That night at the camp team Avatar had put up. Toph looked deeply content as she was drowsily facing towards the fire.
They had all ready eaten, so everyone were satisfied with their filled stomachs while Zuko was making their obligatory after dinner tea.
The scent of herbs came through the air and just seemed to make everyone even more drowsy and content. Not at all helped as they now each had their own warm cup in their hands.
"Tea after dinner is the best." Sokka sighed.
"I thought you called it thin leaf juice." Katara commented.
"Fine. I was wrong. I've been converted." Sokka shrugged. "Should we go pray to the tea lord afterwards?"
Zuko smirked. "The tea lord. That gotta be my uncle. He's the tea lord." he stated as he settled next to Toph whom didn't even hesitate to take her favourite pillow into use leaning up against Zuko.
"All hail tea lord Iroh!" Aang grinned happily and they chuckled.
"So Toph." Katara commented. "Sorry I was just wondering. You made it sound like your father created the wealth for your family. But also the Beifong name is a really old noble name isn't it? So I also thought your family had old money."
"Old money runs out." Toph yawned. "I just know what people told me of course. Like my grandad. But they all said that Lao saved the family. Both his own and my mothers family actually." she informed. "They are both from really old noble families and had a lot of land. But because of the war they lost their money. When mom and dad were young neither family had any money left and my grandad was just kind of selling all of his land bit by bit. Then there was a piece of land everyone deemed worthless but my dad insisted it wasn't. Finally my dad was allowed to dig a bit just to make sure and wouldn't you know it."
"Ore. Right?" Katara asked.
"Yup." Toph nodded. "And it saved the family. Then he was allowed to buy another piece of land. Another piece deemed worthless so he got it for super cheap and ones again. Ore." she said. "Without fail, every piece of land my dad bought had some kind of ore or coal. Both of which are in high demands because of the war and in just a year he turned everything around." she said. "Then my gran parents arranged his marriage to my mom effectively saving both families from ruin."
"I see." Katara nodded. "It makes sense."
"Hasn't been without issues though." Toph blew a piece of hair away from her forehead. "People has accused my dad of foil play a lot of times. After all he has been buying land other people thought was worthless and thus were practically just giving the land away, only to find all kinds of minerals and ores in the earth afterwards. It has pissed off the former owners of the lands." she commented. "And the fire nation too has of course been pretty interested in the best ore in the earth kingdom. Dad getting threatening letters is kind of a common thing and well… Does nothing for his nerves. Mom always needs to slap a bit of sense back into him."
"Pretty obviously your dad has a gift." Zuko commented amused. "Not traditional bending, but something very related. Obviously."
"It makes you kind of wonder doesn't it?" Katara asked as she looked up at the sky. "How many hidden talents there are in this world. Which aren't bending, but hidden. And people just have it."
"Like Aunt Wu and her fortune telling!" Aang grinned.
"How many times do I have to say it?!" Sokka exclaimed. "I thought we were over this! There is no such thing as fortune telling! She was a fraud!"
"How do you know?" Aang asked. "Clearly Lao could sense minerals in the earth without being an actual earth bender. There may be a lot of people who has talents like that in all sorts of things!"
"Maybe like…. How Ty Lee can chi block?" Zuko suggested. "That's not entirely normal. I mean it can be taught, but not everyone will have the affinity for it at all. To her it came very easily when she was a kid."
"Exactly!" Katara said. "I ones heard of a musician who could see sounds like they were colours!"
"Iroh told us himself you don't need to be a bender to be close to spirits." Aang pointed out in a grin.
"Being mad like Sokka also take a special kind of talent doesn't it?" Zuko asked.
Sokka snorted. "I'm offended by that." he said.
"Okay orange lord." Zuko replied in a smirk.
Aang smiled as he shook his head. "I think everyone has their own talents." he said. "One way or another. And that's kind of cool if you ask me."
Zuko shook his head amused then he halted. And he cleared his throat. "Ahem."
"Oh boy here we go." Sokka commented. "Zuko has something to say but isn't sure if he should say it. It's okay Zuko. We're not going to get mad at you."
"Right." Zuko blushed slightly. "Okay… Suki. I think I know where she's most likely to be." he said.
Everyone quieted and turned to Zuko.
"There's a prison." Zuko said. "The most highly secured prison in the fire nation. That's where you send leaders and politically important war prisoners. It is super secure though, the entire prison is just one little volcanic island so the way to get there at all is via gondola or I guess flying. Sailing without being seen would be impossible. And even if we didn't get seen very dangerous as the waters around the island are constantly boiling because of the volcano under it. And thus the prison is called boiling rock…" he chewed his lip. "Also… no one has ever escaped from there… Ever." he said. "I can't tell for sure she's there. But if I were to give a guess. That would be my best shot."
Everyone was quiet then they turned to Sokka.
Sokka closed his eyes and he lowered his head. "Having Suki being part of our force would be good. But the risk sounds so high." he swallowed. "Erhm. You think Iroh would be there too?" he asked.
"I think… Iroh would either be at the boiling rock or at the palace dungeons which is traditionally the place where any royal prisoners would go. And he would be kept close to Ozai that way too." Zuko said. "I think Iroh would be more likely to be at the palace dungeons honestly. A lot of nobles would be upset if Iroh was send to the boiling rock like a common prisoner."
"I see." Sokka said. "So if we went to boiling rock it would only be for Suki." he halted.
"Sokka?" Katara asked.
Sokkas fingers tightened around his cup and then he sighed. "We can't compromise our location." he said. "If we go there, we are pretty sure to get discovered." he swallowed. "Suki is a strong woman. She can hold on until we free her. It's better to stick to the plan and just free her as quick as possible ones it's over." his hands holding the cups were shaking. "It's what's safest for her as well."
"It's okay Sokka. I'm sure she'll understand." Katara assured.
"I hope so." Sokka swallowed. "I wont blame her if she wont forgive me."
Zuko inhaled. "It takes a very strong and wise person to make such a rational decision." he said.
"Damn I'm a bad person." Sokka hissed as he squinted his eyes. "I pretty much hoped you would say yes. That Iroh would be there too. Iroh would be a person strong enough to justify the risk."
"The truth is we don't know if either is there." Katara reminded Sokka. "And when we don't even know for sure. Then you're right. It's not worth the risk."
"I… I'm sorry I brought it up." Zuko said.
"No. I appreciate it." Sokka assured. "Seriously. And now when we kicked the fire lords butt. We know where to look first. So that's good."
Zuko nodded. "Yeah." he said. "She's going to be all right Sokka. I promise."
Sokka smiled back at Zuko. "I know buddie." he said and Zuko smile in return.
Azula was silent… It was unnerving to see Azula just frozen like that. Standing like a statue as her eyes were wide, going over the letter in her hands one more time.
A hawk had come to the fire princess with a letter and now she was looking at it. Her eyes wide, his pupils small, all blood seemed to have left her face and her mouth slightly parted.
Ty Lee was blinking rapidly confused by Azulas response and Mai had her usual dead pan stone face.
Then Azula screamed as she threw the paper away. "ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME ZUZU?!" she shouted. "I'm not fool! You're the fool!" she screamed as she kicked a chair away and it flew away hitting the wall.
Mai didn't even move an inch. Ty Lee swallowed but finally dared to walk over and pick up the paper to have a read and her eyes widened. "What?" she asked.
"What is it?" Mai asked.
"It says here that Zuko has been spotted." Ty Lee said.
Mais mouth turned to a thin line but she held her composure. "Isn't that a good thing?" she asked.
"He's been spotted." Ty Lee looked up at Mai. "In the fire nation."
There was silence… absolute silence.
"You're trying to make me look like an idiot?!" Azula screamed. "In the fire nation!? HOW BIG A MORON WOULD HAVE HAVE TO BE TO GO TO THE FIRE NATION!"
"It's… Kind of genius though isn't it?" Ty Lee asked looking at the letter. "Here we are. Fine searching the entire earth kingdom. But he was never here to begin with. Why would we ever think he was in the fire nation?"
"AAAARGHHHH!" Azula shouted throwing a fireball right at Ty Lee who barely managed to duck and then wide-eyed look at Azula.
Mai looked at Azula, her face looking like it was carved in stone as her cat like eyes looked at Azula. "Excuse me." she simply said. "I need some fresh air." and with that. Mai turned around, she exited the tent and then she started to speed walk.
As quickly as Mai could she left their camp and then kept walking out among the trees until she seemed to be at a good distance where no one could hear and finally… Mai couldn't hold it in any longer.
She opened her mouth and then a loud laughter escaped her lips. "Hahahahaha!" Mai laughed. She screamed in laughter as she bowed over and held her stomach. "Ha ha ha! The fire nation! You mad idiot! You were in the fire nation?!" she asked as she dried away her tears.
Seriously the next time Mai saw that idiot… She was so going to kiss him! She was going to kiss him like he had never been kissed before and she couldn't wait to see the surprised look on his confused face.
Oh Agni! He had managed to make Azula look like a complete idiot wasting all these resources in the earth kingdom while he was in the fire nation.
Azula looking like an idiot?! Never would Mai have thought she was going to see the day. Oh this was worth all the lightning in the world. Mai would never forget this! The look of absolutely shock and horror on Azulas face.
"Oh Zuko I love you." Mai chuckled through her snickers as she wiped her eyes and then her eyes widened as Mai stood up straight…
No… No she didn't.
"Ahem." Mai coughed into her sleeve as she stood up straight. Then she straightened up, wiped her eyes until they were dry. Methodically and calmly got her hair and robes back into order. Got her face back into order and finally walked back to camp where Ty Lee came running towards her.
"Mai!" Ty Lee gasped. "Mai are you all right?"
"Yes I'm fine." Mai said in a dead pan tone.
"But… You ran." Ty Lee said. "And your eyes are red."
Mai halted, then felt the blush creep over her cheeks as she felt bad for deceiving her friend. "I'm fine." she said. "So I guess we'll be going back to the fire nation then."
Ty Lee nodded. "Just the three of us though. Azula… Don't want to send a message back to her father that all of these resources were wasted. We are going to go incognito so the fire lord wont know. She intends to tell him only after she caught Zuko and the Avatar."
Mai nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose we'll better pack up then."
"Yeah." Ty Lee nodded as Mai put a comforting hand on her shoulder and lead the younger girl back towards camp where they could quickly pack up before heading towards the fire nation and perhaps even... Zuko.