{Sorry about the shorter chapter! Enjoy~}

The United Nation of Elements

Chapter Two

Petra rose with the sun. She was proud to say she had developed some kind of schedule during her days on the move. Some form of system, no matter how insignificant, always brought a sense of normality to the table that she sought desperately. It was familiar so it was comforting and some days she felt it was the only thing that kept her sane.

However, that was the only thing that stayed the same. Petra realized this the moment she sat up. Now she had traveling companions with suggestions she would need to take into consideration. It wasn't just take-care-of-yourself anymore; now she had to make sure she actually did think things through (which she should have been doing anyway).

At the same time, it meant she didn't have to make every survival-based decision on her own. It would help to have other people around. Three heads were better than one, or something like that.

"Alright, team!" Kasai exclaimed with too much energy for someone who had been exchanging watch off and on with Jarn-Shyr all night. Petra appreciated that they had let her sleep, but at the same time she wished they would have given her a rotation. They were a team now, and it was important for everyone to work equally. "Let's get moving! The canyon-crawlers will be heading in for the day soon and we'll be out of this maze by late afternoon if we make haste!"

Jarn-Shyr was already up. She had her blanket rolled up and somehow shoved away in her bag. Petra wondered what else she had stashed in there.

Kasai passed around a flask of water. Petra drank eagerly, thanking him and passing it over to Jarn-Shyr. It was old water and it tasted like it had been in that flask for several weeks, but to Petra it was one of the most refreshing things she had ever had to drink.

They put out the fire and left the alcove quickly, Petra remembering to throw her bag over her shoulder on her way out. The sun was already hot and Petra was sweating within minutes of leaving the shade of the overhang. She fanned herself with her hand and did her brown hair up in a ponytail.

"So, where did you really come from?" Kasai asked her after a few minutes of silent walking. Petra was beginning to feel awkward again. She could tell that Kasai didn't liked silence, but he was being more careful about what he said now that there was a new person around. When he finally said something, Petra felt like some barrier had been broken and she could breathe more easily.

"I came from a village south of here, along the river. It's hard to describe, I could point it out to you if I had a map, though. It's on the northern bank. We get a lot of travelers trying to cross the Si Wong Desert over there." Petra explained. "What about you and Jarn-Shyr?"

"Hmm," Kasai had to think for a minute, it seemed. "Well, we didn't come from the same place. I came from a small village outside of Ba Sing Se to the east. That city creeps me out, just let me say. They're always soaking up our resources and I swear the government's corrupt or something." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's where I'm from. Jarn-Shyr. . . I think she's from, like, super east of here, like east-of-Chameleon-Bay east. That or up north near the Northern Air Temple." Kasai turned to look at Jarn-Shyr, who just shrugged. He looked dissatisfied by this response. "Yeah, I don't think even she knows. Not sure how she could have traveled so far without knowing, though." He looked at Jarn-Shyr pointedly. She just shrugged again.

"Eh, whatever. We'll find out some day. Until then let's focus on getting to Bender's Isle." Kasai shrugged the topic off, but Petra didn't get it. How could Jarn-Shyr make it all the way from either of those places without knowing where she had started? They were both far-removed from this canyon and had totally different climates. It was suspicious and Petra didn't like it, but she couldn't really worm it out of Jarn-Shyr anyway. She didn't talk, whether by choice or because she was actually mute Petra didn't know, but Jarn-Shyr wouldn't be telling either of them any time soon.

—

They made it out of the canyon without further event. They didn't encounter any more of those canyon-crawlers, though they had almost had a regrettable run-in with a guide and his tour group. That would have been difficult to explain.

They came out into a forest. The shade of the trees was a nice respite from the blazing heat of the sun. They walked until they encountered a river and refilled their flasks. Petra was beginning to warm up to her new traveling companions. Kasai told the absolute worst jokes she had ever heard and Jarn-Shyr felt less distant. Her journey was feeling less like a desperate fight for survival and more like a fun road trip with friends. Who were also fighting for survival. But the point was to forget that part. Whatever.

Petra suggested taking a break to swim in the river and cool off. She and Jarn-Shyr stripped down to their wrappings and jumped in eagerly, revitalized as the cool water rolled over their heads. Petra smoothed her bangs back over the top of her head to keep them out of her eyes. Jarn-Shyr came up with her mess of black hair covering her face. Petra laughed and Jarn-Shyr smiled, swiping it away to regain her vision.

Petra looked over Kasai, who sat on a large, flat rock jutting out from the bank of the river and kicked his feet a bit in the shallows. He waved and Petra called out to him, "Kasai! Get in here! You stink the most, man!"

Kasai shook his head. "Nah, I'll drown. You guys have fun, maybe I'll wash your clothes or something." He got up to leave, but Petra threw a glob of sand from the bottom of the river and hit him in the back. He cried out indignantly.

"Gah! I've been shot!" He fell to the ground like he had actually been killed.

"Spirits, Kasai, you're such a baby!" Petra called after him, treading water next to Jarn-Shyr. "Hurry up and get in here! I'm not walking next to you if you smell like elephant-rhino dung."

Kasai rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand, his elbow digging into the sand. "I can't swim, Petra! I'll die!"

Petra hit him with more sand. "It's shallow enough to stand, you pansy. Just get in here. Jarn-Shyr and I will make sure you don't drown."

It took some coaxing, but eventually Kasai stripped down to his underwear and tiptoed at the edge of the water. Petra and Jarn-Shyr watched patiently from the middle of the river. He stepped in up to his ankles, then to his shins.

"Am I far enough ye—Ah!" The rock he was standing on led to a drop-off and his foot slipped off the side. He sputtered and flailed his hands as he twisted and fell backwards. "Help!" he cried. "I'm drowning! Help!"

He was now only waste deep. His feet still reached the bottom. Petra and Jarn-Shyr exchanged deadpan expressions. Jarn-Shyr sighed and waded over to Kasai. Resting one hand on his back and the other wrapping around his arm, she steadied him firmly and lead him slowly deeper until he was up to his chest and she was treading water with only her feet. Petra tried not to laugh at the notable height difference.

They spent almost an hour in that part of the river. Jarn-Shyr tried to give Kasai swimming lessons, but the kid sunk like a rock. He claimed firebenders weren't meant to be in water. Petra responded by splashing water in his face. They washed their clothes and swam some more while they dried. At one point, Kasai started yelling about a fish biting his foot, but it turned out he'd just kicked a rock.

It was midday when they set out again. Petra felt clean and Kasai felt betrayed, but he was such a drama queen that no one really listened to his ranting. His topknot had come undone, though, and Petra found that his hair was neatly cut for someone who had been on the road since Ba Sing Se. He said that he and Jarn-Shyr cut each other's hair. Looking at Jarn-Shyr with her uneven mess of black hair, Petra believed it. Kasai redid his topknot, this time leaving some of his hair down.

Their clothes were damp, but it kept them cool through the heat of the day. Kasai explained that they were heading to a village called Senlin to restock on supplies.

"We'll be there in a day and a half, Jarn-Shyr says. Maybe sooner if we hurry."

Petra made no comment about Jarn-Shyr being unable to talk. She assumed they had a system worked out and left it at that.

—

Pottery clashed to the ground, shattering into several large pieces. Rei-Jin looked up from the piece he was admiring at the sound of shouting voices a few shelves over. Peering around the racks, he spotted the backs of four UNE soldiers. He sucked in his breath and ducked behind the rack again, clutching a clay bowl in his hands.

"We know you've got one here, lady. Fess up!" Did they mean him? He had been so careful, too. He hadn't bent any earth since entering the village, there was no way they could mean him. Still, he couldn't calm his pounding heart and remained out of sight.

"There must be some mistake," the woman, a kind aging lady with graying hair and laughter lines etching her face, replied calmly. "The only people here are myself and my customers. I would appreciate it if you didn't scare them off."

Another clay piece shattered to the ground. "Don't play dumb with me. Your chatty neighbor Shuu over there was going on and on about your earthbender daughter, said he saw her out his back window throwing rocks just last month!"

So it wasn't him. Rei-Jin sighed with relief, then felt terribly guilty. Whoever the UNE was looking for was in for it now.

The shop owner kept her cool. "I'm sorry, but any child could have been throwing rocks around behind the houses. And I don't have a daughter."

This was not what the soldier wanted to hear. Whether he genuinely didn't believe her or he was just sore about being made a fool out of, Rei-Jin would never know, but suddenly he took this woman by the arm and started to drag her out of the store. "We're taking you in for questioning. If you think you can get away with lying to the government, then you've got another thing coming."

Rei-Jin watched in shocked silence as the soldiers pulled the woman, still adamantly protesting, out of and away from the store. He came out from behind the shelf, the bowl still in his hands. Several other customers were crowded near the door, watching the soldiers drag her down the street. Absentmindedly, Rei-Jin put the money for the bowl he carried on the counter and ran out of the store, in the opposite direction of the soldiers. That had been close. He would have to leave this village as soon as possible.

—

The salty sea wind buffeted Lien's skin, pushing his unnaturally white hair out of his face and stinging his eyes. The smell of the ocean lost its refreshing tang after sailing for so long. His eyes narrowed in the direction of the horizon. He couldn't make out a coastline from so far away, but he could smell the soil carried on the wind. It was faint, hardly tangible, but even from this distance it was unmistakable.

They would dock at a harbor in the Central Kingdom early the next morning, he estimated, and they would set off for the Western Archipelago after a few days. Just long enough to load the cargo and any passengers. He sighed. Sorting out the benders from the nonbenders was always a dull chore in his opinion. Lien didn't care who boarded the ship as long as he got where he needed to go.

Night was falling. Dusk over the ocean was beautiful if it was caught on the right night. Tonight there were hardly any clouds in the sky and the colors of twilight bled into each other like watercolor paints. The brightest stars disturbed the canvas, puncturing holes of light through the painting. It was a subtly beautiful thing that few people took the time to appreciate anymore. It was sad that the world moved so fast that it could forget its own miracles.

Lien couldn't think this without being something of a hypocrite. Admittedly, he was one of those people who forgot the world sometimes, too caught up in his own problems to fully appreciate the bigger picture. He wasn't a poet or anything like an artist, but even he found the time to just sit down and watch sometimes. The view was worth it.

"Ah, Captain!" Lien turned at the sound of a voice, footsteps clattering up to follow. "Glad I caught you."

A kid around his age, with scruffy hair and warm eyes, greeted him enthusiastically as he came up from below deck. He had rough hands and a thin body, perfect for maneuvering around the ropes and tying down sails. He was bright and full of potential, as eager to work as he was to rest.

"Kozu! Good to see you. I hope you're doing well?" Lien replied cooly with a welcoming smile. Kozu grinned at the captain, jogging to stand at the rail beside his friend.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking. How're you?" Kozu replied, folding his arms and leaning them on the rail. He stared up at Lien as the other boy turned his gaze back to the sea.

"I'm doing well enough. I could use a respite from the ocean for a while, if I'm being completely honest." Lien confessed, watching the few clouds as they drifted along the horizon.

Kozu smirked at him. "Oh, really? The great Captain Lien Tosun, the man who practically breathes saltwater and survives on raw fish alone, needs a break from the ocean?"

"Hey, now," Lien protested, embarrassed. "I do not 'breathe saltwater' and I certainly don't only eat fish. I'm not that into sailing!"

"Maybe not, but you're good at it!" Kozu continued with a laugh. "Captain at seventeen and you're still so modest. You're too level-headed, Tosun! Come have a drink with me sometime, I'm sure you would enjoy it."

Lien raised a hand in polite refusal. "I'll pass, thanks. Besides, I'm not captain of the ship yet. Once we drop Captain Hong off in the Central Kingdom, then I'll be in charge full-time."

Kozu hummed in admiration. "Responsible and patient. No wonder you were promoted so quickly." They were quiet for a moment, enjoying the sea wind as it smoothed their faces over. Kozu's expression lost its humor momentarily as he asked, "Are you stressed about it?"

Lien's face became solemn as well, his warm smile fading slightly. Kozu knew him well enough to tell. They'd been friends for a long time, after all, and he was bound to pick up on Lien's habits. Kozu could tell that something was bothering him.

"I'd like to say no," Lien replied after another moment. "But I can't exactly tell a lie like that with much conviction." He sighed, leaning against the railing beside his friend. It felt nice to relax like this after spending so much time in a strict position of authority. "Besides, it's unrealistic not to be stressed. There's only so much a person like me can do."

Kozu looked at him. "'A person like you,' huh?" There wasn't a response. Lien determinedly kept his gaze on the water. Kozu watched him for a minute, before snickering lightly. "You sure are something, Tosun. Just promise me you won't work yourself to death."

Lien took another minute to appreciate the waves peeling away from the side of the ship before he straightened again. He needed to get used to looking professional even when he was on break. Respect was hard to earn, especially if one was as young as he was. Kozu noticed this change in Lien's demeanor. An unreadable look crossed his face before Lien spoke.

"Thank you for your concern," Lien said, "but I'm fine. Anyway, what was it you came to see me about? It couldn't be that you just wanted to prattle about trivial matters."

Kozu's face kept that expression, the one that made Lien steadily more uncomfortable as it remained. It wasn't one he recognized on Kozu's face and it was strange that he would give him such a look. Kozu resigned to reaching into his jacket and pulling out a rolled-up scroll.

"It's a letter from the higher-ups. We didn't read it, but it's addressed to you. It's a black-ribbon." His face dropped the indiscernible expression and opted for a more serious one. He handed the letter to Lien.

"I'll see you later, Captain." Kozu waved and retreated back down below deck. Lien watched him retreat before turning his attention to the black-ribboned scroll. This couldn't be good. Black-ribboned scrolls always contained something serious, and if it was addressed to him. . . Well, he knew there were some things that could ruin his reputation among the crew and government. His heart picked up its pace as he untied the ribbon.

His eyes narrowed slowly as he scanned the contents. Why did it have to be now? Of all the inconveniences he had expected from the papyrus, this was by-far the worst that the universe could dream up. The timing was spectacular, if anything.

Lien rolled up the scroll, retied it and tucked it away into his coat. He folded his hands loosely, letting them hang over the side of the ship. He straightened almost immediately after, then shook his head at how ridiculous he felt. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, inhaling the sea air deeply though his nose and exhaling through his mouth. His mind resurrected the image of Kozu's face as he had expressed his concerns.

Sadness, Lien decided with another breath.

—

Petra, Kasai and Jarn-Shyr walked into the village a few hours after the sun had set. Bugs buzzed around in the late summer air, filling Petra's ears with a low, annoying hum. There hadn't been any of those stupid things in the canyon. Maybe she should just rip her ears out now before she was up all night.

It wasn't a village built to support many travelers. There was a small inn from what Petra could tell, but otherwise the village was silent and few people roamed the streets. There were large walls protecting the village from any dangers that might come from the forest and guards standing at the tall gate. They were admitted into the village and quickly sought out the inn.

"Let's just check in and get to bed. I'm so tired that I'll probably die if we don't hurry." Petra groaned, her bag weighing a ton and her feet even heavier. Kasai mumbled his agreement and Jarn-Shyr nodded wearily.

They found the place on the eastern side of the village. It wasn't as run down as Petra would expect from a small village like this, but then again most of the buildings in this town appeared to be fairly new. Maybe they'd undergone reconstruction lately. Petra didn't really care. They rented a room—just one since they were tight on cash—and headed up the wooden staircase on to the upper floor.

The room had a couple mats laid out on the floor. Kasai found an extra stored away in a closet along with a couple of blankets. It was hot and humid in the room, a lot like the outdoors, so Petra slept on top of her blanket and pulled her shirt up to expose her stomach. The humming in her ears wasn't as hard to get used to as she had feared.

{Alright, next chapter should be a bit more exciting and also less rushed, now that the boring stuff is out of the way. Until then.}