Chapter Text
The Golden Dragon Circus Troupe is currently touring in the colonies. June leaves Nyla at the nearest town, and she and Kuzon head out on foot, blending in easily with the crowds of legitimate ticket-holders. The shiny pink-and-purple tents come into sight, just like she remembers. The main tent has a Fire Nation flag, flying proudly on top.
(When they’re in the Earth Kingdom, there’s never an Earth Kingdom flag.)
“That’s where valuables used to be kept.” She subtly points at one tent. “You take that, you’re better with locks. I’ll be on this side, checking the cages.”
He nods briskly and marches away, determination clear in his step. She watches him go and then ducks into the first tent full of animal cages. As always, it’s clean- far cleaner than anyone would expect of a circus. But it’s also dark and shadowy, the blood-red curtains blocking any and all sunlight. The wheeled cages are all lined up in a row, filled with a creative array of large animals.
They’re all huddled at the backs of their cages, still as stone. They don’t even move when June enters. All the spirit’s been whipped out of them.
She scans this tent. There’s no muslin in sight, and none of the animals here are even remotely eel-shaped. She steps out and enters the next tent. Again it’s as cheery than a crematorium, and none of the animals are the shape she’s looking for. There’s nothing of interest but one empty cage at the end-
The tent’s curtain rustles as someone else enters. Spurred by old instinct, June darts behind a cage.
“We should dye the cloth yellow,” says Hikari. June would know that voice anywhere, dark and sinister. “Then she’ll pass for a golden dragon.”
“She needs further training before the big advertising push.” And that’s Shuzumu, and the sound still raises goosebumps on June’s skin. “She’s still out of time with the dancers. Weren’t these supposed to be very trainable?”
“According to legend, once they’ve bonded to their master their loyalty’s unbreakable.”
“Hmph,” Shuzumu grunts. “Not the first time you’ve misinterpreted a legend. You spent months swearing that wind buffalo was really a lost sky bison.”
“Or perhaps she’s just deficient,” counters Hikari. “There must be a reason her mother chose the twin over her...”
One of the cages groans, metal creaking as some other animal’s let out for tonight’s show. Then the curtain rustles again, and silence falls through the tent again.
June finishes her investigation, but still there’s no sign of the muslin. It might already be backstage in the main tent, draped over the circus’s new star. Cursing, June retreats and runs into Kuzon again outside.
“There were a lot of locks,” he says breathlessly. “I got the firebending ones open but not the mechanical ones, and I found a bunch of letters about palace gossip. One said Prince Iroh’s disappeared into the Spirit World again-“
“Not important,” she says. “Focus.”
He clamps his mouth shut.
“I bet the cloth’s backstage,” June informs him, “probably on the animal already.”
Kuzon raises his eyebrows. “So we break in and quietly steal it?”
“We need to figure out what animal we’re dealing with first. If they’ve put it on a rabid rhino-hippo, I’m not stealing anything until after the show when they’ve taken it off.”
As the final stragglers rush towards the big tent, Kuzon’s eye narrows. “Should we catch the first act, then?”
June tries to talk herself out of it, but morbid curiosity wins out. “Let’s do it.”
They snag two of the final tickets- back row, as far from the center as you can get. The music starts soon after, and the stage explodes with music and whirling color- mostly Fire Nation red. Shuzumu strides forth and introduces himself as the ringmaster. After a few minutes of boasting, he cedes the stage to a group of diabolists. They each balance an hourglass-shaped yo-yo on a string, which is tied on each end to a stick. By manipulating the sticks and the string, the performers do tricks, tossing the yo-yos into the air and catching them, spinning them around their bodies-
“Wow,” Kuzon sighs, craning his neck for a better look. “That’s incredible…”
June rolls her eyes. “Amateurs.”
One of them attempts a whip catch but misses, sending their yo-yo hurtling into another performer’s ribs. June laughs out loud. When he looks at her curiously, she remarks, “I could’ve run circles around them when I was in practice.”
His eye goes wide. She preens a little.
Next come the platypus bears balancing on balls, and a couple contortionists who June grudgingly admits are flexible. Then Shuzumu sweeps back out, tossing his head like his pointy red-and-gold-and-purple hat is as good as a crown, and announces the dragon dance.
“For a special twist,” he says, with that roguish twinkle in his eye like he’s inviting the audience in on his grand cosmic joke, “we’re joined by the Dread Dragon Wildfire, a real living dragon!”
He rings a bell. A murmur goes through the crowd, and Kuzon shoots upright. June elbows him. “Don’t get too excited, it’s always a scam.”
But even she wonders for just a second, when the dragon-costumed dancers are followed out by a long, sinuous creature that really does look like a silver dragon. She’s draped in diaphanous muslin that looks otherworldly under the circus lights. The cloth ripples, embroidered with delicate scales, wrapped all around the creature’s extensive torso, carefully bound so as not to obstruct two large, white wings.
But that’s not a dragon, is it? Dragons are supposed to have fearsome fangs and angled snouts, but this creature’s face is rounded and strangely sweet, mostly white except for big black spots around the eyes. Under the gauze there’s a ring of darkness running around its neck, and June sees red. If that jerk Hikari dared put a collar or worse, leave scorch marks on the last dragon-
“It’s a panda dragon,” Kuzon breathes as she suddenly soars into the air, revealing four legs that are also black. “They’re really endangered, I thought they were all in zoos-“
He’s cut off by a swell of music. The dancers on the ground launch into their routine, and the panda dragon begins dancing in midair. She bats her wings and wiggles from side to side like the dancers below her. The crowd’s cheers turn thunderous, drowning out the beat of the music, and the panda dragon freezes. It cranes its head around, as if trying to find the beat again.
A bell rings, and at the side of the stage, Hikari unrolls a fire whip. He doesn’t throw it around just yet, but the Dread Wildfire’s gaze fixates on it immediately. She recoils, shooting to the top of the tent but not quite daring to leave, wings now fluttering in a nervous blur. Then she opens her mouth. June winces, preparing for an awesome draconian roar-
There’s just a yelp. Almost a chirp. It’s high-pitched and panicked and incongruously cute, and on cue the audience goes aw.
Hikari raises the whip.
Kuzon and the panda dragon flinch in unison.
Before June knows it, she’s standing up and clambering over Kuzon, heading right down to the stage. “Don’t even think about it!”
Hikari freezes. The entire audience does too, all eyes suddenly fixed on her. She fixes her attention squarely on Hikari, and Shuzumu behind him.
They’re squinting at her, perplexed, and oh, they haven’t recognized her. Sure, she’s grown, and redone her hair, and abandoned the clinging red tunics they used to stick her in, and she’s upgraded her make-up game astronomically. But still, how did they forget?
How dare they forget?
Squinting at her face, they save themselves. Hikari’s face contorts itself in a particularly monstrous fashion.
“So the thief returns,” he says. “Are you here to pay up for that shirshu you stole?”
“That shirshu I saved,” she spits, chest heaving with rage.
There’s a noise behind her, and she turns to see Kuzon scrambling down to the stage. Realization dawns again. Her rage vanishes, suddenly replaced by morbid delight.
“Tell me,” June says, almost purrs. “Are you claiming tax credits from the Fire Nation for all these rare animals you’re so lovingly caring for?”
Shuzumu steps forward. “There’s no reason to interrupt our show with legal technicalities-“
She cuts him off, glancing at Kuzon. “Can you claim those credits if you’re abusing the animals?”
His golden eye glitters under the circus lights. A smile plays at his lips as he replies. “Nope, that’d be fraud. I promise you, the Fire Nation royal family would be very disappointed.”
“We don’t abuse animals here!” Hikari screeches. “Now get out or I’ll-“
“You’ll what?” June taunts, just because she can.
She flinches when he jerks the whip up and strikes, hurling flame straight at her face. Kuzon doesn’t. No, he simply lifts his own hand and-
Catches the fire?
He twists his wrist. Jerks his hand closer, in an unexpected direction. The flame comes free from Hiraka’s hand as Kuzon steals it, commandeering Hiraka’s whip and making it his own, as if fire has no choice but to follow his will. After a moment, he gives a stylish flick of his hand and extinguishes it.
The audience gasps. Then it bursts into chaos, Earth Kingdom spectators scrambling away from a possible firefight.
But before this can devolve into a brawl or worse, an Agni Kai, June steps forward. She doesn’t bother to speak over the din of the crowd. Shuzumu and Hikari can hear her just fine, and that’s what matters.
“You burn the fight out of all your animals. You tried to burn it out of me, too.” She doesn’t raise her voice. She doesn’t need to, when every quiet syllable drips poison. “But I made it. And I’ll be taking your stolen muslin now.”
They seem paralyzed. June decides to complete the effect, hitting them each with a shirshu venom dart. Nyla deserves his revenge too, she figures.
As they collapse frozen on the ground, she turns around to the panda dragon, which has now coiled itself into a tiny circle against the roof of the tent, as if a fifteen-foot creature of legend might just be overlooked and forgotten.
“Hey!” June tries calling it down. “Wildfire!”
It doesn’t notice her, much less come down.
Which is when Kuzon starts scaling the wooden tentpole. He ascends, climbing until he’s all the way at her level, black-and-white face just out of reach. June can’t hear him, but going by the expression on his face, he’s talking gentle nonsense, the way she does with Nyla.
Slowly, the panda dragon uncoils, and the flapping of her wings grows less frantic. Kuzon slides down the pole a few feet at a time, coaxing her into following him, until they’re both back on solid ground. Then he reaches out to lay a hand on her surprisingly furry face. June nearly warns him that his hand’ll get snapped off, but it doesn’t. The panda dragon just leans into his palm and lets out a pleased bleating sound, almost like laughter. He proceeds to walk right up to her, unwrapping the muslin, murmuring endearments and keeping her calm until the entire cloth’s come free.
June takes one last look around the tent. It’s as beautiful as she remembers, all rich reds and golden light. The list of acts has gotten more creative with time. The menagerie’s gotten bigger. The Golden Dragon Circus Troupe’s clearly doing well for itself.
She doesn’t care anymore. Her life’s got glamor all its own.
June turns on her heel, fully aware that Shuzumu’s face is right up against with her leather boots. They’re freshly polished just for today, perfectly tailored with golden accents and a secret compartment for a knife. They’re the kind of thing she dreamed of as a girl, and now she’s got them.
“Come on.” She swaggers out of the tent one last time. “We’ve got better places to be.”
/
June and Kuzon head back to town, muslin folded up neatly and hidden in the secret compartment in her boots. She’s taken the knife out, playing with it idly as they walk. Nyla’s still in his stable, entirely happy and unharmed, and they swing themselves onto his back. It’s an easy ride back to the tavern.
(June could make it back in time for half-price sake night.)
But a few miles out, a sudden yelp pierces the air. June twists around and sees a fifteen-foot panda dragon gaining on them, zooming through the air. Then it dives and lands right in front of Nyla, who skids to a stop just in time.
He growls at her.
She squeaks back.
Nyla lets out a puzzled rumble, like he’s not sure what to do with that, and tries sniffing her. But the panda dragon delicately steps around him, instead walking up to the saddle and placing her head squarely in Kuzon’s lap.
“Um,” he says.
June starts snickering.
“Did you know,” she remarks, “a panda dragon’s loyalty is unbreakable, once they’ve bonded to their master?”
Kuzon screws up his face in alarm. “I’m not a master of anything!”
“She seems to disagree.”
He grunts in displeasure, yet he doesn’t make any attempt to dislodge her. “I guess if she’s escaped the circus, we’ve got an obligation to help her...”
“Do we own a panda-dragon now?”
Kuzon doesn’t respond at first. He just buries both hands in the panda-dragon’s fur, scritching away, hands moving gently around the odd burnt patch. Under his hands she chirps and squeals and purrs, tail wriggling in delight.
“...We own a panda-dragon now.”
A couple years back, if someone tried to foist a large, stolen, potentially dangerous animal onto June, she would’ve screamed in their face. Now, she only gives a resigned snort.
She’s had good luck with strays.
/
June officially buys the town stable once and for all. Nyla curls up in his usual spot, while the panda-dragon stretches out across the hayloft. June frets for a second that there might not be anything to feed her; panda hybrids might demand a diet of bamboo.
Luckily, this panda hybrid’s inherited the carnivorous instincts of both its ancestors. June throws it the steak that was supposed to be Nyla’s breakfast tomorrow, and she tucks in with gusto. Kuzon dabs burn serum onto her injuries- all thankfully mild, likely to heal without scarring- and coos at her the whole way through.
Then the two of them head out to the tavern, claiming their usual table, and the usual cheers go up in greeting, and a waitress hurries right over with June’s usual cup of sake-
“Actually, I’ll try the green tea tonight.”
The entire tavern falls silent, staring at her. Kuzon’s staring at her.
“Hey,” she jokes, “dump a cup of sugar in, how bad could it be?”
“What happened?” one of the regulars asks, brow furrowed with concern. “You falling on hard times?”
Kuzon nods abruptly. “Yeah! Uh, she’s buying meat for two now, so-“
“You’re pregnant?” the entire tavern exclaims simultaneously.
June glares at Kuzon, who wisely shuts up, burying his face in his hands.
“Agni, no,” June hollers over the clamor. “I’m not pregnant. You all know I’m not into that kinda thing.”
“Then what?” comes the curious demand.
“Honest answer?” She shrugs. “I’m gonna clean myself up a bit. Set a better example for the kid I’ve got.”
“You’re trying to be a good role model, huh?”
On instinct June rolls her eyes, but the guy didn’t sound sarcastic. And then he’s raising his cup to her. She looks around, bewildered, as the whole tavern joins in. It’s a joke. It’s got to be. Then she turns to Kuzon.
He raises his own cup to her, golden eye sparkling. There’s no trace of sarcasm anywhere.