Boiling Point
Changing Tides

Change came in some form with the introduction of prisoners, not from the Fire Nation.

At first, Lu Ten and Akio heard rumors that there was a female prisoner from the Earth Nation, yet neither could confirm or deny this due to the fact they didn't interact at all with the female prisoners. Then they brought in a prisoner from the Water Tribe, but Lu Ten recognized quickly the man wasn't from the Fire Nation when he first saw him.

The man from the Water Tribe arrived shortly after the day the sun disappeared.

Of course, Lu Ten experiences partial eclipses of the sun before, but what he experienced was most certainly different from what he experienced before. Even Akio felt cut off unexpectedly from his bending, but both felt the actual feeling as different from the change brought on by the cooler. More importantly, for a few minutes, everyone in the Fire Nation was suddenly an equal.

"Had I known, I would have planned for this being the day we tried escaping," Lu Ten muttered, although what he said was not true. Zuko, after all, even if Ozai didn't know the truth, was still someone that his uncle might retaliate against, or he might instead retaliate against Iroh, his father, which in turn would have direct consequences on Zuko as the esteemed general was taking care of him while in exile. He also didn't know who to trust in that place.

Still, the realization that the guards who all could Firebend were suddenly brought down to the level of non-benders felt somewhat nice. After all, Lu Ten remembered all too well the way some of the Firebenders in the army treated those who could not bend, but his father took the time to have him learn a fighting skill that didn't involve bending. One of the things Iroh told him was, "It's so that you might learn to appreciate the work they go to so that they might support us," yet he didn't appreciate said lesson until years after he joined.

Of course, his ability to fight without bending felt a bit rusty, even though his ability to use a sword was likely a bit rusty even before Ozai threw him into the prison here. There simply wasn't time to practice what he learned from Piandao on the battlefield and no place to practice here as a prisoner. This in turn made his heartache from the hope that Akio mentioned he wanted for the future, for Zuko's future.

Seeing the man from the Water Tribe arrive at first made Lu Ten feel as if any form of hope was killed off. The man, who he eventually learned the man's name was Hakoda, but he wasn't surprised, having observed how Hakoda held himself, that the man was, in fact, the chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, which only made the hope die even more as it felt as if the Fire Nation were taking over the world.

But then...

"The Avatar..."

Lu Ten Sighed upon hearing yet another prisoner bring up the Avatar, knowing full well Ozai sent Zuko on an impossible task of finding the Avatar.

"I heard he's alive."

Lu Ten sucked in his breath, surprised at this revelation.

"I thought he was dead."

"No. Apparently, he wasn't dead at all."

"If you're referring to the return of the Avatar, Ozai managed to kill him in Ba-Sing-Se."

"Yes, well I'm referring to the fact he's not dead at all. He's alive, but was with Hakoda and his men when that eclipse occurred, attacking the capital. They failed though, but the Avatar is alive. It means..."

Lu Ten knew it meant that there was some form of hope in the world, yet the prisoners who were discussing the matter didn't get to finish as the guards arrived and stuck them in the cooler. In the back of his mind, he always felt sorry for those who could not breathe fire and warm themselves in the cooler. Yet, there was Hakoda, who spoke sometimes to Chit Sang. One day, Hakoda approached him.

"I wish to introduce myself. I am Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Akio," his childhood friend spoke. "This is my friend Lee."

"I see." Hakoda sat crossed-legged in front of them. He was free to converse with who he wanted, but Lu Ten noticed how the man quickly changed the conversation when the guards came close, unlike the prisoners who were thrown into the cooler. "Who are you really?"

"As I said, I am Akia, and this..."

"The way he carries himself says otherwise."

Lu Ten took a deep breath. "And?"

"There is one other who's noticed that you're different," Hakudo spoke quietly. "I waited..." He paused as one of the guards paused, or more of started asking about Fire Nation culture, making it seem as if he were simply curious. He then said, "I waited to approach you until I established a pattern, particularly since the guards seem super interested in you, though I doubt they have decerned who you are."

Lu Ten's mouth moved slightly, then spoke softly. "Prince Lu Ten."

"Lu..." Akio started. "Lee."

"It's alright. Father always said there were ways to trust someone, and I believe I can trust Hakudo. They say you are the chieftain of your tribe?"

"Yes." Hakudo then asked, "You're related to the current Fire Lord."

"He's not the current Fire Lord, but a usurper to the throne. But yes, I am related to Ozai. He is my uncle, the younger brother of my father."

"I see."

"You've brought information of the Avatar?" Again, they changed the conversation so that the guards wouldn't become aware that something was up.

"Yes. My children are with him, but I am choosing to place my hope in them, albeit they are quite young. My daughter is his Waterbending Master."

"That is quite a feat for someone so young." Lu Ten found himself wondering how far Zuko was from becoming a Firebending Master, yet also thinking there so few true masters of the art in the Fire Nation. He knew all too well that the schools now favored quick results, power over breath control, but his eyes closed remembering his father's lessons. He then said, "You remind me of my father."

"I've heard of him from my children and the Avatar's Earthbending instructor. They refer to him as the tea-loving old kook..."

"That..." Lu Ten wondered if this is why the men gossiped.

"... who gives great wisdom to those in need of such wisdom. He also helped the Northern Water tribe bring one of the Moon Spirits which reside there back to life when someone named Zhao killed the spirit."

Lu Ten let out a hissing sound, glancing up as the guards passed again while Hakoda broke into an apology for misunderstanding the cultural concept as a cover. When the guard passed on by, he spoke again. "I never liked Zhao, but my father taught me you don't go messing with the spirits haphazardly. He should have known it would have consequences for us all."

"Yes. I've not yet met the man, but I would like to. Both my children and Toph have great respect for him."

"I'm glad to hear that." Yet, there was something that bothered him. "Is he the Avatar's Firebending instructor?"

"No. He has not found one."

"That..." That was honestly worrisome.

"The spirits work in their own time, but things have a way of balancing themselves out."

"Sounds like something my father might say."

Still, suddenly the thought of escaping was in the air, though he knew the four of them – for Chit Sang joined in their planning, would need time for planning something, given they needed to be careful around the guards.