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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[She has no doubt in Ikki's ability to make it from anywhere to the smithy in five minutes. However, she is still busy with a project and so there is a wrapped box on her front display counter, tagged "Ikki", with a piece of paper taped to it that says "go ahead I'll be out soon".]

[ Well, there's only one thing to do when faced with a box with your name and that sort of note on it.

Open it!! ]

[Inside the box is another piece of paper that reads "fragile!" (not in Raven's handwriting) and, under that, a miniature brushed-metal Toothless, with stones for his eyes and teeth, about a foot long and half that tall. Long ago, once, it was going to be a surprise for Hiccup. Then he left. It wasn't working out anyway, so she redid the designs and tried again.

Now it's a present for Ikki.]

[ The "fragile!" makes Ikki pause and take out the statuette carefully.

She recognizes Toothless immediately, from memory, and her eyes widen even as she handles it carefully, turning it this way and that. ]

This is...

[By now Raven's standing there, blushing and looking awkward.]

It's for you.

[ Aw, Raven. Ikki will carefully put the dragon back in the box, and the box back on the counter, before running over to give the older girl a hug. ]

Thank you! I love it so much!

[The hug is a complete surprise. Raven stands there like a board for a little while before carefully putting her arms around Ikki in return. Everything about it is stiff, though.]

I'm...glad you like it.

[ It's okay, Raven. She'll let you go after a little, bouncing. ]

How'd you make it??

[She snorts.] By making a lot of mistakes first. I'm not much of a sculptor.

I think it turned out perfect. And...is this what you were drawing in the club, that one time?

Yes. That was...the second try.

I really like it! It's perfect. And...it's just like Toothless.

It is Toothless. [A very small and not alive Toothless. Raven looks at the box and the longing shows on her face.] I miss him.

I miss them both, too. Hiccup...made us the gates. And he was really nice.

He worked on those for a long time. [She remembers touching them, one day when he wasn't at work, running her fingers around the symbols and wondering at their meanings.] What are they for?

They're for practice! Training! You send them spinning with a blast of air, and then...you're supposed to get through without touching any, or getting thrown out. They're for airbenders, like grandpa and Korra and I.

...grandpa hadn't seen any in a long time, so I wanted them for a present for him.

[Giant spinning metal pillars that you go through without touching them...?

Raven is glad to have not trained this way.]

Weren't you here to play some kind of game?

I was!!! I brought my treasure box with me. Do you want to play?

I'll try.

[She can't resist the chance to play and win a thing.]

[ Ikki retrieves her treasure box. ]

Okay! I'm going to open this up and show you my treasures...and you have to pick one! If you pick the right one, you win! If not, I'll still tell you a story.

[ 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 bit of wire the length of a finger, curled up; a small white shell; a piece of blue sea glass; an origami rabbit; two folded paper birds; various halloween-themed stickers; a crayon image of two people, accompanied by two not-people; 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. ]

You can look at any of them more closely before you pick, if you want.

[Raven looks at Ikki's things the way she often looks at her own - with her fingers. Moving some aside, turning them over in the box, and revealing after a moment a crayon picture of-

Her? Or someone with enough red hair to look like her. Raven's free hand touches the back of her head as if to say is it that bad before she pulls out the drawing entirely.]

This is... [With a curious frown.] Us?

[ A grin immediately forms on Ikki's face. ]

Yep! It's you and me and Soren and Kyle!

[ Closer inspection reveals Ikki and Raven are holding hands (...or at least the circle-y things attached to their arms are overlapped) while Soren is on Ikki's side and Kyle is on Raven's. ]

See?

[There aren't many words for the expression on Raven's face. Touched, maybe. To her knowledge, no one's ever drawn her anything, let alone something...of friendship.]

I like it.

[ Ikki bounces. ]

You can have it as your prize, if you want. I drew it for you.

I don't want to take something of yours. Something precious. [It's touching that Ikki would even think to give that to her, though.]

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