Can't close my eyes, I'm wide awake

[braavado]

[When Korra walks into the Spirit Portal, her immediate thought is, it shouldn't feel like this. There's an intense sort of heat that almost feels like it's burning right through her, though she can see that her skin remains unmarked. Korra barely has time to wonder what's going on before there's an odd snap of pressure that knocks her out.

(Unknown to her, a burst of light had lit up the Briggs mountains around her when she arrived, alerting anyone in the area.)

The world is white around her when she comes to, the heat from before replaced by the familiar cold of a snow storm. Korra staggers to her feet, hugging her arms around herself as she examines her new surroundings. This...definitely isn't the Spirit World. Korra knows she's going to have to find out why the portal had acted so weirdly, but first: finding out where she is is the priority.]

Hello? Is anyone around here?

[Korra calls out, not really expecting a reply.]

Comments

[braavado]

[Listening to the brothers talk, Korra finally catches onto something that explains Al's presence out here. She points at them, frowning slightly.]

The two of you are with the military?

[Another plan forms now, one that wouldn't make Korra feel extra guilty about Al clearly going out of his way to get her to the town.]

Why don't I just go back to the base with you? Maybe I could work something out with the General and stay there while I...figure out how to get back home.

[armoured]

[Al has to tamp down the urge to punch his stupid big brother. He forces himself to calmness, or at least the semblance of it, and turns back to Korra.]

My brother's with the military, not me, I just travel with him. But we really can't take you to base with us, General Armstrong isn't, uh, the most friendly person. Actually, she'd probably put you in jail and not care where you came from.

[He keeps his gaze on her, but his next words are more pointed and clearly for Ed's benefit.]

Which is why we need to go down the mountain to the village.

[forfeits]

[ as much as he wants to be mad at Al, he has a point. Korra likely wouldn't be welcomed at the base, and besides, there's enough going on there that it's best to avoid it for now anyway. Ed and Al had a habit of trailing trouble along with him, and this is no doubt going to be similar. ]

Yeah, fine, Al's right. The village is closer, and it's getting late. The temperature will be dropping before long and we don't want to be out here then.

[ he shrugs then, as though he hadn't been raging mad a second ago, looking over to Korra once then to Al. ] General Armstrong would put us all in jail, likely. So c'mon, have to pick up the pace before it gets dark, after all. It's nice to meet you, Korra.

[braavado]

In jail? Just for showing up with someone? That's harsh.

[Whoever this General Armstrong is, she must be pretty paranoid to have a reaction like this. Back home, General Iroh and Bumi were both fairly easy-going, and it's a shock to see such a difference in attitude here.

Unless... there's something else going on. Korra smiles back, just a bit less brightly than before.]

Nice to meet you, too. Ed, right? It sounds like I'm just causing trouble for you guys... sorry.

[armoured]

Yeah, she's kind of...

[Terrifying? Horrifying? Sincerely brutal?]

...strict. She's already put Brother and I in jail once, and that was just for showing up with a letter from her brother. We're better off going down to the village anyway, so you don't have to be sorry about it. I'm just glad that you ran into me, uh... us, that way we can make sure you're safe while you figure out what's happened.

[OOC: I am sorry for making you wait for my reply. I was unavoidably away. ):]

[forfeits]

She's pretty insane.

[ because nearly everyone in the Armstrong family is eccentric. at least she didn't rip her shirt off like Alex. ]

You're not trouble. [ he sighs and gives in to being a little nicer, of course. ] But yeah, I'm Ed. It's nice to meet you, too. Sorry, it's just that my little brother here likes to be adventurous. [ a very pointed look, but there's no heat behind it like earlier, no. in fact, Ed actually smiles a little. ]

But at least adventuring keeps us out of jail, right? The village isn't far, we can find somewhere to stay then. It's freezing!

[braavado]

Seriously...thanks. You guys didn't have to help me out like this.

[She flashes them both a huge smile before turning her attention to the snow storm that's getting steadily worse.]

The village is this way, right? I can't get rid of the snow completely, but I can keep the worst of it away from us until we get there!

[Eager to be of some use to the brothers, Korra steps forward, moving her hands in a continuous, circular sort of motion as she bends the snow away from them.]

[armoured]

W-Wow!

[He stands transfixed as she begins to water bend the snow, frozen solid by sheer disbelief. He knows that they have established her being from another world, but this is much stranger.]

How did you do that?! It's like alchemy, but you didn't even make a transmutation circle with your hands!

[forfeits]

Of course we did, what are you talking about? [ he sighs. they always help those in need, especially when no one else is willing.

but when the snow begins to move away from them, when she clears the way with a simple motion of her hands, he tenses. ]

What... what kind of alchemy is that? [ it can only be alchemy, surely, and he looks between Al and Korra, unconsciously putting himself between the two just in case. ]

[braavado]

[Ah, right. In the flurry of activity that followed Ed's arrival, Korra's forgotten all about explaining her predicament to him. She lowers her hands slightly, glancing at Al.]

Actually, that was what we were talking about before you got here. I'm lost...really lost. [She bites her bottom lip.] 'In a different world' sort of lost. What I'm doing now is called 'bending' where I'm from. I've never even heard of alchemy until Al mentioned it.

[armoured]

[He shifts a little guiltily when Korra has to explain that she's from another world - he should have done that, but he had been too concerned with bickering with Ed about coming out in the snow.]

I know it sounds crazy, Brother, but I believe her. I think this has something to do with a portal, but... I don't know how.

[Not Truth, he knows that much.]

How does bending work? Where do you pull the power from if you don't use any kind of transmutation circle?