The Circus

-----

This place is enormous, I thought, as I stepped into Ozai's Beach house. It had taken a day to actually reach the island. I wonder where Ozai and Iroh are. I haven't seen them since we got off the ship.

"Can I share a room with Ren?" Zuko asked. Wow, I don't know how to respond to that.

"Yes, honey. I'll show you to your room." Ursa said I'm pretty sure she was planning on us sharing a room. Because as soon as we walked into the room, I saw two twin beds. The wallpaper was a map of the world. Wow, this room is actually pretty cool. God, that bed looks so soft. I actually really want to jump onto it. I looked over at Zuko, and

I saw that he had the same look in his eye.

We both ran into the room and, at the same time, jumped onto the bed that would be ours for this vacation. Oh my god, this bed was actually incredibly soft. So, much softer at the bed back home. I could hear Ursa's giggles in the background. I was just too comfortable to care.

"I'll leave you two alone," Ursa said, closing the door.

After around five minutes of just lying on the bed and not bothering to move, the bed was just so soft.

"Zuko, is it just me, or is this bed so soft?" I said, now practically cuddling my pillow.

"It's not just you. This bed is so much better than the one at home." Zuko said, does the royal family not have good bedding.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I quickly tried to stand up and get off my bed but, I couldn't. It was just so comfortable. Zuko seemed to be in the same position.

"I'm guessing your comfortable." I recognized that voice to be Lu Ten.

"Why knock on the door if you're still going to come in any way?" I asked, still on the bed.

"Don't worry about it. Also, get out of bed." Lu Ten said to Zuko and me.

"No, I don't want to," I said.

"If you get out of bed, I'll train with you." Lu Ten said, I quickly got of bed.

"You didn't let me finish, and I'll train with you when I have time." Lu Ten said with a smirk.

"By God, thou hast deceived me," I said, which only got me a look from Lu Ten.

"Wait outside." He said, but it was more like a demand.

"Yeah, whatever."

"No, I don't want to get of bed." I heard from inside the room. Suddenly, Lu Ten came out of the room, holding Zuko like a ragdoll over his shoulder.

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked it was like 6 pm, why would we go out?

"The Circus." Lu Ten said, why would we go to the Circus. I wonder why the Circus would come to Ember Island.

"Do they have some trapeze artists?" I asked

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Is it just us three?" I asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Yep." Lu Ten said. Still holding Zuko in the same position.

"I'm coming with you," Azula said once again, popping out from nowhere.

"Sure, whatever." Lu Ten said, it seems like he just wanted to go to the Circus.

"Why is he carrying Zuko like that?" Azula whispered to me, and she had a huge grin on her face.

"The beds," I said, Azula only gave me a look that meant that she was questioning me.

"Can you put me down?" Zuko asked after almost five minutes of being carried like a ragdoll. Lu Ten put him down as gently as he could.

"You are really light." Lu Ten said I think he's letting all his training go to his head.

"No, I'm not. You're just heavy." Zuko said I'm pretty sure he didn't realize that he just called him fat.

We just walked on to the circus in comfortable silence. As soon as we made it to the tent, I realized just how big this tent was. At first glance, you wouldn't believe that this was a traveling circus. Lu Ten quickly proved that he was, in fact, Lu Ten, and then we were led to the best seats. But, I couldn't help but notice that there were four people already at the 'noble seats.' There was still a lot of space, but still.

"Who are they?" I asked, maybe I'll meet more characters from the show. I pointed at them to give Lu Ten a better idea of who I was talking about. But, my hand was rudely slapped down, which caused laughter from Azula. Zuko still looked quite uncomfortable with these surroundings.

"First, of all, don't point. And the man you just pointed to Ukano is a politician, that lady next to him is his wife Michi, and their daughter Mai. That other girl s one of the Ty sisters, and I could never tell which was which." Lu Ten said, interesting...

"It's Ty Lee, her and Mai have become friends," Azula said, emphasizing the friends.

We started walking over there, seeing as that's where our seats where.

"Lu Ten, I didn't expect you to be here," Ukano said, this guy really doesn't sit right with me.

"Azula!" Ty Lee screamed, running over and hugging Azula.

"Hi, Ty Lee," Azula said in the most monotone voice I've ever heard.

"Hey, Mai," Zuko said, sounding excited to see Mai, I see you.

"Hi, Zuko." This chick says, hi I want to kill myself (Anybody gets that reference)

"Who's this?" I heard Michi ask, is it just me, or is she incredibly attractive?

"This is Ren." Lu Ten said, causing both the adults to give me a second glance. Before they just nodded, weirdest reaction.

"He looks..... kempt," Michi said, what the hell does that mean? I'm not a dog. I totally take back that comment on her being attractive.

"Wow," I said, utterly surprised by that comment. I sat in between Ty Lee and Azula. Because that was the farthest seat, I could find from Michi. I know it may be childish but still.

The first genuinely interesting parts of the show were the tightrope walkers. I have to confess I've been to a circus before. I almost saw a guy die because of a trapeze trick.

So, I wasn't really that impressed by the tightrope walkers. Don't get me wrong there, cool and all. Holy shit, there's a pit of fire under the two dudes. Don't fall, guys, what are you doing don't get on his back are you crazy. Oh my god, he's standing on his shoulders on a tight rope that is above a pit of fire. What the fuck? There walking.

"This is cool." I heard Ty Lee say to no one in particular.

"I know, right. The guy's not even shaking." I said to Ty Lee, who only nodded eyes still glued to the show.

Holy shit, the guys walking with the other guy on his shoulders and the other guy who has a guy on his shoulder is standing still. Is he going to make it to the platform? He made it. This is the second most endearing thing I've ever seen. (Honestly, search Ringling Bros Circus Tightrope Walks on youtube. It's crazy.) The platform got lower, and the announcer said that they were going to take a small break.

"That was so... awesome," I said to myself.

"I know, right. Especially the part where the guy jumped onto the other guy." Ty Lee said while making weird hand motions.

"The animals were pretty cool, too, like Lion Vulture," I said.

"It would be so cool if they..." She wasn't able to finish her thought.

"If they somehow got a person on the back of the Vulture?" I said, hopefully finishing her sentence.

"Yes!" she screamed, pausing as soon as everybody started looking over at us. "That's exactly what I was thinking," she said in a hushed town.

"I can't wait for the next part. I heard that they have a trapeze group," I said

"What's a trapeze artist?" she asked, in an incredibly excited tone.

"You'll see," I said with a smile. (If you don't know what a trapeze is, it's when a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It's an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, and may be performed solo, double, triple, or as a group act.)

"Is this a trapeze?" She asked at almost every turn, until finally.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for the Flying Heroes." The announcer said that was an incredibly weird name.

"This is trapeze," I whispered over to Ty Lee.

The people swung from bar to bar. The level of trust that must go into that is insane. For a second, I thought somebody was about to fall. But, suddenly, they were caught by another. It was honestly epic. Eventually, the show had ended.

"Now, I thank you all for coming. But that is the end of today's show. If you like to come back tomorrow, we will be here all week." The announcer said. As we all got up about to leave.

"That was so cool. I wanna be a trapeze artist." Ty Lee said I could tell by the look on Azula's face that she had a comeback. But, I decided not to let Azula crush her dreams.

"You need a good name," I said to Ty Lee as soon as I said that Azula suddenly walked further ahead.

"What about Lee?" Ty Lee said that was incredibly uncreative.

"I don't think that would work, remember those guys were a group," I said, not caring that me and Ty Lee where gonna be the last to leave the tent.

"What about the Flying Lee's?" She said once again, moving her hands in a weird motion.

"I think I got one, the Flying Graysons." I'm sorry, Dick.

"Ooh, it has a nice ring. But, it sounds kinda random." Ty Lee said.

"I'm pretty sure. The Grayson is a type of Robin." I said, trying my best to hide the smile on my face because of the blatant reference that nobody would get.

"Makes sense." Ty Lee said as we finally made it out of the tent. That place was huge.

"C'mon, we better get back." Lu Ten said, grabbing my hand and leading me too, where Zuko was waiting.

"It was nice meeting you, Ren." Ty Lee said, running off to join Mai's family.

"Zuko, where's Azula?" I asked, gently wriggling my way out Lu Ten's tight grasp.

"I'm right here," Azula said from behind me. What the hell is wrong with that woman? Why does she keep sneaking up on me?

----

It was around 10 when we reached the Beach House again. I assumed that this vacation was going to be peaceful, and luckily that assumption was correct. However, in the background of this peaceful vacation, an argument was brewing between Ozai, Ursa, and Iroh.