The Traveler's Tale (Gysu)

T.K. walked through the streets of Goaling with his green hood attached to his green robes pulled of his head barely concealing his very noticable white hair. His brown eyes shot back and forth suspiciously as several men eyed him walking by. He had a brownish tan belt tied around his waist over his faded green robes. His white bangs fell to just above his eyes and he had a palish white complextion. His resembled that of a young teens about thirteen or fourteen however he was nineteen, use to have a wife and child, and had seen more than anyone that was eyeing him as if to say 'watch your back'. He wondered if any of them thought they knew who he really was. His name was no longer safe in the fire or earth cities. The Earth people would be after him for being a fire bender living in the Earth Kingdom before the war and the Fire nation would kill him for being a traitor or at least his father would. His last image of his father as he burned his face sketched into his mind again but he shook it off as he reached a tavern named "The Traveler's Tale". Feeling parched from his hours of walking he pushed open the door and entered "The Traveler's Tale". He looked around and saw it was mostly empty other than a few men in the corner by the window together and a loner against the wall with red robes on who was throwing dice in the air with a mischievious smile on.

"Hey" the man said to T.K. as he entered. His voice was crisp and soar like the man hadn't had much to drink in a while. T.K. eyed the man as he reached inside his robe on the other end and grabbed the handle of hilts "Lux". "You up for a game?"

T.K. let loose his handle as the man asked the question and replied "No thank you."

He continued on toward the bartender as the man spat a slew of dirty curse words.

"I don't appreciate that kind of language sir" T.K. said stopping a few feet before the Bartender's bar. He was in-between the gambler and the Bartenders bar now.

"Excuse me" the man hissed moving with agility? He moved like a snake slithered with flexibility as he took large long unnecissary strides until he stood in front of T.K. with gritted angry yellow teeth that made a man want to cringe. T.K. didn't even lift his head at the man.

"I'm talking to you buddy" he said as he took out a small scimitar the size of an average dagger. Immediately after the dagger was drawn T.K. sidestepped right and kneed the man in the stomach causing him to lunge forward. T.K. gasped the mans hand with the scimitar from behind and held it behind his back as the man let out a grunt. T.K. took the scimitar from the very reluctant mans hand as he struggled to get loose. T.K. pushed the man away from him and said "I don't want trouble or fighting here."

"You'll be sorry" the man spat on the floor of the tavern before standing straight and leaving the tavern. T.K. turned around happy there didn't have to be much violence or anything. He walked up to the Bar and he sat on a stool and looked up.

"Sorry about that" he apologized his voice very clear and soft as always, "Water please."

He placed the scimitar onto the bar and reached into his pocket pulling out some money to pay for the water.

Gysu was impressed, to say the least. Most people would have had to pick themselves off of the floor wandering "what hit them" when they picked a fight with his old friend. Gysu sighed, he had a job to do. He marched straight on over to the kid and put his hand on his shoulder. Gysu looked him over really quick and then smiled a little, a fire nation kid? In Gaoling of all places? Gysu could sense that he was generally peaceful so he figured that he could stand to be less rough than usual on the kid. "Hey kid," he said. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Gysu then waited a moment and whispered to the kid, "Meet me behind this place, I want to talk to you."

T.K. felt a hand on his shoulder and fingered his hilt inside his robes just in case. The guy seemed to look him up and down and grined a bit. The grin made him wonder if he knew he was from the fire nation or perhaps he knew the gambler.

"Hey kid," the guy said, "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

T.K. let go of his hilt glad he wouldn't have to fight anybody.

Then just as T.K. was about to stand up the man "Meet me behind this place, I want to talk to you."

T.K. thought it was suspiscious but gave a small nod as he got up and walked out the front doors but before someone noticed him slipped into the alley way in-between the building next to the tavern and the Tavern. He walked down the alleyway quietly until coming to the back of the stores but hid behind a brick wall as the next door store owner exited the back door and dumped out his garbage onto the ground before walking back in.

"So unsanitary" he whispered to himself and looked both ways before exiting into the back of the stores. He walked behind the Tavern and looked around from under his hood. For some reason it didn't feel right and both his hands entered his pockets and he gripped both of Lux's hilts just in case as he waited in the shadows for the other guy in case someone tried anything.

Gysu left The Traveler's Tale in order to meet up with the Fire Nation kid behind the place. When Gysu got back there he simply said "Hello" to announce his own arrival. "Now, before things get nasty, what is a Fire Nation kid doing in the Earth Kingdom? I Don't care what your reasons are as long as they make sense, so start telling. And don't worry. your secrets safe with me."

As T.K. saw the other person exit from the Tavern and announce his arrival he stepped out of the darkness.

"Now, before things get nasty, what is a Fire Nation kid doing in the Earth Kingdom? I Don't care what your reasons are as long as they make sense, so start telling," he asked, "And don't worry. your secrets safe with me."

Normally T.K. would be suspiscious of this however he felt like he could trust him. His gut had never led him wrong before so why would it fail now. He pulled down his hood and his long unkempt white hair flowed down again.

"I do not belong to any one nation," he said looking at the other guy, "The Earth Nation would kill me on sight, the Fire Nation would kill me for being a traitor, The air nomads believe that they are safe and sound behind the walls of their temples, and the water nation is war hungry."

He looked up towards the sun for a moment which seemed to blaze down at him.

"I believe in a world where not only does each nation get along but we are more like a unified nation. I came here years ago to the Earth Kingdom because of my father and the fire nations brutality towards me. They tried to make me a military strategist for the Fire Nation Army because I'm smart but I didn't want that. My Father on the other hand believed that I had a duty to serve the Nation I was born in . . . I was like a slave to the Fire Nation. I eventually escaped in a fire nation hot air balloon and escaped to an Earth City where I met the love of my life Tamara. Together we had a baby boy and I got a good job. We lived peacefully together with her father and my best friend Mikhail. After two years she got pregnant again right before the war. My father . . . he found us with his men and he slaughter everyone in sight. First was my father in law . . . then my own brother Hikouri who tried to defend me . . . then Mikhail . . . and finally my wife and son. I was the only one to escape and ever since I've devoted my life to protecting the people of all nations against criminals, bandits, thieves, and the evils of their own nation. I took up a new name T.K. and then took on the name of an old group from Avatar Aang's time that I had only heard through oral stoies: I am a Freedom Fighter. I fight for what the poor, innocent, and anyone in danger because the nations, all of them, are far from being in the best interest of their people unless the people have something to give in return."

He finally stopped his story as he was done and he hoped this person wouldn't go and tell the rest of the Earth Kingdom about him. He had a feeling he wouldn't though

"Uh-huh. That is quite the tale. I as well help others, though not for free. All I ask for, is a favor, that they may pay off later." All of this made Gysu feel something that he had thought that he had lost. A sense of purpose. Ever sense that Xue girl had gone off with the Queen, he had been feeling a little under the weather. "Hey, T.K., can anyone join the Freedom Fighter's?"

"Uh-huh. That's quiet the tale. I as well help others though not for free," he began and T.K. felt a cringing knot in his stomach he knew some people like that but . . . this man seemed . . . different from the others . . not like the people T.K. was thinking of, "All I ask for, is a favor, that they pay me off later."

The cringing knot disappeared as his thoughts were verified that the man wasn't like that. He listened intently as the man began to speak again.

"Hey, T.K., can anyone join the Freedom Fighter's" he asked?

The words pierced T.K.'s mind . . . he had thought about it many times . . . but hadn't come up with an answer yet. Now was the best time he supposed as he took a moment to decided.

"Anyone that defends the way I stated before yes," T.K. said, "I fight for the greater good and I do permit different views as I'm not a drill sergeant. Would you like to join the Freedom Fighters?"

He held out his hand for a hand shake if he did agree, "I don't think I caught your name."

"Alright, Sign me up." Gysu simply said with a gleam in his eye. "By the way, you didn't have to be so rough on the guy back there. He had been having a really bad week, that's all." Gysu began to walk away to gather his things. "Meet me at the swamps in an hour or so, I gotta get my things." Gysu called from behind as he walked away.

Alright, sign me up" Gysu said with a simple tone like he had thought about it for years before this moment. He had a gleam in his eyes that showed that he really did want to be a part of the freedom fighters.

"By the way, you didn't have to be so rough on the guy back there. He had been having a really bad week, that's all." Gysu said as he began to walk away, "Meet me at the swamps in an hour or so, I gotta get my things."

R.K. felt a tinge of pity that he had to do what he had to do to that guy before but he had drawn his weapon first after all. Besides he only used defensive moves . . . had he wanted to he could've hurt him but he didn't. T.K. began to walk away to the swamp as he pulled his hood back up covering his white hair and his face up until his eyes.