mixingbowl | But before I go and hit the road, I gotta know

But before I go and hit the road, I gotta know

[She reaches the town sometime in the late morning, shying away from the main market area that's bustling with people ready to go about their day. She'd meant to pass through the place during the night, when there were less people around, but there's nothing she can do about it now. Maybe she could wait until things have calmed down to get some supplies and slip out before anyone notices her?

Either way, Korra wanders around the town's outskirts until she finds a quiet grove to hang out in for the time being. Her pack gets unceremoniously dumped onto the ground while she leans back against a tree. Its rough bark makes her miss Naga more than ever. She closes her eyes. The grove is quiet, somewhat secluded, making it a nice place for her to just think about her next destination. She's been traveling for months now, and she's no closer to finding the answers she's been looking for. Korra doesn't know how much longer she can do this, and the longer she stays away, the more likely her family's going to find out she's missing.

Korra's eyes snap open when she hears someone stepping into her general vicinity, forcing her to keep her head down. Hopefully they'd just see her as a simple traveler and continue on their way without recognizing her.]

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[This...is bad.

It's bad only in the sense of the fact that Ryan knows for a fact this isn't New York but he's not entirely sure where it is. It's not Haven. Ryan already checked and he knows it's not Haven but the area around him is too wide and vast (and forest-y, of course) to be a city. He's been walking through the grove for a good twenty minutes to try and find his way toward civilization and he doesn't have anything with him.

It's not that he thinks the grove is dangerous, definitely not after how long he was in Haven. However he can't help that unsettled, uneasy feeling lurking over him and so he breaks into a light jog through the trees in what he hopes is the right direction.

He doesn't get very far though before he spots a person. He spots a person with somewhat dirty clothes, short hair, and--

--even with her head down, Ryan pauses. He's not even sure if she'll understand him, but she seems like someone he can at least try to ask for help from. That, and there's something oddly familiar that he hasn't quite put a finger on yet.]

Hey...um, sorry, can you tell me how to get back to the city? [If there's a city nearby. Oh god please say there's a city nearby.]

[Darn. No matter how uncomfortable Korra is with venturing into the city right now, it doesn't feel right just leaving some person to wander around on their own when they're lost. Even if the town isn't that far of a walk away. And he sounds pretty young, too.

Korra finally looks up.]

There's a town not too far from here. I can show you where it is.

[Then she gets a good look at his face and pauses. Korra could swear she's never seen him before, and yet...there's something familiar about him.]

Do I...know you?

Edited (I can spell) 2014-11-17 01:53 (UTC)

[He almost says yes immediately, but when she looks up he pauses, closing his mouth quietly as he just stares. Her hair's much shorter than it was when he saw her last, not to mention the fact she almost looks like a ghost of her former self but Ryan's always been good at remembering faces.]

Korra? [It's not so much of a question as it is a statement, but he's definitely in a bit of disbelief. Okay. Okay, how did this happen? He doesn't make any sudden movements but he is standing a bit taller, leaning in just slightly to get a better look.]

Korra. You don't remember me?

[So he does know her. A part of Korra wants to run, now that she's been recognized, but she's rooted in place. Besides, she already said she'd take him to the town--once they get there, she can get her supplies and book it before he realizes what happened.

Korra chews on her bottom lip.]

I--you look familiar, but I can't remember...

[Just his luck. He should back off, just apologize and play nice until she can take him to town and he can figure out things from there...but that's not fair. It's not fair because he still has no idea how he and Korra wound up in the same place, and it's even less fair that she doesn't recognize him at all.

So instead, he just sort of throws his hands in the air, gesturing to himself.]

I'm Ryan. We met a while ago, and I know we're not exactly really close but--nothing?

[He doesn't like what's going on here, but even moreso he doesn't like that something seems even more off about Korra than just not remember who he is.]

Ryan...

[Ryan. That name triggers something in her, and suddenly, it comes to her. The subway tunnels. Ryan standing there and looking in. She'd reached out to him, knowing that she had to warn him.

Warn him about what?]

I stopped you from going into the tunnels. [Korra says, slowly. Part of her is still skeptical. Where is this memory even coming from? But for now, finding out what's going on is more important than even getting away.] I don't understand...that place doesn't even look like anywhere I've been.

[The recognition is enough. It's enough that even though he knows he shouldn't, he's grabbing her shoulder as some sort of leverage. Who knows, maybe it's an anchor to assure himself that this is actually happening.]

Right. You told me there were monsters running through the tunnels and you knew I didn't know how to fight them. [He takes a deep breath, frowning as he thinks of how to elaborate.]

Does the name "Haven" mean anything to you? Like...anything at all?

[It's the combination of his touch and the name "Haven" that finally brings it all back--or most of it. She can still feel several large gaps in the new memories, blurred faces that she should probably recognize but can't, places that are only vaguely familiar to her now, and things that must have happened. Most importantly, though, she remembers Ryan.

Korra blinks, finally coming out of the daze she'd gone into as soon as the memories had come flooding back.]

I took you to Haven East before you disappeared. We discovered the grave there.

[Then, her expression changes from wondering to incredulous.] How are you even here? This isn't your world.

[As soon as it seems as though Korra's focused he does let go of her, stepping back just enough to peer at her with a little bit of a skeptical look. There's relief though following that. He doesn't have to elaborate. He doesn't have to tell her about all of the strange things that happened back there, all of the horrible things that occurred. They could focus on the bigger question at hand.]

I know. I...was sort of hoping you could tell me that. [He shrugs then, biting his lip as he gestures to the area around him.] Pretty sure when they kicked me out of Haven they miscalculated by a lot but...I'm not sure how I got here. Nothing like this has ever happened before?

[Korra's the Avatar. Lots of weird things have probably happened here, right?]

I don't know. I shouldn't even be remembering any of this. [Korra drags a hand through her hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear when they fall into her face.] When I got to Haven and learned about the other worlds, it all sounded so crazy. Nothing like that's really happened, not even with the spirits involved.

[That's when the realization hits.] I'll have to help you find a way back. It--it might take a while, but I promise I'll do my best to figure this out.

[Especially when she's not at her best. She doesn't know how useful she's going to be when there's nothing in this world that even matched what Yao Corp could do with their technology.]

I don't think we're supposed to, but...I don't know. Maybe it's because I literally just left. One minute I was walking out of the housing complex, the next I ended up here. Something went wrong but maybe it's not too wrong since they sent me to you.

[Or something like that. He's not even sure and then Korra's talking about the spirits and he's completely lost all over again. He folds his arms over his chest, looking back behind them as he ponders for a minute.]

I mean...you're the Avatar, right? Maybe that's why. We'll figure it out together though. There has to be a valid reason they sent me here instead of somewhere else. Or home.

[You're the Avatar, right? At those words, Korra's face immediately falls, and she drops her gaze down to her hands. She can't even call herself the Avatar, can she? She's just a failure, someone who should be out there helping the Earth Kingdom and doing her job, but instead she's stuck wandering the land in hopes of finding answers.

It was a mistake, sending Ryan to her like this, if it was intentional at all.]

Yeah. I guess so. [She doesn't sound too convinced.] So what do you want to do? Taking you to Republic City might be the best option we have right now, but getting back there's going to take a while, even if we find some kind of transportation.

[Something's wrong. He doesn't know what he's said, but the expression on her face is enough of a hint that something's wrong and he makes a similar face in response. However, it's obvious Korra won't talk about it. Not right away, but maybe he can coax her into explaining once they start moving.]

How long is a while? If it's the best option that's probably what we should do, don't you think?

[Returning to Republic City like this isn't what Korra wants to do, but Ryan's need to return home is greater than hers to stay away. It wouldn't be fair to keep him here even longer because of her own issues.]

It's probably going to take weeks on foot, maybe a month. But we can cut some of the travel time down if we grab something we can ride on in the next town over.

[She remembers seeing quite a few stables there that had been selling.]

If we leave later today, we can reach the other town in a few days.

A few days I can do. Maybe by then we'll have some answers about what's really going on around here. [Why he's here, mostly. And a few days at least buys him time to talk to Korra more and get a gauge on her, see if he can find out what's gone wrong.

Of course, he's suddenly derailed as he backtracks on that sentence.]

Like what, a taxi? I'm not so sure they have a lot of those out here.

There are cars in the towns close by, but I definitely don't have enough on me for that. Besides, they wouldn't be able to get through some of the terrain we're gonna have to go through.

[Korra props her chin on her hand as she looks at him.]

I was thinking more along the lines of ostrich horses.

I might have my black American Express on me somewhere. [He's already searching for his wallet, apparently deciding that even if the cars can't get through some of the terrain they'll just find another route.

Even as he's looking though he can't help but laugh.]

Where would we find a horse out here? Or an ostrich for that matter. [He's convinced there's an "or" somewhere in that sentence that he's missed.]

Your black what?

[Korra's brows furrow as she watches him rummaging about in his wallet. She isn't sure how any currency he has is going to help if they're not yuans, though she lets him try for now.]

Ostrich horses. [Korra corrects him after a pause--that's another thing. She remembers the animals in Haven and other worlds being weird. It's probably something else Ryan's going to have to get used to.] We can find some in the next town over.

It's a credit card. [Clearly everybody in the world should know how credit cards work and in fact he's actually digging out said-credit card and holding it out for inspection. That little black piece of plastic has his name on it and he's so convinced that will actually work here.] It should be enough.

[Because like he's going to get on an ostrich horse. He doesn't get that Korra's correcting him, but he nods as he plays along.] Right, okay. Are we going to find emu cows too?

A what card? [Sorry to burst your bubble, Ryan, but Korra's clearly in the small percentage of people he knows who doesn't have one. Or even know how it works.] I've never seen one of these before...but if it's from your world, it's probably not going to work here.

[A small smile works its way onto her lips. This is a little too easy.]

I don't know about emu cows, but there are probably some hippo cows around somewhere.

--oh my god you're actually serious. [Korra. Korra this is suddenly not okay. Well really it hasn't been okay since Haven but that was sort of a city designed to be horrible this is a real world. A real world that, apparently, doesn't accept credit cards and he's just sort of looking at said-card with the saddest expression before tucking it back into his wallet.] If cards don't work how does anyone pay for anything around here?

[That's suddenly the most irrelevant question though because he looks up sharply, not sure if she's really serious.] ...is a hippo cow what I think it is?

[He looks so crushed about the card that Korra can't help but feel a little sorry for him. She knows how that feels--things being so different from what you're used to. Haven had given her a taste of that.]

We pay with yuans. That's the currency we have here.

[She grins a bit.] And a hippo cow is exactly what it sounds like. I forgot to tell you before, most of our animals are like this, unlike in your world.

Yuan. And...how are we supposed to get yuans? [It suddenly makes more sense why they're walking. And he's more than grateful that Korra's not making fun of him. She's being pretty patient, actually, and it's for that reason that he's calming himself a little more.]

You're right. Our world doesn't really have hybrid animals...I mean mules are, kinda, but that's still just a horse and a donkey. Not a hippo cow or an ostrich horse or an emu cow. [He can't help it when he laughs in return.] I don't think anyone from home would believe me if I tried to tell them about the animals here.

By doing odd jobs here and there. And...don't worry about it. I still have some saved up.

[Korra hesitates, then puts a hand on Ryan's shoulder. Bad situation or not, he's still someone she would've counted as a friend in Haven.]

At least you'll be seeing a few new things before you go home?

Yeah...if I get home at this rate. [He frowns a little, but not at the fact that she's putting a hand on his shoulder. That, at least, is a little bit of a comfort. No, it's about what she's saying.]

I'm not going to just take your money, Korra, come on. I'm capable of working. [Ryan you've never worked a day in your life what are you talking about.] It can't be that hard, right?

Hey. Don't give up yet. If we can remember what happened in Haven, we can definitely get you home.

[She glances at Ryan speculatively. From what she remembers of him, and also the whole deal with the money just now, Korra guesses he hasn't had to work all that much before.

Still...he was willing to chip in and learn when he was getting used to Haven. Korra's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.]

We can take turns if we're running low. That's fair enough, right?

I'm not going to give up yet, don't worry. [He's just not as sure as she is, that's all. However he just gives her a flat look in return.]

You don't believe me, do you? [An overdramatic sigh follows.] All right, all right. Turns. But we've got enough for now. Let's hit the road and see what kind of answers we can get.

It's not that I don't believe you.

[Korra protests, pursing her lips together after a moment.]

It'll just take a little while for you to get used to how this world works. We can't scavenge for things here like we did in Haven.

Maybe not, but this place can't be any harder than Haven can it? I feel like after being there everything else is a piece of cake. Besides...I've got you. Who's gonna stop us when we're together?

[Besides, I've got you. Korra stares at him, swallowing hard. It feels like it's been so long since anyone's relied on her for anything. Or even felt like they could rely on her for anything. Then again, Ryan hadn't been here when the Red Lotus captured her, and he hadn't been here when she struggled to even get back onto her feet. He hadn't seen her fail completely.

Korra looks away.]

Ryan, I'm...not the same person I was in Haven. Just...know that when we're traveling, alright?

[Something's wrong. Instinctually he knows that even without the sudden avoidance from Korra but all sorts of alarms go off in his head and though she's not looking at him he's trying to catch her eye again.]

What does that really mean, Korra? What's going on?

[She can practically sense his alarm, but she still doesn't meet his gaze right away. It had felt necessary to say that. Yet, she feels as if she's given away too much at the same time.]

It's nothing. [She forces a smile onto her face.]

I got injured a little while back, and it's taking longer to recover. That's all. That's--what I meant.

[He's about to say something really stupid. But he can't help it because as he looks her over his eyes narrow slightly into a squint.]

You don't look too damaged. [Physically she looks fine, anyway. He's going to keep pushing the subject sorry Korra.] How long ago was a while back?

[Korra tenses up when he presses for more information. She can't be surprised, though.

For a few seconds, she focuses on fiddling with her pack, pretending she's checking the straps when she's just buying some time.]

Three years ago. I look okay on the outside because it's all internal damage.

[She stands up abruptly, shouldering her pack.]

Come on, let's go.

[…he's smart enough to drop the subject at least, pouting a little as he tries to figure out what's happening internally. It's a process and he's not satisfied but he respects her enough to drop it for now.]

Sorry. For everything, I mean. [Asking. Burdening her further. Everything that happened to her.] But it's going to be okay, you know? That much I can tell you.

[She pauses, looking over her shoulder at him.]

It's not your fault. None of it.

[While he's just trying to be reassuring, Korra doesn't feel like it is going to be okay, not until she fixes what's wrong with her. How can things be okay when she's not doing her duties as the Avatar?

Korra's grip on her pack tightens.]

Yeah. Things will be just fine.

[When she starts walking, she goes slowly enough to make sure Ryan can keep up.]

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But before I go and hit the road, I gotta know

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