It sounds more fantastical than Hisame's did to Eliko.

Sensible; there's a larger gap in magic and technology. In fact, this world and Hisame's seem to have the same underlying aesthetic, albeit one implemented in different ways.

Which is somewhat strange, come to think about it.

They've encountered a ridiculous number of examples of this type of nonsense! Hisame's theory is they're being simulated, or there's some over deity messing with them, which ultimately works out to the same thing.

Eliko doesn't really care for either of those two theories.

She laughs.

"Is the idea so objectionable?"

"I'd prefer to be my own person."

"I didn't say we weren't! I certainly feel like I have free will, though that might be an illusion, or I might be being simulated by an all-powerful version of myself so I only indirectly have free will..."

"If it feels the same, does it really matter?"

"Makes a difference how I feel about it."

"I imagine I'd be far less cooperative if I had an unfriendly simulator."

"That's a given."

She laughs.

Soon after, Eliko heads home.

She's up early the next morning, starting work on incorporating the airbending and waterbending techniques she saw in the library yesterday into her own style.

- Something big flies overhead! Then loops around, back towards where Eliko is.

Oh fuck. There's only one sky bison around.

She moves to one side of the field.

The sky bison lands! And a very perky twelve year old dressed in oranges and reds vaults off, landing with a bounce.

Something about her face is familiar.

"Hi!" she chirps. "Your bending style's really interesting!"

"I'm... self-taught."

"Neat! You must have a really good understanding of it! Especially to combine styles; I've been trying to blend my air and water together, lately."

"I've been working on it for a long time. Probably it helps that I can't accidentally bend something other than earth."

"That does seem potentially helpful! Still, would you like to be my earth-bending teacher?"

"I'm not sure I'm qualified..." Or that her village will survive the Avatar's presence.

"You seem qualified to me! And most people don't want to teach me, or want to treat me like a weapon to be pointed... I would've thought Bumi would've known better than that, since he knew me before, but I suppose time dulls memories."

"Maybe a few days' trial, then." She squints, then shakes her head.

"Something wrong?"