"Exactly the same, my friend, just a hundred years of boredom." His eyes immediately narrowed to nearly a line. He knew what I was talking about huh.
"Aang died the moment he went into the ocean and I was born." The implication was clear. I was awake and conscious for 100 years and it had changed me. I never actually lied. Aang really died when he entered the iceberg and I was reborn I his place.
"I guess time wasn't as generous of you as they should have been. Aang" I took off the hat I was wearing, revealing the iconic air master tattoo.
" It has been a long time. A very long Time bumi, I just hope that our changes in life won't change our relationship?" I said while thrusting my hand forward in a handshake.
He looked at it and shook it before calling a feast for us. Katara and Sokka were completely befuddled by the exchange I had with Bumi and were scoring their heads for answers. I knew that they would be too curious.
"I knew him before the incident but one thing I didn't tell you was that I was conscious the whole time. I am an old man in a child's body. I have seen the horrors of nature, I have seen more from a iceberg in a sea then most of you could ever hope to ever see or understand." I guess this is now common information cause I know That if any one of my allies will spread this information, it is bumi.
"Aang, aren't you hungry maybe you would be hungrier if I held you friends at risk.?" The moment he said that, a cage of earth surrounded both sokka and katara. I didn't move a single muscle but simply looked at bumi with an unimpressed face.
" Bumi, you may be able to detect every lie in existence but your own aren't as good. I can feel the blood pumping though your veins and the very air you breathe. I don't take too kindly too being threatened along with my comrades." The threat regarding the blood and air was thinly veiled, and it was easily a threat. My voice was completely flat and my face didn't betray me.
"Sigh. Let them go" bumi snapped his fingers" You truly have changed old friend. Let's talk business" good. He accepted the fact and moved onwards.
"Not business you old man. We are here to talk about the war." He didn't seem effected at all, so he knew this was coming. His face was like carved in stone and was probably used to staying still.
"We are heading to the northern water tribe to learn water bending. You know the cycle, air water earth fire. We might come back and visit later. These are sokka and katara, my traveling companions and the people who unintentionally freed me from my prison. Katara is looking to master water bending while sokka wants to bash in the face of the fire nation."
The entire conversation has unnerved them greatly but they processed it enough to at least respond to the mad kings stare.
"Hello, I really want to learn water bending like aang said but I also want to .. defeat the fire nation" she was just as bad as lying as she was a week ago. She just wanted peace and non-violence. She is closer to O.G. Aangs Personality then I remember, maybe a change I created or one unexplored in the shows.
"Hey! I don't want to bash the fire nation, I mean I want to defeat them but I have a lot more goals and interests."
"Like what becoming a comedian cause your jokes are so bad that someone may actually laugh." Hey I was just telling the truth. I am still the burn master you know.
"Haha you kids are really fun but let's back to topic. War. What do you know about it?"
"Ba sing se attack around anywhere from a month to 2. I found it on the fire nation ship we destroyed along with a few other details. Namely sozin's comet."
" Ba sing se is safely protected and has a great military force. What is the problem.???"
"Dai li. The king is a puppet." Those few words are more than enough for bumi to understand what I meant. He may be mad but he is smart. Smart enough to know when a puppet leader was in place and smart enough to know about the existence of dai li.
"That is a very grim situation you find yourselves in. What do ya need?"
"Supplies, backing and clout."
"I get the first two for politics but why the third one?"
"What is more famous than fame itself but infamy.? The avatar who has mastered air bending, water bending and is willing to kill will steer many a people. It also draws attention away from where we are heading. We are leaning a false breadcrumbs to ba sing se. I hope you can spread the news."
"I understand hahahahahaha. You have become smarter."
"No. I haven't become smarter old friend, I have become wiser. You know the difference better than I do."
He smiled almost unnervingly, by I wasn't effected, for some reason I felt a sense of nostalgia. Sokka and katara though weren't prepared for this.
"So what first? Dai li? Moon spirit? Ba sing se?" He voice was curious almost like a kid getting a new unsolvable puzzle of love able plaything.
"Water bending, moon spirit. Ba sing se, dai li. Finding a fire bender with an axe to grind and getting allies." I can't mention the white lotus without reason." We are also stopping at the fire nation temple."
"Aang. You never told us why we are going there?" Katara was taking the surprises surprisingly well.
" That is the temple of avatar roku, it is our last major stop before the northern water tribe. We may stop at an air temple or tow before reaching the water tribe."
"What about an earth Bending master? Don't you need one to journey with you?" Bumi was unnaturally smart. Is this why they call him mad?
"The fewer people we travel with, the faster we are. We will pick one up from ba sing se. Don't worry about that."
"Fine it's not like you are asking for much. By the way, where is appa I haven't seen him for a century."
"APPA." My shout reverberated through the city and reached the ears of a giant flying bison.
A large air bison came flying over the city and nearly into the palace." appa you haven't grown an inch. You still look like a young boy ahaha"
Appa turned his head around and harumffed at Bumi. He didn't like being commented in its height or growth.
We stayed and talked for a few hours before leaving
