Burning Bright
Part XIV
Jin's bright and often sunny mood seemed to dampen during the last few days. After seeing her wanted poster plastered all over the Fire Nation bulletins, Aang subjected her to hide and she was often excluded from their excursions around town. Jin was very miserable, staying behind in their hiding places while Katara, Sokka, Aang and Toph had fun around town but she didn't bother to argue or be rebellious about it. As much as she hated to admit it, Aang was right. They really couldn't afford to draw any more attention to themselves, especially after the shenanigans that she and Sokka got themselves in last week.
The military tactics that Jin had stolen proved to be useful—they were battle plans of any invasion from a foreign land that might happen. They now knew where to anticipate attacks and defenses during the day of the Black Sun. Sokka was very smug when he presented what his little trip in the Fire Nation Army gained him. That made them work all the more harder in training Aang and preparing for the invasion.
Also, she didn't really want to spark any more of Katara's wrath. Lately, she and Toph had been at the edge of each other's teeth ever since Aang came back from his trip in the Spirit World and that propelled Katara into a very disagreeable mood. With the invasion drawing closer, it seemed as if every little thing set their temper off. They argued more, traded more insults and their bending practices with Aang always ended in a death match. However, at the end of the day they always made up and dinner was always light and fun.
They've done so many things in the past few days that Jin felt as if it was already light years away. They helped Katara (in the guise of the Painted Lady) in her quest to liberate a Fire Nation village plagued by a factory that dumped all its wastes in their river, supported Sokka in his dream to become "useful" as he enrolled himself under the tutelage of a swords master, swam in the famous Fire Nation Hot springs and finally guarded Aang as he responded to a vision Avatar Roku gave to him and journeyed in the Spirit World.
But by far, the most interesting thing that happened to them was when a mysterious and unknown man with a fearsome eye on his forehead attacked them, using Firebending in a way they had never known before. They had barely escaped, unscathed and that gave them all the more reason to be careful.
"Can you believe her? I did nothing to her and she just went off and attacked me like that!" Katara ranted as she stirred some celery into the soup. She continued to mutter under her breath, her tone becoming more acidic as she continued on.
Jin who was wistfully thinking of what the others might be doing in their trip around town, was only half-hearted in her efforts in paying attention to Katara's heated rant. Katara and Toph, during one of their training sessions with Aang, got into another argument after Toph accidentally earthbent a rock at Katara's way. Toph and the boys decided to leave the seething Katara and they went off to town, with Sokka and Toph especially taking great effort in rubbing it in Jin's face, to explore and have some fun.
She nodded wordlessly.
"I mean I didn't provoke her or anything—''
"Katara, I don't think Toph meant to hit you with a rock," Jin said, finally snapping back from her thoughts.
"Please! You know Toph! She'd just like some excuse to pummel with a rock!" she snapped, stirring the soup more violently. Bits of celery and pork began to fly everywhere.
"Katara, she's really young so maybe you should….be a little more understanding?" Jin said ducking from a piece of carrot. These past few days the two girls only had each other for company and so far they found each other to be enjoyable enough. The two girls were often left behind, mostly because Jin was banned from going about in town with her Wanted Poster becoming more rampantly displayed and also because, Katara was often tasked to prepare their meals and according to Toph and Sokka, "she often ruined the fun" in their trips.
Katara liked it that she finally got to spend time with a girl who was old enough to understand boy troubles and the like and the two often spent much of their time together discussing such things. Katara noted however, that whenever she teased Jin about her boyfriend she would suddenly get a sad look on her face. Katara decided that maybe something bad happened between them and although she was extremely curious, she knew other people's boundaries and when it is not the right time to push them.
Jin, likewise, enjoyed Katara's company because Katara was the epitome of a perfect companion—she was kind, caring and she listened to you with great zeal whenever you talked though Jin had to admit, there were many times where she yearned for Toph and Sokka's playful antics. Katara wasn't the kind of person who understood or made jokes too well or who liked to mess around.
"She's out of control, that's what she is!" Katara spat as she covered the flame with a stone cap and set the cover over the pot.
"Well—''
"And can you believe that she left me to clean up after her mess?"
"Katara, I'm sure that Toph is only trying to mess with you. She….loves to play around," Jin tried to explain as helped Katara set the bowls up.
"I have half a mind to—''
"We're back!" they heard the loud, booming voice of Sokka. Jin and Katara looked up from their conversation and saw that Sokka, Aang and Toph had returned their arms laden with provisions and with Toph sporting a smug smile.
"Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff ?" Katara said, clearly startled enough to forget about her heated rant. Jin stared at them with a twinge of jealousy.
"You guys had a fun day?" she asked trying to sound indifferent as Sokka settled all their stuff down.
"Oh, we had an awesome day! An awesome day you could've shared with us….if you didn't have a wanted poster!" Sokka snickered, rubbing it in Jin's face that she could not go about as openly as before. Sokka took extreme pleasure in Jin's predicament and never failed to make her jealous.
Jin stuck her tongue out and said, "Well we had a fun day too."
"Doing what? Cooking?" Toph laughed.
Sokka's eyes widened and he said, "Cooking! Katara how many times have I told you to never let Jin near our food? Did you let her cook with you? Did you let her touch it?"
Jin huffed and said, "Hey! My cooking improved—''
"Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?" Katara demanded more insistently, silencing their conversation.
Aang looked a little nervous but after much prodding from Sokka, he said, "Toph got us money. She scammed one of those guys in town who moves the shells around all sneaky-like."
"She used earthbending to win the game. Classic!" Sokka said, emboldened by Aang telling Katara.
Katara did not look happy. Her forehead wrinkled and she said, "Ah, so she cheated."
Everyone tensed considerably, aware that another showdown between Toph and Katara was coming up.
"Hey, I only cheated because he was cheating. I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that ?" Toph defensively demanded.
"I'm just saying, this isn't something we should make a habit of doing," Katara argued.
"Why ? Because it's fun, and you hate fun ," Toph mockingly said.
Katara huffed indignantly.
"I don't hate fun," she protested. She suddenly grabbed an unaware Momo and plopped him on her head. She weakly presented it to them, "See Fun?"
Momo scrambled off her head with an indignant squawk while Toph scoffed loudly prompting Katara to shoot a venomous look towards her.
In an eager attempt to distract himself from the impending battle, Aang quickly turned to Jin and said, "So….um…..while walking around town, we found something you might be interested in."
Aang procured a paper and handed it over to Jin who paled after looking at it.
"Caught our eye. You do look like each other you know," Sokka said as Jin continued to stare at the paper blankly.
"Huh? What's going on?" Katara demanded, momentarily forgetting her spat with Toph.
"This….this…this is my brother," Jin said faintly. She showed the picture to Katara whose mouth formed a small 'o' upon seeing it. Jin's brother looked very much like her—same carefree smile, bright wide eyes and despite being painted all serious and withdrawn he still looked very happy. He looked slightly different though with his perfectly straight nose and a nice lift of a chin but he still had Jin's spirit.
"Yeah, we figured as much. We didn't want to worry you but Aang thinks that it's important that you know," Sokka said shooting a look at Aang that clearly said that he didn't completely agree with Aang's idea.
Jin continued to stare at the wanted poster, her brow furrowed for awhile before finally saying, "You can't let me stay here any longer! You have to take me with you!"
Sokka's jaw dropped.
"What? B-but you can't!" Sokka protested.
"I have to. This means he hasn't been captured yet. How come I haven't seen this before?" Jin frowned.
"Probably because he doesn't seem as important. You know his bounty is half-less than yours. For some reason the Fire Nation wants to capture you more," Aang said.
Jin looked worried. She bit her lip and said insistently, "Next time you go to town, you have to let me come with you!"
"Absolutely not! How are you going to find your brother if you come to town with us?" Sokka demanded.
"He could just be like us! Hiding, waiting, bidding his time for someone to find him! He could be in disguise! I could go ask some people around! There's a big chance they might've seen him!" Jin argued.
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew this was a bad idea to show her the stupid poster! Why is it no one listens to me?" Sokka wailed as Jin continued to plough on determinedly, giving more excuses as to why she needed to go.
"Look Jin, the reason why I showed you this picture because you deserved to know. He's your brother—'' Aang said as he stared pointedly at Sokka. Sokka rolled his eyes.
Jin smiled at Aang.
"—but I don't want any of my friends to get captured. I can't risk endangering you. You have to stay here," Aang said a little more firmly.
Jin's face fell.
"But you endanger yourself and Sokka and Toph and Katara all the time by going around town!" Jin said stubbornly.
"First of all, everyone thinks that Aang is dead, Jin," Sokka said in a matter-of-fact tone, elbowing Aang away before he could speak.
"Still—''
"And secondly, everything is always about Aang. No one ever notices his extremely helpful but really, really under-appreciated sidekicks—''
"Hey, watch it! I'm no sidekick!" Toph inserted.
"I doubt anyone even recognizes us! And thirdly, we don't have wanted posters plastered on every Fire Nation bulletin," Sokka smugly finished.
Jin wrinkled her nose at him.
"You don't understand Sokka! It's not your sibling in mortal danger!" Jin said.
"Jin, don't worry. Just stay here and try to relax. I solemnly give you an Avatar promise that I'll look for your brother," Aang said, interrupting Sokka before he could say anything else.
Jin nodded though she didn't look too re-assured.
"And as for you Katara, I'll also personally make you an Avatar promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams," Aang said turning to look at Katara.
Katara nodded though she still looked suspicious. She said, "Well I hope you do. Things like cheating are only fun during the first few times but they get more dangerous if you keep on doing it…."
She stopped talking after realizing that no one was listening to her. Sokka had already attacked the soup while Toph was messing around near a mud pool. Aang had gone off to practice more drills set by Toph. Only Jin remained and she had one of those absent-minded looks on her face again. She was staring off into the distance, her eyes big and wide and deep, as if she was desperately thinking of a plan. Her eyes darted to and fro, side to side restlessly.
Katara knew all too well what she was thinking about. Silently she padded towards Jin, poured some soup into an empty bowl and handed it to her saying empathically, "Don't worry. Maybe next week, I'll make my famous pork rolls so that Sokka will busy himself by stuffing his face all day and I'll time it just right when Aang and Toph are practicing, we can sneak off to town to go looking for your brother."
Jin jumped, slightly startled that Katara had made such a proposition. Katara was always careful and cautious and she never went about doing things that Aang might dislike. Jin stared at her disbelievingly and sputtered, "B-but….Aang said…..he made an Avatar promise…."
"But I didn't," Katara said, a small smile playing on her lips.
"But Aang said I can't go. You never—''
"I never what?" Katara demanded, looking annoyed.
"But you never—''
"Ugh! Why does everyone always think that? I can break orders too!" Katara said wearily.
"I didn't mean it in that way!" Jin guiltily said.
"I can have fun too!" Katara defensively said.
"Of course you can! Do you really mean what you said?" Jin asked, hope sparking into her eyes.
Katara smiled, placed a warm and comforting hand on Jin's shoulders and said, "Of course I do. Sokka has gotten himself into a lot of jams and no matter how dangerous it is, I've always helped him. I understand how you feel perfectly."
The two girls stared at each other, both smiling secretively. The two had forged a bond over the times they spent with each other alone. They were similar in many ways—they both had annoying elder brothers, they were too optimistic, they cared too much at times—but they were also different. There were many times wherein Jin would look at Katara or Katara would look at Jin with a look in their eyes that clearly said that they did not understand what the other girl was thinking. But still, they were the only two girls whose ages were closer to each other's so they meshed comfortably well.
Their silent moment was ruined when some mud suddenly whacked the top of Katara's head. A loud, child-like laughter boomed in the background and Katara's nostrils flared.
She hissed, "Toph…."
Zuko's life was perfect—he had nothing to do but to lounge about in the palace gardens or train himself in the training room, the servants were waiting for him hand and foot, his father was talking to him and everyone around him made him feel important. His life was the epitome of perfection and he was absolutely miserable.
The endless days of doing nothing bored him and numbed his mind. The servants annoyed him, with their constant presence and interference. And talking his father felt empty and meaningless. Zuko could not help feeling restless; it was as if nothing satisfied him. He could barely sleep, plagued often by horrible dreams of people screaming and dying and being swallowed by the flames. And Azula's mocking smile taunted him, making him feel even more anxious.
He didn't hear anymore of the assassin he hired to kill the Avatar and for some reason he didn't want to. He wanted to push any thoughts of the Avatar out of his mind. It was all too stressful.
Zuko stopped himself once he realized that he had wandered subconsciously into the kitchen. He became fully aware that dinner was almost upon them. Zuko wearily sat down in his place in the dinner table and drummed his fingers as the servants moved silently about, setting plates and chopsticks. He waited for his father and sister to arrive and after a few minutes or so, Azula trickled him and she greeted him with her usual mocking smile. Their father came in a little later and he merely nodded at each of their direction before sitting and beginning to eat his food.
Dinner with his father and sister has been extremely awkward lately. Zuko had been gone from the palace, from the Fire Nation, for about three years. He was no longer up to date with the politics, the new military strategies employed, the new Earth Kingdom villages and cities conquered. He had tried to catch up but he failed miserably since he couldn't concentrate. Whenever he read about an Earth kingdom village being sacked he thought of Jin and how she reacted when she found out about his real identity and how miserable she must've been for the past few days. Whenever he heard of a new general rising in rank, he thought of his uncle and how awful it must be to sleep in that grime-infested prison cell. Whenever he looked at military strategies, his brain just becomes fuzzy and stops altogether. It was too much for him to bear.
So dinner conversations were limited to him picking at his food and Azula and his father talking and droning on and on and on about military plans and agendas. Zuko scowled. That only made him more jealous of Azula.
"I've heard that another rebellion broke out in Gaoling father," Azula said mildly. She was never too animated whenever she spoke with their father. Conversations with him were always subdued and sentences never had to be too long. Fire Lord Ozai easily lost patience and interest.
Their father nodded, looking cold and austere. He said in a cool voice, "Yes. Earth kingdom people are such a nuisance. So difficult to crush. And surprisingly, they're just as slippery. It has come to my attention that the leaders of the Ba Sing Se Rebellion have not been caught yet."
Zuko paled and he grasped his chopsticks tighter after realizing that the question was directed to him. Azula looked slightly annoyed but didn't protest too much. Zuko began to feel nervous. His father rarely addressed him.
"Actually, we have captured one of the Leaders of the Resistance and….and we've made progress with the other two," Zuko said, his voice sounding uneven.
His father quirked a brow at him and said, "Yes….yes. Very….commendable job, you two with what you did in Ba Sing Se."
"Thank you father," Azula demurely said though Zuko could see a smug smile forming in her lips.
"Of course, I expect nothing less from my own children, born out of my own flesh and blood. But you Zuko, my son, I have always expected, even from the beginning, for great things to happen to you. It was admirable, truly admirable, with what you did in Ba Sing Se," Ozai said looking straight at Zuko. Zuko's spirits rose high as he heard the compliment ring again and again in his ears. From her seat, though looking calm, Azula clenched her jaw, obviously jealous.
"Thank you," Zuko said a little more firmly.
Ozai sniffed and said, "Nonsense. You've brought great honor to my name by going against your treacherous uncle and slaying the Avatar."
Zuko's heart stopped and he clenched his chopsticks tighter.
For some reason, the praise felt wrong in his ears.
"Guys, I think these scams have gone far enough. If you keep doing them, something bad is gonna happen," Katara declared as she surveyed the bags of money that splayed out across her. She looked severely angry with her folded brows and her hands on her hips.
"Could you for once stop being such a sourpuss and just lighten up ?" Toph snapped, irritated with all of Katara's nagging. Jin who was busy with a conversation about a hawk Sokka wished to purchase looked up and gulped once she realized that Katara was shooting daggers at Toph's direction.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You think I should be more like you . Like some wild child !" Katara huffed.
"Yeah, maybe. Maybe then, you'd see how great we have it. I mean, look at us. We're traveling around the world, making easy money, having fun, with no parents to tell us what to do!" Toph spat back.
Katara stared at Toph before leaning back, crossing her arms and saying, "Ah, I see. You're acting like this because of your parents."
Toph could barely react. Finally, she said dismissively, "Whatever."
"They were controlling over you, so you ran away, and now you act like your parents don't exist. You act like you hate them, but you don't. You just feel guilty," Katara said in realization. Jin cringed, knowing the inevitable that is about to happen. Katara had just used her "I'm-a-psychologist" voice.
"I do hate them!" Toph growled.
"I don't think so. I think you miss them. But you just don't want to deal with that, so instead, you act like this crazy person!"
"Look. I ran away to help Aang!" Toph said through gritted teeth.
"You know what? It doesn't matter. You're endangering all of us! You're going to stop this right now!" Katara said.
"I can do whatever I want Katara," Toph said trying to gain control over her rising voice.
"No, you can't! Just because you're parents aren't here doesn't mean that you could do anything you want! Jin is stuck here doing nothing even when she could be having fun with you guys and you know why? It's because she knows she'll put Aang in danger if she goes with them! You're no exception!" Katara raged as she gestured at Jin.
Jin looked away and murmured, "Um….Katara….you don't really need to—''
"I'm just trying to have fun! Something which you could take a page from!"
"These scams put us all at risk, and we don't need that. We've already got some third-eyed freak after us," Katara snapped, her voice rising higher and higher.
"Speaking of that third-eyed freak…I think I've come up with a name for him. What do you think of…"Sparky-Sparky Boom Man"!" Sokka said, interrupting Toph before she could say something else to Katara.
Everyone looked at him clearly unimpressed. Jin snickered, relieved that some of the tension had been broken. She elbowed him and said, "Are you serious? Sparky-Sparky Boom Man?"
"Hey! I worked hard on that name!" Sokka defensively said.
"Sparky-Sparky Boom Man sounds ridiculous," Jin continued glad to finally get back at Sokka for all those times that he made her jealous.
Sokka pouted at her and said, "Just think about it."
"We have enough money. You need to stop this!" Katara said silencing Sokka. Apparently she wasn't in the mood to make fun.
"I'll stop when I want to stop, and not when you tell me!" Toph yelled before turning around and storming off. Katara scowled before stomping off into her own tent.
But before she left she whirled around to face Aang and she snippily, "You gave me your Avatar Promise!"
And with that, she left a very abashed looking Aang.
"Speaking of money, I'm off to spend some. I'd bring you along Jin but….you know you have a wanted poster," Sokka said in a teasing sing-song voice as he poked Jin. "See you guys later."
Jin grumpily stared at him, thoroughly jealous. When Sokka had disappeared she suddenly remembered something. She faced Aang and said, "I'm pretty sure you gave me an Avatar Promise too. Hear anything about my brother?"
Aang suddenly looked nervous. He began to rub his hair and he said, "Umm…..I'll get back to you on that one. You know what? I think I'll talk to Katara. To you know….cool her down a little bit…."
And with that he sprinted off leaving a very disappointed Jin.
Katara scowled as she meticulously scrubbed a small brass pot, "Honestly, if they could just see the consequences of what they're doing…."
While Aang practiced more of his waterbending and earthbending Toph and Sokka had gone off again to "look around" town but Jin knew all too well what they planned on doing and apparently so did Katara because she spent the last thirty minutes cleaning all their wares, Sokka's tent and Appa's saddle in angry stupor. A day ago, Sokka had bought a hawk with all the money Toph got for them. Jin thought that the hawk was incredibly useless considering the fact that Sokka did not even know how sending a message with it worked. Katara and Toph had gotten into another argument today—again, it was about scamming—and Katara decided to relive her anger by going on a cleaning spree.
"And look at that! She goes about like a rooster-pig! She couldn't even clean up after herself!" Katara ranted as her eye caught sight of Toph's ramshackle earth ten. She immediately started stomping towards Toph's tent.
Jin stiffened. Yesterday, she had found out that there was a wanted poster of Toph . She was having an internal debate on whether she should inform Katara or not but she decided that it would probably be best for all if Katara didn't know yet.
"Um….Katara….I don't think you should be cleaning Toph's tent up….." Jin nervously said as she trailed after Katara.
"Humphf! I'm just trying to help her out…." Katara said as she entered the tent.
"But….but Toph really hates it when people go through her stuff," Jin weakly argued.
Katara's nose rose higher in the air and she said, "Only people who have something to hide think like that—wait a minute!"
Katara spun around and faced Jin, her eyes searching and critical.
"Um….what?" Jin nervously tittered.
"Toph is hiding something!" she declared.
"What? No! Don't be ridiculous…heh…why would she hide something from you?" Jin said as she backed away.
"And you know something about it!" Katara accusingly said as she pointed a finger at Jin.
"What? I don't…..I don't know anything! Why would I know anything? They never tell me….erm…anything," Jin said as she forced a nervous chuckled.
"Ugh! Nobody ever picks my side!"
"Katara, why don't you teach me how to make soup, eh?" Jin said trying to desperately distract Katara.
But Katara wasn't buying it.
Katara whirled around and huffed, "Oooh….something's up, right?"
"Katara! Wait!" Jin said as she moved forward and gently touched Katara's hand.
Katara shrugged Jin's hand off and said, " When I get to the bottom of this…."
"Toph will not like this—''
But Katara was already searching through Toph's belongings, completely ignoring Jin. She flung them around, muttering under her breath while Jin weakly protested from the back. Katara seemed ready to give up after finding nothing but a pair of dirty socks and some clothes but paused once she saw a piece of paper, hurriedly folded and tucked into one of Toph's pockets.
Jin paled and she said, "Katara—''
"I. Can't. Believe. This!" Katara growled as she unfurled the paper.
"It's not what you think," Jin said.
Katara's face colored as she stood up and stomped outside saying loudly as she did, "It's exactly what I think! When Toph comes back she's going to be in so much trouble!"
Jin waited nervously behind Katara as Katara positioned herself with her arms crossed and the wanted poster, rolled at the back. Aang had come back, blissfully unaware of the fight that was to come. He sat on a long, toying around with an air ball he made. When Sokka and Toph returned, their arms loaded with money, Katara said in a low voice, "Well, look who decided to join us. Where have you two been off scamming again ?"
"Yes, we were," Toph answered mildly.
Katara raised a brow and said, "And I suppose you don't think what you're doing is dangerous at all ?"
"No, I don't."
"Really ?"
"Yes, really," Toph sniffed as she dropped all her money.
Katara's left eye twitched. Jin had tried to convince Katara to lay easy on Toph but Katara declared that if Toph saw the error of her ways then she wouldn't be too hard on her. Katara continued to look at Toph, waiting for her to admit that scamming is extremely dangerous. The two faced each other for a long time, with Sokka, Aang and Jin waiting nervously in the background. When it became apparent that Toph had not obviously seen the error of her ways, Katara produced the wanted poster, "Well then, what's this ?"
Sokka's jaw dropped. He faced Jin and accusingly whispered, "You were supposed to keep Katara from finding out!"
"Well, I'm sorry! But she was cleaning some of Toph's stuff!"
"That's no excuse—wait, you mean she spent the whole day cleaning? Did she clean my socks like I asked her to?" Sokka asked, forgetting himself for awhile.
"No, she made me clean them. And believe me, your socks aren't a dream to clean," Jin said as she wrinkled her nose. In order to appease Katara's sour mood, Jin volunteered to wash everyone's clothes up but she immediately regretted her decision once she got to Sokka's socks.
"Hey! The smell is not that bad!"
"It is. And besides, I'm not the only one who didn't keep a promise. You guys were supposed to be looking for my brother!" Jin said.
Sokka sighed and said, "Look, we're kind of busy right now—''
"Busy doing what? Scams?" Jin demanded.
"No!" Sokka protested.
"You know I'm starting to agree with Katara—''
"Oh no! I knew we shouldn't have let her spend so much time with you! She's sucking out the fun in you!"
"No, she's not! I'm just saying—''
"You went through my stuff! You had no right!" Toph yelled silencing the two of them. Jin cringed while Sokka blustered.
"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening up and I happened to stumble across it," Katara spat back defensively.
"That's a lie! You're lying, Katara!" Toph said her voice rising octaves and octaves higher.
"Fine! It's a lie. But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up. I knew you were hiding something, and you were," Katara ranted.
Toph growled at her before slapping the poster off Katara's hand. Sokka gave a worried yelp as Katara stared at the poster on the ground, completely dumbfounded.
"Uh oh…." Jin murmured.
Finally Katara recovered. She snapped as Toph stomped her way to her tent, "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"
"Oh, really, Mom ? Or what are you going to do? Send me to my room ?" Toph demanded as she whirled around.
"Guys, please don't…" Aang began.
"I wish I could," Katara deadpanned.
"See? This is exactly why you were supposed to keep Katara from finding out," Sokka said through gritted teeth.
"Shut up, Sokka!" Jin snapped.
"Well, you can't. Because you're not my mom, and you're not their mom!" Toph said as she pointed at Aang, Sokka and Jin. Aang waved his hands in protest and tried to say something but Katara's angry voice drowned his out again.
"I never said I was!" Katara defensively shot back.
"No, but you certainly act like it. You think it's your jobto boss everyone around, but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. I can do whatever I want!" Toph yelled.
"I don't act that way!" Katara, severely chagrined, said.
She then spun around to face Sokka and said in a shrill and anxious voice, "Sokka, do I act motherly ?"
Sokka stepped back, completely alarmed. He thought about his answer and finally decided that discretion and being neutral was so much better than honesty.
"Hey - I'm staying out of this one," Sokka said as he raised his hands up like a shield.
"What do you think, Aang ? Do I act like a mom ?" Katara demanded as she faced Aang.
Aang nervously dug at his eye and said, "Well, I..."
"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!" Katara scolded.
"Yes, ma'am!" Aang chastened.
Toph gave a loud 'ha!' and Katara, realizing what she did, turned to look at Jin and said a little uncertainly, "I don't act like I'm your mom right Jin?"
Jin looked away and said, "Um—''
"Ugh! Everyone knows what their answer is but they're just too afraid to tell you! What are you guys afraid of? That she'll send you to your room? Or she'll ground you for a month?" Toph snapped at the three of them.
"Ugh! I can't believe you! Stop acting so…so…so…disrespectful!" Katara crowed.
"I can't be around you right now!" Toph yelled as she entered her tent and earthbent it close.
"Well, I can't be around you!" Katara yelled, taken aback as she stormed away to the opposite side.
Sokka's new Hawk, which he had named "Hawky", squawked plaintively as the two girls entered their tents in an angry huff.
"I know, Hawky. Why can't they just get along ?" Sokka sighed as silence filled their little camp.
Jin's shoulders dropped and she said, "So….what do we do now?"
"Oh….we'll just give it some time. Toph and Katara fight all the time," Aang said trying to sound optimistic.
Jin and Sokka stared at him disbelievingly. Jin said, "I don't know Aang. This…..this sounds pretty serious."
Aang shook his head and confidently said, "Please. Considering the other fights they have had, this is nothing. I'm pretty sure that by tomorrow, they'll be friends again."
But Aang's prediction didn't exactly turn out to be true.
Toph and Katara didn't seem to be on the road of reconciliation. They never spoke to each other, they ignored each other's existence and the pair made sure to keep out of each other's way and refused to do anything with each other. The whole camp was enveloped in a thick, uncomfortable silence as Sokka, Aang and Jin tried to keep on neutral ground. Everyone suffered—but no one suffered more than Sokka.
Katara had now refused to cook. She declared that she refused to slave away over a burning pot for an ungrateful wild child who didn't have a shred of responsibility in her. Toph, although surprisingly able for a blind person, was still incapable of handling kitchen wares and kindling fires. Much to Sokka's horror, mealtimes were now officially Jin's responsibility. And Jin's cooking had not improved in the least bit—as Sokka discovered. They were all forced to chew down Jin's many horrible concoctions and after just three days of eating nothing but Jin's cooking, Sokka's stomach started to feel gassy. He knew that Katara felt the same because she took many more trips in the loo but Katara was just too stubborn to cook for them and Toph by extension.
Finally, on the fourth day Sokka couldn't take it anymore.
"I can't take it anymore! How long is this going to last?" Sokka groaned as Jin fed them her idea of a meat loaf.
Jin observed the two girls sitting resentfully apart from each other and sighed, "This looks like it's going to be a long siege."
Sokka scowled and said peevishly, "Well, we're going to have to cut it short because if I have to eat your food for one more time—''
"Hey!" Jin protested loudly.
"—than I'll probably die! We have to get them to talk to each other again!" Sokka declared as he set Jin's meat loaf aside. Jin frowned at him and looked at her meat loaf with furrowed brows.
"And how are we going to do that? Neither of them seems willing to make the first move," Aang observed.
Sokka looked off into the distance, his eyes deep with concentration. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, his lips curled into a secretive smile and his eyes trailed over to Hawky who was resting comfortably on his arm. He leaned forward and said, "Jin, Aang, you want to test out my messenger hawk with me ? I've got an idea."
"Sure," Aang eagerly said, knowing full well that Sokka had an idea planned.
"I'm gonna send a note to Katara and say it's from Toph, who wants to apologize. Then everyone will be friends again," Sokka said, puffing his chest out proudly, obviously thinking that he had just made an extremely brilliant plan.
Jin, however, immediately noted the giant hole in it. She said, "Sokka, I don't think—''
"I gotta say, Sokka, you continue to impress me with your ideas," Aang said, enthusiastic that a plan was made in order for Katara and Toph to be friends again.
Sokka shrugged, self-impressed, "Eh, it's a gift."
He then turned to Jin and ordered, "Okay, Jin get a pen and paper and write everything I say—''
"Sokka, this isn't going to work," Jin protested.
Sokka ignored her and said, "I can't believe Katara's sourpussy-ness is rubbing off you. Now get a paper—''
"I'm telling you that this won't—''
"Here! I got the paper for you myself! Now right this down—''
"I won't do it because your plan is stupid! This won't work, Sokka! And why can't you write it down?"
"Because you have a nicer handwriting than me and it will look more like Toph wrote it if a girly handwriting is on it! Now right this!" Sokka said, handing her a pen.
Jin scowled and tried to protest one last time, "Sokka—''
"Dear Katara. Sorry for everything. Your friend, Toph," Sokka dictated.
Jin opened her mouth, ready to protest again but after seeing Sokka's determined expression, she sighed, hunched over and wrote down what Sokka said in a neat, tidy scrawl. She muttered as Sokka took it, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Sokka, completely enchanted with his idea, grabbed the paper, rolled it up and slid it into the dispatch tube. He then began to make a series of gestures with his hand.
"What's with all that?" Aang demanded.
"I've been practicing on training Hawky. Check this out," Sokka proudly said. He then heaved his arm up and Hawky immediately sailed over to Katara. Katara opened the dispatch tube unfurled the paper and read it quickly. Sokka smiled wile Aang see-sawed on his heels in anticipation.
Finally, Katara stood up, whirled around to face the boys and said angrily, "I know this is from you, Sokka. Toph can't write."
She then faced Jin and said peevishly, "I can't believe you're actually participating in something this stupid! Ugh, you're all driving me crazy!"
She then turned on her heel and walked away.
"I told you so," Jin smugly hissed.
"I can't believe we forgot Toph can't write," Aang sighed.
"Yep, you guys are idiots. Now, Katara's mad at me too," Jin sighed.
"Look, this isn't over yet," Sokka said.
Aang rubbed his head and said, "I guess plan B is, we send a note to Toph pretending it's from Katara….."
Jin rolled her eyes as Sokka and Aang continued to make more ridiculous plans. She sighed and her eye caught Katara's sight. She was stomping her way behind Sokka's tent.
Jin looked at Aang and Sokka and said, "I'll go somewhere first…."
She sprinted over towards Katara who was angrily waterbending some water into clay jars.
"Um….Katara?"
"What? If you're here to tell me to make friends with Toph then you're wasting your time! I'm not apologizing just because I was looking out for her well-being!" Katara grumped.
Jin shrank but she continued on in a firm voice, "Actually….I'm thinking that you need some space from everyone for awhile…."
"Tell me about it! No one ever appreciates what I do for them! I cook for them! I clean all their stinky clothes! I pack everything for them when we leave and you know what I get?"
"Um…"
"Nothing! No one ever sides with me because they'd rather side with someone fun…..I can be fun too! Right? Right?" Katara's voice cracked and her hands dropped to her sides as she lost momentum.
Jin smiled weakly, gave Katara a gentle pat and said, "Um….actually, I came over here because I was thinking…maybe we should just do a jump start ahead on the search for my brother…"
Katara's eyes flashed in remembrance. Her lips curled into a big and slow smile and she said, her voice considerably brighter, "Yeah…I did say that we were going to go around town together…"
"And no time could be more perfect! Aang and Sokka are busy plotting—er, I mean doing stuff and Toph—'' Katara's face darkened so Jin immediately corrected herself. "—um, Momo and Appa are off playing somewhere and Hawky's….Hawky's flying around…"
Katara nodded and said, "You're right. No time could be more perfect. Give me three minutes to freshen up and get some cash…."
As soon as Katara washed her face and Jin dusted herself off, the two girls quietly sneaked away from their little camp, unnoticed by everyone else.
"Maybe we could buy a bouquet and leave a little not and put it in front of Katara's tent…" Sokka suggested as Jin and Katara tiptoed past them.
Katara wrinkled her nose.
"Sokka, for the last time, Toph can't write…." Aang wearily said.
Sokka's face fell but it suddenly brightened. He said, "I know! We could say that she made us write for her!"
Katara shook her head and tried to restrain herself from freezing the two in a block of ice.
Katara's mood rose seven stories higher as she and Jin wandered around the town. Truth be told, the girls immediately forgot their main purpose once they stepped into the market. Katara, glad to get away from their tension-filled camp, relished the feeling of spending a normal day for once without getting into another row with Toph. Jin, on the other hand, was extremely happy to be out and about in the open after being cooped up for so long. She had taken one of Aang's cloaks and drew the hood over her face as she and Katara walked around. The cloak made her feel hotter but it was such a small matter compared to feeling of freedom.
She and Katara spent most of the morning wandering around stalls and window shopping. They tried on a bunch of clothes in a nearby shop, looked through a jewelry store and bought some spicy bagels. They were having a perfectly good time until Katara ruined everything by asking that fateful question. While trying one a bracelet, Katara suddenly looked at Jin and said in a serious tone, "Do you think that I really act like your mom?"
Jin suddenly felt uncomfortable. She pulled her hood over her face and muttered, "Um…hey look! That dragon bracelet looks pretty nice—''
"Jin, please. You don't have to be afraid of offending me or anything. Just be honest. I really want to know," Katara said. She gave the bracelet back, grabbed Jin's elbow and steered her off away from the stall. The two began to walk away.
"Um….Katara—''
"I mean, I always say that it doesn't bother me but….actually….it kind of does. I just really want to know if I really do act motherly," Katara said confidingly.
Katara's tone of voice got to Jin. Jin's hand shot up to Katara's shoulder and she admitted honestly, "Actually Katara….you do act motherly…."
Katara sighed and her shoulders dropped.
"But the truth is….I kind of like it," Jin sighed.
Katara stared at her questioningly.
"You acting like our mom….it's not always a bad thing—though it does get annoying sometimes," Jin chuckled.
Katara huffed and nodded for Jin to continue.
"What I mean is…you sort of boss us around and you're always in our business and it gets…..kinda annoying," Jin said trying her best to explain things.
"I'm just looking out for all of you!" Katara defensively said.
Jin sighed and said, 'Yes, I know but—''
"You leaves your things around, someone always leaves something whenever you pack your things yourselves and I'm really sorry—but how would you survive without my cooking? You need someone to look out for you!" Katara continued.
Jin gave a small smile and continued, "You're right."
Katara blinked at Jin in surprise, not expecting that answer.
Jin looked away and said in a small voice, "You're….you're kind and sweet and compassionate and you listen to all our problems and help us without even batting an eyelash. The truth is Katara….I….I like it when you act motherly sometimes…"
Katara stared at her in surprise.
"It's just that….it's been a long time since I've seen my mother and with the war going on and everything else….it's just to have a nice and warm and comforting presence for all of us," Jin said, turning to look at Katara. Her voice started to crack.
"Really?" Katara's voice was barely a whisper.
"Really. Toph's not admitting it but…I think that she likes it when you act that way too," Jin said as she squeezed Katara's hand.
Katara gave Jin a warm hug and said, "Thanks."
"I mean it, Katara. It's really nice to know that someone out there still cares for you," Jin said. Her voice was calm and steady but here eyes suddenly became glassy. The two girls hugged each other again, before resuming their little trip with much more zest this time. Some of the prior tension and discomfort had been relieved, and with that all gone, their trip around town was a much a happier one.
"Whoa. Look at the sun. We've better start looking around for your brother," Katara said suddenly remembering their purpose as the sun slowly started to sail downwards.
Jin nodded, aware that they had just spent the better half of the morning wandering around. Her eyes trailed over to a nearby bulletin. The bulletin was tacked with announcements, several wanted posters and advertisements. At least three of Jin's poster was plastered everywhere. Jin drew her hood closer, nervousness and anxiety seeping into her. Her brother had only one poster and it was tacked at the far left corner where other papers were crowding around it.
"Where do you think we should start?" Katara asked as she stood beside Jin.
Jin stiffened as she realized that they weren't the only people examining the bulletin. To her right, a tall beefy man with his left arm covered in tattoos stood and scanned the wanted posters, his eyes interested specifically in the bounty. To her left a man wearing a straw hat also stood examining the more wanted persons. Jin, with her drawn cloak, didn't look to different from the crowd she was in.
The beefy man suddenly gave a gruff huff, before spreading his hand out and grabbing Jin's wanted poster from the wall. Jin stiffened. He then spun on his heels and started to walk away into a low, gray hut made of cobblestones. The place looked shady with its drawn curtains and mysterious smoke billowing from the top.
Jin narrowed her eyes and she said gravely, "We're going to a place where everyone knows exactly where everyone else is."
Katara's jaw dropped. She pointed to the place and sputtered, "There? B-but that looks like….a bar!"
But Jin was already striding towards there, her eyes determined and her footsteps sure and steady.
"I don't think we should be here," Katara whispered as she tried to look inconspicuous.
She was very unhappy that Jin had decided to go into the bar. It was loud, the men were rowdy and leering and it was very dimly lit. Katara felt as if being in the room was like sitting on the time bomb—the characters in there were shady and creepy and were just waiting for the right moment to jump on two defenseless girls. Jin however, maintained a calm façade, though she kept looking around. Her hood had been drawn closer over her face so her facial features were unrecognizable.
Katara wanted to sit on a table near the door for a fast escape route in case any situation came up but Jin insisted on sitting on the counter.
"If there's anyone in this whole place who knows everything, it's the one who runs it. The bartender," Jin firmly said as she tugged Katara's hand and led her to the counter.
"And how would you know?" Katara wondered out loudly, curiosity taking over her.
Jin coughed suspiciously and avoided Katara's gaze.
"Wait! You've been in a bar before, haven't you? You're no better than Sokka!" Katara said narrowing her eyes.
Jin held her hands up and defensively said, "Hey! You try living with only boys for most of your life and try avoiding going to a bar!"
Katara didn't look ready to let this go but at that moment the bartender, interrupted them.
"What'll it be?" the bartender leered at the two of them.
"Mango juice," Katara prompted loudly. Her answer caused quite a few stares since it had been awhile since someone ordered something non-alcoholic. The bartender stared at her blankly before nodding and facing Jin, "How 'bout you?"
Jin shook her head wordlessly. The bartender also gave her a curious stare but since Jin looked so imposing with her drawn hood and mysterious demeanor, he didn't push it. He started to prepare Katara's drinks, shooting them peculiar looks every once in awhile.
"Don't squirm so much. It'll attract attention," Jin said in a low voice.
"Let's just get what we came for and move on," Katara murmured.
"We have to listen around first. My brothers always tell me that the meatiest information you can get is from the talk amongst the people," Jin whispered back.
Katara begged to differ but knowing Jin and how stubborn and determined she is. She didn't bother to argue anymore. Katara sighed and watched as Jin cocked her ear to the side and listened intently to two patrons talking earnestly as the bartender continued to prepare Katara's drink.
"I've heard that Ozai's training his army harder than ever," the first one said.
"No kidding, eh? Guess he's really serious 'bout the whole thing. 'Specially after two Resistance Leaders escaped from him," the second one said.
"It's givin' him bad rep, that's why he wants to catch 'em so bad."
"Hey, why's the girl's bounty more than the other one? Figured the boy would be worth more."
Jin huffed indignantly.
"People are sayin' that she hit a raw nerve on the princess in Ba Sing Se. And everyone knows that you don't hit raw nerves with the princess…" the first one shrugged.
"No kidding, eh? Whew. I wouldn't want to get into the princess' death wish. She's scary."
"But that's not the only thing I've heard."
"Eh?"
"I've heard that it has something to do with her brother, Prince Zuko."
"That dumb rumor? You know what I think? Complete nonsense."
"Hey, you never know. Even with that ugly scar on his face, boy's got looks. Honestly, my daughter could not stop yammering about how handsome and how great and how awesome he is….."
Jin's jaw visibly tightened at the two continued their conversation.
"But still, the girl doesn't look like someone who would be that stupid," the second one argued.
"Hey, I'm not sayin' squat. I'm just sayin' that somethin' went on between Prince Zuko and that Earth Kingdom girl…"
"Aw….you're full of dung."
"No, you are, you dimbulb. You been deaf lately? I mean, she hasn't been captured yet….most fugitives would've been in three weeks time. Sure sign that somethin' up…."
"Only your smell is up."
"Shut up! I'm serious! Look, how do you explain the fact that the prince isn't considerin' suitors yet? He's like what? Sixteen now? I'm pretty sure that's when Ozai started lookin' for a bride."
"The kid's been stuck at sea for what? Three years? Give 'im some breathin' room!"
"I'm just sayin'….no need to go spittin' on my face like that!"
"Aw….shut up!"
"Whatever. Anyway, you tryin' for the bounty…."
"Nah, maybe her brother's. Navi already claimed on her and we all know what that means…."
"Here's your drink," the bartender warily said, interrupting Jin from listening in.
Katara wrinkled her nose at the drink, did not touch it and elbowed Jin saying, "Now's your chance…."
Jin nodded and grabbed the bartender's arm before he could turn around to face his next customer. The bartender stiffened at the touch but faced Jin anyway. Jin leaned forward, slid her brother's wanted poster into the bartender's hand and said in a low voice, "I'm going to do some business today. Do you recognize him?"
The bartender stared at the picture and said blankly, "Who? Him? Of course I recognize him! He's a wanted fugitive of the Fire Nation!"
"Seen him around lately?" Jin demanded.
"Maybe," the bartender coyly said. He was rat-like man with a pointed nose, beady eyes and he had wisps of hair on his chin and upper lip. He stared at Jin with a gleam on his eye.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jin snapped, her voice rising higher.
"Maybe I need a little incentive," the bartender smirked.
"Maybe I should knock your stupid little head out of that high and mighty neck," Jin said, her voice losing its calm. She looked threatening with her shadowed face and angry voice.
The bartender looked startled and he quickly said, "Look….it'd be best if you don't know anyway, see? 'Cause Navi's already looking for him and no one goes capturing fugitives when Navi's got his claim on him…."
"Navi?"
"He's a bounty hunter. The best in the Fire Nation. You don't wanna mess with him, girly…."
He trailed off to the beefy looking man. He had seated himself in the back and he was drinking something that looked vile. Jin ground her teeth and stomped towards the Navi.
"She's a dead girl….it would've been easier if she'd just pay me," the bartender chattered.
Katara ignored him and tried to stop Jin saying, "Jin….wait!"
But Jin had already seated herself across Navi.
"Didn't remembering inviting you," Navi gruffly said as he took a swig of his drink.
"I know you know where he is. Tell me," Jin hissed as she showed him He Shen's picture.
"He's mine," Navi snapped upon seeing the picture.
"He's nobody else's," Jin hissed.
"You dare challenge me?" Navi demanded threateningly. Katara was about to pull Jin away but Jin held her ground and continued more firmly, "Tell me where he is. Fugitives are fair game to everyone."
Her defiance caught the attention of everyone. No one had gone against Navi for a long time and the last person to do so, had all his fingers broken. But still, something about the fact that a small and thin girl going up against a tall, beefy man like him amused Navi. He chuckled loudly.
"Oh, him? He's one slippery little runt so don't waste your time on him," Navi indifferently said as he brushed He Shen's poster away.
"You've seen him? Where?" Jin asked, surprised. Her voice lost all its momentum.
"Down by the Sozin Islands. Lost his blasted hide in the temples," Navi said angrily, his meaty fist pounding into the table at the memory.
"Sozin Islands?" Jin said, her voice trailing off. She was becoming more distracted. She leaned forward, unknowingly causing her hood to move slightly backwards. Katara, with utmost horror, realized that Jin's face was now recognizable. Apparently Navi realized it too.
"But he's not worth it. His bounty is worth a mere fraction….compared to yours!"
And with that, he lunged towards Jin ready to snap his meaty fingers around her neck. Jin barely had time to duck. She jumped over and stood at the table. Katara, panicked, waterbent Navi's drink towards his face. Jin, completely disheveled, widened her eyes as her hood was thrown back revealing her face.
"You don't fool me, Earth kingdom wench! I'm the best bounty hunter in the Fire Nation! I know who you are! I've been hunting down fugitives since I was a boy! A stupid disguise like that won't fool me!" Navi roared as he wiped off the liquid that stuck on his face.
"Hey! She's the leader from the Ba Sing Se Resistance!" someone shouted.
"Her bounty's worth plenty!"
"She's a fugitive!"
"Grab her!"
"No, I'll grab her!"
"Let's all capture her and split the cash evenly! The bounty is plenty enough for all of us!"
"This is my bar and she's under my roof so the bounty goes to me!"
"Nobody, grabs her but me!" Navi roared, his giant fists rising in the air as pandemonium broke out. For once, hiis angry warning was unheeded as everyone immediately started to scrambled towards Jin in a mad attempt to catch her. Suddenly a giant water whip sliced the through the air and threw back some men from the left giving Jin enough time to scrambled down from the table.
"I think that this is our cue to leave," Katara said as she grabbed Jin's hand.
Jin nodded, completely startled, when a chair sailed over her head. Suddenly, she felt two sweaty hands grab her by the armpits. She was suddenly hauled high up in the air.
"I've got her!" someone yelled triumphantly.
Jin scowled, kicked him in the face before somersaulting and landing with a kick to a man's nose. Next to her, Katara was trying to wildly waterbend her way from the throng. Jin growled and earthbent an earth pillar towards Navi who was hurtling his way towards her. He fell backwards with a thud. Navi scowled and suddenly procured a large axe from his back. He stepped towards Jin slowly.
"Try to fool me eh?" he roared as he swung the axe atop Jin.
Jin gave a startled cry before sliding downwards between his legs. She stood up and tried to kick him in the back but her foot met nothing but hard, solid flesh. She gave a cry of pain as Navi whirled around and swung his axe towards her again. Jin breathed deeply as she dodged it again. They continued their dangerous dance, with Navi trying to slice Jin through with his axe and with Jin trying to desperately avoid it. Jin could not get a hit in. She persevered on, biding her time, until he finally found a weak spot in him. She kicked his shin, earthbent an earth column to his back causing him to topple forward. Jin narrowly avoided him as he fell.
"Let's go!" Jin said, realizing that this was all too much for her and Katara to handle.
Katara looked at Jin and together they nodded at each other, understanding passing between them. Katara sent a giant stream of water towards the men blocking their way while Jin made a miniature earth wall, forming a shield that threw everyone away upon contact. Finally, covered in grime and sweat they made it out of the front door. Together they ran away from the bar as fast as they could without stopping until they were at a good distance.
Katara panted, her skin sweaty and her chest tight. Finally, when she felt air rushing into her nose again, she looked at Jin. Jin was staring at the ground, her face contorted into an expression of disappointment.
"I'm sorry you didn't get the news you wanted," Katara apologized.
Jin sighed and she said in a hard voice, "It's okay."
But she did not sound okay.
"Are you sure it was her?" Zuko gruffly demanded as he sat at the counter. He had escaped from the monotony of palace life yet again and he was wearing a hood to cover his face.
"I swear it on Agni himself! It was that fugitive! She was with that accursed Waterbender! You wouldn't believe it! All that money I could've made and she was just right under my nose!" the bartender lamented.
Zuko's nose twitched. He did not like the idea that Jin had been in a place like this.
"Do you know where she had gone?"
"Maybe," the bartender coyly said once again.
"Maybe?" Zuko hissed.
"Maybe I need a little incentive," the bartender said.
Angrily, Zuko threw his hood back and revealed his face. The bartender gasped in surprise and so did everybody else in the bar. Everyoen immediately fell on their knees.
"Please, forgive me your Majesty. I had no idea," the man whimpered.
Zuko growled and demanded, "Now. Again. Do you have any idea where she might've gone?"
Sokka was absolutely livid at the discovery that Jin and Katara had sneaked off into town and got identified. But what he could not believe more was the fact that for once, Katara broke her own rules. He however, did not dwell too much on it since his mind was on other things.
Katara and Toph continued to argue some more despite the fact that Aang and Sokka formulated many plans for them to be friends again. Jin, who did not want a repeat of her experience in the bar, did not make any more unknown excursions. She amused herself by training her earthbending skills rigorously. Since she no longer had the scrolls, she started asking help from Toph and soon she joined Aang in his Earthbending lessons. Sokka had started building Appa's armor while Katara finally agreed to cook for them once again.
Still, despite the fact that things got slightly better, Jin and Katara were still not talking to each other. Finally, weary and tired, Sokka went to talk with Toph, hoping that he might be able to convince her. When he returned by dinnertime, he looked very triumphant.
"You did it?" Aang asked hopefully.
"Yup. By dinnertime, they'll be friends again. Believe it or not, but Toph's going to say sorry first," Sokka smugly said.
"No way," Jin said.
"Yes way. You can all say it now. I'm awesome," Sokka said as Toph unaware of their conversation sat down on a log, looking deep in thought. Katara finally arrived with bowls in her hand. She handed one to each person and as she gave a bowl to Toph she clicked her teeth nervously.
"Hi, Toph. Um, I want to..."
"Katara, stop. You don't need to apologize. I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them," Toph said sincerely.
"Actually, I wasn't going to apologize. I was gonna say…I want to pull a scam with you!" Katara slyly said. Sokka, Jin and Aang gaped at the two of them disbelief.
"What ? You want to pull a scam ?" Toph said disbelief.
"Not just any scam…the ultimate scam!" Katara said.
From their places, Sokka and Aang collapsed.
"What do you say, Toph Just me and you…one last go. You in ?" Katara asked.
"You know I'm in! Now what's this idea of yours ?" Toph asked as Katara put her hand at Toph's back and steered her off.
Sokka and Aang continued to gape at them stupefied but Jin was smiling. She had a feeling that she knew what suddenly came over Katara and Toph's sudden likability to each other.
Sokka wailed, interrupting her thoughts, "Has the world gone mad?"
"Do you think this scam of theirs should be taking this long ?" Aang asked as he paced back and forth worriedly.
"I was just wondering the same thing," Jin frowned.
"We'd better check it out," Sokka declared.
"I want to go with you!" Jin said.
"Absolutely not! Not after that stunt you pulled with Katara!" Sokka said.
"You are so unfair! Katara and Toph is my friend too! If she's in danger I want to help!" Jin protested.
"You can help by doing staying here and taking charge of Appa, Momo and Hawky," Sokka declared.
"I'm going and you can't stop me!" Jin stubbornly said.
"Look—''
"Guys stop arguing. Katara could be in danger. We have to go," Aang firmly said.
"Aang! You're seriously not letting her go are you?" Sokka said in disbelief.
"We're wasting time! Let's just go!" Aang declared and with that he started to move away. Jin smiled smugly at Sokka and trailed after Aang. Sokka dropped his shoulders dejectedly, turned to Hawky and Momo and said sternly, "You two behave. Appa's in charge."
The three of them quickly scrambled towards the town, with Aang leading them in panic.
"Where do you think they might be ?" Sokka worriedly said after many minutes of sprinting around town cluelessy.
"Where do you think anyone is?" Aang said.
Jin said, "Maybe they're—''
Aang held his hand up, gesturing her to stop talking. His ear twitched. Suddenly he screamed, "Look out!"
A blast suddenly exploded near Jin sweeping her off her feet and propelling her backwards. Sokka had barely timed to escape as more blasts ensued.
"What's going on?" Jin yelled.
"It's "Sparky-Sparky Boom Man"!" Aang said and with that he began to sprint off as Sparky-Sparky Boom Man started to chase after Aang.
"You know, I'm starting to think that name doesn't quite fit," Sokka declared.
"Come on! He's after Aang!" Jin said, hurrying after Sparky-Sparky Boom Man.
They managed to catch up with Aang at the square.
"This guy is too good. He shoots fire from his brain!" Sokka said, half in awe and half in terror.
"Sokka, I don't think that now is the time for compliments," Jin wheezed.
"We should split up. He can't chase us all," Aang suggested.
They split. Sokka ran to the left while Jin took refuge under the statue of Ozai. As Aang ran along a roof, Sapprky-Sparky Boom Man spotted him and fired. The blast sent Aang careering into the chest of the statue of Ozai. Spark-Sparky Boom Man blasted after him sending chunks of Ozai's statue unto the ground. Jin stared at the debris in horror.
"Jin!" Aang cried as he fell backwards.
She couldn't react. She closed her eyes, sure that the rocks would crush her to her death when she suddenly felt the strong grip of two hands on her shoulders. Jin opened her eyes and gaped in horror when she realized that she was being carried, bridal-style, by Sparky-Sparky Boom Man. Jin could barely regain her shock.
Sparky-Sparky Boom Man had saved her!
Jin struggled but he continued to stomp on until they reached a safe corner. He then plopped her unto the ground and stared at her with fathomless eyes. Jin wasn't so sure what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to thank him? Jin stared up at him in confusion.
Suddenly, his head was encased in a block of ice.
"Jin, get up!" Katara cried emerging from behind Sparky-Sparky Boom Man's behind. Jin sighed in relief. Katara held her hand up and helped her up.
"Let's get out of here," Toph said and soon they met up with Aang and Sokka and started to run. Sparky-Sparky Boom Man however, had broken his ice muzzle and was now sending blasts across their direction. Toph scowled, turned around and earthbent a rock at him, hitting the eye on his forehead causing him to topple on the floor.
Everyone sighed in relief once they saw that he was disoriented.
"Hey, I got it. The perfect name for that guy! "Combustion Man"!" Sokka said.
"Good job, Sokka. Now let's get out of here before "Combustion Man" catches us!" Toph said.
"See it fits so well…..now what I don't get is why he's so bent on destroying us but when Jin nearly got crushed by Ozai's statue he saved her," Sokka mused.
"Yeah, that was weird," Katara agreed.
They all looked at her.
"What?" Jin demanded.
"Do you know anything about it?"
Jin shook her head and said, "No. You're right. That was weird."
Sorry for the long wait.
Anyways, I forgot to thank those who read the story and added it to their favorites last chapter so….I'm extra thanking you guys now!
Special thanks to :Alana C. Jones, Uatu, tgbwe and daveshan (and yes, Sokka and Jin are awesome to write about )
Don't leave me hanging!
Keep the reviews up!