I'm sure I'll get a lot out of it -- whatever I missed in the first few minutes since I got here."

But more importantly: " . . What do you mean it's still our world?"

[lordhotman]

With all those questions about the mask, Zuko reaches up to pinch his nose with an irritated sigh. And yes, he did catch those biting words about the sightseeing, and he grimaced. Right... she's blind, stupid.

"We're in the future."

And then there was s a pause before he continued.

"I know, it's crazy! I didn't believe it at first either! But we are. This is a city that Aang and I will eventually help create. And... I'm still alive. There's an older version of me in this city. That's why I have to wear the mask."

[dustonmyfeet]

Wait.

Okay, going to absorb this for a minute.

. . .

Nope, still didn't make sense.

"Okay, we're not supposed to travel to the future. Or the past. Or the Spirit World. Or wherever else. That's Avatar stuff. Mystical, spiritual blahblahblah. Not us." Her jaw tightened. "We're supposed to be off to fight the Fire Lord right now. How can we be in the future if we haven't even fought--"

But she cut herself off, pressing her lips together. There wasn't exactly a point in debating it. There had been no change in Zuko's hearbeat, no alteration of his rhythm. He was telling the truth -- or at least absolutely believed that he was -- and more than that, she'd given him trust a long time ago. If he said they were in the future, they were probably in the future . . . and nothing that she thought about it was going to change that.

She frowned faintly, turning the mask around in her hands, as much for the solidity of the object and the movement as anything else. More softly, "What are we supposed to do? And what happens if we don't get home?"

Not usual questions from Toph, and certainly not a usual tone . . . but also not a usual situation.

[lordhotman]

"I don't know."

That's really all that Zuko has to say about it. He doesn't know anymore than Toph about what they're supposed to do. This has been really difficult for him, and he wants nothing more than to go home, back to where everything makes sense. To the place and time where they all belong.

"Since there's another me, I have to lay low. And that makes wearing that mask. If someone knew I was here, who knows what would happen. Anything we do could affect our future."

Especially if one of them died, but he doesn't say that. Toph would probably be smart enough to figure that out anyway.

"Uncle and I are staying with some other people who were pulled here too. Until we can figure things out at least."

[dustonmyfeet]

The small flicker of emotion that Toph had shown was the tip of a larger iceberg. But fear, worry . . . these were not emotions that she readily permitted herself. They were shoved aside, pushed down, buried for the sake of the reality of the situation. In the end, they were useless to her; they wouldn't help her confront and deal with the situation in front of them all. They were something to take out when alone, in the silence and the dark.

Her fingers tightened on the metal. But the rest was pushed aside. "Okay." The word was a release of breath, the clearing of the mind. It was an unspoken statement for her that she would be coming with him.

"We'll find Aang and the others. And figure out what to do next."

Her nose wrinkled. ". . . Does that mean I have to lie low too?"

[lordhotman]

"It might not be a bad idea."

He hasn't heard of another Toph running around in Republic City, but... you never know. But the thought does bring a little bit of a smirk to his face as he suddenly remembers something.

"They have a statue of you, you know."

If anything, he has a feeling that might cheer her up a little bit. Zuko knows as she must feel right now. Confused, worried, and uncertain. He had felt, and still does, those things when he arrived.

[dustonmyfeet]

"They have a statue of me?"

Hey, it was every runaway earthbending master's dream. The glee was immediate on Toph's face; he was absolutely right in that it detracted from the moment.

"That's so cool. I must be big here. Like . . . awesome big."

Cue the reality check. Her brow furrowed again.

" . . . But yeah, that's kind of a problem. I mean . . . I'm sure people aren't expecting me -- like, me-me, and people tend not to look at the blind girl anyway, but. Still. Getting buried in hero-worship could be kind of bad before we find the others."

[lordhotman]

Zuko made a face. Hero worship... riiight. That's probably what he gets for stroking her ego by telling her about the statue.

"Yeeah. Um. Actually, Aang's the one that's big here. Like, he has his own island, big. And his picture is on the money."

Not to mention they all have statues here or at least most of them do. He hasn't seen a statue of Katara yet.

"Anyway, yeah, we should lay low until we find the others."

If they find the others.

[dustonmyfeet]

Toph made a face in turn (though unaware that he'd beaten her to it). "Thanks for the attempt at buzzkill, Captain Stick-in-the-Mud, but I'm going with it anyway."

Besides, not her problem if Aang had a statue. She certainly didn't begrudge him that; she'd never been bothered by the success of her friends. But the fact that she had one, and all the implications . . . yeah. She was going to enjoy that, and Zuko was just going to have to deal with the ego he'd dredged up.

Considering for a moment, she pushed the mask back towards him. "Hold this."

(He might notice that somewhere along the line, it had gained a pair of roughly-sculpted smoochy lips where his mouth would end up.)

For her turn, Toph reached up and tugged the pins out of her bun. Her hair was massively thick; it came down in an unruly black mass that seemed to have a mind of its own. She worked with her fingers, obviously practiced enough with it, braiding it back again with the pins poking out from her teeth.

"If that guy's still out, let's see what he's got."

[lordhotman]

Having the mask shoved back at him, Zuko didn't bother to look at it cause wow that sure is a lot of hair you have there Toph. Zuko just stares for several moments as he watches her manipulate it into a braid. Hairbending? Anyway, he's actually kind of surprised. He's never seen her with her hair other than her usual bun. And really the braid is not a bad look for her at all.

With the guy being mentioned, he looks back over in the direction of the trash cans. Yep still there.

"Okay I-wait what did you do to my mask?!"

He finally noticed.

[dustonmyfeet]

When you've got a mother as obsessive as Toph's about proper ladylike behavior and hair as thick as a lion-turtle mane, you learn what needs to happen. Whether you like it or not.

Toph's fingers moved swiftly through the strands as she headed over to check on the status of the thug. "He's still breathing, right?"

And a smirk. "I improved it. If you're going to look weird, you might as well go all-out."

[lordhotman]

Have an annoyed look, Toph.

"This isn't funny. How am I supposed to 'lay low' with that?"

Grump grump grouse grouse.

Zuko then looks at the man who's just laying there, drooling on garbage.

"He's fine. Probably a triad member."

He then starts to search the guy.