The Dissapointing, Short-Stuff of the Avatar and her Guiding Spirit

Zayon	Zulera's sleeping form was laying atop.... Nothing. Her unconscious body lay floating high above what seemed to be.. An upside-down version of the already upside-down western air temple. All that seemed to suspend her was a feeble cloud, seemingly able to disperse at any moment. The only other being present was a shadow wrapped in a pristine, pure white cloak which wrapped erratically in a wind that could not exist. This being held naught but a shadowy substitute for a body beneath the thin cloth. The only notable feature was two sharp, inhuman eyes that glowed blue with spiritual energy. It seemed the spirit waited, floating on nothingness as it awaited the lazy creature that so proudly called itself 'Zulera' to stir. And stir she did, slowly coming to spiritual awareness, her features slightly discolored. The valley of the western air temple ended high above their heads. And there, a fluorescent blue river flowed along the valley 'roof', never seeming to end in either direction. It was between here and the temple 'below' that Zulera and the strange being floated. It was here this being was to begin turning this hopeless mess around. But was she hopeless indeed? The spirit asked himself this, but only time would tell, for now...
Mood:Spiritual. Condition:"I'd probably feel... Well at all if I weren't dead."	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera came around. "mother fucker..." she swore, rubbing her head, "how much did I have to drink again?" it took her a few minutes to realize where she was. "well..." she murmured, "this is... interesting?" she shrieked like a little girl when she noticed the hooded figure, mostly just out of shock, given that it was quiet and motionless apart form him. "okay, okay... what the heck am I being accused of this time, and how much is it gonna be from me to get it fixed?" she glanced back up at him. "for that matter... where the hell is this, and who the hell are you?" while it sounded rude, it was more just a curious question that Zulera wanted to get off her chest. spirits were always interesting creatures, and this was no exception.
Mood: ...What? Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	Zayon had been about to explain things.. Semi properly.. But the girl shrieked in surprise, and even began rambling... Wait... Did she think she was in trouble? Oh dear, this was too good to pass up. Especially for the troublemaker that Zayon was. He knew by now that history had faded his name to less than a mere whisper, so he might as well have fun with it. A booming voice with no origin reverberated throughout the massive chasm, speaking with the voices of each and every Avatar, most notably an aged, smooth male's with a deep, controlled tone. "SILENCE! Zulera Joanna Tallarico! You plead on your behalf before Zayon, The True Avatar. I am the origin of all that you are, and you will do well to respect Our will," the being said, the chasm tearing in the presence of the voices, earthly walls crumbling, umimaginable gusts threatening to toss Zulera from her already questionable perch. The spirit river above fluctuated, flooding and drying spontaneously. Even the western temple's pagodas tumbled up the walls of the divide, crumbling as they ascended to the river. It was all Zayon could do to keep from bursting into laughter. "There were a thousand avatars before you, and shall be a thousand more to follow! But you, of all that have been and shall come, are the only true disgrace, Zulera Joanna Tallarico! And you are the first and last avatar to face an eternity in spiritual purgatory; what say you in thy defense, Disgraceful One?" For the briefest instant, Zayon wondered if he was being a little -too- harsh... On the other hand, she kinda deserved it. He let the pressure ease somewhat, the chaos about them decaying to yet more silence and stillness. All was frozen in place again aside from the isolated Avatar and the spirit before her, who's avatar-blue eyes burned with spiritual fury. Perhaps being the Avatar's mentor was going to be fun after all.
Mood:Utterly amused. Condition:Laughing his dead ass off on the inside.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera closed her eyes and cringed with each of his chains of condemning words came smacking her in the face. "HEY!" she barked, "I might be a bad example, but I am NOT A disgrace!" she paused. "okay, maybe I am. how bad is this purgatory place anyways? am I doomed to spend an eternity in misery without any bending powers or something creepy like that? or do I have to sit and watch a poorly adapted history of Avatar Aang where all the benders have to dance for 5 minutes before bending the elements?" she was admittedly intrigued, but didn't let it show. she wasn't sure if she could die in the spirit world, but assumed that she couldn't. hopefully she was right.
Mood: ...What?!? Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	If he were still alive, Zayon's gut would be wrenching from the idea of it... But Zulera was taking it surprisingly well. "A thousand claims bear upon you in blame of ruining the balance that the Avatar should bring," he retorted. As for the purgatory... He hadn't thought of that yet.. Wait, shit, she was breaking the fourth wall, only he was allowed to do that. "Only a FOOL would believe such a terrible interpretation of our world could match the extent at which you will suffer. No, not even terrible firebenders incapable of producing flame could think to torment you so greatly after throwing you in a pool of magma! But no! You shall go through... Nine trials, one for every sin to torture you as much as you abused your position in this world. Each of these trials shalst be a major sin, and you shall know them collectively as... Hell. And in the nineth trial, you shall face," by now the plethora of voices had died down along with the chaos about. Only the aged, smooth voice remained, "a legion of winged lemurs! They shall forever pelt you with fruit and nuts!.... Not that you aren't used to the latter, you pipsqueak." Zayon sighed contentedly. The fun was over. He couldn't hold the ruse for long, and even his spirit gained a light grin, a white crescent-moon on the shadowy flesh. The eyes, too, shifted to a white color, "But seriously, pip, you kinda suck worse than I did at first... And I was a shitty Avatar in my time."
Mood: Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera laughed. "well... does this mean purgatory is The Great divide? or does it involve a Painted Lady?" she smirked. "or is this now a contest to see who can break the fourth wall more? frankly, I'm pretty sure someone out there is set on making sure I get my ass kicked a thousand times over for my thousand failures. seriously, do I need another one?" she snorted when he started cracking jokes about my height. "Et Tu, Avatar?" she growled, "why does EVERYONE give me so much shit about the one thing I CAN'T control? there are people shorter than me that are NOT children or midgets. why the hell do I get all the heat for it?" she paused. "and yeah, I know I suck at being the Avatar. hey, I didn't ask for it... it's just a convenience for me getting what I want."
Mood: ...What?!? Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	"I lied, you imp. There is no spirit purgatory, nor am I the first Avatar. And I've no clue what contest you speak of." He crossed his dark arms, the crescent gone from his visage. "But you can trust I'm worse than anyone who might want to kick your ass, sweetie." He definitely hit a nerve with the short comment. He knew he would but it was strangely more satisfying than he expected. "Why? Probably because you're the Avatar, and will only ever be remembered, if at all, for being the shortest in existence, you little nymph. Oh.. Nymph. Perfect for a sex-addicted midget." At this point, there was no such thing as too mean for Zulera. And asides, Zayon was free to do as he pleased. The other Avatars didn't actually care at this point. Just needed her fixed... Or gone. He'd never really tell her that his being here was all that stood between her and a sudden, inexplicable death. The spirits had rarely any use for a dissident Avatar, and he was the... Contingency plan, per se. "Well. The 'just for your convenience' happens to mean you have responsibilities to the world you so love to have a conveniently living body in... So let me explain it this way. Since you cut it short in... Well just about everything, you either keep being a blue dwarf, or you make a name for yourself. Oh. And let me make it clear: to me, you will always be a little prick living short in the shadow of my legacy. So don't mind me while I enjoy the weather up here in a moment of silence," he stated clearly, taking in a deep breath. He decided he wanted a change of scenery, and would drop her after this breath, no matter what she was doing. The cloud would simply disperse, leaving her to fall. She could feel pain here, but not die... For now. So, with her bending absent, she'd land painfully, but harmlessly upon one of the pagodas, Zayon waiting for her there.
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"Look, cut the yipyap." she barked, "are you here to point out the obvious, or are you here to teach me how to avoice certain death and/or become a halfway decent avatar? I'm short. I know. I'm a woman of many vices. no shit. surely you've dragged me here for some elaborate purpose that I'm probably too stupid to understand, so bear with me, and try to spell it out for us dumbasses, kay?" "hey! if some spirit is trying to do me in, I take that as a challenge. being afraid is for people who don't reincarnate." and then she fell... that asshole! she tried slowing her fall, but she was without bending, and so she hit the pagoda roof with a crunch. "OWWWWWW!" she groaned, rolling over in pain. "man... you spirits have some jacked up rules... and you're really a glorious ass, you know that? you're probably picking on me so you can cover up your own shitty career."
Mood: ...What?!? Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	He gave her a moment to recover from her fall, but he realized it was probably a good time to actually explain a few things more properly, given he'd gotten her to the point of actually wanting to know a bit. "Alright, then. I'll explain this on a level you can begin to comprehend. But in order of importance. One: that's Avatar Inglorious Ass to you, child. And an inglorious ass is considerably better than what you are now. Two: as long as you realize you're a short stalk, that's fine, but that will never prevent me from taking advantage of that. Troisieme: if you fuck up being the Avatar now, the entire line of Avatars may be for naught. Four: Well... I'm your last hope at doing something worthwhile. And last, and definitely least, I'm here to enlighten you so you can save your sorry ass from your own damn 'vices'. Is the picture clear now," he'd ask with acid on his tone. "Because, littleleager, you may not realize this, but I'm a last effort to beat you into a something even slightly decent, even if it kills you... Or worse." His countenance perked up lightly. "On the other hand, it's actually nice to meet you, short-stuff. I'm Zayon-- the second Avatar to master energybending. You're free to call me Looming Overlord of your Size-Proportionate Destiny, if you like. Your preference." With this, his eyes formed two baseless triangle, creating a strange smile alongside the flat line of his 'mouth'.
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"Look, jerk," she barked, "if you want me to call you fancy names instead of whatever crap I pull from my ass in concordance with my low-quality humor, then you're gonna call me Zulera. got that?" she sighed. "okay, okay. so what the hell do I have to do to start this so-called path to redemption, and should I really care?" it was short and to the point, but that was because this doofus rambled. she didn't, instead cutting straight to the point.
Mood: ...What?!? Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	Zayon paused for a moment, seeming to decipher to himself the best way to approach this. "I wonder why I should care, but as it so happens, your path of redemption begins where my life began: in airbending. You have to learn to airbend... And properly, not just the crappy parlor tricks you may know." He stated this uncaringly, looking 'up' to the river above. He thought to himself too often, and he honestly didn't know why he had hope for Zulera. But as it so happened, for whatever reason, he believed in her... So her he was, trying almost blindly-- such was quite unlike himself.
Mood:Introspective. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"well... so what does that mean? how do I learn? what do I do? all that fun jazz. if I need help and you're supposed to teach me... some help, please?" Zulera didn't like being judged. she also really didn't like heights, and so hoped that wouldn't happen again.
Mood: oh... Condition: Perfect	Link:

Zayon	"Well. I'd get you off straight to flying, but I think more... Traditional training will do, for now... Someone has to beat the sense into your tiny brain through your tiny body, apparently." At this, Zayon waved a hand. And it wasn't that the world seemed to flip, but merely the gravity of it. Zulera would fall, tumbling towards the spirit river, but promptly before hitting it, there'd be a great flash. And she'd land square on her back in a shallow pond. One that couldn't even consume one's toes. Zayon floated nearby, seemingly unmoved from since she even first saw him. "Feel free to tell me if the puddle is too deep. Then I'll have the good sense to make jokes about your stature while you drown."
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"wait, what do you MEEEEEEEEEEE-!!" she didn't even get to finish the word before she was falling--free falling miles. she was panicking, screaming with true fear as she fell, flailing and struggling to do anything to stop her fall. she hit the ground, the water... with a crunch, and pain coursed through her body for a moment. "DON'T..." she shouted, breathing frantically, "don't do... don't do that... ever... again..." she laid there on her back gazing up at him and everything else, still traumatized. she didn't want to tell him why, but she was terrified of heights, and his "training" was going to seal it in stone that she would keep this phobia which was turning morbid... forever.
Mood: Scared Shitless Condition: Shaken... Badly	Link:

Zayon	Zayon heard the genuine fear in her voice, and marked this for later reference. "Who'd of thought the -fallen- Avatar was so afraid of falling. Alright... Zulera... I'll no longer drop you, since I can understand there's no physiological way you could ever get used to heights.... For now." He looked up to the blank sky of endless gray, thinking to himself a moment. All was silent but the echos across the pond, which held a featureless surface that did not even ripple to Zulera's movements. "Normally, airbenders are sent through a prissy little gauntlet of spinning panels. I'm sure you're familiar with the method. But in my day, we had places called mirror swamps. And there were once creatures native to these swamps called hydra-basilisks. Once an air nomad came of age, the proved their mettle by surviving just two minutes in one of these swamps... Did I mention it's a bad idea to touch the water? These beasts have very angry spirits..." It was then that ripples appeared in the water. Fluctuating the surfaces around Zulera. All that Zayon really left out was that this might hurt.. Alot in the next minute or so. "Oh. You're going to have to cover your eyes.. Unless you want to awaken in a stone body," for once, it was difficult to tell if he was kidding.
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"wait, what!?!" she exclaimed, "are you trying to purposely get me killed?" she was still traumatized from the fall, and this was certainly not helping. she covered her eyes. "so what am I supposed to do? run like crazy?" she was more saying that like that's what she was goping to do, and she took off in a panic.
Mood: Scared Shitless Condition: Shaken... Badly	Link:

Zayon	"You've run all your life, Zulera. You've heard of the phrase 'as the leaf in the wind'? Well you are a rock, falling through the zephyrs, into oblivion. You've nowhere to run, now. You have to face a decision one day." As Zulera ran, blind into the expanse of nothingness, shrill cries began to erupt about her, like a thousand serpents hissing in anger. Something missed her by a hair, something quick that fell silently back into the waters, sending light ripples against Zulera's oddly bare feet, In fact, it seemed she was almost entirely nude, skin exposed suddenly to the elements about her. It was unclear whether this sudden change was significant, or just at Zayon's amusement. Either way, he floated, watching her as the beast grazed her, nearly a dozen serpent heads flailing to bite her as they passed. Not a single one could, though. Zayon made sure the first one was 'on the house', one could say.
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	she blindly ran and ran, fearing whatever was behind her simply because Zayon's nefarious plots were clearly there to scare the fuck out of her. she didn't even have an argument for him this time. she was just running, afraid. She didn't even know how she was supposed to get out of the spirit world. she was surprised that she was suddenly naked, but that didn't bother her as much as his nefariousness. "If you're trying to scare the shit out of me for life, you've won. congratulations!" she cried as she ran. then, she stopped, falling to her knees. she didn't know what she was supposed to do, and she sighed. "I guess I'm a lost cause." she groaned.
Mood: Scared Shitless Condition: Shaken... Badly	Link:

Zayon	The creature shrieked to attack once more, slipping from the water to assail the defenseless Zulera. But all shortly became silent again. All that could be heard were Zulera's own words, echoing across the water. Even that faded as something warmed the Avatar's tan skin, radiating a comfortable warmth from before her. This was joined by a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Well... If that were entirely true, I wouldn't be here." Even Zayon was not so evil as to torture a soul past breaking. He wished to teach her, yes, and perhaps this was the first step for her. If she were to open her eyes, she'd find that she was upon her knees at the back of a young man, his hair dark, but his head bowed as the only noise he released was muffled sobs from beneath a bloodied white cloak. Zulera, Zayon, and this young man, barely matured from being a boy, were atop a hill overlooking flowing fields of tan grass that danced as an ocean in the breeze. But something was off about the scene; there was an ever present scent of smoke from somewhere. Something was smoldering nearby, perhaps? Or maybe even presently ablaze? Zayon himself seemed to refuse to look in the direction of the scent. "Not unlike you, I merely lived my life how I chose to. Being the Avatar was just a burden I freely took for granted..." He trailed off, as if wondering if there was more to be said. But only silence ensued. He wasn't sure why he was showing her this. Perhaps he was being too sentimental. All that he knew was that this woman.. She was perhaps as broken as he had once been. And that made him believe in her all the more.
Mood: Somewhat Sympathetic. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	Zulera glanced around, breathing swiftly, and sighing. she didn't even know what to make of all this mess. Why was she here, how could she leave? her surroundings were of many varieties, but she didn't really understand most of them. they surely had some sort of meaning, but Zulera was never one for those deep meanings. "sounds like my story," she sighed, "so... what do I do? what did you do for that matter? did you just embarce that you wee a failure the same way I am, and just live your life, or what?"
Mood: Scared Condition: Shaken...	Link:

Zayon	"I did indeed embrace my failures. But I did not accept them." In a swift flash, the beautiful field before them was set ablaze, the youthful man who wept was swept away as ashes in the wind. Before them now was the classic airbending device: the spinning gates. All else was black. There was no distractions here. But perhaps some symbolism, which Zay quickly was becoming away Zulera would rarely, if ever, catch on to his symbolism or hidden meanings. All the more fun to confuse her by doing so. "What did come to me as my answer was the most ancient lesson given to airbenders. 'Be as the leaf in the wind'. I discovered I was the leaf. And the wind was my destiny. To defy it would be to drop into the chasm below. Only darkness is there, Zulera." He motioned to the gates, which began spinning as if blown by a gust. The classic training device used in almost every avatar's airbending training. "But enough of that. You have to learn the lesson yourself. Lest it cease to be a lesson. So get off that short, lazy ass and get through those gates," he motioned to the device again, his face completely shadowed beneath the hood. He knew this would be difficult for her to do. It entitled a particular sense of intuition; something she seemed to lack a great deal of. And if she did succeed, he could always call her short and speed up the gates a little to really knock her on her ass. Until the outcome was prevalent, he'd watch.
Mood:Amused. Condition:Dead, but fine.	Link:The Avatar Spirit

Zulera Joanna Tallarico	"guilty as charged," she almost forced a chuckle. she stopped when he saw the pretty surroundings turn ugly. "let me guess," she raised an eyebrow, "that's what happens when I fail, isn't it? I might be stupid, but I'm not THAT naive..." "oh... huh boy." she cracked her knuckles and charged in towards it stupidly, much like a past Avatar named Korra that some people said she resembled. however, she was even worse than Korra. her reflexes were good, but she wasn't fast enough behind her, so while she dodged the gate she was focusing on, three more around her whacked her around. within seconds, she was bouncing around the ring like a pinball, getting the highscore after she scraped her body across several feet of spirit-world-ground after being thrown out. she almost swore she heard some kind of bell ring, no less. "Yeah..." she mumblbed, shaking her head, "this will take a while."
Mood: Scared Condition: Shaken...	Link:

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