Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 8: An Old Friend
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The gang unloaded their supplies in their rooms. Sokka and Aang shared one room, and the girls shared the room across the hall. They'd decided to board in a dilapidated inn somewhere in the middle of the rough side of the city. There were a few shady residents staying there, but the place wasn't too busy, so they would be able to make plans in peace.
Katara didn't like the inn. It was dirty, smelly, disgusting, vile, horrible... all of the terrible adjectives that she could think of. The people who stayed there were exactly the same as the inn itself, and Katara early on decided that this mission would not be a pleasant experience if they had to stay at that place the whole time.
Aang didn't mind it so much. Of course, he always held an optimistic outlook on the worst of situations, so no one really paid his positive feelings any mind. Sokka held a tender appreciation for the dusty old building because it would be, the way he saw it, the heart of the mission, and Toph... well, Toph thought the whole ordeal was just plain hilarious. Katara's reluctance, Aang's optimism, and Sokka's adoration was, in her own opinion, really entertaining. Yeah, this mission wouldn't be so bad...
"So what do you think of our new home, Sweetness?" Toph asked her roommate.
"It's just lovely, Toph," Katara snapped, her voice drenched in sarcasm.
"I knew you'd think so."
Katara rolled her eyes. "I can't believe we have to stay at this... place while we're in Fudo. This is so unfair!"
"Aw, is the pampered princess upset about staying at an inn?"
"Toph, all I'm saying is that this isn't the most... favorable of living conditions." She smoothed over the blanket on her bed. "Just look at this ratty old thing!"
"I would if I could, but..."
"Right. Sorry."
The boys were indulging in random conversation as well. "Aang, isn't this the perfect place to stage our operation?"
"Yeah, sure. It's great." Aang was cautiously eyeing his bed, having seen a rat scurry out from under it only a moment before. "Perfect."
Sokka nodded approvingly. "So I guess we'd better get going, hm?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. You think the girls are ready to go?"
"Why wouldn't they be? All we had to do is get settled in."
"I guess..."
It was nearly thirty minutes later when Katara decided they were ready to go. "Jeez, Katara, what took you so long?" Sokka demanded.
"Things."
Sokka grunted irritably but didn't ask her to elaborate. She was always this short with him when he started on about her girly habits (such as taking forever to do something simple, like unpack). They exited their temporary home and began making their way to wherever Sokka was leading them off to.
Petty conversation was what occupied them the rest of their journey to wherever. Silence befell them after a while, though, and then Toph just couldn't take it anymore. "Sokka, where the heck are we going? Are you lost?"
Sokka suddenly took on a guilty expression. "Uh... no, I'm not lost. I know exactly where we are."
"Do you?" Katara asked accusingly. "Where would that be, then?"
"Um... I..."
"We are lost!" Toph exclaimed, stopping abruptly. Aang tried to follow suit and nearly crashed into Katara who tripped and fell on her brother.
"You're such a klutz," Sokka snapped at his sister.
"At least I'm not the one who got us lost," Katara retaliated.
"We're not lost!"
"Since we're not lost, where are we? Hm?" She stood up and brushed herself off. "Well? I'm waiting."
Sokka stood up as well but with more difficulty. "We're... here."
"Here being...?"
"Northern Fudo."
"Be more specific."
Sokka glanced around, hoping something around him would give him the answer his sister was looking for. Although Toph was enjoying his discomfort, she felt the need to come to his rescue. "Actually, I think here is where Sokka wanted us to be. Right, Snoozles?"
"Right!" Sokka agreed. "Here is... here! Here is here."
Toph nodded. "Exactly where Sokka wanted us to be. He wanted us to meet someone."
"I did? Oh, yeah, I did! Um... Toph, tell 'em who I wanted us to meet."
"Grand ol' Uncle Iroh, of course!" Toph laughed. She turned around to come face-to-face with Zuko's uncle. "Hey!"
Iroh, who had been in Fudo helping with the rebel mission, had known of their coming but hadn't expected to actually meet them. It had been sheer dumb luck that they had been in the same place at the same time. "Hello, Avatar! Toph, Katara, Sokka, Momo... I-"
"-was expecting us," Toph smiled. She nudged him in the ribs, and he smiled widely.
"Was expecting you! Yes, I was just expecting you. Why don't you come into my home and we'll discuss some important... things, hm?" He moved aside to show a doorway into a fairly large rundown red-and-grey building. "I've just brewed up some tea."
Iroh led them into the large home that looked about as old and dilapidated as the inn they were staying at. The inside looked like the polar opposite of the outside- it identical to Toph's old house in Ba Sing Se except everything was adorned in Fire Nation colors and emblems. Their host motioned for them to sit on some cushions lined along the left wall and they sat while he went into the kitchen to attend to the finishing touches on his guests' drinks.
"Thanks for that," Sokka muttered to Toph.
"Don't mention it," she replied.
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Iroh had joined them in the main room with some delectable Ginseng tea. They'd had friendly conversation regarding everything except Azula and her rebellion, and finally Sokka decided that he had to justify his need to visit their old friend.
"General Iroh, what have you found out about the rebels by staying in the city?" Sokka asked.
Iroh grunted and glanced around to make absolute sure there were no potential eavesdroppers in sight. Toph gave him a thumbs up. "They do their work completely undetected. The only thing I know is that in the next few days they'll be leaving for another city. I've tried to intercept some of their messages to and from Azula, but..." He took a sit of his tea. "It's all very complicated."
"So where do you think we should start?" Toph murmured.
"I'd suggest you talk to Ami. She's a good starting point."
"Ami?" Sokka muttered. "Who's she?"
"If anyone could tell you who's running the rebellion around here and where to find 'em, it's her."
"So all we have to do is talk to some girl? Piece of cake," Sokka said confidently. Toph blew on a strand of hair hanging in her face, annoyed. You'd think so, wouldn't you?
"She's not just some girl, young warrior. Ami is very... selective with her associates."
Aang raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"
"It means she doesn't spill the beans to just anybody," Toph replied easily. She sipped her tea.
"Exactly," Iroh agreed. "You'll have to put on a good show if you want to make an appropriate impression."
Katara looked uncomfortable. "Where can we find her?"
Iroh chuckled. "Something tells me you won't be thrilled with her location, young waterbender. She likes to spend her evenings at a pub slightly southeast of here. It's not a long journey. Half a mile, maybe."
Aang nodded and stood up. The others did the same, and Sokka quickly added, "So Ami. Pub. Southeast. Anything else?"
Iroh stroked his beard for a moment, trying to remember any important information. "Oh, yes. I must caution Aang and Katara: please don't blow it. Try to fit in with the crowd, hm? And use fake names, and Sokka? Don't overdo it, and Toph, don't get too violent. Alright? And watch Momo, he might give your identities away."
Everyone nodded (including the lemur, who was just following the actions of the humans) and left, feeling in high spirits. Katara was the exception this time, for she was offended by the notion that she might possibly give them away and was feelings especially bitter about it. The rest, though, felt just fine.
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