Zuko POV:
Breakfast was understandably tense the next morning. Alfred hardly looked up from the table, not to mention that he hadn't actually taken a bowl of rice for himself, instead opting for a cup of water. Zuko couldn't help but wonder if the blond actually needed food to survive...but didn't dare ask. It would probably make things even more awkward than they already were.
Iroh laid his chopsticks on his emptied bowl with a quiet clink. "I've had enough of this uncomfortable silence." When no one made an effort to break it, he looked to the sullen blue-eyed 'teenager' at the seat adjacent from his. "Your confession hasn't changed my opinion of you in the slightest, Alfred. Believe it or not, you're not the first being I've met to live past two centuries."
Alfred's head snapped up to the ex-general in surprise. Iroh continued, "In my eyes, this changes nothing. You still must master firebending, and you're company is still very much welcome."
"...Thank you," Alfred said with quiet earnestness.
When his uncle's golden eyes flicked to meet Zuko's, the scarred teen took this as a sign that now was a time to contain his burning curiosity and speak as a friend...something he hasn't found it necessary to do, before. "So stop being so damn timid about it; it doesn't suit you."
The blond took a deep breath, as if in relief. "...Okay." His voice quickly turned wry and much more confident. "For the record, I am not being timid, Firecracker. I'm being all quiet and cool and awesome."
"'Firecracker'?" Zuko demanded huffily. "I refuse to be called by that name." Once again, Alfred's attitude had flipped so quickly and completely that everyone was taken by surprise. No middle-ground, as usual.
Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Actually...I think it suits you quite well, Zuko."
"Oh, no. No, no, no. I will not be answering to a stupid nickname like that."
Alfred laughed lightly. "You don't have to answer to it if you don't want to. But I'm still gonna call you that. Might as well, if we're going to be spending as much time together as we have been."
And with that, Zuko was reminded of everything wrong with this situation. It crashed down on him like an avalanche.
We cannot maintain this forced normalcy for long. The Avatar is still in the city, and I still have to do something about it.
...And Alfred doesn't know that anything is still amiss.
Iroh chuckled. "Well, nicknames aside, this is our last day in the Lower Ring. After practice, I believe we should go out and make the most of it." He grunted as he climbed to his feet. "We can learn much about each other as people simply by being in each other's company."
Gaang POV:
Aang returned on his glider with a haggard expression. At everyone's questioning gazes, he simply shook his head. Sokka's brow furrowed. "Damn it. Damn the attackers, damn the situation, and damn this gigantic city!" He viciously kicked a pebble in frustration.
"What can we do about it, though?" Katara asked hopelessly. "We don't know who took Matthew, and we don't have the resources to find him...Are you sure you can't sense him, Toph?"
"I'm sure," the earthbender answered grimly, crossing her arms. "There's no mistaking his step...and I can't feel him. Wherever he's been taken, it's too far away."
Aang leaned heavily on his staff. "But why would anyone kidnap Matthew? It makes no sense."
"...Maybe the same people that took his journal?" Sokka speculated, rubbing his jaw. "Maybe it has something to do with his...well, his everything. Matthew's a mysterious guy. We admittedly don't know all that much about him aside from his name and general demeanor."
Katara bit her lip. "This...whatever is going on...It's bigger than we think. And we don't even know where to start...What if we took this to Earth King as well?"
"The Earth King?" Toph questioned. "Why him? Aren't we already going to be asking a lot of him with the whole 'attack the Fire Nation' thing?"
"Maybe we are," Katara admitted. "But think about it! He has pull that we don't. With a wave of his hand there could be Dai Li scouring the city for Matthew! Guards on every street corner looking for him, the citizens alerted...And it wouldn't even be an inconvenience for him, with what he has at his disposal."
Aang stood up straighter, and gripped his staff more resolutely. "I guess we have a lot to discuss with the Earth King at tonight's party, then...Because I'm not going to lose another friend to this city."
Oma POV:
A rustle of fabric, and she was hidden behind a shadowed stack of crates. A duo of Dai Li dropped into the alley. It didn't take much effort to hear what was being said, despite the distance between her and them.
"I've spotted one who fits the description in the fourth district. Should we detain him?"
"That's impossible. There's already a pale-haired one in custody from the Upper Ring. I assisted in the arrest, myself."
"...What if you have the wrong one? It would be safer to have them both underwater."
"It's the right one-he put up quite a fight, one of the new recruits injured him...He healed himself in a matter of seconds."
"Are you serious?"
"Am I ever not?"
The agents' voices faded away, indicating that they'd gone. Oma came out from her hiding place and took a deep breath. Pale hair...regenerative abilities...one of the twins had been taken, then. For what reason, she couldn't fathom. Nations couldn't be mindbent-they'd tried on her often enough.
Underwater...that was code for Lake Laogai. And Dai Li moved fast. If one was last seen in the Fourth District, he was probably still there. She didn't dare go to Lake Laogai, herself...But she could imagine the remaining twin would be interested to know where his brother had gone.
Matthew POV:
Shackles. God, how he hated shackles. They chaffed as his brother would say, 'like a fucking bitch'. But after so many years of waking up in strange places, he couldn't rouse himself to have a typical reaction. What did that say about his life, exactly?
"You..."
A raspy voice...coming from a ragged lump at the other corner of the darkened cell. At least he wasn't alone in his misery...Maybe this person knows something about what's happening? He struggled to sit up, forcing sore limbs to work for him as he got his legs under him so that he could at least sit in a decent position. "E-excuse me? Do you know where we are?"
"Heh..looks like they finally got you...guess they listened after all..."
Was this person deranged? "I'm afraid you have the wrong person. My name is Matthew, and I-"
"Lies," the stranger snarled quietly, chains rattling as the figure shifted, dark glittering eyes peering out from behind a mop of wiry black hair. "Lies, lies, lies. Firebenders always lie."
Matthew sighed. He was getting nowhere with this madman. Time to try and escape-his friends were probably worried about him, now. He tested the heavy restraints on his wrists and ankles. Solid cast pieces, probably iron. The bracelets themselves were a no-go. The chains on the other hand...
Now he could never claim to be quite as strong as his brother. But that didn't mean he was a weakling by any stretch...he was a Nation, after all. Rusted chain links like this shouldn't be much of an obstacle. He put a significant amount of effort into it and-
Snap!
The chains fell away, rendering his arms and legs free to move. He maneuvered into a low crouch, traveled swiftly across the small cell, and tested what looked like a solid metal door...Solid on it's frame, and no locks to speak of that could be picked. There didn't seem to be another way out of this room. So what now?
"Sneaky, sneaky little monster," his only companion muttered darkly. "Can't jut take your punishment and die with dignity...have to skitter nervously around your trap like a little rabbit-mouse..."
He'd just have to wait for the door to open, then. He might slip out, or at the very least find out why he was taken in the first place. Matthew situated himself on the wall next to the door, low to the ground.
He settled himself for what might end up being a long wait.
YES! I DID A CHAPTER WITHIN A MORE REASONABLE TIMEFRAME! Ah, I'm so proud of myself(despite the unfortunate fact that it is shorter).
As always, thank you all for the favs, follows, and reviews. And I would like to know what you guys think of this chapter, so don't be shy! I, like most other authors on this site, live for reviews.
Late dudes. ^J^