Twenty-one

It had been two days. Uncle had decided to make a pit stop in the middle of nowhere, claiming that there was beauty here that had no rival. Zuko had insisted they move on, but had eventually caved in, stomping away in frustration.

For about a half an hour, Maya and Uncle had walked through the trees, speaking quietly about nothing in particular. It was a welcome relief from the constant bore of the dark metal corridors on the ship. She took many deep breaths, and made sure to listen to the birds. It was quite relaxing, especially since Zuko had refused to step outside with them.

As they continued through the trees, they came across a series of connected naturally made hot springs. Uncle had wasted no time in jumping in, and Maya had been sure to get far away, for fear of seeing parts of him that she definitely did not want to see.

"You can take a turn after I'm done if you want," he called to her. "I will try not to take too long."

"That's okay, Uncle," she called back, leaning against the trunk of a tree. "You take all the time you want. Really."

"That is very kind of you, Maya. I think I'll take you up on that offer."

She laughed quietly, leaning her head back against the bark and looking up through the canopy of leaves. It really was a beautiful day, and the breeze was heavenly. She closed her eyes. And then the sound of distant curses and the rustling of bushes broke the sense of tranquility. She sighed. Zuko.

After another few minutes, he stood before her, sweaty and annoyed. "Where," he growled, "is Uncle?"

She rolled her eyes and threw a thumb behind her in the direction of the hot springs.

Zuko stomped past her. "Uncle!" she heard. "Where are you?" After another moment, "Uncle? What are you doing?"

"You should join me in these hot springs, Prince Zuko. It is quite relaxing. And the temperature is just right. I heated it myself."

"No, Uncle! I'm closing in on the Avatar's trail. We need to leave now! Get out of the water!" And then she heard a strange noise come from Zuko, before, "On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in half an hour, or I'm leaving without you!" And then he was stomping back towards Maya again.

"What happened?" she asked, as he passed by her.

He shook his head. As he continued walking away, he called behind him, "Are you coming or not?"

"But you said to be back at the ship in half an hour."

"To Uncle."

Sighing, Maya got up and brushed the dirt from the seat of her pants. Then she followed after him.