Day 7: Republic City


The gleaming city that stretches before him is unlike anything he has ever seen before. A young man of twenty-one, he grew up surrounded by monolithic banks of snow and huts made of animal skins stretched taut and stitched together with coarse, fibrous thread. There is nothing of the sort here, among the buildings of glass, stone, and steel that reach towards the sky with sharp fingers.

His first stop is a rather seedy bar, with the intent to listen to the struggles of downtrodden men, to see whether this metropolis is capable of feeding his dream. And what he hears encourages him.

"Damn firebenders, putting me out of a job! Did you hear they're building another plant down by the bay? Spirits, would I hate to be the one who has to tell Shou he's being replaced!"

"Hell, those waterbending healers are worse! They all overcharge for their miracle cures and everyone knows it, but they still won't come to a real doctor! Bah!"

"The earthbending gang out west is the worst of them all," a voice says quietly. He jumps, tugging on the hood that keeps his face in shadow. Satisfied he cannot be seen, he turns to look at the visitor. It is a man, perhaps a year or two younger than himself, with a narrow face and bright grey eyes. The visitor extends his hand, gazing curiously at the hood. "I'm Rai."

"Amon," the hooded man replies, shaking the younger man's hand. "What were you saying about earthbenders?"

"Ah, right! There's a gang of earthbenders out west that have been holding up trains. They damage the tracks, see, by pulling up the ground beneath the rail ties. Usually the conductors notice the damage early enough to stop safely. The earthbenders get on, take what they want, and run. But sometimes, the conductors aren't so attentive. Then, the trains derail." Rai's slender fingers clench tightly around the glass bottle of saké he's been nursing.

"I take it you aren't fond of benders, then?" Amon questions, working to keep the excitement from his voice. He is encouraged- oh, yes, very encouraged. This city is presented as a place for people of all nations to coexist, and they do…but that is no longer the issue. It is bender versus non-bender, with versus without, powerful versus powerless. But they won't remain powerless for much longer.

"Why would I be?" Rai growls, glaring at the wooden countertop of the bar. "They've done nothing but take…from me, and from all these men here!" His voice rises as he speaks in order to be heard over the loud cheers. "Shou is going to lose his job to firebenders! Ling is losing patients to waterbenders!" His voice lowers to a sharp whisper, and Amon leans in closer to hear him. "And I lost my family to the earthbenders out west. Their train derailed. They were left to die, all seven of them. And they did. They all died."

"My apologies for your loss," Amon murmurs, his words nearly lost in the din. "I too lost my family to the tyranny of benders." He pauses, regarding the other man from the safety of his hood. With a grim smile, he notes that the look in Rai's eyes is much like the look in his own; there is deep sadness, but it is nearly overshadowed by the flare of anger, the spark of determination that burns without rest. It is now that he decides to make his offer. "If you are willing," he begins, carefully schooling his voice to keep the man hanging on his every word, "I would like to speak with you about a…project I am interested in pursuing…a sort of dream, if you will. The benders of this city- and the rest of the world, as well- are far too controlling over us non-benders. I intend to correct that injustice."

"W-what do you have in mind?" Rai asks, sounding apprehensive yet eager all at once.

"It's quite a long story, and one not meant to be overheard. Perhaps we could take this somewhere else?"

Rai jumps up immediately, dropping a few crumpled Yuans onto the counter and sliding them over to the bartender. "My apartment isn't far away," he says, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "We could go there."

With a solemn nod, Amon stands and follows the other man through the unfamiliar streets, barely listening to him chatter on. He starts when Rai addresses him directly "…but it's pretty clear you're not from around here. Am I right?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Amon nods again. Irrational panic begins to flood his system. He imagines he's been caught, that this man is actually a police officer, bringing him to the station for sedition. So many months of travel and training, all gone to waste. He's confident he could beat the man in a fight, but he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to be run out of this city, and he doesn't want to hurt Rai. This stranger is young, eager, bright, and Amon is drawn to him like a moth.

Instead, Rai startles him by letting out a bark of laughter. "Well, welcome to Republic City, then!"


A/N: It's done! Hurrah! Thanks for all the views, lovely readers :) Hope you liked it!