[ 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]

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.

[bookbending]

Does it really feel like a vacation, or do you defend people here, too?

[She gets off of the roof by simply jumping, slowing her landing with air.]

[spiderkid]

I haven't had to defend anybody yet, but if I have to, I will.

Gimme a minute... [ After Jinora jumps down, Miles hops back over to the police station roof where he'd stashed a backpack with a change of clothes. A minute or so later he comes around the corner to meet up with Jinora in front of the library. ]

[bookbending]

[When he reappears (and quickly, at that), she waves.] Hello, Miles.

[spiderkid]

[ He is a master of quick changes. ] Hey Jinora. You wanna go in?

[bookbending]

Of course I do! [She stops at the door.] We don't need to ask for permission to go in?

[spiderkid]

Not for a public library. Do they have public libraries where you're from?

[bookbending]

Maybe? Not any I've been to.

[So, they just... walk in. Okay. Jinora pushes the door open and barely crosses the threshold before coming to a complete stop. Air Temple Island isn't exactly known for its vast array of reading material; this library, with shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books, is nothing short of jaw-dropping.]

...Woah.

[spiderkid]

Big, huh? You should see the New York Public Library. You'd flip.

[bookbending]

It's huge! I've never seen so many books in my entire life.

[She stares at him in disbelief.]

Is it bigger than this one?

[spiderkid]

Can't tell, really. New York's the biggest city in the world, though, so maybe.

[bookbending]

[Jinora starts to skim through titles at random. Don't worry, Miles; you still have her attention.]

I've never heard of New York.

[spiderkid]

Really? Huh. I guess your universe maybe doesn't have one. I know my universe doesn't have any airbenders in it, unless maybe there's a mutant who can do it.

[bookbending]

We have Republic City... [Which is not the same. She diverts her attention from the books to Miles.] A mutant?

[spiderkid]

Yeah, somebody who was like born different or something so they got special powers. Like flying or reading minds or ice powers. When the Spider-Man thing first started, I almost thought I was a mutant.

[bookbending]

Is being a mutant bad?

[spiderkid]

My dad thinks so. Mutants kind of destroyed New York City a little while ago in a big fight. But there are good mutants who are heroes fighting with the Ultimates, like I do.

[bookbending]

That's a little like Republic City, only it wasn't all the way destroyed. The Equalists don't like benders, but most of us aren't bad. We don't fight crime, though.

[spiderkid]

Things sound simpler in Republic City. [ Miles pulls out a book at random from the shelf. "A Treatise On The Effects Of" yeah okay no, putting that one back. ]

[bookbending]

My dad doesn't think they're simple. [Wait, no--not thinking about Dad. She can't even concentrate on the titles on the spines of the books in front of her; there're too many choices.] Maybe you'd like Air Temple Island. It's quiet, except for Ikki and Meelo.

[spiderkid]

What the heck is an Ikki and Meelo?