"Oh. Was- a girlfriend one of the things she wanted?"

"Yes. She said before she died it would be all right for people to read her diary, so I did that."

"It sounds very strange, to die and then come back the same person."

"It's so easy to make new people on demand, that doesn't even require technology, I don't see why you'd recycle them."

Shrug. "Reincarnation wasn't my decision."

"Is everybody reincarnated or do most people just die when they die?"

"People say that everyone reincarnates but only the Avatar knows their past lives."

"If you don't remember how is it you?"

"Metaphysically? Same personality?"

"Huh. Maybe when there's a Sing here it'll figure out how to let you remember. Or something. I'm not Sing so I don't know what it will figure out is best."

"It may not be true."

"Then that's what it'll figure out!"

"I think I would like to know, one way or the other."

"Well, first I have to make it. I'm hoping I can do it soon but it's complicated. The cylinders have nothing to do with it at all, they're just something to make money so I can build more things."

"What things do you need?"

"Machines that can think. They have to have a lot of parts, very small, and electricity, which is like lightning."

"There are stories that say really good firebenders can bend lightning."

"- they'd have to do it pretty precisely."

"They mostly did it to kill people."

"That's not gonna be precise enough unless I build a really fancy electricity storer thing, but that might actually be easier, a lightning battery... I'd need a lightning bender though."

"I don't know any."

"Point in favor of staying in this country though."

"I don't think there would be any in the colonies. Either with the army or the home islands."

"Army comes through now and then but wouldn't be a good place to poach. Home islands maybe."

"You'd stand out. A lot."