Second chapter is Here!
I still have that cookie 🍪 to give to whomever guesses the power behind Korra's Stand first. It's been reheated a few times, but still smells delicious. There's hints galore in this chapter, so try to be as specific as you can with your guesses. Most intricate answer gets the Chocolate Chip! Second place gets raisin…
—[Track 2: IF]—
[PRESENT DAY]
Republic City
Cumulonimbus hot clouds rose from underneath the public bathroom door. Behind it, snakes of water siphoned from their taps slowly circled into a spinning sphere, floating unattended. Jutting out at carefully placed angles were three half-foot long titanium PINs. Each hummed incessantly with a mysterious power, exerting their Force over the globe's area. Below, a metal hand held a flame to the water, filling the cramped room with steam.
WHIPE! Korra swung her palm across the mirror, painting her reflection. Checking it out, she saw a refreshed, salt & grime free Avatar giving her the finger guns; for about half-a-second before the steam retook the mirror.
"Shoot!" She hectically snapped back at the flame until it cut off, the ghost hand fading away with the rest of the disappearing silhouette.
"I keep leaving the stove on" she smirked and cleared the mirror again. Above her in the right she smudged out a little Tenzin, taking extra care for his big bushy brows and arrow tattoo.
…
"Sooooooooo… You probably have some questions".
…
"Things like 'where I've been' or 'what I was doing' for the last 5 years, huh?". She playfully elbows Mirror Tenzin in the ribs. "Am I in the air-Ball park?".
Tenzin's scowl put an abrupt end to her ribbing. She knew it was just lingering condensation dripping his arrow's edge down through his eyebrows. But the way it cut his eyes into angry little beads was too close to the real deal…
She redrew his face and began again.
"Master Tenzin…" she bowed. "You probably have some questions".
…
"SPIRITS! MONSTERS! Evil incarnate threatening to destroy the balance Aang worked so hard for! As Avatar I had to go out and save our world!".
She threw her arms out, electrified, trying to convey the weight of 4 dozen battles with monsters beyond the scope of known reality.
"You get that, right? Ofcourse you do, you're Mister Spiritual".
…
"…Right?"
She'd drawn one of his eyebrows too high. It shot above the other, stretching his brow into incredulity. Her arms drooped.
"Specifics, you probably want specifics…".
…
"Well… uh, I can't give you any— It's all top secret, and it needs to Stay secret, you understand. Nobody can know". She winced, unable to meet his gaze.
"Just trust me on this!".
Tepidly, she peaked out of one eye. The arrow had "scowled" down again. Korra let out a heavy sigh and wiped the sheet clean.
…
…
"…I know I made things hard on all of you. But I sent letters! You knew I was okay-".
She tugged at one of the many prosthetic bolts intersecting flesh to metal.
"Mostly ok. But I never mentioned this to you so you can't say it worried you!". She threw up her hands̶
"You're Welcome!"
Her excuses bounced loudly off the walls, filling the room for a nanosecond, before the quiet drip of the faucets became deafening again.
"I-I shouldn't have yelled. Sorry".
…
…
…
'Sooooooooo… You probably have some questions.'
◎⃝⃘ ◎⃝⃘
[THE PAST]
Open Seas
"Yah, a few," Korra leaned back in the life raft, "Staring with: WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE THESE SPIRITS? AND WHY DID WE DITCH OUR BOAT?".
"Well," began Joseph, "To answer your first question-!".
The Crusaders and Korra were thrown against the sides of their rafts as a massive fireball vaporized the ship they fled from! Burnt chunks of debris splashed down all round. Off in the distance, the lifeboat carrying the ship's sailors erupted in screams of terror.
"To answer your third question, that is why we skidaddled".
Korra's wide eyes darted between the flaming ship chunks. Her hands gripped the edge of the boat, unconsciously crushing the gunwale with her Stand.
"Um Korra… are you ok-" Kakyoin began.
"That was awesome!" she screamed, "Look at my arms! Look, the hair's completely singed off".
"Well, I'm glad you're having fun," Kakyoin sheepishly said while Jotaro rolled his eyes.
"How'd you know about the boom?! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"
"Well Avatar, using my brilliant mind and natural penchant for strategy, I put myself in the underhanded shoes of the Imposter Captain and realized he would've sabotaged the ship. A quick check with my Stand and I found enough explosives to bring down a Fire Nation battleship from the 100 Year War!".
Korra sat in awe!
"Must've been really hard for you to think like a devious person," Jotaro leaned back, hat pulled over his eyes.
"Why thank you Jotaro, but it took no effor—HEY! I'm Crafty, not conniving! Show your grampa some respect".
"Hmph".
"Why you—" Joseph's fingers flexed strangulation motions inching towards Jotaro's neck.
"Hey!" Korra jumped between them, "Crafty or sneaky; I don't care. You said your stand. What's the stand?"
Joseph's grimace flashed into a cheeky grin, murdering Jotaro completely forgotten. "Why this!". He brought up his hand and with a flash of light as pure as the sun, purple vines erupted forth!
"Here is my Stand, HERMIT PURPLE!".
Korra's eyes widened. She edged toward it, hands outstretched, and felt warm tingles as the orange lightning ran up her fingers.
"This Stand was named after the IX Major Arcana tarot card, divined by none other than the great Muhammad Avdol himself {You're too kind, Mr. Joestar}. It represents my well of knowledge and spiritual insight. With it, I can peer anywhere across the four corners of the globe–
"Including The Elementals fashion magazine's changing rooms". Clutched atwix Jotato's index & middle fingers were six scantily shot polaroids of beautiful (unaware) models.
Joseph's eyes darted from the photos down to his suddenly open breast pocket. "I-I can explain…" he pleaded to the shocked, and now angry, faces encircling him.
"It's the magazine's new photographer! They're too conservative. All they care about is the clothes so I- erm -have to go in and get better angles". He tugged at his surprisingly tight collar.
"Joseph," Avdol said with a stretched smile, "When you asked me to buy all those expensive cameras to spy on the villain, DIO-"
"What. Did. You. Use. Them. For?!"
Joseph fruitlessly looked for escape, finding only the open ocean, while Advol inched closer with his "smile" still stretched tight.
"Well, as you can see," Kakyoin coughed, "Jotaro's Stand has the power of precise movements at hypersonic speeds. He was able to snatch those photos without so much as a crease".
Jotaro snapped the photos in half between his fingers. "Ooops".
Joseph's jaw dropped, non-words garbling out as his eyes teared up.
"Hmph, serves you right," Avdol said, crossing his arms satisfied.
"Korra, burn these six pieces of trash".
"Oh, right yah. Burning all five".
"It's six-"
"So what's your stand, um Ka- Ko- Kake-? {Kakyoin} Kakyoin, what's it do?" Korra asked, throwing down five piles of ashes.
Kakyoin gave a soft smile and raised his hand. Barcode strands of white and glowing green swirled into a double helix. They revolved around his arm, building their green shine until the light was almost blinding. Korra was forced to shut her eyes, and as she did she heard 'Water?' gush out in torrents. When she opened them again, the most brilliant emerald sat clutched between his fingertips.
"Th-th-thats glassbending! But that's still a theory; a level beyond lavabending—And I heard water! There's green water everywhere in the boat! How did you bend 2 elements!?"
"I didn't bend two or any elements. None of us here are benders".
"What! Really?" She looked around at the nodding heads. Jotaro rolled his eyes; she stuck out her tongue.
"I am the Hierophant" Kakyoin said. "My Arcana card represents duty and belief in the structures of authority. The unseen code which all life follows" his Stand strands unraveled themselves, blanketing the ship. He chuckled at Korra whipping her head back and forth to catch the ever expanding Stand.
"I am a model student with impeccable academics, have served as Student Council President every year since elementary school, and I pride myself on never being truant a day in my life", he finished with a flip of his orange bang.
"…Um okay, yah I get it-Totally get it; but incase they didn't, what's your stand do again?"
"It's decameter long strands that can coil themselves up into a humanoid," Jotaro huffed. "And can also shoot emeralds for some reason".
"Oh I see— I mean we all see! Right?" She nodded her head at everyone's sweat dropping expressions.
"Wait, you said you never missed a day of school. Aren't you skipping it now?".
… "I guess this would count as truancy- But I'm sure this would be a permissible exception, right?"
He looked for reassurance and was met with only uneasy faces. Jotaro bluntly shook his head.
"Oh…"
"No sweat Kaki. I'll just explain to them you were on a mission for the Avatar" Korra grinned, "You'll probably get extra-Extra credit".
"That…might actually work. Thank you Korra-san!". He bowed to her in a full 90 degree tilt.
"Yare yare daze. Don't feed her ego".
"So Avdol, what's your st—GWAK!" Korra was suddenly nose to nose was suddenly inches away from a red feathered monster head!
"AHHH! A Teroda— Pteradadi—Pterterodactapotamos"
"Pterodactyl. Spirits!" Jotaro railed.
"A Pterodactyl's right by Avdol's head, he's gonna eat it!"
The mouth stayed sealed shut. Wisps of smokey embers puffed out of its nostrils in a slow, steady pace
"It'll bite his head off any moment now, we have to move! …Any moment now; any moment After it's done letting you scratch its head—".
She sighed, "That's your stand, isn't it?".
Avdol nodded and his Stand 'cooed'.
"This is Magician's Red. Its power bends fire to my will and allows me to imbue it with mystical properties".
"Wait, so you're just a firebender?". Korra's shoulders slumped.
"Nonsense." Joseph swings in, arm around Avdol, "Next to Avdol firebending becomes a cheap carnival act. Why I'd bet-it-all he could defeat Fire Lord Ozai underneath Sozin's Comet".
"Now way!" she whispered.
"With ease," he winked.
"Mr Joseph boasts a little too much. Against such a foe, who's to say how the battle would turn out?"
His words showed modestly. The flaming "#1" above his head told a different story.
It's even giving off fireworks.
All without him raising a finger.
"Wow, we're learning so much lore today". The crew of sailors in the other lifeboat had drifted close and was listening in on their conversation. The one who spoke sat propped over, the bow enraptured by the storytelling. Her face cupped in one hand while the other arm swayed lazily in the water.
"Mind Your Own Damn Business!" Jotaro yelled, sending the sailors scurrying away as fast as they could row; their boat almost skipping across the water.
"Stands are not bound into the four, well now five, categories of bending," Avdol continued as if nothing happened, "Each can be something completely new, with their own unique and bizarre powers. Illusions, a fly that can pierce your jaw and steal your tongue, shapeshifting, a sentient shadow, or a"—
"Boat!" Korra interrupted.
" A boat, no I've never heard of that. Not in my travels nor the cards; though I could see a Stand Canoe or a Dingy being possible. Perhaps with the ability to take a river with it anywhere, even dry lands and up cliff surfaces"—
"No, a boat! A big BOAT!".
Korra rushed past Avdol's and pointed. Behind him, coming out of the ocean fog was the largest freight ship Korra had ever seen. It easily dwarfed the cargo ships that docked in the South Pole and now was right above them!
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
"Oh, that boat"…
ゴ
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Korra : Destiny's BIZARRE Child!
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Author' Note
Hope y'all loved this chapter. Had a bunch of fun introducing the Stands in fun and interesting ways, despite the vacuum the characters are in right now. Still holding off on Polnareff until Korra becomes one of the group. Adjusting to Stands and vampire flesh bud mindcontrol at the same time would be too much to throw at her.
Next chapter will be delayed. I am working on Ch 6 for my first published story, What if Ruby was VENOM… (Check it out, it'll mean the world to me) and want to make headway there before a switch back to this.
