Most of the music I listen to while writing this story is either Jessie J, (her song 'Do It Like a Dude' inspired the whole caboodle,) or Disney soundtracks (mostly Mulan and Brother Bear I and II). Completely opposite, I know.

Chapter 6: Silver Mess Kit

There were a few things that I had never thought out—y'know, about being a guy. I figured out one of them when Kojo and I were thrown in the showers together and told to strip and clean. The problem with that was that I had girly bits and no extra appendage between my legs like he and the other men on the ship did. Not only did it pose a problem at that very moment, but, if I somehow made it out without being found, it also posed a problem in the entire next year of how I was supposed to shower on a ship full of men!

I refused to strip. Instead, I stood under the stream of water with my clothes on. I explained to the soldier standing watch—a Ensign Genji or something—that my clothes were dirty, too, so they might as well get washed at the same time. No sense in wasting water. He rolled his eyes and told me, "We're at sea. Plenty of water. But whatever, kid, you do you."

First thing that happened was that Genji took Kojo and me, soaking wet clothes and all, down to the Quartermaster. The ensign knew the ship like the back of his hand but better. "I need two uniforms. Or something to fit these two, at least. Two messkits and hammocks, too. "

The Quartermaster was an old man, balding, and round around the edges. His uniform was pristine, though, and everything looked organized and in its place. This part of the hold held bolts of cloth, enough for an army, and dozens of things I'd never seen in my life. Radios, electronics, bobbles and instruments...it was like a poor kid's dream.

And the Quartermaster was the evil baron who hoarded everything and took all our money. "Alright, but it'll be taken out of their pay." I frowned and stuck my tongue out at him when he wasn't looking.

I compared the two people I'd met so far as I was handed some clothing. Kojo had had some money before getting to the ship, it turned out—he just didn't like to bathe. His dad being a doctor and all, he hadn't starved any when he was younger. It was surprising that, for a Water Tribe member, he was pretty down on water. I wondered why he was even out on the sea at all since he hated it so much. And Genji was definitely made of bigger things than me. I could see it in his clean fingernails and soft hands and the way he looked down on me.

We were led to a different room. I took a deep breath and tried on my new uniform. The top was maroon and bulky, which I counted as a good thing since it hid my chest even more. The pants, baggy and black with a maroon, cloth belt and ankle cuffs, were tight around the butt, so I was a little cursed in that aspect. Not many guys had butts like a girl.

The shoes were black and pointy with maroon decals which matched the wrist cuffs. They also matched the tie that went around the topknot on the top of my head. The tight hairstyle made my cheekbones look more severe, like a skinny, starved kid of the streets. Which was what I was trying for.

Kojo and I walked out at the same time. He gave me a crooked grin and his eyes were mischievous. The way he held his face made his freckles look almost like a tan against his pale skin. I figured we'd be getting into a lot of trouble together if that look told me anything.

"Follow me," Genji sighed. He definitely wasn't happy with his new position, it was obvious. He was attractive for a nobleman, though. Bright green eyes with thick brown hair cut shapely and smoothed back on his head. He had these awful sideburns but I figured that they wouldn't last. He was around my real age, I figured, and I would have taken interest in him if he'd lived in Jang Hui. But that was the thing—he wouldn't have been there, and, if he had, he wouldn't be the same man. He would have been one of the dirty boys I'd had no interest in settling down with.

He led us down a maze of hallways and stairs in the hold. The hold (AKA the generic name for everything underneath the deck) was huge—I had no clue how I'd ever figure out how to navigate it. Finally he led us to what I assumed was the largest room in the hold—it seemed like it spanned the entire ship. Triple bunk-beds lined up in perfect order up and down, four columns of them and dozens of rows, it looked like. Each bed was perfectly made up in plain black and white bedding and each had a small personal crate or chest under it.

Genji led us to the back of the spacious cavern where there was room for at least four more bunks. Then he strung up our hammocks for us and handed us two tin trays. "This is where the Enlisted men stay. Officers are housed in the main enclosure on deck. These are your mess kits. Take them with you when you get food or you won't receive any."

I sat my small bag of supplies down in my hammock and looked around. I didn't have a place I could lock up my meager belongings or store anything I would get in the future. Also, a bunk with a real mattress was a lot different than a hammock! "Do we get bunks or chests later on?"

Genji sighed and leaned against one of the beds. "You'll get a bed when you turn sixteen. As for the sea chest, you can order one after the first payday. We'll take a percentage of your pay every month to pay for it."

I didn't think that was fair. Then again, I'd never really been paid before. I was sure that even a little bit of what I would earn would be more than I'd had all my life. Even having my own hammock was like heaven because it was mine.

"Is it time for food yet?" Kojo asked, holding his stomach. "I'm starved!" My stomach growled, too, and I realized that I hadn't had a real meal in... I can't even remember when I last ate more than berries and nuts!

"Yes," Genji said in an irritated voice. He was a very gloomy man. I didn't even think thank I'd seen him smile. "Follow me." I had a feeling that he'd be saying that a lot.

Memorizing how to get from the living quarters to the mess hall was going to be like showing emotion in front of Koh. Still, we went in and got in line with the rest of the men on second shift. There were three shifts—each eight hours long and you were assigned to one of them. One was the graveyard shift—midnight to eight in the morning. I was on second shift, eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. Third shift was four in the afternoon until midnight. It didn't matter what else you did with your time, but they recommended sleep. If you were an officer, a specialist like Doctor or Quartermaster, or a minor, you had extra duties. I didn't know what mine were yet, but I was sure I'd figure them out pretty soon.

Genji told us all of this as we waited in line. I observed the room and kind of tuned him out after a while. His monotone words were wearing on my ears. It was large, not as big as the living quarters but still large. It held dozens of long, metal picnic tables and every single one of them was full. The men around me were eating like rooster-pigs. Not even using utensils, they just shoved food in their mouths. I found it a little disgusting in all honesty. Still, I had to watch and study them. I had to act like them if I wanted to come off as one of them.

We got to the front of the line. Kojo and I only got a small ration, while Genji got a full ration, but it was still more food than I ever ate in one sitting. There was a biscuit, some kind of meat, and what looked like rice and potatoes.

I stared at it for a moment while we were sat down. Everyone else was eating, but I was just staring, unable to believe that I got fed, a place to sleep, and got paid. My stomach actually hurt looking at all of the food in front of me and I wondered if I'd even be able to finish it.

"There a problem?" Genji asked. He looked uncomfortable sitting with the enlisted men. He looked at the food like it was disgusting.

I shook my head and clasped my hands in front of me. "No. Just...never had this much food before." I closed my eyes and leaned my head down. "Spirits, thank you for this meal. Thank you for giving me the chance to join the United Forces and avenge my family. I will bring honor to my name. In Agni's name."

When I looked up and started to take my first bite, I noticed everyone's eyes at the table on me. Genji looked sad for me. Kojo looked confused. A few other men just glared at me and continued eating. Most ate with their hands and didn't bother using the few utensils we'd been giving. In fact, most of them didn't even have them.

I stuffed part of the biscuit in my mouth and pushed my utensils to the side. Act like a man. Eat like the rest of them. It was still bugging me that some of them were giving me strange looks."What?"

Kojo shook his head and continued eating. "Nothin'. Just strange to hear a prayer, is all."

My mother had brought me up to respect and always give thanks to the spirits. I realized that not everyone had gotten the same lectures as a kid and quite a few people rather disliked Spirits. "What's wrong with a prayer? I should give thanks because this is the most I've had my entire life." Besides my family. I don't have them anymore.

Genji gave me this guilty/pitiful look that twisted a knot in my stomach. Not enough to stop me from eating, as my last meal had been a few roots and berries much too long ago, but enough to slow me down. "Really? This is the most food you've had?"

"In one sitting, yeah." I looked down at my plate and was again very grateful for what I'd been given. "It's really difficult to believe that I'm here right now."

An old man next to me threw a hand against my back. "Don't worry, kiddo. You'll get used to it." The same hand was held out for me to shake. "Name's Zargo. Welcome aboard, ship's boy. It's good to have another believer amongst us. Don't let the rest of the crew deter you from your prayers. They'll help on the bad days and you'll appreciate them on the good."

I figured I'd have to get used to being called that for a while. "Thanks, Zargo. I wasn't planning on stopping." He had a white beard that almost touched the table but his head was hairless. Light, crinkling hazel eyes looked at me under his bushy brows. His face was tanned and wrinkled like a map but tight like leather. If my grandfather had had a kind face, I would have pictured it like Zargo's. He radiated pure Fire Nation power.

Kojo was almost done with his food when I looked back over to him. He really was a cute kid with those bright blue eyes. Water Tribe eyes. He was licking his calloused fingers and he looked at Genji with a strange face. "Where's the rest of the officers like you? You are an officer, right?"

Genji threw his nose in the air. "Of course I am! We usually don't eat with the crew."

I frowned. "You should." I could already tell that he thought that he was better than me...and better than everyone who was in the mess at the moment. I'd had enough of that when I'd been a girl. "You'll get to know them better." And me.

"Well, don't get used to me being here. As soon as you know your way around, I'll be back in the officer's mess in the tower on deck." He picked up his fork with food on it and the mush he'd created fell back to his mess tray. "This food isn't really to my standard."

I had been stuffing my face when I heard him say that. I swallowed and gave him a disbelieving glare. "Any food is good food, Genji. Where I come from, we don't waste a single grain of rice because someone else we knew could be starving at that very moment. So you'd better eat all of that and be happy about it."

Zargo glanced over to me with amusement in his eyes. Kojo looked shocked, his face stuffed like a chipsquirrel's. And Genji just looked guilty and a little embarrassed if his red ears had anything to say about it. I blushed too, realizing that my mothering tone had come out in that small speech. I just took a chunk out of my biscuit and chewed on it angrily.

Genji cleared his throat and took another bite. While he didn't seem happy about it, he didn't complain about the food any longer. Nor did he make the disgusted faces anymore. "I'm sorry, Huo. It was wrong of me to shame this food when others don't have much." He cleared his throat and then his eyes narrowed dangerously-he had a commanding aura about him suddenly that I'd never seen. My opinion of changed just slightly. "In the future, though, I warn you against using that tone against an officer. It's little things like that that can put you in the brig for a few days."

I dry swallowed my food and nodded. The last thing that I needed was to get put in a brig, watched twenty-four-seven, and get discovered for being a girl. "Yes sir."

He nodded seriously and then put his fork down. Then he picked up a napkin that had been lying on his lap and dabbed at his mouth delicately. Kojo snickered under his breath and Zargo huffed irately. "Starting tomorrow, Kojo, you'll join your father in his office during your shift. And you, Huo, you'll be tested."

"Tested?" My voice squeaked and I coughed a little on the food I'd choked on.

"Firebending, fighting, and basic knowledge of the Fire Nation. If you're to be the General's second, you'll have to have basic knowledge of it all. He can't just take anyone."

Now is not the time to panic. I took a few deep breaths and didn't notice how hard my hands were balled into fists until I released them and there was blood on my nails. "I was never taught anything! What happens in these tests?"

Genji sat up straight, like a perfect soldier. His maroon suit top gleamed with a few medals I'd never noticed before. "I've seen plenty of boys take them, but most don't pass. They become Cook's Helpers or swabbers. Usually they involve bending. Each General has his own second, you know. I, for one, can't be General Iroh's second. I'm an Earthbender. Each General takes a bender of his or her bending ability."

Zargo snorted. "Don't let him fool you, Huo. Genji took the test with the General of the Third Division. He fell flat on his face and made to mold the deck back into its original position after he mauled the Koh out of it! Don't worry though, son, not everyone remembers it that well. It's been, what, seven years now? And they saw your Metalbending abilities while you fixed the deck and you got an officer's position out of it after you turned sixteen so you have nothing to be ashamed of."

The furious blush on Genji's face was the third emotion I'd seen from him. Normal human beings showed more than that in two minutes of conversation. "The point is, Huo, that the tests are difficult and not everyone passes!"

I'd thought that he was one, an Earthbender. He had this aura around him that just screamed bender. Kojo had it, too, but he hadn't said anything about it. Zargo had a heart of fire that burned so bright that it made me want to weep. In just that room, I felt dozens of auras. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by benders who could teach me so, so much. And, while I was nervous for these tests, I couldn't wait to get started.

I ate my last bite of food and told myself that tomorrow would be fine. Let's just hope that everything I've learned so far will be enough. Then again, if I become the General's second, I may be discovered. We have met before, though if he remembers one ignorant peasant I'll be unlucky. Let's hope he doesn't.