So you know City of Ember? Kinda comes from that. Except there's a class system, and airbenders are at the bottom. They're the messengers, huzzah. In the end I have him and Sokka leave the city with Katara and Zuko and Toph and Suki, and Aang's friends Lehn and Ara and Jein, and also Mai, and they all escape and help the rest of the city escape, and not have a class system anymore. But in this scene, they're not there yet. He's just... trying, a lot. Yeah. That's it.

All he wanted was to be a messenger. Every second of every single day, it was all he worked for. He knew their ways. He was the fastest runner in the entire group, and he knew how to listen. He could control the air to make him even faster than he normally was, which was more than literally anyone else could do, and somehow, he'd gotten 100% on the listening test (most kids got around 75%).

He woke up early to visit the running areas. He watched them deliver messages, and noticed who they were afraid of. He noticed who was kind and who gave messages to just be annoying, and how both were attended to make most people happy. He visited every single area, and he did it on his own time. He knew who most people were, and most people recognized him, at least a little bit.

He watched the messengers eat. He saw those who ran out of time, and had to hurriedly shove something down before running out again. He saw those who had extra time and could have an entire conversation. He picked up on the patterns that allowed them to have that time. There weren't - well, there weren't a lot of them, but there were - there were some.

He stayed late to do extra tests. He acted as if he'd already gotten in, and was trying to do the next step of training already. With those he trusted, he learned every single rule, and the shift schedule, and how they treated beginners. He made himself a home, and the other messengers began to know who he was. They could recognize him, and they spoke with him, sometimes.

He acted humble around the leaders. Yes, he was willing to serve, and more willing to have fun, but he knew when to be respectful. When they were having a bad day, he was docile, and quiet. He knew how to stay invisible, and when it was the right time to quietly be there, a respectful presence. He worked with leaders of all three other nations, and it got to the point that they could see him and not feel an instant surge of hate. It took a second to get there, but he did.

All he wanted was to be a messenger. He lived and breathed it every second of every day. Since he'd been little, he'd been taught what to do, and how to do it. He'd run fast, and he'd learned to listen. He'd smiled when supposed to, and not when he wasn't. He was kind, and he was smart. He had potential, but not enough that the leaders were afraid of him.

On the day of the choosing, they needed 10 members to join the mines. How do you tell an airbender that their life will be spent in a place with even less light, space, and people, because they weren't good enough? It's easier if it's the government, the choosers reasoned. Then, they will not be cross with us. So, they asked for 10 random numbers.

On the day of the choosing, Aang vibrated with apprehension. All he wanted was to be a messenger. He was ready to be a messenger. He was the fastest, and the smartest, and the one who cared the most, and who had put in the most work.

On the day of the choosing, Aang was not called to be a messenger. He was called to spend the rest of his life in the mines.