Chapter 208: The Revelation (1)
"Wow! This tea tastes so great!" Ty Lee chimed, her lips stretched into a wide grin as she took note of everyone present aside from their Circus' Ringleader who kept staring at Iroh, slackjawed and almost reverently. The store was closed yet the interior was packed completely, mostly with women as aside from Iroh, the only other males happened to be Lu Kin, the one who leads the circus. Avatar Aang, Sokka, Tom-Tom, Sun, Nik, and Zuko.
But more importantly, Ty Lee's gaze constantly fell on Azula and Zuko, and then Ursa. Meanwhile, Iroh smiled at the compliment and chuckled, "It is always pleasant to be praised, thank you, Ty Lee."
"Yeah, I always thought you were boring when we were children and Azula did say you were boring... but the tea makes up for it," Ty Lee's smirk broadened and her wide brown eyes narrowed into a foxy look. She was quick to note Azula's silent snort while Iroh chuckled only louder.
"Enough about this... so you're the Avatar? You are supposed to save the world but you're just a boy!" Zuko glanced at Aang who still held onto the cup of tea while enjoying the beverage as the youth in pristine robes continued, "And you lied to us!" His glare landed on Nik who couldn't help but stifle his wry chuckle.
"Well... I am the Avatar... and as long as we are making observations, you're just a youth, too," Aang tilted his head in confusion, "And... Nik is kind of an Avatar. My spiritual child, to be exact."
"Ugh... don't say that, it's weird. And who are you even supposed to be? Spiritual Dad or Mom cause there were two last I checked," Nik rolled his eyes and Aang's expression froze when he thought about Vaatu.
"Wait... what is going on?" Lu Kin frowned as Sokka cleared his throat.
"Fine, let me clear things up for everybody. It was months ago. We discovered Aang and Nik fell on Katara naked. Although, I suspect it's the opposite now—"
Katara pinched Sokka's waist, twisting a good fold of flesh as he gasped, "Ow! Hey!"
"We don't need the entire history, right?" June narrowed her eyes, "And Avatar or not, I find Nik more capable than the boy."
"Ah, that's because my eyes aren't glowing," Aang was at the point where he could at least joke about his Avatar State.
"It's all very confusing..." Jin muttered and Yue patted the loveable girl's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll explain once we are done with the tea. Besides, I don't think we would get anywhere with so many people in one location who wants to discuss many, many things."
While Yue loved to stay on the sidelines and admire Nik getting things done, she was a talented woman naturally adept in management due to her past and quickly found the root problem that everyone wanted to say something.
"That's actually a good thought," Nik touched his chin, "Why don't I train with Toph and June since they really don't have much to talk about? You guys can mingle by yourself... Aang, why not join us?"
The boy's expression lit up, "Sure—"
"You must be joking," Azula scoffed with a baleful look on her otherwise pretty face, "I would like my doubts cleared by the Avatar. Both of them."
Nik blinked while Toph groaned, gulped her tea, and stood up, "Well, nothing new here for me then. I'm back on my grind!"
With that, she walked up to Nik and touched his left arm before promptly disappearing making Ty Lee's and Lu Kin's eyes go wide in shock.
"Hmm... and I want to rest. Good to meet a fresh face, hope you stick around," As a woman of delectable taste, June had tasted many alongside Nik and licked her lips as she let her gaze drift over to Ty Lee who blinked and grinned in reply. Ah, the sweetness she would provide... but June was also clear on her limits at this point. While the top bounty huntress, she chose Nik above all not because of him helping her... but also filling her the right way and felt that she could 'hunt' a 'prey' for him but always allow him the first taste as a sign of respect and affection. Both of which she had for the youth.
June, too, disappeared. Then it was Yue and Jin who politely smiled at Ty Lee before vanishing. By now, Ty Lee and Lu Kin were numb.
"Hey, could you spare us a room, too? Oh, and I wanna fill you in on what happened in the village." Sokka looked at Katara who smiled before she sighed softly, "Sure, I want to let you know what I've been upto... but we still haven't found dad—"
"Hey, we'll find him," Sokka smiled reassuringly and patted Katara's head as the duo and Rena disappeared, too.
"I would like to train with Toph, too," Sun looked at Nik who smiled, "Sure. We even learned something new so you can try that."
The front of the store was opening up quickly.
"Hmm... I have a lot to speak with Tom-Tom, too." Michi smiled and looked at her son with a threatening glare, "Like why he shouldn't jump through hoops of magma."
"I want to train with my sister!" Tom-Tom said hurriedly as Mai drawled, "Forget it... just accept whatever Mother is going to do to you. I'm staying here."
And with a look of despair, Tom-Tom and Michi disappeared.
Now, aside from the Fire Nation Royalty, Lu Kin, and Ty Lee, only Nik, Aang, Poppy, Mai, and Suki remained.
It was still a lot but not as much as before and things visibly eased as Lu Kin opened up, "Fire Lord... the news of you disappearing after attending our Circus during your Royal Procession hung heavy in my heart. I am the most gratified that nothing happened to you."
"Well, the main reason the Procession was to find my family, that I did..." Iroh smiled.
"Then when are you returning?" Lu Kin inquired quickly as Iroh cupped his chin and narrowed his eyes, "Well... I have been having fun for so long... I didn't really think of returning. Ozai did want to rule the entire world, right? He can pick things up in the Fire Nation where he left it off."
Lu Kin's lips parted and Iroh guffawed, "A joke, a joke."
But just when Lu Kin's expression eased, Iroh muttered, "Ozai just wants everyone dead."
"Again, a joke, Lu Kin. What happened to you? You were one of the most creative and humorous soldiers back then... given that you run a circus now, it must still be there, right?" Iroh chuckled darkly as Lu Kin felt a little ominous at this point.
"Uncle, do you really think he won't expose us?" Azula frowned even when she worked under the assumption that their location was already exposed.
"He won't." Iroh remarked with a fair amount of certainty, "But... I suppose you have a lot of things to discuss yourself, right? Lu Kin, why don't I fill you in about the few things I learned. Oh, and Avatar Aang, it was an honor meeting with you."
Aang bowed quickly, still holding the cup of tea as he stated politely, "Please, the honor was mine."
As Iroh left, giving the larger party some space, Poppy smiled and made things far simpler for others, "Instead of just trying to clear our own minor doubts, why don't we start with Ty Lee? I suppose she would feel more comfortable when she doesn't have anything left to burden her chest, right?" And as if aware of Ty Lee's love for inquiring about things quickly, Poppy chimed, "One question at a time, please."
"So... how are you?" Ty Lee looked at Mai.
"Well," Mai replied dryly.
"And you?" The upbeat girl looked at Azula who rolled her eyes, "Are we really going to do this again?"
Ty Lee pouted at that and looked towards Zuko, remarking with a musing tone, "And Zuko... wow, you grew a lot~ Better than Azula and Mai. Say, you must be really popular, right?"
Zuko was in a momentary daze seeing Ty Lee smile so widely as Azula scoffed at this. But even she didn't want to get down into the gory past of their relationship screw-ups in front of Ursa who sat alongside Poppy.
"Look," Aang began, showing he had grown in more than one way by helping people around him often, "When we were in the circus, Ty Lee loved to talk about you two... so I think she is just excited to meet with you. In fact, she didn't even know that one of her oldest friends who disappeared would be here."
Aang pointed out, making Azula frown harder at the boy. She liked the idea of Nik being the Avatar... that kind of status and power but now she felt complicated because... Nik just threw all her misconceptions away. Even without all that status... Nik was still powerful. In fact, more so now that he WASN'T the Avatar. At least... not a pasty and thin boy...
She snorted but aware that mediation doesn't always go the way one wants, Aang still kept a collected smile and added a few more things about Ty Lee excited to meet them, and by the end of it, it was Ty Lee who sported the largest pout, "Come on, Aang... now they'll think I'm uncool!"
"I won't," Zuko blurted before blushing deeply as Azula and Mai gave the youth a hard stare while Ty Lee flashed a rather smug smirk, "Hehe~ Thanks, Zuko! Your aura is so bright right now~!"
"I forgot about that Aura crap..." Azula whispered mutedly.
"Not surprising. It wasn't your ears she wore off by saying how her aura is pink, bright pink, shallow pink, and whatnot every day while growing up," Mai replied in a whisper.
It was clear that in front of a greater enemy, the duo stand united.
Hearing their words, Nik was a little amused and he questioned, "Could you tell me what my Aura looks like?"
As if eager to get back at him for his previous trick, Ty Lee looked at him and hummed while leaning against the table and setting her chin on the back of her interlocked palms, "It's so big and shapely... hmm, I can even sense Azula's and Mai's aura around you."
Aang felt a little awkward and grew a little embarrassed because it wasn't hard to notice Azula's affiliations when she eagerly proclaimed that Ty Lee was still single and she had a boyfriend.
"Is that so?" Poppy chuckled playfully and surprised Ty Lee, "I am a little sad that you didn't sense my aura on Nik given we were really close this morning."
"It's funny, there should be mine, too," Suki added with a smirk.
Ursa gaped with a blush, hissing, "What do you think you're saying?"
"Relax, I'm just trying to mingle with the young ones. It's not something Michi wouldn't do~!" Poppy smirked and narrowed her beautiful green pupils as Ty Lee looked at Poppy and then at Nik before straining a smile for the first time as if having met her match, "Yes... now I see your aura, too."
"Ah, that's a relief. You're a very interesting woman, Ty Lee."
"Thank you..." Ty Lee shrunk in on herself slightly and then sighed, "I guess, what I really want to know is... what is going on?"
"Well," Nik smirked, "Sokka did say he and Katara discovered Avatar while I fell on Katara naked... in the southern pole. It was chilly."
Given that Zuko was here, Nik didn't reveal too many things and kept it simple. As for his ability to make people 'disappear'... well, that was just it. What Zuko was told was nothing different than Nik transporting individuals and items and not storing them.
It's not that Nik didn't trust Zuko but he trusted a mad king to do whatever it took to destroy anyone that stood in his way... and now that Nik wanted to see what the rewards actually are by killing Ozai, he certainly stood in the mad king's way.
***
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