Sokka's enraptured. Awe and fascination rise up within him as he stared unabashedly at the whirling, twisting form.
In the back of his mind, he knew his girlfriend would hardly be pleased with his open admiration of another woman's form, but he can hardly help it. She's just so… flexible.
Ty Lee vaulted across the dry grass, the thick green Kimono unique to the Kyoshi Warriors not seeming to slow her down in the least. It's as if the very air itself gave her lift, allowing her to traverse the land as she desired.
Briefly Sokka wished he had some Fire Flakes or some other snack to enjoy the show with. But then again, that could simply be his perpetual hunger. He's a growing boy - man, after all.
The girl continued to cavort around like a newborn koala sheep, flipping through the air as though being pulled by invisible strings.
Sokka wondered at the strength and discipline it must take to perform these feats.
Ty Lee bounced once, twice and rolled forwards, landing on her hands and walking on her palms with practiced ease. Circling around for a moment, she stopped, pushing down on the earth and lifting her hands up.
She hung in the air for a split-second before her body contorted so fast, Sokka blinked and it was over. Instead the brunette was on her feet again, breathing lightly.
Unbidden, Sokka's hands came together, the sound of flesh meeting flesh ringing out across the air. Ty Lee's head snapped up, sweeping towards him.
Their eyes meet and she grinned, almost gliding over to meet her spectator. She wriggled in place as she stood before him, excited energy pumping through her body, not in the least bit exhausted by her exertions.
"Wow, Ty Lee. I didn't think some of the things you were doing were physically possible," Sokka remarked.
The girl shrugged, spinning around a few times.
"Where'd you learn to do this stuff?" He asked.
Ty Lee froze, her eyes narrowing a fraction. Her smile shrinks for a second, before returning in full force.
"Well, I had a tutor when I was little. I liked to climb trees a lot, but my parents didn't really like that. So they thought if they got someone to teach me how to do other things, I would grow out of it.
"I didn't, and eventually they gave up and got said that 'if I had to move around like an animal, I should at least know how to do it properly'," Ty Lee explained.
"Then when I got tired of being just another face in the crowd of sisters, I left and joined the circus. I learned a lot more from the other performers there too."
Sokka has never seen a circus before. A part of him would have liked to have seen her act there. But then, she's already here before him - it can't have been that different.
He pushed off of the ground and shook his head to clear a crick from his neck.
"Well, it's pretty impressive. I know I couldn't do any of that stuff," he complimented her offhandedly.
Ty Lee's eyes light up, her smile taking on a sinister edge.
"Have you ever tried?" She asked him.
Sokka furrowed his brow slightly, a bubble of instinctual worry appearing. Shaking his head, he shrugged once.
"Well, not really. What would be the point?" He said.
Ty Lee giggled, poking him on the arm.
"It's fun! And not that hard. C'mon Cutie, you should try it," she pleaded.
Sokka's eyebrows raise and he shook his head once, but her wide, quivering eyes are hard to ignore.
Snarling to himself, he rolled his eyes hard but nodded.
"Okay. It can't be that hard to move around, right?" He stated.
Ty lee ignored his question, directing him to a patch of ground with a finger.
"You're gonna want to warm up first. Just stretch your arms and legs, that's all," she advised.
Stretching. That was fine, Sokka was a master at it. No one was better at stretching than him.
He thrust his arms out, waving them from side to side and up and down erratically. In front of him, Ty Lee appraised his unorthodox technique, but didn't offer any criticism.
"Okay, I'm warm enough, now what?" He asked a minute later.
"We'll start simply - this is a move I call the Puma Goat Prowl," Ty Lee said, preparing herself.
What followed was an incredible array of flips and rolls, each more elaborate than the last. Sokka's jaw came close to dislocating as he watched the acrobatic display.
"Are you crazy, Ty Lee? That was simple?" He exclaimed. "There's no way I can do that!"
"You never know until you try," she stated calmly.
Though he felt thoroughly unprepared, Sokka was no wimp. If he made a go at it at least, no one could say he didn't try.
He bounded forward and attempted to roll. His feet tangled up in each other, sending him crashing to the ground with a hard thump. He lay in a twisted heap, groaning.
"I told you…" He mumbled.
"Sorry Cutie, I guess you just couldn't handle it," Ty Lee said remorsefully.
Dark thoughts crept through Sokka's mind, but he kept the insults at bay. Instead, he tried to rise up.
There was a clicking noise, and he froze, a weird sensation beginning to emerge in his bones.
"What was that?" He asked fearfully.
"I think that was your spine. Hold on," Ty Lee said.
She prodded at his back, and numbness spread through him.
"I think I should go and get a healer. Just in case…" She remarked.
The sound of footsteps grew fainter, but Sokka couldn't turn his head to watch her go. Instead, he stared at a blade of grass a millimeter from his eyeball.
This was just another message from the universe, Sokka thought - he wasn't going to be a bender of any kind, after all.