So we stopped in a random village on our way to Ba Sing Sei, and we were a little short on cash. I told - well threatened more like - Zuko to not steal money, and now we come to my current situation. I'm starving. Mangy was giving me those eyes, and Zuko was looking at me with that smug face, just waiting for me to crack.
Iroh, you rude old man, I hate you right now.
"I have to sing?" I repeated for the umpteenth time. "Sing what?"
"Anything!" Iroh said cheerfully. "We're more likely to get money from these people if a beautiful young lady were to sing to them than a fat old man."
"You're not fat," I said, poking him with a comical expression. "You're just fluffy!"
He barked with laughter while Zuko shook his head.
"Well, I won't sing or dance. It sounds stupid."
"Hmm, yes, it does, doesn't it?" I added, taking up a thinking pose. "Oh, I know!"
I grinned, cupping Mangy's beak in my hands. "You could do a trick! Yes, you could, yes, you could!" I cooed.
"Amaya, admit it. You were wrong," Zuko whispered. "I'll find-"
"I'll sing!" I said, shoving Zuko aside.
"Excellent!" Iroh smiled.
Zuko gave me a funny look.
"Shush your face," I said to Zuko, doing a dramatic nose in the air thing.
Of course, it's one thing to tell people you'll do something and an entirely different thing to actually do it. I think I might do a cry. I don't know, I'm scared. Hold me.
So I convinced Iroh to help me set up a little thingy with a cup and a wooden board. Well, it was one of his teacup thingies, and luckily it was shaped just right. I started doing what appeared to be randomly moving it around, clicking it and clapping my hands. People actually stopped to watch cause I'm sure I looked like a crazy person. Ok, deep breaths, I can do this.
"I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow, what d'you say?"
A few kids stopped their game to watch, and Iroh joined in, doing the cup thing with his own one. Zuko was sitting with Mangy, pretending to be asleep.
"When I'm gone, when I'm gone,
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone!
You're gonna miss me by my hair,
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh,
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.
When I'm gone, when I'm gone,
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone,
You're gonna miss me by my walk,
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh,
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone."
The kids were now playing. I've started something. It's like waking up and discovering you live in a musical. There was a pack of them, dancing and clapping their hands in time to Iroh and me. Time to move on to the next verse.
"I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
The one with the prettiest of views
It's got mountains; it's got rivers
It's got sights to give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you."
I'm gonna say it. I have started something. The adults were all watching and smiling, and the kids have actually joined in on the chorus. Iroh flipped his cup and caught the coins being tossed as we reached the end of the rather short little skit. Despite my initial terror, that was actually surprisingly fun. I might do it again. Probably not. I smiled as some kids skipped off, singing "when I'm gone" over and over. I was actually teaching a few girls how to do the cup thing, and while it was already the Cups song, I had made it famous in the Avatarverse in the little village of Middleofnowhere. What a joyous occasion to be alive.
"You actually did it," Zuko commented as he and Iroh sorted through the coins.
"Of course I did. Did you really think once you challenged me I was going to back down?"
"Yes, actually," Zuko responded.
"No!" I said dramatically, leaping to my feet. "You are wrong, so just sit there in your wrongness and be wrong!"
"Here you go Amaya, I believe one of the stalls we passed earlier has those delicious smelling sweet rolls you were admiring,"
Iroh handed me a few coins.
"Yay, food!" I cheered. "I'll meet back here once I have some!"
"Be careful, don't talk to strangers!" Iroh called after me.
I laughed and shook my head at him. Of course, after about five minutes of walking, I remembered that I was directionally challenged. And I was lost. Joyous! Now what?
"Are you lost?"
I turned and stared at a rather good looking guy, who approached me with an easy smile on his face.
"It's a possibility I haven't ruled out," I answered. "Oh, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
He chuckled. "You were the pretty young lady singing with the children earlier. My name is Kanan."
"Nice name, I think I'll steal it," I answered with a light smile.
He chuckled. "I'm assuming that a pretty girl will have a pretty name?"
"Not always," I answered. "I knew a girl once, her name was something weird like Molly, but she was still super pretty."
By the way, I mean no offence. But out here, that would be a bizarre name. Like Lucy, Natsu, Pikachu...oh, the list is endless.
He smiled. "But I bet yours is as pretty as you are...?"
"My name? Amaya," I answered.
I continued to list a bunch of weird or random names in my head. Like Abcde, pronounced Absadah. Weird right?
"It's just as I thought," he smiled. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
"Dude, flattery won't get you anywhere," I said, shaking my head.
"Did you lose your companions?"
"I don't lose people. People lose me! You gotta understand this!" I retorted. "Oh, there they are!"
I had finally found the stall from before. Kanan was still following me. Creeper.
"Here, let me," he said, dropping some money on the counter before I could pay.
"Oh, thanks!" I said, taking two little sweet roll things. "But I had it. I didn't sing for fun, you know."
"But you did seem to be having fun," he pointed out.
"Yes, once the initial terror passed, I did have a bit of fun," I took a bite out of my roll. "Oh, it's just as good as it smelled!"
He chuckled, buying one for himself. He also took a bite and made some appreciative noises. It seems he agrees. See, we are now good friends.
"Do you sing often?" he asked.
"Only when it's close friends," I answered. "Or like today when I was hungry enough to sing."
"What if I asked you to sing another song for me?" he asked, smiling charmingly.
"Oh...um..." I could feel my face heat up as I mumbled some pathetic excuse while shovelling as much sweet roll into my mouth as possible and hastily looking for some way to escape the situation.
Stupid Amaya, bad Amaya. Never talk to attractive strangers. Wait! Didn't Zuko count as an attractive stranger? And I left with him onto his ship. I'm still travelling with him!
Wait, I was kidnapped. That doesn't count. Oh, whoops, off-topic. "Um, sorry, I don't know very many other songs..."
He smiled. "Just sing the first thing that comes to your mind."
I made a nervous laugh. I laugh when I'm nervous. Wanna know why I laughed? Because as soon as he said that, I had "Get Bloody" by Tobuscus playing through my brain. I don't see that going down well.
"Amaya?"
We both turned to see a slightly put out Zuko walking towards us.
"Lee!" I said cheerfully, feeling a little rescued. "This is... Kanan, right?"
"Yes, this is a friend?" he asked.
The two of them were doing some weird puffy out chest thing, and I don't know what happened, but I could almost feel a fight. So I shoved my second sweet roll in Zuko's mouth.
"Look, they taste amazing!" I grinned.
He gave me a sour look but grabbed my arm and dragged me away.
"We're leaving."
"Hey, you're hurting her!" Kanan jumped in and shoved Zuko away.
The sweet roll dropped to the ground, and I stared at it while the two of them argued.
"Five-second rule!" I yelled, quickly picking it up and then dusting it off.
I inspected it while the two guys stared.
"Never waste food," I growled at Zuko. "Where's Mangy?"
"With Uncle, now let's go," he made to grab my wrist again, but Kanan stepped between us.
"Alright, lead on, Lee!" I said cheerfully, turning in a random direction and starting to walk that way. "Bye Kanan, it was nice meeting you!"
"Amaya!" Zuko finally caught me but grabbed my hand.
"This way," he mumbled, tugging me along.
"Kay!"