[ action // accidental video ]

[bookbending]

[The video opens to a view of the fountain and a small pair of feet clad in unusual, tight-fitting red boots. The audio feed is little more than the buzz of many voices overlapping, words lost in the crowd.

The little feet shift, pace, and occasionally vanish out of sight. After a time, the owner of the feet sits on the fountain's edge, coming into view. She's young and petite; her billowing outfit, tied at the waist, is all subdued red-browns and yellows. Her dark brown hair is pulled into an off-center bun.

The girl looks around with wide brown eyes. It's clear that she's surprised and nervous and very possibly overwhelmed by the busy City Square, but there's no panic or jitteriness in her movements. With an air of calm grace, she draws her legs up and settles into a meditative position.]

I wish I had brought a book.

[Her eyes close. The feed times out long before she moves.]


[ooc: Er... this does not happen at the same time as the goat-slaughtering post.]

Comments

[spiderkid]

Okay. I'm really thirteen. And my name is Miles.

[bookbending]

[She stands, puts her hands together, and bows solemnly.]

Thank you for telling me your secret... and for letting me be friends with Spider Man and Miles.

[spiderkid]

[ We're bowing now? Uh, okay. ] No problem. Just, when you see me like this, call me Spider-Man, and when you see me like [ He takes off his mask only just long enough for her to see his face. ] this, then you can call me Miles. Don't get the two mixed up.

[bookbending]

[It's a cultural thing. You're welcome, Miles.]

I won't.

[spiderkid]

Cool. Thanks.

So... about that library.

[bookbending]

Oh, right. How do I find it, Spider-Man?

[spiderkid]

Well, [ Miles picks up her phone again, scrolling through the responses. ] this guy said it's only a block from the police station. I know where that is, I could take you.

[bookbending]

You could? [She's torn. Her dad said she should stay in one place if she ever gets lost. On the other hand, library. It can't hurt to look.]

I'd like that, if you're not too busy.

[spiderkid]

Nope! That's what I came out here to do-- help people.

Now, the only question is: do you want to take the boring way? [ He mimes walking with his fingers. ] Or the fun way?

[ He shoots a string of web at a nearby lamp post, pulling it and swinging up and around to land on top of it. ]

[bookbending]

[That is cool. She jumps and, with the aid of a little airbending push, perches next to him.]

The fun way.

[spiderkid]

[ He's almost-- almost startled off his perch. ] Sweet! I was going to just carry you, but if you think you can keep up...

Let's go! [ And he's off, swinging to the nearest rooftop before turning to make sure Jinora's following. ]

[bookbending]

Don't worry, I can.

[She follows Miles Spider-Man, using a combination of light-footed leaps and air manipulation.]

[spiderkid]

[ Laughing, Miles leads the way to the roof of the police station. It's one of the first places he looked up when he got here, so he knows the way easily. From there, he looks around until he spots the library. ]

There it is!

[bookbending]

[Jinora doesn't laugh easily, but she's definitely smiling by the time they get to the roof of the station.]

That was fun! [She looks where Miles is pointing... wow. That is a huge building.] The whole building is full of book?

[spiderkid]

It is a library.

How did you do that jumping stuff? That was awesome!

*books, even! /can english

[bookbending]

I've never seen one that size, not even in Republic City.

I was airbending. What were you doing? Web-bending? [There's no such thing at home, but he is Spider-Man.]

[spiderkid]

Well it would have to be big to have books from my universe plus your universe, plus everybody else's.

I think slinging is the verb. I'm actually sort of new at it. Never heard of airbending.

[bookbending]

[Jinora clasps her hands and looks like a girl who has just been given everything she has ever wanted in life.] If I can't find my dad, I'm moving there.

Slinging... webs? Out of your hands? You seem really good at it.

Airbending is [is there even a way to describe this without going into chi and the Air Nomads and the flying bison?] something that all Airbenders can do, but there are only five of us. We use energy to do stuff like this... [She moves her hands in circular motions, quickly creating a barely-visible sphere of air between them.]

[spiderkid]

[ Miles freezes up a bit at the mention of her dad, knowing it's unlikely he's here but unwilling to say it. ]

They don't come from my hands, they're built into the suit.

That's pretty cool. What do you airbenders do with it? Fight crime and stuff?

[bookbending]

That's amazing.

[She's very sincere. Technology in her world is more in line with the 1910's, and even more limited where she lives. Jinora lets the ball of air go; it dissipates rapidly.]

We can fight, but we're not supposed to unless we're attacked and there's no way to escape. Fighting crime is for the police.

[spiderkid]

Yeah, but sometimes the police need a little help. That's where Spider-Man comes in.

[bookbending]

Then fighting crime is your job? Do you ever feel bad if you have to hurt people to stop them?

[spiderkid]

I try not to hurt people if I can avoid it. Like, just tie them up with webs 'til the cops come or something. But sometimes, if they're really bad and putting a lot of people in danger, I don't feel so bad about hitting 'em.

There's a lot of people like me in my world, who fight crime like this. And there's a lot of people who cause crime for us to fight. The stronger the bad guy is, the stronger the good guys have to be.

[bookbending]

I guess trying not to hurt bad guys is close to self-defense, only you're defending more people than yourself.

[She does not look impressed with this world of his.] It sounds like you need a vacation.

[spiderkid]

That's what being a hero's all about. Defending people.

[ He laughs at that. ] Guess that's what this place is for. C'mon, let's get inside.