Pyrrhic Aftermath Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Chapter 3:

***

Zuko sat down in the stone, earthbended stands beside a family with far too many children. He was relieved to find them so well behaved, their boundless energy and excitement kept down to the point that they merely vibrated in place instead of screaming their lungs off.

Hopefully that remained the case.

The stands filled quickly. Under the dim lights Zuko could make out most of the two beams at opposite ends of the semi arena. But the very tops were obscured by the shadows of the giant tent.

“Fried cabbage flakes! Get your fried cabbage flakes here!” An oddly familiar confectionery man said.

“Fire flakes! Get your fire flakes here!” Said another.

Zuko flagged the latter down and got himself a bag of the stuff.

Eventually the circus stands were full, the confectioneries were distributed, and the lights began to dim. They dimmed so deeply that the place was pitch black and as silent as a desert night. Zuko was tempted to make a candle-sized flame, the entire shift was so discomforting.

But then the lights reappeared, and at the center of the arena was Ty Lee in her usual pink getup.

… and a second Ty Lee in a green getup. And a third Ty Lee in orange. There were eight in all, with blue, yellow, purple, and turquoise all making an appearance.

Hadn’t Ty Lee said she became an acrobat to set herself apart from her seven identical sisters? If they were all circus freaks now that kind of invalidated the special girl he had come to know and respect.

“The Boulder welcomes one and all to our fine establishment!” A man who sounded like he had an outdoor voice at a whisper yelled.

A new light shone on the speaker. A shirtless earth-bender stood next to a much bigger, overweight shirtless earth-bender.

“Today, you get to the boulder…” Said the smaller, muscle-bound man.

“And the hippo!” Said the sumo wrestler.

“Throw everything we have at the untouchable eight!” They said in stereo.

Ty Lee and her sisters all posed, feet together and hands over their heads, palms up in the air. Each was all smiles, and were it not for the color-coding Zuko would have no idea which was Ty Lee.

Then the two over-actors began their earth bending, and the ladies danced.

A spiked of earth rose to the sky, boulders – literal and the man himself – fell upon them intend on turning them into jelly. Sideways avalanches tore through the arena, and storms of rock arrows flew at the petite girls.

They dodged everything as effortlessly as if they were tiptoeing through a china shop. They leapt, vaulted, ducked, dodged and did it all while moving as elegantly as ballerinas. He was too far away to know for sure, but they looked like they didn't even break a sweat doing this all.

By the end of the display the untouchable eight were untouched, and the circus arena was a jagged expanse of earth that looked more like a scale model of the southern air temple mountain range than anything close to a circus.

The ten performers bowed and the crowd cheered. Zuko clapped with them, but was a little subdued as he flinched away from the children near him who finally revealed how loud their voices could be. They were a five-child standing ovation, that family.

The lights dimmed, though not to the extent they had before. Instead of pitch blackness he could still see bodies moving through the gray. The untouchable eight and their earth-bender friends left, and he saw a single figure take the stage.

“And now, the dance of the sand skater!” Came a new announcement voice.

The lights returned, and standing at the center of the field of jagged stone was Toph, in her jade green outfit which matched those of the Tys.

She then ice skated on her bare feet across the mountain-range of stone. Everywhere her toes touched, it was vaporized. Not violently, but like a sand castle collapsing. Her arms moved as if she was also controlling ribbons in the air, but he imagined such an art would be beyond her.

The boulders collapsed into waves of sand that she surfed upon like a water bender, arms out for balance. She ended her performance at the center of the arena, and only then did Zuko realize that she had turned the entire stage into a zen garden. The sand had the exact indentation of having been raked in circular patterns around the few remaining stones.

She bowed, and the crowd cheered again. This time Zuko did so almost as loudly as the children next to him. Almost, he didn’t have the vocal range to reach that high of pitch.

Once more the lights dimmed and he made out Toph leaving the stage, only for two shapes to replace her. One was large, almost as large as The Hippo from earlier.

The lights came on and the bizarre Just-A-Bear from earlier, standing on his hands like Ty Lee. His handler guided him across the zen garden, ruining the perfect indentations with paw prints.

Somehow, that seemed like sacrilege to Zuko.

His enjoyment of the show was interrupted when he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked up it was to be met with a pair of pale, white eyes.

Toph brought a finger up to her mouth and shushed him.

“Come on. It’s time for us to go.” She told him.

She pulled him up by the elbow just as the performance ended and the crowd cheered.

“Why not finish the show?” Zuko asked as the lights dimmed again.

“Trust me Zuko, you don’t want to stick around for this next one.” Toph said.

The lights came back on and Zuko saw exactly what she meant.

The untouchable quartet were back. Each was tied down to a spinning wheel and blindfolded, at separate corners of the stage. Standing at the center of the stage was a knife thrower.

One look at Mei and he went from being tugged along by Toph to being the one yanking her along.

***

Zuko and Toph escaped the circus unnoticed, or as unnoticed as they could be with Toph dressed as a belly dancer with the bells and jingling coins to match. It was beautiful on her, and barely jingled from her flawless movements, even while walking. But it was definitely eye-catching.

“I completely forgot about her.” Zuko groaned.

He had assumed she died, executed by Azula for aiding him. Now he felt like the most disgusting wretch. Three years and he never even went looking for her.

“And she knows it. I suggest keeping your distance. Lots of distance.” Toph warned. “And right now that means getting far away from the tent.”

Zuko nodded and, taking her hand, led her away from the tent.

“Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been fasting since yesterday morning in preparation for my performance.” She said, “Doing all of that on a full stomach is a good way to throw up or cramp up. I am starving!”

There was only one place to take her. Sensu’s beans.

The receptionist motioned him inside to his table. It was reserved for him, or any other family members of the Gansu family, which he was.

He pulled Toph’s seat out for her and she bowed graciously at the gesture before taking it. He pushed her in and took his own seat.

“This is my brother’s restaurant.” He told her. “I won a family here back before we met. After the comet hit I rejoined them. Life has been good to me.”

“I see.” Said Toph, motioning with her head and eyes as if she were looking around and taking it in. “Is this where you work?”

“I sometimes help out but I’m ostensibly a roofer.” He told her.

“A roofer? As in you put in shingles?” She asked.

“Yes ma’am. And during planting or harvesting seasons I plant and harvest, occasionally tend to the farm animals, but I don’t get paid for those. That’s just part of life living with a farming family. Chores, really.” He told her.

She hummed. Not rudely, but definitely noncommittally.

He half expected her to point out how he was a powerful bender and warrior and would be out there doing so much right now, but she neither complained nor criticized. He suspected that she got why he would opt for such a simple life below his station. The gilded cage of her childhood would likely haunt her forever.

“So. You’re in the circus now?” He asked.

“Well, I’m ostensibly the king’s personal bodyguard. You and your big words. But I pitch in with the circus.” Toph told him. “With nothing better to do I learned all of the carnies tricks and skills. It’s difficult not to pick it all up.”

Zuko had to chew on what she just said. He skipped over the last part, it being so obvious she need not have said it.

“The king? Of the earth kingdom?” He asked.

“Of Ba Sing Se, yes. Which is gone, so he is the king of nothing now and he is happy with this. He believes the world could do without kings and queens for a little while.” She said,

“I can relate to that.” Zuko mumbled.

He looked down at the table forlornly.

Just then his mother arrived.

“Zuko!” Sela said in surprise as she appeared with a menu. “With a lady friend?! Why, I haven’t seen that since that trist with that Song girl.”

“Song girl? You dated a singer?” Toph asked, eyebrows raised. “I didn’t think you took after your uncle’s love of music.”

“Her name was song. I stole an ostrich horse from her once after she had shown Iroh and I incredible kindness. She was oddly forgiving of me. Allowed me to buy her family a replacement.” Zuko said, allowing fondness for the woman to seep into his voice.

“What ever happened to her?” Toph asked.

“Too stubborn, too desperate.” Said Sela. “Wanted him to move out to her village and marry her, but that’s not how we do things. It is the woman who moves to the husband’s village. And it was way too soon to be discussing matrimony. So I put a stop to that little courtship dance.”

“And you were right to do so mother.” Said Zuko.

Sela smiled at him and Toph ogled him at the choice of honorific.

She then turned to Toph.

“Any friend of Zuko’s is welcome in my son’s shop. Shall I bring you the usual Zuko?”

“Yes please. Enough for two, if you can.” Zuko asked.

Sela smiled and disappeared.

“Is she your… first mom or the new mom?” Toph asked.

He laughed.

“A new one I found. With my father and Azula gone, I think the mystery of my mother’s fate will remain just that. A mystery.” Zuko said.

Toph hummed again.

“Maybe not. If you were to take your throne you could command the power to solve it. Order those with the means to do so.” Toph suggested.

He actually smiled at her lack of tact, and the questions hidden in her comment.

“One day I will, but in the meantime I actually agree with the earth king. The world could do without a fire lord for a while. The people of the fire nation are recovering, see the world as it is and meeting people from afar for the first time. They are relearning how to be human. Everyone, everywhere just seems to be resting. Breathing peacefully after a century of horrors.” He explained.

“I haven’t even heard of bandit activity in years. The world doesn’t need me now. It’s at peace and I’m at peace, and I’m procrastinating until it’s not at peace any more.” Zuko finished.

Toph smiled and nodded to his words.

“That makes me happy. To know you’re happy. But I have to wonder, is everyone recovering from the war or the violent end to it? An end that nearly took us all with it?” She asked.

She wasn’t being confrontational or trying to start an argument. It was just an offhand question.

“This peace will end.” Zuko agreed. “People will need to take power and responsibility. The earth king will take up a new throne somewhere, at a new Ba Sing Ee. When that time comes I suspect I will have reached my deadline and have no choice but to become fire lord. But until then, I am free. And should banditry or similar evils rise again, I will put then down without the need for armies.”

“Oh really? Going to get the old gang back together and do some small-scale hero work again?” Toph asked. Whichever of us remains?

“That actually is the idea, yeah. Speaking of, have you seen Sokka and Suki? It’s been two years since I’ve heard from them.” Zuko asked.

“I’ve seen them both. When the circus took us up to the north pole, which turned out to serve more as a meeting between the earth king and Chief Arnook than an actual show. The two are running a daycare for babies and toddlers and a primary school. Reading, writing, history, math, art and combat. If any of those kids are the avatar, they’ll figure it out eventually.”

Suko nodded. He ought to head up there and visit. But they had Oppa, so he’d have to go the slow way.

“Do they still have Oppa?” He asked.

“Oppa goes where he pleases. Being the last of his kind he wanders mostly. People see him from time to time, usually near air temples, but he visits the north pole regularly enough. I’m sure he misses you.” Toph told him.

And he just now realized that he missed Oppa too.

“I need to send a letter to the north pole, ask them to lead Oppa here so I can see him again, and maybe ride him up to see Sokka and Suki again. See all of their hard work.” Zuko said.

“That is a wonderful idea, Zuko. I’m sure they would love that.” Toph said, all smiles.

He’d never seen her smile like that, it was different. Ladylike, and just nice. Nicer than being punched in the shoulder.

He didn’t realize he was staring at her until Sela returned with their meals. She placed two bowls of Sensu’s noodle soup, a concoction of his whose noodles were made from cooked and recooked beans before making noodles out of them. Two small bowls of jook, just like Iroh used to make, soon joined the soup.

“Enjoy.” Said Sela.

They dug right in. It was a few minutes of eating before they got back to talking, and after that the food lay mostly forgotten. All the while they talked Zuko couldn't get his mind off of something new he noticed about Toph. Through the entire conversation she did strangest thing. She kept perfect eye contact with him. She was never able to do that before.

He eventually just asked about it.

“Has your seismic sense gotten so good that you can now tell where my eyes are looking or have you learned to guess where people’s eyes are from sound and look there?” He asked.

She smiled that glorious smile again.

“It’s gotten so good that I can tell where MY eyes are looking through it.” She explained.

“Whoa. Where did you learn to do that?” He asked.

“Mostly from the sand benders, but also from the Tys.” She said.

“Sand benders?” He asked.

“Earth bending tribes in the Si Wong desert. They bend sand like wind. I went out there to learn from them, their skills being the only area of earth bending I hadn’t mastered. I taught them Aang’s airbending kata, which translated beautifully to sand bending, and they taught me sand bending. My seismic sense was horrible in that desert, but after a year livingthere? It upgraded.” She explained.

Zuko nodded. He could understand seismic sense not working well in loose, disjointed sand.

“How do the Tys tie in?”He asked.

“Well, they taught me acrobatics. And as I did that I learned to feel the vibrations within my own body, it also made me feel beautiful for the first time.” She said.

“Well, it shouldn’t have taken acrobatics to make you realize what you are. But I’m glad it did.” Zuko said.

They finished their dinner after that and Zuko escorted her back to her tent.

“Do come visit me after my shows for the rest of my time here, yeah?” She said.

“Of course.” Said Zuko.

She reluctantly turned away from him and walked into the tent, where the show was still playing by the sounds of things.

He watched her disappear into the structure and stared after him even after she vanished. Once she did, he also reluctantly turned away and began his long walk home.

He hummed all the way there.

***

Lee returned from his patrol of the outskirts to find his brother, Sensu, watching the most bizarre scene take place in their stables.

“Four seasons, fo-ur loves.” They heard Zuko singing as he fed the pig chickens. “Four seasons, fo-or love.”

Their brother was singing. While doing chores.

“Winter, spring, summer and fall! Four seasons, fo-ur loves.” He continued.

Lee stood next to Sensu and pulled on his sleeve.

“He’s got it bad, doesn’t he?” Lee asked.

“Four seasons, fo-or love.” Zuko finished.

“He’s been singing all morning. So I’d say yes, yes he does. We should probably go get dad.” Sensu said.