Hello guys! So I'm putting this here to say that I am now updating this story every Monday, while my other two will be every Friday. For me, it helps give distinction between my crossover and my regular DP fics.

Enjoy!

-ZG

#

Katara explains what to do once we enter the village. There will be no mention of Aang being the Avatar, or the fact that none of them are firebenders. We are all simple, non-bending folk travelling to our aunt's house near the capital. We got our unusual names from our parents, who are eccentrics touring the colonies.

Jesus, these guys are better liars than me.

The group plans to go in to gather food and supplies while I stay back here with the huge bison-thing.

"What?" I ask when they tell this to me. "Why do I have to stay back? I thought I'm part of Team Avatar!"

"Yeah, but that's only because Aang here got a little too excited," Sokka points out. "Don't think we're going to let you in so easily. You can't just gain our trust."

"Oh, I see," I say. And I do. You think I'd let anybody know I'm half-ghost? No. And these people—benders, whatever—haven't told me everything either.

"Don't take it too harshly," Katara tells me. "It's just that we usually don't meet a lot of people who are exactly trustworthy."

"No, I get it," I say. "I'll stay back here with Papa-"

"It's Appa," Aang corrects.

"Okay, Appa," I restate. "And you guys can go get the stuff. Just don't take too long, okay?"

"We weren't planning to," Sokka says, glaring. Oh, I get it. He thinks I'm going to steal their five-ton pet.

They walk away and I look up to Appa, who's is mindlessly chewing on some sort of grain.

"So…what do you like to for fun?" I ask, trying to entertain myself.

He grunts.

I sigh. "That's nice."

I wonder how this universe is affecting my sanity…

#

Clockwork watches, not amused, at the multiple timelines and time streams flickering before his eyes. It used to be overwhelming when he first got the job, he remembers. He lost track of a couple time lines back when he started. The Observants were not happy with him. In fact, they still aren't.

Everything seems to be in check. He lets the screen flicker longer than necessary at the image of young Daniel; bored next to the creature the air nomad had named Appa.

There's a knock at the door, and Clockwork smiles.

"Come in, Old Friend," he says, turning around.

A large black and white owl enters the tower, shaking his feathers. His face, however, is stoic. Clockwork knows him to not have the greatest sense of humor, something he finds a little displeasing. But he is the only one who knows as much as the Master of Time does, at least in current news.

"It is very nice to see you, Clockwork," the owl greets. "I see that you have taken to your position quite well."

"Indeed I have," Clockwork responds. "I am no longer that stressed child I was a couple millennia ago."

"Why did you call me here?" the owl asks. "With the new twists in that infernal war my universe is having you know I am strapped for time."

"Wan Shi Tong," Clockwork calms. "This is about the fate of both of our universes. I would've easily been able to work on this new development myself, but you are more knowledgeable in your own time stream than I am in most." He switches from an old man to a young kid around the age of six.

"Ah, the innocence of youth," Wan Shi Tong muses.

Clockwork smirks. "As you know, I'm not exactly innocent."

"I currently have a strong estimation on what this problem is," the wise spirit tells the ghost. "But enlighten me, so that I can be sure."

Clockwork turns to his screen, images flashing. "As you know, there is a strong and tyrannical leader leading a war against the world," Clockwork says.

"Ah, yes," Wan Shi Tong replies. "War…" His neck starts to extend, the feathers on his head sharpening to points.

"Calm yourself, my friend," Clockwork says. The owl complies, turning himself back into a peaceful, emotionless stature. "And as you may have currently discovered, he plans to do more. Much more, in fact."

"I am very well aware," the owl says. "After all, it was one of his soldiers who entered so long ago. He stole very valuable information, both on the ways of Laa and Tui and the intricacies of the cosmos."

"Yes, and he used the knowledge of those spirits for himself," Clockwork continues. "But the cosmos, however, he sent to his Master." He turns away from the screen. "And that is where I can no longer see. The man is so unstable I cannot observe what he plans to do with such knowledge." He changes into a man. "You, however, must know. I have hunch, and even though the idea itself is unimaginable, I need confirmation."

Wan Shi Tong sighs. "As of now, he currently is trying to infiltrate the Spirit World, as we call it there."

"Funny, how humans fail to realize that such a large world is actually a fraction of an entire zone," Clockwork muses. His face turns serious. "But if he is planning to overtake the Spirit World, he can easily conquer other parts of the cosmos as well. It is what I feared."

"Have you any plan of action?" Wan Shi Tong asks.

Clockwork smiles. "Yes, actually, I do. I have sent a—well, you might say a warrior from a favorite universe of mine to help the only one capable of stopping him. I believe he visited your library some time ago."

The owl begins to sharpen his features again. "Oh yes…them. They are planning on war, Clockwork. I advise against them."

"They are trying to end the war, my friend," Clockwork says. "Though how they plan to do it is not very well thought out. But their intentions are good. You may be intelligent, but your time in isolation has stopped you from sympathizing."

The wise spirit glares. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asks.

"One last thing," Clockwork demands. "I must ask…do you believe this choice to be wise?"

Wan Shi Tong laughs. "You are returning to your old insecurities, aren't you?"

"Not so. I am simply asking, as you are more knowledgeable in this time stream than I am. Was my action wise?"

The owl nods. "Yes, even though I am against it. For the purposes you are endeavoring, your decision was indeed wise." He ruffles his feathers. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go before my helpers grow restless."

The creature takes off in a flash of black, leaving Clockwork alone. The ghost returns to the screen, resuming to the musing and guiding the intricacies of time once again.

#

Two hours later I hear footsteps as I play Pong on my cell phone. Other than games and light the thing is pretty much useless. There's not a single bar of service here. I flip the device shut and hop off of the sky bison, landing easily. I go into a defensive stance, scanning the area.

"Going-"

"Something wrong?" a voice asks behind me. I jump, losing my position and keeling over.

Toph is standing over me, laughing. "Gotcha!" she yells, pointing at me.

I scowl. "It's not funny," I say.

"To me it is," she points out, wiping a tear from her eye. "Wow. The last time I got someone that good was when I shot Sokka fifty feet up into the air."

I realize that the rest of the group is behind her. Sokka matches my scowl.

I stand up. "So what did you guys get in town?" I ask.

They all hold up the baskets they're carrying. I guess there's no "paper or plastic" in this place.

"Food…wood for a fire…some jewelry on sale…" Katara muses, searching through her basket. "Oh, and clothes. For you."

"Why? My stuff isn't too dirty." I point to my nearly spotless t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"No, but you'll stick out," Sokka points out. "And right now we kind of need to be inconspicuous."

"I stick out?" I repeat. "You're the guys dressed up in ninja clothes!"

"What's a ninja?" Aang asks.

"It's a—oh, never mind," I dismiss. Getting to these people is going to be impossible. "Hand me the clothes. I'll go find a nice…tree to go try them on."

Aang fishes out a bundle of fabric from his basket. "Here you go," he says cheerfully.

I venture off into the woods so that no one can see me. I put on the clothes—they're very itchy—and look over myself. I've got on those poofy pants, the tight boots, the dress-thingy, and a belt to tie around my waist. Oh, and it's all red. I'm guessing these people can a thing for monochrome over here.

I come back, holding my street clothes in my hands.

"There," I say. "You guys happy now?"

"Not happy," Sokka says. "But I'm pleased."

"You're never happy, are you?" I ask.

He glares. "So…what should we do with your weird outfit?"

"Let's keep it as an extra," Aang says. "You know, in case Appa gets the stomach flu again."

Everyone else goes green.

"Uh…okay," I agree. I throw my stuff up onto the saddle strapped to the large white thing. I dust my hands off. "So what are we going to do now?"

"We usually find a place to camp," Aang explains. "And then we leave in the morning. We were going to try the town, but all the inns are full."

"Okay, so we just settle down here?" I ask.

Aang drops his stuff. "Yep." He pulls out some food. "Now let's make some dinner!"

My stomach growls. "Amen to that."

They all look at me funny.

"It's a phrase where I'm from," I explain.

They set up the fire and start roasting some fish over it. Aang mashes up some lettuce and starts eating.

"Won't you get too full for the fish?" I ask him.

He looks up, lettuce in his mouths. "No," he says through the food. He swallows. "I don't eat meat, or fish."

I laugh. "My friend would like you. She's Ultra-Recylco Vegetarian."

"What's that mean?" Aang asks.

"She doesn't eat anything that has a face," I explain.

"That's a little strange," Sokka says.

"Yeah, well, she likes being unusual," I tell them.

There's a silence. The fish finishes cooking the rest of the group each gets a portion. I practically inhale my piece, seeing as I haven't eaten in 15 or so hours.

While in the process of inhaling, Toph taps on my shoulder.

"Hey, weird guy," she says. Everyone else is busy eating, talking to each other, or sharpening their weapons.

I look at here. "I'm not weird," I protest. "And I have a name, you know."

"Okay, Danny, whatever," she says dismissively. "Where'd you learn that fighting stance from? I'm never seen anything like it. Or…felt, really."

"From…personal experience," I say. She can tell when I'm lying, so why not give generalizations? It's not lying, it's just obscuring.

"What type of bending did you base it off of?" she asks.

"No type of bending," I answer. "I just learned from myself. Let's just say I got into some trouble back where I'm from."

"Oh yeah, Calamity Park or something in the Unison States of Wherever," she remembers.

"It's the United States of America," I correct. "And it's Amity Park. Though calling it a calamity is kind of an understatement."

"So are you some kind of criminal?" she asks.

"What? No!"

I look around and realize I've raised my voice a little too high. Everyone is staring.

"Are you a criminal?" Katara asks skeptically.

"No," I defend. "I just went through a lot of misunderstandings and people started thinking I was. Not to mention, like you guys, I have a couple enemies myself."

Aang blinks. "You want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "No thank you. I think it'd be too weird for you guys."

"I've met a person who steals people's faces," Aang says.

"I once got captured by a swamp," Katara adds.

"I'm friends with badgermoles," Toph points out.

"My girlfriend became the moon," Sokka finishes.

"Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be too weird," I say. I turn to Sokka. "And that's harsh, dude."

"I've come to terms with it," Sokka says. "But still, you haven't told us anything about you. How do we know you're trustworthy?"

"I…" I can't figure out anything to say. "I come from a faraway place, and I fought bad things there. And now I'm here because of one of those…bad things." I sigh. "That's all I can really say."

Wow, that's a lot more than I should've said.

"Can't you tell us anything more?" Katara asks.

I shake my head. "I will…maybe. Later on. It's just that I've met people who wouldn't accept me."

Aang nods. "I understand. We're here if you want to talk."

I smile. "Good."

#

I'm sorry if this is below-par. I've got a whole thing set up. Next chapter we're going to start following the Avatar timeline, starting with "The Painted Lady".

Review, if you can. I really appreciate it.

Did I confuse you guys with the whole Clockwork-Wan Shi Tong exchange? Or did it make enough sense to you?

See you all next Monday!

-ZG