steel danger

i am not my father's son. i am what you made me.

Say enough, say enough

Did I let her know, let her know?

If I found my body in chains

I'd lay down and wait

And hope she looks for me

Sokka lets out a short, incredulous laugh under his breath, folding his arms as he gives the airship another once-over. “Hey, I said low expectations, not no expectations,” he shoots back, glancing sideways at Zuko with a crooked grin tugging at his mouth. “There’s still a gap there, Sparky. A noticeable one.” He shifts his weight, boots scraping lightly against the deck as he leans in just a little, dropping his voice like he’s about to share something important—then immediately ruins it.

“If I had designed it, we’d have at least three hidden compartments for emergency snack storage, maybe an entrance hatch that opens with steam for no reason.” His eyes flicker back up to the ship, then to Zuko again, “But yeah,” he adds with a small shrug. “It’s solid. I’ll give you that. Looks like it won’t explode, which is a huge selling point in my experience. Did you at least consider adding a boomerang rack? Because I’m noticing a serious design flaw here.”

a crack of a smile at the correction , low expectations huh ? how --- funny. the gap was a good note , something he'd keep in the back of his mind for a little later while he watched the other continue to actually examine the hull of the aircraft. it's interesting , to watch as the man jumps between the skanrky , comedic , friend he's known for years , and the mastermind behind the raids against the fire nation that he rembers being so annoyed was younger than him as a kid. ( and he's only gotten smarter ). the immediate jump to his own observations was somehow comforting and the shrug of approval was solid.

Aang sat at the head of the council table, the polished wood reflecting the low gold light that spilled through the tall windows of Republic City Hall. Outside, the city still carried the scars of the battle that almost destroyed it. Aang could still picture it with painful clarity; violet light tearing through the streets, the sky twisted with violent currents of energy, buildings splintered, and people running, screaming for their lives. The room was quiet, but in his mind, that battle was happening over and over again, his mistakes playing on a loop while a heated debate unraveled around him.

“The city needs more than just watchmen—what happened proved that. If Tagah could nearly crush Republic City, someone else will try again. We need something organized and ready to go at a moment’s notice,” Sokka said, and he leaned forward, one hand braced against the table.

Across from him, Katara’s brows knit with immediate concern, “I understand Sokka, I do… but after everything the world has been through, I worry about what people will see when they look out their windows and find soldiers in the streets. They’ve only just begun to feel safe again.”

Sokka exhaled through his nose, not backing down. “Or they’ll see it as preparedness. We can’t afford to look defenseless after that.”

Katara’s gaze flickered toward Aang for a moment before returning to the others, “People are still frightened. Some of them are grieving, some of them are trying to rebuild what they lost. I don’t think marching soldiers past their homes is going to bring them peace.”

Toph’s voice cut in, blunt as ever. “No, but the absence of protection won’t either.”

“We can’t allow Republic City to be left vulnerable again,” Aang finally spoke up, “People need to know they’re safe.” His gaze drifted briefly toward the window, toward the skyline that he and Fire Lord Zuko had dreamed into existence together—a place meant to unite all nations, all peoples. “For a long time, I believed balance could be protected through diplomacy and the willingness of people to choose peace. I still believe in that. I always will. But peace also requires protection.”

Aang drew in a measured breath, shoulders rising and falling beneath the orange and yellow robes draped around him. “A dedicated police force would give this city guardians who answer first to its people, not to any one nation. And if we are to establish a military presence, it must never become a symbol of fear. It must exist solely to defend Republic City from threats like the one we just faced.” It was then that Aang’s eyes moved across the table and came to rest on @dngerclose. He’d  been quieter than usual. Aang’s expression softened, thoughtful blue-grey eyes lingering on his friend. Of everyone in the room, Zuko understood better than most what could happen with the presence of soldiers in the streets.

Aang shifted slightly in his seat, one hand flattening against the polished wood as he turned toward him. “Zuko,” he said gently, “you’ve been awfully quiet.” His eyes held Zuko’s steadily. “I want to hear how you feel about this.”

they kept talking. circles reeling over and over and over again over the same three points. one , they had been completely unprepared for the enemy at hand. ( which in their defense , who was suppsoed to know they were supposed to prepare for a second airbending master frozen in ice that had immense power ). two , republic city was a dream built on houses of hay , any small gust could shake it's foundation at the moment and wanting to build a presence to protect it and strengthen the foundation with actual cement wasn't exactly a bad idea. and third , none of them knew what it was like to have soilder's policing over your shoulder every minute of every day. he was 80% certain that he'd read somewhere that it was the whole reason behind one of the previous avatar's largest battles. the autonomy of self was an unparalleled gift. one that he did not take lightly after earning it.

golden eyes snap over to aang at the mention of a police force , now that is a terrible idea. while he agreed with sokka's initial statement ( a military presance was likely needed in republic city ). « we have police. don't put the soldiers in the streets. » his voice is short , almost stern. as if he's scolding the younger members of their round table for the suggestion of a militant activity. ( though he isn't exactly one to talk - the fire nation retained it's naval and armed forces even after aang brought peace to the world , even at a reduced scale ). still he doesn't like the immediate jump , a militant state is how situations like the boiling rock happened.

« if we rush to create an armed force there will be panic. it will be seen as a reactive rather than a proactive measure from the event. and it will cause mass hysteria and distrust in the government. » he remembers that much from his history lessons. lying to the public is required months in advance for situations like these for them to believe youi. it is then and only then that bright eyes finally leave aang and move over to the one that's closer to his own age. « i'm not saying no. i'm saying we need to build slowly , a volunteer-only force , marketed as stewards of the free worlds , not guardians of it. it needs to feel like peace time. » it will feel like war if we rush. in more was than one if he can remember correctly. his uncle had some sort of wise saying that would go perfectly here if he could fully remember how it went... something about jumping into the future ---