The Honor of Love (ATLA fanfic)

4. An old friend

It was early in the morning when we entered the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. We were going to make a stop in Omashu, a great Earth Kingdom city. I have never been there myself, and I was very much looking forward to see it. Zuko was still in my mind. I was wondering how he felt seeing me again and if he'd want to talk to me.

While I was sunken in my thoughts, Appa landed on the ground. The four of us climbed down and walked over a hill. In the distance, we saw a huge city. It looked like it was risen out of the ground.

"Look! The great city of the Earth Nation: Omashu!" Aang said excitedly, "I used to always come to visit my friend Bumi."
"Wow..." Katara said amazed, "we don't have cities like this in the South Pole."
'They have building here that don't melt." Sokka said amazed.

"Well, let's go slow pokes! The real fun is inside the city." Aang said excitedly. "Aang, maybe it would be best not to show your tattoos and stuff," I said carefully, "it could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar. Spies are everywhere these days."
"You need a disguise," Sokka suggested. "So what am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?" Aang grinned.

"I have a better idea, actually." I said with a grin and I walked up to Appa.

"Ohhh this is so itchy! How do you live in this stuff?" Aang complained, looking to Appa as he scratched his head. We had made him a mustache and a wig made out of Appa's fur. "You look ridiculous, you look exactly like my grandfather." Sokka said with disbelief.
"Technically Aang is 112 years old." I shrugged.
Aang bend his back and leaned on his stick saying with an old man voice: "Now let's get to skippin, young whippersnappers! The big city awaits." I frowned and shook my head. I hope this will go well....

"The people here in this city are the kindest of the world!" Aang said dreamily when we almost reached the front door.
"Rotten cabbages?! What kind of slum do you think this is?!" A guard yelled to a farmer and with some earthbending, he lifted up the car to throw it off the bridge, into the valley. "Nooo! My cabbages!" The man yelled in horror.

"Just keep smiling..." Aang said nervously and we walked to the main guard. "What is your business here?!" The guard asked us angrily.Angrily Aang walked up to the man twice his size and pointed to him. "My business is my business, young man, and none of yours!" Aang yelled in an old-man voice, "I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside."

"Settle down, old timer. Just tell me who you are." The guard said more friendlier.
"Name's Bonzoo Pippenpadlopsicopolis, the Third, and these are my grandchildren." Aang said. I tried to hide my laugh as much as I could and walked over to the man. "Hello! I am Lucy Pippenpadlopsicopolis. Nice to meet you sir!" I said friendly.
"You seem like a responsible young lady." The man said, pointing to me, "keep your grandfather out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"
"We will sir, thank you!' I said and they opened the gate.

"Wait a minute..." The guard said and we all stopped. "You're a strong, young man. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!" Sokka stuttered something , but Aang already threw his bag over to him before he could get a word out. We all sighed out of relief when the gate closed behind us when we entered it and shrug the tension off our shoulders. The city was huge and very intimidating. With our mouths open we watched it, in all it's glory.

It was built all the way up, and slides rushed through the city, probably the way to get supplies up and down. "The Omashu delivery system," Aang said, "miles and miles of tubes and chutes. Earthebending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down."

"Great, so they get their mail on time..." Sokka said a bit unimpressed.
"Yes, they do," Aang replied, "But my friend Bumi found a better way for these chutes."