174 AG
Jinora hadn't contacted them in nearly two weeks, which wasn't her fault. She had more important things to be doing than checking up on them. All this meant was that Kai and Opal would have to travel back to tell the airbenders what they'd learned if she didn't contact them first. They were going to fly back anyway but the information they'd just learned made them feel desperate and anxious.
It took Kai finding Opal asleep at Lefty's reigns for them to agree to sleep on the ground and not take shifts flying back because if Opal was falling asleep at the job it meant Lefty would start to as well. They decided to fly most of the day and find a town to rest up at night. Lefty preferred travelling like that anyway and Opal felt bad about pushing him too hard.
Opal and Kai landed down in a small town that was still in the honeymoon phase of the Earth Kingdom's occupancy. Kai and Opal knew not to talk too much about what they had seen because there was no way they'd be believed until it was too late. The Air Nomads were not in a position of trust or authority in the world quite yet.
Some people resented the nomads for not helping their towns in their time of need, but they were a minority. Most people looked at the nomads as a novelty. The Air Nomads were, for the most part, known for not being particularly useful but not being particularly harmful either. People liked getting their photos taken with them and things like that but Opal and Kai knew there was a limited amount time they could spend in a village's hospitality before wearing out their welcome.
In smatterings of towns across the kingdom there was always some villager who'd left to join the nomads anyway. Many people were eager for news Opal didn't have but Kai always found some way to placate them. This town was no different than the other towns they'd passed by. Most people simply ignored them beyond some initial interest, and it suited them just fine.
When they landed, Kai told Opal to find a place for Lefty to sleep while he'd look for a place for them. One thing Opal could thank Kuvira for was that bandits were no longer trying to steal Kai's bison. Lefty lumbered alongside Opal while she located the barn they'd spotted from the sky. It was a bit of a stretch to convince the owner to let Lefty sleep there, seeing as Lefty could barely fit, but she managed.
Opal needed to count her coins to pay the owner of the barn but by the time she'd readied the money the owner waved his hand and said he'd let Lefty stay there for free for the night. People were still euphoric and generous after pledging their allegiance to the Great Uniter. Also, Opal probably looked like she needed it. She thanked him until he told her to leave.
Wandering back into the main part of town she located Kai outside a bar. "I found us a place," he said. "They're kinda desperate for the business, so I talked them down kind of cheap." Opal made a face but they also needed the money to last so she couldn't complain.
"I got Lefty a free night," she said.
"Wow, I guess you picked up some skills from me," Kai said, sounding impressed. Opal rolled her eyes. "Come on, there's food in here," he gestured at the bar. She turned a skeptical gaze on him; he had a few years to go before they'd let him drink anywhere but Kai was already walking through the door.
It turned out the place had once been a bar but with the lack of supplies after the revolution and the fact that the Kuvira's army wasn't going to transport liquor as its first priority, the place had been turned into a makeshift restaurant. It had clearly been reopened recently; the smell of dust still lingered along with the scent of fresh food.
"And now we have more money to spend here," Kai said, sounding relieved, pacing into the restaurant.
"We have to save it," Opal reminded him.
"Opal!" Kai whined. He sounded ridiculous and all but stamped his little foot in indignation. Opal snorted. "Hey," Kai whined again. "Don't make fun of me!"
"Fine," she relented. "I guess we could afford to spend a little more than usual."
"Yes!" he crowed victoriously.
They sat at the bar, peering up at the menu on the wall. "What's your specialty?" Kai asked the bartender as Opal surveyed the bar. There quite a few people in here, quite a few children as well. The scent that had welcomed Opal and Kai was wafting away from the soups people were eating and Opal's stomach rumbled.
She looked up at the menu to see if there was anything vegetarian. Fortunately, there was something on there that was an option. "How about the vegetable noodle soup?" she nudged Kai.
"Pau buns are their specialty," Kai said, looking lost.
"This place looks like it's been open for two weeks," Opal said.
"Hey, good guess," the bartender said cheerfully. Kai looked at Opal with sad eyes.
"I guess we could get both," she sighed. Kai did a little dance in his seat. He was like a younger brother she actually liked so she had an even harder time saying no to him. "Also, could we get some tea?" The bartender nodded and walked back towards the back room.
"You're a jerk," she muttered.
"I believe in people," he said easily. "Those buns are going to be worth it."
When they arrived Opal had to admit they were pretty tasty. Opal had been concerned that they'd have meat, since she and Kai had always been vegetarians when they could afford to be, but they were stuffed full of fresh vegetables. Opal hadn't tasted anything so delicious for about two years.
The soup itself was very good as well, warm and slick, tasting like the kind of food that would make someone homesick. "Where'd you get us our room?" Opal asked as she happily devoured her meal.
"Some inn," he said. "I got us two beds, too. Score!"
"How did you manage that?" Opal asked. She didn't mind sleeping with Kai but sometimes he pushed her off the bed and that had gotten old really fast.
"I told her we were dating and she insisted," he snickered.
"Kai!" Opal mumbled, embarrassed. She glanced back at him. "And you didn't have to pay extra?"
"Nope," he said. He grinned at her silence. "We're going to use that, aren't we?"
"Oh, shut up," she said good-naturedly. The soup was already making her feel better than she had in ages, lighter somehow. For a relatively little amount of money they were getting so much food; it was a feast. She hadn't eaten like this . . . ever. She loved Chef's food back in Zaofu, everything the man had ever made was a masterpiece. This was something simple but it made Opal feel so genuinely happy.
"I think this is the best thing I've ever eaten," she told Kai.
"Same," he said cheerfully. Opal paused chewing. Not everyone had a background like hers.
"I'm sorry, Kai," she said. "I didn't think."
"About what?" he asked. Opal stirred her soup awkwardly. "Oh. You know, you think your rich girl victim-complex is charming," he said, taking another bite of his pau bun. "It's really not." Opal flushed. He noticed that and stopped eating for a moment and looked a little regretful at his choice of words.
"Look, just don't, pity me. And don't pity yourself," he muttered and stirred his soup moodily. "You can feel bad, and you should, it sucks a lot that I was poor. But feeling guilty about it is useless and bringing it up kinda ruins the meal."
"I'm sorry," Opal said.
"Stop apologizing," Kai said, looking at her. Opal shut her mouth. He frowned. "Right now, it doesn't matter where we came from, or what we did. We're both in a better place than we were three years ago. Helping people is always going to be a better place. Being with a friend is always going to be a better place. This soup tastes good because we're both tired and hungry and with each other. That, and the fact that it's good soup." he added hastily when the bartender glared at him.
Opal smiled down at her bowl. Neither she nor Kai had really had friends before this. Despite their backgrounds they were similar in many ways and those similarities bridged their differences and made them an efficient, balanced team. They weren't just friends, they were partners. "I love you, Kai," she said quietly. She really did. Over all they'd been through in the past few years she'd grown to care for him like he was family.
"I'm taken," he responded haughtily.
"Kai!" she grinned at his deflection. He didn't want to get too bogged down with a serious discussion.
"I love you, too," he said, smiling at her. "Just stop, acting like I'm going to fall apart if you bring up how poor I was. I'm not, someone for you to pity. I took care of myself." He was still such a kid; proud and angry.
"You shouldn't have had to," Opal murmured. "You shouldn't have had to be a bender for someone to care about you."
"Yeah," Kai said, stirring his bowl. "Yeah, I sometimes wonder where I'd be if I didn't learn how to bend. Probably in prison. And you, you'd probably still be in Zaofu." Opal nodded.
"Maybe not," she said. "There's a reason why we're airbenders, and even if there isn't, I know us." She couldn't help but grin. "We'd see each other, Kai. We'd find each other." She had no idea where she was pulling that from, but it was accompanied by such an intense, giddy feeling that she knew it was the truth. Kai nodded seriously.
"You know I . . . I've never had someone I could really depend on before," he said. "Or, I guess it's better to say that I've never had someone depend on me, someone who trusted me completely, someone who actually . . . wants what's best for me. Growing up the way I did, I thought everyone just looked out for themselves but that isn't true. I never had a friend like you. But," he said, growing grim. "Kuvira." Opal's heart sank.
"I don't want to talk about her," she said, fingers clenching around her bowl, the heat marking her skin.
"We won't," he said. He glanced around the bar, at the bowls of soup full of vegetables the Great Uniter's army had brought to the town. "We can't. But, my point is . . . I think things are going to change soon. Something's going to happen." Opal didn't doubt it, Kuvira had told her as much. "I guess, I just want to say thank you, and goodbye, just in case."
"I'll accept that thank you," she said firmly. "But you're not getting rid of me just yet."
"Just," he said, looking troubled. "Whatever happens - take care of yourself, okay? If I can't, make sure you do."
"If she takes you," Opal said. "Do everything you can to get away. I don't know how bad it gets, but I know I don't want you to be the one to find out." Kai heaved a sigh into his meal, looking solemnly at the noodles. They'd agreed to go tell Tenzin and the others but they hadn't discussed it with each other. Clearly they'd both been thinking about it.
They hadn't really spoken about what Opal had seen down at Kuvira's camp. There wasn't much more than what they'd seen in the sky, so there was no point. But they'd pointedly avoided talking about what it could mean. "Want the rest of my pau buns?" he asked. Opal did. Kai slid his plate over and finished off his tea.
"I'm glad you're my friend, too, Kai," Opal spoke up as she chewed on a bun. He smiled at her.
"I know," he said.
"These last few months would've been really frustrating without you," she said, taking the chance to move onto a lighter topic. "Is it conceited to say that it's annoying to arrive too late to help anyone?"
"I wouldn't say we arrive too late," Kai shrugged. "But I will say that Kuvira definitely has a better mode of transportation than we do, no offense, Lefty," he added as though the bison could hear him. Mentioning Kuvira made Opal feel cautious but she still laughed.
Suddenly, the door of the bar wafted open, a breeze hitting the back of Opal's neck. "I got the paper," a child said as they entered and walked up to the bar. They could barely reach the counter so Kai helped them out, placing the newspaper on top of the counter.
"Thanks kid," the bartender said, tossing them a coin. The child argued about the amount and Opal's eyes wandered over to the paper, still feeling warm from talking to Kai. Her eye caught the headline and she pulled it over to her. She gasped out loud.
"Kuvira's in charge of the Earth Kingdom?" Opal yelled, slamming the newspaper away from her.
"Whoa, Opal, calm down," Kai hissed, glancing around the place nervously.
"What, the Great Uniter?" the kid asked. "That's old news, lady." Opal felt sick.
"I'm sorry," she said, sitting down. She hadn't noticed she'd stood up. She was trembling with barely suppressed rage. When Kuvira had talked to Opal she was planning to - "Is Prince Wu alright?"
The bartender shrugged. "Last I heard he was moping around Republic City in one of the Sato estates."
"What happened?" Opal asked, probably a little too intensely.
"You have the newspaper," the bartender responded.
Kai laughed awkwardly. "Can my friend have another cup of tea?"
Opal leafed through the pages, skimming the article as quickly as she could. Most of the news revolved around Kuvira. She'd gone to Republic City, to Wu's coronation, and usurped him in front of all his people. No one had stopped her. Opal had met Wu once back in Zaofu and while he hadn't struck her as the most competent future ruler anyone would be better than someone throwing their dissenters into camps.
"Your tea is here," Kai said. Opal felt too sick to drink it.
"Kai," she said, voice high.
"We stick to the plan," Kai said firmly. Opal nodded. Things were so much worse than she thought. She had to get back home. She had to see her family. She had to find and shake some sense into Bolin. She had to stop Kuvira before she fucked up even more. Before she came for Zaofu,oh no, Kuvira was going to come for Zaofu next because of course she was -
Kai was talking in the distance and Opal couldn't breathe. She sagged against the counter, her heart thudding through her chest, feeling chills break across her arms. Kai looped an arm under her shoulder and pulled her out into the night where she could fall apart with some dignity. Opal just leaned against the wall outside, sobbing and shuddering, unable to think and thinking far too much. Kai pulled her into a hug and they sank down against the building.
When Opal finally gained some focus, exhausted with a splitting headache, Kai was saying, "We'll stop her." Opal felt nauseous and exhausted. He helped her to her feet and they began walking towards the inn. Opal wiped her eyes and told him it wasn't comforting.
