AUDIENCE: ZUKO

[retellers]

Comments

week 2, sunday

[retellers]

[ zuko will... receive no response! goodbye.

a few hours later, though, he will receive a message telling him to go to the bridge. he'll see tiger leaning against the railing. ]

[cuedoves]

[ tiger.......... it's driving him nuts not to hear anything, and he's pretty much beside himself when he finally gets the message!! zuko will head over as fast as he can, then breathe a sigh of... relief? when he sees tiger-chan. ]

What's going on?

[ also cutting straight to the chase!! ]

[retellers]

Shit sucks.

[ they straighten back up, frowning. ]

People need to slow down with their rule breaking.

[cuedoves]

What do you mean?

[ give the deets!!! ]

[retellers]

Too many people have been blabbing about teams.

[cuedoves]

We're allowed to tell up to three people, right?

[retellers]

No, it's still rule breaking--that was just around the amount you could get away with. But I think some people saw that nothing seemed to be happening, so they kept pressing their luck. Even outing other people's teams to others counts, even if they're dead--or if you directly tell a Leader someone's team, since we're not supposed to know that.

Which are all things that have been happening.

[cuedoves]

I only told two people. [ does it count if leaders are listening in? anyway he's been good ]

I think people are finding out that leaders are asking their team to kill. That's making it complicated.

[retellers]

[ they sigh. ]

Yeah, I've heard. That's going to be fun to deal with... although it was bound to get out, sooner or later.

[cuedoves]

Yeah, well.

[ that's what happens... when murder. ]

You still haven't asked anyone, have you?

[retellers]

Nope! If I have to, I'll let you know.

[ they actually sound genuine about that. ]

[cuedoves]

... Thanks.

[ genuine, too. ]

There's... no way to prevent nova splintering, is there?

[retellers]

From what it sounds like... I don't think so, other than collecting nova.

It really is just that the Realm right now is weak, which means it's easier for this kind of stuff to happen. And the stuff with the rules just made it weaker. What we're basically doing is just putting bandaids on a wound that actually needs stitches. It'll hold things off temporarily, but isn't the actual solution to fixing it--which is the nova.

[cuedoves]

Collecting nova would be a lot easier if we could stop that... whatever creature is stealing it.

[ massages his head!!! ]

I'm doing my best with the secrets and the rules. But if we don't stop that thing, I don't know if we're all going to live long enough to fix the... stitches.

[retellers]

[ they just laugh, and then immediately groan and rub their temple. ow. ]

It would be easier if it came to us directly. But as far as we know, it doesn't actually know where we are. It probably would have attacked us more blatantly if it did.

[cuedoves]

... You okay?

[ tiger has an ouchie ]

No, it's just stealing our stuff and making our lives harder than they already are.

[ complains!! ]

I wonder if there's some way to set a trap for it, or draw it out.

[retellers]

Yeah, just... a headche.

[ anyway. ]

But well... it is attracted to nova. So it might end up coming here eventually.

[cuedoves]

.... You want some tea?

[ he doesn't know what tylenol is ]

I think we're better off just confronting it and taking it down so we can get this done. Don't you agree?

[retellers]

Depends on how strong it is? Remember, you guys don't have any powers.

[ a pause. ]

... sure.

[cuedoves]

I get the feeling the more it eats the stronger it's going to get. Besides, I don't need powers to handle things.

[ they are on the bridge, so.... ]

Okay, uh, come to the inn with me? I'll make you some there.

[retellers]

[ they gesture for him to lead the way. ]

How would you handle it?

[cuedoves]

[ here they go to the kitchen!! ]

I'm pretty good at fighting, even without my bending. And I'm sure it has a weakness of some sort. I'd just have to figure out what it is.

[retellers]

What if it has no weakness?

[ it sounds like they're just speaking hypothethically, at least. ]

[cuedoves]

Nova is kind of its weakness already, isn't it? Since it's nova-powered.

[ but he's thinking about it ]

But it'll probably have some kind of pattern. Something worth studying. I'm not the only one here who can fight, either, or strategize. And you guys have powers.

[retellers]

[ the nova observation actually makes them smile a bit. ]

That's true... in any case, the more nova you guys gather, the more likely it'll be drawn to us, at least.