Varrick waltzed into the living room of Suyin's large estate and threw himself onto a couch.
"Zhu Li! Get me some of that green tea I love!"
"Right away, Sir."
While Zhu Li was gone, Bolin entered the room and sat on a chair opposite him.
"Varrick, Mako doesn't want me talking to you, but I have to know, how do you and Su know each other?"
Varrick grinned and immediately sat forward, remembering that day.
It had been cold. Freezing, even for Water Tribe standards, and luck would have it that it was his turn to feed the animals, so the young boy was down in the ice-laden paddocks feeding his ostrich-horse, Mrs Beaks. She had looked extra cold, and he decided to spend the better half of his savings to get her a new blanket.
Making his way into town on the said Mrs Beaks, Varrick was met with a commotion at the town centre. There were tents and lights, and a whole lot of animals. Against his better judgement, the young boy decided to check it out.
He discovered that a circus had come to town, boasting the best performers and greatest animals around, walking through, the place was bustling with activity and life, it seemed like a lot of fun. He watched as a young girl walked around on her hands, and another boy walked above him on stilts. Some adults were performing firebending tricks, and waterbenders made moving sculptures of ice. Everything looked so fun; it had been a while since he had experienced any of that. Varrick's family was very poor, and this winter was being especially cruel, their seal farm wasn't doing so well, and his mother could barely afford food for three meals a day, thanks to his father's drinking problem, she and his older brother would sometimes have to sit out on a meal so that the younger people in the family could eat.
"What are you doing back here? Audience members are welcome only in the performance tent! You do have a ticket, don't you, boy?" A burly man said, holding him by his collar, Varrick felt inches from death when all of a sudden a voice called out.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" There, in a green coat that looked too big for her, stood a young girl, she had curly raven black hair and green eyes, her skin was tanned and she had a mischievous look about her. "Don't worry, Dita, he's helping me with my act."
The man shrugged and released the boy, "Whatever, Su, just don't get him in trouble."
The girl called Su pulled a mock-offended face,
"Me? Trouble? How could you even think that?"
The man rolled his eyes and walked off, Su approached Varrick and pulled him towards a smaller tent, and shoved him in, letting Mrs Beaks sit in a corner.
"I'm Su, what's your name?"
"Varrick."
"I didn't know they had ostrich-horses here, aren't they Earth Kingdom animals?"
"Yes, but Mrs Beaks has a, uh, thing where she likes the cold better than the heat."
"I don't know how she handles it, I'm freezing, even in my coat!"
"It looks pretty big on you. Why didn't you get one that fits you better? You'd be much warmer, although it looks pretty designer."
Su looked away before answering. "It's, um, not mine, actually, it was my sister's."
"Oh, I'm sorry, did she, uh, pass on?" He enquired cautiously.
"Oh! No! She just got me kicked out of my home town, Republic City, so before I left for Gaoling to live with my grandparents. I liked the coat, and it was her favourite, Grandpa Lao sent it to her for her eighteenth birthday, she always wore it, so I took it to tick her off."
"You miss her, don't you?"
Su's eyes blew wide and she took a moment to compose herself. The truth was she missed her sister so much, her mother stayed in touch, but Lin severed all ties and sent any letters back to the estate, untouched. No one saw through her that easily, but she wasn't going to met some guy she had just met know that.
"What? No way! She was so mean and controlling! I was glad to be rid of her! Anyway, I have a, uh, thing to do, you know, for the performance, I can smuggle you in backstage if you want?"
"Sure."
Backstage was a nightmare. There were people running about yelling for costumes or props, animals were distressed and people were colliding with each other every five seconds. But by the end of the show, Varrick was in control, and he liked it. For once, he was useful, but people listened to him and did what he said. He was naturally talented with animals, and he had come up with a system, everyone loved it.
"That was the best show I've ever done!" Nuktuk, the Water Tribe manager exclaimed. "Kid, you have talent. How about you join us? You can do your thing wherever we go, I'll pay you and you'll get free room and board. What do you say? Come travel the world with us?"
"I'll have to talk to my parents, but I'd love to."
"Come back tomorrow with your answer."
The next day, Varrick left to join the circus and travel the world with his new friend Su, now he would earn money and see the world, happy knowing his parents' burden would be lessened. They had been reluctant at first, but he promised to visit whenever they came, which, as it turned out, was once a season.
He and Su had left the circus at the same time, joining an engineering company together where they came up with great inventions, he would have the main ideas, and Su would make the prototypes. It worked for a few years before she went off to start up a major metal city, and he began Varrick Global Industries, hired Zhu Li and became a billionaire. The two had kept in touch and she had been the first person he turned to when he needed help (and refuge from her sister's prison after he allegedly tried to kidnap the president) and now they were reunited and in business together once again.
Varrick locked eyes with the young mover star.
"Well kid, we both ran away and joined the circus before getting real jobs. We were pretty close back in the day, that's how I knew I could rely on her when the Universe set me free."
"Oooh! Was there romance?"
"Nope! We were never a thing. Just crazy kids trying to fulfil their dreams!"
Bolin pouted, he had obviously wanted a juicier story, but Varrick was saved by the sound of Mako looking for his brother and Zhu Li returning with his tea.
Author's Note: This is how I think they met, when Varrick explained to Zhu Li he had been in a circus, I nearly screamed when I realised that Su had been too!
Tell me what you think! Personally, I think the middle bit is a bit rushed :/ But I think it turned out ok :P
Till next time,
SMP xx