savedtheworld | Book 1: Fresh Water [Video]

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Book 1: Fresh Water [Video]

[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.]

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[Aang is quickly diverted by this news as he steps alongside Sokka.]

Engaged? ...To be married? Wow, congratulations!

[Mazeltov!]

Yeah, it's pretty great. I'll have to give you the full story some other time.

[Marriage. It was something that was not part of air nomad culture, but anything like that excited Aang. This also caused a realization in Aang: what if Katara expects the same thing from him? He hadn't really considered their relationship beyond the simplicity of being together. Although, being back to square one with this Katara gave him much time to mull it over.]

Sure! Wow, you guys really have grown.

[Still just walking along here, but she's smiling a little. She's proud of Sokka and Suki.]

[Boy, don'tchoo be thinking about my sister like that!!]

Yeah... pretty much. Even Momo is starting to look kind of pudgy.

[He chuckles at Sokka's joke. Classic him!]

It's just weird. Like you both grew a year older in a day!

You mean he doesn't have the beard back home?

... it's a work in progress. Probably.

Nope, you don't even have a beard yet. But yours is cool.

[Aang stroked his own bare chin. He wondered how cool his beard would look - maybe even as cool as Haru's!]

[Haru's beard ruined the one thing he had going for him.

...and now they're all talking about beards. 8|]

Anyway, do you have any questions about where we are, Aang?

[Only Aang would find Haru's handstand-beard cool.]

Yeah, you're taking this whole thing pretty well. [... but then, he did the last time. And the time before.]

I guess I'm good at getting used to things. And it's not like I'm separated from everyone I know. So far, this place has seemed nice and quiet and peaceful. I haven't seen anything to worry about... I've only heard about these Malnosso guys. They're bad news... are they?

[Oh sure, cut straight to the bad questions. It couldn't be like 'What have you been up to' or 'Where's the best place to eat.'

...she hates this.]

It's a little bit more complicated than that. But they're the ones that are keeping us locked in here.

[At least the smithy is just ahead, so Sokka gives the short version of it.]

They're like the Dai Li kind of bad news. Or maybe more General Fong kind of bad news. The Third Party, they're more of your evil firebender style bad news.

That doesn't sound like a good combination. So we're just trapped here... in a nice place?

[And Katara presents the positive...]

It's the nicest village I've ever stayed in - even Ba Sing Se didn't have things like dishwashers or laundry machines. And most of the people here are really nice too.

Really, really nice. In fact, we don't talk about bad things in Lu Ce Ti. [The last bit he says in Joo Dee fashion, pronouncing the 'Ti' as 'Tay'.]

[Aang laughs a more at this.]

Laundry... machines? That sounds really weird. And cool. You have to show me all this stuff.

We'll have time for that.

[Maybe. Katara glances away abruptly, her gaze clouding. Of course they'd have time for that. He wouldn't leave on the same day, would he?

...and way to leave her with the negative side too, Sokka.]

But even though things seem really nice here, it's not that simple either. First of all, they lock up all kinds of people in here - there have been some really bad guys in Luceti before, people far stronger than I could deal with with my bending.

[She tries to rush over that.] And then there are the experiments...

[Thank goodness most of the real bad, bad guys are gone. And that isn't even getting into the fact they have to go and kill cultists regularly.]

The experiments mess with your head. Make you think you're someone else. Or do things you wouldn't normally do. But the worst part is that whenever they happen, you don't realize there's anything wrong with it. They're like master brainbenders or something.

[It's a lot to take in, after Aang's other correspondents had said little other than "danger" and "war".]

No... You weren't kidding when you said they were like Dai Li. But these guys sound even worse. And... are you telling me... there or are a bunch of people like Ozai - or who could be Ozai - running around this place? Isn't there anything we can do? [Or just me? He wondered]

[Katara stopped walking and turned to look at Aang.]

We haven't had any real problems with residents in Luceti for a long time, Aang.

[At least, that she knows of.]

If something comes up, of course we're going to help as best we can. But right now, we're all trapped here. Our priority has to be continuing to live together while trying to find a way out.

But Katara's right. There's people here way out of our league. So don't go looking for trouble until you know what you're getting into.

[... but then, this is Aang. When has he ever done that?]

Anyway, that building ahead is the smithy. [See how the sign reads "Slash and Crash"? That's how you know Sokka runs it.] Your staff should be in there.

[He looked into Katara's eyes as she spoke and nodded his head in resignation. At first he had thought he was in a world that he didn't need to help. It was becoming clear that rather, it was a world that he couldn't help. He nodded in resignation when Sokka said his piece.]

I understand.

[After Sokka pointed out the smithy, he heightened his pace to the door without appreciating the wacky sign.]

[Waiting and hoping is the hardest part, Aang. But it pays off, you'll see.]

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