Canon AU Event Log

[lucetimods]

Who: You! And you! And you! But uh, not you.
What: Event shenanigans.
When: Today until the end of the event (April 8th)
Where: Anywhere and everywhere
Summary: It's all right in here
Rating: I want to see a nice clean game. Keep your naughty stuff in the penalty box!

Same deal as always. React to the event! Do things! Have fun! Be excellent to each other.

And remember to correctly tag your characters to the post.

Comments

[savedtheworld]

[He puts two and two together, and he stops Waterbending. He speaks harshly.]

Who do you think I am?

[markofthebrave]

[Katara is not used to being spoken to harshly by any version of Aang, but she manages to keep some of her wits about her.]

I think you're Aang.

[savedtheworld]

[He dials it back a bit.]

Which one?

[markofthebrave]

[And Katara... tells the truth. Sorry, Robin, but... she's really bad at lying to Aang. At least it's the end of the week, and she isn't going to try to convince him... just explain how these things work.]

Right now? I think you're both. I believe that you are who you say you are. I believe that those memories are just as real to you as my memories are to be. I think that who you think that you are is important.

...I just also think that, in the end, it will turn out that who you are now isn't as real as who I know you to be.

[savedtheworld]

[He is silent during her explanation. Then he takes a few steps back from the riverbank and sits down in the grass, curling his arms around his knees and wrapping himself in his cape.]

...I think I have your evidence. Right here.

[He pulls something from the folds of his cape and tosses it towards Katara precisely to land a few feet from her. It opens to a bookmarked page showing Avatar Aang's introduction to Luceti. There are various other bookmarks throughout the book.]

He's... that me... was the only one you met by that fountain that day. Wasn't he.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara bends down to pick it up... and then moves to sit next to Aang by the river.]

That's how I remember it. Yes.

[savedtheworld]

[He gives a slight smile to her and then looks down at the ground.]

I trust you. Are you telling me that... I won't be me, this me, much longer?

[markofthebrave]

[And Katara... thinks about her time with Masaomi tonight, how selfish, how stupid she was - and how right it felt to finally tell him even if it wasn't real...

And she thinks about the first time she'd run into this particular experiment, how she had been a small child, covered in burns, how Sokka had been the Avatar and everything had been a mess...]

...probably not, Aang. I'm sorry, I know it's hard to hear, but... that's the way it works.

[savedtheworld]

[He tightens his grip on his being.]

I see. So... there really is only one Robin. I never knew... Batman, A- our butler, Starfire or any of Robin's friends. And I'll never be a Teen Titan.

[markofthebrave]

That's one way of looking at it. But... I've known... versions of people to return having had... time in their worlds. But honestly... I don't know what happens to alternate versions of ourselves. I know that we keep their memories, but... how everyone chooses to deal with that is up to them.

[savedtheworld]

[He remains still and silent for several moments.]

Can you tell me more? About my... real life.

[markofthebrave]

...are you sure that's a good idea?

[savedtheworld]

I don't know. I'd like to understand... what it is I will become, before it happens. From what I know so far, it looks like I'm... still a good guy. I look pretty happy in that journal too. I guess that's... an improvement.

[markofthebrave]

[An improvement?]

...you mean you're not happy now? Well, not 'now,' but... in general?

[savedtheworld]

Not... not always. Being Robin does have a lot of fun that comes with it, and I do have a nice civilian life. But I guess I'm encouraged to be serious most of the time. It's the kind of lifestyle where you don't get to smile that often, even if you are making a difference. I guess I'm... fairly happy, during those few times I get to hang out with Robin and his friends.

[markofthebrave]

...

[She thinks about that for a long moment, thinks about the boy she knows being forced to be serious - thinks about how being the Avatar had also enforced a kind of seriousness on him, a seriousness that at first had been so dire he'd run away. She thinks about Robin's concern for him, the revelation that Aang had chosen to hide his powers... and she thinks about the way he's describing his happiness, like it's stolen pockets of light let in through shuttered windows.]

I think... that the most important thing to remember is that what you do isn't all of who you are. You're the Avatar. I'm a waterbender. We're both more than that, but what we are helps make us who we are. It's the same thing now, with 'being Robin.' You're a lot more than a crime-fighter, Aang.

[And the story I have to tell you of your life is a sad one. I don't want to make this worse.]

[savedtheworld]

[He gets up on his feet.]

Yeah. Thanks. That... helps a bit. Aang... or rather I... must be really lucky to know someone like you. [He wipes some tears away and gives more of a smile.]

[markofthebrave]

[She stands as well and puts her hand on his shoulder.]

I think that goes the other way around, too. The Aang that I know? He's been through so much. And through it all, he's never quit, and he's never been too afraid to stop caring for people... and he still knows how to have fun. These kind of experiments are hard, but... I know that you'll be okay, no matter what.

[savedtheworld]

Then, I won't mind getting to know him, and being him, if he's like that. However it works.

[He looks away, and his face sinks into a sulk.]

...I need to take this all in. And... I have to tell Robin. He has a right to now.

1/2

[markofthebrave]

...you're probably right. He does. He'll want to see what you found in the journals. Just... I wish that I knew of some way to make this easier on you.

[markofthebrave]

Can I at least give you a hug before you go?

[savedtheworld]

Y...yeah.

[He nervously inched closer to Katara with a degree of uncertainty. He wasn't used to hugs.]

[markofthebrave]

[dealwithit.gif

Because Katara is really, really good at giving them out. Brief, firm, complete hugs - especially to those who aren't used to it.]

[savedtheworld]

[So, Aang was hugged by a pro. Everything felt... warm. Really warm, and alive. He hugged her back through instinct. It didn't make everything better for him, but it did feel... nice.]

[markofthebrave]

[She pulls back soon enough and smiles at him.]

I'll see you later, okay? No matter what, I'm always going to do my best to be there for you.

[Once upon a time, she wouldn't have said 'do my best.' But then she had two years in Luceti and she learned not to make promises that she couldn't keep.]