cyclicality | Welcome to Republic City!

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Welcome to Republic City!

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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Aang's earlier arrival allows him a little more time to get a good look at the lemur's nest of a book nook. It's a well loved, and long used private space high above the floor of the library. And as mentioned...there are polarbear dog-eared romance novels lining one wall.

"All novels are about romance in one way or another...aren't they all?" he reasons between huffs as he climbs.

"Really? That's neat! I never read much to begin with, so I'll take your word for it." But he frowns as he looks into the nook and then calls back towards Bumi. "I don't see anyone. Do you need help getting up?"

Bumi's maybe three quarters of the way to the top when he hears Aang's confirmation...and stops climbing. The sensation of dread that washes over him is just so heavy, that it threatens to pull him back down to the floor.

"...no."

"Bumi?" He asks sadly as he looks right down to him. He's expecting some kind of assurance or back-up plan, but nothing's coming out.

Where could they be.

He allows himself to feel it all; the indecision, the crushing doubt, the dread, and the grief of having lost his family...somewhere. Each of these realizations knocks more and more wind from his sails, until finally there's jut him clinging to the bookshelves doing the only thing left for him to do: He breathes.

With each breath he comes back to himself, and finds that he's one step closer to center.
Somewhere...wherever his brother is, he's sure Tenzin is gloating.
The jerk.

Bumi laughs a dry laugh and continues his climb to the top of the bookshelf, where Aang is. With a huff he's clambering over the top, landing in a bit of a heap across from the boy who will someday be his father.

"I'm okay," he says reassuringly, though if it's for his benefit or Aang's is not entirely clear.

Aang watches cautiously as his son climbs and deposits himself nearby. And then he leans over in concern. Things are getting weird, and scary, and he can't hope but wish he could be that older version of himself. That he was wiser, stronger - whatever he needed to be to solve this problem. To be the Aang whom this man, this son, needed.

"I- I'm sorry." He breathes slowly as he looks over Bumi. "I don't understand what's happening at all."

Bumi casts his attention out the expanse of the library below them, and allows himself one quiet, mirthless laugh.

"Me too. On both accounts, really."

He runs a hand through his wild hair and sighs before turning back to face Aang.
Aang the entirely improbable, and yet here.

"You'd have really gotten a kick out of all of them." He smiles, but there's a heavy contrast there with the sadness so evident in his eyes.

It is such a huge and grand library. But without all those people he's heard about, it just seems so empty. So he looks towards his son instead, while he dangles his legs over the edge and makes some light kicks.

"I... I know I would have. From what I heard. And from just meeting you and Jinora..." He blinks for a moment, getting vaguely more hopeful as he thinks this through. "I did see Jinora earlier, s-so she's gotta be out there somewhere. She didn't seem to know what was going on, but... at least not everyone's missing. Maybe they're just on some kind of spirit trip!"

He blinks a few times before the name sinks in and finds purchase in his mind.
Jinora.

"Jinora!" he exclaims when finally comes to the exact same conclusion.
Jinora is here and not also missing!

"She'll be home by curfew. She always is. Spirit trip?" he laughs again. "Not likely, though...oh I hope they're not all looking for me. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll find out." He is sad not to see them. But at least he has a feeling that whatever's happened to them, they're not in danger. It might just be a matter of waiting. So he flashes Bumi a light smile. "We just gotta have a faith. And wait for Jinora's curfew!" She didn't seem to know what was going on either, but maybe she found some answers since they parted.

"I'm sure we will, whether we like it or not," he mutters, but then turns to look at Aang as the little monk speaks on matters of faith. Light as that smile may be, it's just enough to make Bumi smile in return.

"She's probably going to come home expecting dinner to be ready and waiting, which means I think that leaves the cooking up to us. Up for a challenge?"

He pauses for a moment, blinks, and the smiles mischievously as he cracks his fingers.

"Bumi... Let's take that challenge! We'll make the tastiest, most airbendery meal that's ever been made!" And then he pauses for a moment. "...Do you know how to cook?"

Bumi makes a show of brushing and straightening his coat.

"Do I know how to cook, he asks. Of course I know how to cook. No one who's spent as much time on Kitchen Patrol as I have doesn't know how to cook. You wound me by asking such things. Wound me."

"Sorry for wounding you!" he chimes very lightly as he stands up as well. But he raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, did we - will we... We put you on a kitchen patrol?"

"As well you should be," he says suitably mollified.

"Ha! You and Mom? Leave me in the kitchen unattended?" Bumi also rises to his feet, but it's a far less light affair. "Not likely," he says with a laugh.

"My first few years in the Forces were..." and then he stops, because this Aang didn't get progress reports from his superior officers.

You and Mom. It's so odd to get used to. But Aang tries not to focus on it too much. He simply raises an eyebrow.

"...kitcheny?" He does wonder what he means by Forces, too, but kitcheny things seem easier to talk about.

Bumi looks confused for a moment, caught off guard by Aang's addition to his own dropped off thought. Then he gets it.

"Kitcheny" he repeats. "I like that. And yeah, very kitcheny. Let's just say that thanks to that I now excel at cooking Hot and A Lot in large quantities, and leave it at that."

"Sure, sure." There can be plenty of time to get details later. He thinks the important thing right now is getting something nice ready for Jinora whenever she shows.

He knows what it's like to go back home and find nobody there.

"I'll leave myself to your instructions... um... Sifu Cook!"

"Sifu Cookie," he corrects with a wink. Bumi then looks over the side of the bookshelf. "First order of business: how's about a lift down from here?"

"Um... sure!" That does also bring up another point that had been nagging quietly at him regarding Bumi...

Aang makes a quick airbending hop down to the floor, then he waves his arms around to make a funnel of air leading to the top of the shelf. "Just hop into this and I'll ease you to the ground!"

Aang doesn't need to tell Bumi twice, he's long since gotten used to transport by someone else's airbending, and with a whoop he leaps off the bookcase onto the air funnel.

Down is always more fun than up.

He giggles as he cycles his arms around, easing Bumi to the ground. "There! How was that?"

"A little slow for my taste, but it'll do in a pinch. Now c'mon, we've got work todo!" Bumi's arms go up with a flourish, and he begins to march towards the kitchens.

"R-right! Let's go!" And so Aang does an exaggerated march to match Bumi.

He was a weird and unbelievable figure. And on top of all of that, he's family.

Aang smiles warmly.

[ooc: Should we fade to black here?]

[That works for me!]

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Welcome to Republic City!

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I had to skim to make sure the UF didn't come up in this thread haha

HA! Me too!

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