I'm Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. School has kept me wrapped up for the past few months. But I promise to periodically update both of my stories whenever I can!
When she woke up that morning, she came up with a solution to her little problem. If the proper timeline was still intact (which it still should be), then she shouldn't see or hear from Zhao until he tries to kill Zuko (except for when Zuko rescues Aang as the blue spirit). So, she'll train. She'll ask Iroh to teach her proper firebending. She'll learn to lie, to control her emotions better. By the time she next met Zhao, she would be ready.
Left, right, kick. Breath in, breath out. Repeat. Don't stop. He's fallen. Don't let him get up. Block off his exits. Don't forget to shield yourself-
She fell. Hard. She got up, her breathing irregular as she snarled at her opponent.
"Breath, Lucy." her mentor said. And she growled as she focused on her breathing, shifting to a defensive stance. Her opponent charged, hoping to catch her off guard. She immediately sidestepped and he almost hit a wall. Almost. He turned around but it was all the time she needed to attack. Soon he pinned to the wall, hands pinned to his back as she positioned her other hand to his jugular. They stayed in this position for a few minutes until she released him, bowing as he ran away.
"I need better opponents." She said, bowing in the direction of her mentor, who had agreed to train her.
"You need to focus on your breathing." Iroh said, getting up from his position and leading her to the pai sho table inside the ship.
""I was." She responded, a slight edge in her voice. "He distracted me-"
"Because you forgot to defend yourself." Iroh interupted her, setting her in one of the chairs before taking a seat himself at the other side of the table. "You need to be careful. You are not strong enough to fight completely offensive yet. And what if you have to fight someone you do ot wish to fight? Someone who wants you dead?"
She thought about having to fight her favorite characters, the good guys, who considered all of the fire nation enemies. She shivered. "I understand." She said, bowing her head in submission. "You're wisdom is correct, as always, Sifu Iroh."
He laughed. "Sifu Iroh is too formal. You may refer to me as Uncle, like Zuko does."
A large smile plastered itself onto her face. "Thank you, Uncle."
They continued chatting until Zuko walked in. "What is the meaning of this mutiny? Nobody told you to change course!"
"Actually someone did." Iroh said, interrupting Zuko. "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance prince Zuko."
"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" Zuko asked, his eyes involuntarily shifting to Lucy.
"Even more urgent. It seems I've lost my Lotus tile."
"Lotus tile?" Zuko asked as Iroh played against the members of the crew.
"Lotus tiles are considered insignificant to those that don't see the full picture." Lucy said as Iroh played. "In Pai Sho, the strongest players use the Lotus tile. They have a unique strategy that leaves you in the dark until you finally put the pieces together, and by then you've already lost."
"Lucy is right. The tile is essential for the unique strategy that I employ." If Iroh caught on to Lucy's hints, he didn't show it.
"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?"
"See you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me 10 minutes to check the merchants at this next port. Hopefully, they'll have a Lotus tile and I can get on with my life." Zuko released an angry puff of fire. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Lucy giggled, and suddenly Zuko's attention was on her.
"What's so funny?" He asked, his voice sharp as he glared at the only girl on the ship.
"The way you two banter is hilarious." She said, deciding to be nice. "When we get there, you should try the pirate ship. They've got plenty of exotic curios. They may possibly have a spare Lotus tile."
He seemed satisfied with her answer and walked out. She got up, walking out soon after. She went to her room and started meditating. There was a knock on her door. "Come on in." She said, not bothering to move from her position. Iroh walked and handed her a cup of tea. She took a long sip before setting her cup down. "I know you didn't come down here just to give me tea."
His reply was short and simple. "You know of the White Lotus."
She smiled. "As I said, only the strongest use the Lotus tile. The White Lotus always fascinated me, it's member seemingly having nothing to do with each other. That is, until the pieces have been put together, and suddenly they have EVERYTHING to do with each other." She got up and sat on her bed. "But, just like the Lotus tile, once you know of the White Lotus, you've already lost."
They sat in silence before Iroh shocked her for the second time that day. "What would you say if I asked you to join the White Lotus? You would of course join as my apprentice, but would become an official member in due time."
She thought over this carefully. Joining the White Lotus was both a dream come true and a once in a lifetime opportunity. But if she joined, she'd have to keep so many secrets from her friends. She already felt bad for keeping secrets from Zuko. "I'll join the White Lotus as your apprentice." She said at last. "But I need time to decide if I will be staying or not."
He seemed to accept that answer. "I will inform the White Lotus immediately." He turned back as he was about to leave. "Which name would you like me to give them?"
She thought about it for a moment. "Use Lucy. My cover as Meinu will most likely be blown by the time I meet other members of the White Lotus."
He hummed in agreement and walked off. Lucy did some more meditating until Zuko came to get her. "Come on." He said, wasting no time to drag her out of the ship. "We have an Avatar to find."
They met up with the pirates on one of their smaller ships. She made sure to stay close to Iroh, never really liking the pirates. They soon found Katara attempting to follow the instructions of the firebending scroll. Lucy decided to have some fun as the pirates chased Katara. "I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko said as Katara ran into him.
But who will save ME from the pirates? Zuko ignored her, tying Katara up to a tree. I wanna be tied to a tree. Interrogate me. She listened as he tempted her with her necklace. Keep talking. You sound sexy when you try to intimidate. The pirates then came with the rest of the group. Zuko backed over towards Lucy and pinched her in the back of her arm. She giggled and waited for the battle to start. Sokka and Ana started talking about how Aang was worth more than the scroll and soon a fight broke out between the pirates an Zuko's crew. Lucy ran straight into the battlefield, using the lack of sight to her advantage as she brought down pirates, one by one. They soon called a retreat, the GAang taking the pirate ship and the pirates taking Zuko's smaller ship. Iroh revealed that the tile was in his sleeve and Zuko threw it into the waterfall.
They got back to the ship, Zuko grabbing Lucy by the elbow and dragging her to her room. He slammed the door behind them. "What was THAT?" He asked. He shifted towards her. "Why were you distracting me?"
She shrugged. "It was fun. And I knew that Katara wasn't going to give away any valuable information." She sat on the bed. "Besides, you need to have some fun. Trust me, it will help you in the future."
He stared at her for a minute before walking out, deciding to do some meditation. As they both sat in silence, the same question burned through their thoughts. Why do I feel this way?