driftfleet | [muffled spooky scary skeletons playing in the distance]

More weird? Have you seen anything more weird?

[He hasn't just yet. Still, he tosses the seed pod aside and puts his hands on his hips, surveying the forest around.]

Maybe crystals are the way to go after all.

Wolfe, my whole world is more weird.

[Once you've met enough spirits, your weird meter is considerably higher. That and just...being around the Avatar in general does it, too. ]

So long as they don't end up exploding. Given this planet and it's...magic-ness already, I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

[Magic-ness is totally a word. ]

I think the seed pods are more likely to explode than a crystal so long as the crystal doesn't have any cracks in it. The pods are supposed to come apart.

[Which occurs to him now after seriously considering it.]

What kind of foci do you have on your world?

That's a good point. And they might have all horribly sticky seeds or corrosive stuff inside, yeeesh.

[Sokka kinds of...stares for a second. ]

...Okay I'm not sure what that is. Is that...the thing on the end of your staff?

Definitely don't want acid seeds all over my fine staff.

[He agrees, running his hand over the bone sculpted dragon's head at the top end.]

And yeah, foci just the plural of focus. You know, a thing to keep your magic directed. Though I guess from that question you wouldn't know.

I was thinking more all over our faces, but yeah, that too.

Huh. We don't have anything like that where I come from. Benders focus their bending through movement, or their breath. It's all...inward, I guess? Not that I really know how it works.

That would also be bad.

[Understatement of the year.]

The magic sort of comes from inside too, but having something to channel it through, like a staff or a crystal or a wand, keeps it from getting out of control. Remember the wall of ice I put up to trap the birds? I can do that without a staff but it takes a lot more effort. With something I'm less versed in, say fire magic, using a staff is the difference between lighting a campfire and starting a forest fire.

Huh. I think I get it.

[As much as someone who watches magic on the outside, anyway.]

Zuko talked about breath and stuff a lot. And channelling lightening? He had to learn to move it through his body or it would get trapped there and he'd be...well. Pretty fried.

I don't know about it getting trapped, but lightning certainly feels like it needs to go somewhere, more than most elemental magic. I think it's because the mortal body produces its own sort of energy that's similar and the two interfere with each other. If you can get the two energies to sort of hum in the same way though, it feels wonderful. I'm not sure I can describe it well, but it kind of lights up your veins.

[To illustrate his point, Adalwolfe lets a link of bright blue electricity arc between his thumb and forefinger. Lightning isn't usually his forte, but here on this planet all magic seems easy to call upon in even the smallest ways.]

[At least Sokka's seen enough lightning-bending not to be completely freaked out about that, still on the same point he's seen enough lightning-bending, so he takes a careful step back. ]

Huh, probably a little like how it works in my world. Only firebenders and the Avatar can do it, though. Because...it's like fire? I don't know, bending makes zero sense to me.

[Sokka steps back and Adalwolfe has to stop himself from giving a sigh. He shakes his hand, lightning fizzling out.]

Lightning is a separate school of elemental magic from fire where I come from, but it's probably different with bending? I wouldn't really know. I do know my boyfriend is rather good with lightning though.

[He gives a grin that couldn't really be called conspiratorial but it's certainly hiding something.]

[Sorry dude, blame Azula for trying to fry him too many times. She ruins everything.]

I think so? Bending is...well, I don't really get it all that well. Katara swears it's not really magic, but I don't know.

[It's totally magic. Sokka...kind of stares at him for a moment. ]

...Never would have thought you were the type but cool?

[Yeah, totally magic. He agrees.]

What, because I'm technically nobility?

[Since nobles have to produce an heir and all. Not that Sokka would know that he's nobility anyway. So then what? Wolfe cocks his head to the side, confused.]

What type?

[Sokka srunches his nose up. His issues with the ideas of what any kind of nobility should do (technical or otherwise) are pretty well steeped at this point. ]

What? No. Why should that have anything to do with anything? You should be allowed to do whatever you like [whoever he likes] doesn't matter if you're nobility or not.

...

Err. The sort that likes the zappy stuff? Kinda kinky if you ask me, but my girlfriend can literally dropkick me so I guess I'm in no place to judge.

You like a woman who can beat you up and I'm the kinky one?

[He laughs, just teasing. Honestly he sees the appeal. Not... sure he should be having that conversation with such a young man though. Though if he does have a girlfriend then he's likely old enough to know anyway.]

There is something alluring about that though, especially if they're gentle with you and only you. Or even if they're not gentle at all, that's not bad either.

[He strokes his beard for a moment, lost in thought, then snaps out of it.]

Er, sorry.

[It's okay, Wolfe, he's totally a grown up. Mostly. ]

Oh, she can be gentle sometimes. When she feels like it. Kinda depends on her mood.

[He chuckles softly. ]

It's fine. She never did anything with lightning though.

[She probably did weird stuff with her fan, though. ]

It's sort of a special thing he can do...

[There isn't much that can get Wolfe to blush but that does it a little. A dusting of pink across his cheeks. He hadn't been talking about the electricity trick initially, just how that sort of magic sings in his blood when it happens to match his heartbeat, but now they've gone there and any time he thinks of that damned electricity trick he has to go sit in a bucket of ice.

He shakes his head to clear it, knowing he can't exactly run off and do that now. He's just going to have to try and ignore it.]

Anyway! Crystals. Right. Looking for that. Thing.

[Oh, he sees that, Adawolfe, he sure does. Still, Sokka will leave it be, he's not the kind to pry. Still, lucky Wolfe. Good lord, Sokka misses having someone to get THAT kind of expression over.]

Right The crystals thing. We should get on that.

Uhh...

[He has no idea what would be the best direction to go crystal hunting...]

That way.

[So he picks one at random and starts walking. There's companionable if a bit awkward silence for a long moment, and then Hawke's inability to let a silence sit for too long rears its head.]

Soooo... what's this water tribe of yours like?

[He'll got for it. Random direction is better than no direction, after all. ]

Well, I like them. We're...pretty out of the way. We've got little villages scattered about, take care of ourselves, you know? Most of the world never comes anywhere near us and we don't mind.

[He rolls his shoulders in a shrug. ]

It's a simple life, just living off the ice and sea. But it's a good life. I...really miss it.

I'm more of a city person myself, but I can see the appeal.

[He doesn't hate small villages, which is good considering he'd settled in one for more than a year between running around freeing Circles and when Varric sent his letter about Corypheus and the Inquisition, not to mention the childhood years spent in remote town after remote town, but he'd grown very fond of Kirkwall and its bustle. A place where the city itself never goes to bed and you can find anything you need at any time of the day or night. It was exciting and invigorating if you could ignore the petty criminals, Carta, Coterie, slavers, drunks, asshole Templars, Tal Vashoth, rogue blood mages...

Okay well it's not perfect.]

I don't think I'll ever get the hang of normal fishing though, sitting there with a net or a pole.

[Way easier to just shoot a quick and easy sliver of ice at the fish and wait for it to float up. Neat and tidy.]

Our sister tribe in the North has a city. It's made of ice. It's...pretty intimidating.

[He is currently blissfully unaware that his own home is turning that way, as the influence of the North bleeds into the South. For now, he keeps the idea of his tiny village in the middle of nowhere close to his heart. ]

Hah, it takes a certain type of person, that's for sure. You could spend all day there and not get all that much for your trouble.

A city made of ice? That sounds fascinating. Wouldn't it melt? Is it held together with mag- er, bending?

[Inquiring minds want to know.]

Nah, it's really, really cold there. Everything is always freezing. I guess the waterbenders do a lot to keep it fixed and healthy, though. They have a lot more benders in the North than we do in the South.

[Because CULLING! ]

Always cold? Well that doesn't sound very nice. I prefer it to be hot at least half the year. Ferelden was like that, though. The summers were always more of a suggestion rather than a rule. Sometimes it would snow right through Bloomingtide. Snow on Summerday was the worst.

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