koiwamizuiro | 1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

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1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

[A quiet and peaceful slumber after a long, tiring day in high school for Ai Nanasaki ended up with her waking up in the middle of a forest, her body on the ground surrounded by leaves. Not that she thought she was waking up at first, but that she was in the middle of an odd dream, rather. A particularly vivid one.

It was a bit cold - certainly colder than her room had been - and her body didn't feel as relaxed as it did on the comfy mattress. And she was lying on something else other than the ground.

As Ai leaned forward, her eyes inspected her surroundings curiously, her head feeling a bit dizzy. It resembled the hill her grandfather owned, but... there was something off about it. She wasn't on the route she usually took, either - there wasn't one to begin with.

Still feeling something on her back, she reached over her shoulder and touched what felt like a wing. Also, she seemed to be wearing a peculiar white sundress and not the pyjamas she had gone to bed with.]

Huh...

[This was so strange. And it felt real. It didn't feel like a dream.

Ai continued turning her head around, and it wasn't until her gaze landed on a book right beside her when she stopped doing so.

The girl reached out and inspected both covers of the peculiar object with curiosity in her eyes.

Standing up with the book in her hands, she opened it up, trying to make sense of what was happening. But what was inside of it just seemed to confuse her even more at that point.]

Where am I...?

[Her voice sounded as confused as it could be. It was a good question. And why did it feel like she had wings on her back?]

(OOC: Ai will be walking around the forest while inspecting the book, trying to either find anyone who could help explain what was going on or a sign of civilization. You can catch her there.)

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[Soft chuckle.] ...You are cute.

[Aww. Despite this looking a bit unearthly to her, and even though she was still full of questions as to what was exactly was happening to her, Ai still reached out with her hand to pet the animal. She couldn't quite resist, and a smile formed on her lips in response to its eagerness and friendliness.

It looked like a cat, that was what mattered - and Ai loved cats.

As she eyed it up and down, she was starting to get the feeling that this wasn't a stray or wild animal. The one thing that eluded her was the lack of a collar.]

...I wonder where your owner could be?

[What she wondered more, though, was what was going on and whether she would ever find a way out of this desolate forest - wherever it was. Maybe finding this animal's master would be the first step to getting answers to her questions, assuming that there was somebody who owned it.]

Some sort of magic, no doubt. [But who cares. He'll figure it out eventually, see it through, kill them, all sorts of stuff like that. For now, no, he just grunts and makes his way to the next snare, crouches, and goes to mess with it]

I don't know if there's a reason for anything here. I haven't been here very long yet. There could be. [ But she doubts it, and that comes through in her voice.

They've reached the edge of the forest. A settlement is in view close by. Twilight gestures with a hoof. ] Well... welcome to your home away from home. Until we can find a way to leave, that is.

[He's silent for a moment. In a way, he had tried that - just to refuse. That's why he ran away. But his being gone all that time, in a way that was the root of his world's problems.]

You could try to choose that. But people can still try to make you live up to that responsibility. After all... there's only one Avatar at a time. No one else can do that job.

A-and I still have another year left before I'm that age. But... I was kinda called to do it earlier than usual.

[Rei let the girl dig through the clothes, taking a moment to look for new things for herself. She grabbed up a pair of warm looking socks and poked through bins to see if there was anything nice, but nothing really caught her eye.]

You'll find that is pretty common. If it's yours, take it.

[There was nothing he could do more than a mere attempt to escape from that responsibility, then. At least he seemed to have accepted his role now, but she imagined that he's had a hard time doing that - she sure would, in his case.]

Accepting such a fate must have been hard on you. If it is for the good of the world... I guess would have come to terms with it eventually if I had to assume such a role. It would be... really overwhelming, though.

[Just Ai she suspected, he was younger, so his answer did not surprise her, but still left her curious.]

Why were you called earlier? Had something gone wrong in your world?

[And Ai did take what she could get her hands on, finding with surprise that even her yellow coat was here, her eyes widening at the sight. So some of her possessions had been transported here, as well. Wasting no time taking it, she immediately put it on - taking extra care not to hurt her wings in any way in the process, having read about the importance of keeping them intact already.

She noticed some other things that looked appealing - several other tops and jackets in particular, but she did want to rush into taking anything else that wasn't an outright necessity right now. It looked like she would have plenty of time to make another visit here soon anyway.

Soon, she approached Rei with a smile on her face, and sighed a bit.]

I have what I need, Hino-san.

[Ai would be intimidated if she could read Garrosh's thoughts, but she already had a vague idea of how a potential encounter between Garrosh and the Malnosso would go. Right now, she could only be glad that the orc was on her side.

She closed her book and followed Garrosh to the next snare and watched him as he messed with it, tilting her head to the side curiously, saying nothing for a while. That didn't mean she stopped wondering, though, and she eventually decided to ask her question.]

Are you providing for the village, Mr. Hellscream?

[Despite cultural differences, he was still clearly older than her - the safest bet was to address him like she just did, as strange as it sounded coming from her mouth.]

[Despite Twilight's doubts, Ai still believed that there was some sort of selection method when it came to the people transported to Luceti. However, she had no idea as to what it could be.

Maybe she would think about this some more later, as her eyes saw the first signs of a settlement in this world. Finally, the village was in front of them.]

Thank you.

[She nodded Twilight's way, her smile showing her appreciation for her help escorting her here.]

Will there be a place for me to stay somewhere here?

Alright then. I can show you to the Welcome Center and someone there can help you find a place to live.

[She's glad, at least, that Ai seems to be practical. It goes a long way in her book, particularly among girls her own age. The Senshi aside, she's not fond of most of her peers.

So, socks in hand, she leads Ai next door to the center...to start her Luceti life.]

It was hard. And... it took me a while before I really accepted it. Because I had to.

And that's why I had to be called early - there was gonna be a war. I needed to stop it, but... I messed up instead. [He said with a sagging of his shoulders. Talking about this was easier ever since his first talk with Katara, but there was still some difficulty in it, in admitting to his failures.]

[Ai tilted her head a bit in wonder at the boy's sorrowful expression and the sadness in his words to her. What he was saying sounded awful - and he was the one who had to be responsible for such a large-scale issue. She had only just met him, but she couldn't help but want to reassure him a bit.]

I do not think many people this young would be able to even accept the position of the Avatar, much less deal with a war...

[She was about to address him at the end of her sentence when she remembered that she didn't even know his name at this point. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise, realizing that she had been rude not to introduce herself.]

I-I am sorry. I do not know your name, and I did not give you mine. I am Ai Nanasaki.

[A slight bow of her head followed as she crossed her arms.]

There should be! There's plenty of open houses, and everything's free. No bits needed here.

[ She spreads her wings again. ] I should get back to the library. I need to reshelve the reading room today. But you can come visit me anytime, Ai!

[To hear that everything was free was certainly surprising, but Ai wasn't going to complain. It was unfortunate enough that she was taken from her world to have her remain homeless in Luceti now.

She then bowed a little in the alicorn's direction appreciatively.]

Thank you for escorting me, Ms. Twilight.

[A library sounded like a place she would eventually check out; seeing as she might want to keep up with the studies she was interested in. That is, if there were any books on those subjects here.]

Of course! If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. I'm right here anytime.

[ She indicates her own journal by levitating it. Then she flaps her way into the sky and away towards the village square. ]

[Providing...] I intend to ensure the village can provide for itself come spring. For now, I'm feeding myself. [This one has a rabbit. Good. He plucks the dead animal out and puts it in a little bag at hsis waist. He'll skin it and get it ready back at his house, but it does make him grin as he gets to work resetting the trap]

[Ai had to wonder what was available in the village they would go to soon, and whether there was any food they could spare for her... Having been wandering for as long as she had, the girl would inevitably get hungry soon.

The sight of the dead rabbit was not pleasant for her, however, as she looked away for a minute. One of her hands nervously tucked a hair behind her ear in the meantime.]

You... mentioned there were a lot of resources in the village that we are given by the Malnosso, however, Mr. Hellscream. Doesn't that include food?

[Maybe he wouldn't have to be doing this if the rations there were adequately stocked consistently.]

It does, but I am not a sheep. [With a snort as he finishes resetting the trap. He glances back at her, and he doesn't exactly feel sympathy, but he does acknowledge she's been in that sundress for a while and it is cold. If she dies, it's no skin off his back, but he's mildly impressed at how little she's complained back there. He stands decides only one more trap before he goes back.

As he sets off towards it though-] The enemy provides arms, armor, clothing, foods, and conveniences. And the village accepts it all.

[Ai could take the cold some more even if she would've preferred to be somewhere much warmer - and she felt safer being around the orc than wandering in the woods on her own again. She was certainly shivering from time to time, but she was not going to complain until it got unbearable.

Her eyes widened a bit at Garrosh's response in surprise, and she proceeded to think it through while she followed silently, and specifically what she would say. She did not want to anger him, but neither did she want to just drop the subject.]

...Do you not see it as taking advantage instead, Mr. Hellscream? You can use all of these things against the Malnosso... I mean, you could benefit from the energy that every convenience they give provides, make use of their weapons to fight them...

[Perhaps, if the Malnosso were eventually defeated, the fact that they had provided their prisoners with so much would be their undoing. The arms and armor, for one thing, could make all the difference for those who could use them. Of course, Ai wasn't among them, but maybe people like Garrosh...]

[Oh, that was just what the animal wanted, and he let her know with a purr that approximated the sound of a small motor as he leaned his head into the patting. It may have been a cat, but its behavior was most certainly reminiscent of one.

When Ai spoke, it tilted its head up towards her and let out another chirp, almost as if trying to answer. The real answer would appear just a few moments after her question, however, in the form of a blond boy calling out for his pet.]

Sial? Where did you run off to this time? Don't tell me you're bothering the rabbits again...

If that village weren't dependent on those supplies, perhaps. Orcs take no pride in being the slaves of their enemies, at their beck and call and eating their food as if they were sucking on their mother's teet.

[With a... snarl. He says this all surprisingly evenly though. Like he knew this sort of thing was going to come up as soon as he said what he did about the situation]

...I do not think using these supplies necessarily means that you accept your role as a slave... Maybe that is the Malnosso's mistake, I mean. They may be giving us all these things to make us forget we are actually prisoners and have us be content with the situation, I think...

[Ai could understand Garrosh's reasoning and why it may have been the way it was, which was another reason she didn't want to sound accusatory or condescending, instead being careful with everything she said to him. She didn't detect any hostile intentions from the orc even if he disagreed, which gave her confidence to continue. If she made him frustrated, then the wisest move would be to back off.]

...If you are locked in a cage, for example, and if you are given a means to pick the lock somehow in a way that your captors didn't think of... will you not wait for an opportune time to try to escape?

[In a scenario like that, Ai'd certainly be scared and her heartbeat would be beating so very rapidly, but it would still be a potential way out if she thought it would work...]

[And the purr that the cute animal let out just made Ai melt, her smile widening as she continued to pet it. The sounds it gave out were peculiar, but they were adorable nonetheless.

The girl stopped, however, as soon as she heard the boy's voice, clearly approaching their position. So that would be the owner, quite possibly, and the animal's name would be Sial, apparently.

She stood up and narrowed her eyes in the direction of the sound, seeing the first signs of a person nearing her between a couple of the trees around her. Her hand was rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke with her voice raised a bit.]

Um... hello? I think I found your pet...

[He listens to this. He actually listens and internalizes it, despite it being a small human girl. But all the same, there's one problem with that-]

Until the village controls its production, that can't be used to its potential. [And he snorts at that, moving over towards the next snare, going on with] It is their mistake, but it is a mistake of their village not to exploit it.

I wonder if that's for the better, then... It'd be like waking up from a dream if they did, since I don't think we'd be able to keep these wings and all.

[Waking up from it like a dream... That sounds pretty pleasant.]

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1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

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let's ignore that I did that last comment from the wrong character journal X(

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I'M SO SORRY I MISSED THIS