Avatar: A New Beginning (RP Thread)

She'd arrived in the city by boat. It had already been a trip into new boundaries, what with her first boat ride and all. But the first time she saw Republic City, soaring above her with its buildings and skyscrapers, that was when she'd truly begun to feel small. And to miss her home.

Verene had stepped off the docks, clutching onto her few bags of belongings that she'd been able to bring with her on this... trip? Move? She wasn't sure how long she would be staying in Republic City; no one had told her as such. The young girl had glanced around as she stood on the docks, people streaming around her. She spared a hesitant glance at the silent guards who had accompanied her all the way from Chen Village, but it was clear that they were going to offer no advice. However, the crowd parted, and a dark haired woman strode purposefully towards her. Verene thought maybe this woman knew who she was, and her suspicions were confirmed mere moments later when the woman stopped, bowed deeply in respect, and greeted her with, "Avatar Verene, welcome to Republic City." And that was just about how she had ended up standing in a sprawling compound located near one of the city's large canals.

Shortly after their meeting, the woman had introduced herself as Nylah, and the pair had set out into the city. Verene's guards had disappeared at some point, but she barely noticed as she followed Nylah through the towering walls of buildings around her, albeit numbly. It was all very hard to take in. They'd arrived at the compound, which had several different areas outside that certainly looked well-equipped to train in all types of bending, but Verene didn't get to see very much of it. Nylah had taken her through winding halls in order to show her to a barren looking room, in the doorway of which they now stood.

"If you'd like, we could go out for dinner this evening after you get settled. It would let you see some more of the city," Nylah suggested with a kind smile. Verene didn't remember agreeing, but apparently she had because they did go out that night. Verene had just finished unpacking her few precious belongings (three books; one of haikus, one about animal species, and one full of flowers she'd pressed, her prized tea pot, a picture of her mother, her favorite vase, and assorted clothes) when Nylah came to retrieve her and show her out.

~

And that had been her first day in Republic City. It had been three days since she'd arrived, and she was supposed to be starting her training soon, as well as meeting the bending masters who would be distributing said training to her, a thought that scared her. Nylah, as she'd learned, was apparently her guardian of sorts while Verene remained in Republic City, and the woman had yet to leave her side out in public. Currently, the Avatar and her guard were hanging around one of the local and very sunny parks. Verene had wanted some time to be immersed in nature after having spent the past few days surrounded by the very strange city. Currently, she was seated near the edge of a pond, halfheartedly tossing little bread crumbs into the water in order to feed the koi fish there. She was clearly distracted though, lost in her own thoughts about her impending doom --- er, destiny.

Nylah stood a few yards away, under the shade of a tree. She had a sheathed sword at her waist, and though she looked casual, she was clearly on alert. It did appear, however, that the older woman was trying to give the Avatar some space.

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Nylah's eyes flicked with sharpened clarity over to a thin boy with rather well-kept clothes who had just entered the area. She had chosen her vantage point under the aged, old tree with careful precision; it enabled her to have a full view of the area around Verene, and all of the directions from which someone could approach the young Avatar. Additionally, the tree allowed the swordswoman to keep of the facade of a casual day in the park, at least to some degree. And if she leaned her back up against it, she was also protected from a direct attack from behind. Of course, someone could come at Verene from the other side of the tree, where Nylah couldn't see, but the perpetrator wouldn't get very close before Nylah would be able to identify their intent and strike them down.

This boy, however, was the first person to come anywhere near them all day. Nylah had seen him coming from a distance, noticed as he'd crossed the street towards the park, and her focus had zeroed in on him the closer he had gotten. Of course, he didn't seem to be malicious in anyway, just an average, albeit quiet looking teenager. Still, Nylah knew better than to disregard anyone as a threat, especially by now. As such, she kept her eyes carefully trained on the boy before carefully scanning the area some more. If this boy did have dangerous intent, she wasn't concerned. Nylah felt she could subdue him if necessary.

She did, however, remain from placing her hand on her sword hilt. It was a common intimidation tactic she employed, one which worked often on easily-identified low-life criminals, though if it would scare this kid, she didn't know. now would she. As she had been standing contemplating the situation, she had noticed two girls, very similar in appearance and stature, hustling past Nylah herself rather quickly. At first, the sentinel glanced the way they had come, trying to identify if something had startled them. It took her a moment before she realized that perhaps it was the sight of an obvious bodyguard that had done as such. The exchange was a good reminder of one thing; this was a public park. There were civilians present. And the majority of these people were probably not out to hurt the Avatar.

As such, Nylah exercised some self-control and kept her hand away from her sword. She plastered a placid expression on her countenance, making it seem as if she was at ease, simply enjoying the day. However, if someone thought she still wasn't actively alert, they were certainly very wrong.

A few feet away, Verene was still half-halfheartedly tossing bread crumbs to the koi fish, when the sound of footsteps drew her attention. Her head turned as she glanced over her shoulder, looking upwards from her seated position to see a boy was walking across the grass a few feet away from her. Although he looked to be about her age, she quickly turned back around, hasty to avoid eye contact. Her face warmed in embarrassment. Had he seen her looking at him? Had she offended him? She hadn't wanted too, she just didn't ever know what to say to someone she had never met before, so it was just easier to avoid conversation altogether.

A moment later, however, the sight of a Firehawk landing near the pond drew Verene's attention. She jumped at first, startled by its sudden appearance and the sound of ruffling feathers. Once she'd recovered from the initial shock, she stared at it, fascinated. Apparently she recognized that it was looking at the fish, because she thrust her forearm out without a second thought, crumbling bread held in her hand. "Would you like some?" she asked cheerfully, hoping to draw the bird's attention to her. She had never gotten to see a Firehawk in person before. "Where did you come from?" she asked the bird, clearly talking to it. "Did you...." However, the words died on the blonde-haired girl's lips as she heard someone calling out. Verene glanced up, and saw a boy hurrying towards her position. She noticed the bird seemed to be looking at the newcomer boy, and as such, she deduced it must be his. The hand holding the bread faltered at the sight of a new appearance, and she dropped what remained of the loaf on the grass. Verene stood up hastily, her hands folding behind her back without her knowing as she seemed to shrink in on herself. "Is--" she stopped and swallowed, her mouth having dried up. "Is that your Firehawk?" she managed out in a small voice, sparing a small glance down at the bird, mostly to avoid making eye contact with the guy.

She shifted unsure of herself, and as her eyes scanned anywhere but the person in front of her, they caught an amazing sight. A Mongoose-Dragon! Sunning itself right there on some rocks several yards away! How had she missed such an amazing creature come in? Of course, she had been rather distracted by the fish, but still. Verene knew such beasts were an amazingly rare sight, and she wanted nothing more than to rush right over for a close-up look. Several things stopped her, namely the guy who was approaching her, but Verene also noticed a woman seated on the mongoose-dragon's back. That made sense, she supposed. Why else would such a rare creature be in Republic City if it did not belong to someone? And Verene knew for a fact that she absolutely could not go over and talk to a woman who looked so confident, she the girl tore her eyes away from the rare beast and, finally, she looked to the boy who had been calling out to the bird, waiting to see if, indeed, the Firehawk belong to him.

"Vasco?" Verne confirmed, a hint of a smile ghosting across her lips. "That's a very handsome name! For a very handsome bird, I made add," she smiled down at Vosco, pleased to see that he seemed to be enjoying what remained of her bread crumbs. It seemed, for the moment, that the blonde girl was actually more interested in the hawk than the actual person standing in front of her. But as the guy began to speak again, something else about Firehawks, her eyes slid back to his face, and her smiled faltered away.

The Red Hawk? Famous? Verene was smart enough to know that he was trying to convey something to her, but she had absolutely no idea what that could be. She looked between him, then Vasco, then back to him. "Do... do you raise Firehawks?" That was her best guess. Perhaps he was some kind of famous breeder or trainer. Verene supposed someone had to teach all those Firehawks to carry messages to so many different places. "I mean, are you a famous bird trainer?" she asked hesitantly. She shifted on her feet awkwardly, and her eyes slipped away from him again. Rather than search for something else to look at as she had done before, she instead focused in on Vasco, a hint of admiration glinting in her green eyes as she deliberately avoided looking at smoothie guy in front of her.

(OOC: Everyone is just in the local city park so far.)

Verene hesitated, seeming to shrink in on herself. The number of people in her immediate area was growing rather quickly, leaving her feeling nervous, and unsure. However, as one person approached, a girl who called herself Avani, the presence of her shirshu seemed to relax Verene slightly. “It… it’s nice to meet you,” she mumbled. “Avani,” she added as an afterthought, knowing it would probably be polite to show she had heard and understood her name.”Could I pet your shirshu?” she asked in a rush, before she lost her nerve. She had never gotten to see an actual shirshu in person before, only pictures in the big animal book she owned. Personally, she felt that it was a much more majestic creature in person, and that the illustrations didn’t do it justice. She froze abruptly though, realizing she had forgotten to introduce herself. Which made it kind of weird that she had just asked to pet a stranger’s shirshu. Hiru? She remembered hearing the boy with the firehawk (Roka? That’s what Avani had called him) address the creature as such, and he appeared to know Avani, so it seemed like a logical assumption that he would also know the shirshu’s name. “I, uh, I’m Verene, by the way,” she stated shyly. “Sorry for not saying so sooner.”

As she was speaking, Verene heard someone behind her and turned slightly in order to face both parties around her, her back to the pond. There was another girl here now, one who asked if the spot they were occupying was taken. Verene supposed not, it was a public park after all, but the fact that this newcomer female had asked actually made her a little happy. “No, no it isn’t,” she replied in a small voice, but then added, a little more confidently and even with a tiny smile.”It’s a good place to feed the fish,” she settled, then lapsed into silence.

Verene began wringing her hands in front of her nervously, though she couldn't help but feel like perhaps she should continue to make conversation.She didn’t want to seem weird. So, for a moment, she struggled for something to talk about, but then it clicked. She remembered Avani asking her if she was new to the city, but Verene had been so enticed by the shirshu, she hadn’t answered properly. Of course, it would probably be odd to after all she’d already said, but still; better late than never.”I am new here. To the city, I mean. I’m…” Veren trailed off, suddenly unsure what to say. Was she moving here? Just visiting? She was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to tell random strangers she was here for Avatar training though.”I’m here on vacation,” she settled, thinking that seemed like an appropriate response.Verene lapsed into silence again, shifting awkwardly back and forth, still wringing her hands. She spoke up again, much more quickly this time; it seemed the longer the conversation went on, the more confident she became. “So, you two are famous?” she asked curiously. “I’ve never heard of pro-bending. Is that some kind of game?” Verene felt like that was a safe assumption to fall on. If they were famous for something they did, perhaps they were famous athletes. Verene thought she had heard somewhere that Republic City had some kind of competition for entertainment. The blonde glanced between Avani and Roka, waiting for a reply, though she was mainly looking at Avani. She was avoiding eye contact with Roka again, but this time because she felt embarrassed for asking him if he was a bird keeper, an idea he was obviously averse too. Verene, however, thought being a bird keeper sounded really fun.

Meanwhile, throughout the various exchanges going on in the park, Nylah had been keeping a careful eye on the area. She had watched as steadily more and more people arrived to bask in the sun, or sit, or play. The sentinel had tensed when someone actually approached Verene, and spoke to her, but Nylah quickly relaxed again when she realized he seemed to be nothing more than a conceited kid. In fact, Nylah thought she even recognized him, and her suspicions were confirmed when another girl joined the two, and Nylah identified her as Avani, which would make the boy Roka; pro-benders. Nylah knew they played for the Catgators, not because she was much into the sport herself, but because she liked to keep up with the local news. Apparently their team was doing pretty good this year.

Despite some being intimidated by it, the shirshu didn’t give the guard a second pause. Nylah knew for a fact that Verene could probably handle one better than Nylah herself, and that aside, this shirshu was clearly domesticated. The two pro-benders seemed to be talking with Verene, and Nylah was a little surprised to see the normally quiet Avatar carrying a conversation with them. That was good, she supposed.

So Nylah contented herself with keeping an eye on everyone else. However, she decided it might be getting a bit crowded here as she saw yet another girl walk past the tree Nylah was leaning against and over to Verene’s little group in the pond. Nylah didn’t think the girl had noticed her (just as she predicted with someone coming from behind the tree), but she let her proceed without any commotion. This newcomer was moving entirely too casual to be a threat. Still, Nylah felt like it might be an appropriate time to take Verene elsewhere, or even back to the compound; somewhere with less people.

But, she didn’t want to pull the girl away from her conversation just yet, and resolved to give the blonde a few more minutes. Plus, she knew Verene would want some time with the shirshu, and Nylah wasn’t about to deny her that joy.