Ch. 2

In the four months since leaving Omashu Bumi had come to realize that while his tutors had done a fine job teaching him mathematics and calligraphy they had left out important information; like which end of a hammer you were supposed to use when trying to mend a fence. After crossing the Kolau Mountains Bumi traveled from one village to the next as he tried to think of how he could best help the world. He had never had so much trouble coming up with a plan before and rather than admit defeat he just kept waiting for inspiration to strike. Needing money to continue his journey Bumi found work in the villages he came across. His employers didn't seem to mind his lack of experience and under their direction Bumi learn how to thatch a roof, plow a field, heard livestock and many other skills that would have been deemed 'beneath' him back in Omashu. He found a certain amount of pride in the exhaustion that came from a day of hard labor and he loved how for the first time people were seeing him and not his title.

It was through his assortment of jobs that Bumi experienced first hand the war's effects on his county. He heard sailors talk about having to avoid certain ports and islands or risk running into the Fire Navy, farmers shared with him their concerns about their crops being taken by soldiers from both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom and a gray haired woman half his size complained loudly and repeatedly to him about the cost of her favorite perfume went up three copper pieces after the supply route from Taku was taken over by the Fire Nation.

He also discovered that while most people didn't believe the Avatar had survive the Air Nomad genocide they still had hope he would someday return to end the decade long war.

While working in an inn he overheard a group of soldiers complaining loudly and bitterly that the Fire Nation had changed the name of the newly concurred port city of Quinall to New Azen in honor of Fire Lord Sozin's father. It was the first city to fall to the Fire Nation in the last four years and even before the soldiers finished their drinks Bumi was planning which roads he would take to reach the occupied port. The colonies that had been under Fire Nation control since the beginning of the war were notoriously hard to get into if you weren't a Fire Nation citizen. To even get by the fortifications separating the colony from the Earth Kingdom you had to show identification and provide an official document that gave your reason for being there. A new colony however, that was a different story. It would take months for the Fire Nation to gain total control of the port and the area surrounding it and if Bumi ever wanted to experience an occupation now would be the best time.

Bumi began heading north the next day and by midday a couple weeks later he found himself walking under the red banner of the Fire Nation. The medium sized city was nestled between the ocean and a half mile of thirty foot cliffs. Its streets were narrow but not enough to cause congestion and the buildings were already beginning to take on a Fire Nation like appearance. The harbor (the main reason the port was taken) had been a major hub of trade for the Earth Kingdom and Northern Water Tribe but now it would serve as a Fire Navy base. Dozens of the hulking metal ships were already anchored along the dock and red dressed sailors were moving about the decks.

By the time Bumi finished his initial exploration of the city the sun was going down. He wondered aimlessly through the less than respectable districts in search of a place to spend his last handful of copper pieces and after sidestepping a fistfight Bumi found what he had been looking for. The tavern was squeezed between a warehouse and a brothel, several windows had been boarded up and there were dangerous looking men loitering around the entrance. The smell of alcohol and burnt cabbage assaulted his nose as soon as he pushed through the swinging door and the multitude of voices mixed into a dull roar of laughter, drunken arguments and poorly sung folk songs. It was crowded but not enough to make it difficult to get to the main bar and except for a passing glance no one paid him any attention. The bar tender was a large man with a scar running across his nose and down his left cheek. His eyes were dark gray and looked like they were set in a permanent glare as he sized Bumi up while cleaning a glass.

"What do you want?"

Unfazed by his hostile tone Bumi grinned and slapped down two copper pieces.

"Whatever that will get me."

The bar tender took the money and dropped it into his apron pocket.

"One shot of boulder whiskey coming up."

Bumi wasn't sure what that was but he like the sound of it. He set his travel pack down and while he waited for his drink a man stumbled up to the empty space next to him. He was of average height and was relatively plain looking except for a two-headed rat viper tattoo wrapping around his left arm from shoulder to wrist. After ordering a drink he turned to face Bumi, swaying slightly on his feet as he did so and said with a slur;

"I don't like your hair."

Bumi just grinned.

"Maybe my hair doesn't like you."

The man's eyes narrowed; apparently he didn't like snappy comebacks either. He leaned in so close that Bumi's could smell the alcohol on his already foul breath.

"Maybe I don't like you."

Bumi easily ducked under the man's wild swing and in his inebriated state he was unable to regain his balance. He stumbled and collided into another man who unfortunately had his glass raised to take a drink. The full glass spilled down his front and the silence was deafening as everyone in the tavern focused their attention on Bumi, the drunken man who didn't like his hair, and the man whose drink had been spilt. For a few heartbeats the three men just looked at each other, as if they were all unsure of what just happened and were trying to figure what to do next. The man with the spilt drink set his now empty glass down and as if that were a sign the bar erupted into chaos as someone yelled,

"BAR FIGHT!"

The drink man tacked the drunken man and before Bumi could find someone to fight a strong hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around to deliver a right hook that left him seeing stars. Shaking his head clear Bumi dodged another punch and kneed his attacker in the stomach before bringing his elbow down on the man's head to knock him out. There were few things Bumi enjoyed more then an all out bar fight and he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he ducked, blocked, punched, elbowed, and even head butted his way from one opponent to the next.

His back hit something solid and breathing but before he could turn to see who it was the person linked arms with him and used Bumi's sturdy body as leverage to jump up and kick another man in the face. The stranger was about to pull his arm free when Bumi tugged him sharply to the left, saving them both from a chair flying across the room. Their eyes met and an unspoken truce was formed, for the rest of the fighting they stuck by each others side and occasionally helped the other if the need arose. When a group of Fire Nation soldiers arrived to end the fighting Bumi motioned towards a back window that was already broken and after retrieving his pack from the bar the two managed to escape before they could be arrested for disturbing the peace.

The stranger seemed to have a better understanding of the streets so Bumi followed him down dark alleys and through twisting roads until they were a safe distance to stop and catch their breath.

"You're one hell of a fighter."

Bumi said after he stopped gasping for air. The stranger was bent over and using a nearby stack of crates for support, he looked up with a breathless laugh as he whipped blood from his chin.

"Thanks, I could say the same about you."

With a grin he held out his hand.

"Name's Bumi."

The stranger straightened up, wincing slightly from a long shallow cut along his ribs, and reached out to shake it.

"Kuzon."