[Open] No Air

[savedtheworld]

[Open: November 7-10]

Today seems to start off as any normal day. Aang wakes up, talks up a number of friends and acolytes and does his morning meditation. He even makes a flawless run through the air gates, without having practiced any airbending yet for the day.

But then, he decides to glide over towards the caves where the sky bison stay. One second, he's standing atop a tree, with his trusty glider in hand; the next, he's sprawled down on the ground, clutching his ankle in pain.

The truth becomes apparent soon enough; somehow, he can't bend anymore. At all. It leaves an empty feeling inside of him, along with a number of worries and fears. What if it doesn't come back? What if he can't be the Avatar anymore... or even just an airbender?

Throughout the first day, he is confined to Air Temple Island, and he uses his staff as a walking stick to get around while his ankle is sprained. On the later days, he can also be found in Republic City. He takes a few trips into town on Appa just to check in on others and see if any other odd happenings have been going on.

Comments

[abitofawildman]

Bumi's brow furrows further, and he lifts a hand and places it on Aang's forehead.

"You don't feel warm."

Soon he replaces that hand with his own cheek, a trick he learned from his mother.

"Maybe...maybe some onion and banana juice might help?"

[savedtheworld]

It does feel oddly familiar in a way.

"Onion and banana juice... It might!" It did grow on him. "It'd be nice and... chakra-y!" Maybe this could have something to do with his chakras? That made him nervous however, he wasn't ready to open up that can of emotional spider-worms again.

[abitofawildman]

No fever has been detected, and so Bumi leans back and smiles. Kind of hard not to smile, given how Aang-like Aang continues to be.

"Well then, it sounds to me like we've got a mission on our hands. Can I give you a hand back to the house?"

[savedtheworld]

"I... I'd be okay with you taking that mission." He tries to make a jokingly serious nod. "It'd be a real Avatar-rank mission! If you're up to it..."

[abitofawildman]

"An Avatar-rank mission, you say? How could I possibly refuse? It'd be madness to say no." He gets back to his feet and offers Aang an arm on which to lean.

[savedtheworld]

The monk chuckles softly as he leans on the arm. "Thanks, Bumi. I knew I could count on you to be tough enough for this mission." It's a small comfort as he wonders what could have caused all of this.

[abitofawildman]

"Well you had the benefit of coming to the right place. There is no person alive that knows more about non-bending injuries than I do. Trust me."

[savedtheworld]

Aang keeps up his rise in cheer. "Really? How'd you find that out... Do you take care of hurt non-benders a lot?"

There's a camelephant in the room.

[abitofawildman]

Yeah, about that camelephant...

Over the years Bumi's honed and perfected his ability to ignore them, but this particular one...well it starts tapdancing.

"Well...yes, eventually but..."

Bumi starts to think of the various sages and holymen/women that must have had to have this conversation with Aang when Bumi was a child. That there was just no Bending in the boy. None at all.

Recent events not included.

"Aang I'm...I'm not a Bender. Never was."

[savedtheworld]

The idea hadn't hit him before. And he frowns for a moment as he considers it.

"Never?" he asks quietly. He was still new to a lot of this 'having kid' concept, but didn't kids usually have the same bending as their parents? It doesn't necessarily crush Aang, but it's taking a moment for him to process the fact of the matter. "I... I didn't know..."

[abitofawildman]

Bumi chances a momentary glance at Aang, sees the frown, and looks away just as quickly.

"It's...I don't know why I didn't tell you." That's not true, Bumi. And you know it. "I guess I just assumed maybe you'd know, since everyone knows. But the day you found me I was airbending, and...Korra and Opal and Jinora all say I airbend. I don't know."

[savedtheworld]

"I- I never asked. I thought you might not be an airbender, but I never thought to check and thought you might instead be... waterbending-" But then he pauses and is sidetracked by the rest of what Bumi says, an eyebrow curling in confusion. "What, so you did airbend?"

[abitofawildman]

Bumi all but flinches when Aang asks him that.

"I could, a little bit. Not like I could control it all that much, but it was there...and now it's not."

[savedtheworld]

Now he strokes at his chin in thought.

"So it sounds like this happened... just recently. It looks like a lot of weird things have been happening with bending c-coming and going with people..." As seen in his now-lack of bending.

[abitofawildman]

"It's not as though we're having a drought of spiritual weirdness," he offers as an explanation. "It's just as well, really. I'm too old a polarbear dog to be learning new tricks."

[savedtheworld]

Aang nods at the explanation. He's still leaning on the older man's arm, but he also finds his hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.

"I don't know, Bumi. You seem really resourceful. I bet that you could still learn anything you put your mind to... no matter what kind of bending you do or don't have."

[abitofawildman]

Bumi is not bashful by nature. It takes quite a bit to get him to blush, but...apparently no matter how old and ornery he gets, praise from Aang will always have that affect on him.

"Thank you, Aang," he replies softly, giving the boy's hand a squeeze back in kind.

His big voice returns. "Of course it's not really me that I'm worried about right now."

[savedtheworld]

Now he manages to smile, lightly, at that. The confusion about Bumi is subsiding now, because of his words. Is he a nonbender or an airbender? It's clearer now from his words that he's someone who worries about others first. He looks up curiously.

"You're welcome, Bumi. But then, who're you worrying about?"

[abitofawildman]

"The airbender who gravity managed to get the drop on."

[savedtheworld]

"Right... That guy! Y-you don't have to worry about him. He's been in... plenty of sticky situations before! So I- I know he'll work this out."

[abitofawildman]

He chuckles.

"You know what's funny? I remember saying some very similar words when I was maybe about your age. Actually," he pauses to give Aang an appraising glance. "Strangely enough looked a whole lot like you, actually."

He winks at Aang.

"And I believe the response was: It's not a matter of have to, Bumi. I want to. I worry because I love you. And I will always do both."

[savedtheworld]

Yep, now he's getting misty at that. And practically hugging Bumi's arm now.

"You- you don't say." He tries to stay smooth and cool-sounding, but it's undermined by how choked up he is. "He l-looked a lot like me, huh? I guess it only m-makes sense... if I borrow those words, too!"

[abitofawildman]

Through a soft smirk, Bumi wrinkles his nose.

"I suppose that's fair. In the grand scheme of things. And even if it wasn't it'd still be my job to worry about you. Tenzin would feed me to Oogie if he came back and found out something happened to you on my watch."

[savedtheworld]

Aang laughs softly. "Who's Oogie...?"

[abitofawildman]

"Tenzin's Bison. The thing's almost as uptight as he is."

Almost.