Turns out, it's a lot like a prison from my time: cells, an enclosed yard, and one entrance. The guards' sleeping quarters are on one side, while the prisoners' cells are near the middle. I meet up with Sokka at Chin Sang's cooler—a tiny, enclosed refrigerator sticking out the side of the prison. I guess it's supposed to stop the prisoners from Fire bending.
Sokka and I pretend not to recognize each other. We make small talk with the other guard, and are in the middle of a debate on Fire whips versus plain old flame when another man walks up. He looks like an old, irritated Native American chief. At least, that's what crosses my mind when he stops before us and motions for the door to be opened.
"It's the Warden," the guard whispers pulling down his visor. "Look alive."
"So, Chin Sang," the Warden says to the prisoner after Sokka opens the cooler door. "I heard you used Fire bending to try and escape. You should know better."
"I w-wasn't trying t-to escape," the prisoner pleads.
"He's lying!" the guard shouts. "I saw it with my own eyes!"
"No one has ever, ever escaped from here," the Warden continues uninterrupted. "I'd sooner jump in the boiling lake myself rather than let that record fall. Don't forget it. Now, go back to your shivering."