"Do we ALL have to come?" Jin groaned from halfway down the rope.
I sighed, slid down the last few feet to the floor, and stepped away to let others down. And to look at the spectacular view. As Toph said, it was HUGE on the inside. Bigger on the inside... 'That reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it... Maybe I should call the doctor and have it checked out.'
The professor started ranting about owls or something while Jin and Muteki whispered something to each other. I had a feeling Amaya would've loved this place, not because of the books per se, but she was a bit of an architecture geek. How did I know that? I don't know that, do I? Apparently, I do.
We all turned to the sound of feathers rustling, then ran and hid behind some pillars.
"I know you're back there," came the grumpy voice.
Professor Death Wish darted out and ran up to the owl and introduced himself in that breathless, over-excited fanboy way that I suspect the owl found annoying.
"I suggest you leave the way you came," it said bluntly, turning its head towards another direction. "Unless you want to become a stuffed head of anthropology."
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the nest," I commented.
Jin slapped the back of my head.
"Idiot, he could eat you," she growled.
"He wouldn't, though," I answered. "He'd get a bad case of heartburn."
She made a face like she wanted to be mad at me, but she found my pun funny at the same time.
"I think firebenders are just walking puns," she muttered, following behind the Gaang.
"Are you the spirit that brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka questioned.
"Oh, I dunno, I kinda thought he was just the pet!" Muteki rolled his eyes at Sokka. "Who else would he be?"
"Hey! Woah, sorry!" Sokka responded to Muteki.
"Indeed, I am Wan Shi Tong, 'He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things.'" Mr Bird said. "And you are obviously humans, which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study."
"You are a scholar, are you not?" I called. "Judging from your diminished physique and large forehead, you are suited for nothing else!"
"What do you have against humans?" Aang asked, almost angrily.
"Hm! Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans. Like that firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy. So, who are you trying to destroy?"
"Just my buddy here at sandcastle building competitions," Muteki grinned at me.
"I bet that firebender was Zhao," I whispered to Jin. "Probably how he knew about the Moon and Ocean Spirits."
"Why have you come here?" Mr Giant Owl asked.
"Um, knowledge for knowledge's sake?" Sokka suggested.
"If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being," Fluffy the owl growled. "You should at least put some effort into it."
"I'm not lying," Sokka said defensively. "I'm here with the Avatar, and he's the bridge between our worlds. He'll vouch for me."
Aang stumbled forward. "Ow. Uh, yeah, I'll vouch. We will not abuse the knowledge in your library, good spirit. You have my word."
They both bowed to Wan Shi Tong.
"Hmm, very well. I'll let you peruse my vast collection," Owl dude said. we all grinned. "On one condition."
Cue dropping grins. "To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge."
Tad, the lost explorer, walked up to Wan Shi Tong, holding a book and kneeled before the beast.
"Please accept this tome as a donation to your library."
Everyone offered a bit of knowledge, and Mr Owl guy stole it with his wing. Sokka decided to do a special knot, claiming that it was knowledge. For some reason, Muteki decided that a full analysis of the song 'Blood' (which I recognised from the swamp) was well in order. Jin thought that CPR was something everyone should know, so she gave us all a first aid crash course. Then it was my turn.
"I'm a complete duffer at this sort of thing," I said, sighing. "In the School Debating Society, I was voted Boy Least Likely to Complete a Coherent... erm..."
"Sentence?" Muteki offered.
"Yeah! That!" I exclaimed. "Honestly, I'm thicker than the large print version of the complete life works of Charles Dickens."
"You aren't from around here, are you?" the owl asked.
"No, not really," I said back nervously. "But I do have a piece of knowledge that I remembered from when I was in the army!"
"You were in the army?" Sokka and Aang asked in unison.
"Yeah, our little island had its own military force," Muteki added quickly, taking the attention away from me a little.
"The knowledge, human?" the Owl asked impatiently.
"Right, if there's one thing I've learnt from being in the Army, it's never to ignore a pooh-pooh. I knew a Major, who got pooh-poohed, made the mistake of ignoring the pooh-pooh. He pooh-poohed it! Fatal error! 'Cos it turned out all along that the soldier who pooh-poohed him had been pooh-poohing a lot of other officers who pooh-poohed their pooh-poohs. In the end, we had to disband the regiment. Morale was totally destroyed... by pooh-pooh!"
"Not knowledge," Mr Owl growled. "But I have better things to do than argue with a dimwit."
"Aha!" I cried. "You just pooh-poohed me!"
"Wet match, dark cave. That's our Mogui," Muteki said sarcastically.
The Owl nodded and waved us through, and Sokka said something I didn't quite catch, But the owl probably did. If I'd heard it, I'd probably have facepalmed.
Mut rapped me on the head as we strolled through the books, looking for any clues as to where a map of the Fire Nation was hidden.
"Good going back there," he all but growled. "Trying to get eaten?"
"Who'd miss me?" I asked. "I can barely remember anyone."
He punched me in the face. I think I might have spat a tooth. I can't remember.
"I'd miss you, you freaking asswipe!" he growled. "Not to mention the hours on end Maya put into fixing your screwed up head last year, would have her bring you back just to kill you personally! So don't you ever put your life on the line. Not even for the 'kicks and giggles', as you like to say so much."
"Chill, dude!" I raised a lit fist, lightning crackling along my knuckles. "I had it under control, so back off before I lose control and roast you to a crisp."
"Just don't do anything stupid," he sighed, pulling me in for a rough hug.
"So, Jin," Katara asked as we dug through knee-deep books. "Wan Shi Tong mentioned that you guys weren't from around here?"
"Yeah," she said, picking up a book. "That's true."
"Where are you guys from?"
"Oh, just a little island to the west."
"Maybe we could go visit it some time?" Katara asked, glancing at me.
"Not likely," Jin shrugged. "It's not really... There... anymore."
Katara quickly apologised and went back to scanning through books, clearly trying to pretend she wasn't slightly embarrassed, and I'm sure she looked like she really wanted to ask more questions but was too polite to do it. I pulled out a book with pictures and scanned through it.
After a while, I stuck the book back on the shelf. Interesting read. All about some kid who ran around with a flying cat, and the funny thing was, I think it might have been me. I mean, this kid just loved getting into fights. He could control and create fire, and, unlike any bender we met yet, he could mix fire and lightning. It had to be me... Didn't it? I was the only one who could do that... Was I Natsu Dragneel? I sank to the floor in realisation. It was too much to take in. I knew who I was and where I was from. For the first time in forever...