tushanshu_logs | No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

Entry tags:

No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

Characters:Valdis and You!
Date:17th onwards
Location: Throughout Keeliai
Situation: It's time to do some recon
Warnings/Rating: None yet.

Valdis had slipped out of the hotel just after twilight, her black fur blending with the rising shadows, hiding her from view should she desire to be unseen. Everything had been frustrating since their awaking, she was tired of the emotions that had plagued her since the Dreaming, and soon it would be time to reclaim the respect she had once held, time to remind the Kedan that she was still here. For now she kept to the shadows, merely watching the Kedan as they finished up their business. The streets began to empty as shopkeepers closed up shop and before long, only the gangs and Snakes, and perhaps a few stragglers, remained though their scents were distant.
It was then that she left the shadows behind in favor of roaming the streets, taking in the new scents and sounds, occasionally using her sight to observe the movements of the few Kedan that were still out and about. At the moment, she was only interesting in observing and learning about the changes to Keeliai. Occasionally she would sneak close enough to an open window and listen to the sound of the voices within. She couldn't actually speak the local language, but the tone of voice could tell quite a bit about the state of the person speaking. In addition, she would observe the body language of the people as they interacted. Getting a feel for the emotional state of the turtle when foreigners were not around might be helpful. The kedan had not been openly aggressive towards the foreigners, at least, as far as she knew. But there was definitely hostility. She continued to roam, wondering if she might run into any of the other foreigners and not particularly caring if the few Kedan wandering the streets saw her. Word would soon spread that she was around and she relished the potential of the situation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As Valis made her way through the Fire Sector, she may find a familiar scent drifting through the streets. A few hours old, sometimes washed away by an early evening fog that settled heavily on the ground like the morning dew. But there all the same. Getting stronger as she headed toward the old residences. Like it was following a well known path right back to the home of a certain Fire Prince.

Just like the rest of Keeliai, the Fire Sector had changed. The fog that settled around the empty streets had driven the Kedan inside and the scents, through still strong, were fading just like the daylight. This was the first time she had been in this part of the Sector since awakening from her yearlong sleep. She had been avoiding the residences, the memories still too clear and painful. For both Zuko and Wan were gone.

The familiar scent stopped her in her tracks and she tipped her head, confusion settling in. The scent shouldn't be here, it was impossible. It couldn't have lingered for so long. But she couldn't help herself and placing her nose to the ground, she followed the trail, growing more excited as the scent became stronger. She knew that it couldn't be true, he couldn't be back. He had had a war to fight, he was gone. But the trail led her to where she and Zuko had used to live.

Zuko's residence still stood, while hers was no longer standing, but she didn't care at the moment. All she cared about was the daydream she was apparently having. She stood below the window and tentatively released a small yip. It was stupid, but she couldn't help herself. If it was a dream, then he would be there and he would hear.

The yip was answered not with Wan's voice but with Mula's. She leaned her head out the window with a loud mrow. A welcoming one. She stared down at Valdis with her bright green eyes and after a moment let out a louder mrow before turning her head away and back into the home. A light appeared from behind her, growing brighter.

A light that hovered over the open palm of one slightly older and more stress-worn Avatar. He leaned out the window and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"Valdis. You're still here."

Valdis tipped her head, her tail waving slightly at the sight of Mula and she almost released another yip in greeting, but then the light appeared, hovering over Wan's hand. She knew she was dreaming now. Had she somehow found her way back into the Dreaming? Everything seemed so real.

Wan looked older, weathered, but he would have just returned from war and her imagination must have been compensating. She yipped again when he spoke, happiness filling her. Perhaps Dante had been right and she actually was capable of dreaming and she was enjoying it very much. She spun around in a circle, needing to move, to express her happiness.

Yes, I am here, she yipped happily, hopping forward and tossing her head, And you are here.

Wan couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up out of him at the sight of her. The fire over his hand went out and he jumped from the window. A burst of air broke his fall just before he hit the ground and ran right up to her, throwing his arms around her neck in a hug. It had been hours since he got back and his memories had mostly sorted themselves out. With her building having been pretty much decimated, he'd had little hope of her still being on the turtle. Not because he thought her dead, but because he figured the only way the kedan would dare go near the place was if she was gone from the city.

But here she was. Still carrying the light and even if he couldn't 'see' it, he could tell it was shining brightly.

Her tail waved when he laughed and when he jumped out of the window she spun in another circle before standing to accept his hug. She lowered her head, pressing her chin against his back, closing her eyes tightly. It was warm and though she didn't understand what she was feeling, she thought it felt nice. But it was wrong too, and she knew it. Much as she wanted it to be right.

I wish this were real, She said, her tail drooping. But she didn't step back, wanting the dream to continue as long as possible.

Wan's arms tightened around her neck just a little more when she dropped her head against his back and he found himself nuzzling into her fur. It was nice to have her there.

And then she said that and Wan didn't know what to do or say for a few confused moments.

"What do you mean, not real?" he asked, turning his head to look at her face without letting go. "We aren't in the dreaming, are we? This doesn't feel like the dreaming."

Wan seemed confused. Why would a dream person be confused? Valdis shifted her weight back, but didn't pull herself away, her mind spinning as she thought.

After Malicant's defeat, we didn't wake up. We were trapped in the Dreaming and when we finally woke up, a year had passed. Milyn told us that Eva managed to pull us out, but.., She said, not entirely certain why she was explaining it to someone who wasn't really there. She...died doing it.

She sighed heavily. I must have somehow fallen back into it if you are here.

"A year..." Wan echoed before shaking his heand and pulling back just far enough to look her in the eyes. Well, as best he could, anyway. "You didn't fall back in. I was pulled back to this city, Valdis. I'm here. So is Zuko. Mula found us both earlier today. We didn't know how much time had passed, only that it had."

Valdis just stared as his words slowly registered. She wasn't dreaming. Wan was actually here. Zuko was here. And she had just been prancing around like a domesticated dog greeting its owner. She wasn't entirely certain how she felt about that. For one thing, she was a hellhound, not a golden retriever, but she had been so...happy to see her friend that she wasn't sure it mattered.

For a moment she did nothing, then her tongue flicked out of her mouth and she licked him on the nose.

For what it was worth, Wan didn't think any less of her for that. He laughed at her tongue wetting his nose. Loudly, deeply. His head came forward to press his forehead against her cheek as his arms tightened again, "I'm so glad you're okay. When I saw what happened to your house, I thought for sure you'd gone home sometime after I had. That you'd gone back to that world where you have to hide who you are. That you'd forget about your light. But you're here. And you're still carrying it."

She leaned back into his embrace, content to just stand there. But she needed to answer him, to somehow reassure him that she hadn't forgotten.

I have the teapot. She said finally, Dante found it and gave it to me.

The details about what had happened while he was gone could come later.

"I never doubted he would," Wan murmured. "That's why I asked him to find it."

He started petting the back of her neck in long, slow strokes. Relaxed and content with the moment, he felt safe to share, "I was home. And I forgot. I didn't remember it until after I woke up here. It all came back fast, but I still forgot. If you go home, you'll forget, too. That's not fair but I don't know how to change it. Until I know I'll remember, I don't want to go back again."

If she had been a cat, she would have been purring, but she merely tucked her chin tighter against his back. She had known that he would forget, and in a way, she was pleased. After all, if he was focused on those he had left behind, then he wouldn't have been able to commit himself fully to his cause.

I cannot lose what I have gained, she replied, I have no reason to return to my world, there is nothing for me there and I would never return willingly. She sighed, I don't want to lose the light you helped me find. I don't want to return to the monster I used to be.

"If it's within my power, I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen," he affirmed, his arms tightening momentary. He gave a heavy sigh and leaned into her, shutting his eyes. "Would it be alright if I just held you for a while? There's a lot I want to say, but mostly I just want to hug you and know you're alive and well."

Wan laughed lightly, "It's surprisingly hard to focus when that's all you really want to do. It's a bit of a first for me."

For the first time since waking from the Dreaming, Valdis felt safe. Her meeting with Tu Yunxu earlier that day had been exhausting, the game was always dangerous and even Dante being around wasn't nearly as comforting as knowing that Wan was here. Wan knew some of her darkest secrets and still hadn't rejected her. She had no fear that he ever would, the same could not be said for others.

Yes, She replied, closing her eyes and letting all the worries fall away. Her best friend was back and that was all that mattered for now. I'm glad that you are here.

With her permission, Wan ended up holding her for close to an hour. His eye shut and his arms moving every now and then as he pet her fur and just let himself feel the power in the muscles of her shoulders. His head didn't leave the spot he'd tucked it into. He needed the peace her presence brought to him right then and there. She was not just someone familiar. She was someone he'd literally allowed into his soul. Valdis being there gave him a sense of being 'home'. Something he hadn't felt for years back in his world and he wasn't sure he would again in his lifetime.

"Thank you," he finally murmured as he pulled away to stand up. Though one hand remained buried in the fur of her neck. "Would you like to come inside? The downstairs isn't boarded up anymore. The Kedan seemed to have taken care of that at some point in the last year..."

Wan sighed, looking up at the house before musing softly, "A year for you... and eight for me..."

Valdis let him hold her, taking comfort in his presence and the fact that he still cared. The war he had been fighting didn't seem to have destroyed his soul the way war so often did. He still felt warm and light, worn, yes, but not without hope. When Wan finally pulled away, she almost stepped forward, afraid that he might disappear again, but his grip on her fur reassured her that he was going nowhere.

Eight years?

So much time had passed for him, no wonder he seemed tired.

"Yes," he nodded, as he moved toward the door, going just slow enough that he didn't have to break contact with her. He wasn't exactly ready to let go, either. "I told you of Vaatu. When I went back, I defeated him and then imprisoned him. And then, to make sure no other human made the same mistake I did, I closed the spirit portals. I asked all the spirits to return first and most of them did so. But once the spirits were gone, the Lion Turtles believed they no longer needed to protect humanity. So humanity left their backs and started to explore the world. They made settlements, they started nations. And they fought. They fought so much. They couldn't agree with each other and there have been so many petty wars."

There was sorrow in his voice. The weight that wore him down were those battles.

"I've done everything I can to stop the fighting, to get them to talk to each other. I'm still trying. And I know it will get better, but... It's going to take another ten thousand years. I won't live to see it in my lifetime."

Valdis didn't particularly feel like seeing Zuko, not after what had happened in the dreaming, not after he had left without a word. She knew that what she had done had worked, but it had been a risk and she hadn't stuck around for the aftermath of her fake attack on his uncle. But she had to be there for Wan and so she moved with the slight pressure.

I'm sorry, Wan. She replied, shortening her stride to stay with him. I wish that I could reassure you in some way, but I have no comfort for you. No words to take away your pain.

Wan's eyes moved to her and he smiled again, "Don't worry about it. I know it will happen. That's enough. It doesn't mean I'll stop, but it's enough. It gives me hope."

He led her inside and through the absolutely empty bottom floor. The kedan really had ransacked the place, even if they hadn't torn it down. The courtyard was doing better, even if it was overgrown. And, of course, the stairs up to Zuko's old room were still blackened from the attack she had helped stop.

It was at the stairs that Wan hesitated. Valdis was far too big in her current state for them to walk side by side as they took them upward. He would have to let her go if he wanted to go up. A little stumped by this dilemma - and refusing to lose contact with her at the moment - he instead turned and sat down on the second step up.

"I guess this is as far as we go right now," he said wryly. "If Zuko needs me he can find me here."

She walked next to him, ducking through the door and taking in the damage. It was still livable, so she was surprised that the Kedan had left it abandoned. When he sat on the stairs, seemingly at a loss, Valdis nudged him gently with her head.

If you need us both, she said softly, still uncertain about where she stood with the fire bender, then I can shift.

Wan's face lit up. He hadn't thought to ask that of her, and while he didn't need Zuko, he wanted to be near him just as much as he wanted to be near Valdis.

His only real concern though... "Do I have to let go for you to shift? Would it hurt if I kept my hand on your head?"

It would be best if you let go, She replied, knowing that he was as hesitant as she had been earlier. She understood it, but she always imagined the shift to be grotesque and she didn't really want him to witness it at all. But he felt so fragile at the moment, so delicate that he might break. So she would give extra energy to the change to make it go faster. It will only take a moment, I promise.

He was very reluctant and it showed in how slowly he pulled his hand away before finally settling it in his lap. He took a deep breath and had to curl his fingers into the cloth of his shirt so he didn't just reach back out to brush over her ears the way he was tempted to. With that done, he nodded, "Okay. Ready."

No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

20th

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