BUMI

BUMI KNEW SOMEONE WAS IN HIS ROOM THE SECOND HE STEPPED INTO IT. It was near midnight, and he enforced a strict don't bother me during my slumbers rule, so really, he should have been quite alone, but still, he wasn't surprised. In many ways, he had been expecting it. The man had given the proper call-and-response during that meeting with that horrid little monster in the throne room.

Bumi allowed himself to feel a chill. Horrid little monster is right. It'll take many baths before I feel clean after that conversation.

Whistling a merry little tune, he closed the door behind him and strolled into the room. Stepping lightly from one foot to the next, looking remarkably spry for a man well past his hundredth year, Bumi tossed his royal headdress (of his own design, of course; the old family crown was much too uncomfortable, and ugly to boot) into a corner and shed his royal robes. Wearing only a thin loincloth, he hurled himself into his bed, whistling on and on, eyes closed, toes wiggling in the air.

Finally, a voice. "Good evening, Bumi."

Bumi stopped whistling and smiled. "Good evening, whatever your name is."

A chuckle. "You don't remember?"

Bumi shrugged. "I can never keep track. Besides, since when was your name important?"

Bumi could practically hear the shrug. "It's not, though people do seem to get hung up on it."

Bumi laughed. "And since when did you know me to get hung up on anything?"

"Besides that weird little goat-gorilla you insist on calling Flopsie?"

Bumi giggled, as only a truly old man could do. "Aw, but Flopsie is such an adorable little thing!"

A scoff, somewhere in the darkness, Bumi didn't bother to open his eyes to look. No point wasting what little time I have left on frivolities. "That's one word for him."

"Ahem, Flopsie is a girl, thank you very much."

"Heh…of course. Anyways…Matsuura is going to Gaoling."

Bumi sighed, and his smile faded away. "Yes, I was afraid of that. I could see that's what he wanted from the moment he walked in the door. Unfortunate, but better than heading south, don't you think?"

"Indeed. It buys us some time. Will you warn the Avatar?"

Bumi shook his head, eyes still closed. "Not yet, and definitely not until that spawn of the Nether World is far, far away."

"He'll leave spies."

"He'll try." Bumi left the eventual fate of said spies hanging in the air, unsaid. "Still, though," he said, in a wistful tone, trying to look at the bright side, as was his wont, "at least you'll be there, to contain the damage."

"Actually…I'm afraid I won't be."

Bumi's eyes snapped open. Damn. "You mean…" Damn.

"I'm being sent off on a special assignment. Nothing to be done for it, I'm afraid."

"Hmm…" Bumi played with his goatee for a moment. "Any chance you can turn this little errand to our advantage?"

"One can only hope. Just…watch your back, Bumi. This man…he's dangerous."

Bumi chuckled. "More dangerous than you?"

"Much."

Bumi didn't know what to say to that. He just thought about it, long into the night, long after the man in the shadows had disappeared into the night.

Damn.

Wheels within wheels...

Plots within plots...

Are you guys intrigued, yet? You better be.

That said, that's five chapters. Time to go cuddle! Also, drink, because it's cold. Cuddling and drinking go hand-in-hand, don't you think?

Moving on! Tomorrow, in the next chapter, Azula participates in a massive call-back to Wild, Wild Love. Stay tuned!