"You play that role for years; there's nothing else. But you don't need your ears to listen to yourself.
Don't talk back, keep your lips closed tight; sleep underground tonight. If you were meant to save me…
if you were meant to save me, I didn't realize 'till now." Sleep Underground, Circa Survive
Xx
The mood on Appa is sullen. With the new knowledge of the comet clouding their minds, Aang is feeling the pressure, and isn't his normal chipper self. Katara is still upset about the loss of her necklace, and is a little shaken up by seeing Zuko, if she's being honest. Sokka seems to be the only one who woke up on the right side of the bedroll this morning, and takes on the role of optimist to make up for the lack of cheer in the group.
"How about we land in the next town and you two can practice some waterbending while I stock up on supplies? I know a little retail therapy always cheers me up!" Sokka's attempt to lighten the mood is met with little enthusiasm from the others, but Aang agrees to bring Appa down when they come up on a market town lining a wide river. They touch down next to a wider area in the river just outside of the town, and before they head to the market, Katara convinces Aang to practice with her so she can try to teach him some waterbending moves. He picks up the moves annoyingly fast; she had struggled for years to learn the miniscule amount of bending she knows (and isn't even particularly good at), and Aang has them all down pat in a matter of minutes. Her vexation grows, a little flare in her chest lying dangerously close to a match. Aang generates a large wave, and it goes flying towards a swimming Sokka.
"Hey!"
"Sorry Sokka!" It seems that Aang's spirits have lifted, but Katara can't say the same about her own.
"You just washed all our supplies down the river! We were supposed to stock up, not have to buy everything all over again!"
Aang winces as Sokka moves to dry himself off. He gets dressed, the other two following suit, and soon they are heading to the port market to restock.
"Now," Sokka is counting out their coins in his hand. "We don't have a lot of money left, so we have to spend it wisely. So much for retail therapy," he mumbles the last part, his grumpiness making Katara smile for what feels like the first time in days.
The market is jam packed with people, stalls lining the street while all sizes of ships sit on the river. Katara's eyes go round as she takes in the scene before her; she hasn't seen this much stuff in… well, ever. A strange looking man on the dock is yelling something about "curios," and Aang strikes up a conversation with him. Before she knows it, they are inside of a dimly lit ship full of said "curios," and as she looks around, a flash of blue catches Katara's eye. She passes by one of the pirates trying to coax Aang into selling Momo as she makes her way to a darker corner of the ship, shelves lined with scrolls covering the far wall.
"Aang, look!" She bends down and picks up a scroll, unfurling it for her and Aang to see. "It's a waterbending scroll!"
"Wow!" Aang hovers over her shoulder before turning to one of the men on the ship. "Where did you guys get the waterbending scroll?"
The pirate captain snatches the scroll out of Katara's hands, rolling it up and putting it back where she found it. "How about we just say I got it up north, and for a most reasonable price: free."
"Wait a minute..." Sokka looks around the ship, taking in the myriad of things strewn about, some of which are very expensive-looking. "You guys are pirates, aren't you?"
"We prefer the term "high-risk traders." The man who had been yelling outside puts his gangly arm around Sokka's shoulders, whose face morphs with disgust.
"How much for the traded scroll?" Katara needs that scroll; they stole it from her people, and she and Aang need to learn waterbending as fast as they can.
"Not for sale. I already have a buyer in the Earth Kingdom," the pirate captain says as he sits back down behind a large table. "Unless, of course, you have upwards of 200 gold pieces on you?"
Aang elbows past Katara and attempts to haggle (poorly) with the captain. While he's doing so, Katara discreetly slides the scroll off of it's shelf and sticks it up her sleeve.
"Come one Aang, let's just get out of here."
The three of them leave the ship, Katara's pace a little faster than usual as they get back into the market.
"We were just getting to the good stuff, Katara! Why'd we have to leave?" Sokka gives her a pouty look and she rolls her eyes.
"Those guys were creepy. I'll just feel a lot better after we put some space between us and them."
Unfortunately, it seems that the pirates have caught on to her trick, and they quickly come running after the group. The trio lead them on a chase through the streets of the market, and manage to lose them before heading back to camp.
"That was weird." Sokka is catching his breath back at the camp, bent over with his hands braced on his knees. "Why did they start chasing us?"
"It might have something to do with this..." Katara smirks as she pulls the scroll out of her sleeve. "Those guys were scumbags, and you know they stole this from a waterbender. So, I figured I'd take it back."
"You risked all of our lives just for a waterbending scroll!" Sokka points his finger in her face, and she bats it away with her hand.
"Sokka, you know how important it is that Aang learns waterbending! These are real forms!" she brandishes the scroll in the air for emphasis. "This is really going to help us!"
"Whatever." Sokka stomps off in the other direction. Katara sighs; part of her does feel a little guilty, but they need this scroll. She needs this scroll.
Xx
If the bags under Zuko's eyes were any heavier, he's sure that his head would slam onto the ground. His sleep has been even worse than usual, and that's saying something. His nightmares have taken on an intensity he hasn't known in years, and they've been waking him up every few hours like clockwork. He can't stop thinking about Kyoshi Island. He just left the Avatar there! I didn't even try to capture him! He is determined to figure out what his problem is, but it seems that for right now, his problem comes in the form of his uncle.
"Nephew! We must stop at the next market!" Iroh speaks seriously, concerning Zuko with his tone.
"Why? We can only stop for emergencies." He has been trying to keep up with the Avatar and his friends by following that monstrous thing they ride on, and he can't afford to lose them. To his disain, he had already managed to lose them yesterday, which made it even more imperative that they didn't stop. "We have to catch back up to the Avatar."
"It is an emergency, Prince Zuko. I've lost my white lotus tile!" Zuko would have thought his uncle was joking if not for his inflection.
"Seriously? A pai sho tile? Can't that wait?"
"Nephew," he puts a hand on Zuko's shoulder, and he knows he has already lost. "I know I have told you in the past that pai sho is not just a game. It is important that I have the full set."
Zuko groans, tilting his head back towards the sky. Why is this my life? "Fine. Whenever we next come upon a market, we'll search for your tile." He's too tired to argue, and Iroh seems pleased that they'll be making such an unnecessary pit stop.
Xx
"Not a single lotus tile in the whole market. Can you believe that?"
Zuko can believe it; not only have they lost precious time, but his uncle didn't even find his stupid game tile.
"Can we go back to the ship now? This whole stop was a waste of time."
They begin walking back towards their ship when Zuko overhears a conversation being had by a few pirates.
"We lost them. They ran off somewhere in the woods," the first one says in a gruff voice.
"Well, find them! That scroll is worth a fortune!" another one shoots back.
"We'll check along the river. If they stole a waterbending scroll, they have to be near the water." Zuko slows his steps to listen to the rest of the conversation.
"We'll find that water bitch and get the scroll. Maybe we can take the lemur from the bald kid too!" The pirates laugh raucously and head towards the dock.
Zuko has stopped in his tracks; it's too much of a coincidence for the pirate to be talking about anyone but Katara. If the pirates get to them, who knows what they'll do to her. And once they find out that Aang is the Avatar… Zuko has to get to them first.
"Uncle—" he turns towards his uncle, who, it seems, was listening to the pirate's conversation as well. He nods at Zuko, and they head off towards the forest.
"Shit." By the time they find Katara, the pirates are already there. A handful of them have her cornered, and she clearly isn't skilled enough in waterbending to fend them off. "Uncle, go find the other two. I'll help Katara."
He doesn't wait for an answer before he rushes out of the trees, twin swords at the ready. He sweeps the first pirate off of his feet with his leg, and the burly man smashes onto the ground, hitting his head and knocking himself out in the process. The other four have turned towards him, and three charge at him while one grabs Katara from behind and covers her mouth with his hand. He makes quick work of the pirates; they seem strong, but unorganized and clumsy, and Zuko uses that to his advantage to knock them all out without too much effort. He turns around to see Katara motion with her hands towards the pirate behind her, and a spray of water comes out of the river and blasts the man in the face. He lets go of Katara, coughing and sputtering, and she stomps on his foot. The man bends over in pain, and she grabs the back of his head and knees him in the face with a grunt, effectively knocking him out, and probably breaking his nose as well.
They stare at each other for a moment, both breathing heavily, before they hear the sounds of a struggle coming from deeper within the forest. Zuko sheaths his swords as he and Katara run towards the commotion. They soon come upon a chaotic scene: at least fifteen pirates fighting against his uncle, the Avatar, and Sokka. Zuko and Katara charge in, and they make short work of the pirates. An awkward silence descends upon them in the wake of the fight, neither party sure of what to do next.
"Thanks for the help!" Aang speaks up first, his voice somehow cheerful even after being attacked by pirates.
"There's more of them at the dock. You should get going before they come find you," his uncle says. Zuko would be angry that he's telling them to leave if he had any idea of what he would even do if he captured the avatar right now. It would be impossible to drag him through the forest, into the market, and onto his ship without running into the rest of the pirates, and then he would be right back where he started. And that's if he could even manage to get the kid past Katara and her brother.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for helping out Zuko!" The Avatar saying his name snaps him out of his stupor, and he is about to lunge for the boy when Katara bumps him with her shoulder as she walks past him.
"Looks like you're doing a good job of repaying that debt, huh?"
Heat rises to his cheeks as she smirks at him. Is she… flirting with me? She continues to walk towards Aang, who is blowing on a silent whistle. Suddenly, a giant beast lands between the two parties; Zuko and his uncle jump backwards, stunned by the creature's appearance. The Avatar and his friends climb onto its back before he is able to convince his feet to move.
"See you later Zuko!" Aang waves at him, and when Katara does as well, he raises his hand in a lame attempt at a wave. "Appa, yip yip!" The beast groans and flies up into the air, disappearing from view.
"What… the fuck just happened?" Zuko cannot believe he let the Avatar go again. And was he imagining things, or had Katara actually attempted to flirt with him? Agni above, I think I'm going insane.
"That was quite an interesting trip, don't you agree prince Zuko?" His uncle has a strange smile on his face, and all Zuko can do is stare blankly at him. "We should head back to the ship before those pirates come looking for us. I do not think it would be wise to let them capture us."
Half way back to the ship, his uncle pulls a white lotus pai sho tile out of his sleeve. "Prince Zuko, look! The tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" His uncle laughs like it's the funniest thing in the world, and Zuko prays that some god somewhere will do him a favor and smite him on the spot. But, the gods are not on his side today (or any day for that matter), and when they get back to the ship, he immediately shuts himself in his quarters, and proceeds to scream into his pillow until his voice is hoarse.