Hi girls/guys! Welcome to my next comedy project! The title is pretty self-explanatory; the characters play perhaps the world's best-known drinking game with cactus juice.
If I end up re-reading the story five years down the road, I'll probably be cringing the whole time. I'm not taking this project too seriously; it's simply for humor. Most, if not all, of the chapters will be really short, too.
I do not own anything. I hope you all enjoy this. I think you will.
Chapter 1
Katara happily walked down the streets of Ba Sing Se. She had forgotten how nice the place had become as of late, with the rings of the city abolished and the Dai Li no longer bullying the populace. Taking a drink of water from the canteen she was carrying, she arrived outside the house she shared with her friends and opened the door.
She stopped dead in her tracks and spat out the water in her mouth in surprise. Sokka had set up a table right in the middle of the building, and had apparently invited Suki, Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee to the place. Aang and Toph were also gathered around the table, helping to rearrange what looked suspiciously like drinking vessels made from severed bits of cactus. Upon closer inspection, Katara realized that they were filled with juice. Cactus juice, to be exact.
"Sokka, what the hell?!" She demanded.
Sokka jumped up in alarm and grabbed his club, then realized that it was his sister. "Oh, hi Katara. We're just setting up a little game of cactus juice pong."
Katara blinked. "Well stop it. I don't know what this cactus juice pong is, but whatever it is, I know it's a bad idea."
"It's just a game, Sugar Queen," Toph replied dismissively. "Relax."
"How does it work?" Katara asked.
"It's simple," Sokka replied, "Two teams try to throw a small ball across the table into one of these cups of cactus juice. If they succeed, the other team has to drink all the juice from whatever cup the ball landed in. That cup is then set aside. The first team to eliminate all the other team's cups wins." He paused. "At least, these are the rules we agreed on. Bending isn't allowed in this, by the way."
"Sokka, this is probably the dumbest idea you've ever come up with."
"I didn't make this up," Sokka protested, "I heard about it from some random people. And I'm just going to be the referee."
Katara sighed in resignation. "Well, as long as you're not actually playing."
"Are you?" Aang asked, "We need one more person for our team."
"No thanks," Katara replied, "I've seen my brother shortly after he drank the stuff, and I'd rather not end up like that."
"So who's going to be our fourth team member?" Suki asked, "It's just me, Toph, and Aang against Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko." She scrunched her eyebrows. "Why's Zuko with them, anyway?"
"It's because he was bad earlier, and I thought Katara was going to play," Sokka replied, "But I think I know a guy who might balance things out."
"Okay, remind me again why I'm here. Someone? Please?"
Sokka had heard that Haru was visiting Ba Sing Se, and had left the house to get him. An hour later, they both arrived.
"We need you as a fourth player in this game called cactus juice pong," Sokka replied, "You remember the rules I told you on the way here?"
"Yeah, I remember now. What's the harm?" He frowned. "And more importantly, why couldn't you or Katara be the fourth player on Aang's team?"
"Katara doesn't want to play, and I've had bizarre experiences with cactus juice that I would rather not reenact. I'm just being a referee. I'm also just curious to see how everyone else will react to cactus juice."
Haru merely shrugged. "Just remember that if I become incredibly annoying under the influence of that stuff, you're the one who dragged me into this in the first place."
"I'll remember that." Sokka then turned his attention to all eight of the players. "Alright, who's ready?" All eight said that they were. "Okay then, Aang, Toph, Suki, and Haru will go to the left side of the table. Azula, Zuko, Ty Lee, and Mai to the right."
Azula smirked confidently. "You will never rise from the ashes of your impending humiliation, Avatar!" She said to Aang.
"Oh we'll see about that!"
Katara sat down in a chair and buried her face in one of her hands. "I have a bad feeling about this."
