The few troops the capital would send for him, though strong, would be no more than twenty in number, and unable to pass his literal firewall. The Avatar was sure he could surpass the nation's entire army in power, but was looking forward to seeing the troops again. It had been at least two weeks, maybe three. The troops knew the Avatar well, many by name, and once out of sight of the capital, their pace slowed to a leisurely walk. Chatter of how far Rikou had gone for his crops soon spread across the group, with many expressing excitement to see the young farmer again. It would be at least a night and half a day until the squad reached his abode, so they weren't in too much of a rush. Once dusk came, they set up camp and rested for the night.
By dawn, the troop was moving again on minimal hours of sleep. Whispers of Rikou had died down and their excitement had turned to pure annoyance that they were out in the dark, humid, unforgiving forest again. Now they were hungry and frustrated that they would have to see the Avatar, again, while sleep deprived. So they marched on in silence. Only to be surrounded by a ring of fire.
Dammit.
Glares evident on their faces, the group looked towards the trees, searching for the Avatar's usual hiding spot. This was an earlier section of the forest than when he normally stopped them. The commander agitatedly yelled out for the Avatar because now they were tired, hungry, and sweaty. But the young man just shrugged, jumped from the tree, and lowered the flames a bit. The squad leader walked up to the edge of the flames and tried to ask, as calmly as possible, why they had been stopped this early.
The Avatar's eyes grew wider. "Oh," he exclaimed, "I just thought you guys would like to go home sooner."
Dammit.
Rikou was too nice for this.
The troop leader brought his hands to his forehead, massaging his temple gingerly. This time wasn't truly any different, except at the distance for which they had been stopped. There was no reason why they couldn't just give him another mild reprimanding. And yet, there had to be another reason he stopped them this early. He was nervous about something. He had to be. The commander did not back down. He stood his ground, the little bit of it that wasn't burning, and glared the Avatar into submission. After some pitiful fidgeting with his fingers, the young man met the leader's eyes.
"My cabbages, by law, are to be sold on the market every second Tuesday. This Tuesday they won't make it unless I've got the help of bending."
There was always an excuse. "But, as discussed Rikou, you would have to pay the fee like everyone else who can't make the deadline. It's not unreasonable, and no one else can use, or is allowed to use, the bending you possess. Need I remind you that you aren't allowed to bend either?" The commander said in a gruff voice.
"The regulation on prices won't allow for any extra income to pay that potential fee." The Avatar spat back.
"Everyone else seems to manage just fine." The commander retorted.
The Avatar paused, somewhat taken aback. The ring of fire fell and he crossed his arms.
"I know the punishment is probably different this time, right? The alarms were red." The Avatar said, not looking at the commander.
The older gentlemen shook his head, explaining that the Avatar had been moved up in terms of national threat. Now the color red was reserved for natural disasters and someone who could cause them, A.K.A, Rikou himself.
The two continued talking for a little while longer before the conversation ended with a handshake and a hug.
"Oh, and Rikou?" The commander asked, looking over his shoulder as the troop retreated.
"Yes?" He answered.
"Get a girlfriend." The commander muttered.
They both laughed, as if expecting him to take the advice seriously, but knew that Rikou was married to his cabbages.