Kila smiled as she watched Jee and Zuko spar. She had wanted to join but they had declined. She couldn't blame them, they would have beaten her easily, she was a different type of strong. The pair suddenly staggered as the course was diverted. Kila stood up as Zuko stormed past her going up to the helm. She sighed as Jee offered her a hand up the ladder, her leg was playing up, and followed her childhood friend to watch him blow up at Iroh.
"I have lost my white lotus tile." Kila could feel the heat rolling off of Zuko from where she stood.
"So you changed the course to – what- look for another one." There was steam coming out of his nose and mouth. Kila stepped forwards and placed a hand on his shoulder but it had little to no affect. His muscles were tense underneath her hand as he turned and whipped around on her, grabbing her hand and pulling it off his shoulder, not letting go until they were out of the room and halfway down the stairs towards his room.
"What does he think he's doing." He let go of her hand and leant against the wall, looking for all the world that he wanted to cry or hit something. This wasn't anger about the course being changed, this was anger about being gone behind and undermined. This was about having all hope ripped from him. She stepped forwards and the 'captain' persona crumpled as she wrapped her arms around him. He didn't even wait for her permission to hug her back, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer as he buried his face in her hair. He started crying, fat tear drop falling onto her shoulder. It was times like this that she remembered that he was 16 years old, times like this that she remembered that he was human too. His hands moved up to tangle in her hair as he cried on her shoulder. Her childhood friend was still in there, she had known it from the beginning. She pulled back and he looked at her, his gold eyes watery a tear falling down his scarred cheek, as she lead him to his room.
"Lets get you cleaned up." She didn't say anything about his moment of weakness. She didn't make him feel like he had overreacted. She just sat him down on his bed and went over to the basin and grabbed a flannel. She walked back towards him, kneeling in front of him so that they were more or less level, and started to wipe his face with it. Wiping away the tears. Gently she dabbed at the scar underneath his left eye, and he closed his eye to let her. She would have been shocked but she hadn't left him with much choice. She got up and turned back towards the basin, but Zuko grabbed her hand before she started walking away.
"Thank you." His voice was still cracking from the crying he'd done. She turned and smiled at him before he let her go. She rinsed out the flannel and grabbed a hair brush. "What are you doing?" She smiled as she walked back over to him, getting up onto the bed and kneeling behind him. He felt her attempt to undo the tie keeping his hair up, then felt it fall down to the nape of his neck.
"Making you feel better." She started brushing his hair, he had to suppress a moan as she ran the brush down the length of his hair. She laughed and it was only then that he realised she had heard him. He blushed as she leant against him, wrapping her arms loosely around him, laughing. "Like that did you?" He looked at the basin, waiting for the blush to subside, before speaking.
"It felt nice, sorry." She leant her head against him then moved off of him and continued with his hair, tying it back up. "I've missed this." She got up as he turned around and grabbed the brush from her hands. She looked up at him for a second before he gestured for her to spin around.
"Do we have time for this?" She asked, leaning against his chest as he brushed the full length of her hair. "I mean you need to get dressed and I need to pack for Cana and myself." His hand stilled and he leant forward.
"What do you mean you need to pack?" He put the brush down and she turned around to face him, not bothering to shuffle back when she realised how close they were.
"Were docking. I, you, said that we would be leaving the first time we docked for anything other than necessities. A white lotus tile is not a necessity." She rested her forehead against his as he made a small oh noise. "Come on, you need to get changed anyway." She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with her. Kila reached for a tunic top, much like the one she was wearing- which was her armours under tunic, and threw it at him. He caught it.
"Now do you need help getting dressed and doing your armour or can I go and pack?" She smiled as she started to leave.
"Kila... I could use some help with the armour." She turned around to face him and smiled slightly. She stepped towards him and quickly tied his tunic closed around him. She then grabbed his breastplate from where it rested and strapped it onto him, as tight as it could go. It was necessary for armour to be tight, else it would be easier to find a kink in the armour, a weak spot. This was hard to do on your own, Kila had a feeling Iroh would normally do this but they clearly weren't on talking terms. She smiled as he rolled his shoulder as she tightened the other strap.
"Nephew. I am sorry, I didn't think-" Kila span around and walked towards the door.
"Should I let him in?" She glanced over her shoulder at him as Iroh's voice sounded again.
"I know Kila's with you Zuko. I know she has to leave as well. I brought Cana." Kila opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. Kila cast a glance over her shoulder before grabbing Cana's hand and leading her down the hall to their rooms.
Kila grabbed a bag and started packing her things whilst Cana sat down on her bed, watching her with empty eyes. She had acquired a few things, both of them had, though it wasn't enough to quiet fill the bag so she placed her armour inside, glad that it was a light form of armour. She then got up from the floor and went over to Cana, grabbing her hand and leading her to her room so that she could pack her things. That didn't take long either. Cana had even fewer things than she did, and that was saying something.
The engine shuddered to a stop as Cana and Kila looked up. They were there.
"We'll leave our bags and once we've scoped the place out then well go. Okay?" Kila asked her sister as she stood up and pulled Cana with her. "Do you want to come or are you going to stay here and practise?" Cana reached a hand up to her forehead and swiped away a strand of hair she could feel on her face.
"I'll come with, but you don't have to guard me. I can still hear remember, besides I'll likely be staying with Iroh." Kila smiled and started out of the room, Cana following closely behind her.