Chap. 21

Old Debts

"We're Knights of the Round Table, we dance whenever we're able!" Sokka, Aang, and Aire sang, as they walked out of the theatre together. As the rest of group walked out behind them, Zuko rolled his eyes and asked, "How many verses are there to this song again?"

"Does it matter? They've already sung it twice." Hierro replied with a smile. "Besides, you have to admit it's a good song."

"Never mind the song, it was a good, nay excellent play." Iroh said, clapping Hierro on the back. "You did an excellent job selecting a show, my friend."

"Hey, I was the one who got the tickets, you know." Bosque added.

"Of course, of course, you did a fine job as well." Iroh said quickly. "I have never laughed so hard in my life. When that Knight kept fighting and losing his arms…"

"Yeah, I liked that too." Katara added. "It's just a flesh wound.' And then that priest and 'arms for the poor.'"

"Never mind that, what about Herbert and Lancelot?" Luz asked. "Dear lady, I've come to rescue… oh I'm sorry. 'You got my letter!' 'Well, I got a letter.'"

"What did you like, Zuko?" Jin asked, moving over to the former prince. Zuko remained silent for a moment, then said, "The rabbit. Definitely the rabbit."

"True brilliance." Agua agreed. But a moment later, the cat noticed the darkness around them and asked, "Um, does anyone know where we're staying tonight?"

"Wow, we were in there a while." Aang said, noticing the dark himself. "What time is it?"

"Six." Fuego replied, as he consulted the watch. "Agua's right, we need to find someplace to stay soon."

"If nothing else, so we don't freeze to death." Toph muttered, as she hugged herself to keep warm in the now chilly temperatures. Seeing her like this, Oscuridad pulled off his trenchcoat and draped it over the young Earthbender's shoulders. Toph drew the coat tight around her, as the bat turned to Tierra and asked, "So, any ideas?"

"Give me some credit man." The dog replied. "I've had a place picked out since we started. And now we won't have to take the bus to it. We'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Does this mean more walking?" Iroh asked cautiously.

"'Fraid so." Tierra replied. "Unless you want to take public transportation?"

"Gee what a choice. Take the overcrowded bus, or deal with the New York crazies at night." Bosque muttered.

"Oh come on, how many crazies have we actually run into?" Tierra snapped.

"Well, there's you." The squirrel replied.

Before Tierra could reply, Aang stepped in. "OK, that's enough. I don't really feel like walking in the cold, but I'd like to know something about this 'bus' thing before we travel on it."

"It's like the train into Ba Sing Se." Tierra replied. "Except there are no Earthbenders and it isn't attached to a track. There's a stop at the end of the block, I can check the schedule for us."

"All right. If there's one coming soon, we'll take it. If not, we walk." The young Avatar suggested. Tierra nodded, and turned in the direction of the bus stop. As he walked off, Iroh said, "Well done Aang. You are learning to deal with conflicts quite well."

"Well, it's not that hard. I did help two Earth-tribes put aside their century old feud." Aang said with some pride.

"Yeah, that was a really good lie you told them." Sokka recalled. Iroh instantly raised an eyebrow, as Aang grinned sheepishly. Thankfully, Tierra came back before he had to explain himself.

"Sorry guys, the next bus doesn't come for an hour, and we can be at this place in less time on foot." The dog said as he rejoined the others. There was a group sigh at this, then Katara asked with some weariness, "Which way is it?"

"See, that wasn't so bad." Tierra said, as the group crossed the last block to the place the dog intended for them.

"S-Speak for y-yourself." Zuko said through chattering teeth. He pulled his borrowed coat closer, as Iroh, Jin, and Toph shivered behind him. While Sokka, Katara, and Aang were used to cold weather, the others were not. The Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation were far more temperate then the South Pole and the freezing New York winter winds bit at them hard. Some of the Knights had volunteered their coats to the group, but they weren't much help. But now that they had reached the building, Zuko and the others felt themselves feel warmer just at the sight of it.

But the Knights had a different reaction. "OK Tier, where is this place?" Oscuridad asked, looking around him and ignoring the building before them.

"Right in front of you." The dog replied.

"Dude, it's a good joke, but we're freezing here." Aire said. "Now where is it?"

"Guys, I'm not joking." Tierra said again. The Knights looked at him, looked at the building, then looked back at him. Finally, Desierto said, "Um, Tier, maybe this is just me here, but….. HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?"

"Hey calm down. What's the problem?" Aang asked.

"The problem is this moron has brought us to the most expensive hotel in New York!" the wolf shot back. "Tier, we only have about 2,500 dollars left. We can't afford to stay here!"

"What?! We walked all this way for nothing?!" Toph snapped.

"Guys, guys, have some faith." Tierra said soothingly.

"We're going to have to." Oscuridad said angrily. "Tier, I don't know what you're planning, but if you've dragged us here to hypnotize some hotel clerks…"

"Will you just trust me?" Tierra said, as he began to walk up the entrance. The group looked at each other, sighed, and began to follow the dog up and into the building. As the doors slammed shut behind them, the Knights took a minute to enjoy the warmth inside the building. The Avatar Gang however, were too stunned to relish it. They stared in shock at the beautiful inside of the Plaza Hotel. The walls were decorated with beautiful wallpaper and garlands, with holly added for the holidays. The floor beneath their feet was covered with soft carpet, adorned with exquisite details. Everywhere they looked, they saw something that amazed them.

"Is this place a hotel, or a palace?" Zuko wondered aloud, his mind grasping at the thing this place reminded him of most.

"Oh it's a hotel." Trueno answered. "It's a five-star hotel, one of the best in the world and the best in the city."

"If it's that good, how can we afford to stay here?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, even my family seal can't help us here." Toph added.

"I guess that's what he's working on now." Luz said, pointing to Tierra, who was walking over to the reception desk. Seeing him there, the group moved over to the desk themselves, eager to see how Tierra planned to get them rooms.

"May I help you sir?" the concierge asked as Tierra came up.

"Yes, I'd like four rooms please." The dog replied.

"Very good. Do you have a reservation?"

"No."

"All right then, let me look." The concierge said, as he checked the computer. After a moment, he said, "You are in luck sir, we have four rooms up on the third floor that won't be used until January. How long do you plan to stay?"

"Just the night." Tierra replied. The concierge raised an eyebrow at this, but asked, "And how do you plan to be paying, sir?"

"Oh I don't have enough." Tierra answered nonchalantly, as the group gaped behind him.

"Then, may I ask you to leave sir?" the concierge said, rather angrily. "The Plaza is not a charity."

But Tierra just smiled and asked, "Does a Mr. Ronald Brown still work here?"

"Yes, he is our head manager." The concierge replied.

"Call him. Tell him that Eddie Kiedis is here to get some rooms."

"Sir, I can assure you that Mr. Brown will not grant you…."

"Just humor me." Tierra said. The concierge shook his head in disgust, but grabbed the phone and dialed. A moment later, he got a connection. "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Brown." He said as he spoke. "But there is a Mr. Eddie Kiedis here, who is attempting…"

He paused then, as he listened. The concierge's eyes widened and he said, "But sir…. That's not….. all right sir." Putting the phone down, he turned to Tierra and said, "I will call someone to help you to your rooms, Mr. Kiedis. Is that your party over there?" he asked, as he pointed to the group. The dog nodded, and the concierge moved to call a bellboy. Tierra nodded, then moved back to the others. "So, how'd I do?"

"What was that?" Oscuridad asked, in amazement and disbelief.

"When I lived here, there were some major demon problems at this place. I helped do some exorcisms, and the manager at the time was a man named Ronald Brown. He asked if there was anything he could do to pay me back, and I just asked that I could get rooms here anytime I needed to."

"And 'Eddie Kiedis?'" Toph asked.

"That was my name when I lived here." Tierra replied simply. Before he could go on, the bellboy tapped the dog on the shoulder and said, "Follow me to your rooms please, sirs and madams."