Book 1: Fresh Water [Video]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang is peering into the journal so his face takes up almost the entire screen. He begins shouting into the book as abruptly as his image appears]

Hey! What am I doing here? I'm Aang! I'm an Airbender. Does anyone know what's going on here? I can't find my friends, my clothes or any of my stuff! I thought I was on my sky bison with everyone else going to see the Earth King. Now I'm here. Have anyone of you book people seen anyone I know?

[Aang has pulled away from the journal but continues talking as he sits in a patch of grass.]

This is a really weird place. But kinda peaceful. Definitely not weird enough to be the Spirit World. What is going on here?? And... have I always had these wings?

[Aang lifts up the book with one hand, squinting and examining it like some foreign object. This results in the picture showing his quizzical face from a skewed angle.]

Comments

[burningdownfate]

[This? This could get real awkward real fast, completely depending on what Aang last remembers back home. He's really not sure he should answer, but. Hey. It's the Avatar and what has his life been but hunting him down, right? Whether for good or ill...

... Yeah, this could be disastrous.]

Hey. [Pause.] Zuko here. [Like Aang wouldn't know him by sight or voice anytime. Idiot. Moron. Idiot.]

[savedtheworld]

[Oh, that Zuko doesn't even know how awkward this can be. Oh hey it's that guy he was recently on the verge of killing. Aang tries to put some words together.]

Hey, Zuko.

What are you doing here?

[burningdownfate]

[What is he doing here? Oh. Nothing much. At all.] Ask the Malnosso. I'm just here, wiling away the time. [Pause] Uh. Hey. So. Awkward question here, but... are we good?

[savedtheworld]

[Aang remains hesitant, his leftover agitation from his relatively fresh encounter with Zuko back in their world meshing against the possibility of this Zuko being of a different time.]

That's a good question. Have you been to Yu Dao?

[burningdownfate]

Uh... no. [Judging by that question, maybe he shouldn't ever go to Yu Dao.] I guess I shouldn't go?

[savedtheworld]

That's... I don't know if it matters! It's been a year since the war ended, and... do you remember anything about making me promise something?

[burningdownfate]

[...Oh. Now he gets it.] Aang, the war hasn't ended for me.

[savedtheworld]

Oh. ...I see.

[He pauses there and tries to reel in his bits of anger. So this was past Zuko. And Aang couldn't let himself judge Zuko for what he hadn't done yet.]

...We're good.

[burningdownfate]

... You sure? [Because that? That didn't seem like all was good.]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang hesitates for a moment, wondering how much he is supposed to tell Zuko.]

In my time, the day before I woke up here... we got into a fight. I don't know how much I'm supposed to tell you, because all of these time differences are giving me headaches. But I do know that if you are the Zuko from the past, I can't judge you for something you'll do in the present. ...I mean future. Your future, my present. Well, my past... see? I can't keep any of this straight!

Anyway... you haven't seen the end of the war yet? What's your last memory, Zuko?

[burningdownfate]

[Yeah, see? All that muddled up explanation is exactly why Zuko steers far away from these sorts of conversations.] I'm not sure I want to know anyway. [Does he really mess up that badly? It's worrying. More than worrying.]

I pretty much just joined up with you guys.

[savedtheworld]

Don't worry about it, Zuko. It's... it's good to hear from you. [The old him, he thought to himself. Unlike with his other friends, it had been some time since Aang met with Zuko on a fully friendly level.]

That soon? You're missing a lot of great experiences! Did we at least learn the secrets of firebending yet?

[burningdownfate]

Yeah, you too. [Except now he's all worried, but hey. What else is new?]

Oh, yeah. We got that. That was fun.

[savedtheworld]

[Seeing the Zuko who had initially earned his friendship and trust was really helping Aang to push back his more recent memories and chill]

That's good. You were a good teacher, Sifu Hotman. I couldn't have saved the world without you.

[burningdownfate]

[Zuko's rather glad for that because, really, getting a clue that your future includes friends mad at you isn't all that great.]

I'm glad to hear it all worked out.

[savedtheworld]

So what have you been up to here? [He tries to put on a joking tone] Not causing any trouble, are ya?

[burningdownfate]

[... Okay, seriously. What did he do in the future to be greeted with anger and now this?] Just laying low. Nothing big here.

[Okay, he burned down the house once but it wasn't his fault.]

[savedtheworld]

That's good, good... good to hear. You seem really calm too.

[Aang was starting to realize how foolish he was to act against Zuko so quickly, especially in this world- where he was a Zuko with no Fire Nation to push or pull him. Just as Aang was wondering whether or not he was still bound to his Avatar duty here. And of course through this entire conversation Aang has been hoping that his backpedaling from anger to friendliness hasn't been as extremely conspicuous as the arrow on his forehead.]

We should meet up sometime soon! I'm sure there's lots of... fun things... around.

[burningdownfate]

[... Why would he not be calm? This is starting to really freak him out a little, Aang, thanks.] I've been here almost a year. I think I'm allowed to be calm about all this.

[savedtheworld]

I didn't mean it as a bad thing. It'd good not to have to worry about things back home, right? This place does seem relaxing so far.

[burningdownfate]

There's that, I guess. Kind of important things need to be done, though. [Pause] Oh, yeah. It's a real vacation. Nice and relaxing in between periods of hair-raising terror and war. Good times.

[savedtheworld]

[Aang is reeeaaally having trouble not stepping on Zuko's toes.]

I'm sorry, I don't really know much about what's been going on here. I haven't seen anything evil yet. Some people have been saying bad things about those Malnossos... whatever they are. I didn't know there was a war here too.

[burningdownfate]

The Malnosso are fighting what they call the Third Party and sometimes we end up getting involved. It's not a constant threat or anything, but it's there.

[savedtheworld]

That doesn't sound good. [awkward pause] At least most of the gang's here now!

[burningdownfate]

It's good to have friends around. [... Maybe? Depending on how those friends from the future look at him.] It's not that bad a place, I guess. Most of the time, it's pretty laidback.