Alright, another chapter for you guys! I plan on updating frequently, now that Rikki and I have plenty written up far ahead of the posted chapter, and i certainly owe you all for my prolonged haitus.
Edit: Went back through and added some italics where they should have been, and added scene separations. I forgot that fanfiction was funny with the stars i used on the google doc to seperate them; on here, they vanish and i have to go through and find where the scene transitions are. Sorry for any confusion anyone may have suffered, I hope i fixed it all!
Chapter ten:
A surprise?
"So I take it now's the time to nag you about if we're there yet, right?" Nose piped up to Roko as she once again resumed the familiar pattern of first stepping firmly to the ground, widening her stance, and then lowering her hands only to raise them up once more. Nose's wrists swiveled as she made the swift gesture, the floor of rock heading her will and rising up with a rumbling moan, section by section.
"Only if you want to be left in the dark," Roko replied with a grin as she, too, took up her earthbending stance, flames dissipating, and seemingly punched the air above and then to the side of her. A hunk of rock shifted above them and moved aside to expose the sky and towering trees, bathing the group in filtered sunlight. The two's conversation and earthbending maneuvers had effectively broken the heavy silence as they rose from the depths of the earth. Asharion let out a soft sigh, all too happy to have the attention focused away from her as they ascended. Many in the group startled when the ground beneath them began to rise up, and they surfaced near the edge of the rebel encampment. One of the women let out a loud, excited noise as she ran from the group, hugging a man and all but tackling him to the ground as he spun around, just in time, to catch her. The boy who had been carried squirmed impatiently, demanding with a joyful voice to be let down. Many of the recently-rescued people, however, looked a little confused until Roko spoke up.
"Those of you who haven't been here before can follow my good friend, Nose. She'll show you where to find food if you're hungry, where to find water if you need a drink, and where to find a cozy corner if you're tired. Make yourselves comfortable," she said cheerfully. Nose herself waved and called to them, and the remainder of the group trudged after her. Before Asharion could follow them, however, she felt a light hand on her shoulder. Turning, her gaze met the gold and green eyes of one of the strangers who had sprung everyone from prison: Roko.
"Um," the firebender began articulately, looking suddenly unsure, her gaze flitting aimlessly about before finally meeting Asharion's blue eyes. "I...hmm. Do I know you?"
"How should I know?" Asharion asked, before realizing her savior probably wasn't filled in on her whole 'woke-up-on-a-ship-imprisoned-and-had-memory-loss' situation.
"Good question," muttered Roko with a dry, almost bitter laugh, before letting go of Asharion's shoulder and stepping back. "Sorry. I recognized you for some reason. You were...familiar, almost. Never mind. Forget I asked." She turned away, cheerful grin long gone, before suddenly stopping and turning to face the other girl again. "Where did you say you were from?" Nope, definitely not filled in.
Familiar...? That word rung in Asharion's ears, her mind latching onto it, craving to know the woman she had been, the life and people she had known, before waking up in a perpetual nightmare. Roko's question brought her attention back into focus, and she visibly jolted, momentary confusion washing over her features.
"O-oh, um.. I..." Come from? How should she answer? Should she tell the woman about being transferred from one ship to the next, then to the prison, her last memories of 'coming from' somewhere; or just tell her she didn't know? Deciding to go for a compromise, Asharion decided on both.
"I... I don't remember. I woke up on a ship, the man who commanded it was named General Zhao or Zoo or something like that," she said, scrunching her visage as she pondered the vile man's name. Zhao sounded right enough, but what if it started with a K? Would Kaoh be his name? Giving up on this thought process, which flashed across the forefront of her mind for only the briefest moment, the blue-eyed woman continued.
"I was transfered over to another ship, Zuko and..." she hesitated, recalling the old man's name. It was tempting, and oddly suiting, for some peculiar reason, to want to put 'uncle' as entitlement to the grey-bearded gentleman. "...Iroh, the other man's name was Iroh." She watched as Roko's eyes first widened, then her jaw dropped.
"-you're the prisoner Maun saw getting hauled off the ship this morning? Are you kidding me?" Her eyes turned into dancing jewels of questions, curiosity, and unburdened... joy? Was that joy she had written all over her face?
Asharion blinked, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashing over her. She resisted the urge to fall over, stepping sideways and placing her hand on a nearby tree, and replied to Roko's words with a quiet, "Yeah. Why?"
"You could totally help us wi-wait." Roko suddenly leaned over, stifling her excitement, and poked her new friend in the belly, making Asharion jump slightly. "When was the last time you ate?"
The skinny girl blinked, her insides clenching suddenly as she realized that she hadn't eaten in, "Well, I think one or two days...ago...?"
"In that case, come with me! Here, I can get you some clean clothes and a spot to sleep, too, if you're tired, which you probably are, seeing as I just dragged you out of what can literally be considered hell. C'mon." With a hand on Asharion's wrist, Roko gently tugged her after where Nose and the others had gone. The newly-freed young woman was too tired to do anything but let herself be led along afterwards, and try not to trip too much.
They soon came to a courtyard of sorts, round, with a big fire-pit in the middle and little sets of earthbended chairs and tables scattered about. The circular area was the center of the temporary camp of the Dousing Landslide, located in the middle of the island's dense forest. It was surrounded by tall hardwood trees and earthen buildings. The camp didn't extend far past the center area, with a diameter of maybe seventy feet.
A long, flat mesa of earth, about table-height, cut through the place, the usual smaller tables and chairs having been earthbended away for the moment. Along one section were set out various foods for the newly-released people: bowls of rice, bags of jerky, a smaller platter of meat set aside for only the weakest amongst them, as the hunters weren't back yet. Along another section were folded clothes of various sizes: shirts, pants, and shoes of all kinds.
Asharion blinked, her eyes washing over the wide palette of green and white robes, and almost instantly shook her head, taking a step back.
"N-no, really, I'm fine with these. I just need to wash them."
Roko wrinkled her nose, turning her head to scrutinize her new pal. "Well, we can't exactly have you walking around everywhere in Fire Nation clothing. That will cause all sorts of trouble and suspicion... hey, wait, are you a firebender?" she asked, curiosity once again piqued.
Asharion thought back. She knew for sure that she could bend air and water; but that one time, in that argument with Zuko, she had summoned flames, too, hadn't she? "Um...sort of. I can also bend air and water.
Roko's jaw fell open. "Y-you can bend more than one element, too?! Oh, sweet! We're like buddies, 'cuz I can do that, too! Well, only two, as far as I know. Did you say that you could bend fire, or did I mishear?" Roko seemed a little overenthusiastic. Maybe more than a little, as she was practically jumping up and down.
"Um," said Asharion, blinking. "Sort of, but-"
"Woahhh! So you're like an almost-avatar! But not the Avatar-avatar, because he's bald and you have a chest. But wait, can you-oh, what am I saying. Sorry. Go eat something first and then we can talk." Roko laughed, a slight excited blush across her cheeks.
"Hey! Leader-lady, aren't we supposed to be meeting up somewhere?" a familiar woman's voice teased. Nose walked up behind Roko and placed a hand on her shoulder, glancing over to Asharion and eying her red clothes. She returned her attention to Roko.
"Forget about our party tonight? Buckshot's off looking for Maun to tell him exactly what cruelty you're putting him through," she let a lopsided grin cross her face, and added; "I owe you; letting me pick the dress was payback enough for when he busted my bow last season."
Roko smirked, hands on her hips as she leaned back slightly, standing in a loose, relaxed position. "I can't wait to see him after he's been dolled up. He makes such a pretty lady. When he's not screaming bloody murder at us, that is. Remember last time we made him crossdress, and that one crazy Fire Nation soldier tried to pick him up?" She laughed heartily at the memory, her conversation with Nose delving into old funny memories. Asharion, however, had just officially declared herself forgotten about. She wasn't sure what they meant by a party, or who Buckshot and Maun were. The blue-eyed girl shifted uncomfortably, looking tiredly from the two talking women to the surrounding camp. It was small and spread-out, not crowded save for the surplus of new prison escapees. The smell of delicious, just-cooked food caught her attention, and her gaze settled longingly on the food table, where many of the ex-inmates were lining up and receiving their servings. Her stomach involuntarily let out a loud growling noise.
Both Nose and Roko turned to look at Asharion at the sound; the latter grinned and said, "Well, aren't you hungry? Go get some food, dude!"
The famished young woman didn't need to be told twice, and made her way over to the line, murmuring quiet thanks when a significantly less scrawny ex-prison-resident called out to her, and stepped back and let her take his place in the line. The woman serving, a short Earthbender who was missing three fingers, was efficient despite her disability, and Asharion's turn came quite soon. She was handed a wooden plate containing rice, a dark brown roll, and a piece of mooserat, as well as chopsticks. Asharion flushed, accepting the food with a nervous thank-you, and stepped away from the line to let the man behind her have his turn at the food. As she passed a small boy who was hungrily finishing up the last of his small ration of food, she paused, then with a deft, quick move with the chopsticks moved the meat from her plate to his, and continued on.
Roko watched her from a little ways away, still standing next to Nose, and shook her head slightly. "She'll starve herself like that, she will. 'Least it shows she's got good intentions. Even if she is Fire Nation."
"That's a lot, coming from over here," Nose replied easily, bopping her friend on the head with a closed fist.
"Oi! I was born and raised Earth Kingdom, remember?" She gave a playful shove in return. "I just happened to be able to use earth and fire."
-~•*•*•~-
It was common knowledge that Iroh rarely frowned, and common knowledge that Zuko was usualy doing just that. Today was no different... for the latter, that is. Iroh's mouth was pulled into a sullen downward curve, sitting upon a bench that had been brought out onto deck. A small table in front of him held tiles for the game he was playing, each etched with a different symbol.
Zuko was frowning, his lone brow pulled into a tight knot above his nose. His footsteps were light on the metal deck, hands clasped firmly behind him as his legs followed an imaginary circular track.
"Mm, nephew, if I may be so bold," Iroh began, but stopped as Zuko's mouth opened to speak.
"I shouldn't have left her there, Uncle, she didn't deserve it. I'm no better than Zhao," he finished, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists tighter. Fire licked up into the air as his heel scraped across the deck's surface, steam rising from a puddle as his boot landed in it. He continued to pace in angry circles in front of his uncle, chest rising and falling with choppy, ragged breaths.
How could he have been so foolish? He knew very well he was prone to overreacting, but this crossed the line. Had he not frowned upon Zhao for treating the girl with such disrespect? For starving her? He'd done no better.
His uncle had made a comment after Zuko had defeated Zhao in the Agni Kai.
"Even in exile, my nephew has more honor than you," He had said.
It certainly wasn't true now.
"You regret the decision you made?" Iroh questioned calmly, the frown softening, but not vanishing from his features as he took a long, slow drag from his cup. There was a long pause that hung in the air, Zuko's pacing coming to an abrupt halt. He finally broke the silence;
"...yes," he croaked out, swallowing and finding his throat dry all of a sudden.
He stared out at the ocean, before turning his head just enough to look over to the docks that he'd handed the girl's life over to a ruthless mongrel.
Iroh gave a slow, controlled nod of his head. "Regretting something you have done is not easy to admit to, Zuko, nor is it often an easy thing to remedy,"
For once, of all times, Zuko wished that Uncle Iroh would speak in something he could actually understand. He mulled the sentence over for a moment, before turning a steely, guarded gaze to the old coot.
"You're telling me only what I already know, Uncle," Zuko accused, eyes narrowing. He wondered if approaching the man's advice with this statement would prod Iroh to further indulge his audience with an explanation.
Iroh gave a soft chuckle, shaking his head. True, he was, but there was still a soft hint in his words. "Perhaps I may have been hinting, Prince Zuko," he began slowly, taking a swallow of tea and pulling the boy into agonizing suspense. "that there is still time to fix things," he finished, eyes closed as he let out a heavy breath.
"Fix things? How am I supposed to fix things, Uncle?" Zuko demanded, throwing his hands up into the air in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do? Just waltz into the prison and tell the warden that i changed my mind?'
Iroh shrugged. "Doesn't sound all that bad to me," he stated simply.
"Unacceptable. I have to have a reason to remove her. They won't just let her go without some sort of reasoning, and, and..."
Iroh raised an eyebrow at Zuko, a measuring look on his face. "...you are worried, then, of how Asharion will feel about all of this," he asked gently, using the same careful pacing of his voice as before.
Worried? About her? Why should he be? A thought crossed his mind, but Zuko merely shoved the ridiculous notion away. This was not some kindergarten crush; it had nothing to do with the girl's feelings. He had messed up; he had made a mistake. He'd foolishly passed up so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities merely because he had lost his cool.
He scoffed, smoke blowing out in a short huff through his nostrils.
"This has nothing to do with sentimentality," he deadpanned, and iroh shook his head, a subtle irritation coming across his features. It was reminiscent of the frustration and stubbornness Iroh showed when he played the role as firebending teacher during drills, and Zuko was demanding to move on to more advanced moves.
"You have been at sea fo-"
"I know how many years I have been at sea, Uncle! You don't have to remind me," Zuko snapped, spinning on his heel. Iroh's head snapped up, eyes dancing with the beginnings of anger.
"And have you forgotten that I, too, have not set foot on our homeland since the day you were banished, Zuko? You forget that you are not the only one who suffers homesickness."
Zuko scowled. It was true, but Iroh did not have the same terms of banishment hanging over his head.
"Everything was fine on this ship until that woman came on board." His voice was a low growl, accusing and damning.
"And she was not a danger to our ship, Prince Zuko," Iroh stated just as hotly, a sort of sadness beginning to crack through the expression of anger that had previously dominated his face.
"She's a-"
"And you are a Firebender!" Iroh exploded, jumping to his feet. His booming voice startled the few guards who were on deck with them, the tea cup smashing into a thousand tiny pieces on the ground as Iroh threw it down, shocking Zuko into momentary silence.
"What did she do to wrong you, Zuko, other than to be different from you?"
-~•*•*•~-
Asharion was still wearing the clothes that she'd been given by Iroh; she had refused to give them up, and Nose had asked how the clothes, really, could do them any harm besides the fireflies having to guess between either one of their members having gone traitor, or someone had gotten their clothing chest raided.
The 'almost-avatar' sat on a boulder, feeling for once, in a long while, rejuvenated. She was tired, so tired, but the warm food and life-giving water that had been shared with her had given her body renewed strength. Maun was leaning against a tree, scowling, twisting a finger in his hair and sighing.
"Ok, so are you going to brief the girl on what we are doing or what, Roko? You've made us all wait long enough, putting this off 'til night like this." Maun's voice was laced with a sort of resigned, excited tone to it; Excited for the new event, resigned at his defeat in choosing his role in it.
"Naaah, I want it to be a surprise for her," Roko said off-handedly, beaming. A pair of different-colored, jovial eyes turned their gaze to Asharion, excitement plainly forecasted on her features.
"I suppose she of all people should be there when it happens," Nose commented, giving a soft grin to her.
"When what happens?" Asharion asked, finally. Roko had told her earlier that they had a special event planned for today, one that the earthbender felt sure the new arrival would love to be a part of.
"When-" Maun began, before Roko threw a rock at him.
"You'll find out soon enough, firebender," Roko stated.
Asharion bit back at a sudden surge of frustration; she was tired of nicknames, and it didn't matter anymore who used them. Never-the-less, she let it go, merely returning to her examining of the leaf she'd plucked from the forest floor.
"When are we going to leeeeave?" Turtlebiscuit whined, flopping backwards onto the ground with a dramatic flourish.
"Soon as the skeleton crew for the fireflies on dock-duty come out," Roko replied with a wistful air to her voice. "Buckshot should be giving a signal anytime now," she added, a glimmer in her eyes.
Nose grinned lopsidedly, opening her mouth to speak just before a soft owl's cooing filled the forest air. Roko stiffened for just a moment, eyes widening in excitement.
"All right, Maun, you're up," Nose stated, Roko and she passing the man impish grins.
"That's Mrs. Mauny to you, ladies," Maun replied, flashing his own devilish smirk before slipping off into the shadows of the woods.