The United Nation of Elements

Chapter Five

Distress settled itself just beneath the surface of Petra's consciousness as the boat pushed away from the harbor. Watching the land get further and further filled her with both relief and fear. They were finally making obvious headway to the bender safe-haven she'd heard so much about, but they were trapped on a rickety vessel just crawling with UNE officials.

The image of the white-haired officer with the kind smile crept back into Petra's mind as she stared up at the darkening sky. Sprawled on the deck with her hands behind her head, she scrunched her nose at the memory of his voice, his face, and the way that his eyes seemed to flicker with knowing when he'd noticed her stare.

That necklace… There was no doubt in her mind. It was the same one her mother used to wear around the house. The only thing preventing her from acknowledging this was the denial of what it would entail. If that necklace was the exact same necklace that her mother wore, then that would mean her mother—

"—Oh, er, Spirits—Chee!"

Petra's thoughts were cut off by a poorly-stifled ruckus from behind her. She sat up and glanced back, watching as a cloaked figure wrestled with something while balancing a bowl of stew in the other hand. "Stop moving! You're going to give us away!"

For someone trying to be so discreet, this person was really causing a commotion. People next to her were starting to look up from what they were doing. She scooted slightly, getting closer to Petra. Suddenly, the hooded figure yelped and fell back into Petra, spilling soup all over the earthbender.

"Hot!" Petra hissed, doing her best to wipe off as much of the liquid as she could before it could soak into her clothes. Chunks of (questionable) meat caught in the folds of her pants and an unknown, stringy vegetable clung to her hair.

The stranger bumbled about, stuttering an apology as her face slowly deepened in its red hue. The people surrounding them gradually lost interest, turning back to whatever they'd been doing before. Petra looked around for Kasai and Jarn-Shyr, who had left to find some food, but couldn't see them anywhere. Maybe that was for the best; Kasai would probably laugh at her anyway.

"I am so sorry!" The cloaked girl finally forced out, fidgeting like she was wrestling something under her cloak. Up close, Petra could see she had angular features; bony hands and a thin face with wide, watery-gray eyes. She was flustered and red in the face, making Petra bite back a rude comment about watching where she was going. "I'll help you clean up—oh my goodness—I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Petra shushed her, aware that some people were still watching them. "It'll dry."

The girl worked with frenzied hands, plucking meat and potatoes and mystery veggies off of Petra, which was getting a little more handsy than Petra generally liked. Soon enough, her patience snapped and Petra slapped her hands away with a "Would you cut it out?!" She began to clean herself. The girl sat by awkwardly, not wanting to leave since this was all her fault, but not wanting to stay because of the discomfort rising in her throat.

"I-I'm Harumi!" she blurted suddenly, as if she was desperate to get at least something out of her mouth. Petra looked up, raised an eyebrow.

"Petra," she replied, then went back to her cleaning.

Harumi fidgeted. "S-so, are you traveling alone?"

Petra glanced at the now-visible lump underneath Harumi's clothes. "Are you?"

Harumi flushed again, hand shooting to the lump. "Good question," she laughed awkwardly and her eyes drifted to the side, like she was searching for an escape. She jumped a little, and a small, red-and-white head poked itself out of her shirt. Harumi swallowed. "He's a—a seeing-eye ferret!"

Petra blinked slowly. "You're not blind." Harumi's eyes were too clear.

Harumi's expression blanked, like her mind had shorted. Petra could practically read her thought process: I can't believe I just said that. Why did I even think that would work?

"He's…my aunt's?" She suggested hopefully. When Petra said nothing, she heaved a sigh and slouched, pulling the fire ferret into her lap. "I'm sorry, I know animals aren't allowed on board. Please don't report me!"

Petra stared uncomfortably. "H-hey, now, don't worry. I don't even care. I mean, it doesn't affect me, so…"

Harumi brightened immediately. "Really? Thanks so much! You're pretty cool, Petra!" She hesitated. "Did I say it right? Petra?"

"Yeah, Petra." Petra affirmed.

"Oh, thank goodness."

There was a beat of silence. Then:

"Petra! We managed to get some food! Jarn-Shyr almost beat up an old man, but we got it!" Kasai approached with Jarn-Shyr beside him. "Who's you're friend?"

Harumi's hands tightened around her ferret, who squeaked angrily. "I'm Harumi," she introduced, "and this is Chee."

"Whoa!" Kasai gushed, falling to his knees and hastily setting the bowl he'd been carrying aside. "I've never seen a fire ferret before! I mean, they're not uncommon, where I'm from, but wow, I've never seen one so close!" He brought his finger up to Chee's nose. Chee hissed and scrambled back under Harumi's shirt. Kasai looked devastated.

Jarn-Shyr sat her two bowls down beside Petra and leaned curiously over Kasai's shoulder. She rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Don't take it personally," Harumi said in a rush. "We're not used to people."

"I totally feel that," Petra nodded. She smiled brightly at Kasai. "Don't take it personally, tons of animals don't like you!"

Kasai gave her a bland look. "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better."

Petra shrugged, still grinning mischievously.

Kasai turned to Harumi again. "So are you heading to the Western Archipelago? Or are you making the roundabout trip?"

"One-way," Harumi confirmed. "I have family out there, so I'll be staying with them for a while."

Kasai nodded. "That's neat. I have family out there too, but my immediate family's from Ba Sing Se." He glanced at Jarn-Shyr, then grinned. "You're welcome to hang around if you want. I'm sure none of us mind…"

Jarn-Shyr shook her head, and then all three sets of eyes landed on Petra for the final verdict.

"Ah, um…" She stuttered, not enjoying the weight of their attention after trying to live so inconspicuously for so long. "Sure, yeah. I don't have a problem with it."

"Great!" Kasai said.

Harumi smiled gratefully. "Thanks, that's really cool of you. Especially after I… spilled my soup all over you… eheh." She laughed awkwardly. Silence settled again.

Kasai, ever determined to uphold conversation, picked it up again. "So, um, how long is this boat ride again?" He asked, trying to sound casual, but Petra could detect the underlying tension, like he was reliving the bridge episode, or possibly any others that had happened before she knew him. "Cause I mean, boats are great and all—good technology—but I'm really not digging this whole 'surrounded by water on all sides' theme it's got going on."

Petra shrugged. "I dunno. It's kinda boring though. They should really invest on making these things more exciting."

Harumi laughed. "Well, it is technically a cargo ship. They're not necessarily built for entertainment." She contemplated the initial question. "We'll probably be off in a week or so. They have to get the produce to port quickly so they're still fresh for trade, I think, and the distance doesn't look too far on a map."

Kasai sighed with relief. "That's good to hear."

They carried on like that for a while, with pointless chatter and only, like, two awkward conversations. Chee came out of Harumi's shirt occasionally, and after a while he and Kasai had formed something of a passive aggressive friendship. Much to Kasai's chagrin, Chee seemed to prefer Jarn-Shyr, who fed him scraps of expired jerky from her bag silently as Kasai wailed with jealous despair. At some point, Kasai groaned something about needing to bond with Chee because they were "bachelors in a world of dangerous women", at which Petra and Jarn-Shyr high-fived and Harumi laughed.

As it got darker and workers came around with spark rocks lighting lanterns, Kasai asked if Harumi wanted to hang around their area.

"You're sure it's okay?" Harumi asked, hopeful but nervous. There was a chorus of agreement from the group, and she smiled. "Awesome! Let me just grab my sleeping bag…"

Harumi picked her way carefully around the crowded deck, off to remember where she'd left her belongings.

"She's pretty nice," Kasai noted, watching her go. "It'd be neat if she could hang around us after we get off this ship."

Jarn-Shyr gave him a warning glance. "You know why we can't do that," Petra said in a hushed voice, and she almost felt like she was the one translating this time.

Kasai raised his hands defensively. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He sighed. "It's just… It would be nice to make more friends, y'know?"

Jarn-Shyr and Petra exchanged a glance. Petra took a deep breath and straightened up, unfolding her legs and running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I know." She whispered. "I know what you're saying, Kasai." Petra looked up in the direction Harumi had walked off in. Petra could see her down near the end of the dock, laughing awkwardly with one of her previous neighbors and looking desperate to get away.

"She's nice and all," Petra said finally, "but, statistically speaking, the chances of her being a nonbender are too high for us to risk anything. And—" she added quickly, eyes shifting over Jarn-Shyr. "—even if she's not anti-bender, I wouldn't want to put her in danger by revealing our identities. If she knowingly helped a bender, she'd be in the same position as Jarn-Shyr." Petra exhaled quietly. "We'd probably get her killed." She murmured.

No one said anything after that. Sometimes, Petra forgot how illegal her existence was. It was so easy to pretend she was normal that she still hadn't gotten used to being a full-time criminal. It wasn't even fair—why should she be paying a price for something she couldn't control? And why did other people, nonbenders who felt the same sense of justice, have to pay the same?

Whoever's sitting comfortably up-top better pay me back in full. With interest. Petra thought darkly. Actually, that was a pretty good one. I'm gonna say that out loud.

"Whoever's—" she started, but was cut off by the arrival of Harumi.

"I'm sorry for taking so long! This hairy guy was sitting on my sleeping bag and I didn't want to, like, kick him off. But it's my sleeping bag, so it was super awkward, haha." She set her stuff down and looked at Petra. "Sorry, did I interrupt you?"

Petra smiled hollowly. "Ah, no. Not at all…"

Harumi relaxed. "Oh, good!"

Ah, an opportunity missed. Petra brooded silently. She stored the line away for later—probably better to use that as a one-liner during a fight anyway.

They set up for bed, laughing about the hairy guy, and Kasai swore he saw a wiry hair or two caught in the fabric. Chee was bothering Jarn-Shyr for more treats, which she'd hidden in her bag. She handed him another scrap of jerky and he ran back to Harumi. Petra stacked their empty bowls by the ship's wooden guardrail and watched the people grouped in front of her.

This was no where near how she'd expected her life to go, but she was strangely okay with that. Everyone was happy here, and the more she thought about it, the easier it was to convince herself there were only good things ahead. She had friends now, and she had a safe place to go; she could wait it out until the UNE was taken down by some professional rebellion. Then, when it was safe enough to come out again, she could confront the world.

Could you?

The voice was small, a niggling doubt in the back of her mind, but those two words morphed the content smile on her face to something between concern and dismay.

Could she face the world after hiding away for so long? What would people even think of her, after she spent who knows how many years running away? She was a coward, really, and that was all. Could you really do that?

"Petra?"

Kasai's concerned voice startled her from her thoughts, and Petra looked up to see all eyes on her. "Everything okay?"

Petra swallowed, but her throat was dry. "Oh, yeah, sorry." She cleared her throat. "Thought I saw another hair on the sleeping bag."

Harumi jumped and looked down. "Ugh, where?! This is so disgusting."

While she and Kasai searched for the nonexistent hair, Petra back-tracked into her thoughts. That's just stupid, she told herself. Who knows what'll happen in the future? Maybe no one will even overthrow the UNE.

And then what? Was she really hoping the UNE would prevail, just so she didn't have to face her responsibilities?

Petra watched the others settle down to sleep. What she had now was so nice, so easy. Why should she have to be the one to do anything? Just because of some birthright that probably wasn't even real in the first place?

Petra pulled her blanket over herself and sighed. Who knows? She thought wryly. Maybe I will save the world.

—

Lien had the girl's image carved into his eyelids. She was the only person who'd reacted so oddly to his appearance (aside from some judgy grandma who just had to comment on his hair) throughout the whole boarding process. She had to be the Avatar. The only problem now was isolating her and her friends (they were also potential benders) without causing a scene on this cargo ship.

His mattress creaked under him as he shifted. It was late, and his room was dark by now. The only sounds that reached his ears were the constant heft of waves against the ship and the occasional cough of a passenger camped above. The ship swayed steadily, as if rocking its passengers to sleep, but Lien was wide awake.

He liked to think he was above pre-mission anxiety sometimes, but that was just the image he projected. Lien didn't get jittery often, but when someone as world-changing as the Avatar showed up he couldn't just tell himself to calm down.

Especially if he actually went through with what he was planning. If it succeeded, he'd be safe. If not… Well, the chances of him keeping his job (and/or surviving) were little to none. That wasn't the sort of thought he just pushed to the back of his mind.

He was only seventeen, after all, and extremely young for his position. He was too young to throw his life away, but here he was, planning his own funeral and counting the number of people who might cry on one hand.

These thoughts surprised him. He wasn't usually bitter. It must have been the anxiety. You can't call a sane man crazy for acting out once, he reasoned, and turned over in bed.

"You'd better know what you're doing, Tosun." He sighed, and closed his eyes determinedly.

—

The days passed extremely slowly. Petra thought she was going to die of boredom before they even reached shore. There was nothing to do on board the ship. They couldn't talk strategy with Harumi around, and she didn't give any sign that she'd be leaving soon.

Not that Petra minded; she liked Harumi a lot. She talked a lot and helped Kasai keep conversation going (which was way easier now that there were three people participating instead of just two).

Petra got to know more about the people she was traveling with. She found out things that were interesting, funny, or just plain odd. For instance, Chee was a pet Harumi had rescued after a landslide, Jarn-Shyr was ambidextrous (but naturally dominant in her left hand), and Kasai was actually from a prestigious Western Archipelago family.

"I was, like, the worst at being wealthy." Kasai elaborated. "My parents always told me I must've been switched at birth the way I acted." He laughed liked it was a joke, but he sounded like he was telling the truth.

"That's not cool," Petra frowned. "What kind of parents act like that?"

Kasai waved his hands quickly. "No, no, don't get the wrong idea. My parents are great! They just had a lot of important stuff to do all the time, so you can't blame them for being a little strict with how I represent them." He shrugged. "Besides, they lived in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. It's not like they were around to tell me what to do all the time." He grinned, not looking at all upset about it.

"Still," Petra said, "I'd hate it if my parents wished I was someone else."

Kasai shifted uncomfortably, and Petra realized this might not be the type of topic to delve too deeply into. Luckily, Harumi spoke up at just the right moment. "My parents are cool too. We used to take trips down to the Western Archipelago every summer before soldiers invaded our village." She rolled her eyes. "The taxes they make us pay totally ran my family down, but luckily, they're letting me stay with my uncle this year."

"Oh, yeah." Petra nodded, trying not to choke on how awkward her words felt. "Those taxes… I totally feel that." She swallowed, glancing at a soldier stationed down the deck. He hadn't paid them any special attention. "They really… got my family, too."

Harumi laughed airily. "Yeah…"

There was a silence. Someone coughed

"What about you, Jarn-Shyr?" Kasai probed, nudging his friend. "Government bothering you're family any?"

Jarn-Shyr looked up at him, then raised one shoulder in a shrug and went back to playing with Chee's feet. He squeaked indignantly, but didn't kick her away.

Kasai sighed, then addressed Petra and Harumi. "That's all I ever get outta her. She's not real talkative about her hometown."

"Not real talkative in the first place," Petra mumbled. Next to her, she saw Harumi's eyebrows shoot up with astonishment as she suppressed her laughter.

Jarn-Shyr gave them all a bland look, then went back to bothering Chee.

"'Real funny,' she says." Kasai translated, but Petra understood. She was getting better at it—Jarn-Shyr wasn't so hard to read once you got used to her weird, silent language.

"Petra?" Harumi asked as her laughter quieted. "What's your family like?"

"Hm? Oh," Petra scratched the back of her head. "Not bad, I guess. Mom works in a pottery shop, and Dad went to fight for the UNE. I'm just traveling because I'm…" She trailed off, mind blanking.

"Jarn-Shyr's cousin!" Kasai blurted suddenly. All eyes landed on him, and he reddened. "I-I mean, yeah. You're Jarn-Shyr's cousin, right? And… since you two are old family friends, you're coming out to visit the Ember Island house. Just like last summer. Because we go way back with… family ties."

Harumi blinked. "…I see," she said, sounding suspicious.

Petra laughed, silently cursing Kasai. "Oh, sure, we go waaaay back." She slung an arm around Jarn-Shyr, who jumped and scared Chee off. "Isn't that right, cuz?"

Jarn-Shyr glared at her. Harumi tilted her head to the side.

"But… if you're old family friends, why would you ask all these questions about each other's families? Like you'd never met before—"

Kasai cut her off with an awkward, too-loud laugh. "Well! That's enough for family time. Let's focus on what's important. Like food! Let's get some food. You guys wanna get some food? I'm starving! Come on, Jarn-Shyr, let's see if we can find that stand from the other day."

He stood up quickly, pulling a surprised Jarn-Shyr along faster than she could reply. Harumi glanced at Petra. "…Is he always this awkward?" She asked.

Petra sighed. "Unfortunately, awkwardness is about ninety-eight percent of his personality, with the other two percent made up of bad jokes."

She and Harumi laughed, and the tension eased again.

—

That night, when Petra got up to pee, she tripped over Chee. The fire ferret hissed angrily.

"Sorry!" Petra whispered, cringing at his loud animal noises. Chee chittered something back at her and then curled up again at Harumi's feet. Petra tiptoed away.

"He didn't have to be so rude about it," Petra grumbled, then rounded a corner.

Their trip was almost over by now. They would be docking by tomorrow or the day after, but Petra still didn't know the ship very well. The bathroom wasn't hard to find, but in order to get to one that didn't have a grumpy stranger camping out inside, she needed to walk a little further down the deck.

She picked her way out of the crowd, soon finding herself on an isolated deck. The night air was still and clear, and the salt water lapped gently at the boat. Over her head, the endless heavens stretched, scattering starry reflections over the water. The moon was high. It was probably somewhere around midnight.

"And if you look to your right, you'll find the one blessed salvation in Petra's life—the bathroom!" Petra mumbled to herself with all the false cheer of a tour guide. Her bare feet thumped quietly across the deck, and she reached out to open the stall door.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Petra jumped, startled by the conversational voice behind her. She whipped around, paling considerably when she noticed the white-haired boy from the boarding leaning against the ship's railing and smiling at her, his mouth twisted pleasantly like the crescent moon.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Petra replied. What kind of weirdo makes small talk with a person clearly trying to get into the bathroom?

White-Hair stepped forward. "When the weather's great like this, it makes for great sailing." He locked eyes with her. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I'm going to need you to come with me."

Petra's stomach dropped. "W-what for? Hey!" She backed up. "What do you want from me?!"

White-Hair's eyes shifted every so slightly over her shoulder, the only warning she got before a hand clamped over her upper arm and covered her mouth with a cotton cloth. Petra clawed at the hand gagging her, feeling panic well up in her throat.

"Sorry for this," White-Hair said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "But I didn't think you'd come with me willingly."

I might have if you told me why I had to come! Petra wanted to shout. Instead, the first thing she choked out when she managed to pull the hand off for a split second was: "Can I at least pee first?!"

Then, her mouth was covered again, and they pulled her, still fighting, away from the bathroom and any other passengers that might be in the vicinity to hear her.

—

{Sorry it's so short this time. It's been hard to find the time and motivation to crank out this chapter, but I'm trying to move things along. :) Thanks for reading!

Next time: a really big misunderstanding that causes a lot of problems, but all Petra really wants to do is pee.}