Seedy Merchant's Pier; Reylea
Qui-Gon Jinn POV...
"I will let other members know to keep an eye out for you, and to provide help if you require it," Iroh tells me as we leave the quiet shop. "And you may accompany me until we hear knowledge about the Avatar's whereabouts."
"Thank you very much Iroh. It is very appreciated," I reply with a smile.
He grins back at me with a brief chuckle. "It is no problem Master Jinn! It is the duty of the White Lotus to see that the world maintains its balance! I may be Fire Nation, but I do hope that the Avatar fulfill's his goal," he adds the last part quietly.
"A noble cause to wish for," I say in agreement. "I'm unsure if your nephew feels the same way."
"Zuko may be in a difficult position right now," he says with a sad sigh. "But I am hoping to steer him on the right path. His heart has always been in the right place, even if he does not yet realize it."
"I'm sure he will come to know it soon," I reassure him sincerely.
Walking back out onto the main streets, we find Zuko again standing around impatiently with crosses arms, a fierce scowl on his face.
"Finally. What were you two talking about?" he demands.
"Nothing important. Just chatting with an old friend," Iroh replies with a smile.
He narrows his eyes but scoffs in disinterest. "Whatever. Come on uncle, we need to continue searching for the Avatar!"
"Without my White Lotus tile?!" he replies in dramatic horror. "I still have to find it!"
"I thought he gave you one already!" Zuko exclaims in frustration, jabbing a finger at me.
"I'm afraid it is not the type of lotus tile your uncle was looking for. He requests the piece that meets his needs," I tell him apologetically, although I keep the smile threatening to come out in check. I could clearly sense that Iroh had one, he was just messing with him in good humor.
"Now come on, we must find it urgently! Qui-Gon can help us look for it!" Iroh exclaims, rushing forwards through the market place.
I follow calmly after the old General, and while I do I catch a glimpse of Zuko stand there seething in fury, and let it loose with a growl and burst of flames before following after us. I think about the brief display of firebending, marveling at the ability for a moment before continuing.
It was some time later before the three of us had stopped on the street. I watched patiently as Iroh Maine's about the problem while Zuko stood impatiently.
"I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace!" Iroh declares.
"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" he snaps furiously.
"Quite the contrary," he shoots back happily. "I always say the only thing better than finding something you were looking for, is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"
While Iroh was speaking, several Fire Nation soldiers walked by carrying large boxes full of things that Iroh had browsed through, along with a large musical instrument, which I had to raise an eyebrow at. Clearly Iroh has a huge taste for exotic things.
"You bought a tsungi horn?" Zuko asks, managing to loose his irritation for the moment at the incredulity of it.
"For music night on the ship!" he explains joyfully. "Now, if we only had some woodwinds."
Zuko groans quietly to himself, and despite trying to keep a stern exterior I can't help but chuckle quietly to myself at the relationship between the two. While Zuko seems to outright hate his uncle at first glance, I can sense that deep down he has a soft spot for his uncle, and does care for him, otherwise he wouldn't be putting up with the things he's doing. And I believe Iroh sees that as well.
"Would you lie something Master Jinn? I'd be more than happy to provide you with it!" Iroh offers, and Zuko grumbles at him.
"No thanks, I do not wish to be a bother. I already have what I need anyways," I assure him.
"If you say so, but this pier has many wonderful things!" he replies.
Iroh leads us further down the pier, and Zuko sends me a glare of irritation, which I suppose I can't fully blame him for. Iroh hen whips around to us with a smile, pointing towards a large wooden ship with orange sails.
"This place looks promising!" he exclaims eagerly, rushing forwards.
Shrugging to myself I follow after him, and Zuko soon does as well after a moment. Entering the ship, we come across a simple room full of shelves containing different artifacts and scrolls, as well as some strange humanoid skull with red gems in it.
"Ooo! That is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?" Iroh asks us.
I raise an eyebrow at him while Zuko just glares with a deadpan expression of annoyance.
"I'm not so sure that's as handsome as you believe," I tell him.
"On that I agree..." Zuko mutters quietly to himself, something I barely catch.
"Hah! Nonsense, it's wonderful!" he exclaims, picking up the skull.
"We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with," I hear one of the men say to another, who I assume to be his boss.
Getting a closer look at them, I note their attire and shady behavior and conclude that these people must be pirates. Not the best group to be involved with. However Zuko's eyes suddenly lock onto the pirates after hearing that comment, getting my attention.
"This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?" Zuko questions sternly.
An arrow on his head... airbenders had arrow tattoos to symbolize their mastery of Airbending. That must be the Avatar they're talking about then. All of us pay no mind to Iroh as he holds up the skull to try and mimic it with his own grin and sounds, although I spare him a brief glance of amusement.
"Uh huh," the pirate says, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What's it to you?"
"That bald monk has been causing me a lot of trouble lately," Zuko says, purposefully withholding mention of the Avatar. "I intend to repay him in kind."
"Well he and that girl stole a waterbending scroll from us," the pirate captain says gruffly in reply.
"Well, it seems we have a common enemy in him," Zuko remarks. "Help me to find the boy, and I'll make sure you get your scroll back. Sound like a fair deal?"
The captain narrows his eyes at us, obviously distrustful. "I don't trust people from the Fire Nation. They tend to go back on their word occasionally," he starts, and Zuko tenses up. "However in this case, I don't see why you would care for the scroll. You got yourself a deal."
He outstretched a hand, and Zuko shakes it stiffly, sealing the deal. The captain then settles his eye on me and frowns.
"What's with you peasant? Highly unusual for one such as you to be traveling with the likes of Fire Nation," he states.
"I'm just a simple traveler, but Iroh here is an old acquaintance of mine," I answer in reply.
Iroh laughs and slings an arm around my shoulders, although he struggles for a brief moment considering I'm much taller than him.
"Oh we go way back don't we Qui-Gon?" he chuckles, and I smile at him in amusement.
"Old friend or not, he was just about to leave," Zuko states, glaring at me in warning.
"Why not bring him along Prince Zuko? He could be of good help," Iroh says insistantly.
The captain and the other pirate clad in a green tunic laughed mockingly in amusement while Zuko glared even harder at me, shifting some of his gaze to his uncle.
"A simple monk like you? Please!" the captain scoffs.
"Yeah, what kind of fighting have you ever done in your life?" the other pirate asks sarcastically.
"I may not look it, but I am a capable fighter, and I am good at tracking," I reply calmly.
"You've stayed long enough. You aren't coming," Zuko stares angrily.
"Prince Zuko-" Iroh starts.
"He's not coming uncle!" he exclaims.
"If you're as good as you say, can you prove it to us?" the captain questions doubtfully.
"If you insist, but don't fight others unnecessarily," I say in reply.
Zuko rolls his eyes, and the pirates scoff in a mocking tone. The captain then sends a glance at the other pirate, and after a moment, he suddenly whips a hand out and throws a knife directly for me in the blink of an eye. Using the Force however, I easily sensed the move and reached my hand out to snap the knife from the air in a flash, just as quickly. Everyone blinks their eyes at me in surprise, and after a moment I casually toss the knife back to the pirate, who almost fails to catch it in his surprise.
"Did I forget to mention my quick reflexes?" I add, looking at them with a small degree of amusement.
"Fine, your in," the captain scowls, leaving the room with the other pirate.
"That was most alarming, and unnecessary," Iroh comments with a frown, having looked horrified for a brief moment when the knife was thrown.
"I expected as such," I tell him with a sigh. "They are pirates after all."
"How did you do that?" Zuko questions with narrowed eyes.
"I kept myself in the moment, and reacted to his action," I explain casually. "I may not look it, but I have seen my fair share of battles."
"Huh..." he replies, before slowly exiting the room with a suspicious look. "Just don't get in my way for this."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I reply, watching him go.
Later in the evening, Prince Zuko had his smaller skiff in order to travel along the river. Me and Iroh both accompanied him on the skiff, along with a small group of Fire Nation soldiers in order to help with capturing the Avatar. Once the skiff was set into the water, we joined up with the pirate's sailed ship, and began heading upriver in the general direction of the Avater and his friends.
When the actual encounter comes, I'm not sure of how I will handle the situation. My purpose here is to help the Avatar, however Prince Zuko's purpose is the complete opposite, so I'll have to leave them quite soon. Being in his presence for a few hours now, I've been able to get a good look at his presence in the Force, especially with Reylea enhancing my power. From what I can sense, he truly is a distraught, troubled young man who struggles between right and wrong, seeking to please his father.
I'm not sure how I got his scar, but I sense it to be a very emotional event for him, so I leave those thoughts privately to him, as it is not my place to know. Standing at the side of the skiff, I look to the bow where Zuko was standing, his gaze firmly fixed on our surroundings, his mind bent on finding the Avatar. Iroh then comes up beside me, and I spare him a glance, questions burning in my mind.
"His scar brings him great emotional pain," I state quietly, to which Iroh lets out a sigh.
"It's not something he wishes to talk about. He never speaks of it," he replies sadly.
"Forgive me. It's not my place to know the reason," I apologize politely.
"It's alright my friend. He still struggles to get over it but, I've been helping him," he replies with a small smile. "How did you know the significance of it?"
"The Force allows Jedi to do many things. We can manipulate objects around us, sense life forms through it, even sense the thoughts and emotions of others if we so wish," I explain, gazing at Zuko with a furrowed brow in concern. "I sense your nephew has had a hard, unforgiving life. He's always tense, and it has made him bitter."
Iroh looks over at Zuko, looking upset at the knowledge. "I know this all too well. Sometimes I fear my efforts to help may be in vain."
"Maybe," I admit. "But along with his pain there is a goodness to him as well. Despite how he seems on the outside he is quite fond of you, and deep down he only wishes to do what's right," I inform the old general with a reassuring smile.
Iroh glances at me in brief surprise at my words before looking over at Zuko again, a smile slowly forming on his face, his thoughts bursting with emotion and pride in Zuko.
"That is good to hear," he replies with quiet joy.
Night has now fallen by this point, and we had been sailing down the river for a few hours on the theory that the Avatar's group would most likely be practicing their waterbending with the scroll. While everyone was keeping an eye out, I had my sense stretched out through the Force to try and find them. The Avatar no doubt would shine like a beacon through the Force due to the immense power that he holds.
I was continuing my quiet and calm search through the Force, kneeling down on the ground in a meditative stance when I could feel it. A bright light appears in my vision, capturing my focus with how absolutely captivating it is, full of power. I can't think of anything else this could be except for the Avatar Spirit.
"Ow! Stupid scroll!"
The sound of a frustrated young girl took me out of my meditation, and I open my eyes. Standing up, I walk out and into the clear view of the small deck, watching as Zuko, several of his soldiers, and the pirates quietly hit the shore and piled out of the ships, stalking along the beach. Narrowing my eyes a little bit more, I could just make out the sight of the girl practicing her waterbending, but to know success. Iroh then walks up beside me, and we both share a concerned look with each other. In a technical standpoint from our beliefs, we were both neutral, shifting more towards the Avatar's side, but choosing not to interfere for certain reasons.
After a few more moments, I hear the girl gasp in fright before running further away along the beach, only to run into one of the pirates.
"No! Let go of me!" she yells, flailing her arms around.
Using her waterbending, she swings a stream of water and slams it directly into her captor's face, causing him to groan in surprise and let go of her, stumbling backwards. She takes the opportunity to run away, only this time she's stopped by Zuko, who grabs both of her wrists with a hard glare.
"I'll save you from the pirates!" he says coldly.
"Zuko!" she gasps in fright, and tries to struggle away, but he keeps hold of her wrists and shoves her towards a tree.
"Tie her up!" he orders.
While me and Iroh exit the ship to come stand nearby and watch the scene, a couple of Zuko's soldiers step forwards and tie her to the lone tree, making sure she wouldn't be able to break free. It was still fairly dark out, but being closer I could see that the girl was remarkably young, a couple years younger at least than Zuko, who was sixteen. Despite that though, she had a strong will and compassionate heart, caring for anyone that was in need. She was a wonderful young girl for sure, and I'm sure she'll be able to live a long happy life if the war is ended.
That being said, she was giving all of us fierce, unrelenting glares, especially at Zuko. Her eyes lingered on me for a moment, causing her to stop briefly in some confusion, wondering who I am. We share a look with each other, and I gaze back at her with a sympathetic and kind look. She then looks away again after giving me a small glare, but I can sense she's definitely curious about me, as well as a little wary.
"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother," Zuko demands, starting his interrogation.
"Go jump in the river!" she exclaims fiercely.
Zuko glances away for a moment in frustration, before approaching in an attempt to be reasoning with her. "Try to understand, I need to capture to restore something I've lost. My honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost."
Standing behind her, Zuko holds up a navy blue necklace that shines with the water tribe symbol on it. Judging by the reaction from Katara and her shock, it is very important to her.
"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?!" she demands.
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering," Zuko says with a smirk, walking away and holding it out tauntingly. "Tell me where he is."
"No!" she retorts, refusing to budge. It would take quite a lot to break through her determination, which I know Zuko isn't cruel enough to do.
"Enough of this necklace garbage. You promised the scroll!" the captain interrupts angrily, glaring at Zuko.
Zuko frowns in annoyance before putting away the necklace, and pulling the waterbending scroll from his pocket. He holds it up and produces a flame underneath it warningly, staring at them with a non-caring smirk.
"I wonder how much money this is worth?" he asks rhetorically.
The pirates all gasp in alarm with wide eyes, causing Zuko to smirk. I glance between the two groups, frowning at the rising tension growing between them. This alliance isn't going to last for very long.
"A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!" Zuko orders.
"Fine!" the captain scowls bitterly, taking the rest of his crew into the woods.
Satisfied, Zuko extinguishes the flame and puts the scroll away, crossing his arms in preparation for the wait. I decide to take the opportunity to let my voice be heard, if only briefly.
"Your methods of cooperation won't help you in the long run," I advise.
He scoffs. "This is only temporary, I'm not looking for an alliance with those barbarians."
"Even so, using intimidation as a means to get others to work with you will only create more enemies, and may be a cause for great concern later on," I explain with a disapproving look. "It never works."
"It does work," he snaps at me. "You saw yourself that it worked! Besides, why am I even talking to you about this? You're lucky I don't send you off like the rest of them! So far I've seen nothing to prove your claims to be of use."
I merely hum at him in reply, deciding to let the issue go for now and move over towards the girl's tree where Iroh was standing around casually. He looks between us in concern, but I send him a reassuring look. He then moves over to Zuko to talk to him privately, while I stand calmly near the girls tree. I never failed to notice that the girl had watched the argument intently, trying to judge the kind of person I am.
"Why are you helping them?" she angrily tells me with a quiet voice.
"What do you mean?" I ask her curiously.
"Zuko and the Fire Nation are selfish and greedy, wanting the conquest of others! You just saw how he works, and you know it's wrong! Why would you want to help him?!" she seethes quietly.
"That is true, and I do know that about the Fire Nation," I admit with a nod. "However not all of them are like that. Many of them actually believe that they are doing what's right, and simply need to be shown the correct path."
"Zuko is not that kind of person!" he retorts.
"He is actually more complicated than he seems on the surface," I reply calmly. "I can assure you though, that what I do is for the good of others, and to make sure peace and balance are kept in the world. I'm sure you understand that quite well yourself young one," I finish with a small smile at her.
She eyes me cautiously, still mistrustful, but my words had caused her to think heavily about me, and I could sense that she was still very confused on what to think.
Dawn had arrived by the time the pirates returned with the rest of the group, which was two young boys. One of them wore similar styled clothing to the girl, and had very similar features to her, leading me to deduce this is her brother. The other boy however, is the youngest person here much to my surprise, and he has my full attention. He certainly is an airbender all the way to the tattoos on his forehead. His face is full of mischief, kindness and joy, even despite his current predicament, although the most noticeable emotion on his face was concern for the girl.
Without a doubt, this is the Avatar, if his powerful presence in the Force is anything to go by. Feeling his power is just absolutely staggering, in how it can rival even Master Yoda's presence, all within a small, barely thirteen year old boy.
Along with concern for the girl, the Avatar also took sight of me with immediate interest and curiosity, seeing the clothing I was in, since it resembled more of a monk's attire on this planet. There was some wariness, but unlike the girl it was mostly just genuine curiosity and interest in me. We locked eyes for a moment, studying each others character before focusing our attention elsewhere when Zuko spoke.
"Nice work," he says triumphantly, walking forwards with the scroll.
"Aang, this is all my fault!" Katara says guiltily from beside me and Iroh.
"No, Katara it isn't," the Avatar, who I know now as Aang, replies instantly.
"Yeah, it kind of is," Iroh juts in humorously and glancing at Katara, who looks back in annoyance.
"I suppose that's accurate, but that doesn't really help their mood," I tell Iroh while smiling in amusement, and he just shrugs in reply. Through the Force I could also sense a small flicker of amusement from Aang as well.
"Give me the boy," Zuko demands.
"You give us the scroll," the captain retorts fiercely.
"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment!?" Katara's brother asks incredulously.
I raise an eyebrow at him, and Zuko jabs an angry finger in his direction with a glare.
"Don't listen to him! He's trying to turn us against each other!" he exclaims.
However it was too late, as the pirates were already interested, ignoring Zuko. I share a glance at Iroh, shaking my head with a quiet sigh.
"Your friend is the Avatar?" the captain asks, looking at Aang.
Katara's brother slides in between them with a wide, admittedly humorous, grin on his face. "Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market then that fancy scroll!"
"Shut your mouth, you water tribe peasant!" Zuko yells.
"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth..." Aang says uneasily, not realizing Sokka's strategy.
"I'm just sayin', it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar," Sokka says sweetly, and wide smiles of excitement appear on the pirates face. "You guys would be set for life!"
"I did warn you Prince Zuko, that intimidation never works out in the long run," I remind him, and he seethes in fury, shooting me a harsh glare.
"Keep the scroll! We can buy a hundred with the reward we will get for the kid!" the captain states, walking away.
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" Zuko says dangerously.
With a yell Zuko and two of his guards raise their feet and shoot out blasts of fire at the pirates. Some of them are scattered, but the first mate dashed forwards with narrowed eyes. Pulling out some small pellets, he tosses them into the crowd of Fire Nation soldiers and smoke bursts out, blinding them. He then jumps into the fray with his daggers out, and more pirates follow after him.
Watching the scene, I let out a sigh and calmly move behind Katara's tree without her notice. At the same time, I spot a furry winged lemur-like creature who crawls down the tree trunk, and looks at me with a few chirps. Paying it no mind, I easily untie the ropes binding Katara, freeing her.
"Thanks, Momo. I owe you a bushel of apples-" she says with a smile, before noticing me in shock.
"Well? Aren't you going to help your friends?" I ask her.
"You... you freed me?" she asks warily.
"I was never planning on bringing any of you to the Fire Lord my dear," I explain. "In fact, my motivation is quite the opposite."
"Well... thanks," she says.
"Go to your friends now," I tell her.
Giving me one more look, she then takes off with Momo following after her, taking flight with his wings.
3rd person POV...
Aang stumbles through the smoke while coughing, looking around quickly to try and figure out where he was. A spear suddenly shot out of the smoke towards him, and he just barely dodged with a yelp, although it cut the ropes still binding him.
Close by, Zuko marches out of the smoke cloud and returns the waterbending scroll to his waistband. He narrows his eyes for a moment before ducking underneath a sword swipe from the pirate captain, and turns to face him. The two collide, the pirate using his sword which Zuko blocked with his metal bracers, glaring at him.
Still bound in the middle of the smoky battlefield, Sokka crawls on the ground when a knife suddenly lands on the ground in front of him, causing him to help in fright. He quickly uses the knife to cut the ropes, and gets to his feet.
"Aang, are you there?!" he exclaims
"I'm over here, follow my voice!" Aang yells, jumping above the smoke.
"Where? I can't find you!" Sokka replies.
"I'm right here!" he says again.
Using his Airbending, he clears away the thick smoke only to widen his eyes in alarm as all of the pirates and Fire Nation soldiers freeze and look at him, momentarily stopping the fighting. After a moment, he quickly pulls the smoke back over him.
"Uhh, never mind! I'll find you!"
Sokka was crawling out of the smoke cloud when Aang jumped over his head at a run, heading for the pirate ship.
"Run!" he shouts, and Sokka gets to his feet to quickly follow after him. They arrive at the ship to see Katara attempting to push the ship into the water.
"Katara! You're okay!" Aang exclaims joyfully.
"Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get out of here!" Katara says urgently.
The three of them attempt to push the boat into the water but there is no movement at all, leaving them to stop in frustration.
"We need a team of rhinos to budge this ship," Sokka states.
"Need some help?"
The trio look around to see Qui-Gon standing there causing Aang, and Sokka especially to yelp in alarm.
"Stay back you Fire Nation!" Sokka warns, pulling out his boomerang threateningly.
"Relax, I'm not here to fight you," he tells him calmly.
"It's okay guys, he helped me get free," Katara tells the others.
"He did?" Aang asks, looking at Qui-Gon in interest. "Well, thanks."
Sokka however was still mistrustful. "I'm not buying it. He's probably trying to act as some sort of double agent of something to get on our good side."
Qui-Gon quirks a brow in some amusement, while Aang glances at Sokka with a shrug.
"Sokka, would you think a double agent would look like him?" he asks.
"That's just what a double agent wants you to think!" he retorts.
"You can be suspicious of me all you want, but the longer we talk the more likely it is that Zuko or the pirates realize where you are," Qui-Gon points out.
"He's right, we need to focus on escaping," Katara says. "How're we gonna move that ship though?"
"...maybe with two waterbenders?" Aang suggests knowingly, causing Katara to smile at him.
"I can help you push the ship offshore as well, once you're onboard," Qui-Gon tells them.
"Are you a water bender too?" Aang asks with wide eyes.
"No, but it's probably easier to show you. Now you best get moving," he advises.
Nodding, Aang and Katara both stand on either side of the ship's pros and start pulling the water up and down, to loosen it from the shore. Qui-Gon then stands in front of the prow and raises his arms, mimicking the motion of pushing something. Using the Force, he helps the two kids to get the boat into the water, which they notice with surprise and confusion, but it's replaced by joy when the ship begins to float.
"What'd you do?" Sokka asks.
Qui-Gon simply smiles at him in reply, and Aang starts to think hard about him, wondering who he is.
"Everyone into the boat!" Katara exclaims.
"I'll make sure that nobody follows you," Qui-Gon says.
Zuko and the pirate captain were still in a heated duel with each other when Iroh interrupts the fight by shoving them apart. "Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?!"
"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko snaps.
"It's no proverb," Iroh replies, pointing down the river.
They look over to see the pirate ship sailing away, and the captain widens his eyes in alarm, rushing after it.
"Bleeding hog-monkeys!" He cries out.
"Haha!" Zuko laughs mockingly after him.
Moments later, Zuko's skiff starts moving after the pirate ship, with the pirates laughing and jeering at Zuko, taunting him.
"Hey! That's my boat!" he yells angrily.
"Maybe it should be a proverb," Iroh says thoughtfully.
"Come on, Uncle!"
Qui-Gon runs along the shoreline, his cloak billowing in the wind, to keep watch as the ship sails down the river, with the pirates in hot pursuit, the skiff being much faster than the sail boat. Seeing them pull up alongside the ship and start boarding, he prepares himself before running towards the water.
Using the Force, Qui-Gon jumps high into the air in the direction of the pirate ship, swiftly landing on the deck and popping up with a roll. He looks up to see a beefy pirate hold Sokka overhead before throwing him against the sail, where he collapses to the ground with a thud.
"That's good!" the first mate comments.
Qui-Gon dashes fowards, taking them by surprise, and kicks the beefy pirate in the back. He tumbled to the ground with a startled cry, and the first mate whips around to swipe his dagger, but Qui-Gon evades his strike and grabs his wrist, twisting and then elbowing him in the face, and knocking him to the ground.
"You did wish for proof of my skills right?" he recalls in amusement, and the pirate groans.
The beefy pirate then charges forwards with a yell, but before he could strike, Aang whips forwards out of nowhere and swipes him off his feet, twirling him with his Airbending before throwing him into the water. Katara moves over to help Sokka up, while Aang turns to Qui-Gon
"How'd you get over here?" he asks in astonishment.
"I jumped," he replies.
"But that's over a dozen feet! Only I could've done that!" he says in confusion. "Do you have some weird form of bending?
"I suppose I must be special," he answers with a shrug.
"Aang, look!" Katara exclaims.
They look over to see a waterfall directly in front of them, widening their eyes in concern.
"Oh, no!" Aang says.
The sound of a blade being drawn has them turning around to see the first mate approaching, a dagger held in his hand. Qui-Gon tenses up, but Aang leaves them both looking in confusion as he blows as hard as he can into a bison whistle, which releases no sound at all.
The first mate stares dully at him, unimpressed, before Sokka comes out of nowhere to kick him in the face, and then promptly kicks him overboard.
"Have you lost your mind!? This is no time for flute practice!" Sokka exclaims.
"Aang, Katara, use your waterbending to slow the boat down before it falls!" Qui-Gon says urgently.
The two of them don't bother questioning and start working to do so, using their waterbending to manipulate the water against the current.
"It's working! It's slowing down!" Katara exclaims excitedly.
The ship slowly comes to a stop just at the edge of the waterfall, turned at a ninety degree angle in the water.
"We're doing it!" she continues.
"But we have another problem!" Sokka points out in alarm.
The skiff charges forwards straight for the ship, but before it could hit, Qui-Gon moves quickly to the railing and holds out his arms, causing the skiff to stop dead in the water despite the fierce current. The trio widen their eyes in surprise at the sight, and Qui-Gon glances back at them.
"Woah, how is he doing that?" Aang asks in surprise.
"All three of you jump off the ship on my signal!" Qui-Gon orders.
"Jump?!" Sokka exclaims incredulously.
"Your bison is approaching!" he says in reply.
"But what about you?!" Katara asks worriedly.
"I've got my own way out," he reassures them.
After a few more moments, he lowers his arm and releases the skiff, allowing it to charge forwards again.
"Everyone, jump!" he exclaims sternly.
The skiff crashes into the sailboat, quickly shoving it over the side of the waterfall. With no other option, the trio all jump off the side of the ship with frightened screams. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon leaps from the pirate ship and onto the skiff, and then uses that as a platform to jump all the way to the shore.
Turning around, he looks over the edge of the falls in concern, smiling in relief once he saw the air bison flying up into the air with the kids in the saddle. Aang And Katara boy look back at them, and they meet each other's gaze, a mutual feeling passing through them that they would be meeting again.
Moments later, Zuko runs up to the river bank near the waterfall, Iroh huffing and puffing behind him.
"My boat!" he yells.
Iroh breathes to regain his breath, before chuckling. "Hehe, Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. The missing lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"
He whips out the lotus tile with a massive grin on his face, causing Qui-Gon to snort in amusement. Zuko breathes heavily in an effort to control his temper, but then snaps the tile from Iroh fast as lightning. Iroh's grin falls as Zuko chucks it off the cliff in fury.
"Better luck next time my friend," Qui-Gon tells Iroh, who groans.
"Now I really do have to find a new lotus tile..." he says sadly.
"And you!" Zuko yells, whipping around to face Qui-Gon. "I don't care who you are, but you are of no help at all! In fact, you did quite the opposite! So you better get out of my sight and never bother us again, or I'll have you imprisoned for life!"
"Prince Zuko, you shouldn't talk that way!" Iroh admonishes.
"It's alright Iroh," he assures him. "We both know I would be departing after this anyways."
"I suppose that is true," he admits. "I bid you luck on your travels then Master Jinn."
"And I the same to you," he replies with a smile, turning around and departing from the two.
This would be quite the interesting quest for him, now that he's encountered the Avatar, his friends, and his pursuers.
So, he's finally met the Gaang! How was it for you guys? Did you enjoy it?
:D