Book 17.5: Fourth Wall

[savedtheworld]

[Behold Aang, the young air nomad. Physically 15 and now mentally about 16, he's grown quite a bit from his time in the Hundred Year War.

Today seemed like a good day to visit the library. He found out from Duck that there were stories out there where the characters came to life and left the story. So now he's checking around to see if he can find any books like this. Only to find unexpected visitors of a different variety...

Alternately? He can be found out in front of House 56, deep in meditation, trying to see if he can reach his past lives...]

Comments

[telltalecommander]

[Guess who else is in the library?! It's... a completely unfamiliar man to Aang. Dressed in his old United Forces uniform, he's standing in a corner flipping through a heavy book.]

Ooh, werewolves and vampires, eh? That's a good one.

[savedtheworld]

Werewolves and vampires? [Aang whistles with amusement as he draws closer to the man, peering towards him and the book.

There is some vague familiarity about the man, but it's hard to place. He looks Water Tribe, while his uniform looks like something from the Fire Nation. And something about him makes him think of a certain Earth Kingdom monarch...

Draped loosely around Aang's neck right now is the gift the Malnosso gave him for Christmas: a pair of pink earmuffs.]

That sounds like the kind of thing that's twice as good! But twice as scary. [He knows he'd think twice before reading it to Ikki, or he'd risk giving her (and himself) nightmares.]

1/2

[telltalecommander]

[Bumi's gaze is still on the book, but he acknowledges the boy's presence with a barking laugh.]

You said it! Twice as good, twice as scary and twice as interesting! I wonder which of the two would-

2/2

[telltalecommander]

[It's at that moment that he finally tears his eyes away from the pages and towards Aang, words abruptly getting lost in his throat. Thaaat's no normal air acolyte. Air acolytes don't have tattoos! It's like a miniature version of Tenzin, except...

Except it also looks like the pictures of his dad when he was young. The statue that's right outside Republic City.]

Ah... Aaahhhhhh... Avuh... [Words. What are words.] Avatar Aang?

[savedtheworld]

[Whoa! That guy looks really shocked! Aang blinks at his surprise, while giving a meek smile.]

Yep! That's me. You're really good at guessing! [Since this can't be anyone he knows. Right?]

1/3

[telltalecommander]

2/3

[telltalecommander]

3/3

[telltalecommander]

You... Why are you so small? [Wow his voice sure sounds higher than he'd intended it to be.]

[savedtheworld]

[He pouts.]

Hey, I've been growing! I'm a lot taller than I used to be...

[telltalecommander]

Well... Well yeah, but... [He trails off for a second, running a hand through his shaggy mane of hair.]

I didn't think I'd ever get to be this much taller than you.

[savedtheworld]

Well why not? Did you used to be really really short?

[telltalecommander]

Yup. And you uh... You used to be taller.

[This may just be the weirdest conversation he's ever had. Tenzin's never gonna believe him about this- not a chance.]

[savedtheworld]

I did? I don't remember being taller than this... When was this? Is it when I was Roku?

[telltalecommander]

No, it's when you were you! [The great Avatar Aang. One of the founders of the United Republic of Nations. His dad.]

Older you.

[savedtheworld]

Older me? [He mimics the tone as he points to himself.] But... That's the future!

[telltalecommander]

The future for you, maybe. [Bumi's shoulders slump as it finally sinks in just what he's looking at. A past echo of Avatar Aang. Before he had kids, probably even before he'd married mom.]

...You really don't remember, huh?

[savedtheworld]

No... I'm sorry. [He looks pretty down about it, so he comes closer to put a hand on his shoulder.]

I'm just not that guy I'm gonna be yet. And... I can't become him, until I'm out of this place. [That's one idea Katara had driven into him: that the paths of home and Luceti are entirely different.]

[telltalecommander]

[Wow and now a kid version of his dad is putting a hand on his shoulder. He can't even remember the last time his adult dad did that. A long time ago, that's for sure.]

Oh... Oh, right. Well, you'll be that guy you're gonna be some day. You have to be.

[savedtheworld]

I will be. But only once I get back home. I promise. [He feels bad. That older him always sounds so great - like some shadow he's afraid he'll never grow into.]

How do you know me, anyway? Are we... [He blinks, trying to ponder what it could be.] beard-friends?

[He's going to have a beard someday, after all. And don't all people with beards make friends with each other?]

[telltalecommander]

[... Beard-friends? Wouldn't that be something? His dad had quite the beard. Nothing compared to his own, but a good beard nonetheless. He chuckles, though it's a bit strained.]

Nah... Nah, we're uh... [He runs another hand through his hair, then across his chin and finally he just sort of shrugs his shoulders, still grinning awkwardly.]

We're family. ...Surprise!

[savedtheworld]

Family? [He says with some surprise, his eyes widening.

He almost assumes a relation to Sokka. But looking at him, this closely? He can pick out all these little features that remind him of Katara, or of what he sees in the mirror.

With an awed whisper:]

Are you my son?

[telltalecommander]

Yeah. [This feels so awkward. Everything about this is awkward. He's standing before a kid version of his dad and he's not sure what to say, because the dad isn't his dad yet. Anything he might've still wanted to say to Avatar Aang if he got the chance is pointless now, because Aang won't know what he's talking about anyway.]

The name's Bumi.

[savedtheworld]

[Bumi.]

You're Bumi...? That means- you're... you're gonna be the first... [It's hard to even voice it. The first son he and Katara will have. His eyes shimmer.]

I've heard so much about you.

[telltalecommander]

[Yeah, he is. He is the first. It makes him a little bitter, because he can't shake the lingering thought that it took Aang three tries to get the kid he always wanted; an air bender. Much as Tenzin argues that point, he'll never be able to shake it.

Still, he needs to give this kid the benefit of the doubt because he's just that. A kid.]

Oh yeah? Like what?

[savedtheworld]

[He smiles fondly as he thinks of all the stories and tidbits Ikki has let loose. While he looks at his son. He feels some sense of pride, but it feels weird, too; it's too easy to trace the wrinkles on his son's face with his eyes.]

Well I heard that you work with the United Forces... [Something that seems like a thing he should be unsure about but he'll give his son the benefit of the doubt for now.] and that you're not a bender but you're really good at other things. That you're really funny and that you have a way with animals, just like me! And with sea monsters on top of that.