Chapter 202: Avatar Diary— Circus Initiation
"It's Phoenix City!"
"It was called Ba Sing Se!"
"Phoenix City!"
"Ba Sing Se!"
"Phoenix—"
"Ba Sing—"
Aang, Sun, Rena, Tom-Tom, and Momo looked at Sokka butting his head with a traveling merchant as both the men glared at one another. Of course, the actual disagreement was far from the name of the city they wished to travel but...
"So... will you take us there for free?" Sokka inquired, turning his frown into an ingratiating smile and the merchant shouted, "Like hell, I would! Come on, let's go, these bums are penniless!"
The man turned his caravan and walked away with the rest of his traveling group while Sokka returned to his group and looked at Aang who wore Appa's fur as a toupee and a fake mustache before mumbling, "Sorry Grandpa Pippinpaddleopsicopolis... I failed in getting us a trip to Ba Sing Se as you wanted for your last wish."
"Ah" Aang sighed, his gaze revealing a lonesome melancholy and he shook his head, "No need to apologize, child—"
As the two went on, Rena looked at Sun and Tom-Tom, "I have an idea. Why don't we try to become the members of the circus in the village ahead of us and enter into Ba Sing Se with them?"
"Or," Sun emphasized, "I and Aang could earthbend to infiltrate."
"Circus!" Aang, Sokka, and Tom-Tom chimed at once, making Rena snicker while Sun groaned.
Their team really had the hobby of making the simplest of acts the grandest just to have fun.
Once they returned to the Southern Tribe after having been made aware that most of their tribesmen were free, Sokka was surely happy to meet many men. But the news of his father still... remained a mystery. The men from his village were sure that he was captured but it was unknown as to which prison the man was sent to. Still, just seeing the relieved expressions of many women of the tribe was enough for Sokka. He'd been taking care of them and considered his village one big family but he also felt sad about the news of a few confirmed deaths...
Still, Aang and others were welcomed with excitement including Rena getting a lot of attention being the Village Chief's focus of interest and they only decided to leave the tribe once again after Sokka helped the other men settle in the village. While he was half of the mind to just... make someone else a chieftain... he finally refrained against that casual instinct. Oh, he would have done this in a heartbeat had he not been in the revolution of the Northern Water Tribe but he was now aware that although quite happy and revitalized, almost all the men showed signs of passiveness.
They weren't warriors but men tired of war. It showed by how happy they were to fish than to hunt creatures of ice. So, Sokka kept it to himself, the responsibility. Although he hadn't been the one to free them, he could at least complete what he set out to do and bring his father back to the village.
It was quite the sight when they left on Appa's back. The night before they celebrated wildly with what little things they had, enjoying themselves as much as they could.
---
The reason why Sokka and others were open to joining the circus was that—
"Woah!" Aang, ehm, no, Grandpa Pippinpaddleopsicopolis watched with a wide, joyful gaze at the herd of other domesticated Sky Bison with many large, horned heads turning in their direction while curious gazes strayed over to Appa underneath the group who watched the herd intently.
"The circus really has more Appas!" Tom giggled, standing up and looking at the young sky bison moving along their parents and eating their stacks of hay.
*Crrt*
Momo took to the sky before roaming around one young Sky Bison and sat on the fledgling's head as it began to jump and roll around.
*Ghnnnghhh*
Finally, as if the herd found their welcome not hospitable enough, one of the larger Sky Bison pushed a stack of hay toward Appa, letting out a rumbling growl that whipped up a gust of air while Appa huffed through its nostrils and lowered his head to bite into the hay and eat happily.
"Better than you," Tom glared at Sokka, "They know how to share!"
"Oh, then you'll love Mai for sharing—" Before Sokka could snap back, Rena elbowed her man with a glare while Aang and Sun blushed knowingly.
"Ehm, let's go and try to get ourselves some work," Grandpa Pippinpaddleopsicopolis stated in his aged tone and just jumped down from Appa in a manner unbefitting his age.
"Circus tricks!" Tom exclaimed and jumped down, too, rolling midair before landing on the stack of hay facefirst with a muffled 'oomph' while Sokka looked at Rena and Sun seriously.
"I'm not doing any of it," Sun huffed and crossed his arms while Sokka shrugged, "Oh, well." He and Rena sat on the base of Appa's tail and slid down with a soft, unamused 'whee'... really, it was way weaker than they expected.
And the only one acting his age, a troubled teen missing his first girlfriend, Sun climbed down Appa slowly and carefully, like usual.
They had already gotten enough attention in the village when they entered with Appa since they now knew about the bounties on their heads filling the villages. Everyone knew that the 'Rebellious' Avatar had returned to disrupt the peace and any colony, town, or village found associating with their bunch would be dealt with, too. Yet, Omashu still stood tall. And so did other villages that DID lend a helping hand to their group as they assisted the villagers with their problems in return.
Sure, there were some villages that snitched the group out and they had to escape the Fire Nation's clutches but even then, their bounties did not have THAT worse of an effect.
Nik the Plunderer... on the other hand, was considered a vile man that stole daughters and wives with the 'poor' Lao Beifong helping spread the news further. Nik stole riches as easily as he stole loved ones of many and their group... actually did find that the words were truthful. Although Nik did this to help many... and himself, not even Aang or Sokka could refute that Nik the Plunderer was an enemy to men. Most of them, at least.
This village was one of the 'better' ones. Given the fact that their team helped a village not too far away with a mischievous spirit stealing the villager's clothes and ruining the crops, the word definitely spread and that is also the reason why the merchant before was eager to butt heads with Sokka but not rat them out.
As the group moved toward the series of large tents with one giant main tent where the circus would be performed later tomorrow, they were stopped by an eager chime, "Oh, hi! You're the Avatar!"
"Wha— I'm Grandpa Pippinpaddleopsicopolis—" Aang stopped in his tracks and so did the others as they looked at the ass covered in a pink pinkish red spandex looking back at them.
"Is the butt... talking?" Tom inquired while the remaining individuals were still stunned as a giggle caught their attention, "No silly, butts don't talk! Look down, I'm practicing for tomorrow."
Their gazes fell down and they found a brown-haired girl who had her braid currently tied into a but as she gave the widest grin, "I knew it, you're the Avatar! Hey, are you guys here to watch our circus? Hmm, is that Tom-Tom? You're Mai's brother, right? It's so exciting that she has a bounty now! Wow, she always craved adventure. And what a title she has— 'Knife Sniper' Mai! Oh, you're Sokka? Better than the images, hehe~ Say, does Nik the Plunderer really steals everything? Ah, can you also bend all the four elements! Hey— don't—"
With a sharp and increasingly annoying glare, Rena suddenly swatted the woman's butt as she almost fell back... before contorting her body to still balance her body on her hands and now spread her legs wide and stretch them beyond her hands to sit 'midair' while grinning, "Somebody doesn't like acrobats, huh? So? Can you bend all the elements? Why is there so much of Sky Bison's fur over your head? Can Nik make things disappear for real? Ah, I thought he was a good guy because he is with the Avatar but there are many rumors that state otherwise. Oh, you're the moody lavabender, right? Hi, I'm Ty Lee, by the way. Could you—"
"Oh, my spirits! Would you stop talking for a second?" Rena growled and crossed her arms, "What was your name again? Ty Lee? What's your deal?"
Standing up finally, Ty Lee dusted her hands and beamed, "I just like hearing about your exploits! And as I said, Mai is a good friend."
"You didn't say that," Sun noted.
"Sis is your friend?" Tom blurted.
"Well, I said it now," Ty Lee passed a smile to Sun who scoffed and then bent slightly to ruffle Tom's hair, "And aren't you the cutest~! Just like your sister! And yeah, we're best friends!"
Tom smiled but then his gaze fell on her wide-necked crop top and blushed. Winking at the boy and about to tease him more, she heard Rena's snide, "Best friend? Looks like you didn't get the news. She made other friends... more intimate ones."
"Oh, so it's alright for you to joke about it?" Sokka glared at his girlfriend who shrugged while Ty Lee stood up and cocked her head sideways, "Really? Good for her!" She grinned, stumping Rena who really didn't expect such a... bubbly reaction.
"Um... we were hoping to join the circus..." Aang finally put it out as Ty Lee's eyes shone in splendor, "That's even more wonderful!"
"And we would like nobody else to know about our identities... we can disguise ourselves," Rena informed, and that put a bit of damper to the hyperactive contortionist's spirits who slumped her shoulder and began to perform cartwheels, "Come on, I don't think the Ringmaster will mind adding you all. He really doesn't care about the war and just wants to show off the Fire Nation Circus to the world."
"That was... easier than expected," Sokka blinked and looked at Rena... gazing back at him.
"What?"
"Nothing..." Rena drawled, "Let's just get to Ba Sing Se and hopefully meet up with Nik and others... I'd be relieved then..."
Others shrugged, not even trying to understand what she meant as the painted clowns took their interest the next second.
***
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