breezing | eleventh whirlwind. VIDEO/ACTION. BACKDATED TO THE 3RD.

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eleventh whirlwind. VIDEO/ACTION. BACKDATED TO THE 3RD.

[ Welcome to a clearing a little ways away from House 56. This is the Airbending Gates clearing, and they're sort of visible in the background. There's a few trees, too, and the one nearest Ikki has Soren in it. Ikki's sitting crosslegged, a box on the ground in front of her. Her journal's propped up against something - a rock? It's just not clear - to leave her hands free.

After she's sure the thing is on, she grins. ]

Hey! This is Ikki! I'd say you know that already but you might not because I don't know everyone and anyway it's New Feather season so there are probably lots of people I don't know. I guess those people don't have to listen to this because I dunno if they'd care although I'll answer questions if they want? Oh, not that ANYONE has to listen to this but I mean I know I listen to things that look most interesting to me and this might not look like that to some people. [ As always, this is all in one breath. Her mile-a-minute chatter has yet to change. ]

Anyway! Guess what?? Tomorrow? Is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL ...Not that I mind school, Sifu Raine, Sifu Layton! But that means every day I'll be free! Well except in mornings with grandpa and then sometimes with Rapunzel and Lee and the art club and you know everything else I do but it's still pretty great! I think I'm allowed to be excited about it because that's what you DO when school gets out, right? I mean I never went to a proper one at home because I learned from Daddy at the Island but I talked to some of the kids from the City and I think that's what you do. Oh, and the day after tomorrow is Katara's birthday, which is also pretty exciting! Everyone should say hello to her then, okay?

[ Another pause for breath. Surprisingly, she does actually have to breathe. ...Today is a year since arrival, and apparently that means... ] Today I'm going to share something special with you all. [ That's said as though she's telling a secret, although this isn't at all filtered. ] The secret is inside this box! This box was something Katara and I got, last year. A long time ago! Inside it are very, very special things! Normally I don't show ANYONE it, because that's how you keep secrets, but I'll show you all today. These are my treasures!

...That is, I'll show you if you ask! And then, if you ask, I'll tell you about one of my treasures that you get to see. You have to pick one! And if you pick the RIGHT one, I'll give you a present. [ Because apparently this is a game? Yes, that seems to be the case. ] If you don't get it right, then you don't get a prize!

Oh, and if you're new and listened to all that, you should drop by the school on the fourteenth, 'cause that's the next Art Club meeting and we're always recruiting!

[ Ikki can be contacted about her treasures either in person near the gates or via video. GOOD LUCK, anyone who wants to play guessing games with seven year old children. ]

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[ So she's still enemies with the air gates, but Korra is intrigued by Ikki's treasure game and the promise of presents if she wins. She saunters over, hands behind her head. ]

Alright, I'll play. [ She sits down cross-legged next to Ikki. ]

[ GOOD, KORRA. Though you realize these are presents as made by a child...?

Ikki grins at the older girl anyway. ]

Okaaaaaay! But it's tough, you know? You get to pick one, and if you're right...then you get a prize and a story! If you're wrong, you just get a story.

Ready? [ Just let her arrange things...There.

And she opens up the box! ...To a collection of miscellaneous items that make nearly no sense without context. Some of it is in fact rubbish by most standards. A bit of torn gold paper, which seems to be a candy wrapper; a torn piece of a bag from the bakery, with the logo on it; a pop tab; a red and orange paper flower; a sheet of notes that seem to mostly involve fractions, with tally marks and doodles; a strand of beads, with four significant beads in particular; a bit of wire the length of a finger, curled up; a small white shell; a piece of blue sea glass; what appears to be one of the small wind-up figures from the cultural festival, garbed in a tiny blue outfit; an origami rabbit; two folded paper birds; various halloween-themed stickers; beneath all of it is a crayon picture, not drawn by Ikki herself. There are dozens more little keepsakes in there, but those are the most obvious ones, nearest the top and visible. ]

[ Presents are presents, okay.

She peers into the box, appraising the items in there. ]

Okay, I'm ready. Uhh...how about the beads?

Right!!!!!

[ SORT OF, anyway, but she will let it pass. ]

Are you ready to hear your story? And I'll give you the prize in a second.

Yes!

[ Prize second? Aww... ]

Yeah, okay, tell me your story.

Once upon a time - [ Because that is how all stories start. She's learned that here! ] - there was a little girl who lived on an island with her family. On this island there was a temple - or really the whole island was a temple. It'd been made a long time before she was ever born by her grandpa and his friends, so that she and her daddy and her mommy and all the nomads they lived with would have a place to live and grow.

It's called an island and it is but really it was in a harbor and the mainland was right there. And what was also there was anther island. The little girl and her family could see it from their home, and it was a huuuuuuuge memorial statue. Once when she was learning how to ride a glider they flew over to it even though daddy said we're not supposed to play on the statue and to get down from his daddy's face, but that's not this story.

That statue was of the little girl's grandpa, who she hadn't got to meet on account of there was a new Avatar before she was ever born. But he was everywhere on the island 'cause he built it, and everywhere in the city 'cause he and his friends helped build that, too. But even though that was true, whenever the little girl's uncle and aunt and daddy and grangran would tell her and her sister and brother stories about him, or when her sister would read stories to her at night, she still wanted to meet him someday.

And then one day she woke up somewhere different! After a lot of other stuff that really doesn't matter right now 'cause that'd take FOREVER and long stories can be BORING sometimes. The place she woke up was sunny instead of cold like grangran's place, and she was near a fountain, so she did the smart thing and played in it! And when she was playing in it, she bent air 'cause that's how you play 'cause it's fun.

When she bent the air someone else saw her and came over, and although she thought he was an actor at first on account of everything, she figured he was her spirit guide after he said who he was, and he took her home and got her an apple and took care of her for a long time!

These beads are from one of those times, when she had nightmares about... [ Urgh. She still doesn't like talking about that, even though there's been a year of memories not related to Amon. ] ...stuff that happened to her at home. And when she heard about someone she knew dying. And he said as long as she had them on, they'd keep her safe.

[ The serious look fades into a grin. ]

And they have! He has. And that's the story about the prayer beads, and grandpa and me.

Although...there's another story in that story! Because even though grandpa wasn't someone I had ever met, once upon a time, before last year...I did get to meet the other Avatar. The one after grandpa. And she came and lived with us, after she finished her training, and lots of things happened...

...but she was like a big sister, and I think she still is! But I think you know that one, right?

[ Korra grins as she listens to the story, her smile turning more and more genuine as it goes on. Thinking about home makes her a little misty-eyed, let alone when Ikki calls her a big sister. She reaches out to muss the other's hair, chuckling quietly. ]

Yeah, I do. It's a pretty good one, though. [ She wasn't expecting Ikki's story to get to her like this, but she's feeling nostalgic and slightly homesick. ] Can I tell you a story now?

Yeah, of course! I love stories.

Alright. I'm not as good of a storyteller as you, but I'll give it my all, okay?

[ She leans back on her palms. ] Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived at the south pole. At first she was just a normal kid, but then her parents found out she could bend not just water like they thought, but earth and fire, too. She was the new Avatar, and so when she was old enough, she lived in a special compound where she could be watched and trained all the time.

She didn't like it. Well - she liked the training part, but not the always-being-watched part. But every now and again, something exciting would happen. A family of airbenders would come from the big city to visit their gran-gran, and Korra got to meet them, too. At first...she was nervous, because her being around meant that their grandpa wasn't anymore.

[ Her gaze flickers carefully to Ikki. ]

But they became her friends anyway, and she had so much fun when they were there that she was sad when they had to go home again.

Then, one day, she got to go live on their island in the big city with them. You know that part, I think. [ A chuckle. ] Some bad things happened, and then she ended up in a strange new place with wings. She was pretty scared at first, because nothing seemed real and she left some important things unfinished at home. Not only that, but she missed the airbenders from the island. A lot. Even the daddy.

But then she found out that one of those airbenders was here, and she got really happy, because even though she was in this crazy new place, it was like part of her was home again.

[ Ikki listens quietly, although she grins at the parts about herself - and, at the end, leans over to hug Korra around the waist as they sit there. ]

You're a part of home to me, too, Korra. ...And I miss them a lot, but I'm glad you're here.

I'm glad you're here, too. [ Her smile stays soft as she pats Ikki on the back. ]

Just do me one favor, okay?

Sure, anything!

[ A pause. ]

Um, unless it's against the house rules.

It's not. [ Korra chuckles. ] If your dad ever shows up...don't tell him I missed him, okay?

...Why not? But okay, if you say so.

Just do it, okay?

Okay, okay, fiiiiine. I won't tell daddy you missed him, even though you did!!

...I do, too.

Then he better hurry up and get here, don't you think?

Yeah! And...and mommy and Meelo and Jinora and Rohan.

Right. All of them, too.

Good!

...If you could go home, would you?

[ That's...kind of a question out of the blue. Her first instinct is to say yes, but it's not that simple. ]

Yeah, I would. But only if I didn't have to leave you guys behind.

[ It isn't, but Ikki grins. ]

Me too! I don't want to leave anyone behind. I miss everyone, but...I'd miss everyone here, too.

...If I remembered.

...Yeah. If you remembered.

[ Which if what they heard was true, they wouldn't. ]

I don't want to forget them all.

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eleventh whirlwind. VIDEO/ACTION. BACKDATED TO THE 3RD.

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