Avatar: The Last Airbender
Created by Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko
Book 3: Fire
Chapter 3: The God of Steel
Light blue reflections shimmered against the walls of the cave. Small drops of water sent cavernous echoes cascading around the smooth granite rock of the chamber, and thin channels of water trickled in streams around the cavern like veins. The shallow pools set into the rock around the circumference of the chamber gave the place the look of a bee-hive, which was exactly what it was. Inside the pools there swam, oblivious, tiny little creatures, white pebbles with purple tendrils snaking behind them, swirling in an energetic dance of youth. Opposite the bright, circular entrance was an identically-structured darkened passageway, too narrow for humans to squeeze through, from which small channels of water snaked around to replenish the pools with fresh nutrients. The entire structure of the caverns was identical to a bee-hive, except considerably wetter, much less sticky, and on top of everything else a breathtakingly wondrous monument to everything that was good about nature.
Not that it stopped people searching for honey.
A watertight bag scooped up the contents of one of the nearby shallow pools, and a strong, muscled hand gripped the opening of the bag, quickly fastening it with rope. The man that the bag belonged to, a strong, brown-haired man who looked like he spent so much time scheming things that he'd never had a chance to bathe, smiled greedily from ear to ear. Accompanying him were two companions, one a tall, lean, meticulous man, and the other a shorter, wiry, paranoid man who jumped at every drip that fell from the cavern walls.
"I fail to see how this is supposed to make up for our sunken spice smuggling operation," the tall one was unafraid to speak his mind even as he prepared a bag to stuff in another lot of swimming tendril-things.
"How do you feel about retiring at 25?" the gleaming, unclean man was in an unconquerably good mood.
"But…I am 25…" the tall one paused to wonder where this was going.
"Exactly," the unclean one chuckled, rubbing the side of the bag as if it held pure gold, "Dao my friend, feast your eyes on the spawning pools of the Shachihoko. The price these little critters fetch on the black market is extortionate. They're some of the rarest creatures in the world, surrounded by all kinds of myths and tales. People will pay a fortune just for one, and here we are getting dozens of them! I dare say I've outdone myself…"
"That's not really an achievement, Zei," Dao drawled, scooping up his own bag of young Shachihoko, "and I'm fairly certain a fair few number of people would have tried to raid the Yalu Pillars by now if small fortunes were such easy pickings."
"This is a terrible idea. A terrible, terrible, awful, hideously bad idea!" the short one waved his battle-axe in various directions, sweating profusely and wanting, with worryingly schizophrenic intensity, to either run away as fast as possible or skewer as many people in his way as possible, whichever one made him feel more secure about himself, "we'regonnabegilletedwe'regonnabegilletedwe'regonnabegilletedwe'regonnabe…"
"No one's gonna be gilleted, sheesh…" Zei laid his bag on the ground to ready another bag, "and if anyone does get gilleted, Ze, it'll be because you're the one who gillets them, so relax."
"Don't tell me to relax!" Ze wailed, "my mama used to tell me stories about this place, about the creatures who live here. Shachihoko can appear in your dreams, make your body do things against its will, and think about it, they're completely made of water! That's…creepy!"
"Tell me, in these stories your mama told you, did the Shacihoko gobble you up because you didn't brush your teeth, go to bed on time or do your homework?" Zei dipped another bag into a shallow pool, while the wiry one seemed to relax his battle-axe in contemplation.
"Actually…yeah…they did," Ze spoke contemplatively.
"They're just ghost stories, for La's sake," Zei tied up another bag, "your mama told you them so you'd behave. Think about it, when was the last time you brushed your teeth?"
"Uh…I don't think I've any teeth left to brush…" Ze licked his irregularly-distributed molars.
"Did your homework?" Zei turned aside.
"I dropped out of school, you remember that," the short one lowered his axe and peered at the unclean one.
"Went to bed on time?" Zei leaned on the edge of the pool.
"I always stayed up late because you were always keeping me out late helping you steal things," Ze turned entirely towards the planner.
"And have you been eaten?"
"………uhhhh………no?"
"There we go! You have no reason to be afraid whatsoever!" Zei smiled triumphantly, laying the second bag on the floor, "we can get all the Shachihoko we want, sell them to the highest builder and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of our days. You can even give your dear mama that holiday home she always wanted."
"That said, there must be some reason why no one's tried this before…" Dao commented, tying up a second bag.
"Because the Yalu Pillars are under the Avatar's protection," Zei spoke matter-of-factly, preparing another bag.
"What!?" Ze's paranoia was energised, and he squeezed his battle-axe close to him. Dao, similarly annoyed, dropped his bag on the floor as a measure of dignified alarm.
"When were you planning on telling us this!?" Dao directed a stern accusation at the still-smiling Zei. The unclean man opened his arms and simply smiled further.
"Relax! The Avatar's settling some dispute between city-states on the other side of the continent," Zei reasoned, turning back to the shallow, reflective pools, "even the Avatar can't be in two places at once."
"Maybe not, but I can be very quick," a soft, authoritative voice spoke from behind the three. A heartbeat passed as the three stood rooted to the spot in terror. Slowly turning, the three saw a figure framed by the light streaming in from outside. The figure stood astride the entrance with her staff set into the ground, partially blocking the light, and while her fierce stare was hard to make out, it was impossible to ignore once it was.
They gulped in unison. They'd met Avatar Yang Chen before, but that wasn't too unusual. Everyone in the world had seen the Avatar at least once, either in the process of being saved or being the one she saved people from. They all knew the life expectancy of those who fell into the latter category. After a suitable period of time engrossed in awe, Zei's self-defence mechanisms kicked into gear.
"Look, I know what this looks like, but…it isn't! Really!" Zei coughed to stop himself from trembling, "I was…we were…we just wanted to…uh…feed the cute little critters! That's right! These are sacks of food here, just little tiny things for the kids to gobble up. Eheh…not Shachihoko-spawn. Definitely not Shachihoko-spawn…"
"It is my duty as Avatar to protect the Balance of Nature," Avatar Yang Chen was not in the mood for playing word games, "the Shachihoko of the Yalu Pillars, unique in all the world, are vital to the Balance. I have promised to protect them, and here, today, I re-pledge my promise."
The Avatar stepped into the cavern, her voice echoing around the chamber and into their minds. Her robe trailed behind her, her staff knocked the floor of the chamber, her pace assertive, and her stare unmoving beneath the blue arrow on her forehead. The great arbiter of all man, nature and divinity, higher than any authority, marched towards the group of three, "on my word as Avatar, I will protect the sanctity of the Sachihoko's home, and the safety of their young, from the ravages of mankind. And that includes idiots like you," Yang Chen stopped a short distance before the gang of three, her voice level and calm, "you will return the young and report yourselves to the authorities."
"Listen! It was all his idea!" Dao protested, stepping away from Zei, "we were dragged into it against our will! If we had known, we'd never have…"
The Avatar's eyes glowed, and a thousand people across a thousand ages spoke:
I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF.
The three men cowered under the most awesome stare in human experience, and rapidly emptied the contents of the bags into the shallow pools. They ran past Yang Chen, leaving most of their belongings behind, and the Avatar Spirit relaxed its indignation once the three hoodlums were safely out of sight.
Left alone with nothing except the young and the constant drip-drip cascading around the cavern walls, Yang Chen paused and sighed. Glancing down at a leftover puddle from the gang's hurried exit, she noticed a tiny little thing swirling around inside the confines of the blotch of water. Smiling, the Air Nomad knelt down to collect a part of the puddle in her hands, bringing the small, pebble-like creature to a nearby shallow pool. Depositing the young Shachihoko into the pool, she leant on the side to look at the tiny thing swirling and swimming with its siblings.
It was a sight to behold, this place. She made a note to come here more often. Yang Chen picked up her staff to leave, walking towards the entrance.
Thank you, Avatar.
Yang Chen spun around, looking for where that strange sound had come from. It didn't sound like…sound. With no source to pin her senses on, her eyes passed over the dark passageway from which the water flowed. For a moment, in the blink of an eye, she thought she saw a pale face. A mask. But she couldn't see anything, and being alone with the echoing drip she shrugged it off and walked back towards the light.
Grateful creatures saw her go, and remembered the Avatar's promise.
500 Years Later…
The crow-gulls were getting loud this summer. Such were the thought processes going on underneath the wide-rimmed of the thin-faced, thin-moustached, thin-bearded old gentleman playing Pai-Sho by himself on the sea-front. In spite of the War, Naha Island was always popular in the Summer months, and with the New Peace the island promised to be particularly swamped. In light of this, the gentleman couldn't help but consider the 'New Peace' to be rather ironically named.
He'd intentionally picked a part of the sea-front away from the overcrowded beaches, opposite a tea-shop well-known by connoisseurs and largely unknown by anyone else, but the place was still unusually popular, as the tables either side of him were stacked with fresh visitors, and the gang of young men attempting to out-do each other in tensing their arm muscles on a table opposite were being especially annoying. He enjoyed it better when there was little but the crashing rocks to provide him with company, but nothing was getting in the way of his mid-afternoon playing session. It was his favourite ritual, right after his lunch-time and mid-morning playing sessions.
Beyond the wall that separated his table from the jagged rocks at the island's edge, a wide channel of water stretched from horizon to horizon, interrupted by a rocky edifice that marked the closest point of Ainu Island to Naha. The overbearing, curled cliff-face, several li in the distance, was his constant companion as he played. He liked to think of it as the opposite player. For that reason, the shadow passing over his table, and the tile that represented his most closely-held ideals being placed gingerly in the centre of the board, didn't come nearly as much of a shock to him as it otherwise might have.
"Ah, I see you prefer the White Lotus tile," the gentleman remarked to the friendly, portly fellow sitting opposite him, smiling underneath a broad-rimmed conical hat of his own.
"I don't know, I'm wondering if I'm starting to become predictable," the portly man wondered.
"It is the nature of the White Lotus defence to be unpredictable," the thin-faced Pai Sho player assured, moving his opposing piece, "it would be a contradiction in terms to be predictably unpredictable."
"Good news for me, then," the portly man moved forward another piece, "I hope I'm not intruding on your time."
"Not at all, I always value a good challenge," the old man reached for another piece before retracting his hand, bringing it up to his forehead as if remembering something, "oh, but where are my manners! I'll get you some tea. Ginseng is your favourite, isn't it?"
"Mmm…thank you, but I'd much prefer Oolong," the cheerful man requested, to the Naha resident's confusion.
"I thought you didn't like Oolong?" the thin-faced man wondered.
"Correction, Iroh doesn't like Oolong," General Iroh gave his orders, "but I like Oolong so much that I think I'll have a pot of it."
"Predictably unpredictable indeed…" the thin-faced man smiled deviously, holding up a hand and calling to a nearby waitress, "oh…service!? A pot of Oolong tea for my guest, please? You can put it on my tab."
"Yes, Mister Rozu!" the young waitress curtseyed and ran into the shop to comply with her customer's request.
"Hey! How come he's getting served before us!?" a young, slender, angry-looking man yelled from the midst of his gang clustered around a table on the other side of the courtyard. The waitress made a conscious effort to ignore them and keep walking.
"Because he said 'please'! Damn tourist…" the waitress responded angrily, in a complete u-turn to her attitude towards the two Pai Sho players. Iroh chuckled, then sighed wistfully, and Rozu turned back towards his guest.
"Reminiscing about lost youth?" Rozu moved a piece absent-mindedly and smiled, leaning on the table in Iroh's direction.
"No, just thinking back to when I had a teashop," Iroh spoke sorrowfully. Upon Rozu's stifled giggle, Iroh turned back, pushed a piece to one side on the board and confronted Rozu, "so is there a story behind 'Mister Rozu'?"
"I just go by 'Rozu', she added the 'Mister' part," Rozu mulled over his next move, "but I noticed that you were interested in this 'Iroh' character."
"Absolutely!" Iroh smiled. He enjoyed games of all kinds, "I'm especially interested in who the Firelord is sending to capture this dastardly fiend."
"Word is the Firelord's pretty upset over it, what with the Blue Spirit breaking right into the Royal Dungeons to release him," Rozu revealed. Iroh kept a straight face, as he was determined for Zuko's identity to remain a closely-guarded secret for now. Rozu continued, "apparently the Firelord is sending his own child to track the General down."
Iroh raised an eyebrow, "so he's getting chased by Azula again?"
"No, uh…" Rozu slid another piece forward, slowly and decisively, "I meant the…other…child…"
Iroh stared at his Pai Sho opponent in disbelief, and as soon as he was certain that the man really wasn't joking his head impacted against the metal table, sending Pai Sho tiles scattering and cups clattering. He wailed, "what is wrong with the boy!?"
"I blame the parents, personally," Rozu remarked calmly as he put the Pai Sho pieces back in their right places. Iroh looked up, wondering if that was a subtle dig against himself, but his annoyance never came to fruition as his attention was distracted by the unmistakeable scent of tea only a few inches from his nose.
"A pot of tea for your guest, Mister Rozu!" the cheerful young waitress smiled, setting the tea set in front of Iroh, whose mood immediately lightened at the proximity of delicious leaf-strained goodness. Then he remembered it was Woolong. Iroh shrugged, there were worse ways to spend one's time.
"Thank you kindly, young one," Iroh smiled approvingly.
"What did I tell you? They have excellent service," Rozu also nodded, and the young waitress blushed before retreating shyly from the table. Rozu added, "incessant tipping also helps."
"How are you able to afford it?" Iroh pondered, picking up his game where he left off, "in all the time I've known you I've seen you do nothing except sit here and watch the waves crashing and the physiques of young waitresses."
"Soldiers' pension," Rozu smiled, returning Iroh's move, "two soldiers' pensions, actually. Only a minor abuse of my privileges."
"I don't think membership of what used to be my spy ring counts as a privilege," Iroh poured a cup of Oolong, "but now I find myself extremely grateful that you all decided to stick around."
"We all have to help each other in these troubled times," Rozu considered, "especially since the times have become rather more troubled than typical."
"Elaborate," Iroh ordered, having to juggle the conversation, playing a game of Pai Sho and cooling off a cup of tea simultaneously.
"Azula's strangle-hold over the Earth Kingdom is tightening with every passing day," Rozu explained, "communication links have been strengthened, feudal lords brought into line, and the last few dissenters are being crushed, one by one. The Earth Kingdom population is still completely ignorant about who's calling the shots at all levels. The Fire Nation population is little better off. But there are more worrying things. According to the New Peace all the Prisoners of War should have been released, but whole swathes of them have disappeared, on both sides. As far as anyone's concerned they've all been released, with no documentation to the contrary."
"Disappeared where?" Iroh asked.
"No one knows. And that's not the only thing that's disappeared," Rozu leaned over, "have you ever heard of Pingfang Bay?"
"Sure, lovely sandy beaches, went on holiday there once," Iroh cocked an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat, "why do you ask?"
"You see, that makes you unique amongst the peoples of the Fire Nation," Rozu got to the point, "because no one else has ever heard of Pingfang Bay. It's not even like it's guarded or being kept a secret. It's just completely dropped out of public memory, disappeared off all the maps."
"This isn't a Base 77 fairy tale is it?" Iroh remarked sceptically.
"Who knows? But those Prisoners of War must have gone somewhere," Rozu remarked, the crow-gulls providing a soothing backdrop to some difficult conversation, "we have the space of a summer before Sozin's Comet arrives, and yet its purpose seems to be rapidly becoming redundant. What else can we use it for?"
"I'd much rather we not use it at all," Iroh sipped on his tea contemplatively, "if my brother is intent on certifying his power then I fear the consequences not only for the rest of the world, but for the Fire Nation itself. Without the Balance we are doomed as a species, and in any case…this…is the best Oolong tea I have ever tasted. How did you find it!?"
"I couldn't have without your guidance," Rozu was eminently pleased with Iroh's reaction, "it took some time, but I know good tea when I taste it."
"My friend, I have nothing left to teach you…" Iroh smelt the alluring aroma of the tea, and put the cup back down after taking another sip, ready for refilling, "so what is going on with the Society itself?"
"It's getting a little patchy these days, thanks for asking," Rozu reported, "natural consequence of coming up against an opponent with far more resources and just as much smarts as ourselves."
"You mean the Dai Li?" Iroh guessed, pushing his pieces a little further to the other end of the board.
"That network was our undoing the last time we came across it," Rozu confirmed testily, knowing when he'd been outwitted, "now that they have a hold across the entire Kingdom, it's gotten even worse. A couple of our members have been captured already. We've instituted so many checks to make sure our friends minds are still there that it's become nearly impossible to gain accurate information on what Azula is up to."
"The Dai Li are loyal only to her," Iroh considered.
"But at least there's a network out there who's loyal only to you," Rozu spoke with his voice lowered, earnestly and urgently, "we know the circumstances of Ozai's usurpation like the back of our hands! We have infiltrated every nook and cranny of the Fire Nation! We can take it back, and make the world right again!"
"Sure, we can poke our heads over the parapet to get them sliced off," Iroh riposted, "please, I trained you better than that. We're far more useful to each other as we are, keeping our heads down and acquiring information. That's why we're a society. We are all each other's equals in trying to survive, not someone's personal army. Bombing bridges and sinking ships is a game for the young."
"What's the point of having the White Lotus Society if we never use it?" Rozu asked rhetorically, "every one of us is committed to your cause, Fire Lord Iroh! We know your rightful place is on the throne of the Fire Nation. Just give the word and we'll lead the way to your restoration!"
"I was never Fire Lord, Rozu," Iroh looked down at the Pai Sho board sadly, "and it's an honour that you all think so highly of me. But you can't keep deluding yourselves. I was never Fire Lord material. I have no wish to rule, no need of power. I just want to live the rest of my life in peace."
"You denigrate yourself far too much, General," Rozu spoke reverentially.
"You think?" Iroh responded, looking his Pai Sho opponent in the eye, "the world has no place for one who has seen too many autumn leaves fall. I'm a decrepit, stupid old man. I'd never last five minutes in the viper's nest of the Fire Palace. If I were to recommend anyone, it'd be young Prince Zuko…if he wasn't so schizophrenic about his decisions at any rate."
"Are you really sure about that?" Rozu questioned.
"I've only recently come to realise that he doesn't want the same things that I do," Iroh was lost in his own considerations as he looked at the birds lonesome calls over the sea, from which there slowly emerged a great red hawk, a tiny pin-prick on the horizon, "or, wait, that he didn't want the same things Lu Ten did. Zuko holds an earnest desire to do something with his life. Maybe being Fire Lord is what will satisfy that desire? Though hopefully it won't involve giving my brother my severed head. That's a thought, why don't you try getting Zuko on the throne? It would stop him getting me."
"I don't think that's a good idea at all," Rozu shook his head, "do you want to know why the illustrious Prince Zuko is intent on chasing you now?"
"I'm all ears," Iroh replied honestly, turning his attention away from the slowly approaching hawk flying over the sea.
"He's only chasing after you because he thinks you can lead him to the Avatar," Rozu revealed. After Iroh blinked a couple of times, Rozu elaborated, "the Avatar who happens to be dead."
"You don't put much stock in the possibility that my nephew's not a deluded obsessive unable to face facts, then?" Iroh raised both his eyebrows.
"Haven't seen much evidence to the contrary," Rozu explained, "he hasn't been seen in nearly three weeks. We tracked his companions flying from the East of the Earth Kingdom to somewhere around the Northern Air Temple. No word on them since. As far as we can gather, that's exactly the same information the Dai Li have. And their information trumps ours. They have a statement straight out the Waterbender's mouth that he died in Ba Sing Se."
"I see," Iroh spoke downcastedly. He had witnessed the Avatar's injuries himself, and had tried to give both him and the Waterbender time to escape. His sacrifice had been in vain after all.
"However…" Rozu's voice piqued as he acted like he just remembered something, "I have heard something rather peculiar. A few hours ago, actually. Apparently, just this morning, there was an arrest somewhere in the Territories. A juvenile delinquent…apparently he was part of this Earth Kingdom guerrilla cell…was detained when he turned up in main street, Ryojun, having some kind of nervous breakdown. He was ranting and raving at a group of Fire Nation civilians, claiming one of them was the Avatar, talking about 'taking on the Fire Nation together'. This was a group of four, consisting of two teenagers and two children. They ignored him and moved on, but I recall that one of these children was a small boy, aged around 12, with unusually short hair."
"Uh-huh…" Iroh leaned in closer, "and I don't suppose you have any more information on this group of four, do you?"
"Not right now, but I may just have something for you in a few moments," Rozu smiled, looking out at sea and the giant red hawk that was flapping quickly to a halt before the Pai Sho player's outstretched arm. The large bird clutched onto Rozu's forearm and closed its eyes as the thin-faced man stroked her back. After a short while of appreciative petting, Rozu removed a slip of parchment from the hawk's leg and unfurled it, scanning it quickly before reporting, "they're about to board a ship headed towards this very island. I take it you're interested in providing these sightseers with a guided tour?"
Iroh's smile, so fresh on his face, regrettably turned into a frown, and the General leaned back, "my nephew's plan is to follow me so I lead him to the Avatar. If he is alive, I'd be jeopardising his safety if I were to linger around long enough for Zuko to catch up with me."
"Something tells me you can take your time. Apparently the High Council has assigned the Rough Rhinos to assist Zuko in his search, leaving the kid sitting around twiddling his thumbs until they return from overseas. The Generals probably did that for the express purpose of frustrating the Prince," Rozu petted the hawk and fed him a handful of birdseed that he'd mysteriously produced from a back pocket somewhere, "that said, I agree with you. Staying in one place for any length of time is dangerous, no matter how helpful the pursuers are."
"Very well…I'd better be going, then," Iroh leaned on the table to stand fully upright, "I could drink the contents of this tea-shop dry, but I'm just going to have to put aside my habits for another time."
"You don't want to finish our game?" Rozu asked in disappointment, drawing a curious glance from Iroh.
"I already did. I checkmated you two minutes ago," Iroh pointed out.
"What? No you didn…" Rozu looked down at the board, and his face fell as he realised that no matter what move he made, his defeat was inevitable, "…okay. How did you…?"
"When this mysterious group of sightseers gets to Naha Island, it'll be the collective responsibility of the White Lotus Society to help them anyway we can," Iroh concentrated on their mission at hand, giving orders and yet not. The only authority he claimed was the authority of the Balance. Rozu petted the hawk sullenly.
"If they get to Naha Island…" Rozu muttered, perching the hawk on the sea wall.
"What do you mean?" Iroh asked.
"Attacks on shipping in the Mo Ce Sea have spiked in the last couple of weeks," Rozu faced his former commanding officer, "it's not safe for ships to travel even with escort these days."
"We've always had attacks on shipping," Iroh interrogated, "what makes these attacks so unique?"
"It's hard to find anything about them in common with other attacks," Rozu explained, "no one knows who's behind them, but what they have in common is that the ships have been ripped apart from the inside out. The authorities haven't been able to get anything resembling a reliable testimony of these attacks. It's not like they're especially lethal, it's just that precious few of the survivors come out of them…sane."
"I see…" Iroh bowed his head, seeming to know something Rozu didn't, "the birds are pecking us now they've found their nests destroyed. We're finally paying the price for the havoc we've unleashed on the balance of nature."
"…pardon?" Rozu asked, confused.
Iroh, lost in thought for a second, abruptly realised Rozu had asked a question, "oh! Sorry…my mind drifted elsewhere. We can't afford to do that too often in the next few days. I'll be keeping on my toes to prevent Zuko from following, and I'd recommend the…uh…'visitors' to do the same."
"I'll inform the rest of the Society," Rozu took out a scrap of parchment and a piece of charcoal from the infinite regresses of his clothing, beginning to scrawl the calligraphy in intense concentration before looking up again, uncertainly, "so…um…what should I say if anyone asks about you?"
"Tell them…" Iroh paused to look out over the sea, watching the crow-gulls flutter through the gap between the islands, gazing over the horizon and its rocky interruption, "tell them that…if they seek the dragon, he has returned to his keep."
"Oooooh…descriptive and vague! It'll keep them stumped for days!" Rozu smiled as he scribbled.
"That's the intention," Iroh smiled in unison, "though…be sure to give our friends some broad hints at least, okay?"
"For certain!" Rozu rolled up the parchment to attach it to the hawk's leg, "and so, my friend, would you say this little mid-afternoon gathering has been productive or worrying?"
"Well, whatever the consequences of the time being spent…" Iroh began.
"…any time spent with agreeable company is time well made?" Rozu hazarded a guess.
"Now, see, what do you people need me for? You know everything you need," Iroh responded genially, "be sure to extend my complements to the tea-maker."
Iroh bowed his head respectfully, as an equal, and departed the courtyard. Rozu watched him leave with a grin fixed on his face, chin leaning on the back of his joined hands. As the General disappeared into the crowd just outside the courtyard, indistinguishable from the mass, Rozu said quietly to himself, "if the tea-maker only knew what that complement meant, it'd be the pinnacle of his life."
Rozu took the hawk in both hands, petting it softly. Still smiling, he launched the bird into the air from where he was sitting, and the hawk immediately beat her wings to gain lift. Rozu looked on silently and pleasingly, as the mighty bird flew out to join the calling crow-gulls, becoming a smaller and smaller speck over the Mo Ce Sea.
What was it, Aang thought? What was making everything look so red? It was like every area the Fire Nation inhabited had a filter attached to it. He remembered it when he was in the Fire Nation, a lifetime ago, and now he was seeing it here, in the waiting room for the ferry that would take him back there, nestled inside the Fire Nation colony port of Ryojun. It might have just been the materials the Fire Nation used, but he was starting to wonder if they treated the air with something as well. Or it could have been because they'd only gotten a few hours sleep and he was staring through bloodshot eyes. He didn't feel that tired, but he was aware, in the tenuous link he still maintained with his body, that he very much should be.
Everyone else dealt with their tiredness the way Team Avatar always did…getting annoyed.
"So, now we've gotten over so many hurdles to get to the Fire Nation," Katara pulled one of her newly-acquired bangs out of her eyes, "can someone now explain to me…as in, the only one of us who isn't exactly sold on the idea…what we're supposed to do when we get to the Fire Nation?"
"Find Iroh," Toph rolled her unseeing eyes, red trousers crossed over each other in impatience, "feel happy I'm not throwing in a 'well, duh'."
"Guyyyys, not so loud, there are people sitting right next to us," Sokka was fiddling with his top-knot to try to make it stay, but slapped his arms next to his sides and sat straight up in his red tunic in an attempt to look inconspicuous, "we're…er…we're gonna go see the sights and return to our good old Fire Nation territory homestead with lots and lots of souvenirs, aren't we, Kazuki?"
"Probably, but it's a good question to ask," Aang scratched his itchy scalp, hidden underneath his short crop of hair, "I've only the vaguest idea of the place we're gonna end up in, and our…um…'friend' is probably not going to be an easy man to find."
"Moan, grumble, whine, will you all look on the bright side!?" Sokka spread his arms out and smiled broadly, "we're heading to the Fire Nation!"
Sokka's arms spread out into the stuffy, cramped waiting room, a humid place to wait in during the summer afternoon, with the sunlight beaming through slits in the walls making the dust glow and illuminating the mass of grumbling holidaymakers, obnoxious kids and overstressed staff. Katara, her head leant on her hand, her arm leant on the corner of the bench, looking at the teeming mass of parasites crowding her vision, couldn't raise the merest hint of a smile, speaking venomously, "…hoorayyyyy…"
"Isn't it three 'o clock yet? My feet are getting atrophied from wasting away in this dump," Toph groaned, throwing her head back on her crossed arms. This exasperated statement made Aang cease scratching his head, as a thought entered into it.
"Uh…'Ming Zhi'…" Aang leaned forward in concern, "are you sure you want to get started that soon? I mean…the ship is gonna be made of metal."
A huge, devilish smile crossed Toph's relaxed face, and she said confidently, "then the ship is gonna be my plaything."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Aang looked from Toph to Sokka in confusion. Sokka, who had been confused at Aang's reaction, suddenly realised what he was confused about, and smiled a friendly smile himself as he brought his arm around Aang's shoulders.
"Ohoh! I just remembered we haven't shown you what our little Earthbending prodigy can do now!" Sokka put an arm around Toph's shoulders as well and jerked her to one side, "she's just a well of talent, ain't she?"
Toph, blushing profusely, screwed her face in anger and shunted Sokka away with both her arms, "I'm not your property, sheesh. I discovered I could bend metal on my own, there's no 'our little' anything."
Aang jerked himself out of Sokka's grasp in a physical manifestation of his shock, "woah, wait…hold up…you can bend metal!?"
"Haven't had much chance to practice, what with fleeing for our lives and everything over the last few weeks," Toph smiled and cracked her knuckles in an unconvincing show of modesty, "but yeah. I've just discovered, quite by chance, that I am even more awesome than I thought I was."
"That's great!" Aang smiled at Toph's confidence, "that'll be really helpful if we run into trouble on the trip!"
"Yeah…great help…as we're travelling in a little tin can that just so happens to be going over a big, watery sea," Katara bitterly laid out her territory against the upstart interloper.
"Oh! Eh…well…I didn't just mean her, obviously!" Aang winced as he defended himself, "I mean, you're all helpful, in every way. You're all such great, helpful, kind, powerful…friends! I couldn't have done anything without you guys!" Aang's friendly face fell, and melancholy weighted his eyes downward towards the tiled floor. He slumped back into the bench, feeling with one hand the scar on his back, "especially now I can't do anything period."
Katara, recognizing that melancholy when she heard it, popped out of her funk in an instant and turned to Aang, looking apologetic, "I…I'm sorry A…Kazuki…I didn't mean it to sound that way…"
"No, it's okay," Aang smiled weakly, turning back to Katara, "I need you all more than ever now. And I'm thankful for every day we do need each other. It keeps us together."
"Yeah…" Katara smiled back. They looked at each others' eyes warmly. Crisis over with, Katara turned to Sokka, still smiling. Aang's gaze lingered, and his smile began feeling forced. Katara spoke to Sokka, "and…yeah…I know we have to go to the Fire Nation. For Kazuki's sake. But…maybe we can start thinking about practicalities? Kazuki knows what the Fire Nation looked like a hundred years ago, but we're gonna need something a bit more…current."
"Look…'Ursa'…I do get that we need something more than blind luck once we get across the sea," Sokka appealed, "but if the last week has taught us anything, it's that not everyone in the Fire Nation is…" Sokka looked around and spoke more quietly, "…evil. If we can find friends, helpers, people opposed to the Fire Lord, we can…you know…get a network set up. Find out information on fugitives, opponents…who knows, maybe even…war prisoners? Maybe?"
"Ambitious much?" Toph scoffed, "sorry to burst your bubble, 'Gameshin', but we don't have any friends as it is, and we're not even on enemy territory yet."
"I don't know, it's not a bad plan," Katara shrugged, "sure, it's not a brilliant plan either, but we know there are people in the Fire Nation opposed to the Fire Lord. Like the Blue Spirit…"
"We can't trust the Blue Spirit…" Aang spoke with heavy finality, arms crossed and looking distinctly pouty. No one else was entirely sure how to respond to what seemed a blatantly unfounded statement. Katara was especially puzzled.
"What have you got against him, anyway?" Katara wondered, "every time we mention the name you get all upset."
"Because we can't trust him," Aang looked over angrily at the rest of the raised-eyebrowed group and realised he needed something better approaching a justification. He spouted, "he's unreliable! For all we know he's probably out for his own self-interest!"
"Well, to be fair, some of the stories I heard about him involved stealing stuff from honest, hard-working folk," Toph shrugged, "I put it down to myth-gossip."
"You see!?" Aang ranted, "he's just a trumped-up thief! He's got an agenda, and it ain't ours!"
"Don't look a gift ostrich-horse in the beak," Sokka preached, "he's freed your future teacher and has a long track record of Fire Nation-opposing. It's not like we've had the luxury of picking and choosing, in case you didn't notice the big hole in the ground where Yuung's thugs used to be."
"We have to give him a chance. There must be a little good left in the Fire Nation," Katara considered, "it's not like any of us have ever met him, have we?"
"…we! …I! …eh! …ugh…" Aang flailed before admitting defeat and collapsing back into the bench. He thought to himself, why was he keeping Zuko's identity a secret? None of the reasons he told himself seemed entirely sufficient. Was it as simple as wanting to give Zuko a chance? Or was it trying to deny he had the capacity to do good? There were so many conflicting motives that he decided the best thing to do was to keep silent.
"I know I'm the first to say the Fire Nation are pretty much universally a pack of vipers," Sokka answered Katara's earlier enquiry, "but don't say I'm a man immune to evidence. Ming Zhi's gained a new favourite uncle, and I'm sure he'd appreciate you more than the other guy he used to be the favourite uncle of…"
"One more syllable and I'm cramming it back down your throat," Katara reacted unexpectedly angrily to Sokka's statement. Sokka looked eminently in the mode to tease but a quick study of the fierceness etched into the Waterbenders' features dissuaded him. She'd crouched up into the bench with her arms wrapped around herself. She looked sincerely hurt. Aang glanced over and wondered, as he had wondered ever since he'd seen the two of them in the Old City of Ba Sing Se. There were so many connections, and as the Avatar he was meant to be able to distance himself from them, to see them in isolation. It was something that sometimes got easier and sometimes got harder, ever since that same day in the Old City when he died. Right now he was too angry to entertain these thoughts for too long. He wasn't even sure what he was angry at.
He just felt like he was about to burst into flames.
Things settled down, as they usually did, and the hubbub of the waiting room that had allowed the four of them to argue about sedition against the state in a crowded room died down very suddenly. A small gong was hit five times in quick succession to gather everyone's attention. Bright light entered as a pair of sliding wooden doors was half-slid open at the far end of the waiting room, revealing the dockside and bright blue sky beyond. The same woman they'd reserved with yesterday was standing at the door with a scroll and ink nib at hand, and announced, "the next ferry to Naha Island will be docking in a few minutes. Now's the time to pick up your reservations and purchase your tickets. Form an orderly line, please! If I see people rushing forward and getting their faces smashed against the central pillar, you are not getting compensation, understand!?"
Truth be told, there was something of rush towards the door, but the woman's announcement slowed them down considerably before any accidents could accrue. That didn't stop the Avatar's group from ending up almost dead last in the line, however, despite Sokka's desperate attempts to get everyone on their feet in seven seconds flat. Aang was having to do little hops over the rows of heads to so much as see the door. After waiting hours on end for a place in the line, waiting for even longer as the reservations were rolled out one by one was getting towards riotous conditions. Several mutters of "damn attacks", "if they'd caught them by now we wouldn't have to be waiting here" and "probably just an excuse to swindle us" could be heard. The fuming of the passengers cancelled out the fresh breeze of the open door in maintaining the room's oven-like conditions.
The reservations were trundled out one by one. Ration books were returned to their owners, home ownership deeds were stuffed into luggage, and various pets were led back into their carrying baskets for travel. The woman had an excellent memory for whose item's was whose, which came in handy for those people in queue who didn't make reservations at all and just picked whatever random object was trundled out first. Every person who'd thought they'd sneak into a trip back to the mother country was the subject of gloating from those still in the line as each made their disappointed way back out. As the line trundled slowly forward, Toph could recognise a small patter of footsteps on the other side of the wall. She realised who it was before his name was called out.
"Nandi! Your parents have come to collect you!" the ticket woman called out behind the door, and into vision pattered the cheerful scruffy-haired boy Toph had permanently stamped as a monster in her tactile image of the universe. He was clutching in one hand a stack of cards, using that arm as a rest for the fuzzy little critter resting contentedly in a curled-up position. The boy's other hand was stroking the winged lemur. Momo, their living reservation guarantee, seemed extremely comfortable. That irritated Toph even more than if he'd been abused in the boy's care. She seethed. And seethed some more.
"You know, Ming Zhi, he's kinda my pet, not yours," Aang pointed out politely to the angry little Earthbender.
"Mind your own business, dead-weight," Toph replied bitterly. She felt intently for what was going to happen next, while Nandi's parents, a slender young woman in light utilitarian gear and a bald-headed working man with a gut full of Maotai, seemed uncertain as to what to do next.
"Uh…do those come with the package if you book early?" the father wondered.
"No…eheh…these are just other people's reservations," the ticket woman explained.
"I got a card game!" Nandi swivelled his card-clutching hand as much as he could without waking Momo, and looked up at the ticket woman, "hey, if the man who left this doesn't turn up, can I keep it?"
"I don't see why not…" the ticket woman confirmed. Nandi's mother pointed uncertainly.
"And the…um…'animal'?" the mother asked haltingly.
The ticket woman shrugged, "again, it all depends on whether or not the owner turns up…"
"Hey! We're here!" Toph marched out of the line towards the front, ignoring the howls of protest from those in front of her, and prompting the rest of the group to wince defensively before quickly following behind her, hoping against hope to persuade her to get back in line. Toph stomped to just in front of Nandi, "don't you go taking my winged lemur under false pretences! He's mine I tell you! Mine!"
"I already told you he's mi-i-i-i-" Aang attempted to interrupt only to have a small sliver of rock almost puncture his foot before retreating back into the ground again. Realising his wincing and hopping on one sandal-wearing foot were attracting stares, he explained, "it's just cramp! It's just cramp! Really!"
"Oh yeah! I remember you!" Nandi smiled at Toph, patting Momo awake, "it's good that you showed up! I mean, winged-lemurs are really cool, but I don't think I'm good with pets…"
"You've made a wise decision," Toph couldn't see Nandi's smile, and held her arm out expectantly, "and I'm sure you're terrible with pets."
Nandi, seemingly oblivious to the insults being hurled at him, made an attempt to hand Momo over to Toph. The winged lemur, now fully awake, looked around in the gap between the warm and welcoming messy-haired boy and the cold and malicious Earthbending girl, and instinctively resisted Nandi's attempts to let go of the creature, scrabbling up his arm and onto his shoulders. Nandi giggled while Toph looked distraught.
"Awww…I guess we got on pretty well together…" Nandi placed his pack of cards in a pocket of his thin clothes and held Momo by the shoulders, "but you've got to go home now, little guy."
Momo, hanging out with his legs dangling downwards, whined as Toph grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him over her own shoulder, pinning the creature there. Nandi's wide-grinned self made a little wave to the unseeing Earthbender, "see ya on the trip!"
Nandi took his mother's outstretched arm and wandered out into the sunshine to wait for the ferry. Toph made a permanent sign of vendetta upon the collection of fragments of senses that made up Nandi, glaring fiercely beyond her blindness, swearing "okay, that does it. You, my friend, are not lasting this trip alive."
"Sorry about this, ma'am!" Sokka bowed apologetically at the ticket woman, and upon looking at the situation they were in and the likelihood of them getting another place in the lengthening queue that had long since snaked out the building, proposed "so…uh…since we're already here…maybe we should just buy our tickets now?"
The ticket woman looked like she had had a long and exhausting day, and really didn't feel like cleaning up any more horrendous messes, but practicalities came up and, for umpteenth time that day, shrugged "sure. That'll be 30 Shu and four travel rations for the lot of you."
The walls of the waiting room rumbled from the sound of the line's collective groaning at the interlopers skipping the queue, and Sokka was quick to hand over three small silver coins and four booklets. The ticket woman stamped a square 'good for one ferry ride' with their destination in each of the ration books as she checked the identities of the people in front of her. The two teenagers Gameshin and Ursa, and the two children Kazuki and Ming Zhi, born out in the sticks in Shihezi Province and going to the Fire Nation for the first time. The books were given back with their tickets and the woman wished them a good trip.
Toph could feel the bright sun on her skin, while the others blinked and covered their eyes as the contrast between the gloom of the waiting room and the blinding sunshine of the outside world burnt into their retinas. What landscape they could make out was sparkling. The water of the river alongside the dock-side rippled with reflections and captured sunlight. The smoke plume from Ryojun was blowing away behind them on the gentle breeze, leaving the sky clear and cloudless. There were reddish tints, browns and greens on the far bank, as far as their vision could make out.
But their eyes were given no time to adjust as a shadow passed over all of them. The chugging sound of enormous engines, the continuous slosh of displaced water and the clinking and clanking of something massive grinding to a halt were evidence enough for the colossal vessel that came into view in front of them. It gradually slowed to a halt, and lengths of chain descended over the side of the ship to attach it to the dock-side. It came to a stop with almost mathematical precision, the spiked metal hatchways lined up exactly with walkways attached to the dock with steps leading up to them.
Then something happened that seemed to strike those around the group as unusual: a band started up. The various brass instruments, gongs and woodwinds struck up a lively, stirring tune that echoed around the dockyard, and the hatchway opened gradually to reveal a man that looked almost like a sage, with a long, flowy robe, a long, flowy beard and a long, flowy demeanour, he smiled widely with eyes closed as behind him a woman in her forties, dressed in official uniform, with supremely elegant features although her beauty was almost always hidden behind an expression of supreme annoyance, was busy scribbling into a scroll. A small entourage of functionally dressed staff flanked the smiling man as he stood on the gangplank, and the Avatar's group heard from behind them the unmistakeable sound of hand slapping face, as the ticket woman exclaimed "what's the damn fool up to now?"
"Welcome brothers! Welcome sisters! Welcome everyone!" the man flung his arms wide and addressed the crowd, "it is my single honour to humbly welcome you aboard the vanguard, the mainstay of the Fire Nation's passenger fleet! The fastest, most comfortable journey you can experience, affordable to the common man! The men and women, whose labours and hardships have brought us victory, deserve the best the Hong Yu Gou Service has to offer! Welcome brothers and sisters of Fire! Welcome to the Fire Lord's Ship Gang Shen!"
After that ridiculous display, everyone felt politely obliged to clap.
To Be Continued…
Avatar: The Last Airbender Concept and Characters © Nickelodeon 2005-06
Author's Note: If you've been keeping up with my Book 3 work thus far, you may be beginning to sense a pattern involving me cramming as much exposition as possible into the first part. For this I do apologise, but it does get better after this, promise. 'Hong Yu Gou' roughly translates as 'Red Sea Hawk'...a kind of homage to the 'Red Funnel' passenger ferries I took between the Isle of Wight and Southampton, which named their ferries after birds of prey like the 'Red Falcon', 'Red Eagle' and 'Red Osprey'. There aren't enough 'ospreys' out there, I feel. It's a fun name. Ryojun is actually modeled on Southampton, being the one big port city I lived in for a couple of years.
As you might be able to guess from the many leaden hints...it's a haunted house tale. C'mon, you all knew it.
In other news, the first two chapters won a competition! First and Second Places at 'Elemental Week' contest. You should check the site out, it has by far and away our most useful mole on the inside as to what Nick plans to do with Avatar.