Welcome to Republic City!

[cyclicalitymods]

It was a bright and sunny normal day in Republic City. Children were playing, spirits were chirping about, and everything was going along like normal. Well at least that's what everyone seemed to think. That is until so many people seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. For some reason Republic City seemed to be more lively and the crowds bigger.

The spirits have grown restless as if something important was about to change, and to try to fix that change, the spirits with their big long tree like limbs dragged people into the world left and right. Even the vines covering Republic City seemed to help. Although the spirits had the best intentions in mind, some people were more affected by the grab than others. There's talk that people in this city don't even know what this place is. People who have never heard of the words "bender" or "non-bender."

Welcome to Republic City! And to those who already live here: Happy Saturday. Please make yourselves at home and don't mind a little spirit gunk. It's mostly harmless. Go enjoy yourself a classic mover. Maybe you're the athletic type. If that's the case, come watch a few Pro-bending matches or form your own team. Just watch out for any Satomobiles. They can be deadly no matter how pretty the driver is.

Please remember to enjoy your stay and don't cause too much trouble. The Republic City Police don't need more riffraff to take care of. And don't stray too far. To make the the peace is kept, there's a huge spirit barrier around the perimeter of the city. It seems pretty strong, but it won't be able to last forever. Still, it's worrying. Radio signals and telegraphs don't seem to be getting past it.

[ OOC: The game is officially open! From this point on, feel free to make any posts you want or tag into this. Please remember to tag your posts with Canon: Character. Finally, although the game has no real network, you're free to respond with prose or brackets, whatever you're comfortable with. With that said, have fun! ]

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[raavashing]

Wan gestured for her to lead the way and took up walking along side her.

"So what were you doing that made the day so long?" he asked, still smiling at her. "I had a pretty long one myself. You tell me about yours and I'll tell you about mine."

[glyphe]

She nodded, somewhat relishing the fact that she had someone to talk about her day with. That was something friends did, right? Weiss could not remember the last time that anyone seemed genuinely interested in her comings and goings.

Once they started walking again, Weiss made a frustrated noise. "I spent all day looking for a job, but it was so busy. I don't think I even got through half the city!"

[raavashing]

"You got through a lot more of the city than I could in a day if I was walking everywhere," Wan replied, trying to look at the upside and be a little encouraging. "It's a city. It's big. You're not going to be able to ask about jobs at every single place that might have one in a day. What kind of job are you looking for, anyway?"

[glyphe]

Wan's words would have been more comforting to Weiss were she not so discouraged. Maybe she should have taken Zan up on his offer. At least he would have had a means of getting her a place to work already.

"I... I don't know," she replied to his question. "I was thinking somewhere where I could make use of my bending. But I don't even know where to start looking for that."

[raavashing]

"I don't know either," he said, but stayed hopeful. "I know sometimes people advertise jobs in the papers. Mostly non-bending jobs or earthbending ones. But maybe you could think of a way to use your waterbending for those ones. Or you could get a job that doesn't require any bending. The odd jobs I've done for money haven't required bending. Deliveries mostly. I get a lot of exercise."

[glyphe]

The papers! That was a great idea! Then Weiss wouldn't have to wander around aimlessly. She could find certain jobs she wanted to apply for, and then find a way to get there.

"What do you deliver?"

[raavashing]

"Depends on who I'm delivering for. I've found a few small businesses that let me check in for work every couple days," he shrugged, perfectly at ease with the simplicity of it all. "There's a bakery, a book store, a couple repair shops. They don't need to make deliveries everyday, and I don't always get there in time before the work goes to someone else, but it's enough to make a few yuan here and there."

[glyphe]

So they weren't steady jobs. This confused her enough that Weiss actually paused during their walk to stand still and look at Wan for clarification. "You just... show up there on your own? Without a schedule, or anything?"

[raavashing]

He nodded, "Yeah. That's what I do. I'm thinking about finding something part-time that's more steady, but I don't really need to right now."

[glyphe]

"You don't need to?" she repeated, still looking like she didn't understand. Bums were such peculiar creatures! "If you had a job, you could earn more money, then stay in a nicer place!"

[raavashing]

"I'm not going use any money I earn to buy a new place," he said with a laugh. "I like where I'm staying. The wilds are more my home than a house in the city has ever been. Most of the money I do earn goes to helping those who can't afford it get medicine and food. I did buy myself some new clothes, though."

And he spread his arms to indicate the second-hand outfit he was wearing.

[glyphe]

One the one hand, Weiss could tell how cheap the clothes were.

But then she thought, that doesn't really matter, does it? Wan just said he used his money (what little of it he had) to help other people. That was certainly more than Weiss was doing. She was trying very hard to learn about Republic City and fit in, and to do that, she had to pull away from all the comforts she was used to.

She gave Wan a small smile and a nod. "They look... good on you."

[raavashing]

"Thanks," he stood still long enough to pull the bottom edge of his pants up (not that he needed to since they barely fell to mid-shin). His bright white and clearly well cared for socks could be seen. "My socks are brand new. They're the first pair I've ever had. I spent 10 Yuans on them which is a lot, but the shop keeper said they're the best and will last for years."

[glyphe]

He'd... never even owned socks before! This conversation was blowing Weiss' mind. She kept her mouth shut and nodded encouragingly before starting to walk again, reminding herself to be civil to the man. He wasn't unhappy, despite his circumstances. Obviously, she didn't know best in this situation, no matter how many times she assumed she did.

"Well, I'm glad you're doing all right," she finally said when they were on their way once more. "Or, rather, it sounds like you are?"

[raavashing]

"I am," he affirmed, grinning brightly. "And you are, too. Even if you haven't gotten a job yet, you do have a place to stay and you're putting effort into finding one. Oh! Maybe you could do that pro-bending thing! I don't know how much it pays or if anyone is looking for a waterbender, but it seems pretty exciting. If you don't find something else. Assuming you want to."

[glyphe]

Pro-bending. How many people had told her she should go that direction? weiss was getting a bit tired of it, and that showed in her face.

"I want to help people," she said firmly, staring straight ahead of her. "I want to do something that matters."

[raavashing]

Wan raised an eyebrow at that, but shrugged, "Nothing says you can't do both. But if you don't want to, then don't."

[glyphe]

She was doing it again, wasn't she? Being harsh, lashing out at someone who didn't deserve it. Weiss clenched her fists at his words and reminded herself to calm down. Wan did not deserve her indignation.

"...I just find it a waste of time... pro-bending, I mean," she tried to explain, less harsh than before. "There are so many more things people can do with their bending."

[raavashing]

"It's something people do for fun," Wan countered in an easy tone. "Not everything someone does with their bending has to be more productive than that. I think most of it should, but the power of the elements can still be enjoyed. I'm sure you use your bending for stuff that you enjoy that isn't strictly to help others."

He glanced over with a sly smile, "Though, the best bending is when you can have fun and help someone. Like, for instance, I could use my bending to help you get home faster. And we could have fun doing it."

[glyphe]

Weiss was about to respond to the statement regarding bending and fun when Wan caught her attention with something else. Her eyes widened with curiosity.

"Oh? Really?"

[raavashing]

Wan gave a glance around to make sure no one was close enough to bump into them if they stopped and then moved to stand in front of Weiss. He held his hands up, silently asking her to stop as he took a step backwards and then swung his arms around while he jumped into the air, spinning as he went. When he came back 'down', he came back down on a cloud that had formed as he spun. With a huge grin he offered a hand to her, "Would you like to cloudwalk with me?"

[glyphe]

An airbender! Weiss almost gasped loudly, she was so surprised. She had never seen an airbender in action before. It was quite a sight. The respect she held for this man was constantly growing.

"It's safe for me?" she asked hesitantly. "I won't fall through, will I?"

[raavashing]

"No. If anyone was going to fall through, I definitely would," he laughed, still holding his hand out. "I can't just fly on my own."

[glyphe]

She sucked in a breath to steady herself. Excitement won out over nerves, and Weiss was soon smiling and reaching out for Wan's hand.

[raavashing]

Wan took her hand and helped her onto the cloud before wrapping his other arm around her waist to hold her firmly. They lifted into the air, slowly until they were above the nearest buildings. Then they started drifting off at a much faster pace toward the Dragon Flats.

"Let me know if I go too fast."