A New Avatar Arrives

[Alex Mercer]

Just like that one monk long ago! He forgot the name - probably because of missing his lessons and playing Hooky with Monk Gyatsu... "That would be awesome! It's kinda hard to fight from a glider sometimes. But not from Appa! Right buddy?" Aang was eager to climb atop his oldest friend. He dropped heavily onto Appa's head, but the massive beast did not mind one bit. He could probably headbutt boulders and walk away from it fine and dandy.

Lysandra had an issue trying to climb aboard. Eventually she figured that using Appa's fur did not hurt him, so she makes use of that. Once she reached the massive bison's back, she noticed for the first time he had already been fitted with riding gear. "Oh my gosh, this looks so nice! It's -- ooh its so softly padded, I feel like royalty!"

"Yea, after my buddy Zuko became Fire Lord, he had our old saddle replaced with this one. It's lighter for Appa's sake, but super comfy! It was so soft that even Toph had trouble seeing! That's not easy to do, the only thing that usually does that is Sand and... well... this is MUCH better!"

After Chakravartin boarded the... vessel... he had to admit the saddle atop the beast was almost fit for royalty. The polished wood was finely crafted, probably useless in a fight, but very elegantly carved and polished. The cushions were plentiful and thick, clearly meant for longer voyages. Their bright reds had a spattering of orange in swirling designs, like a combination of Aang's swirling tattoos and the tongues of fire. There was a lot of work put into this. "I suppose we should be off. Aang, perhaps you should remind Lysandra of the safety hazards of flight."

When the Avatar looked back to  see what Chakra meant by that, he saw that not only was Lysandra standing straight up, she had a foot on the railing, looking downwards. "Um... What are you doing?"

"I wanna see how he flies!"

"You're gonna fall..." 

"No I'm not!" Aang deadpans. This level of determination borderlined idiocy. Aang gives Appa's head a little tap and the giant beast takes just a few steps. Lysandra topples overboard. With a quick sweep of an arm, a volley of arcing air is cast downwards. It sweeps back up, knocking Lysandra back into the large riding saddle. "I meant to do that..." Lysandra's face flushed.

"You can lean over the rail, but... stay on your knees and hold onto the rail, it's much easier to brace like that." He waited till Lysandra found herself a comfortable position. She threw a thumbs up Aang's way.

Aang in return aimed a thumbs up at Chakravartin. Not to be left out, Chakravartin awkwardly returned one back. "Alright Appa! Yip yip!"

Appa groaned before lurching forward. The great beast took not a single step before it was airborne. The ride was so smooth and the beast was unimaginably graceful in the air. Aang felt at home, but Lysandra was extatic. She was somewhere between absolute joy and heart wrenching terror. From her mouth came a stream of almost unintelligible words. "Iwontfallouttheywontletmefallillbeokaynothingsgoingtohappen!"

Chakravartin sat against the back of the saddle, relaxing into the cushions. This was better than walking by far. Not a few minutes pass before he notices a couple of full bags tied to the saddle. Through one of the bulging seams, he spots the green skin of a pear... The Avatar had the foresight to summon a fully fernished mode of transport, it would seem. Maybe he was not so scatterbrained after all?