Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Traveling the World (2)

Instead of entrusting Kyoshi's wellbeing to those greedy and apathetic farmers of Yokoya, Kelsang decided to just hand over the money to her. 

However, he let Tai Lung hand over the money since his huge build would appear quite intimidating to a worried child.

"What!? Why me?" Tai Lung asked.

"You're someone her age, she won't get intimidated if you're the one to hand over the money." Kelsang smiled and shoved the bag of coins to Tai Lung.

Tai Lung sighed, reluctantly taking the bag of coins from Kelsang. 

"Fine, fine, I'll do it," he muttered. 

He wasn't exactly keen on being a messenger of charity, but Kelsang had a point. The girl would likely be more receptive to him than a towering airbender. And besides it's good that he can establish a good first impression towards the Avatar.

He walked toward Kyoshi's makeshift home, her tall figure huddled amidst the scattered scraps of Yokoya.

She stood out from the garbage and muck, not just because of her height but because of the quiet strength in her posture despite her ragged appearance.

Tai Lung approached cautiously, keeping his steps light. 

"Hey," he called out softly.

Kyoshi tensed, her sharp eyes darting up at him in alarm. 

She glanced at the bag of coins in his hand, suspicion flashing across her face.

"Relax, I'm not here to take anything from you," Tai Lung said, holding up the bag in a non-threatening gesture. "Actually, I'm here to give you something."

Kyoshi's eyes narrowed. 

"Why?" Her voice was wary, as if she couldn't believe anyone would offer her anything out of goodwill.

"Honestly, I asked myself the same question. But… Kelsang, the Air Nomad, he wanted to help you. He saw the way you've been living and couldn't just walk away." Tai Lung let out a small, resigned laugh.

He held out the bag of coins toward her. "This is from him. To help you survive."

Kyoshi looked at the bag for a long moment, her expression unreadable. She didn't move to take it right away. 

"Why would he care about me?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with suspicion. "No one cares about people like me."

Tai Lung's gaze softened. He understood that feeling all too well—the sense of being overlooked, of being cast aside as unimportant. 

"Kelsang's different," he said. "He genuinely wants to help. He sees something in you. Maybe more than you see in yourself right now."

Kyoshi's eyes flickered, a trace of uncertainty crossing her face. She looked at the bag of coins again, then up at Tai Lung. "And you? Why are you helping?"

Tai Lung paused for a moment. 

"Honestly? It's complicated," he admitted. "I don't do this kind of thing often. But when I see someone in a situation like yours... I guess I don't want to stand by and do nothing. You don't deserve to live like this."

Kyoshi stared at him, her eyes searching his face as if trying to find some hidden motive. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached out and took the bag from his hand, though she still looked wary.

"Thanks... I guess," she said quietly, her voice barely audible.

Tai Lung nodded, stepping back to give her some space. "Just... use it wisely. And if you ever need help, Kelsang will be around."

Kyoshi clutched the bag tightly, her expression a mixture of gratitude and distrust. 

"I don't need charity," she muttered, but there was no anger in her voice—just a hint of pride.

"I know," Tai Lung replied with a small smile. "But sometimes, it's okay to accept help when it's offered."

He turned to leave, sensing that Kyoshi needed time to process everything. As he walked back to where Kelsang and Jianzhu waited, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Kyoshi still standing there, staring at the bag of coins in her hand as if she couldn't believe it was real.

"How did it go?" Kelsang asked when Tai Lung rejoined them.

"She took it," Tai Lung replied. "But she's not used to this kind of help. Give her time."

Kelsang nodded, his face softening with a look of quiet relief. "Thank you for doing that, Tai Lung."

Tai Lung shrugged, trying to brush off the praise. "It's fine. Just... let's make sure she's really okay before we leave Yokoya for good."

Jianzhu, who had been silent throughout the exchange, gave a small nod of approval. "You did well, Tai Lung. You've got a good head on your shoulders."

Tai Lung blinked in surprise at the unexpected compliment but nodded in acknowledgment.

"Thanks. Now let's get moving. The Avatar isn't going to wait for us."

As they turned to continue their journey, Tai Lung couldn't help but glance back one last time at Kyoshi. Something told him this wasn't the last time their paths would cross. They would see each other again.

*******

On the back of Jinsul, Kelsang's Sky Bison, three men were seated basking through the wind. It was Kelsang, Jianzhu, and Tai Lung. (They didn't say the name of Kelsang's Sky Bison in the book or in the wiki so I'm just gonna improvise)

Their destination was Mushaku Village which was the nearest village to Yokoya. It was about 65 Miles away from the port, quite the lengthy travel but with Jinsul as their transport they could traverse that distance in just an hour.

They were going to Mushaku to continue finding the avatar. It has been 7 years since the Avatar's absence and the world was already plunging into chaos.

If it were not for Jianzhu, Kelsang, Hei-ran and Nyahitha temporarily fulfilling the Avatar's duty to maintain balance then the world would've already burned down in total chaos.

********

Pls give stone :)

If you enjoyed this chapter and wanted to read more you can go and support my PAT_REON there's advance chapters there.

Here's the link: https://patreon.com/August_Writing?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink