Nara

work in progress. days, weeks or months. however long it takes.

=pan!switch domlean=

*not affiliated with the fc: pond naravit*

[Nara @artofDarc]

Codename : Nara
D.O.B. : August 20, 2001

"Some things are better to stay as need-to-know. You wouldn't want to get caught now, do you ?"

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Cups your cheeks and pecks your lips repeatedly "I can't wait"

[Nara @artofDarc]

Hmm i wonder if this is right...

[Hikaru @wysteriax_]

OK, pretty close

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y Stillll

[Nara @artofDarc]

Yes khun thee hahah

[ؘ @sharkbu0y]

@artofDarc not khun thee.

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y Huffs and playfully dodge "for lookpeach, not youu"

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ We should take photos together this time

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Yes yes, with dogs and cats. We definitely can. Maybe next week we can visit there again?

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y No- my lookpish

[Nara @artofDarc]

@jaybnowhrr I am so envious right now ahhh

[Nara @artofDarc]

Whenever Pippo is mentioned i keep thinking of wanting to bury my face on his fur. I'm feeling cuteness aggression towards an air bison 🥲

[D-EFFUGIUM @deffugium]

Riven did not answer right away.

Deaglan’s question hung in the air between them.

Where is Ongja?

Roxanne looked from Deaglan to Riven, her expression tightening as the silence stretched too long.

Riven lowered his gaze. “He was injured.”

The room became still.

Deaglan did not move. “Injured how?”

“Not physically,” Riven said. “Not in a way healers could treat it.”

Roxanne’s face changed.

Riven forced himself to keep going before he lost his nerve.

“Something damaged his chi network. The connection between his body, Raava, and the Avatar State started breaking apart.”

Deaglan’s eyes narrowed.

“And Southern Air Temple disaster?”

“It might have made it worse, perhaps.”

Riven looked toward the maps spread across the table, unable to hold either of their gazes for too long.

“His bending became unstable. Earth lasted the longest. Fire, water, and air began weakening. The Avatar State became stronger, but less controlled.”

Roxanne went quiet, recalling the disaster. The ocean moved before Ongja commanded, and the air shifted like grief, becoming a force of nature.

Deaglan’s voice softened as he asked, “Why wasn’t this reported?”

“Because he was afraid.”

The answer hit harder than Riven expected.

“He was afraid people would stop seeing him as Ongja,” Riven continued, “and would start seeing him as a threat.”

Deaglan moved nearer with concern in his voice. “Where is he now?”

Riven felt the truth rise in his throat.

The Northern Air Temple.
The dawn.
The final breath.

He forced it down.

“He went somewhere quiet.”

“That is not an answer.”

“No,” Riven said quietly. “It isn’t.”

Deaglan observed him silently for a moment, his face showing no emotion.

Before he could press further, the door swung open. An aide stepped in, tense and slightly breathless.

“Advisor Zecharias, the meeting at Fire Nation City Hall is currently being organized. They are requesting confirmation of your attendance.”

Deaglan closed his eyes briefly, as though forcing himself to choose between two crises.

When he opened them again, his voice was steady.

“Come with me.”

Riven looked up.

“We’ll talk at my residence later,” Deaglan said. “Properly. Whatever you came here to say, say it there.”

Roxanne looked at Deaglan. “How many will attend the meeting?”

“Three from The Guardians,” Deaglan answered.

“And The Broken Cycle?”

Deaglan’s expression gave nothing away. “I don’t know.”

Roxanne only nodded.

The three left the temporary office as Republic City continued rebuilding in the pale afternoon. Workers crossed cracked streets, relief crews moved supplies, and the damaged skyline rose behind scaffolding and cranes.

Roxanne stopped near the steps, adjusting the reports under her arm.

“I need to return to my post.”

Deaglan nodded.

“Thank you, Roxanne.”

Her gaze lingered on Riven for a moment.

Before she could leave, one of Deaglan’s aides hurried down the steps toward them.

“Advisor Zecharias.”

Deaglan turned. “What is it?”

“There’s a problem with the helicopter.”

His expression tightened. “What kind of problem?”

“Electrical failure was identified during the pre-flight inspection. The crew is currently assessing whether the issue resulted from mechanical damage or interference. A backup helicopter has been dispatched; however, it will require time to arrive.”

“How much time?”

The aide paused, saying, "That's too much.”

For the first time since Riven’s arrival, irritation broke through Deaglan’s composure.

“I don’t have much time.”

Riven glanced toward Roxanne, then toward the eastern barricades. Roxanne noticed the look immediately.

“No.”

Deaglan looked between them. “No what?”

“He’s thinking about the air bison,” Roxanne said.

Riven finally spoke. “Pippo is faster than waiting for another helicopter.”

Roxanne stared at him and said, “Pippo was just taken out of a restricted zone after officers feared he might flatten a building.”

“He didn’t.”

“That's not the issue," Deaglan said, glancing at the damaged skyline before turning back to Riven. “Can he take us to Fire Nation City Hall?”

“Yes.”

Roxanne sighed, already knowing where this was headed.

Deaglan adjusted his cuffs. “Then we use the air bison.”

The aide looked horrified. “Sir, protocol—”

“Protocol is currently undergoing electrical failure.”

Riven almost smiled.

They found Pippo near the eastern supply road, exactly where the officers had said he would be.

The air bison sat by relief crates, blocking half the road as if claiming the supply route. Several workers kept their distance, unsure if they could move him or if trying would be a mistake.

The moment Deaglan appeared, the officers straightened.

“Advisor Zecharias,” one of them said, bowing his head.

The others followed immediately.

Deaglan nodded at them but quickly focused on Pippo, who stared back. For a long moment, neither of them seemed impressed by the other.

Riven walked forward first.

“Pippo!”

The air bison’s ears lifted. A deep, offended rumble rose from his chest.

“Yes,” Riven said. “I know.”

Pippo huffed.

Roxanne stepped beside him and reached out slowly, letting Pippo see her hand before touching his fur. The air bison leaned into her palm almost instantly.

“You still remember me?” Roxanne murmured, stroking the side of his face.

Pippo gave a softer rumble.

Roxanne gave a gentle smile. “If you visit Agna Qel’a, I’ll make sure you’re fed properly. More than properly. Enough to make you forget about this entire city.”

Pippo’s ears perked up.

Riven sighed. “Do not promise him that unless you mean it.”

“I do mean it.”

“That’s worse.”

For the first time that day, something almost gentle slipped through the tension.

Then Deaglan cleared his throat.

“So this is our transport.”

Riven turned toward him, and said. “Yes.”

Deaglan looked at the saddle, then at Pippo’s broad back, then at the open sky above Republic City. His expression stayed controlled, but hesitation flickered in his eyes.

Roxanne noticed immediately. “You’ve never flown on one before.”

“I've flown before,” Deaglan said, adjusting his glove. "But not on a sky bison.”

Riven looked at him.
“Air bison.”

Deaglan paused. Riven did not blink.

“Air bison,” Deaglan corrected, with the patience of a man who chooses his battles carefully.

Pippo rumbled again, as if approving the correction.

Riven climbed into the saddle first and settled near the front. Deaglan followed more slowly, stepping with the careful precision of someone who trusted machinery far more than living transport.

Roxanne remained on the ground.

“You’re not coming?” Riven asked.

“I have work here,” she said. “And someone needs to make sure the officers don’t count Pippo’s return as another security incident.”

Deaglan glanced down at her.

“Send the transfer documents to my office.”

“Already done.”

Roxanne looked at Riven one final time.

She whispered, “Whatever you need to tell him, don’t delay too long.”

Riven did not answer. He simply looked ahead.

Deaglan settled behind him, one hand gripping the side of the saddle with more tension than he likely wanted anyone to notice.

Riven glanced back. “Hold on.”

“I am.”

“More than that.”

Deaglan tightened his grip. Pippo shifted beneath them. Several nearby officers stepped back at once. Riven leaned forward, resting one hand against Pippo’s fur.

“Pippo.”

The air bison lifted his head toward the sky.

“Yip yip.”

With a powerful leap, Pippo rose from the ground.

Dust swept across the supply road as workers and officers shielded their faces. Roxanne watched the air bison rise above the broken district, the streets of Republic City spreading beneath them like a map of wounds.

Deaglan remained silent, his grip tightening, while Riven kept his gaze fixed on the horizon.

Below them, Republic City continued its rebuilding, unaware that one of the truths holding the world together had already begun to crack.

Ahead, beyond the sea and the drifting clouds, the Fire Nation waited, and with it, the meeting that could decide what remained of the world Avatar Ongja had left behind.

END OF CHAPTER 2

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ You mean the place where you took photos of me? Hehe

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ I guess we were both securing that innocent bubble we had with each other

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Alright alright, I'll just snuggle on those fluffy fur when I get a chance somewhere out there somehow 🥲

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Nah, I didn't flirt because I thought you're too pure and innocent

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ I remember trying to behave around you hehe

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y Try getting rid of meee

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ B but he's too cute

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Hehe, did I go straight to attack with you?

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y Oh- well first, can't kick me out of your mentions

I guess ?

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y You made the mistake of replying, now we're friends. Take responsibility. *insert evil laugh here or something*

[Nara @artofDarc]

@wysteriax_ Oh- we can't? 🥺

[Nara @artofDarc]

@sharkbu0y You can just outright call me cute yknow. Though I prefer handsome, thanks