Avatar: Gemini Rocks

Hello all, and welcome to AVATAR: GEMINI ROCKS. As I informed most of you last month, this is a reboot of an old Avatar roleplay that took place on site.

In order to participate in this roleplay, you need to post a character here <---click it

The Story: Avatar Korra's life has ended. Everyone knows that this means the Avatar has reincarnated, and the next step in the cycle is Earth. The Earth Kingdom looked forward to having their new Avatar; their last Avatar was Avatar Kyoshi, and she, well... she had a less than stellar reputation to some in the Earth Kingdom and disciples of history. And when the time finally came that the Earth Kingdom would be able to determine who the Avatar was, two infants were stolen from their cradles. Search parties were sent out, but these babies were never found, and presumed dead.

As time wore on, and no Avatar was found, suspicions began rising at war tables. Surely one of the two infants from the Earth Kingdom were the Avatar that the world had been searching for.

It was the Fire Nation! After Avatar Roku had died previous, Fire Lord Sozin immediately began mobilizing his forces to seize the next Avatar in the Air Temples, and he started the 100 Year War that Avatar Aang became famous for ending. Perhaps their thirst for power had arisen once again, and they were planning to scorch the earth once more, this time with a trained and disciplined Avatar on their side!

Or maybe it was the Air Nomads! Recently populated again in the last century by the actions of Avatar Korra, perhaps they wished to tuck away the Avatar so that they could be properly defended in case any nation decided to do what the Fire Nation did 200 years ago! After all, there were no witnesses to the crime, and everyone knows airbenders are crafty!

Perhaps the Water Tribes then! Perhaps they've grown tired of being isolated in their icy poles, and they kidnapped the Avatar so that they could claim more land! Maybe they grew used to having an Avatar in Korra; and they don't want to fade away from the spotlight!

Or maybe it's been under our noses all along! The Earth Kingdom is hiding the Avatar so that they will have them all to themselves and bolster their already impressive military power! Maybe they didn't trust any of the other nations to begin with and they're the reason tensions are so high!

With everyone pointing fingers and not knowing what to make of each other, the world inevitably fell into war once again.

---

Fifteen years have passed. For fifteen years, the nations have been at war with each other, and the world has grown cold. A world that had never intended for another war to happen had committed all of their resources to clean energy solutions, resulting in vibrant, beautiful cities that appeared to be one at nature. But none of this research yielded anything for war efforts. A war so soon after one so brutal and lasting does little for the general morale of the people.

But then, hope.

The Sages of each nation have all revealed something interesting to each nation, and all of the Sages agree: an ancient artifact is about to awaken. A millennium ago, the earth was struck by a meteor. And an Avatar, unnamed at this point in history, had to quell all the natural disasters that resulted from it. The meteor displaced the atmosphere so that tornadoes and monsoons were formed. Its blaze from entry in the earth's atmosphere ignited forest fires. Cataclysmic earthquakes were felt from hundreds of miles away. Tsunamis, several hundred feet high and traveling at the speed of sound were sent to ravage the world. But somehow, through whatever means, the Avatar was able to prevent these apocalyptic event of nature.

This is where the story becomes unclear. The Avatar apparently uncovered an item, whose shape is disputed, but is believed to be an amulet comprised of each of the four elements. And their powers were magnificently amplified by it. Wondrous powers of creation- and destruction- are rumored to be bestowed upon the Avatar by this amulet. But within that same century, it was sealed away again in an unknown location. The Avatar took that secret with them to their grave.

But, the story also has a prophecy. This amulet is going to appear again, and the prophecy says that the Avatar will be drawn to it.

An emergency ceasefire has taken place, and a meeting has been called in Republic City as neutral ground for each nation to talk and discuss a solution. And what to do with this coming mythical item. Each nation has been requested to show up with their leaders, some of their counsel, and their most skilled benders. The proposal?

An adventure.

Two young men sat in the back of a limousine on opposite seats. One man with black hair, and one with white. They were the Fire Nation royalty. The black haired man with golden, amber eyes was Fire Lord Asura. He had inherited the title from his father when he had retired, and had led the nation well for many years now. Across from him was his brother by strife, Hikoutei. The prince was avoiding eye contact, gazing out the window at the setting sun as it tucked itself under the mountain ranges. He felt like he had spoken out of place earlier that day.

The meeting had originally gone very swimmingly. But slowly yet surely, the hostile nature of four nations at war and already tired of it were rising. The nation's leaders, including his brother, were throwing accusations at each other and the glimmer of hope that Hikoutei was given, spurned by a message from his legendary grandfather, seemed like it was going to be snuffed out. Which prompted Hikoutei to stand and speak up. "Our people are tired!" That had gotten everyone's attention for the moment. He was the Fire Nation Prince, and there he was, speaking over his brother the Fire Lord. Perhaps they thought he was going to be reprimanded in some way. Stereotypes did take a long time to melt away, didn't they? "We are in an age of clean, renewable energy! Our economies and quality of life should be booming! But we're all spitting accusations at each other after fifteen years of war, while our people are suffering!" His fist hit the table in desperation as he made his case. Guards in the room tensed, hands on their weapons. But he was firm. "Every one of us needs the Avatar. The entire world does. Every time I look at our people, I see broken spirits with no hope. We should be making this world a paradise, but we're bickering and killing each other. The Sages have spoken. The amulet is supposed to resurface and call the Avatar to it. Even if a nation has been harboring the Avatar and keeping them from us... we will find them, along with the amulet."

"We should send officials from our nations to find the both of them and settle all of this. Send our soldiers home to their families. We can't keep this up forever. I know it. I can see it in all of your faces. It's the same look I see on my brother Asura's face each day that he has to strategise and kill more of your nation's people. And in turn send in our people to be killed by yours." He looked to the leaders of each nation. "Put a stop to this. The nations have been at war for far too long. Ozai made enough war for the fill of all generations ahead."

"Our people are tired. Enough is enough."

"I'm not mad at you Hiko."

Hikoutei turned to face Asura from his seat by the window. "You're not?"

"Come on. You only spoke what we've all been thinking." Asura was being honest with him. ]"I'm actually very proud of you, in contrast."

Hikoutei processed what he said and then smiled lightly, looking back out at the setting sun again. "Thanks... I just hope they listened."

Asura looked out the window at the sight as well, sighing lightly. "Yeah... me too."

---

The nations had called a ceasefire, and the world was quiet for a week. Only the Fire Nation had been agreed with Prince Hikoutei's proposal. But then, the Earth kingdom signed on as well. And the two other nations fell in line soon after. The world rejoiced! Soldiers came home to their families, and enjoyed peace, for now. But if the Avatar wasn't found soon, things might fall apart again...

The next day, Asura saw his brother off to Republic City. He gave him supplies and his sword that he was fond of, and warm wishes for a good hunt. The representatives from each nation were to head to Republic City to be stocked up and sent on their way to search... wherever they wanted. The ceasefire would hold until the Avatar was found, so they were free to travel to each nation.

"Be safe, brother." He put his fist forward to Hikoutei.

"Who, me? You know me better." He connected his fist with Asura's, showing solidarity between the brothers by strife.

"Here. Take this." He took a ring from his finger, and offered it to Hikoutei.

Hikoutei would look at it in incredulity. "But... but this is your signet ring. I'm not blood. I can't take this."

Asura gave him an offended expression. "Hiko... that's never mattered to me. Besides, you're borrowing it. I want it back when you return."

Hikoutei frowned at Asura, but after a moment of silence, he slipped it on. It fit perfectly. "...thank you."

"Now remember. You'll lose any authority once you leave the Fire Nation. I'm not sure if any other princes or princesses are participating, but it's only fair you don't have the support of a nation at your back. Otherwise this becomes a competition."

Hikoutei nodded, and got onto Fafnir. Patting his side. "I'll see you when this is over." And with that, he first headed into the slums. He needed to get somebody.

The knock came to her door suddenly. He had dismounted his mongoose lizard Fafnir and he was waiting out in the street for him. He waited for Railana to show herself. Or maybe he'd finally meet these parents of hers. He wasn't wearing a suit this time around, he was wearing pretty casual clothes. Some denim and a leather jacket with combat boots.

Railana had started her day early, before either of her parents were awake. She recited her daily mantras and cooked breakfast for everyone. She then packed a lunch for both herself and the tutor that was scheduled for today. Firebending aaaaand... History. Cool. She left her parents a note so that they would know where she was in case they needed her for anything. The girl knew it was pointless but she did it every day. Just in case.

When she got to the beach and met up with her tutor, she smiled and bowed as always. The day started with her History lesson before moving onto Firebending. She had created a bond with each of her tutors and was known to be a hard worker. Her grades and attendance had improved greatly since they had started teaching her and Hikotei was sure to hear of it from them. By the time that he was knocking on her door, she was sitting down for lunch finally.

A worn-out looking man with black hair and dark circles under his brown eyes answered the door. Was this the correct address? He blinked and narrowed his eyes for a minute before looking around at the mongoose lizard and then back at the boy in front of him. "Who are ya and waddaya want here? Ya look like that white haired prince. But no way he'd be here. Waddaya want??" His eyes narrowed more as he stared up at Hikotei, not an ounce of friendliness in his voice.

Before the boy could answer, there was another voice coming closer from the back of the house. "Who isit Mokam?? What do they want??" She came to the door and narrowed her eyes as well. Her hair was a dull black with gray strands throughout. Neither of them looked anything like Railana. She looked the boy up and down and blinked. "We ain't interested in whatever you're sellin' or whatever." She tried to close the door on him.

Hikoutei was indeed finally going to meet Railana's parents, it seemed. But they were skeptical of his identity, even with his ghost white hair and familiar image. When Railana's mother tried to slam the door in his face, he put his boot between the door and the frame, stopping it and then kicking it open again. "And because you don't know whether I'm Prince Hikoutei or not, you risk slamming the door in the Crown Prince's face?"

He held up his hand, showing them the signet ring of Fire Lord Asura. It had been a well known royal symbol for a few generations now. "How's this?" He gave them a moment or two to examine the ring and come to their senses, before tucking his hands back into his pockets. "I'm here on official business for Fire Lord Asura. I'm sorry if stopping you from shutting your door offended you." He looked at them for a few moments longer, his expression softening a bit as he tried to be nice. "You gonna invite me in? I've wanted to meet you both for a little while."

Both of the parents blinked when he kicked the door in... and it fell off its hinges. Mokam narrowed his eyes at the boy and pointed his finger at him. "You owe us a new door whoever ya are!!" He pouted and tsked at the state of the door.

When Hikotei showed them the ring, Umoko took his hand and looked at it first before Mokam joined her. They came to the realization at the same time and went wide eyed, falling to their knees before him. Umoko spoke first. "We apologize your highness!! If we had known who ya were we wouldn't've shut the door in yer face!!"

But Mokam had a response to that and looked at his wife harshly. "We ain't did nothin'!! It was you woman that offended the Prince!!"

"Well I wouldn't've done it if'n you hadn't disrespected 'im first!!"

They went at it for a few more moments until he asked if they were going to invite him in. Umoko went wide eyed and stood up, brushing the dirt from her skirt. "O'course! O'course! Prince Hikotei! In my own home! Come in..." She would lead him in and he would witness first hand the flea bitten, rat infested, run down state of Railana's home.

Mokam followed them both inside and put the door back in place. "Why is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation in our home though?" He asked, sincerely confused. Umoko meanwhile went to make tea.

He looked between the both of them as they had started arguing, sighing lightly as he put a hand through his hair. His royal decorum was wearing thin. "Listen, listen. It's really not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be. I just have a big day ahead of me," he said. His sword was at his hip, but he was usually seen with it. And, well... he didn't really trust the neighborhood he was in to not steal it off of Fafnir to make a buck.

He stepped inside the home over the broken door, frowning down to it. "And yeah, I'll have it fixed. Sorry." He looked at the state of squalor they were living in. No wonder Railana didn't let him inside last time. He even saw a rat, his hand going to his sword. "It looks like you guys aren't able to enjoy our shining city either..." he remarked lightly.

He looked to the two of them. "I'm here to call on Railana. With your permission, I'd like to take her with me on official business." He would stand, not sitting. "Railana is... really bright. Smart. And a talented firebender. You two ought to be very proud of her." He noticed another rat and his expression became sour. He turned to the two of them again. "But... what is work like for you? I can't help but notice the state of your home. Have you lost your jobs?"

The parents blinked at each other when he said that he was here to call on Railana. It looked as if it took them a second to register that name in their brains. Mokam looked back to the boy with suspicion and narrowed his eyes once more. "Our daughter? How do ya know Railana? What business would ya have with the likes of her?" The man crossed his arms and looked Hikotei up and down. He obviously had not heard anything about him from his daughter or, if he had, he hadn't been listening.

Umoko took a few more moments to think before gasping. "I think I remember that girl talkin' 'bout ya before... I thought she had ta be lyin'!!" The woman smacked her head and then blinked. "...Didn't that girl leave a note er somethin' this mornin'... Now where did I see that..." She went off to the kitchen.

If Hikotei looked around some more, he would notice something that Railana had said before. There were pictures of a young boy everywhere. On the walls, on the tables. Everywhere. And they were the only things in good condition. Pictures of just the boy. Pictures of the boy with his smiling parents. But no pictures of the pink haired girl he knew.

When the man heard the question about work, his lips formed a tight line. "I don't think it's quite right for anyone ta be askin' about someone else's work... but since yer the Crown Prince an' all... Yes. We both lost our jobs. But this house 'ere is paid fer. We go out an' do odd jobs as best we can durin' the day. An' we send the girl out ta hunt food and find it and such." He shrugged. "We paid fer the house. She can help with gettin' food."

Hikoutei couldn't help but notice all the clues his hosts were giving him. They didn't really seem to even care about Railana or what she was doing. He looked down to the table, at all of these pictures of an infant, none of which had the pink hair of the daughter that they raised. She told him of how their child went missing so long ago, but...

"Mr. and Mrs. Beau. I accompany my brother to many meetings and evaluations of our nation's youth. I met your child at one of these events. She's very earnest. And polite. I asked her to pass along any word of the Avatar, and she asked all of her classmates to the point that she got in trouble. I had her principal replaced, and since then, she's had tutors." He remained standing. "Even before she was being tutored, your daughter has some of the best grades in the entire nation. And her bending instructors tell me that she is one of the most naturally talented firebenders they have ever seen."

He gave them a stern look, and a little while to process all of that. "What do you think of that?"

Umoko came back to the living room with a note in her hand just as Hikotei began to praise their daughter in front of them. The man and woman certainly looked flabbergasted at the information he was spewing and looked to each other in silent contemplation as he continued to sing her praises. After a few minutes of silence, even after he asked his question, they stayed quiet as they tried to process this news in their unyielding minds.

Finally, it was Umoko to speak first as she stepped forward and handed the note to the Crown Prince. Her voice was low. "I think... I think if what you were saying were true that she'd have said something about this before now. And she ain't never spoke a word of it ta us."

Then Mokam joined in. "I knew there were somethin' wrong when she stopped goin' ta school but I jus' thought she had decided ta quit." He shrugged as if that was no big deal. "She sneaks off every mornin'... I thought she jus' was gettin' outta responsibilities... I was 'bout ta make her get a job."

The woman looked at the pictures around the house while her husband spoke and there were almost tears in her eyes. "If what yer sayin' is true though..." She got choked up and had to clear her throat. "...Well... I don' know..." Was this a confession of being terrible parents and a promise to work on their faults!?!? Umoko looked back up at Hikotei. "Then she's dumber than I thought fer not sayin' nothin'!! She coulda tried harder to get us ta pay attention!!" Haha. Nope.

The man folded his arms in front of his chest and just nodded in agreement with his wife. "I think it's 'bout time ya left, Mr Crown Prince. And don't be forgettin' 'bout that door ya broke."

His eyes narrowed. He would read the note, nodding in thanks to the woman, but then would encroach on them both. "I think you're right, Mr. Beau. I should go." He would hand the note to one of them, and look over them. "You have no need to worry, Mr. and Mrs. Beau. I won't forget about your door. But in return for that, you will hear this."

He clasped his hands behind his back. "I know what happened to your son. You have my sympathies. But as terrible as that event was, you still have a daughter. And it seems you don't care all that much about her. I'm sure aside from my being the Crown Prince, my words have no meaning to you. But know this. If you don't appreciate Railana while she is here with you- because I know she will be successful- you will lose her too. I don't think your son would want that."

With that, he turned and left, seeking out Railana's tutors. He knew where they met with her. And upon finding her, he would watch until she reached her stopping point. "Railana. Come with me."

The two grown adults just stood there stunned as the Crown Prince told them off in the nicest way possible before exiting their home. They just stared at each other for a long time... and then would have an even longer conversation about things...

Meanwhile! Their unappreciated daughter was working her tail off in her training. She was working on combining the acrobatic martial art styling of Ty Lee with fire bending to create her own unique brand, Even the tutor was just sitting on a rock at this point and watching her in stunned silence.

When she finally fell, she giggled and laid all the way back onto the sand, looking up at her tutor with a big grin. "What did you think about that!?" He just gave her a thumbs up with a smile and then pointed in the direction of his Crown Prince.

The girl looked confused until she followed his finger and gasped, scrambling up to her feet and bowing deeply with the tutor before running over blushing. "I-Is there something wrong, Hikotei??" Her bright innocent eyes staring up at him just to really nail in the dichotomy of her living situation with the fire that burns within her.

Hikoutei watched Railana's marginally impressive display, walking forward as the tutor pointed him out to her. He dipped his head in respect to his former tutor. "I want to take her with me. You can go to your next lessons."

"As you wish, Prince."

Hikoutei turned to Railana as she bounded up to him. "Yeah, pretty much everywhere. But now we're doing something about it. I'm representing the Fire Nation in the hunt for the Avatar. I'd like for you to join me." He turned and paced a bit, looking around at the area she had decided to practice her forms in. "I've already talked to your parents. But I'd like you to make the decision. If you need more instruction, I can teach you while we're on our journey. Up to you."

Railana also bowed to her tutor as he left and then blinked, turning her full attention to Hikotei as he spoke of... adventure?? Her eyes went bright and they sparkled with golden joy as he talked about wanting to take her with him to represent the Fire Nation in the search for the Avatar!!

But then... That next sentence. Her eyes went from pure excitement to pure sorrow in .3 second flat. Even the flames that were still going around her went cold. Her eyes dripped sapphire and her head turned down. Even as he said the latter of it... she couldn't get that sentence out of her head. She pictured him standing in that living room. With those people. Her arms reached around her midsection as she tried to keep herself from falling over, or throwing up.

It took her a minute to calm down enough to speak at all, a soft whisper escaping her lips when she could. "O-of course I want to join you..." She kept wondering if she should ask what they said. Over and over her brain begged her to ask. All in the span of a couple minutes. But she kept gulping it down. "Do I have to go get anything? I... I don't really see a need to..." She looked away. She wasn't ready to face them. Especially not knowing what happened. Her head kept swirling. She got dizzy.

He turned his head back over his shoulder to gaze at her. She seemed really uncomfortable with him having visited her parents. It was hard not to notice the way she was reacting.

"They don't seem like good people... but they do seem like broken people. I'm sorry if I saw something you didn't want me to see. But I didn't exactly know where to find you." He walked back over towards her when she asked him if she would need anything. He gave her a reassuring pat on the head. "I understand. You might need some supplies, but I can get them for you. I don't use my allowance for much else. But support from the Fire Nation ends when we reach Republic City. Wouldn't really be fair if I was using an army at my beck and call. Or peaceful."

He tucked his hands back into his pockets, waiting for her to get whatever she needed from the area, and then led her out to Fafnir, getting supplies for her and provisions, before they got on a boat headed for Republic City.

Railana couldn't stop the tears as they started to flow, her hands clenched at her side as she listened to his words. All she could do was nod along. Any more and she might actually break down in front of the Prince. When he gave her a pat on the head though, she bit her lip hard enough that she drew blood. She couldn't speak. Every word got caught in her throat. All she could do was stay silent for now.

She gathered her school supplies and then walked towards Fafnir. She stayed quiet while they gathered necessities and got on a boat.

Finally, she spoke again. Her voice was soft and sweet. "...Thank you... For speaking to them... For finding me... For bringing me... You're right. They're not good people. They're broken people. I didn't want you to see them because... I just... Didn't want you to see the brokenness. Not like that. Not that close. It was hard for me to be there. Most nights I would sneak away to sleep in the trees... or at least on the roof. I hated it there. But I could never hate them. I could never truly break free. I was still their child. I couldn't do that to them. Not that it would hit like my brother did. But still..." She sighed and looked out onto the water. "Thank you for helping me escape my own personal Hell."