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I killed Chin the Conqueror. A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home. But he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland.
-Avatar Kyoshi
It's Avatar Day in Republic City! Once a festival that painted the former Avatars in a negative light in memory of Kyoshi splitting Kyoshi island from the Earth Kingdom mainland, it has since evolved into a celebration enjoyed by thousands in the colonies all year round. Though many faces are smiling as they enjoy their traditional Avatar unfried dough and watch the many performers imitate the acts of the Avatars and tell their story, there is another more somber note.
This is also the 16th anniversary of Avatar Korra's death. Nearly sixty years ago, while she was helping Prince Wu to establish a democratic system in the Earth Kingdom, she brought the idea of the festival to her home in Republic City. This was both to remember the past Avatars who she could no longer connect to and to bring traditions from the Earth Kingdom into a place that the four great nations could enjoy together. Sixteen years ago, though her health was failing, she held onto life to make the event a success before passing quietly in her sleep that night.
While in life, Korra did not care for the celebration including her image, this year there are plenty of prizes, puppets and actors bearing her likeness in memory of the most recent Avatar. The Order of the White Lotus has shown up to this celebration en mass as well, since it would be the sixteenth birthday of the new Avatar, and the day that his or her identity would be revealed to the world.
Jian Beifong, a Grand Lotus from the Order of the White Lotus, is present today to make that revelation. However, due to the contents of the letters that you have received from her, you know that things are not going to be going quite according to plan. You need to meet up with her soon, but you still have some time to look around at the festival.
You have heard that there are figures attending who you may have heard about from your childhood, like the former Team Avatar: Asami Sato, the head of Future Industries and widow to Avatar Korra), Bolin, a powerful lavabender and former mover star, and Mako, Bolin's brother and retired chief of police.
FzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…
"Easy, Siba. It’s just dragon rockets. This is a festival, not a fight. Easy, boy."
Palila pats the ostrich horse’s neck, murmuring comfortingly to the spooked animal as she slips from its back. Leading Siba, she drops some coins in the palm of the nearest unfried dough vendor, nodding at the crinkling smile of the old woman. She pinches a piece off and pops it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully on the odd treat. Unfortunately, it seems to expand in the warmth and soon grows to a size impossible to swallow. Spitting the gooey wad back into the paper serving bowl with the rest of the serving, she offers it to Siba, who empties the container in one bite, chewing in a somewhat confused manner.
Here at ground level, she sees only a surrounding wall of people, which is oddly a bit less claustrophobic than being able to see the masses thronging the streets and plazas of Republic City. The street vendors seem very pleased by the crowds and the brisk business, and the general air is festive. Still Siba (and Palila, to be truthful) had never seen so many people in one place before. They made it hard to breathe, as if they were sucking all the air into their lungs, leaving none for her.
Palila pulls herself aboard Siba again, using the slightly higher vantage to locate the podium Jian had said would be the focus for the big announcement. May as well head there and find Jian. She knees Siba slowly through the crowd, careful not to trample anyone.
A flash of color and graceful movement catches her eye, a white dragon undulating over the heads of the crowd on a nearby street corner, leaving her breathless. She soon realizes, though, that it dances in a small circle, too small to be a real white dragon. The glimpse of the spirit world calls her, and she changes course to draw near the dragon. Soon, she sees a tiny stage, far too small for live people, but perfectly scaled for the little figures of wood and fabric that dance and cavort and fight for the entertainment of the crowd. The dragon is made of silk and wood and string, and many more of her spirit friends are displayed on the stage. She dismounts and creeps forward, leading Siba, and crouches behind the children seated before the puppet-master's stage.
Guard, she orders her mount, then lets herself become absorbed in the magic of the show, the leafy vine tattoos that twine down her arms, shadowy patterns on her light skin, making her stand out among her fellow humans, though they might help disguise her in a verdant forest. Her black hair is swept back simply into a long tail, draping down her back like her scarf-like garments. Dark brown eyes widen as she watches the graceful puppets.
Do not use fire, be fire, Wan, and you shall truly understand bending, the dragon roars, and she loses herself in the tale, utterly confident in Siba’s watch.
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Tikaani makes his way through the crowd, weaving carefully through it. He has no particular destination in mind, just wandering around the festival seeing what there is to be seen. A hand on his shoulder causes him to stop and turn.
A man, a local maybe judging from his garb, likely descended from Earth Kingdom by his facial features, was peering down at him his eyes practically shining. Tik wasn't great at judging ages, but he presumed the man to likely be in his early thirties. "It's you isn't it? The Wolf?"
Tikaani gave a somewhat crooked smile to the man "You actually recognize me? I didn't think I made enough of an impact to be famous... Well I don't normally go by The Wolf, Tikaani Kesuk, nice to meet you." he offers a hand to the man.
"Merle!" The man said excitedly shaking Tikaani's hand "You're kidding right? I watched your match against the Zebra Frogs with my son, you were untouchable!"
"Zebra Frogs? We lost that match." The waterbender said recalling the match.
"By a technicality!" the man said vehemently "I can't believe that ref! Three on one and you took them all out without even taking a hit!" The man raved "I couldn't believe the ref ruled the last player fell after the round ended..."
"It was close alright, I thought I had em, but I guess I took too long."
"You got robbed! That was the best bending performance I've ever seen! When your teammates got taken out I figured the match was over. Where'd you get that Firebender anyway, what was his name? Aiko? That guy is useless, worse than useless, bad enough he got himself nailed, but he fell into Mica and knocked them both over the edge."
"Well it's not like he did it on purpose." Tik countered
The man spread out his hands waving them slightly "Yeah sorry... I don't mean to bash your teammate, but after your miraculous round, you just missed the K.O. and tied up the match. You guys lost the coin toss, and of course they picked fire, and he blew it... seriously you and Mica could go all the way, but that guy's weighing you down. OH! my son's over watching the puppet show, he catches all your matches, he really loves pro bending says he wants to be a waterbender. Umm you know if you have time Mr. Tikaani..."
"Please, just Tikaani, and sure, I have to meet someone later, but just taking in Avatar Day for now I have some time. Tikaani furrows his brow at the man "A waterbender? but umm..."
The man nods, and starts leading the way towards the puppet show "I know... with my lineage that's basically impossible, I tried to tell him, but he insisted. He'll be overjoyed to meet you, his name's Bipin. There he is" Merle points "Sitting just in front of that Ostrich Horse"
"I'm not really used to meeting fans, it's the first time I've been recognized outside of Yu Dao." Tik said a little nervously
"You keep it up and I'm sure it'll happen more and more, I'm sure we're not your only fans." Merle leans down to talk quietly to a boy watching the puppets who looks to be 7 or 8 years old.
Turning to look back the boy's eyes widen and he quickly stands "Oh wow, you're really him aren't you? Tikaani Kesuk, The Wolf! I can't believe it." The boy simply stares for a few moments.
"That's me, though you can just call me Tik. I understand you're Bipin, and you're interested in waterbending."
"Oh yeah! I'm gonna be a great waterbender when I grow up, like you, I'll join up with a Pro bending team and win the championship!" then questions started pouring out like someone had popped the cork "Are you here for a match? How old are you? Why do they call you The Wolf? Can you teach me about waterbending?"
Merle laughed softly "Easy Bipin don't harass the boy, he's only here to enjoy Avatar Day just like us."
Tik smiled "That's alright, I'll try to answer..." He starts giving answers counting the questions back on his fingers "Umm no match, I'm here to meet someone. I'm sixteen. The Wolf is a sort of nickname, my name Tikaani means wolf, the announcers like to use nicknames like that, sounds more exciting. Waterbending..." He considers how to answer this last question "Well not everyone can waterbend, I can teach you about waterbending, but no techniques or anything."
"Come on Tikaani!" The boy pleaded "I'm good already, I've been following your movements. I think I'm really close!" The boy tried to show how good by attempting to reproduce some of Tikaani's moves from his matches, unfortunately he does not quite have the smooth flowing grace perfected yet, and loses his balance tumbling over towards the Ostrich horse, and the young woman with it.
"Watch out!" Tik cries seeing the boy tumbling backwards, and he moves quickly to catch him, but the momentum carries him over as well, and it looks like both he and the boy are going to crash into the woman.
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The phone booth was way too cramped for Mica’s liking. Having to stand in line for twenty minutes did not exactly help, either. Apparently, a lot of people liked to call friends and family on Avatar Day; and apparently, a lot of those people did not own their own phones. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that could fit into someone’s pocket, either. All of that waiting, and Mica is rewarded with her mother’s lovely voice, which somehow managed to be way too loud, even over the din of the festival. As always, the conversation was always pleasant, if a little exhausting.
“No, mom, I haven’t grown my hair back out,” Mica explains, running a hand over the stylish tuft of hair she did have. From the way the rest of her scalp felt, she’d be needing another shave pretty soon. This, of course, was a discussion they had very often. “And yes, it’s still orange. I like that color.”
“Oh, I know,” Mrs. Morishita says as she does so often, always sounding less defeated than she ought to be. It was a reminder that they would be having this conversation again, eventually.
Soon enough, the conversation topic that Mica had been dreading rears its ugly head.
“Ah! Have you met any nice boys yet? What about that firebender on your team that you were talking about? You seemed so smitten with him! Ah, now what was his name again…?”
“I’m gonna cut you off right there,” Mica says a bit too quickly, a bit too sharply. Usually she had a little more patience with her mom’s futile matchmaking attempts, but this time she hit a bit too close to home. Silence hangs in the air for a few short seconds, just long enough for her to start feeling bad. “Uh, look mom, I…”
“Oh, honey...”
Mica groans and leans against the booth, rubbing the bridge of her nose in between her fingers. Just from her mom’s tone, she could tell that her mind had been read through the telephone line again. Of course, that meant that now she had to spill the beans. Or some of them, at least.
“It… didn’t work out, okay? He’s not even on the team anymore,” she explains, feeling the sudden urge to bang her head against the wall. It was one thing to have stupid arguments on their own time, but to have them during a game? That kind of thing just didn’t fly with her. And now they were one firebender short of a pro-bending team. “So me and Tik are just taking a bit of a break. We’ll totally make a comeback next season...! We just need to find a new recruit that doesn’t totally suck.”
“Ooh, maybe it will be a nice firebender girl!”
This song and dance is a bit more typical.
“Mom!”
“Just teasing, dear! At any rate, I’d better get going. Your father needs all the help he can get. Take care, okay? I love you!”
“Yeah, I love you too. Tell dad the same, and, uh. Don’t mention this to him, okay? I don’t need him badgering me into retiring early.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, honey. Goodbye!”
“Bye.”
With that all said and done, Mica finally barges out of the telephone booth and takes in a breath of fresh air. Just as quickly, the next person in line impatiently crams themself into the booth. The earthbender stretches out her arms before reaching for her belt, retrieving a small packet of chewing gum and popping it into her mouth.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry for taking so long,” she says to someone that is apparently invisible. She pops a bubble or two before realizing something was wrong. Her eyes gravitate to the empty spot where she could swear her friend had been standing just a few minutes ago. Or had it been an hour? “Tik?”
In Tik’s place were the hundreds of other people that had places to go, things to see, and a festival to enjoy. For a minute Mica just stands there, tapping her foot. The look on her face suggests that her gum must be really sour.
“Unbelievable.”
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A low rumbling woke Jampo up. He stretched and yawned, working out the kinks from falling asleep on the great Sky-bison's saddle. Smacking his mouth and blinking trying to wake entirely up, he lazily rolled over and looked over the edge of the enormous saddle. The young monk reached out and lovingly ruffled the fur within reach.
"What is it Uupa?" Jampo asked the sky bison. "Did you get lonely again?" He grins broadly knowing that Uupa can hear it in his voice.
"Oh. OH! We're here! Good job Uupa! Wow, was I asleep that long? Or did you practicing racing again?" He ruffles the sky bison's fur once more, shaking his head at a ringing he cannot get out of it.
No, his ear isn't ringing, it's droning,... Looking to the left, he sees an aircraft, one of the newest sleek fighter types made by Future Industries, a military patrol craft defending the perimeter of Republic City. The pilot was clearly visible behind the canopy, his flying goggles pushed up onto his forehead, his eyes wide as he stared at the bison and it's rider.
Oh yeah. Jampo had become so accustomed to having the giant bison around that he had forgotten that while the population was making a comeback thanks to Avatar Aang and his descendants, they were hardly a common sight. This pilot had obviously never had the pleasure of seeing a live sky bison up close.
"Better take a picture. It'll last longer!" Jampo says to the pilot. Smiling, Jampo waves at the pilot, braces his feet on the sky saddle, and lays down. He flicks the reins, and Uupa responds almost instantly.
The great Sky Bison dives almost straight down, leaving Jampo standing straight up in the now-vertical saddle. The pilot has just enough time to see Jampo give him a jaunty salute before the bison dives out of sight, moving far faster than his bulk would suggest.
"YAAAAAAHOOOO!!!" Jampo cries gleefully as Uupa plummets towards the water below. The Sky Bison's own bellow merging with the monk's cry in a combined shout of the joy of flying. The great bison pulls out of the dive, just brushing the water and causing a spray as his dive speed turns into forward momentum once again, leaving a spray wake behind them. The pair maneuver swiftly between small boats, larger pleasure craft, and between fishing boats. They round the aft end of a large freighter, and Republic city is revealed before them, shining as only a city in the midst of a festival can do. They slow down, going up and over a cruise ship approaching the city docks. Jampo peeks over and waves at the upturned faces and open mouths on the deck of the ship.
"Oh yeah. Old Gusty's gonna hear about this. He's gonna burst a balloon." Jampo tells Uupa. Uupa rumbles in agreement. The pair fly higher and at a more sedate speed as they enter the city itself. Jampo looking for landmarks. He visited the city regularly, to run errands for the temple and to visit his mother, but he had never flown Uupa there before. He was a little lost at first. Then he saw the fiery trail and colorful, explosive detonation of the Dragon rockets and smiled.
"Over there Uupa! The fairgrounds! With enough room for a herd of Sky Bison!" He called gleefully to Uupa.
"Well,... there USED to be plenty of room,..." he added apologetically to the bison as the neared the fairgrounds. What were normally open fields next to the Republic City Fairgrounds were now crowded with trucks, wagons, trailers, and rows upon rows of parked motor-cars. Vehicles of all shapes, sizes and styles crowded like sardines in the muddy tracked fields that Jampo remembered being open and green.
"Progress. It's a wonderful thing." Jampo tells Uupa as he shakes his head in bewilderment. Even though he had been born and raised in Republic City, he had spent so long at the Air temple that it sometimes felt strange coming back. It was almost like visiting the spirit world in the tales he read. Like he didn't really belong there.
The pair lazily circled as Jampo scratched his head. he hadn't really thought that bringing Uupa would be a problem. NOW he knew why Old Gusty was smiling unpleasantly when he left. Seems he had figured it out and hadn't bothered sharing. Jampo blew a raspberry.
"Well, they're just gonna have to make room for you Uupa! Cuz you aren't going anywhere! Right buddy?" The sky bison opened his mouth and rumbled in reply.
Jampo looked over the edge of the saddle once more. They were near a circus that had set up. Most of the larger trucks he had seen were probably theirs. He caught a glimpse of a row of Polar Dogs wearing pointed hats just entering the main tent. Amidst the people staring up at them, From behind the rear entrance to the Main tent came an individual running and waving. It took Jampo a moment to realize the man was waving at them. The man was waving and gesturing for them to go towards the animal pens. With no better choices open to him, Jampo shrugged and gently guided Uupa the direction indicated. As they neared the animal stockades, they saw an open area still covered in grass in the midst of the cages and pens. Surprisingly more than large enough for Uupa. It seemed the circus at least planned ahead for their animals.
"Here you go Uupa!" Jampo called as he guided the bison in to land. With a gentle sigh and a gust of air, the sky bison settled to the grass. Followed almost immediately by Uupa settling to the ground with another sigh. "Oh come on. It wasn't THAT long of a flight!" Jampo chides teasingly as he affectionately ruffles Uupa's neck fur again.
Janpo tugs his staff out from it's ties inside the saddle. It was thicker and more squared off than a standard staff, but it was the same size and weight as an Airbender Staff. Janpo swore he was going to own one soon, and master it. So he carried a staff that was as close as he could get until then. Janpo flipped his legs over the edge of the saddle in a fluid motion, and slid down Uupa's fur to the ground below. The man who had waved at them was just running up to meet him.
The man bowed and held out his hand, beaming. "Hello Master! Pleasure to meet you! I'm Jappa, Master Trainer for the circus." The man, and he was an older man, his weathered face and tanned skin only accentuating his Earth Nation ancestry. He spoke to Jampo, but only had eyes for Uupa.
"Um,... I'm not a Master." Jampo quietly tried to explain, but the man was still staring at Uupa.
"He, is, magnificent." Jappa said, "May I, would he mind if I touched him?" He asked politely, looking at Jampo finally.
Janpo shrugged, not as verbose with strangers as with friends. "I think so. He doesn't meet many strangers, so I can't promise he'll take to you." He started to say, but Jappa was already extending his hand to Uupa and introducing himself politely. Jampo raised an eyebrow, most people didn't know that Sky Bison were actually quite intelligent. Either Jappa was well-read, or he treated all of his animals this way. Either way he went up a notch in Jampo's estimation.
Uupa for his part sniffed the man's hand, then leaned into the offered rub, rumbling contentedly. Uupa seemed to approve of the man as well. Jampo looked around and saw that most of the cages around the area were open. The animals inside being tended by attentive handlers or resting contentedly inside awaiting their turns. Whoever this Jappa was, he believed in taking care of animals. Jampo smiled. Maybe Karma was on his side today.
"You seem to need a place for,...What IS his name?" Jappa asked.
"Uupa."
"You seem to need a place for Uupa to stay for a while?" Jappa continued. "It would be my honor to watch him for you Master,...?"
"Oh. Jampo. Just Jampo. I'm not a Master yet."
The man looked at Jampo's bald head quizzically. The young airbender realized that the man was looking at his airbending tattoos. Jampo sighed. "It's a long story."
Jappa nodded, accepting the explanation. "As you say Master Jampo. I would be most honored to watch Uupa for you while you enjoy the festival." The trainer offered again.
Jampo paused. As much as he wanted to like the man, and Uupa was a good judge of character, (HE didn't care for Old Gusty either) Jampo recalled a tale he had read, about how Avatar Aang's own sky bison, Appa, had once been kidnapped by sandbenders and sold to a circus. The shadow of doubt must have shown on his face, because Jappa stood up straighter and became quite serious.
"I understand. You do not know me. You are too young to know this, but my family was saved by Airbenders once. The airbenders were all new. Young and old and suddenly demonstrating airbender abilities. Barely trained, and as scared of their powers as we were. But when tragedy struck, they did not hesitate. When Avatar Korra battled the giant Spirit-Demon, the groundquakes alone caused much destruction and death. The airbenders fearlessly used their powers to protect and rescue people from the rubble and collapsing buildings. My family was one of them."
Jampo looked at the man's eyes. He didn't just care for animals, he considered himself in debt to the airbenders who had saved him. In Jampo's brief experiences, this was no longer a common thing. Jampo bowed respectfully.
"You are most kind. You would do me much honor if you would allow Uupa to stay here for a little while? I would be most grateful."
Jampo smiled. "But I warn you, he is a great, spoiled beast, who will eat you out of house and home!" He adds rubbing Uupa's fur.
"I am most grateful. Uupa is not used to the city."
Jappa smiles, also rubbing the sky bison's fur. "Not to worry Master Jampo. Uupa will be here, safe and sound, when you return. On this you have my word."
Jampo bows again. "And You behave yourself Uupa. Leave the man some hay for the rest of his family!" He tells the bison. Uupa opens one large eye, and snorts.
"No promises." He translates for Jappa, who laughs.
With a final pat of Uupa's fur, Jampo shoulders his staff and leaves Uupa in Jappa's admiring care, heading for the rest of the fairgrounds.
Once beyond the restricted enclosure of the circus' workers areas, he is immediately engulfed and swallowed by the crowds.
Jampo had never seen crowds like this, and he still considered himself a city boy. "I may have to reconsider that." He murmurs to himself, trying to see through the crowd to pick a direction. The sheer numbers of people, craft and food stalls, vendors hawking their wares, and everything else all blended into one joyous cacophony of sound. Jampo looked around, completely at a loss as to where to go.
The ostrich horse takes his guard duty very seriously and, seeing the pair tumbling towards them, snakes its head towards the smaller person and yanks him into the air by the shirt collar. Siba's warning squawk alerts Palila, who starts up in alarm. Unfortunately, the water bender's momentum carries him tumbling straight into her, and the two sprawl on the square's pavement, drawing the attention of the puppet show crowd.
Amid the screams of children, Palila whips out a short stick and tangles Tik in an odd arm hold with the stick at the pivot of his elbow. Though she doesn't pull hard, it's excruciating and immobilizing. "POLICE!" she yells, "CHILD STEALER!"
The boy, yelling and thrashing in Siba's hold, starts screaming at Palila. "NO! NO, IT'S THE WOLF! THE WOLF! HE'S NOT STEALING ME! HE'S FAMOUS!"
Palila immediately releases Tikaani and springs to her feet, short stick at the ready. "Wolf? Where!?" Not spotting any lupine threats, she looks to the boy, baffled. "What wolf?"
Almost as an afterthought, she snaps at Siba, "Put him down, Siba, and find that wolf!"
Janpo hears a sharp cry, cutting clearly over the dull roar of the celebratory crowd,
"POLICE!"
Turning towards the direction of the cry, he thinks he hears "Child" and "Wolf".
Curious, and maybe just a little concerned, he moves in the direction of the shout. Although from their lack of reaction, the rest of the crowd doesn't even seem to hear the cry for police.
Dodging lightly through the crowd, Janpo steps into a small slightly-cleared area, where a tattooed woman is standing over a much heavier man, and an ostrich-horse is holding a young boy in the air by his shirt-collar.
"Put him down, Siba, and find that wolf!" The woman snaps, and the ostrich-horse obeys, dropping the still-struggling boy to the ground.
"Wolf?!?" Janpo asks aloud, stepping forward.
Puzzled, the young man looks around, but he sees no sign of a wolf, or a dog for that matter. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and slight concern, he cautiously steps nearer to the others, the crowd still moving continuously around them.
"Um, is everything alright?" Janpo asks hesitantly. (While quite verbal with his friends, he is still relatively shy around strangers.) The bald monk looks at the man on the ground, clearly revealing the airbender tattoos on the top of his head.
"Do you, need a hand?" He asks quietly, looking back and forth between the man, woman and ostrich-horse.
"Ouch, hey the kid!" Tik yells out as the animal yanks the child out of his arms then he finds himself being assaulted by this person that was just sitting in the street "Ow! are you crazy? Don't let that ostrich horse hurt the kid."
Tikaani is just considering if he should make some kind of attempt to break loose, maybe a quick water blast in the face, though that turns out not to be necessary as she releases him on her own. "Not a wolf, The Wolf... he means me. It's... ehh what the announcers call me." He quickly turns towards the boy "Bipin, you ok little man?"
Bipin nods and sticks his tongue out at the Ostrich horse "Yeah 'm alright, thanks for catching me, even if this guy grabbed me after."
The waterbender let out a breath "Well that's a relief" He turns back towards Palila "What were you so spaced out for? You were so out of it you didn't even notice us until I was literally on top of you. Err sorry for that by the way, didn't mean to bash into you like that. I'm Tikaani I..." the young man stops as he gets a good look at Palila "Hey, you look familiar... did we meet before?"
Turning towards the new comer he nods "Yes, a misunderstanding I guess... thanks, for the offer, I think everyone's good..." Looking at Jampo's Tikaani's eyes light up "Hey those mean you're an air bender right? Air benders don't do the pro bending thing, I never met one before."
"What? Oh, yes." Jampo self-consciously runs a hand over his bald & tattooed head.
"I mean, yes, I am an airbender. I am Jampo, pleased to meet you." The young monk says quietly, giving a quick, polite bow of his head.
"Pro bending? Ah, Yes. There are still not nearly as many airbenders as other benders. Most of us stay in the monasteries once we discover our bending. Although I don't think there are any rules against joining a pro bending team." Jampo says. The young monk speaks softly but clearly, his manner giving all of the appearance of calm and poise commonly expected by a monk.
Inside, Jampo's mind is racing. He heard a cry for help, and ran towards it like Avatar Aang in the stories. What was he thinking? He wasn't a hero. In these modern times a true hero like Aang or Korra wouldn't likely be needed. Old Gusty Monk would have a heyday with him if he had seen this.
Well, Gusty wasn't here, was he? And why else had he been sent out to this meeting if his Master had not thought him capable. And that included the ability to make judgements for himself. Yes, Jampo decided that he had made the right choice, to investigate a call for help instead of ignoring it like the rest of the crowd had. Although both of these people involved looked more than capable of handling themselves if need be.
Janpo looked up at the larger man, His size belied a grace that clearly labeled him as a waterbender as clearly as his robes declared him from the southern water tribe. The young woman was also obviously more than she seemed. Even relaxed she still looked ready to move, her short stick casually held at her side.
Idly, Jampo briefly wondered what it might be like to spar against either of them. He enjoyed his airbender training, but sometimes wished for a wider variety of sparring partners and techniques.
Outwardly, Jampo gave a small smile. He notices the puppet show and his smile grows larger.
Palila nods politely to both young men. "I am Palila. And... did we meet at Jian's, perhaps, Tikaani? That's where I know most people from." Her soft speech is barely audible over the street noise and seems oddly accented. It's obvious she's not from around here, but she doesn't seem to have any of the major regional accents, either.
She strokes the neck of the ostrich horse, which nibbles her hair affectionately. "I'm sorry if I was an obstacle. This seemed like a good place to watch the story of Wan in the Spirit World, where he took upon himself the burden and glory of Avatarhood. It seemed... pertinent." For some reason, this seems to make her anxious and unhappy.
She gives Bipin a small bow as well. "I am sorry Siba grabbed you. He thought you were attacking me. Fortunately, he's wise enough to recognize a cub and not hurt them. I'm glad you are unharmed. Maybe some unfried dough would make you feel better?" She offers the lad a couple of coins and points at the nearest unfried dough vendor.
Jampo bows his head once more at Palila's introduction, and nods again in understanding at her explanation.
"Wan in the Spirit World? Good story. I used to love the puppet shows when I was a kid." Jampo says as he looks at the puppet stage, his smile still large.
"You lucky you have an Ostrich-horse. Try finding room for an Air Bison during the festival!" Jampo laughs, still watching the puppets, who have continued unpaused throughout the minor disturbance. Suddenly his eyes widen, as if in surprise, and he bites his lip. A moment later he is once more the calm & serene monk.
Jampo turns back to the others, momentarily regretting his choice to wear the more comfortable, casual air temple training Gi instead of the full-length Airbender robes he is now entitled to. The longer robes would make it easier to hide his nervousness. Heck, you could hide a machine gun in those robes and no one would know. Although judging by the scarcity of traditional clothing in the crowd, he would still have stood out. If he was going to be spending more time in the city on air temple business, maybe he should invest in some modern clothing? He had long ago outgrown the clothes he had when he moved to the air temple.
Tik shakes his head at Jampo when "Unfortunately I think the rules are pretty specific there. One bender of each fire, earth and water, kind of a shame, but them's the breaks, maybe they'll consider changing them, but as things are now Air benders aren't common enough, or maybe interested enough, for every team to have one, those that don't would say it's an unfair advantage" He shrugs his shoulders "What can you do?"
"Anyway Tikaani Kesuk pleasure to meet you Mr. Jampo.
His attention back to Palila Tikaani shakes his head "Nah you were fine, I was just surprised you didn't notice at all, I even yelled to look out and you didn't even look up." He suddenly exclaims "Jian! Yes, that must be it, she came to see my team while back. Sent me a letter, that's the whole reason I'm here, she said she needs my help, supposed to meet her at one. Mica too she..." He quickly looks around looking slightly panicked "Oh man she's gonna kill me, she was on the phone so long I kinda wandered off, then that fan found me... I totally ditched her at the phone booth."
"You're here because of Jian's letter? She'll be so happy! She wasn't sure anybody was going to respond, though she has kept her hopes up. You won't miss her, of course, because she'll be doing the big announcement later." Palila pulls a note from her wallet and squints at it. "That reminds me; I need to do a little shopping before going back. Has anyone seen a cabbage vendor around?"
Jampo Shakes Tikaani's proffered hand with a small, tentative smile.
"Yes, I can see how a major rules change might be a problem. We actually play a version of Pro-Bending as a game at the Air Temple. Of course, it's more 'Air-Soccer-Keep-Away-and-Goal' and less 'Knock-the-Opponent-off-the-Platform', but some youngsters like to play it on a raised platform and call it Pro-Bending." Jampo explains, warming up to the larger man.
Jampo watches the exchange between Tikaani and the young woman with bemusement, his head swiveling back and forth as if watching the afore-mentioned Pro-Bending match. He glances around, looking for an angry woman, or a cabbage vendor.
"Cabbge vendor? No, but..." Jampo pulls out a folded letter from inside his Gi.
",... I am also here to meet Miss Jian." He adds quietly.
And again his master's voice echoes in his head, about how the great cycle flows, and not all coincidence is by chance.
Tik nods with a smile shaking the older man's hand "That is good to hear, maybe sometime soon there will be enough interested air benders that each team will have a bender from all four elements."
Turning back towards Palila a bit surprised by her comment on meeting Jian he says "She didn't think anyone would respond? Come now, I'm young, brash, probably naive, and even I know this invitation isn't something easily passed up. I hope she didn't send out too many of these letters she'll end up with a whole crowd."
He grins towards Jampo again "You have one too? Excellent! we should stick together... I really need to find Mica though, I'm sure I'm in hot water already. Maybe we could head towards the phone booths? There were some vendors over there, might have some cabbages."
"That would be, nice. Thank you" Jampo answers quietly. Inwardly relieved. The thought of braving the crowds with a couple of acquaintances made the overcrowded streets seem less intimidating.
He idly muses that he HAS been at the air temple now over half of his life. Seems that what his mother and Masters have said is true. People do change over time. He remembered a time when he looked at the crowds of a fair day as both an escape from the mundane and an opportunity to pick up some extra coins. Legally or otherwise.
"Where did you last see, Mica, was it?" Jampo asks, looking for telephone booths, or a cabbage vendor.
He's no Aiko, but he really knows how to tick me off, Mica thinks as she stomps down the street, putting far more weight into her footfalls than necessary. A scowl graces her features, but from the way it twitches, it is starting to put a strain on her face. The truth is, she isn't really all that mad about the whole thing - but she has to make sure she looks the part when Tikaani catches sight of her. Tick. Tik. Heh. I'm sooo clever.
Fortunately, Mica is not flying completely blind; she has some idea of where her teammate might have gone. That is, assuming he actually had that in mind when he ran off. For all she knew, he might be off looking for a toilet to do some waterbending in. Another line that she is not looking forward to standing in.
But as much as she hated lines, she loved crowds. It came with the territory of pro-bending, after all. Yu Dao wasn't exactly the bustling metropolis that Republic City is, but she had to deal with her fair share of busy streets back home. And in the city itself, that experience proved invaluable.
"Tikaani! Buddyyy..." Mica exclaims, clasping the waterbender's shoulder and pulling herself close. By now her twitching mouth could no longer pass for a scowl. It just looked... weird. "Found some new friends, huh? Or are they fans?" Her face scrunches up when she sees Palila, her face striking her as rather familiar. She then looks to Jampo, her eyes homing in on his bald head. At his age, that invited only two possibilities: he either had a rare hair disorder, or he was an airbender.
Tikanni smiles at his new friend "Well she was yaking on the phone with her mother for like an hour" An hour was probably an exaggeration, but in the midst of this festival it felt like an eternity "So she should be over..." The young water bender blinks as he comes face to face with his teammate "here?"
Finding himself pulled right close to Mica Tik softly clears his through "Ahh Mica, I must say you're looking lovely today. Ahem... the family is doing well I trust?" His eyes dart quickly to the side as if there might be an escape there "Sorry... ran into some fans and a guy dragged me away to meet his son I didn't mean to leave you. The Wolf's no good without his pack."[/b] He may have already wondered off a little ways by then, but he really hadn't intended to go far. "Can't let the fans down ya know"
When Mica asks about the others Tik smiles and nods "Friends, yes! Mica meet Jampo and Palila." He indicates each in turn "You know the letters we got from Jian Beifong? Palila is the girl that was with her when she came to see us way back when." It was only about a year ago, but for a sixteen year old boy with a short attention span that was a long time. "And Jampo here got a letter just like us, he's here to see Jian too."
Jampo raises an eyebrow at the look on Mica's face, unsure if she was angry, or having stomach troubles.
At Tikaani's introduction Jampo bows politely, clearly displaying the swirled airbender tattoos on top of his head.
"Honored to meet you Mica." Jampo says softly, in a wary tone usually reserved for possibly hostile animals.
At the mention of Jian, Mica's expression suddenly goes neutral. Her arm goes limp, releasing Tikaani from her death grip. "Oh." She takes another gander at Palila, looking her up and down. After a moment she snaps her fingers. "Ah! That's right! I remember now."
Jian's visit seemed so long ago. Maybe because back then, they actually had a win streak. A win streak that a certain someone had to go and ruin. Ugh. None of this awkwardness shows on Mica's face, however. On the contrary, she is positively beaming. "Good to meet you two!"
"And well done, Tik!" she says, clapping her waterbender friend on the back. "You got us exactly where we needed to be!"
Palila beams at the three, one arm around Siba's neck. "Three! Three of the four are here! Jian will be pleased, indeed. I hope the fourth shows as well. We are not meeting until after the speech, and I suppose it is a lot to ask that all of us happen to meet in the market."
She rustles a piece of paper. "Speaking of market, would anyone like to help me shop? Or would you rather actually enjoy the fair?"
Siba lets out a low squawk as his gut emits clearly audible rumblings.
"I guess ostrich horses shouldn't eat unfried dough," Palila observes with some alarm, "I may need to get him to a less, er, crowded area."
When Mica greets them all in a friendly fashion, Jampo visibly relaxes, then seems embarrassed to have realized that he had tensed up in the first place.
'Oy, I really have been out of the city for too long! I'll need to visit more often. mother will like that.'
"Yes, all four of us meeting at the Puppets tent would seem to push the boundaries of chance." Jampo says with a small smile.
"I don't know much about ostrich-horses, but if your friend needs care, I found the animal-master of the circus seemed to be quite competent. And friendly."
"In the meantime, um, maybe that way?" Jampo points in a direction that he thought he remembered seeing a bit of grass in as he wandered.
"The circus?" Palila frowns. "I don't want him to take Siba with him for a show. But if he's got a place for the animals to shelter out of the crowd, let's go! All these people are disturbing Siba, I think." She bows slightly to Jampo in a "lead the way" manner.
"You are Mica? I am Palila. Do all benders play on those teams?"
"Seems to me that he already has a full circus full of animals. He seemed,... trustworthy. Otherwise I wouldn't have left Uupa there." Jampo says as he obligingly leads the way back towards the circus tents.
"I was grateful for his offer, Uupa doesn't do well in crowds either. Mainly because he IS a crowd." Jampo smiles.
"Nah, there's all kinds of different benders" Tik answers the question even though it wasn't really address to him. "Some, like us, chose pro bending, at least for now. Others may choose something else, or maybe can't handle pro bending... Just like anything I guess, not all vendors sell cabbages either, it would be nice to find one that does though."
Looking towards Jampo Tikaani grins "You mentioned a Sky bison earlier, is that Uupa? I've never seen a Sky Bison I'd be very interested in meeting him."
Jampo can't help but grin at Tikaani's interest. He straightens up a little in pride.
"Yes. Uupa's my friend. AND a Sky-Bison." Jampo smiles as he realizes what order he put those in.
"I didn't realize that finding a place for Uupa to stay would be a problem at the festival. I guess I just still think of the city as big and wide-open, even when crowded. To a 10-year old everything looks huge." Jampo explains, weaving through the crowds.
"But we were lucky to find the animal keeper for the Circus, and he invited Uupa to stay with him a while. He seems nice. At least Uupa likes him, and he's generally a very good judge of character."
“Siba would enjoy fields and to be around other animals. To the circus grounds, then. We will follow!”
Palila drifts through the crowded streets with her new companions, Siba’s reins looped around her arm so he can trail. It’s easier to get through the crowds in a single file than trying to walk all abreast, so the group morphs from snakelike to wall-like as the crowd dictates. She listens with real interest to the conversation, but rarely chimes in.
Palila is a good head shorter than the rest of the group, so follows in the wake of the taller, particularly Jampo, who knows where he’s going. Her softly draped garments keep her decently covered, but leave her midriff bare. Two short, stout batons hang from her side by their leather loops, and a small purse balances them on the opposite side of the belt, but she is otherwise unburdened. Nestled amid the green vine tattoos twining up her forearms are two small insects with glowing abdomens, one for each arm. Her carriage is erect but graceful; she does not move as if trained for dance, but rather like a cat deer, naturally delicate and poised for action.
When they reach the circus grounds, she stops short. Siba runs into her and stops with a browk of protest. Palila doesn’t notice, though, as she stares wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the enormous, shaggy creature pastured there.
“What is that?” she breathes in amazement.
"That, is Uupa." Jampo says with only a trace of pride in his voice.
"More importantly, what is he doing?!?" Jampo adds in a quietly shocked voice as he takes in the scene before him.
Apparently Uupa has drawn more attention than he had expected. He had expected the circus performers and hands to come and admire the still-rare Sky Bison. What he hadn't expected was the gaggle of younger children who were apparently taking turns either being frightened of the enormous creature, (Not fully grown yet, but still larger than anything ELSE the circus had!) or using Uupa as a playground. There were far more of the latter than the former.
"Well. That didn't take long." Jampo muttered dryly. He makes as if to stride forward, but checks himself, and pauses to take in the scene before him more fully.
It was not, quite, as chaotic as it appeared at first glance. There were adults, most of them in the overalls of the Animal handlers, but some performers as well, who were arranging the chaos and turning it into a semblance of organization.
Jappa, the head animal wrangler, stood at the head of a small line of children and adults, extolling the virtues of the great beast before them. Other wranglers and performers formed a line of adult control where the kids were allowed to climb up onto the Sky Bison, after hasty but firm instructions on how to behave with the noble creature. Once they reached the Saddle, another pair of wrangler and trapeeze artist made sure the kids were properly situated before being allowed to slide down the Sky Bison's side to their waiting parents. When Uupa rumbled contentedly there were peals of delighted laughter from the kids that got to 'ride the rumble' as Jampo overheard one child telling his mother.
Another wrangler gathered those who had finished their turns and explained that the Sky Bison was only a guest of the circus, but that the circus had many other rare and fascinating creatures that lived and traveled with them, and would anyone like to see them too?
Jampo looks thoughtful.
"May be I really do need to get out more?" He asks softly.
Then the monk smiles at the others. "Come on. I'll introduce to the now-famous Uupa" He smiles and walks toward the Sky Bison, who notices the monk and rumbles again, causing another peal of laughter.
Palila stays right where she is. Siba crouches behind her trying to look small.
"Are you sure it's safe?" she calls after Jambo, "Does it eat ostrich horses?"
Or people? she adds under her breath.
Jampo stops, and turns slowly back to face Palila.
"Noooo,..." Jampo answers slowly. Obviously wondering what kind of stories people are spreading about Sky Bison.
"Not unless you taste like hay or grass I suppose."
"Although, he COULD drown you if he decides to lick you!" He adds with a sly smile.
"You see, Siba? It's not eating the cubs. It won't eat you. They're probably a lot more tender than you, and with fewer feathers," Palila admonishes her mount, trying to hearten herself as well. "Come on! This field is big enough to share."
She tugs her companion into motion - he nips her shoulder, possibly as payback for the "tender" remark - and leads him to a field that has other mounts pastured, the circus owner making hay of the occasion by turning his space into a kind of parking lot for livestock. She drops a couple of coins into the hand of an urchin at the gate who claims to be collecting the pasture fees, then trails back to the group, Siba following her along the fence for as long as he can. Palila ignores him and accompanies the rest of the humans to meet Aapu. Uupa. Whatever its name was.
Tik moves smoothly through the crowd he seemed to make it look easy despite mulling crowd giving very little room to maneuver. He progresses without hesitation moving through the tight spacing the crowd provided with a sort of flowing grace almost like the water he bends. If one looked closely, or knew Tik fairly well, they could probably tell the clothing he wore was probably a little more formal than he was used to, it was probably a safe assumption that his mother had made him dress up for the occasion. He wore a lightweight, dark blue jacket trimmed with white fur which was left open, and he'd undone the top two buttons of the light blue dress shirt underneath, they were too constricting. Intead of dress slacks he wore more loose fitting pants that looked like they offered more comfort and ease of movement, at least they didn't clash with the rest of the outfit.
Tikaani looks wide eyed at the massive animal "Whoa, that's Uupa? He's bigger than my house! He can really fly, and like you ride him? That must be incredible! I've gone penguin sledding, and ridden a few large creatures like a polar bear dog, but I can't imagine what flying with a Sky bison is like!"
"And here I was afraid Uupa would be bored!" Jampo says to the head wrangler as he approaches. The wrangler turns with a start, and looks abashed.
"Ah, Master Jampo, back so soon?" he asks, clearly embarrassed.
"I apologize, but Uupa was causing quite the stir, and once word got out that there was a Sky-Bison here, the public came looking, and rather than try to keep them back and away, we figured giving them a controlled tour was safest. I was very careful I assure you. And Uupa didn't seem to mind,... Master I'm sorry if I've offended you."
"I'm not a,..." Jampo starts to reply automatically, then snorts, waving off the head wrangler's concern.
"It's ok, really. I'm glad that Uupa is entertaining as much as he is entertained. Sky bison are actually very social, I really was afraid he'd be lonely while I was away. I only returned because my new acquaintance needed a place for her Ostrich-Horse to get away from the crowds. And I had mentioned Uupa, and they were interested in meeting him."
Jampo turns and waves the others forward.
"This is Jappa, the Circus animal caretaker I told you about. This is,... Palila, Tikaani, and,... Mica, yes?" Jampo looks at each in turn, trying to make certain that he got the names correct.
"And THIS is Uupa!" Jampo adds with an unabashed smile, hugging the great sky bison.
Tikaani looks wide eyed at the massive animal "Whoa, that's Uupa? He's bigger than my house! He can really fly, and like you ride him? That must be incredible! I've gone penguin sledding, and ridden a few large creatures like a polar bear dog, but I can't imagine what flying with a Sky bison is like!"
"Well, I've not ridden a Polar Bear Dog or gone penguin sledding, so we're even I guess." Jampo says affectionately rubbing Uupa's fur.
"But if you like, when we're done here I'm sure Uupa wouldn't mind giving you a ride. Truth is, he's a bit of a show off. I have no idea where he gets it." Jampo says with a straight face.
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Moesashi Taikahana stood on the docks staring in excited wonder and terrified shock. The size of the city before him was like nothing he had ever conceived. There were some murals back home at the shrine which had vistas including two to three times the small buildings the shrine's land contained, but...this! This was on a scale of ten—no, twenty!—times what he had ever imagined. The people of Republic City were dressed so strangely as well. Nothing at all like the simple garb he owned which tradition passed down as appropriate everyday dress.
Technically, what he was wearing wasn't even appropriate for the Avatar Day festival. His shrine festival clothing was carefully folded and stored in the pack he carried which had all of his meager belongings. The reason it was stored instead of worn was because he had been offered a Duty, and one did not wear everyday clothes or even ceremonial garb to perform a Duty.
He was suited for battle in his ō-yoroi armour. Although he had chosen not to wear his menpō to expose his face while not in battle, he knew the Moesashi Family would proud their son Taikahana would cut such a magnificent figure when he presented himself to answer the summons of Grand Lotus Jian Beifong of the Order of the White Lotus and assist in the providing mentorship and companionship for the next Avatar.
Stepping off of the cruise ship and realizing the reality of the city before which he now stood didn't prevent his resolve, naturally, but certainly made him pause. How could this many people...? The proximity of so many bodies and structures was definitely claustrophobic and very intimidating for a simple shrine tender. Taking a breath, Taika knew he wouldn't let that stop him. In these first moments, he had already seen more than he had ever expected. What could only be a Sky Bison had flown over the ship as they approached the dock! But even that wonder changed not his duty to the Avatar and the Moesashi Family. He could not allow himself to be distracted!
Taika checked the letter for the directions on where to go. Approaching a man holding a clipboard on the dock, he was able to get some vague directions which seemed nigh incomprehensible given Taikahana's lack of any relation to streets and addresses. The man had boggled at Taika and his attire, and had been rather distracted when describing where Taika should go as the dock supervisor examined him. The attention both made Taikahana uncomfortable and swell with pride at the same time to see the man have such admiration for his ō-yoroi armour. He thanked the man with a word and a sharp bow before beginning his quest to locate Grand Lotus Jian Beifong.
Exiting the pier and moving into the streets brought with it its own trouble however. After walking for a while with many stares following him, Taikahana finally reaches an area that seems to be the outskirts of where the festivities are being held. Quite suddenly...
"Mama, mama! Look at the warrior!" a young girl cries out, hand firmly grasped by an exhausted looking woman also carrying a tightly wrapped bundle that looked suspiciously like a baby in oher other arm. "IwannaseeIwannaseeIwannasee—!"
The girl began to pull her mother towards Taikahana who blinks in surprise but gives the girl a tight smile at her enthusiasm. Normally he would be happy to engage the young girl and make sure he fulfilled his role to educate in regards to the Avatars (this was Avatar Day after all!), but his Duty trumped even these important things.
He begins with a quick bow. "Happy Avatar Day and greetings. I appreciate your excitement young one, but I'm afraid I mus—"
"Oooo! Look at the pictures! the young girl bursts reaching out a hand to run them over the artistic designs engraved and lacquered onto Taikahana's armor. "Mama, can I get a costume like this? CanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanI—?"
The woman looks wearily at the hyperactive girl and tries to deflect. "I don't...maybe...we should ask your father when he and your brother are back with the treats."
"Look, Mama! He has two swords!" Just then the girl grasps the hilt of Taikahana's wakizashi and begins to pull. Taika quickly reaches down to arrest the motion and steps back in alarm.
"No, no!" he says. "That is dangerous, young one. My blades are very shar—"
Just then the bundle of baby in the woman's arms begins fussing, and the woman's grip must have loosened on the girl's hand as a result of her attention slipping. The little girl seizes the opportunity to now use both hands to pull on the wakizashi which Taika was now also gripping. Distracted, the woman shoots Taika a look which was clearly a plea for help.
"Don't be grabby, Chi Ling!" she admonishes the little girl. To Taika she whispers, "I know it's just for show, you're doing a fine job of staying in character, but just let her have it for a minute. Please?" She turns her attention back the fussing baby.
"Please! Miss! I—" Taika starts while still wrestling with the girl's pull (she had the grip of an Earthbender!) to keep her from drawing the deadly short sword.
"Oh sweet! Look at this guy!" a boy calls out his hands filled with unfried dough and other festival treats. "Dad, CHi Ling found somebody dressed up like those old time Fire Clan fighters!" He runs up and examines Taikahana wide-eyed.
"Young sir, do you know this girl? Please advise her that this blade—!" Taikahana is cut off before he can finish his request for assistance.
"Oh, wow, look at this detail!" a man who accompanied the boy says adjusting some spectacles with one hand, and a bag of festival foodstuffs in the other. The woman sighs with relief at the sight of them and catches the man's attention to gesture at the girl Chi Ling. He gently disentangles Chi Ling's hands from Taikahana's wakizashi much to the firebender's relief.
He sketches a short bow and starts to say, "Thank you for your assis—" but is cut off by the father.
"This is great; you look just fantastic. Let's get a picture, children. You don't mind, right? Hedo! get in there, stand next to him. I'm sure you are on your way to whatever performance you're in, but it will just take a second" the man says grinning with excitement.
Without preamble, the man picks up Chi Ling and deposits her in Taikahana's arms while the boy Hedo moves in close trying to strike up a manly warrior pose next to Taika. The girl throws her arms around Taika's neck and mugs for the camera like a pro. In shock, Taikahana barely understands what's happening when the man pulls out a device and points at the three of them. A flash of light blinds him for an instant. When it fades, Taika discovers the bright brown eyes of Chi Ling inches from his face.
"You're handsome," she says suddenly.
Bewildered, Taika sputters a bit. "Ah...I...you...er, have pretty eyes..." he says not knowing how to respond.
The girl's eyes widen even more (how is that possible??), and then she pulls back a bit suddenly shy with a big smile on her face the way little girls do.
"What do we say when someone says nice things, Chi Ling?" her father asks with a grin.
Chi Ling looks up at Taika shyly and says, "Thank you..." but before he can respond she darts in and pecks his cheek. Her father laughs and takes Chi Ling from a furiously blushing Taikahana.
His training with blade and fire had prepared him for most things, but the quick affection of a child certainly had disarmed him completely as even though energetic Chi Ling and her family now moved along, Taikahana was too stunned to move before...
"Wow! Look at his armor! Let's get a picture, too!"
"Wait! My Duty—!"
Before he knew it, Taika was once again holding a child while beaming parents flashed light them. More adults and children began to surround him, and the process began to repeat.
Inside Taikahana wailed.
What is happening???
Moesashi Taikahana had arrived in Republic City.
Mica chews her gum emphatically, having otherwise been rather quiet over the past few minutes. A little too quiet, Tikaani would surely know. She just stands there, utterly transfixed by the sight of the shaggy monolith before them. After a few seconds, she suddenly starts to blow a large, pastel bubble. It gradually grows larger, and larger, and larger, until it is about the size of her head, before exploding onto her face with a loud POP. The earthbender almost seems surprised by the sound - she awkwardly peels at the sticky gum and stuffs it all right back into her mouth. It lost its flavor over an hour ago, but she did not seem to mind.
"He's not big," she remarks finally, having made her return to reality. She folds her arms over her chest and looks Uupa up and down, sizing him up as though she had a sky bison of her own back home to compare him to. She didn't, but it would be totally cool if she did. Not that she would admit that. "So, uh, I can pet him, right? I mean, I wanna see what kinda muscle he has under all that fur. Mhm."
"But... how does he fly? He looks very solid. The children climbing on him do not bother him. I would guess he does have muscle under the fur. So he is probably heavy - heavier than one of those balloons. And he has no wings. Unless they are under the fur?"
Palila looks at Jampo for answers, her face serious.
Jampo smiles at the questions. his face is more open than previously. They have asked him about one of his favorite subjects after all.
"Of course you may pet him. Truth be told he is terribly spoiled. He will likely be most unhappy if you do not introduce yourselves and offer him scratches." Jampo says, demonstrating by giving Uupa a vigorous scratching on one bushy eyebrow. The sky bison's mouth opens and a huge, wide tongue lolls out of it with a rumble of pleasure from the bison.
"Uupa is very solid. he is an adult, but not yet fully grown. He will grow larger, but mostly in bulk. He does not, however, have wings. Although that would be very good too. Sky Bison fly by airbending. In the past, the first airbenders learned airbending from the sky bison. I like to think that Uupa has taught me much." Jampo explains with another fond glance at the large creature he is now leaning against. He is obviously more relaxed around his large friend than he was earlier in a crowd of strangers.
"Right, like you've seen bigger Ms. Sky Bison expert." Tikaani says sarcastically to Mica, then smirks towards her when she asks to pet him. "You know you can just admit you're excited to meet him. Even immovable Mica's allowed to get excited some times, and look at him!" The young water bender gestures to the huge flying bison "This guy's fantastic, how could you not be excited?"
Tik turns towards Jampo needing permission before approaching and with that given he grins and goes forward taking the Air bender quite literally and introducing himself. "I'm Tikaani Kesuk, very pleased to be meeting you Uupa Once introduced he reaches out to offer scratches in a similar manner that Jampo did.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Mica says, waving off Tikaani's words. She couldn't let him give their new friends the wrong impression about her. The earthbender steps right up to Uupa and sinks her hands into his fur moving them around. Hm. Nope, no wings there. "Wooow, so soft. Oh. I'm Mica, by the way," she says to the sky bison.
She glances at Jampo, raising a brow. "So airbenders also learned their bending from giant furry animals. Small world, yeah?"
"He taught the airbenders..." Palila breathes softly, eyes wide and darting along the length and height of the furry bulk, "And he is your teacher as well?" she confirms with Jampo more loudly. After a few moment's consideration, she presents herself to the air bison with a low bow, a respectful - or wary? - distance from the creature.
"It is an honor to meet you, Master Uupa. My name is Palila."
She backs away and watches the others stroking and scratching the shaggy form, looking quite thoughtful and slightly puzzled.
"Yes. The Sky Bisons taught the first Airbenders. So the stories say." Jampo nods.
"So airbenders also learned their bending from giant furry animals. Small world, yeah?"
Jampo smiles. "It would seem to be a theme, yes." He agrees bemusedly.
Seeing how the others are taking his words literally, and treating Uupa, (and the fact that Uupa is obviously enjoying all of the attention) with respect makes Jampo happy.
"Is he my teacher? To be certain." Jampo says thoughtfully.
"DO not mistake me. Sky Bison are smart. And Uupa is one of the cleverest. But they are not the same as human-smart. Although I highly suspect that they have more common sense than most humans." Jampo adds with a smirk.
"However, I'm fairly certain that Uupa understands more than I give him credit for. Maybe a lot more." Jampo adds with a sly look at the giant bison beside him.
Uupa's only response is to turn his enormous shaggy head to better receive more scratching and attention.
For most people, Avatar Day is a big day full of games, food and storytelling. A big party, rather than a day to remember the shared history of the four great nations. For Jian Beifong, it is simply one of the most stressful days of the year. Not only was she supposed to make sure all the vendors, actors and booths were in the correct spots and properly supplied, but she would have to give a speech in the early afternoon that would be sure to disappoint people once again.
She walks hurriedly through the crowd with a grimace on her face, the lines in her cheeks telling a story about how often that grimace is present. The clanking of her right foot striking the ground warns people of her approach, so she navigates quite easily through the grounds towards the main stage. It does not hurt that she is wearing metalbender armour that has an image of a white lotus etched into the breastplate. She stops suddenly upon noticing the boy in fire nation armour, squinting towards him for just a moment before she approaches.
"Excuse me," says Jian to the Taikahana's fans, firmly in a way that invites no argument, "I need to have some words with this young man." She places a heavy, steel hand on Taikahana's shoulder, ready to guide the warrior to a more secluded place so that they may speak.
A woman in blue water tribe garb says to her, "Wait... I know who you are. You're Jian! My name's Koko! I have so many questions for you!" She clasps her hands together excitedly, her eyes shining with star-strick joy.
Jian gives a very slight smile at the obvious enthusiasm from the water nation woman, and decides to humour her. Who knows, perhaps she will learn something from the Grand Lotus that she can use in service to the next Avatar! "Certainly, I always have ti-"
Koko interrupts, "What's it like being Bolin's daughter? I loved him in all those movers he was in, like Nuktuk! Those were so funny! And the ones that he was in so recently. Even though he's getting really old, he's still soooo dreamy. Do you think that you could get him to sign something for me? Maybe take a picture with me even!"
As Koko speaks, Jian's smile becomes more and more tight, and less and less genuine. She holds up a her free hand in a stop position to try and get the water tribe woman to stop talking. She glances to the wrist of her prosthetic arm a moment and says, "Look at that, I'm all out of time! Excuse me."
She guides Taikahana to the side of one of the tents and says, looking down at his outfit, "Your Avatar Hishen costume looks like it is dated to the wrong time period. And you don't even have the Earth Kingdom fan that he had. The gift from his love, said to always be with him. Did you get the memo that I sent out to the costumed actors? We wanted historical accuracy. How does it look when children ask questions about your character and you do not even look the part. This armour looks hundreds of years too late to be era appropriate! It looks like Moesashi... Clan... armour."
At her too-late realization, Jian finally looks to Taikahana's face. "Taikahana? My apologies. I had heard that my Avatar Hishen actor went rogue with his outfit, and when I saw you..." She pulls her hand from his shoulder, instead letting the prosthetic hang limp at her side. "Nevermind. I am very glad that you were able to make it to the festival. I assume that you are here because of my letter? We have much to discuss, but first, we have to get to the main stage."
"I'm sure Master Uupa will be safe and happy here in this fine field with all his new friends. I must go pick up a few things before Jian's speech, and I would like to see more of the fair. If anyone else would like to come, I welcome company. We can part ways, too; I am certain we will see each other very soon. Do not miss Jian's speech! She has been..." The girl's mouth snaps shut, cutting off her little speech.
"Anyway, I am going to look for a cabbage stand, and maybe some lunch. That unfried dough." Palila's nose wrinkles. "Not the best. No offense meant to your customs."
"None taken." Jampo assures her.
"I prefer my food cooked as well. Although our air-whipped pies are really good."
Jampo gives Uupa a last good eye-ridge scratch, thanks the beast-master again for his aid. Assures him that he is not angry for letting the carnival-goers meet Uupa. He does ask that they allow Uupa some quiet time for now though, As the sky-bison DID just just have a long flight here, and Jampo is concerned about his friend getting some rest.
Sure that Uupa will be fine, Jampo indicates he would like to hang together with the group, or whoever will have him. He secretly is very relieved, facing the crowds with a few faces he actually knows, (sort of), will be an improvement, and more fun, than seeing the sights alone.
"Sure, I'll go with you." Tikaani says with a smile "I can't think of a better way to see the fair than with my new pal and a couple of pretty gals." The young lad pauses thinking for a moment and muttering thoughtfully as if really weighing the two in his mind "Well maybe from the air atop a Sky Bison..." he shakes his head "Nah, this is still better. To the cabbage carts!" The last he exclaims while trusting out a finger to point in the direction where where a cabbage stand... might be.
"Nah, we'd better stick together. Might not be so lucky tracking you all down next time," Mica says, finally pulling her arms out of Uupa's fur. Soft on the outside, but rock solid underneath! Just like me! The earthbender nods in agreement with some apparently invisible person.
"So, uh, why are we looking for cabbages again?"
"Oh, Jian asked me to pick up a few things. Seems silly to go grocery shopping on a festival day when everything is jammed, but that's Jian: do what needs to be done. We need cabbages, apples,..." Palila rattles off a brief list of groceries. "But whatever we do, we need to be at the main stage before Jian's announcement at one. She was very clear about that - I'm sure it was in your notes, too?"
Palila looks at the others for confirmation, then squints up at the sun.
"It's probably getting near that time. Maybe we should head to the main stage. I don't want to be late. Jian would be disappointed."
"So, do you know the way to the stage? Perhaps we will be fortunate and find what else you need on the way? here seem to be as many vendors as there are attendees." Jampo asks, once again assuming a quieter, calmer demeanor now that they are not interacting with his large furry friend.
"We can't disappoint Jian, better head for the stage first, there'll probably be time to finish up the shopping after the announcement. And like Jampo said maybe we'll find some things on the way." He adds with a smile to the shorter woman "Lead the way Palila!