Chapter 26

Lets go to an Author's House! Part 2.

Tahno looked at the large building and sighed. If he had a watch he probably would have been checking it now, but from what he gathered it had been about twenty minutes since Skoochy entered the paper like building. Tahno flipped his hair as he grabbed his bag filled with special shampoo, it was honestly rather expensive...however that wasn't the point.

"Man, kid what's taking you so long," Tahno sighed as he leaned in the driver's seat. At that moment he got a strange feeling, the kind of feeling he hadn't felt in a while. A feeling that something strange was going to happen rather shortly.

The waterbender wondered if it was even worth getting out of the cabbage car. Despite Skoochy's lax nature he was never one to hang around a place doing nothing for too long. Time was money after all, and Skoochy knew that rule better than anyone that Tahno knew. So, with a slight grumble Tahno opened the door and got out of the truck.

He walked towards the imposing home and gave a light knock on the door. He didn't know why he knocked it was just something he did. After all, no one answered for Skoochy and to put it bluntly no one answered for Tahno. He scratched the back of his head as he slowly pushed the door open.

"Oh, interesting...perfect!" the woman clapped her hands at Skoochy's story. The street urchin's body was still wrapped like a cheap gift, unable to move without being cut apart.

"To think, such an interesting story could be told about a hat. Despite your young age you've lead quite the interesting life," the woman scribbled something down on one of the nearby pieces of paper as Skoochy continued to look at her. Trying to think of any and all possible solutions to the current problem. Even though he didn't want to admit it, the sandbender had been in many types of similar situations and there was always a way out.

"Okay, now that I've told you that...why not let this kid go!" Skoochy smiled as the woman eyes narrowed as she lifted herself from her seat. Her eyes looking straight through Skoochy.

"Hmm? No, no, no. I know you have a lot more interesting stories to tell...something that happened recently, right? A big event that no one else noticed, but changed you quite a bit!"

Skoochy heart jumped, the only thing that she could be referring to was the incident with the assassins not too long ago. He closed one of his eyes, despite the trouble they all went through the group agreed that they would never tell anyone about it. The police among other people could easily get involved and make things complicated.

"What are you talking about? That story was the only one I have," Skoochy expression remained stoic. He couldn't give any hints that he was lying, he needed to bide time so he could escape as the writer looked at Skoochy once again before walking towards him and crouching down.

Their faces were only inches apart as the woman continued to look at Skoochy. She leaned in closer once again, and casually she placed her tongue on his cheek and gave it a large lick, not unlike someone licking an ice cream cone or a piece of candy.

Skoochy simply froze as the woman removed her tongue, he was still trying to process what exactly is happening, and why the woman would even lick his face to begin with.

The woman lifted herself off the ground, the calm expression she was wearing changed into irritation, "funny, that taste you have, it's the taste of a liar!" The paper that Skoochy was wrapped in started to tighten as the woman sat down in her chair again and crossed her legs, "I'm not letting you go until I've drained everything in that little head of yours dry. You are great material, and it would be a shame if I didn't use you effectively,"

Skoochy bit his lip, "why am I so important anyway? I mean, there are airbenders and the Avatar in this city? Why are you interested in a story about a worthless street urchin like me?"

The sandbender made a good point as the woman shook her head, as if she was talking to a fool that didn't understand true art!.

"Idiot! Every story is important, and everybody is the main character of their own story. Everybody is the center of their own world, do you honestly believe that I Piānxīn Zuòjiā, write what is easy? No, plus everyone probably already heard such a story...but your story is obscure, it's just the kind of thing that I would love to write and my readers would love to read!"

Skoochy got the woman's name, and a little bit about her. It didn't seem like she was a particularly bad person...just insane, though most artsy types were. However regardless of her reason, Skoochy still needed to escape, even if he was incapable of moving there had to be a way out of this situation. He couldn't tell the woman about what happened a month ago, it could end up published and that would be bad, especially for Shesh and Qishi.

Skoochy moved his fingers slightly, it seemed that all movement wasn't impossible. He still could make subtle finger movements, not enough for anything fancy, maybe he could trip her or something. After all, despite all the actions Pianxin was doing, she still had to maintain the air around the paper with at least three fingers.

If he could get at least one of the fingers to stop, he might be able to move without getting cut up. Of course it was the most basic of plans, and had a high failure rate, and the only sand he actually had on his person was some that got in his shoe. It would not be an easy thing to accomplish to say the least.

However, before Skoochy could think up a plan the sound of a knock was heard. Skoochy winced, there was only one person he knew that was in the area and would be concern about his safety.

"Hey? is anyone in there?" The voice belonged to Tahno no doubt as Pianxin looked at Skoochy, she then smiled.

Skoochy's eyes widened as he took a deep breath, he was going to let out a yell. There was no reason for both of them to be captured by the book obsessed freak. But before he could scream, something was wrapped around his mouth, thick pieces of paper prevented any noise from escaping his mouth as the woman smirked.

"Please give me a moment," she smiled as she walked back the completely disabled Skoochy and put her hand on the door knob. The moment she opened the door was the moment she would capture the person on the other side. There would be on time to react, she flung the door open, preparing her free hand and paper...but.

"Huh?" There was no one in the hallway, she scratched her head she took a few steps out looking wall to wall. The hall was narrow, hiding was flat out impossible.

"Hmm, did h-" Pianxin was cut off as something heavy fell on her, knocking her to the ground. It seemed that she forgot to look up in her inspection of the area as Tahno exhaled and smiled removing his foot from her back.

"Damn, I really hope she was the bad guy."

Tahno then entered the room that Pianxin was once occupying. To be Skoochy lying on the floor, the paper that once wrapped around him was on the floor harmless. The street urchin let out a sigh as he lifted himself from the ground, outside a few paper cuts he was relatively unharmed.

"Eh? Tahno, how did you know something was up?" Skoochy adjusted his hat as Tahno scoffed.

"Really, you're really aren't the kind of kid that sits down and talks to a writer. Plus I've hung around all of you so much that I've gotten paranoid, I think everyone is some kind of creepy freak that wants to kill us!"

Skoochy simply chuckled at his friends words, "you know Tahno, I don't care what other people say, you're a pretty smart guy," Tahno was about to accept the complement before he realized something.

"Wait...other people talk about me?"

Before Tahno could even get an answer a small moan was heard from the hallway, it was obvious their attacker as Skoochy looked at Tahno. Despite everything that happened, it would be best if they just left, they were trespassing after all. "Lets get out of here," both Skoochy and Tahno made a dash out of jumping over the still dazed Pianxin and escaping down the hall and down the stairs.

They were in a familiar main room, the front door wasn't too far away. All they had to do was simply escape, and not every look back at the the house ever again... Of course it never was that simple, large stack of boxes and stacks of paper closed off the exit. The sheer volume of paper would have made it impossible to move in a timely manner as footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs.

"Hmm, did you you both honestly think I would let such good material escape so easily?" Pianxin looked down at the two as she slowly descended the stairs, her fingers already started to move as she smiled, "that's right, you both would make wonderful stories!" the papers that were hidden around the room flew through the air.

"Shi-" Tahno couldn't even finish his words as both he and Skoochy were once again wrapped up in paper like cocoons, only their heads showing. Pianxin simply laughed as she twirled her fingers, they were perfectly captured with little to no escape.

"Fufufufuf, this is really all too perfect. Two for the price of one," Pianxin stepped out off of the stairs as her gaze shifted to Tahno, she looked at the waterbender for a moment constantly keeping her two sets of fingers twirling before she realized something. "Wait a minute...you're that loser that lost his bending and was shown to be a fraud!"

Of course Pianxin had to tell the story in the most awkward and hurtful way possible. Tahno couldn't help but sigh at the comment, though it was far more tame than anything that Shesh and Qishi said to him. "Hmm, I'm not sure my readers would be interested in reading a story about you...but, somethings off. Call me crazy, but did you manage to get your bending back somehow?"

Tahno eye twitched, no one was supposed to know that. Or rather, he was more interested in the fact that she managed to figure something like that out simply by looking at him.

"Don't be so surprised, I'm really good at reading people...so tell me, how did you get your bending back anyway?" Pianxin licked her lips, no doubt this would be wonderful story material as Tahno bit his cheek as he started to struggle.

"Now, now, don't move so much. You'll just cut yourself up doing that!" Pianxin grinned as Tahno eyes widened, something was indeed cut, but not his body something else entirely.

"What?! No, no, no!" The waterbender looked at the wet spot forming at his hip. It was a pinkish blue liquid that was oozing, "my shampoo!"

It was, no doubt shampoo, a strong smell of what seemed to be herbs was in the air as the paper located on the wet spot started to crumble and break apart. Whatever was in the shampoo seemed to have a chemical to dissolved paper rather quickly, because in a matter of seconds Tahno was completely free from his paper binds.

Tahno looked at Pianxin for a moment, and she looked at him. It seemed both of them was confused about what just happened, it was however Skoochy that broke the silence.

"Tahno! what are you waiting for, do something!" Tahno snapped to attention, as he moved his left hand, the only liquid that was on him was his shampoo and that is what he used. He quickly pulled the pool of liquid from off the ground and splashed it towards Pianxin who was still confused over the entire thing. It should have been a water like whip to lash her backward or shards of ice...should being the key word.

This time even Skoochy was left dumbstruck at the scene. Dozens upon dozens of pink bubbles surrounded Pianxin leaving no room to escape. Tahno looked at the scene as well before cursing himself. Of course shampoo wasn't the same as regular water, every type of liquid needed a different motion to come out, and as a result shampoo really wasn't usable in normal combat.

Pianxin frowned, she was still keeping Skoochy bound as she prepared her other hand once again. "Too bad you lo-" there was a popping sound, it seemed two of the many shampoo bubbles popped in Pianxin eyes. There was a moment of silence, the papers that were wrapped around Skoochy feel to pieces, it seemed that Pianxin was no longer twirling her fingers.

"GAAAAAH!" She let out a ear splitting scream as she held her eyes trashing about the lower floors rather wildly, her screams continued before she ran head first into a wall, slamming into it rather harshly before falling straight onto the hard wooden floor. All the bubbles in the room popped as Skoochy and Tahno looked at the scene. To call it weird would have undersold it.

Skoochy then stood up, whipping himself off before turning to Tahno. "Um...so what happened?"

Tahno crossed his arms for a moment, before snapping his fingers and smiling, "oh, that's right, that shampoo burns really badly...one drop is like having a chunk of Vaseline shoved into your eyes. I usually don't have to worry about it since I'm a waterbender," it was strange how situations worked themselves out as Skoochy simply shrugged.

The street urchin wasn't going to complain about good luck. He motioned Tahno to the front door where stacks upon stacks of boxes and papers stood, "we should probably move these and get out of here," it was a good idea to say the least as both he and Tahno started to move the stacks of paper blocking the doorway before they heard a laugh.

Both of them shivered as they turned to face Pianxin, it seemed that she was only knocked out for a moment as the robbed woman dug into one of her many pockets before pulling out a pen. Tahno bit his lip, did the woman have something else up her sleeve?

She then grabbed a piece of paper and...started writing.

"Fufufufu, this was perfect, perfect. This entire scenario should be in my next book! These two are great!"

It was at this point, both Skoochy and Tahno looked at one another.

Once again they were caught in a strange and awkward situation. Sitting at the perfect decorated table with their attacker drinking tea. If Tahno didn't know any better he would have sworn he was going insane, but no. Such events were common for them at this point, the waterbender eye shifted to Skoochy who was on the couch next to him. Pianxin pouring tea in each of their cups.

"I should apologize for what I've done," the writer gave a nervous laugh as she she sat across from the duo crossing her legs. "I just take inspiration from everything I see, we I see something with potential I simply must examine it. Though, since no one was hurt seriously, no harm done!" Pianxin grinned as both Skoochy and Tahno slumped their shoulders at the entire situation.

They couldn't call the police, because in the end they were indeed trespassers...still.

"You know, there are probably easier ways to get that kind of thing without kidnapping!" Tahno snapped as Pianxin simply shrugged.

"Well, not much to do about it now, to make it up to you I'll allow you to ask me anything! I'll even throw in a sighed copy of, Of Dragons and Love. It's a romantic epic that ends with an entire country being burned down and a woman hurling herself in a volcano...it's popular among my young female demographic."

Of course such a thing didn't interest Skoochy at all, but he actually did have a question for her.

"Hey...I know this seems weird, but do you know anything about the murders that have been happening lately?"

It was obvious that Pianxin wasn't the culprit, but it was still something that should be ask. She was one of the few people that got stabbed by the sword, and as a result she probably had at least some idea about what was happening.

"Sorry, but no. I don't have any stake in such a thing, and while it would make a good story. I would never actually do something like that, in fact I want to catch the killer as well," Pianxin said, her voice filled with conviction as Tahno cocked his brow.

"Umm, not to be nosy, but why?"

"Hmm, simple, despite where I came from. Republic City is still my home, and as someone who was born in downtown I can't let that pass. So I'll happily look into things when I can, and who knows...perhaps I'll make a grand yarn from this!" Pianxin chuckled as she pulled a book from one of the cushions of the sofa, one must wonder why she kept random copies of her own books hidden, but it probably really didn't matter.

With pen in hand she wrote her name across the cover and handed the copy to Skoochy. "If you don't want it, sell it, or give it to a girl. Just take it so I don't feel guilty for dragging you into this mess,"

Skoochy held his breath as he took the book. He wasn't one to refuse free things after all, and even if he couldn't read well it would be something to pass the time with.

"Hey, what about me!" Tahno pointed out as Pianxin paused for a moment before giving a soft smile.

"...You have nice hair..." despite trying to give a complement Pianxin tone showed that she actually wasn't serious as Skoochy got up from the seat and fixed his hat.

"Come on Tahno, we're probably already late," Skoochy stated as Tahno scratched the back of his head, both leaving the writer to her oddness.

Author note

So, writing month is up, but that's not the point. I'm going to ask if you guys prefer 2 weeks for a 3000 word chapter or a month for a 5000-6000 word chapter. Just asking since I'm usually always backed up, also I'm glad you guys are enjoying this kind of weird story.