[open] Downtown Republic City

[lifescratched]

[Connor arrived in Republic City a day ago, so while he isn't as clueless as he was when he first arrived, he's still at something of a loss. Things are so different in this time: the satomobiles and airships still make him jumpy, and the sheer amount of people in the city are overwhelming. So far Varrick had shown him kindness by helping him, but Connor didn't want to rely on a fellow tribesman's generosity for too long, no matter how wealthy they happened to be.

So, even though he's still very much unfamiliar with the city, he's looking for a job when construction listings advertised catch his eye in a window.]

"Must be good at working with heights"... [He turns and cranes his head at the dizzyingly high skyscrapers, considering. Even with his climbing abilities, these were higher than anything he'd ever scaled.] Perhaps it could be a worthwhile challenge.

Comments

[lifescratched]

[Connor turns to look when addressed, and replies with simple confidence:]

I would not fall.

[He has years of experience in climbing, whether it be trees, mountains, cliff faces, smaller buildings... who's to say he couldn't manage on Republic City's skyscrapers? The only difference is the greater height.]

[fallensun]

No? What are you, one of those new airbenders? Everybody falls eventually, even them.

[Literally, metaphorically, messily.]

Someone ought to tell whoever thought it was a good idea to build buildings this high, huh?

[Or show them. He could show them. It would just be a matter of finding a safe angle where he wouldn't get caught in the destruction. That's really the only inconvenient thing about combustion bending.]

[lifescratched]

New airbenders?

[He misses the rest of what Judar says, staring at him like he's grown an extra head.]

I thought there was only one airbender, the Avatar.

[fallensun]

Have you been living under a rock or something? Air Temple Island is crawling with them.

[More of them seem to be showing up by the month. It's actually a bit irritating in a way. He liked it better when there were just the few. There was hope they'd die out then. There's just something about there being people who are able to bend elements that he can't that irks him, but airbending is especially a sore spot. He's mastered combustion and he's almost figured out lightning, and as he understands how those things work, it almost seems like airbending should be within his reach. Just another reason to hate the Avatar.]

Something to do with the Spirit World or something. I'm sure they'd feed you a plate of vegetables and tell you all about it if you were unlucky enough to end up there for an afternoon.

[lifescratched]

You dislike them. [Said bluntly; it's not a question.] Why?

[Personally he thinks it's great news if there are more airbenders in the world again. Maybe he should go see this island, sometime...]

[fallensun]

I don't do vegetables and if that's all they're gonna eat, there's something seriously wrong with them.

[That's not actually the answer to the question he was asked, though.]

Plus there's the whole "giving people hope" thing. I could do without that.

[That's closer to the truth, but it's the sort of thing he gives as a preamble before he really gets rolling. Most people get horrified and leave, though, which isn't much fun. Or they try to argue, which is marginally more entertaining.]

[lifescratched]

[Connor doesn't look horrified, although he does look incredulous. Hating people based on what they eat, seriously? It sounded petty to him. He stares at him hard for a long moment, before replying.]

How can you fault in their giving people hope? Every nation has endured much in the war, and my own people were almost wiped out, as the Air Nomads were. That they are rebuilding is a good sign for us all.

If you had lived through the war, perhaps you would better understand their significance.

[fallensun]

[Judar rolled his eyes. Now it's time for "you don't get it because you're a kid" thing, apparently. People really liked hauling that one out because it made it easier to dismiss everything he had to say while making them feel better about themselves at the same time. Annoying.]

"Hope" is useless. It's just an excuse not to worry about what's going on around you. "Airbenders are coming back, so everything's going to be okay." "The Avatar will protect us, so everything is going to be okay." And then when everything goes to shit, they have someone handy to blame, too. It's a crutch. People are going to keep being lame and boring and worthless as long as they can cling to things like that.