cyclicality | Welcome to Republic City!

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Welcome to Republic City!

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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Henry heard the rumours about an apparent barrier being placed on the city a few hours after he got here and his first thought? Darn it, who started casting curses again that prevent people from leaving? Except this time it's more literal than anything. There was a physical, invisible wall stopping them from getting out.

He ventured to an edge of the city to get to the wall and when he does arrive...well there's an old man and a dragon near it. Henry stood there for a whole moment gaping at the dragon. How was the city not more in panic over that? Dragons were supposed to cook people alive and hurt villages and now everyone was trapped with one? That wasn't good.

But, Henry's gaze turned to the old man who had probably not seen him yet and his concern immediately fell on him. What if he hadn't noticed it yet? Maybe he was hard of hearing. Either way, Henry couldn't just walk away when someone was potentially in danger. Skirting around the dragon to the old man, he quietly grabs the older man's arm and gives it a small tug. "Don't panic or move to quickly but there's a dragon right over there. We need to get out of here," Henry says quietly.

Lord Zuko is taken aback when he feels the hand on his arm; the boy had quite taken him by surprise, sneaking up on him like that. He looks down at him, frowning in concern... until he breaks out into a chuckle.

"I appreciate your worry for my safety, but it's all right. That dragon is my friend."

Druk, for his part, sits quietly where Zuko had left him, staring at the barrier and looking disgruntled. He doesn't look particularly threatening, at least, and doesn't seem to be paying attention to either of them for the time being.

He can be a ninja like that. The old man better step up his game.

The chuckle however is not what he expected. Henry thought he'd be seeing something more along the lines of terror or that a dragon might roast them alive. But, nope just laughing. He's utterly confused until the old man tells him that the dragon is friendly.

Henry's both skeptical and concerned with those words. Hadn't this guy seen or heard what dragons could do? He just looks over at it a little wide eyed. But, he's the truest believer so maybe he could take this guy's words for it.

"You're sure he's not?" He tries to sound curious but there is a touch of concern there.

Lord Zuko's tone remains patient. This isn't the first time he's had this conversation, and he doubts it will be the last. "I'm sure. Dragons may look fearsome, but they're more than capable of living peacefully with humans. I can even prove it, if you'd like."

...And before Henry can stop him, Zuko begins heading towards the dragon that may or may not opt to roast and eat him alive. Nice knowing him?

Henry would've yelled out to not do it, but the old man's already doing it. He's not sure if he can watch, but if this man was this confident that it wouldn't kill him, maybe he was telling the truth? Hesitantly, he just follows on right behind the scarred old man. If the die they die together so it's not all bad?

Nothing as dramatic as that happens. Lord Zuko approaches, and rests a hand on the dragon's scaly neck. In response, Druk stops glaring at the barrier long enough to look down survey them both, curious. There's nothing in the dragon's body language or posture to suggest aggression; he looks completely relaxed.

"You see?" he turns to the boy. "He's harmless." ...Well, most of the time, anyway.

To Henry's amazement the dragon DOESN'T incinerate them to a crisp. He tilts his head as he looks it over and back to the older gentleman when he says it's harmless. "Whoa, I never thought that...I guess it's just dragons in the Enchanted Forest."

The boy moves closer to the dragon, a hand hesitantly raised to go and touch it. Looking to the man Henry just waits for confirmation that it's okay to touch it.

Edited 2014-10-05 22:28 (UTC)

Lord Zuko nods, indicating he can go ahead and touch. What was that about an enchanted forest? It sounds like something from a story. He's never heard of such a place, and he's certainly never heard of dragons within it.

"I don't know what stories you've been told, but I imagine those stories are false. Like fire itself, dragons have long been misunderstood, considered by many to be dangerous forces of destruction and little more. If, however, they're treated with the respect they deserve, they can prove lifelong friends."

He touches it now, running his fingers along the scales. Henry couldn't even begin to imagine that he'd be ever touching a dragon. He honestly thought he'd learn how to fight one at some point from his grandfather. But, this? It's completely different. He stops mid-stroke when he starts to listen to the explanation of dragons.

There's a contemplative look to that, but he shakes his head at the first start. "The dragons here are just different, I guess. But, I know my book wasn't lying when there was a dragon attacking King Midas' kingdom and my gramps had to go and um..." He's not about to finish that statement because, dragon right beside him. He's going to stop touching it now.

'King Midas'...? No such a monarch exists, to his knowledge. And the way he'd spoken so confidently of other dragons... That, along with the strange way the boy is dressed, all make Zuko wonder if he's speaking with one of those who had suddenly appeared in the city from places unknown.

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding... Perhaps we should start from the very beginning. I'm Lord Zuko, of the Fire Nation." He offers him a small bow, placing his fist to his palm, as is Fire Nation custom. "Could you tell me who you are, and where you come from? I'd be most interested in hearing about the dragons there."

Whatever the child had been about to say about his grandfather, Lord Zuko doesn't look offended. His own family hunted dragons for glory, once upon a time. He's in no position to judge.

"Fire nation?" The quizzical tone would be enough to show that this kingdom name was totally foreign to him. He knew of many different worlds names but this one was brand new. The word Lord however is not and it's enough for Henry to realize he was probably speaking with someone with a very high standing. His face reddens because, oops, he was probably being rude to royalty before ~~even though he was technically royal~~. Regardless, he's quick to give his own little bow of the head back.

"Yeah, of course. My Name's Henry and I'm from Storybrooke, Maine. But, there's no real dragons there, unless you count the one my mom beat under the town, but there's no real dragons there."

Sorry, is he babbling? He feels like he's babbling now.

As Zuko suspected, this boy is one of the new arrivals there had been rumours of. "It's good to meet you, Henry, though I'm afraid I've never heard of your home before." He pauses thoughtfully. If there's no real dragons where Henry's from, how did his mother fight one? And the dragon that attacked the kingdom he mentioned...?

Puzzling, but that can wait. Henry asked him a question, so he answers: "The Fire Nation is a large group of islands southwest of here. Most firebenders reside there." He's assuming, at least, that he'll know what a firebender is. Why wouldn't he? "If you're new to this world, I can try to explain everything as best I can."

"I'm beginning to think nobody has." There's a twinge of disappointment there, but also mixed on is relief. At least if nobody knows where he came from it probably a good sign that some evil being didn't steal him this time for 'insert horrible purpose here.'

"And fire benders are like airbenders but with fire?" Because he's seen plenty of air bending today to get an idea of what this all is. He's just chalking it all up to magic at this point. He's gotten a few explanations about where he was but more might not hurt? "That might help, yeah. I've never read about your world before so..."

"Yes, it is like airbending, only firebenders are capable of generating their own element, instead of bending what already exists around them. Like so--" And he creates a small flame in his hand, holding it there for a moment for Henry to have a look. He closes his hand again and the flame dissipates. "That is firebending, at least in its most basic form. Dragons are firebenders, too." Druk snorts his agreement, and smoke billows from his nostrils to demonstrate. Just in case there was any doubt the dragons here differed too much from the ones in Henry's stories.

Lord Zuko follows that up with a brief explanation of waterbending and earthbending, and their corresponding nations, and about the Avatar's capability to bend all four elements and her role in keeping world balance. He tries to phrase things in as simple terms as possible, even if it's astounding that someone should come from a world that lacks something as basic as bending.

"...And the city you've found yourself in is Republic City, part of the United Republic of Nations. All four nations are welcome to work and thrive here in harmony."

The fire suddenly in Zuko's hand is not what's shocking when he see's it. He's seen fire formed out of nothing before, but, the fact that people could just conjure it at will here? That's the freaky part. How many evil people roamed around with these powers and hurled them at innocents?

The other than air, the other two elemental bending powers don't earn the same reaction. How bad could those three things be? He continues to listen, completely captivated by the knowledge being given to him.

Bending almost sounded like magic to him, the only difference was the limits to what he assumed bending could go to. Looking back to the dragon he just gives it a pat. Okay, so, maybe the dragons here aren't like the ones in the Enchanted Forest. He can get behind that.

"That's actually pretty cool," his tone sound very impressed. An entire world getting along? It's pretty spectacular. Even the Enchanted Forest wasn't as united.

Though, he turns to the problem at hand. Yeah, he's feeling a bit guilty that he just distracted a leader of a nation from a really big problem "It's probably not a good thing than that the center of all four nations is now trapped in a magical barrier." The question was how to break it?

Lord Zuko doesn't seem to mind his negative reaction to fire being similar to his initial reaction to the dragon. Actions speak louder than words, and hopefully Zuko can prove to him, as he has proved to many others, that fire isn't necessarily evil and dangerous.

"No, it isn't. What I need to find out is how it got here in the first place, and then how it can be removed." But those are problems he won't place on this child, least of all when he's only just arrived here. "Henry, I suppose you arrived here without your parents or guardians? Do you have a place to stay?"

"Who would want to trap the centre of all four countries? Is there someone you know who could do this?" Because, these are problems Henry is placing on himself. If it was magic they would just need to find some magical way to take it down.

Lord Zuko's questioning does put his mind back on that one tiny detail he keeps going back to himself. Henry frowns for a moment, it's probably enough confirmation that no they weren't here with him. "No, they're not..." the words hurt a little bit, but, reassurance soon replaces that tiny bit of worry. "I know they'll be here soon. My family always has a way of finding each other," it's not hope that's in his voice, it's conviction and one hundred percent belief.

"There are those who might want to." Namely, someone like Zaheer who would fully have a motive for the disappearances of major figures around the city. "But who could have the ability to do so... I doubt it could be anything but an extremely powerful spirit."

The boy's answer about his family does, at least, bring a small smile to Zuko's face. It's obvious he means what he says, that he clearly has a strong bond with them. That belief should at least sustain him, even while he's trapped somewhere entirely unknown. "Until then, what will you do? I can see to it that you are given somewhere to live, and that your needs are taken care of."

"If you know where they are we should go talk to them." Because bringing a child to a dangerous criminal would totally be a good course of action at this moment. "You think so?" He's never really dealt with spirits so he's honestly curious. The villains of the Enchanted Forest, of Neverland, were all capable of something to this degree, but hopefully, maybe there weren't people like Pan or Zelena with that kind of power lurking about.

Lord Zuko did raises a good point to him. He never even though of living accommodations since this was literally the first time he's ever been homeless. Thankfully, the old man solved that issue rather quickly. "You wouldn't mind? At least, until my family gets here?"

Edited 2014-10-10 01:40 (UTC)

"Unfortunately, that's out of the question while this barrier is in place. And just because they have a motive doesn't mean they'd possess the power to do so." Not even Zaheer, for all his spiritual enlightenment, could do anything like this, and probably wouldn't want to. He believed in freedom above all, even if his notion of freedom was taken to the utmost extreme.

"Oh no, of course I wouldn't mind. It would be wrong to leave you to fend for yourself in a place you're not familiar with." Finding someone willing to be the guardian of a boy claiming to be from another world might prove... difficult, but he's sure some arrangement can be made. Republic City is a very large place, after all.

Then the first thing they needed to do was take this barrier down if they wanted to find answers. "Maybe we should ask that avatar person to help with this than. Someone else mentioned her and if she's that powerful she might be able to break it." After all, that's what saviours/heroes do. They break evil spells and barriers.

It puts a smile to his face when Zuko does say that they would make sure he wouldn't be left on his own. Since handshakes seem to be the obvious foreign thing in this world, Henry tries to mimic the bow gesture Lord Zuko gave earlier. Too bad, his he's clutching both hands together. "Thanks, Lord Zuko and I'll try and do what I can to help figure out how to take this barrier down."

"If the Avatar is in any position to help, I'm sure she will," he replies. But given how badly she had been injured... he's not so sure it will be that easy. They might have to find a solution without the Avatar, this time.

"You are welcome," he says, returning the bow. He doesn't point out that he got it a little wrong; he's sure he'll pick it up eventually. "It's kind of you to worry about our world's problems, even though you have plenty of concerns of your own. If I can help you in return to find a way to return home and solve this entire mess, I certainly will."

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Welcome to Republic City!

im sort of not sorry?

never be sorry

oh good

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You don't have to go into too much detail, we can handwave the explainations

o7

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