The Highest Bidder

Chapter Thirteen: Mind over Matter

When I lived on that island by myself for the long four years, I had become somewhat…intellectual…with the animal kingdom. On the island of the Air Temple, the animals that made the forests their home were my newfound friends, although they wouldn't stay because, honestly, I was at the top of the food chain—but I only ate to satisfy the carnivorous part of my nature. Half of my time in my solitude, I lived out my meals on vegetation and I hunted the normal way. You see, I'm quite taken to animal life, and I have a hard time believing that it is all right to direct prey to the predator. It's wrong, and I seriously wouldn't consider 'Bloodbending' my food.

Because I was in touch with my inner animal—so to speak—I wasn't afraid of the Komodo Rhinos that boarded Prince Zuko's ship. According to the provider for the animals, it was a harsh way to travel land by simply walking on it. The Rhinos were supposed to provide an easier transportation system. They were well-trained to the rider, and they ate the basics of a rhinoceros's diet: vegetation, berries—that sort of thing; though the provider whispered a tune in my ear that they weren't above eating meat. I took this with a grain of salt: any rhino that enjoyed the taste of blood would be a bad accommodation on board. As Commander of Zuko's small fleet, I took it upon myself to inspect the four Komodo Rhinos that made the cargo hold of Zuko's ship as their home.

Despite its incredible size, these large beasts are surprisingly fast agile. They have claws on each foots that enable them to scale vertically up walls or sideways with a passenger or other cargo. It provides a degree of protection against external damage and can bear the temperatures of the most extreme, as hot as near the equator or as cold as the North Pole. They're impervious to fire, but if you want it stay alive, I'd recommend not Firebending at it directly; and it can go over iced surfaces, swim and crawl through freezing waters if the ice does break.

Oddly enough, these creatures are quite immaculate in skill, but catching one is rather difficult. They have to be transported in cages, since it's too dangerous to let them prowl by themselves.

When I went under the deck into the cargo hold, I found these magnificent beasts in the large, expected cages; they grunted in discomfort. The provider was with me as I inspected them quietly. Prince Zuko and General Iroh waited at the door.

"Are we going to be moving along any time soon?" said Prince Zuko impatiently. "If it's all right with you, Commander," he said sarcastically, "I'd like to get a day's head start to track down the Avatar…again."

The provider straddled the wall behind me when I turned to face my superior officer. I'm not sure what made the man so nervous—the provider—he seemed to shake a little when I moved. Prince Zuko apparently noticed my curiosity, for he walked full-bodily into the hull and glanced at him as suspiciously as I had. I turned to the provider.

"Could you give us a few minutes in private?" I asked him sweetly.

He nodded to me uneasily, glancing between Prince Zuko and me. The both of us watched him leave. He walked as if he had a constant case of dysentery: apprehensive and holding a desire to leave.

I clicked my tongue inquisitively.

"What's wrong?" asked Zuko.

"That man…" I muttered, nodding toward the empty frame of the cargo hold. "He's acting rather odd…"

"Did you get that sense or is that an observation?" Zuko said dryly, a bored expression on his face.

I turned back to the rhinoceros interestedly. I could tell that Zuko was getting impatient with me, but I was still irked by the behavior of the provider for my new animal friends. However, I just assumed that the animal handler was simply a nervous wreck in the end. I turned to Prince Zuko who was leaning against the wall of the cargo hold.

"I must have been paranoid," I sighed. "Did you want to get these?"

"As long as they—what are you doing?" Zuko erected as I casually placed my hand through the bars of the cage and patted the head of one of them.

"Will you relax," I said, amused. "They're friendly."

General Iroh approached me from behind.

"You become more and more peculiar with the time we spend with you," he added smugly. "They're a fine specimen of beast; it's quite lucky we stumbled across you. Perhaps you're an animal whisperer."

"No," I said, though flattered, "but I get along with them than people."

Zuko sighed irritably,

"I wonder why. Now let's go. I don't want to lose him again."

Iroh beckoned me to follow.

"We'll take the Komodo Rhinos, Commander Mura," he said as we pulled out of the hull. "Go on and pay for them with the provider. We'll meet you on deck."

"Yes, Sir," I said cheerfully.

The man of the hour waited for me to come to him.

He was still acting bizarre.

"Commander, were you pleased with the product?" questioned the provider.

"Of course. They're beautiful creatures," I said affectionately.

As we negotiated a price and settled on it, I pulled out a few Fire Nation coins and handed it to him. He pocketed them gratefully. He gave me a weird look.

"Hey," he said gently, and he pulled me into a huddle. "Just between us, are you that witch?"

"Once more, I'm not a witch," I said irritably. "I'm a telekinetic."

"Commander Zhao talked about you earlier," said the provider eagerly, as if I had wanted to tell me this for a while.

"Well, I control what he says and doesn't say," I told him wistfully.

"He was right, you know."

I was about to turn to walk away until he said that.

He almost cowered when I looked back at him.

"Oh?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Right about what?"

"That you're traveling with the banished prince."

I frowned.

"Well, the prince is a right sight better than Commander Zhao. Tell him that I'm right about that."

"He has a going gamble with the members of his crew," the provider said. "The soldiers bet that you won't last another month with him because he's a terrible leader. Zhao disagrees. He bets that you won't last another week—"

Before I knew what was happening, I was grabbing the man by the collar of his merchant robe,

"Then you tell Zhao that—"

"Mura!"

My absence hadn't gone unnoticed. Prince Zuko came after me, and he pried my hands off the merchant's collar. He didn't ask about my delay but merely grabbed my wrist forcefully and pulled me back on the ship.

We didn't talk until the ship cast off from the harbor.

"What is wrong with you?" said Zuko confrontationally.

"Nothing." I snapped.

"Awfully a big thing to do over nothing," said Zuko grumpily.

"It's nothing important," I emphasized.

He and I remained silent for a few minutes.

"What was wrong with the provider?" he asked me calmly.

"Nothing," I answered.

"Because that's a good reason for attempting to strangle him…" Zuko remarked.

"It was about me, all right?" I snapped again. "It's nothing important."

I walked away before I could react disrespectfully again. I stormed into my quarters without eating dinner in a filthy mood. I would have been happier if the provider had scammed me with the rhinos; but no, I was angry about how Zhao was talking such rot behind my back. I should have expected it: we didn't end our reunion in high hopes.

I was attempting to meditate before turning in; going to bed angry was simply unacceptable. Instead of calm, content meditation, my mind racked with fury, and I felt the objects in my room start to fly around in dismay. A knock on the door interrupted me, and my things fell to the floor with clinks and thuds everywhere.

To my partial surprise, Zuko entered quietly.

"What?" I said, annoyed.

"We need to talk about something. Privately," he added when I rose to leave.

I accepted the request. He sat down beside me.

"When you told Zhao about what happened to my ship, the Earth Kingdom crash story," he began, "you, uh, lied a little too easily…"

"It comes with the gift," I muttered, brushing it off.

"Zhao seemed clear that he wanted you on his crew."

"Yeah, so?"

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"Because, Zuko," I said, agitated, "I'm not even the tiniest bit empathetic to his cause. You need the Avatar to go home; he wants the Avatar for some glory. And," I said more calmly, "I will be on your side as long as you want to capture the Avatar."

He looked at me questionably.

"Zuko, I will never shirk my duties for my own benefit unless it means to save you; but the Avatar is a needed principle in the world. His existence makes this world a better place; he gives you hope, and that is what you need."

"I don't intend to kill him," Zuko said defensively.

"Yes, I know, but if that happens, and you choose to continue with the plans after the boy is killed...I will help the world overthrow the Fire Nation if that happens."

Zuko gave me an accusatory look.

"You'd turn your back on your home?"

"The world is not made up of Fire Nation and people, Prince Zuko. And if you're forgetting, the Fire Nation isn't my home. I've forsaken that thought a long time ago. And if you capture the Avatar and you are welcomed back, I'm not coming with you."

He stared at me, stunned.

"Why not?"

"You're the Fire Lord's son. I cannot be accepted," I chuckled at the idea. "I will happy for you when—or if—you go back to the Fire Nation, but after seeing Zhao, I don't want any part in the imperial city. I want a life of peace and prosperity; though I won't say no to a huge battle. My loyalty belongs to you, and it will stay that way as long as you don't kill the Avatar."

Zuko considered my opinions with a weird look on his face.

"So," he said calmly, "the reason why you don't want to join Zhao is—"

"Not because he wants the Avatar. He's a ruthless man; he has no control. And, obviously, he has no honor in defeat. Your uncle was right: you are a better man than Zhao. Zhao said my loyalties belong with the highest bidder because I've returned to a Fire Nation vessel; he's under the impression that while I'm with you, I'm protected."

Zuko nodded his head in confirmation,

"You are protected."

I smiled. He returned it.

I clicked my tongue softly.

"You, uh…You didn't like my statement when I said that Zhao would ask me to dinner. Did you?"

"That's irrelevant. I was irritated."

I smirked.

"You, uh…You like me, don't you?"

"You're a specialized soldier," said Zuko, looking away. "I don't think Commander Zhao would appreciate your kind of power. And he's a terrible person, finding ways to cut people down…"

I smiled enduringly.

Awkward is the word that could describe the situation at this point in time. In order to spare the audience (and Fire Lord Zuko) an embarrassing scene of romantic comments and moments, I'll summon up with this:

"Come here, idiot," I said, and we kissed for the first time…ever.