bones are important / advisable to keep them / also, stay alive

[roc_on]

The news is grim today. A self-driving software glitch caused the first Republic City car accident in the last four years, uptown; someone has a concussion and someone else has whiplash from their own car swerving to avoid. The company is swearing to have the software patched as soon as possible. There was a food poisoning incident at the Flame Festival in one suburb, and a fireworks accident out in earth country, but these have resulted in no deaths. Death has resulted from what appears to be a murderer - it's hard to explain natural causes leaving a corpse with most of its bones missing.

The news doesn't speculate. Chali, however, does; Beila brings it up with him once he's home, and he says that out in a little town called Hirakyo there was a graverobbing incident - missing bones. They don't have hard evidence on it yet, but they think the same person may have escalated to taking his trophies from living victims, that this could be a serial.

Disquieting. To say the least. But Chali has no reason to believe that it's Avatar business - no spirits, no geopolitics, no heavy-duty bending. So Beila reads another chapter in the autobiography of Avatar Meixing and goes to her firebending lesson.

Comments

[roc_on]

"Boo! The dragonfly spider was easy to catch and take outside. Ranyi doesn't like to kill bugs if she isn't startled when she finds them."

[thinklikethis]

"Yeah, I try not to kill bugs much either."

[roc_on]

"I kill spider wasps. I won't kill a monkey spider. Depends on what the pest is."

[thinklikethis]

"I guess, yeah."

[roc_on]

"Are you all right?"

[thinklikethis]

"My weird problems again. Talk about it when we're, like, on the ground?" he says/suggests/asks.

[roc_on]

"Okay. Five more minutes. Unless there's traffic."

[thinklikethis]

He giggles softly.

[roc_on]

In five more minutes, Liqing lands, Beila feeds her a roc treat, and she leads the way up the hiking trail.

[thinklikethis]

Dao does not immediately begin discussing his weird problems. Well, the hiking does take some attention. And the wilderness is very pretty.

[roc_on]

It's quite pretty.

"I learned a new trick," Beila mentions, when he doesn't lead with his weird problems. She jogs ahead a little, streaming fire.

[thinklikethis]

"...That's a pretty awesome trick," says Dao.

[roc_on]

"Jun's gonna steal it!"

[thinklikethis]

"Ooh."

[roc_on]

"He'll give us tickets for when he's incorporated it."

[thinklikethis]

"Ooh. Not only do I have the best girlfriend, I also have the best secret celebrity affair."

[roc_on]

Giggle.

[thinklikethis]

Giggle!

"But between the two, I like the girlfriend better. She's so convenient! And cute and smart and good at catching snakenewts and apparently very talented at wilderness selection, good job."

[roc_on]

"I know, right, this is like the best hill. I'm supposed to meditate on it, but also, hiking trail."

[thinklikethis]

"It's a great hill. I'm a fan."

[roc_on]

"I thought you were my boyfriend."

[thinklikethis]

...Snort.

[roc_on]

[thinklikethis]

"Sense of humour, that is going on the list of things that are great about you."

[roc_on]

"But is it more or less important than my convenience?"