[Finished] To Air Temple Island!

[Narye Matsuya]

"Yeah... But it would be a hassle if I still taught over at the school. Ferry ride and all."

Zian was a good kid, trying to get Narye to stay at the Air Temple and all, but the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed to Narye that he would be taking up residence there. The final obstacle was the ferry ride. It was moderately fast, but it would still take him some time to get the school from the Temple. If only there was a faster alternative...

Narye stayed outside of Zian's room while he put the book away, a habit that he always had when it came other people's rooms. Instead he just leaned-in and took a peek around, noting that the sparse layout of the room was more in line with the monk lifestyle that Narye had envisioned. Seeing the lone picture on the desk made him wonder if Zian ever saw his family, or if something tragic had happened. Either way, it seemed waaay too personal a question to ask.

"Oh! Since you asked, I kind of, sort of really want to see if there are any Sky Bison in that barn you mentioned earlier. If we're allowed in there, of course."

For the first time since their meeting, Narye broke his professional, or professional-esque, demeanor when asking to see the Sky Bison. He looked and sounded like he was a kid trying to ask their parent for a treat or something. In his head, Narye was crossing his fingers in hopes that there was not some kind of restriction on the bison barn.

[Zian Chen]

"That's okay, it's up to you, what ever you think is easiest." he said, not wanting to seem like he was trying to pressure him in staying, though it would be pretty cool. But if not, that was okay, he was still going to be his teacher, and maybe sometime he could return the favor and give Zian a tour of the university. He had been in parts of it, but never had the pleasure of a full tour.

The young acolyte thought that it was very respectful that his guest hadn't come into his room. He had forgotten to offer, only because he was only intending on coming in here to drop something off quickly. But the fact that he didn't step foot into the living space without welcome put him even more in Zian's good books. He really liked people that had respect, it meant that you were aware of your surroundings, and how your actions affected others. It was always irritating when people were the opposite.

Zian's face beamed as his teacher asked him to see the bison barn. So they were starting off with the best part, just the way he liked it. He always loved showing off his Bison to others. They always seemed to amazed by him. And they had every right to be, the breed almost went extinct, and was still very rare, even among those who lived on the island. Bao was his best friend, had grown up with the beast. So he wanted Narye to meet him. "Great choice! My family actually has their own bison, his name is Bao. He's kind of lazy sometimes, and loves to eat a lot, but is really nice. We can go for a ride if you'd like as well, if you're okay with flying. Some people can't stand it, Bao's gotten throw up in his fur on more then one occasion." he said with a small laugh, also making a slight face at the gross memory he had just conjured up.

[Narye Matsuya]

Narye was giddy with excitement as followed his soon-to-be student through the Temple and back to the bison barn. Bouncing seemed to child-ish for him to express his anticipation, so he settled on a big grin and a general skip in his step.

"Really?"

His smile and eyes widened even more when Zian made the offer to go flying.

"You mean it? Ah, son, I'd love that!"

The whole comment about people having vomited on the Sky Bison known as "Bao" was brushed off without a thought. Narye did not know how he would fare in flight, and if he would join the ranks of those weak-stomached people, but he was confident in his abilities to not get motion sick. Plus, he felt too excited at the offer to go flying. He did not even consider if they had enough time. Though it hardly at this point. He wanted to get flying.

Owning a Sky Bison, and the inherent flying ability it possessed, seemed more than enough to outweigh whatever negative aspects that surely came with it. For Narye, working on a farm, he had to deal with all sort of farm animals and they were hassle without an amazing power to boot. Now if, say, his horse could fly, Narye would not have had a problem cleaning out its stall or feeding it.

[Zian Chen]

"Ah, you're going to have so much fun! Flying is just amazing, I love it so much. Once you get up there.. you just feel so free... like no one else really matters. You'll see." he told his teacher, leading them to the very familiar path from his room to the place where the bison were kept and cared for. "Just try not to think about getting motion sick, because then you'll just give yourself the symptoms. It's just best to keep your mind on other things. But you'll have a great view, so it shouldn't be too hard." not that he would be terribly troubled by cleaning throw up again, he didn't really want to, and wanted to try and take all measures to prevent it from happening. leading them to the barn, Zian opened up his arms, introducing the large area. "Welcome! This is where we keep the bison!" he stated obviously, running over to Bao, hugging the creature's big head, scrunching his thick fur between his fingers. It was such a nice, familiar feeling. "Hello Bao! I'm sorry I haven't been to visit you today!" he cooed to the animal, Bao growling happily at the sight of his master.

"Bao, this is Sifu Matsuya. Sifu Matsuya, this is Bao!" he introduced them formally with a small laugh, the bison letting out a low rumble in greeting to the new human. Taking one slow step towards the taller man, he lifted his great head, sniffing his hair a little. Zian laughed. "Hahah, I think he likes you!" petting Bao again, he walked over to his side. The Bison laid down to let them on easier, Zian clambering up his fur.

[Narye Matsuya]

"Flying sounds so... fantastic..."

Narye spoke with a dreamy tone in a voice, and why shouldn't he? Flying was just one of those things nearly everyone dreamed of, at least at one point in their lives or another. The zeppelins were great and all, but it just was not the same as just being out in the air like the Air Benders did with their gliders or on Sky Bison.

Upon entering the barn proper, Narye gaped at the sight of a real life Sky Bison, Bao. The creature was even bigger than he had anticipated, and he fully knew that they were large animals. Bao was as large, or perhaps larger, than most Satomobiles. His horns were much larger than the kind he had seen on bulls, and his feet were ponderous to say the least. It was a wonder that these Sky Bison could be tamed at all considering just how huge they were. But here it was, happily being hugged by a young boy and taking a step towards Narye.

It was almost too much and Narye reflexively made a move to retreat. But he stopped himself and stayed where he was as Bao sniffed his hair. The gesture comforted Narye and he immediately put a hand up to pet Bao's face fur. He had no idea it was so soft and fluffy.

"Wooooow. I just.... Wooow... Bao is... impressive, Zian. This is so cool."

Narye was having a good enough time just petting Bao and seeing the Sky Bison up close, to the point that he failed to notice Zian climb up on the creature. Only when Bao crouched down did Narye look up at Zian in the "saddle".

"Are you sure? I can actually ride on him?"

[Zian Chen]

Zian was glad that Narye wasn't scared by Bao, at least not for long. He looked a little bit reluctant for a moment, but took to him almost immediately. Sky bison were such gentle creatures, there was no need to be scared of them. The only time they're aggressive is if they feel threatened, but that took a lot in Bao's case. Just like the Air Nomads, they never attacked unless it was for self defense. It was a practice that a lot of people these days would do well to live by. The way of life definitely wasn't for everyone, but the teachings were applicable to everyone.

The young acolyte beamed as his teacher complimented the bison. He was definitely thankful to have him, he was a good pet and a great friend. More like part of his family, Zian had grown up with him, and couldn't remember a time when the large animal hadn't been a part of his life. He was definitely a very important part of Zian's life, he didn't know what he would do without Bao. Other then get around a lot less efficiently.

"Of course you can. Plus he wants to fly, right Bao?" he asked the bison, leaning over the side of the saddle to look at Bao's face. He let out a growl in agreeance to his owner's words. "He'll get restless if I don't take him out everyday. I was going to later on tonight, but there's not time like the present, right? He would be disappointed if we didn't take him out now, anyways, he already thinks we're going." He stretched down his hand to help Narye up into the saddle.

[Narye Matsuya]

"Ah. So you WANT to go flying, huh?"

Narye used both of his hands to ruffle Bao's fur like a child. He could admire that sentiment. If he had the ability to fly without any kind of outside influence or device, he would find any excuse throughout the day to go flying. Though it was probably more like how a dog or a horse needs to get some exercise everyday or they go nuts.

"Alright... Lets do this."

Zian's outstretched hand was taken by Narye as he did his best to climb up to the saddle. It took him a little bit because he was trying to not hurt Bao with his climbing and trying not to yank Zian down with his own strength and weight. But eventually he got and sat next to Zian without either of them falling back down onto the ground.

Now that he was sitting up there on the back of a Sky Bison, which was an experience unto itself, Narye started feeling the jitters. This was a familiar feeling. It was easy enough to not be scared beforehand, for almost anything, but once it was ACTUALLY happening... the realization of the situation would really hit home. Narye was about to go flying on a Sky Bison. Maybe he would get air sick after all....

"Okay. Zian... I think I'm ready..."

He hoped his student would start out slow.

[Zian Chen]

Bao let out a low, happy rumble as Narye pet his fur. He loved being pet by anyone. For being so large, the sky bison was so docile and loved being around humans, as long as they were treated well. They were amazing companions. For many years Bao was Zians only friend. It was only recently, within the past few years, he started really making friends on island. He had always been too young, and there were also no few other children. But Zian liked being alone most times, but enjoyed company a fair amount of time as well. It was just nice to have time to yourself, and Bao was the perfect one to spend that time with, as he couldn't talk, and didn't bother you unless he was hungry or restless.

"Okay! You ready!?" he said with an excited tone, his smile beaming, "Yip Yip, Bao!" it only took a second for them to get into the air, with a flick of the bison's huge tail. They soared upwards then steadied to a horizontal flight path as they went further from the buildings. The air was cool up here compared to the ground where the air was warm and sticky. "See, not so bad, right?" he asked, looking at his new teacher for the first time in their flight to check on him. Hopefully he was holding up okay.

[Narye Matsuya]

Narye took as best a seat as he could discern in the saddle of the Sky Bison. Sure it was essentially a small platform strapped to the back of the creature, but its... openness concerned Narye. There did not seem to be anyway to secure a person onto it, a feature that seemed important in an open-air flying platform. He just assumed that sitting as low as he could, and hanging on to the railing, would prevent him from being flung over backwards into the open sky. Feeling like he had settled-in behind Zian, he simply nodded his readiness.

Judging by Narye's expression he was excited to just be on the back of Bao the Sky Bison. But his white-knuckled grip on the railing and the couple beads of sweat on his brow showed that he was feeling a bit of the nerves. Maybe it should not have been so surprising when he let out a quick, sharp yelp when Bao took off with a single flap of his giant tail. It lasted only a second, to be quieted when Narye closed his mouth in embarrassment and looked away from Zian to avoid him seeing his reddened face.

But now he was looking over the side at the rapidly shrinking City and Island. His stomach tingled a little at the vertigo, but Narye was more amazed than anything else. It was almost too much to see, if that made any sense. So many sights in such a small space. The view was just... amazing. Soon his embarrassment was replaced with astonishment as his mouth hung agape, and he no longer felt scared about the whole flying deal.

"This is great!"

He did not mean for his reply to come out so loudly and so excitedly, but it was hard not to. He could see everything. The entirety of Air Temple Island. The tops of the tallest buildings in the City. All the many Satomobiles and people on the streets. He could see the full extent of the City park and the ships that were in the harbor. Looking upwards, he could see how the land and sea stretched into infinity to a gentle curve on the horizon. This is more than he had ever thought flying would ever be like, and he could not help himself.

"YEEEAAAAH!!!"

[Zian Chen]

Zian giggled as his teacher yelped on their ascent. He hoped he didn't embarrass him by laughing, he just found the situation so amusing. It was fun seeing someone first reaction to flying. He had been flying on Bao since before he was born, so never really got to experience a 'first flight'. Or at least was way too young to remember it. But it was something that so few humans got to experience, he now realized he took it for granted. Well he still appreciated Bao, and took good care of him, but felt like he didn't show as much appreciation as he could. Well at least he was sharing the experience with others.

After Bao was coasting at a good height, Zian put down the reins and clambered up to sit beside Narye as he let out a yell of joy. Zian laughed, happy that he was enjoying himself. Looks like he wasn't going to have to clean puke out of fur, which was relieving. "So what do you think? It's nice up here, right?" he asked as he leaned over the side of the saddle, looking down at the sparkling water. It looked so inviting, even from up here. Petting the bison's fur absentmindedly, he turned his attention from the landscape back to his teacher. "So what made you decide you wanted to be a teacher? I've always thought it would be fun, people say i'm bad at explaining things though, so I probably wouldn't be a very good one, right?" he asked with a small laugh. "Was it hard to become one?" he had a lot of other questions but held back with them for now, giving him time to answer the ones he'd already asked.