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]

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.

[telltalecommander]

["Not a bender, but really good at other things." That's the sort of thing he'd never expected to hear from any version of Aang. It's hearsay, apparently, but the smile on Aang's face looks genuine. He's actually proud of the stories about Bumi he's heard.]

Heh... I wouldn't say I have a way with sea monsters. More like they try to have their way with me! [He gives another barking laugh, the uncomfortable feeling within him easing up a bit.] They're always trying to pick fights, but I fend 'm off every time!

[savedtheworld]

[It's been about a year and a half since Aang first learned about his future family and their bending alignments. At first it may have seemed more odd and confusing that only his last child would be an airbender. But with all the time he's had, it's been easier to think things over and focus on the positives. After all, he knows that the airbending legacy will continue on through Tenzin's children.

So now he remains curious about the kinds of lives his other two children lead. They're still children after all.

He chuckles at Bumi's story.]

You really are a riot, Bumi! Do you have any great stories you can tell me? I hear you're really great at them!

[telltalecommander]

Oh, sure! [It's at this point that he realizes he's still holding that book about werewolves and vampires, so he hastily puts it back on the shelf where it belongs.

This is incredible. His teenage dad actually wants to hear his stories! It's a dream come true!]

Which one do you wanna hear? How about that time I braved five tsunamis and a blizzard to bring food rations to a starving family in a South Pole colony? Or maybe the time I battled the giant squid aboard a haunted shipwreck?

[savedtheworld]

[He takes a seat nearby, eagerly as he watches the storyteller. And ponders the choice.]

Five whole tsunamis?! Haunted ships are neat and all... but I think I wanna hear about the family that gets saved!

[telltalecommander]

You got it! [Bumi moves to stand in front of Aang's chair, making sure to include exaggerated hand motions as he starts telling his story.]

So there I was, crossing the ocean in my prized ship, the Folklora! My crew was down to just three men, the rest of them on shore leave for the Glacier Spirits Festival. We'd just passed the Hurricane Straits when the first tsunami hit, nearly stranding my ship on the rocks of Red Sand Island, but we managed to avoid it by sewing some clothes together and using it as an additional sail!

[savedtheworld]

[He watches with awe, taking in all the details.]

That's really clever of you! I never thought of using clothes like that. But if you had that much trouble from just the first tsunami... what happens next?!

[telltalecommander]

[And so Bumi continues telling his bullshit story that gets more crazy and farfetched by the sentence. From beating pirates with a pair of oars to roping the Unagi to hitch a ride, apparently he's done it all. Until finally, finally-]

-And just when I thought we wouldn't make it... That we'd die out there in that blizzard, I saw a flicker of light in the distance! So I gathered up the rest of my strength to carry my three men on my back and wouldn't you know it? It was the colony!

[savedtheworld]

[And Aang is hanging onto every word, cheering him on during the most dire moments.]

That's amazing, Bumi! You must be really strong! So then... you finally made it.

[telltalecommander]

I made it! And just time, too. That family was down to their last sip of clean water! So while I let my men rest by the fire, I distributed the rations amongst them and the next day, the blizzard had died down completely!

[savedtheworld]

Wow, Bumi! That was really amazing! What was the family like? How many kids they have? Were they all happy?

[telltalecommander]

[Gosh, so many questions... No one else in the family ever shows this much interest in his stories. Except for mom, maybe.]

Happy as a clam! There were two kids and they were both excited to meet a commander of the United Forces.

[savedtheworld]

I'm really glad to hear that. Did they live happily ever after?

[telltalecommander]

[Uhm...]

Sure, sure! Pretty positive they did!