001 • [video]

[bolincredible]

[ GOOD…… late night or super early morning, network. Witness the amazing Fire Ferrets in their natural habitat, if a bit sleep-mussed and underdressed. (Understatement, tbh.) Come on, if your pajamas aren’t “be shirtless” or “in a sports bra”, you’re just not doing things Republic City style in this weather.

The scene set in the rather large room is unnerving at best. Splashed against the background are scorch marks from recent firebending, and shadows are cast from the ripped and torn flooring — it looks like there was one hell of a fight. Off to the left, there’s a soft glow as Korra tries to heal a deep wound on her arm with her waterbending and Mako, holding a small flame in his hand for light, crouches over a dark, suspiciously person shaped thing on the floor. Next to it are two other suspiciously person shaped things, also not moving in a very “dead” fashion.

As Mako makes notes in a small logbook, he and Korra seem to be having something of a disagreement, with Korra hissing angrily and Mako trying to calm her down with steady, hushed tones. While they talk, he meticulously searches through the clothes on the things — let’s be honest, they’re corpses, three of them, lying on the bedroom floor — gathering the evidence he finds and apparently writing it down in his little book. He adds whatever he finds to a growing pile of trinkets... which at this point consists largely of knives, garotting rope, and other sketchy murderous tools. With a soft trill, the two cats who adopted Mako jump up on the bed, looking shaken and huddling protectively around a small green and gold snakelike creature. Naga, on the other hand, seems to be licking something from her lips with her long tongue, looking quite proud of herself, tail absently tapping on the mattress behind the kittens.

Bolin, looking suitably confused and sporting an oddly smug Pabu-scarf, is taking up the foreground and accepting the responsibility of having his priorities in place. Unlike some people, wow. ]

Uhhhh. Hey. So my name’s Bolin. Nice to meet you if I haven’t already met you. Nice to see you again if I have? [ You know, whichever. ] Got a quick question for anyone who could answer, it’d be great to have it cleared up: is there like a... running history of people getting a pet back for a boon, only then a month later it turns out that their pet can also grow about eight feet and tackle an assassin? Just. Just wondering.

[ He stops. Glances back at Mako and Korra. Purses his lips, and turns back. ]

Okay, so, one more question. About the assassin thing. Like… are they also a thing with a running history here?

[ in the background, the dead body rummaging and healing krew has finished their argument, and in the ensuing silence, you can hear their last snippy comments before the feed ends. ]

At least no one was kidnapped.

[ Mako says, completely deadpan. Korra’s eyes narrow and she shoots back: ]

Or arrested, huh Officer?

[ WOW, RUDE, KORRA. ]

Comments

[commandertoolbelt]

That's what I'm saying! But y'know, you'd figure this being a war and all, they'd have all that fixed in a nutshell. I know I would.

[bolincredible]

Oh, are you like a... war-oriented kinda guy, then?

[commandertoolbelt]

Not... really? I mean, we were kind of in the middle of one back home, but I'm not really a fighter. I'm a mechanic - I just build the weapons and stuff.

[bolincredible]

Oh, cool!

Not the war, I mean. [ Saved it. He might actually be getting better at this. ] But the mechanic stuff is for sure! We've got a friend like that back home.

[commandertoolbelt]

Awesome! What sort of stuff does your friend do? Weapons and all, or other stuff, too?

[bolincredible]

Mostly other stuff. You know, vehicles, radios, little bit of everything. It's pretty great!

[commandertoolbelt]

That’s cool! I’ve never built, like, cars or anything, but I did build an airship!

[bolincredible]

No way, an airship?! Those things are crazy complicated! How'd you do it?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Oh, this is exactly what Leo needed: someone to boost his ego. ]

Well, I had some help from the rest of my cabin, [ he says offhand, like it’s no big deal. ] Building it was easy. The hard part was putting together the engine and control systems.

this tag brought to you by my transformation into a snail

[bolincredible]

[ Bolin is a natural at ego-boosting. ]

That still sounds really cool. My life's not really full of people who just happen to be able to help put together airships that work. What's the cabin setup all about, though? Are we talking ship's cabin?

[commandertoolbelt]

It is really cool. I'd show you if I had the ship. [ Or if the Archimedes sphere actually worked, he could project a hologram to show it off, but there's that whole thing about technology here that really freaking sucks. ]

No, no, I mean like camp cabins. You know, where you sleep while you're there. I'm the counselor for my cabin, where all of us children of Hephaestus stay.

[bolincredible]

... well, okay, that version of camp's not really ringing a bell, but it definitely makes getting help from everyone else in there make more sense! Because you know, with ships it's kinda like. There's only one or two people even in there. It's not really the rest of much of anything.

[ What does he even counsel... is it a religious order or. Like an orphanage... Bolin's mind is razor-sharp as ever. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Haven't you ever heard of summer camp? [ he asks with a laugh. ] I've got a lot of half-brothers and -sisters in that cabin, and they all help. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff they can make

[ Even little Harley has made some pretty awesome things. Leo's cabin is the best cabin. ]

But yeah, that's how it was on the ship - just one cabin for each of us. But we all had to pull our weight, y'know? Otherwise we'd be dead already.

[bolincredible]

Nah, I guess we're not too huge on seasonal stuff like that back home. Never heard of it. I can totally get behind the teamwork side of things, though! And the family side. I mean, I've just got the one brother and all, but I like to think he's pretty impressive.

[commandertoolbelt]

Well, I mean, I'd be staying year-round anyway, but for most of the people there it's a summer thing, [ Leo amends with a shrug. ] I didn't even know I had any siblings until this past year. It's kind of surreal, but definitely cool.

[bolincredible]

Oh! Okay, sure. [ It only gets weirder and more mysterious... ] It must have been pretty great to have them pop up like that! Like you're just minding your own business and bam! New family members everywhere.

[commandertoolbelt]

Yeah, I guess it was kind of like that. You wouldn't even know we're all related to look at us - Nessa doesn't even have pointy ears! [ Leo laughs. ] They were a little down for the welcome wagon, though. Thought we were all cursed or something - I dunno, it was weird, but I fixed it.

What about you, though? Where are you from that you haven't even heard of a summer camp?

[bolincredible]

Little place called Republic City. I don't know if anyone from back home would know what you mean. I mean, it still sounds interesting! [ Cabins full of relatives, people all excited about machinery. It's nice. ] Little bit cursey. Kinda seasonal. But interesting. What's like the general purpose of it?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ That's a funny explanation for it, but Leo supposes that'll do. ]

It's to give Greek demigods a safe haven, basically, [ he explains with a shrug, ] and to teach us about the gods and how to fight and survive outside of camp. For most of us, it's only a summer thing because of school, but me and a few others stay year-round.

[ Or he would, if not for that quest. ]

[bolincredible]

Oh. So it's kind of like half refugee camp, half training camp. [ That sounds kinda sad. ] Do you guys usually have trouble with surviving?

[ What's tact can you eat it ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Yeah, basically. Greek demigods aren't expected to live past twenty, but they train us anyway, just in case. It helps us stay alive as long as we can, at least.

[bolincredible]

Twenty? Okay, that is way too short! [ RED FLAG SHORT. ] Like, orphans on the street back home can at least plan to make it to their thirties.

[ Can he scoop a camp full of kids and teens in a whole other world up and earthbend it to life expectancy safety or. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Yeah, I'm not buying it, either, [ he says with a shrug. It's like it isn't a big deal, but as far as Leo is concerned, it really isn't yet. They've got a goddess to put to sleep. One thing at a time, okay? ] We just don't have a safe haven after camp, and we can't stay there forever. New Rome's totally different, though - the Romans live out their entire lives there, safe and sound. They even have a college, of all things. I was thinking, after this war and everything back home is all done and over with, we could maybe look into making another city like that, but for Greek demigods, so we won't have to worry about it anymore.

[bolincredible]

Okay, yes. Good. That's a good plan! I like that plan. [ ... :I ] I mean, in theory, the assassin situation might imply that I have some livelihood issues, but I swear I'm a hundred percent behind you there.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Wait a minute. ]

Assassin issues?