Disclaimer: I own nothing but the conceits and headcanon.
Notes: Assume each season of AtLA is a year, not just a few months.
Notes2: I want you to imagine that the Tortallan universe is on one hemisphere of the planet and the Avatar one is on the other.
Eventually the ship ran aground, the storm slamming it into land. The sudden stop took Suki and Sokka by surprise and the both of them slammed into the walls, and both were knocked unconscious.
So they were unconscious when the expedition of local Queen's Riders, King's Own and local constables made their way on board, speaking their strange language. They stayed unconscious as the people reacted with shock to the sight of five youths, injured and ill, alone on the large ship, and cautiously led the one very large animal off the ship and to the stables of the nearby governor's castle where it instantly set to eating a month's supply of horse-feed and hay.
"What do you think?" Raoul asked Alanna as she stood from where she'd been healing the boy with the scar.
Her face was grim as she said, "I don't know what poison was used, but I know that the youngest two and Scar were given some sort of poison. It's a lot like Perimo, I think. At least, the effects seem to be causing the same sort of problems that Gift-suppressing poisons cause."
"And the other two?" he asked. "Because they seem pretty young to be the jailers."
The castle healer spoke then. "They both seem to have taken nasty knocks to the head. I think they may just have been knocked out before whoever put them on the ship sent them off to sea."
"It's a pretty mystery," George spoke. "But it looks fairly certain to me that whoever sent these young'uns off wasn't wishin' them well." He dropped a metal bowl on a nearby table. "This was literally the only thing on board that didn't look like it was being scavenged to hold supplies, and all they seem to have is some driftwood, seaweed and a few fish."
Raoul was thoughtful as he spoke. "Has anyone got ahold of the Yamani ambassador yet?" he asked. "While I don't wish to accuse or implicate the Yamanis in anything, they do look somewhat like Yamanis."
At that moment, the young woman of the pair who had not been poisoned bolted upright. She looked around, wild-eyed for a moment, before apparently taking in her surroundings. She scrambled off the cot, hurrying to the side of the red-clad youth. "Sokka!" she exclaimed, then gently shook him. He groaned, putting a hand to his head. She turned to them and asked a question. Unfortunately it wasn't in any language any of them knew.
"Can you understand me?" the healer asked in Common.
At that the girl froze, then turned to the healer. She tried her question again, slowly. The healer shrugged, pantomiming confusion. She tried another language, this one no more familiar. The next few minutes they all tried, each of them searching for different languages they might have in common. Nothing seemed to work. Then the boy came fully awake and she appeared to be reassuring him or explaining things.
He sat up and tried a language of his own, but that too was incomprehensible. "I'm going to call Numair and Daine," Alanna said finally. "If nothing else she might get something out of their animal."
She turned to leave, but was interrupted by the young man trying a bizarre pantomime, flapping his arms, then putting his hands next to his head, fingers pointing up like a child's imitation of horns, then moving his arms around wildly again. The girl looked embarrassed but resigned. Through it all, the young man talked.
"Uh . . ." the healer looked at the nobles for direction. Frankly, Alanna couldn't blame him. She was tempted to look at Raoul for a clue about this. The only reason she didn't was because she knew she'd laugh if she did.
The girl had been looking around, and suddenly dove to the other side of the room, coming up with parchment and quill the healer had been taking down his notes on. She frowned at the quill a moment, dipping it in ink and then quickly drew an outline. When she showed it to them, George's face showed his sudden understanding. "They're askin' after the beast. The one with six legs, the beaver tail and bison horns."
"You think we should bring them to see it?" Alanna asked her husband doubtfully. While they seemed to be ill-used, they really couldn't tell anything about them.
"I really don't know," George admitted. "If t'were an animal of mine, my horse or dog, I'd want to see it, especially if''n I couldn't make m'self understood." He looked resigned. "But for all we know, they've committed a crime even I wouldn't've allowed as the Rogue."
Alanna looked at the pair. "I think we should take the risk. There's nothing about this situation that feels right to me." Without waiting for the others to say one way or the other, she strode to the girl, tapped the picture then pointed out the door, nodding. "Your animal," she said, pointing at the picture a second time, "is outside." She pointed out the door again.
"They don't understand," Raoul pointed out.
Alanna turned back to him. "I'm aware, but I'm trying to see about them maybe starting to get an idea of our vocabulary and language. Also because I don't think it's a good idea for us to flap our arms around either."
The pair exchanged a quick word, and then the girl went to sit with the other teenagers and the boy came to her side, looking expectant. He said something that made the girl exclaim at him, "Sokka!" It sounded reproving and he said something back to the girl who rolled her eyes.
Doing her best to appear friendly, Alanna gestured to the door and led the way. As they walked down the hall the boy's head swivelled around constantly as he looked at the art on the walls, the people and the architecture. At least, Alanna had to assume that's what he was looking at. Given the clothing he and the others wore, it was probable that the aesthetics of where they were from were completely different from the ones in Tortall and her immediate neighbours.
It was a short walk to the stables where the large animal had been trying to eat its way through all the hay in Port Caynn. "Appa!" shouted the boy as he ran to the animal. He leapt atop it, hugging it and then started to pat it down, clearly checking it for injuries or other signs of health. The animal promptly turned its head and licked the boy, covering him in spit and causing him to squawk and rub at himself.
The boy rapidly talked to the beast, sounding as though he expected it to understand him. Perhaps it could. "Hopefully once Daine gets here we can get some clearer details from her."
"You think the animal might be intelligent?" Raoul asked her.
George always did catch on to what she was thinking. "You think that with the way he's talkin' to the beast, it might understand him clear enough for us to find out what's about."
The boy suddenly turned to get the attention of one of the stable attendants and picked something up, gesturing at the beast with it, then flinging his arms wide. The current knight in charge of the King's Own, the King's Champion and her spymaster husband hurried closer. "It's a currycomb," Raoul said.
"He wants to brush the . . . beaver-bison?" George suggested.
The stable hand's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "I can see why he would. That fur's looking matted." He turned to the boy saying, "Just a minute," and dashed out the door, coming back a minute later with a stack of tiny gardening rakes. He held them up and the boy smiled at him, taking one.
"Sokka," he said, gesturing to himself. Then he turned to the animal. "Appa."
"Matt," the stable hand replied with a hand on his chest.
"We're idiots," Alanna commented. "Why didn't any of us start with names?"
The two had turned, the boy Sokka looking expectant while Matt the stable hand's eyes went wide at the sight of who was in his stable. "My Lord, my Lady-"
"Don't start that," George advised. "For one, Sokka there might start getting confused and for another my lady wife doesn't much like to be called lady and I work for a living." He turned to Sokka. "George," he pointed to himself, "Alanna, Raoul," he added pointing to the others.
Sokka said some sort of greeting, sent an odd look at Matt, and climbed on top of Appa and started to brush him out. The animal immediately groaned and sprawled out in what looked to Alanna like deep enjoyment. "He looks like Faithful when I brushed him."
"Except ten thousand times bigger," Raoul replied, amused.
At that moment a servant raced up to them. "My Lord, the ambassador from the Yamani Islands has arrived."
"Mayhap we'll get some answers," George said. "I'll stay here with Sokka and you can bring him up to meet the girl."
"Thanks George," Raoul said. He exchanged looks with Alanna as they both set themselves to put on the airs of the nobles and high-ranking councillors to the king that they were. Alanna made a face at him and he chuckled, some of the stiffness receding as he headed for the entrance hall. Alanna followed, wishing she was hunting ogres.
Raoul forced his face into an expressionless mask. It was one thing to be informal around old friends like Alanna or good friends like Onua or Buri. It was quite another to do so around such a formal people as the Yamani and such an Important Person as the ambassador. Especially a meeting like this where he was there in a formal and official capacity.
Menitako noh Hitajami was a very distinguished-looking man, a scholar, and Raoul rather fancied he looked just a little perturbed at the suggestion he had anything to do with the young people in the castle infirmary. "Sir Raoul," he said, bowing. "I have come as you requested."
"And I thank you for your presence," Raoul replied, attempting to lay as much formality in his speech and actions as he could. "I do wish to make clear to your eminence that I have asked you here, not as any accusation, but as an expression of the confusion in which my people find themselves."
The other man's expression didn't so much as flicker. Alanna cut through the formalities as she always did. "The youngsters we found on the steel ship look at least somewhat like Yamani people," she said bluntly, "And the language sounds a lot like the Yamani language. We're hoping you may be able to clear up what happened by speaking with them."
Menitako blinked. From everything Raoul had heard about the Yamanis they were a very formal people, often dancing around a subject in a way that would have impressed any hardened Tortallan politician. Alanna's statement was probably so incredibly blunt as to be painfully rude. Suddenly the man smiled. "There is much to be said for plain speaking," he said to them. "I was, in fact, given the position of ambassador by our emperor because I am known for such speech. I will be glad to speak to these youths."
Raoul turned and gestured at the man to follow. "I'm actually grateful for that, because neither Alanna nor I are particularly good at pretty speeches or hiding what we mean to say. This is genuinely a hope that we can determine why there are five youths, three of whom were poisoned, the other two having been pretty badly hurt, set adrift on a ship the likes of which none of us has ever seen or even imagined."
They entered the infirmary to see the girl talking softly to the bald boy as he lay, still unconscious, on the bed. Now that Menitako was in the room, it was easy to see the similarities in both the golden skin and the almond-shaped eyes between them. She stood and, smiling, wrapped a hand around her fist with her elbows outstretched, then bowed with careful formality. Then she spoke. The Yamani man blinked and replied. The girl blinked herself and heaved a sigh, trying one of the languages she'd tried with them before. Menitako shook his head and tried something else.
It was clear that, although they sounded alike to the Tortallans, the two still weren't speaking the same tongue. With a shrug and her hands flung out in a gesture that seemed to Raoul to say, 'Of course this couldn't be easy,' she tried a halting sentence in something new.
Menitako's head came up and he looked at her intensely, slowly speaking this new language. She winced and clearly stumbled through words she didn't know very well at all. The exchange between them was very slow and it was clear when the Yamani turned to them that he wasn't completely sure of what he was saying. "As you in Tortall have a language of the Old Ones, so too do we in the Yamani Islands have a language in our history that is a counterpart to this. She has . . . incomplete knowledge of that tongue. Because of this I cannot be certain of the precision or meaning of her words."
"You think she may have misremembered the words for things, or does she just have gaps?" Alanna asked.
"Both," said the ambassador, bluntly. "She has described herself as a warrior, possibly some sort of officer of a place called Kyoshi. Her name is Suki. The three on the beds are named Aang, Zuko and Toph Beifong. The word she used to describe Aang is not one I have heard before, though it bears some semblance to the words we use to describe gods and spirits. Perhaps he is studying to be a priest of some sort. The girl is a . . . again, I do not know the word she used, but I would guess as the translation being something like, 'one with the power of land.'"
"Like she's wealthy with a lot of land, or some sort of Gift?" Alanna asked, intrigued. "Because the poison used on her acted like a gift-suppression sort of tincture."
"The second," said Menitako. "Again, it was very difficult to determine as she was uncertain of the words herself." They all glanced over at Suki who held her hands out with a somewhat sheepish-looking smile and a shrug.
Raoul sighed. "I suspect the conversation would go much like this if someone tried to make me explain myself in the language of the Old Ones. Worse, actually, since I don't speak it."
"It sounds nothing like the language of the Old Ones that I've heard of," Alanna said. "Myles once spoke a bit to me, and it's not like that at all."
"I would posit," Menitako said, "That the Old Ones had different languages in different places even as we do today." They all seemed to shrug at each other. "The word she used for the youth Zuko was emperor. I very much doubt that is what she meant. However, I would not be surprised if he was from a noble family. She also spoke of him having a power of flame."
"Specifically fire for him, while the girl . . ." Alanna looked at him promptingly.
"Toph Beifong."
"Toph Beifong," she continued, "Has the power of land specifically."
"Anything about her friend Sokka? He is in the stables with their beaver-bison," Raoul said.
Menitako just blinked at him. "Their . . . what?"
"It's a positively enormous animal that looks like it's part beaver and part bison," Raoul told him. "You have to see it to understand."
"I . . . see," replied the ambassador. "Yes, she spoke of this Sokka, he appears to have the power of water."
"Either her or the bald one have a power of wind?" Alanna asked, sounding only slightly sarcastic.
"Not that she said," was the answer. "However, she also said they were fighting some enemy, some war with people of fire and they were put on the ship by those enemies." He sighed. "Or so I gather. She was mostly speaking in uncertain nouns and infinitive or poorly conjugated verbs. She also," Menitako added, "mentioned another person who was on the ship with them that 'fell'. Someone named Katara."
"Fell?" Raoul asked.
A shrug. "I would guess this Katara somehow fell off the deck of the ship, perhaps in the storm a few days ago. That was the only thing I could gather. That, and she has some sort of . . . connection, a family connection? With Sokka."
"It's more than we had before," Alanna said with a sigh. "I'm going to report to the King. If you gentlemen will excuse me." She left then, and Raoul watched as Suki approached Menitako and, with every evidence of exasperation, painfully slowly communicated something to him.
The ambassador just as slowly replied to her, each interchange involving many pauses for Suki to find words, for both of them to make exaggerated gestures and sudden looks of understanding as they spoke. Finally the exchange was over, but Suki seemed downcast by it.
"What was that about?" Raoul asked. "She seems unhappy."
The other man had a wry twist to his mouth. "She asked if I could provide her a text in the language of Yamani Old Ones so that she could . . . I expect remind herself of things she'd forgotten and perhaps study some to ease communication. I had to explain that I do not think I have access to such things. I will have to ask your scholars if they would allow me access to your university library. Perhaps there will be something there."
That made sense. "I'll speak to Numair when he and Daine get here," Raoul told the man. "If anyone would be able to find and figure out some way to get her that, it's him and Sir Myles. But he's more likely to know what to ask of the scholars and how. I just administer the King's Own."
"Oh, you do more than that, Raoul," came Numair's voice from the door.
Sokka had thrown himself into grooming the sea salt and snarls out of Appa's fur because it meant he could do something. Suki was good at sitting quietly, at being patient, but he just had to do something. And as long as he couldn't ask questions, couldn't ask about the kinds of cloth on the walls, couldn't ask about the strange vents he'd seen at a few points in the halls and couldn't explain he wanted to look for his sister, he could at least tend to Appa. The stable guy, Matt, seemed nice and was helpful with Appa. He pointed at things, telling Sokka their names, providing various things they could use in place of Appa's usual brushes.
It was the most relaxed Sokka had been for days. These people seemed friendly, Matt had shared some food with Sokka, a strange sort of sliced bun that had meat and other things held in the middle, some interesting fruit and a sweet thing of some kind. It was very strange-tasting, but it was good and definitely better than the fish they'd pulled out of the sea in desperation.
The man George had joined them after watching them for a while, but Sokka wasn't sure how he felt about him. The woman and man before seemed like wealthy types, but something about George felt odd. He looked a little like Sokka's dad, like a man who had to work and wasn't afraid of it, but there was something sharp about him. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was. These people were too alien, too strangely dressed and spoke too differently for Sokka to trust his perceptions yet.
Suddenly, Appa had perked up and looked expectantly at the door. Sokka expected to see Aang there, since Appa never reacted to anyone like that but Aang. But it wasn't Aang, it was a young woman only a little older than he was, with hair that curled riotously. She was smiling and had eyes only for Appa, who she spoke to in that language these people had been using. Appa rumbled back in that way he normally only did for Aang and she responded. Sokka wondered if maybe she was an airbender and that was why Appa liked her so much.
When woman and bison finished talking, she climbed atop the animal and picked up one of the tiny rakes they'd been using as brushes and started to help with Appa's tail. As she worked she talked to George, saying several things that caused the man to exclaim in surprise. Then he said something to her that made her look shocked and stop brushing. Appa rumbled in response. Matt appeared to be listening closely to the whole conversation and Sokka wished he knew what they were saying, because based on Matt's face it was really interesting.
Daine couldn't help but think this was nothing like what she'd expected when Alanna had contacted Numair and said they were needed in Port Caynn. For one thing, Appa the flying bison was an amazing animal and she couldn't wait to see if she could transform into one. She could also hear Cloud disapproving of the whole idea of Daine trying something like this that had magic of its own.
The story he'd told her, however, was awful. "So, Sokka there has a sister and she's gone missin' along with some sort of lemur they had travellin' with 'em?" George asked. "It's not likely she'd make it."
"Appa said she had some sort of magic with water. It's maybe not completely impossible," Daine told him. "He's worried about her, though. His human, Aang, really seems in love with her."
George sighed. "Did he say anythin' that could help explain why they were on that ship, half of 'em poisoned?"
"The one named Zuko, his people are different from the others'. They're all from different countries or something," Daine said. "Each of them are connected to an element. Zuko's are fire people, but for some reason the fire people are tryin' to take over everyone else. Zuko's sister, Appa really doesn't like her, says she and her friends hurt the others quite a few times, and she somehow did this." Daine sighed. "Appa's smarter than most of the People, but he's still People and it's hard takin' what he says and makin' it . . . human."
"But he says Zuko changed sides to stop his own folks from takin' over everyone else?" George asked.
Daine had always liked George. He was good at figuring out what would be important to humans from what the People told her. He translated it pretty well, better than she did sometimes, and that was good for everyone to understand what was going on. "I think so. Appa seemed pretty definite that Zuko used to be one of the bad guys, and then something happened and he changed." She smiled. "He also said that Zuko looks better now than he did when he had less fur."
"I'm not sure I want to know what he means by that," George told her.
"He also wants to know how the others are doing. Is there any news I could tell him?" Daine inquired.
George shrugged. "Other than Sokka there, and the girl named Suki, the others don't seem to have woken yet. Alanna and the healer there didn't seem all that worried, but they're certainly not awake."
Daine turned to Appa to relay George's words. When she'd finished, Appa immediately told her, When Zuko's littermate caught us, she made us all eat the poison, but it didn't put us to sleep. I could not move. Not to open my eyes, not to speak to Aang, but I could hear Blue Loud One, Blue Water and Green-and-White Protector speak. Aang, Red One and Earth Foot may be the same.
That was worrisome. She turned to George. "Appa just said that when he was poisoned by Zuko's lit- his sister, that he was conscious, he just couldn't move or open his eyes or do anythin'. He thinks the sleepin' ones might be totally awake, just not able to move."
The man winced and said, "We'd best let the healers know then."
"Let the healers know what?" Alanna had come up behind them as they talked.
"That the poisoned ones may well be conscious, just paralyzed," George said.
Alanna frowned. "I was fairly certain they were asleep. My gift indicated it, but I can check again to be sure."
Daine passed that on to Appa, who passed along his gratitude, and then the three of them headed up to the infirmary to check on the foreigners. As they headed up, Alanna explained what they had learned. As they crossed the threshold Daine saw Numair already distracted as he looked at the three people on the beds. "What's got you so interested?" she asked her one-time teacher. She wasn't yet sure what to call them as they weren't yet lovers, even in the wake of the Immortals War, but they weren't mere partners.
"They have a magic in them," he said, sounding fascinated. "But it's not a magic like the Gift, nor is it like wild magic. It's almost like the powers of the Immortals, but it's yet again a different quality." He made a gesture and muttered a word, shaking his head over the result of whatever spell of perception he'd cast.
Daine switched to her own mage sight, curious as to what she might see. Numair was right. It was like the silver of Immortal magic, but instead the older one, Zuko she knew from Appa, had a power that glowed like ruby and amber, the girl glowed with a warm brown and yellow of a cat's eye gem and the bald boy, Appa's Aang, showed four colours, the ruby, cat's eye yellow and brown, sapphire blue as well as a soft glowing white-grey of moonstone that was the strongest of the four. "They're all different too. That fits with what Appa told me, that they're all Gifted in connection with different elements."
A foreign man, richly dressed, that Daine didn't recognise said, "This is what was indicated to me by the young lady Suki."
Alanna had headed to the bed with the girl lying on it, the glow of purple from her gift briefly flaring as she checked on Toph Earth Foot as Appa called her. Then she went to Aang, then to Zuko. As the glow of her gift appeared again, he stirred. Alanna was pushed away as Suki ran to his side. "Zuko?" she said. Then a question in their language. He groaned, sat up, and asked her something as he rubbed his neck while looking down.
For a few moments they conversed while the Tortallans and the ambassador waited. Suddenly Zuko's head snapped up to stare at Suki.
"Run that by me again?" he asked.
"Wherever we are, they don't speak Trade Common, but the one who looks more Western Earth Kingdom does speak the Ancient Tongue. That said, I don't know a lot, so we've barely been able to talk at all. The ship ran aground, I'd assume somewhere near here, and they don't seem to have bad intentions. They've been taking pretty good care of you, Toph and Aang, and Sokka's off somewhere with Appa."
He shook his head, a little gingerly, and asked, "Where's Katara?"
Suki looked away. "I . . . I can't say it to Sokka, but she got washed overboard in the storm. I think . . ." Her voice cracked and Zuko closed his eyes, thinking of the combs he'd purchased only the day before Azula had caught them. Internally he shoved away his grief, crushing it into the same box he kept his feelings for his mother, and focused on the moment.
"Sokka's with Appa?" he felt a little incredulous that Sokka wouldn't be here with his friends.
Suki shook her head. "You know he's bad at waiting and being patient. It's one thing if he's working on some sort of a plan or patience is part of a plan, but this?" she shrugged.
"We really don't know anything else, do we?" he asked her.
Frowning, she went over something in her mind. "I can tell you that the name of the land we're in is 'Tortall'," she enunciated the foreign word carefully. "The woman with orange hair is called 'Alanna', although I expect they're keeping some of this simple because of the language barrier," she added. "The dark man is 'Numair', the one with the green shirt is 'Raoul' and the Earth Kingdom man is Menitako noh Hitajami. I don't know the others, they only just got here."
"Right," Zuko said, and stood. He wobbled a moment, and Suki grabbed his arm looking concerned. "I'm okay," he reassured her. Then he walked up to the man who might be able to clear some of this up and spoke in the ancient language the royal tutors and teachers and the Royal Academy had dinned into his head for their own reasons. He would have to send them apologies if they ever made it home and if he was ever able to do so without being caught and killed by Fire Nation troops. ~Honoured Master Menitako, I am Zuko of the Fire Nation.~ He bowed deeply. This man was either a scholar or a noble to know that language and the richness of his clothes suggested money and power.
As he straightened, he heard Suki mutter something about him showing her up and he wished for a moment he was as uncivilised as Sokka so he could throw something at her without feeling embarrassed about it. Menitako noh Hitajami gave him a small smile and said, ~I am most pleased to speak with you, Zuko. I must ask, firstly, what Suki meant when she said the word, 'Emperor' in relation to your . . . rank.~
He felt his eyes snap wide and he couldn't stop himself as he turned to Suki. "You tried to tell him I was a prince?"
"You are," she said pointedly.
"Not anymore," he told her grimly.
She snorted. "I don't see how you not inheriting the Fire Throne makes you any less the Fire Lord's son."
"I'll explain it to you later," he snapped. He closed his eyes a moment to get some calm back, then said to the man, ~I am the son of the ruler of the Fire Islands. The Fire Lord. I was the crown prince, but I was banished six years ago, and in my opposition to my father I was deemed no longer a part of the royal family.~ It still stung. As much as he had hoped to regain the throne some day, to restore the honour of the Fire Nation, he still was not the crown prince anymore and he wasn't really anything anymore.
Not even Katara's lover anymore. A voice in his head whispered the words, reminding him that Katara was dead. He shook it off. Time enough for that later.
While he had been ruminating on his losses the man had clearly interpreted Zuko's words to the others. The woman with the strange orange hair said something that sounded like a question.~Why were you banished?~
Of course they would ask. ~When I was thirteen I convinced my uncle to allow me to watch my father's war council. One of the generals proposed a plan to send a unit of fresh, barely trained recruits, to face the most powerful of the Earth Kingdom battalions as a distraction. They were to be decimated to allow our navy to move into position.~ He still recalled the horror he'd felt. ~'Fresh meat', he called them. I objected, and I was told I would have to perform in a duel of honour for my actions. I thought against the general, but it was my father I was to face. When I wouldn't fight him, he said I was weak and banished me with the condition of my return being that I find and return with something we all thought no longer existed.~
Menitako looked shocked as he turned and spoke to the others. Zuko clenched his left hand into a fist to keep from touching his scar. The people exclaimed to each other for a few moments before the man Raoul spoke through their translator. ~I'm sorry we had to speak of unhappy memories, but you must understand that we do not know who any of you are, and banishment is a very severe sentence.~
~I do understand,~ Zuko said. He did, really.
Sokka came bursting in. "Hey Zuko! You're up! That's great!"
"Hi Sokka," he said. "Can you give me a minute? We've got someone I can talk to, so unless you know the Ancient Tongue I need ask and answer questions."
"Ancient Tongue?" Sokka blinked. "People can actually speak that?"
"Yes, Sokka," Suki said, and distracted her boyfriend. You owe me, she mouthed at Zuko.
He turned back to the others. ~My apologies Master Menitako.~
~It is no trouble,~ the man replied. ~Perhaps you could properly name your companions?~
Zuko nodded. ~You have already spoken to Suki, the leader of the Warrior Women of the Island of Kyoshi.~ He paused as this was relayed. The orange-haired woman suddenly smiled at that. Noting the sword she wore, perhaps she was merely pleased to meet another woman warrior. ~Sokka is . . .~ what was Sokka? He was clever and witty, smart and a great tactical thinker, caring and impractical and an idealist. He was also a peasant from a lump of ice in the middle of nowhere with no bending. He remembered the run on the Boiling Rock to rescue Sokka and Katara's father. ~Sokka is the eldest son of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe,~ and the sudden memory of Katara's story of the origins of 'Space Sword' reminded Zuko of one other title to Sokka's credit. ~And an apprentice to Master of the Sword, Piandao.~
He also thought he heard Sokka mutter about 'Space Sword' and tried not to sigh. It was so hard to have dignity around his friends sometimes. When Menitako turned back, he pointed to Toph. ~This is Toph Beifong of the Gaoling Beifong merchant family, and a master earthbender.~
~I must ask you something, Prince Zuko,~ said the man. ~I am afraid that I have never heard the term you used, 'earthbender'.~
That was unexpected. Zuko blinked. ~Is it 'earthbender' or 'bender'?~ he asked on a confused hunch.
~Ah. 'Bender',~ the man clarified. ~It is a word related to the spirits, yes?~
~I admit, I had not expected that this would be a point of confusion,~ Zuko said. ~But I would assume so. Most believe the power to bend comes from the spirits. Is it different here?~
At that the man looked . . . odd. Regretful? Upset? Zuko couldn't tell, but he said, ~I am not entirely certain there is anyone with a power over earth, fire or water to the exclusion of other elements here.~
~What?~ Zuko wasn't sure what to make of that. ~Are you saying all benders here control all the elements?~ If that was so, perhaps they could find one of these people and use him or her in Aang's place. But, ~Only the Avatar has control over all four elements,~ he protested.
~It is not this 'bending',~ Menitako said. ~It is magecraft.~
~Magic?~ Zuko said, eyes wide. ~That is . . . what?~
"What is it?" Sokka asked.
"He just said they have people here who do magic, but no benders."
"Magic?" Sokka asked, sounding disgusted. "Really? Like I haven't put up with enough junk. Fortune tellers in villages of stupid people and those nomads with their flowers and their instruments. Curses! Seriously! And the thing with the platypus bear and those stupid red shoes! And that stupid tunnel with the badger moles!"
"Are you okay?" Zuko asked him. Sokka was turning a little purple in his indignation.
"No! I refuse to deal with more stupid people with their stupid superstitious . . . Augh!"
Zuko turned to the waiting people. ~Sokka is . . . doubtful as to the existence of magic,~ he said carefully. ~As am I. There are actions of the spirits and bending, but none of us has seen anything else demonstrated that is not the purest of trickery.~
The short woman with curly hair said something after the translation. ~That is not all he said, is it?~
Recklessly Zuko decided to risk letting them know what they were getting into with Sokka. ~It is not,~ he admitted. ~I believe it was more . . .~ and then he did his best to repeat Sokka's incoherent gibberish. ~I cannot tell you what all of that refers to, most of it must have happened before I joined the Avatar's party.~