Ghazan stole the first hood he could find from some poor family's yard. He grunted as he put it on, hiding his face as much as he could. It was damp and ill-fitting; the fabric was too tight for his broad physique and the sleeves were too short. They left a blue-ish block of ink visible above his wrist. He stuck his hands in his pockets and kept walking hastily until he found a random stranger.
"Hey," he said quietly, trying to invoke the least amount of attention. The stranger stopped in his tracks. "Where can I find a healer around here?"
"Well, there's Tatzu, but he's not very good. Keep walking to your left until you find a house with a red door. Are you new around here? We don't get many travelers."
It didn't seem like the stranger was too suspicious - he couldn't see that frightful realization, one where an innocent citizen finally understands they're talking to a dangerous criminal, so he won't have to take care of him.
"We were just passing through and had to take a detour. My wife's sick."
"Good luck with Tatzu, then," he bowed shortly and resumed his path.
Ghazan raced through the streets, only thinking of the red door and the potential idiot who waits behind it.
"What seems to be the problem?" The old healer asked.
"My, uhh, friend. She's severely injured."
"And how did it happen?"
"You'll see."
As they finally left the village, he bended the earth they were standing on, moving straight ahead, until he noticed an airship in the distance. He stopped abruptly to cover his tracks, nearly knocking the healer down, as they both plummeted below ground. The airship could never have noticed them from such a distance.
"Wh – what happened?" Tatzu panted. "Why are we down here? I don't like small places!"
"It's just a safer way to travel. We're nearly there," he said as he created their new route, gliding forward. He could get used to living this way, like a primal badgermole. It might even make him a better bender than he already is.
They finally made it back to Ming Hua's hideout. He had to spend too much time on laying low, but she was still breathing. He finally took off the world's most uncomfortable hood and put it aside for future use. Tatzu seemed perplexed as he glanced at him.
Ghazan ignored him and stared at his only remaining comrade. It was the first time in years that he thought she seemed weak. No one but him knew she was a hero, one who nearly sacrificed her life in order to change the world forever. Then he looked back at Tatzu, who probably wasn't sharing his sympathetic thoughts towards her. In fact, a whole other expression was plastered all over his face.
The frightful realization.
"S – she has no arms."
"Yeah, but that's not why I called you here."
"An armless waterbender and a tattooed earthbender. And you were hiding from the airship - " Tatzu mumbled to himself, his face turning white.
"Aren't you the observer," he said curtly.
"They said you were dead! Please, I have a family!"
"I don't have time for this," he levitated a heavy rock, pointing it to his head. "I need you to fix her, and then I'll let you go, as long as you promise to keep quiet."
"I promise," he said and finally took out his damn water skin. He leaned over her, mumbling "that can't be good", swooshing water from here to there, absorbing it into her body.
"If she doesn't make it, you won't make it," he said, bending small pebbles just so he'd have something to do. He hated being so helpless, not while there was so much on the line. He couldn't lose her, not after all they've been through. The Red Lotus are bounded for life.
"I'm doing my best," he whimpered.
Ghazan exhaled, stacking the pebbles. He nearly made it as high as his waist before he heard a gasping sound.
Ming Hua finally opened her eyes, looking around frantically as she tried to sit up and failed.
"You mustn't exert yourself," Tatzu said, pouring more water into her.
"You're alright," Ghazan half-asked half-stated, finally feeling relaxed. She could take it from here. Everything got much easier now that there are two of them. He shouldn't have had all these feelings like a little girl. Of course she'd pull through.
"What happened?" She asked, her voice even raspier than usual.
"I don't know. We lost. Zaheer's probably dead or flew off somewhere and ditched us."
"Umm, actually, he's been captured."
So he didn't abandon them. Ghazan felt a pang of guilt just for thinking their leader and friend would ever do such a thing, but it was quickly replaced by rage. He trained his whole life for this battle, sat imprisoned for thirteen years, waited, trusted Zaheer, and full-heartedly thought it was a worthy cause, only to have it all blow up in his face. They could have changed the world, but all they've done was waste their lives.
"Will you be able to heal yourself?"
"I strongly advise against it – "
"I could do anything if you give me enough water." She eyed her healer, and then him. He nodded, looking into her sunken eyes, understanding every word she didn't say.
"Your body suffered a massive blow. Even simple tasks as sitting are far too much for you to handle. Let me help you."
"Nothing is too much for me. I can handle myself," she said confidently, as if she wasn't on the brink of death a few moments ago.
"So… can I go now?" He stared at Ghazan with puppy dog eyes. "I promise I won't tell anyone you were here. I swear it. You said I could go – you promised!"
"You can go," he bended a boulder, opening the cave door.
"Thank you," he said with tears in his eyes.
He was a good person, who possibly saved lives. More than that – he saved Ming Hua's. Ghazan definitely owed it to him to let him keep his. It was the honorable thing to do, but it was also the dumbest. Tatzu was kind, sure, but was he truthful? Reliable? He could possibly tell the entire village their exact location. It was a risk he would never take.
Ghazan took his stance and fired a rock at the back of his head. The healer fell immediately, without ever knowing what was coming for him. He made a grave for the body, covering it up as if it were never there, and took the water skin he had left.
"I'll go get you some water."