The Library

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Sokka: (voice over) What's out here?

(Cut to a shot of the group from the front of Appa, Sokka, Toph, Katara and Momo standing behind Aang. Aang is holding a thin wooden flute in both hands.)

Toph: (kneels and places her palm on the ground) A lot actually. There's hundreds of little-

(Aang turns around and silences Toph.)

Aang: Shhh! I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch.

(Cut to a close up of Aang as he places the flute to his lips and plays a note. The view cuts back to the front as a prairie dog emerges from a hole on Aang's right and sings the same note.)

Aang: (watching as the prairie dog descends back into the hole) Heheheha, yeah!

(Aang plays another note, and another prairie dog emerges from a hole close to the camera and sings the same note, just as the previous prairie dog had done. Aang smiles and raises his hands and the flute above his head.)

Aang: I'm putting an orchestra together.

(Cut to a close up of Sokka, looking disinterested.)

Sokka: Orchestra, huh? Well la dee da.

(Sokka gestures from side to side with his hands as he says the last few words. Cut to a shot of three holes in the ground. One after the other, a prairie dog emerges from a hole and each sings a note in descending order. They all descend back down their burrows as Momo leaps down the hole to the left. A moment later, his head emerges from the middle hole.

Cut to a wide shot showing the group and several more burrows. Aang plays more notes, and each time a different prairie dog emerges from one of the burrows and matches it. Katara laughs as she watches Momo chase after each prairie dog. Cut to a shot of Aang as he is playing a note. Sokka runs up to Aang and plugs his finger into the other end of the flute, muffling the sound and causing Aang's cheeks to swell with air.)

Sokka: This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans.

(Sokka unplugs his finger and stands up straight, gesturing to his sides with open palms. Cut to a shot of Toph and Katara.)

Toph: We did make plans. We're all picking mini-vacations.
Sokka: There's no time for vacations.

Ben: Sokka, Don't Blow a Gasket

Toph: What's a gasket

Ben: y'know something you put in your car

Katara: what's a car

Ben: (sighs)

Aang: (Looking up at Sokka) I'm learning the elements as fast as I can. (Cut to a close up of Aang.) I practice hard everyday with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrows off.


(Cut back to the group shot. Katara walks forward a few steps.)

Katara: Yeah. What's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?

Ben: yeah, we should just take it easy
Sokka: (crossing his arms) Even if you do master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the fire nation. Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house? (mimics the action of knocking on a door, accompanied by the sound effect) Knock, knock! Hello, Fire Lord? Anybody home? (Humorous background music plays as Sokka says this. He leans towards Aang, closing his fists and dropping them to his sides) I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're gonna win this war.

(Aang plays one more note on his flute, and a prairie dog pops out of a hole directly underneath Sokka and sings, surprising him. Katara giggles at Sokka as Momo peeks down the hole. Aang drops the flute and bends a small gust of air to get up on his feet.)

Katara: Alright, we'll finish our vacations, and then we'll look for Sokka's intelligence.

(Cut to a shot of Aang and Katara. A sound effect plays as Aang chuckles at Katara's joke, while Katara places her hands on her hips and smirks. Cut to a close up of a map being opened by Aang. On it can be seen what appears to be a town with an iceberg in the middle. To the left of it is a mountain range.)

Aang: (voice over) Your turn, Katara. (cut to a shot from the side of Aang holding the map open and Katara looking at it) Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?

(Katara leans towards the map and studies it, placing her hand on her chin.)

Katara: (placing her finger on the map) How about the Misty Palms Oasis? That sounds refreshing.
Aang: Oh yeah, I've been there. It's a pristine natural ice spring, and I usually don't use the word pristine. It's one of nature's wonders.

(The close up of the map's illustration fades to a wide shot of the actual Misty Palms Oasis, accompanied by the sound of the background music slowing down and changing. Appa stands outside of the oasis walls. To the left are three sand gliders. Inside the walls are several small houses made of dry mud. There are no palm trees, and the ice spring in the middle is barely visible. Cut to a shot of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph outside the gates.)

Aang: Must have changed ownership since I was here.

(The Avatar laughs nervously and proceeds through the gates with the rest of the group.

Cut to a shot from behind as the group walks through the gates. An old sign hanging overhead falls to the ground with a loud crash and shatters into several pieces, causing the group to turn around in surprise. Fade to a pan right shot as the group walks past the evaporating ice spring. It is only a few feet high, and a dog with black fur is licking it for water. Cut to a shot of the outside of one of the mud houses. It has a large doorway covered by a green cloth. Loitering outside the doorway are men wearing light brown clothing and wrapped in rags. They glance at Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka as they head inside the building.

Before Sokka can enter, the man closest to him hocks phlegm and spits it at the ground. Cut to a shot of Sokka's feet as he steps back to avoid the spit wad as it lands. Cut to a shot of Sokka as he looks down in disgust. He glares at the man, frowning and balling up his fists. Cut to a close up of the man. He is wearing a white visor with thin, rectangular slits across his eyes. He then gives Sokka a toothless smirk.

Cut to a shot outside the doorway of Sokka, the man, and Katara. The man is leaning against the wall and Sokka is still glaring at him. Katara quickly turns around and pulls him away and into the doorway, in order to prevent a fight from breaking out. Cut to a shot from inside the building as the group enters and stares at their surroundings.

Cut to a pan left shot of the interior. It appears to be a restaurant, illuminated by dim lamps hanging from poles. To the left are two patrons sitting at a wooden table. One of them takes a swig from a cup he's holding. At a table in the middle is a man wearing a tall orange hat who has fallen asleep, resting his head on the table's surface. His shoulders rise and fall as he snores. To the left is a bar, decorated with various overhanging fruit. Sitting at a stool is another sleeping man wearing dull green clothing and a white headband.

The bartender is bald and has a short brown beard. He is wearing a green tunic, a white apron and brown armbands around his biceps. There are two thin swords hanging across his back by leather straps, forming an X. Speaking to the bartender is a man wearing loose white clothing and a circular white hat. Hanging from his back are a backpack and a sleeping bag. From his waist hangs a large leather pouch.)

Professor Zei: One mango, please.

(The bartender nods. Cut to a shot of the bartender from the front. To his left are stacks of bowls and to his right is a double handled pitcher with a long, narrow neck. The bartender pulls both swords from their sheaths. He swings at one of the bowls, cutting it from the stack, then picks it up with both swords and places it on a cutting board in the middle. He then cuts down four fruits that are hanging overhead, two large yellow ones and two smaller red ones. The bartender then proceeds to rapidly dice the fruit into several smaller pieces with both swords and dumps them and some water into a bowl to complete the drink.

Cut to a close up of the cutting board as the bartender places the bowl drink in the middle. He drops a bamboo straw and a small, green umbrella into the bowl as the finishing touch. The man in white takes the drink and drops an Earth Kingdom coin on the board which the bartender takes. Cut to a shot of the group standing inside the doorway. Aang and Katara are smiling at the bartender's skill while Sokka stares thoughtfully with his hand placed against his chin.)

Sokka: I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy.

(The others turn to Sokka as he speaks. Sokka grins and walks towards the bar, shoving Aang and Toph in the process. Cut to a shot of the bar as Sokka runs towards it, followed by Aang and Katara.)

Sokka: (signaling to the bartender) Excuse me!

(The man in white takes his drink and turns around, but then bumps into Aang, causing him to spill it onto Aang. Cut to a pan up shot of Aang, Katara and Sokka. Katara gasps as she witnesses the accident, Sokka stares at the man in white, and Aang looks down at his wet clothes.)

Aang: (looking up at the man) No worries, I clean up easy.

(Cut to the shot of the bar. Aang places his knuckles together in front of his chest and bends a gust of air around his body, drying his clothes and causing everyone else's clothes to be blown back. The man in white grabs the brim of his hat to keep it from being blown away and gasps at Aang with amazement. Cut to a close up of the man.)

Professor Zei: (in awe) You're a living relic!

(Cut to a shot of Aang, with Katara and Sokka standing behind him. The man's back is facing the camera. Toph walks in from behind.)

Aang: Thanks. I try.

(Cut back to the close up of the man. He places a hand to his chin.)

Professor Zei: An Air Nomad, right in front of me. (Cut to a shot from side of the group at the bar. Sokka is handing Katara a drink and turns back to the bartender. The man places his right fist into his left hand and gives a slight bow to Aang, who bows as well) Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University. (grabs Aang's hand and examines it) Tell me, which of the Air temples do you hail from?
Aang: The southern temple.
Professor Zei: (begins measuring Aang's skull with a pair of calipers and speaking excitedly) Oh, splendid! Now tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?
Aang: (nervously) Uh, are fruit pies an agricultural product?
Professor Zei: (placing a hand on Aang's shoulder) Oh, truly fascinating. That is one for the journal.

(Cut to a shot of the group. Katara, Sokka and Toph are all holding drinks and standing behind Aang and Zei. Zei pulls a pen and note pad from his back pack and begins writing in it.)

Sokka: So professor, you're obviously a well traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little dated.
Professor Zei: Certainly.

(Cut to a close up shot of a table. Sokka unrolls a map onto it. Cut to a shot of the group standing around the table. Toph is laying across two chairs, her legs crossed and sipping her fruit drink. Aang is now holding a drink of his own. Sokka takes a moment to examine the map.)

Sokka: What, no Fire Nation? (straitening his back) Doesn't anybody have a good map of that place?

(Katara places a hand on the map. Cut to a pan right close up of the map. On it can be seen a large desert with several paths drawn on to it.)

Katara: (voice over) You've made a lot of trips into the desert.
Professor Zei: (voice over) All in vain, I'm afraid. (Cut to a shot of Zei and Katara) I've found lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, (raises his fist slightly) but I haven't managed to find the crown jewel... Wan Shi Tong's Library.

(Cut to a shot of Toph laying down. Her feet are closest to the camera, showing her dirt stained soles.)

Toph: You spent years walking through the desert to find some guy's library?

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