Hello! I'm back this week with another chapter! I am so, so sorry that I made you guys wait another week for an update but I hope that I made up for it by making this one TWICE AS LONG! Enjoy :c)
Seeker5- I am so happy that you reviewed! I missed all of your lovely comments from previous chapters and was glad when I saw that you responded to last week's note! I totally agree with your Bolin suggestion and after some tweaking I've actually managed to include some of him in this chapter too! I've make a note at the bottom about the upcoming villain and the name thing so make sure you check that out :D
Loonie- Like I said at the top: I am so sorry that last week wasn't what you hoped it was. I feel really rotten that I didn't have a chapter ready in time BUT I'M BACK! And this week's is basically two in one to make up for lost time :D As I said to Seeker5, I've make a note at the bottom with more info about the name thing so make sure you take a peek!
Why are clothes so itchy?
I missed my usual green dress and wanted nothing more than to put on some soft and warm leggings…but no. I was supposed to be a 'lady' as Asami put it. Fitted gowns with tight skirts and ridiculous necklines were not my type, so the second I was squashed and squeezed into a teeny, tiny, red shiny dress I wanted OUT.
"We need you to have a decent disguise!" Korra yelled, already tired of hearing my grumbling complaints. "Why won't you just wear one?"
I was behind the changing room curtain in some fancy designer store that Asami liked, trying to peel off some silky fabric that was statically shocked onto my skin. "Because how am I supposed to fight when I can't even breathe without breaking some stitches?" I yelled as I finally managed to change back into my normal, soft, comfortable clothes.
"You're not supposed to fight them," Asami reasoned, throwing one of the dresses I had previously tried over her arm. "You just have to get the info we need."
I appeared out from behind the curtain and sat down beside Korra in the waiting room. "So I'm going to be your…spy?" I asked, thinking that if I was to infiltrate a rebel group's headquarters then I should be able to at least have some fun with it!
"Yep, and you'll also need an alias to get you in."
"So a back story too?" I said excitedly, figuring that I should ask as many questions as possible so that I knew exactly what I needed to do. If I had the role right, then it would only make my job easier to do.
Asami quickly left with the outfit, leaving Korra and I in the room with piles of discarded dresses and suits lying around.
"You got it! We'll give you a whole new persona and a reason to 'join' that group of theirs."
The dark haired girl returned moments later with a giant black bag, hearing the last part of our short conversation. "We want you to look the part too; they won't just accept anyone."
"So," I began as I shuffled around like a child ready for a story, "tell me about myself."
The girls looked at one another and Asami pulled out a dark piece of red fabric from the bag, causing Korra to grin widely and put on a posh and uptight accent.
"You are Evelyn Lawliet, daughter of a Fire Nation Duke and heiress to a construction company for the United Nation's Army," she recited perfectly, as though announcing my arrival to a king or queen.
"I don't have to speak like that, do I?" I quickly asked; horrified in case I had to do so.
She laughed. "No, no, don't you worry, we have almost everything sorted anyway. Iroh gets back tonight so we can make him sign for a fake blueprint order, that way your identity seems legit." We got up out of our seats and made our way out of the store and towards the ferry.
I was so glad that Iroh was finally going to be back today. I missed him so much and the past two weeks had been much less interesting when no one's around to talk to but there was still something on my mind that I had constantly thought back to: the kiss…well…kisses. He had left the day after, early in the morning, without saying goodbye and I was disappointed that I hadn't had the chance to see him off. It was true that I liked him a lot and it was apparent that he felt the same that night, but for some reason I worried more about him now. He was more than capable of taking care of himself but it was still nerving to know he was out on duty.
"Hey Evelyn!" Korra yelled from ahead- I must've slowed my pace whilst thinking about the General so I jogged ahead to catch up with the girls. "You mind if we go back on Naga?"
At the mention of her name, the pet bounded up behind the avatar and used her giant wet nose to nudge at Korra's back.
"Sure, I don't mind," I said, walking over to the big animal. It was the closest I had ever been to something like this and she was massive!
Lifting my leg up, I cautiously stepped on the foot hold and hoisted myself up, sliding back to make room so that Asami could also get on.
Once all three of us were ready, Naga sprinted forward, causing me to jolt back and almost fall off the edge. Luckily I managed to grab the back of Asami's jacket to keep me steady and pull myself back up.
Korra continued to race ahead, yelling in joy at the freedom and darted around market stalls and stray cars. But something was wrong. We had already started to run down past the docks and my eyes were beginning to water. I felt like clawing at my throat from the dry and itchy feeling that was building up there. Not only that, but I was nearly blinded by the sore sensation building in my eyes, causing me to crush them closed for the rest of the journey.
The ferry was vastly approaching and the closer we got, the more I was anxious I was to get off. With my arms wrapped tightly around Asami's waist, I was unable to sooth my face and I had to fight to stop tears from rolling down my cheeks.
We finally made it and I hopped off, turning away from my company to rub at my eyes with my free limbs and remove stray water droplets that threatened to stain my cheeks.
"Are you ok?" The Sato girl asked with concern in her voice once she saw what I was doing.
"Yeah, I'm fi..fi.." I couldn't talk and I found that the air was trapped in my lungs. A tickling sensation reached my nose so I covered it to stop the awful feeling. I didn't know what was happening at the time but it was like I was unable to breathe out properly.
Both of the girls started laughing at my surprised expression when I screwed my face up and let out a dainty 'choo!' My eyes widened straight away and the shock was evident until the same noise was repeated: 'choo!'
"Bless you," Korra chuckled as we waited for the boat to take us to Air Temple Island. Luckily, we were some of the only people on board so my constant reactions weren't attracting any attention.
"What was..choo!..that?" I asked whilst rubbing my eyes; confused as to what was happening to my body and why I was reacting in such a way.
"You must be allergic to Naga," Asami explained. "Look…" she lifted my hand to my face and I saw the tint of light blue that adorned my skin."When you sneeze it's much much brighter."
Sneeze? What kind of word was that? It felt like an illness and I was already tired of the constant reactions that I was getting. From looking at the girl's reactions I could tell that this was common and not that serious so I shouldn't really have been too worried about it.
"But I've been near her…before," I said weakly between sneezes.
"It'll be the fur," Korra added, making everything seem to add up, "since you're no longer in the wind your having the reaction now."
Great, I thought.
I arrived to the island late in the evening in a terrible state: with windblown hair sticking out in all directions and I was still glowing with a slight blue hue that spiked in colour at regular intervals, I was dying of thirst and my throat still itched horribly. To get to my room without gaining attention, I held my breath to pause my sneezing fits and ran as fast as I could away from Naga. I rounded the towers and crossed the courtyards at record speed, thudded into the building I was staying in and charged through the corridors that lead to my room.
"Oomf!"
The air was knocked out of my lungs, I was pressed up against someone's chest and a strong pair of hands held my back steady to stop me falling away from the impact. I finally allowed myself to breathe since I was now well away from the polar bear dog and the blue should have long faded from my skin.
"Found you," a deep voice replied which caused me to look up and meet with Iroh's gaze. Once I finally registered that I was pressed against him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his dark amber eyes. Being the gentle giant he was, Iroh leaned down to land a peck on my lips in apology, "sorry for not waiting on you," he whispered shamefully, averting his eyes as he apologised for not saying goodbye when he had left to work.
I gently kissed him back, still not used to how it felt, and tried to speak with my sore throat from the reaction earlier. "It's alright," I croaked, rubbing at my neck. He seemed to notice and placed a hand on my back, releasing me from his hug.
"You need a drink," he stated whilst guiding me into my room and pulling out a cup, filling it with water and handing it to me. I downed the drink in seconds and passed him the cup back in a silent gesture to refill it. When he did so, I drank the whole thing again in an attempt to soothe the pain.
"Don't drink too fast, you'll get…"
"Hic!" I covered my mouth in horror as another strange noise sounded from my body.
"..hiccups." He tried to warn.
With wide eyes, I looked over to the general who seemed to understand completely what was going on. "Hic!" This sound was much more consistent than the sneezing but luckily it wasn't as loud, however I still kept my hand firmly clasped over my mouth.
Somehow, the noise still appeared and when I could see the smile building on Iroh's face, I hit his arm playfully, only making the smile bigger.
"It's not…hic!...funny!" I tried to say as I removed my hand, only to see that it was pulsing blue in rhythm with my hiccups. The man before me was nearly laughing and I was close to actually slapping him for being so childish. "Stop it!" I shouted, finding his chuckle contagious.
"Fine, good luck getting rid of them without me.." He said, pretending to pout and storm out of the door.
"Tell...hic!..me! Please!" I begged, wanting to put an end to all these new problems as soon as possible.
"I think blue suits you.." he thought aloud by the doorway, deliberately ignoring my distress and prolonging my sickness.
I lunged at him and knocked him down to the ground with my hands either side of his head. "Tell me or..hic!..I'll beat your ass!" I threatened from above, though not doing a very good job of it. His reply was more laughing and a pat on the head. "Ugh, Iroh your such a..hic!..pain," I sighed in defeat and slumped down to rest my head on his chest.
"I know, just take a deep breath through your mouth, hold it, and gently breathe out through your nose," he rumbled from beneath me, his voice sounding deeper when I had my ear on his chest.
I got off of him reluctantly and stood up, doing as he told me to and after a few attempts at breathing the constant noise was gone, leaving me as my usual self. He got up from the ground and stood by my side.
"Thanks," I said in defeat as I playfully smacked his shoulder.
"Here," Iroh passed me a thin folder from within his jacket with a couple of papers stacked inside and a neat signature at the bottom of each. "These are the fake construction orders Korra asked me to get. It took a while, but I managed to make a copy of some that we received not too long ago. I figure you're the one they're for."
At the mention of the mission, I remembered today's events in the store and the horrid dress that I would be forced into. "Yeah they're mine," I sighed as I took them from him. "I'm pretending to be a Duke's daughter from the Firenation."
"Really? Who's the Duke?" He asked with obvious interest as he sat on the edge of the bed. I walked over and joined him.
"I don't know, but my new surname is 'Lawliet.'" I said, thinking back to the back story that I had been given.
"He's a friend, Korra must've pulled some strings to let you use his name. But there's a problem, both him and his wife are pure Firenation heritage."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," he began, "they both have the traditional traits of someone from the capital: dark hair, pale skin and golden eyes."
I could understand what he meant and I placed a hand to my face. "My eyes.."
"..are beautiful," Iroh mused before he realised what he had said and looked away to hid the red that I could see colouring his cheeks. I could feel the heat rise to my face and I held his hand to show my appreciation as he continued, "but I haven't seen a colour as dark blue as this anywhere. No matter where you say you are from you'll still need coloured contacts, so don't worry about it."
I was slightly upset that I wouldn't be able to have one of my unique traits on show, but I was also glad that I was going to be more of an undercover agent for team Avatar. I didn't know much about agents but Korra had shown me some 'James Bond' movies over the past week to get me in the mood for our upcoming adventure- apparently, stealth and good looks are the key.
"I wonder if even you will recognise me when the time comes."
Four hours. It took Asami four hours to make me look prim and proper from my usual state. I thought that before I looked fine, but nope! I watched helplessly from my seat beside a huge mirror as the dark haired girl dabbed at my face with strange brushes and odd smelling products that left me feeling concealed under a thick, gloopy mask. I was able to see what was happening most of the time through the mirror, but even then I never understood what she was doing exactly with all the fancy colours and pencils.
"Hold still," she mumbled with a makeup brush held in her mouth. I closed my eyes and did my best not to move an inch as she drew something on my eyes with a black paint of some sort. There was way too much trouble being put into my eye detail but compared to before, this was no big deal.
Earlier, I had been ushered into the bathroom with the girl holding two small plastic containers. Inside there were a pair of orange circles that were barely the size of a fingertip and Asami placed one onto her hand before dragging me close to her. I had to stand there as she literally poked at my eyes to get these small objects in them!
Now, however, I had moved onto getting my hair pinned. This wasn't anything special since I had seen this exactly hairstyle worn by my mother on various occasions. It was pulled up into a tight topknot and held in place by a single pin. Father would also wear such a style, but he would also have a small headpiece that sat above it- similar to Roku's.
Once that was complete and I felt as though I had been transformed into a new person, Korra waltzed into the room with my dress bag.
"Well don't you look elegant!" She gushed, placing the dress over a spare chair and rushing over to where I was sat. "I know a certain prince who's gonna love this!"
I ignored Korra's comments but blushed all the same and stood up to open the dress bag. The girls had kept the whole thing a secret so I had no clue what I was actually going to be wearing. Unzipping the bag, I immediately realised how silky the material was which meant that it was less likely going to be as tight as the others that I had tried. Pulling the entire outfit out, I saw that it was actually made up of lots of different pieces that would fit together to make the dress.
I looked over to the couple in confusion.
"You haven't seen this one before. We thought you would be more comfortable in this," Asami explained as she walked over to where I was. She passed me the main body of the dress that seemed to have a semi sweetheart neckline with a floor length skirt that didn't seem too tight to be uncomfortable.
"So I tried on all those dresses for nothing," I stated rather than asked.
"Yep!" Korra grinned. "We just needed to know what size you were. Your usual clothes don't exactly give us the measurements we need."
I ignored her and swiftly changed into the new outfit and found that it was a very loose fit. Panicked, I called for some help.
Korra came running in and smiled at my idiocy. "I still need to tighten the back up," she said as she pulled me out of the changing room. Reaching into the bag once more, a long thin, black sash was pulled out and looped through the corset on my back. Once Korra had laced it up, Asami rushed over and managed to create a delicate bow that sat at the bottom of my back with the strands hovering just off of the floor.
"This is just for show so you can take it off when you don't need it," Asami mentioned, lifting a metal cage thing from the bottom of the bag. She unclasped the back and the bracket opened up. I had it sat on my shoulders with the top part wrapped around my neck. It was like some sort of brace that covered my exposed neck and chest with a spider web pattern and I would admit that I quite liked having the heavy object there.
Now that I was dressed and made up, I was excited to see what I looked like. I had only seen my face whilst getting my makeup done, but I had no clue how well the dress looked or if I seemed any different now that the outfit was complete. I left my room and walked through into the empty bathroom found within the dormitories.
I was a whole new person. My porcelain skin was already a stark contrast to my hair but the amber in my eyes was brought to life with the black and gold eye shadow that framed my lashes. If anything, I seemed like a doll and in a sense, I was. My sole purpose at the moment was determined by others and I was just a pawn in this game. Little did the enemy know that I was the queen in disguise…
I left feeling confident in my looks and motivation. Today was the day that everything changed and I would become the key to success.
"Evelyn wait!" Asami yelled as she barged into the bathroom armed with a pair of pointy shoes and a golden tube of red lipstick. She forced the flats onto my feel and smothered my lips in the dark colour to add the finishing touches before I would have to leave.
I was escorted outside to the docks by the Avatar, Tenzin's family and the two brothers who wished me good luck in my journey. The family still had no clue about my powers so they would be in for quite a surprise when I finally had the chance to tell them all about me.
Along the shore was the same ship that I had spent months travelling on with Iroh and his crew. From where I stood I could already see Ronny rushing around to prepare the ship for sailing once more and Shóu was just idly standing on the deck with his arms crossed- the usual.
"IROH!" Korra shouted from my side where our arms were linked, "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE TO SEE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" I felt the heat rise to my cheeks at her statement and I was glad that I had so much makeup on that it would hide the red colouring my face. The thing was: I wasn't able to defend myself from what she said because, well, in a sense it was true. I hit her arm as a sign to shut up.
"Come on, we all know!" She defended, "You think we don't realise when you two suddenly vanish?"
I stayed quiet and bowed my head in defeat. She was right. It was silly to think that no one would have noticed if I was gone. We walked closer to the boat docked at the end and I was passed a small parasol to keep the wind from messing up my hair. It was a delicate floral design which complimented my look and the red was also a good match.
"Woah…" I turned to the side to see Iroh slowing his pace once he realised that I was the one all dolled up. "You look..different," he stuttered in an attempt to find words. Walking forward, he extended his arms and held my free hand in his.
"You think it's convincing?" I winked, using my actions to hide the nerves that were building deep within.
"You look like royalty!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "And your eyes-"
"JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" I could hear Bolin yelling and stomping impatiently from besides his brother who just sighed irritably.
"NO!" Asami blurted, pulling me back, "You'll ruin it!"
Yeah, the moment, I thought. Instead, I wriggled out of the girl's grasp and walked back over to where the General stood and pulled his jacket down so that his face was at my level. Quick and softly, I planted a kiss on his cheek, pulling away and grinning at the red stain it had left behind.
"What are you-" he placed his had where I had kissed him and pulled it away to see the colour rubbed onto his fingertips. Quickly, as though it was the most disgusting thing in the world, he rubbed his sleeve onto his cheek to remove the mark and looked back to check that none of his men had seen the display.
"Come on lovebirds, we need to get you to the train station!"
I got into the ship and stayed low, away from the wind, until we arrived over in Republic city. Asami had already called for a taxi by the time we had gotten there and a big carriage had arrived to take us all to the main station.
I picked up my dress and hopped in, excited to begin this new adventure as a completely different person. I wouldn't lie and say I was fine, because I wasn't. Nerves were building already and the thought of being trapped in a building with complete strangers was daunting, but I knew that out of everyone there, I was going to be the most capable. All those months of training had paid off and if I needed to, I could defeat any opponent thrown my way- at least, I hoped so.
After a while of being rattled around in the taxi, we arrived at an old, broken building covered in vines and rubble with only the doorways and windows clear of debris.
What happened here?
"I see that not everywhere has been completely repaired after Kuvira's attack," Iroh stated as though he read my mind. Whatever this 'attack' had consisted of, it was huge.
All six of us walked onto the platform after paying for a ticket and waited by the tracks for my transport.
It was damp inside and people with empty cups were sat in ragged clothes along the wall's edge, begging for food or coin. Passersby ignored their pleas and acted as though they didn't exist at all, too busy reading their fresh paper and getting to where they needed to be.
"Here," Korra pushed a small black purse into my hand with was much heavier than it seemed, "This has your ticket, a GPS tracker, the file from Iroh and a case for your contacts. Asami showed you what to do with your looks so just keep that up." A loud horn was heard in the near distance.
"You need to get in there, find out as much as you can, and every three nights you need to leave and meet us in the nearest village to you. We can locate you whenever you click the button on your tracker," Iroh quickly added as the train rapidly approached.
"Good luck," Asami smiled.
The huge locomotive stopped in front of us and the gigantic doors slid open, covered in smoke and dust from the train's fumes.
In seconds, I was wrapped up in a tight embrace from all directions as all of my friends covered me in their forms whilst Mako just refused to join. I guess he still didn't trust me.
"Stay safe, I can't afford to lose you," my dearest friend ordered sternly, being the last to let go.
"ALL ABOARD!" A conductor bellowed from his post on the platform, ringing a bell to get everyone's attention. I stepped unsurely through the metal doors and turned back to see everyone waving me off. I continued to look back until the doors finally closed.
"Your ticket, madam?" A skinny bald man asked, pushing his small, round glassed up. I unclipped my purse and handed him the golden ticket, watching his eyes narrow slightly as he tried to read the small print. "This way, milady."
I was taken through various parts of the carriages from the rough seats holding large families and crying children to luxurious suites, each with dedicated staff members to offer expensive drinks and gourmet food. I was placed into a nice and quiet area with only a few other people- mostly businessmen- so I had a good place to think whilst I was on my way.
I felt wrong. I needed to physically have someone by my side that I could count on yet here I was-alone. I had been with Korra and her friends for a month now and already I was finding it difficult to stay away from them. Sure, I liked the peace and quiet that I would get now that I was far enough from squealing kids and hyperactive Avatars, but I would miss the security that I felt with them all around. And Iroh? I didn't even know what we were to one another just yet. We had kissed on more than one occasion and I felt a new kind of safe whenever I was wrapped in his arms. But the thing was; I wasn't like any of them. I was part spirit. How would I cope when they all grow old and start moving apart? Unlike them, I am unable to witness the feeling of nostalgia for myself.
Could I stay with them? Would I have to go home? Where even is home anymore? Too many questions rattled through my brain and I didn't have the patience to sit and think them all through.
For now I would just wait and twiddle my thumbs. The future can just play out by itself.
We are finally moving into the main plot! Evelyn is now off to investigate the enemy's base and you're going to have to wait another week to find out what happens next! *Laughs evilly*
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
In regards to having your own character in the story, I've decided that EVERYONE WILL GET ONE! WOOOO!
I've already decided on who Ray (Seeker5) and Skye (Loonie) will play as and I have their characters in mind, but ANYONE ELSE IS FREE TO ENTER TOO!
Just review and write a name below it and I will add you to future chapters! In all fairness, you might have to wait a while for the chapter to pop up since OC's can't be just throw in randomly and I want to make sure that each name has a few lines too :P
From what I already have you may have to wait for a max of 5 chapters before your person appears but it'll be worth it! I promise!