"How certain are you?" Zogen asked, hands coming up to fold under his chin.
"Very," Sherik confirmed. "She does not hold the answers you seek."
The general nodded, calm, but unsatisfied. He tapped his food impatiently from underneath his desk, deep in thought.
"She is strong," Sherik noted.
"Yes." Of that, Zogen was certain. She had resisted with ferocity from the very beginning, showing great skill in bending as well as in the mind. She also possessed a savage determination, a trait Zogen valued greatly. How truly unfortunate that she finds herself on the wrong side, he thought.
"And the boy…"
Yes, the Fire Prince seems to have taken a liking to her. Though Zogen himself had witnessed the event that permanently damaged both Zuko's physical and spiritual being, the boy had shown fortitude that was supposedly lost years ago when it came to the girl. The general considered the connection the two shared as he listened to the guard's suggestion.
"… I believe it would greatly lift the spirits of your men," Sherik finished.
Zogen nodded deeply, in doing so granting permission of Sherik to do whatever he felt necessary in order to break her down to the point where she could be pushed off the edge at any time.
And he would be there at this time. There hasn't been anyone this interesting in a long while, and Zogen was greatly looking forward to watching her progress. When she was ready to submit, he would be there, and would make sure the boy would have a front-row seat.
.
Zuko impatiently waited for the girl beside him to wake up. He'd been up maybe an hour or so ago, waking with the sun. He could have gotten up to try knocking on the door again, but that would mean giving up his time with Katara leaning against him.
They were back-to-back, their bodies flush against the other. They were so close that Zuko could feel her steady breathing flowing from her body into his.
At one point, her rhythm was interrupted by a waking breath. While her heart began to pick up speed due to wakefulness, Zuko hoped his wasn't loud enough to be heard.
What if she called him out on being awake? Would she ask why he didn't get up?
Thankfully, Katara just yawned and made to stretch her limbs.
She had shifted towards his side of the mattress sometime in the night, getting her robe entangled in her legs in the process.
As she was struggling to unwrap her legs, she felt the mattress shift as Zuko sat up from beside her. She peeked over at him, taking in his ruffled hair and slight flush from sleep.
She nearly opened her mouth to say "good morning," but the awkwardness of the situation hit her at that moment.
Here they were, strangers until a few days ago, waking up in bed next to each other. They had been pressed so close that Katara immediately felt the loss of his heat upon moving away. She even remembered her mostly-asleep self seeking his warmth when she'd been awoken by the chill of the cell.
Does he mind that I invaded his space? she thought. Did he even notice?
She watched as Zuko stood up, reaching his arms high above his head in a stretch. He closed his eyes as he rotated his torso while keeping feet planted in place. When they opened, he addressed Katara.
"Hello," his voice was raspy with sleep.
"Hi," hers was squeaky with nerves.
"I guess I should, um, try the door again," he suggested while running a hand through his messy hair.
Katara only nodded, pushing herself off the ground and straightening her clothes.
This time, there was an answer at the door.
Red waited a moment while the cell's two occupants considered the other. They both seemed to be unsure of what to say, as the weight of the previous day settled over them like a heavy cloak.
The guard, while typically stoic, took pity on their awkwardness.
"You'll have to come back soon with food and water," he suggested, giving them a chance to continue this exchange later. "And maybe a set of cleaner clothes," he added as an afterthought, wrinkling his nose for effect.
Zuko nodded, then turned to look at Katara over his shoulder. "I'll, uh, see you soon."
Once they left, Katara realized how badly she had to go to the bathroom. She hadn't been able to with Zuko staying in her room last night, and was grateful for the few personal minutes she had while he was away.
Afterwards, she took her time stretching out her sore muscles before going through bending stances. She was determined to keep in shape for when she had a chance to use her bending, certain that that was how she would be able to escape.
How long does it take to fill a bucket of water and grab clothes? She thought when her practice was through.
It ended up taking about ten minutes after that for him to finally push the door open. He was nudging the door with his shoulder as both hands were full with the bucket, a bundle of clothes, and a smaller bundle of food wrapped in cloth.
Standing up from where she had been doing crunches on the mattress, Katara relieved him of the clothes and food before he let the door fall back into place.
"I tried to find smaller clothes, but they still might be too big. I grabbed a belt you could use, though," he said, setting down the water and gesturing to the bundle.
Katara had started unfolding the articles of clothing, inspecting them. There was a light undershirt, a dark brown tunic, loose pants that definitely looked too big, and a thicker shirt made of soft wool that had gone threadbare in some places. All showed signs of dirt and wear, but they were cleaner than her current clothes (which she had been in for more than tree days straight).
"They'll work, thank you," she smiled genuinely as she thanked Zuko before folding up and setting the clothes aside.
He had already begun to lay out the food on the cloth it was wrapped in—dates, nuts, a large chunk of clearly stale bread, and a few pieces of mystery jerky.
As they ate, Katara was reminded of home when she bit into the rough strip of dried meat.
Zuko was also chewing on the jerky, making a face at the strong taste of it.
Katara would have laughed or poked fun at him for it, only she kept her eyes downcast, trying to not let the tears fall at the thought of home.
He noticed, of course, but gave her a few moments to collect herself.
When she finally looked up, she gave him a weak smile, her eyes watery.
"I know the meat's bad, but it's not that bad," Zuko joked, hoping she would appreciate him trying to make light of whatever she was upset about.
Katara rolled her eyes good naturedly, shaking her head at him. "It's my brother," she explained. "He could always tell you exactly what kind of meat anything is, down to the time it was killed. Some weeks he doesn't eat anything else. I never thought it was possible for someone to survive only on meat, but he proved me wrong."
Zuko smiled at her. "Even if he could figure out what this stuff is, I'm not sure I want to know."
"It kind of reminds me of arctic haremonkeys. But bigger."
"Bigger… maybe an eaglefox? Polar bear dog?"
"No!" Katara protested, "You can't eat a polar bear dog. That's not-"
"I'm pretty sure the people who run this place don't really care about how right or wrong something is," Zuko pointed out.
"Even the worst people wouldn't kill one though. A polar bear dog is the only thing who loves others more than himself. Even if someone was going to eat them, they'd probably change their mind once they realized how sweet they are..."
Zuko was amused at the way she spoke about the creatures. It was…cute.
Cute? He thought. Since when do you find someone CUTE?
He realized she was still gushing on about polar bear dogs, and popped another piece of fruit into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully and enjoying the sound of her voice.
"… and she laid with the hiker all night until the storm calmed down. He never would have made it back if it weren't for Killota. She just had pups this past summer. Four of them. They're still growing, but when they're big enough, they'll be given a chance to pick who they want to be with. Sokka has been hoping that this one with a little grey spot behind his ear will pick him. He'd love to have someone to go hunting with. Ever since our father left, there hasn't been anyone around to keep him company during long hunts."
Katara ended her story by ripping off pieces of the last piece of jerky, seeming to realize that she'd been babbling.
Zuko cupped his hands in the bucket, taking a few sips of water before admitting, "I've never seen a polar bear dog. Or many animals, really."
Katara tilted her head at him.
Which is really cute. What? No, stop this, he chastised his thoughts.
"Do you not have many animals in the Fire Nation?" she inquired.
"Other than kangaroorats and turtleducks in the ponds, not really. Some birdlizards when they come down in the winter. But nothing big like a polar bear dog or mooselion."
"Really? Not even an ostrichhorse or badgermole? You had to have been outside of the Capitol at least once."
"Nope," he told her. "Never."
"Huh," she contemplated that for a moment.
Zuko finished the last chunk of bread, rolling up the cloth as he watched her. She had on her thinking face, which involved her crinkling up her nose and furrowing her eyebrows. He couldn't help but think about how much her expression resembled that of a child receiving an undercooked sea slug when they'd been expecting a cake.
Katara seemed to have finished whatever thoughts she was juggling, because her face straightened out and she shrugged. "I think you'd like polar bear dogs," was all she said before pulling water from the pail for a drink.
"Animals smell," he said, wrinkling his nose.
Katara glanced over at him. "Not really. They probably smell better than me at this point," she laughed, holding out her arm to inspect the dirty sleeves.
"I could bring you some soap and you can wash the ones you're in now."
She nodded, reaching to pick up the pair of pants and undershirt he'd brought her. She stood up and removed her dirty top, hesitating before glancing over to see him picking at a loose thread on his sleeve.
When he looked up to see her torso clad in only her bindings, he stood up and made to leave to give her some privacy.
"Wait," she stopped him. "You don't have to… I mean you can still stay if you just turned around…" She paused and let out a breath before continuing more quietly. "I just don't want to be alone," she sighed.
Zuko looked at her for a moment before nodding and turning to face the wall adjacent to where she was standing. He could hear the rustle of her unwrapping the dirty cloth binding her chest, and then the soft thump of it hitting the ground.
Once her clothes had gone, Katara quickly used the water to run over her body, washing away dirt and dried blood that had stuck to her over the past few days. Tossing away the dirty water, she slipped on the loose pants and undershirt before tying the belt across her waist, holding the pants up.
She looked down at the wraps that lay on the floor, trying to think of a time where she hadn't been wearing them. It felt amazing to not have them restricting her body. The undershirt did a good enough job of keeping her breasts covered, and she was grateful of the comfort she was now in.
"I'm done," she said to Zuko, who turned back and looked at the clothes she had chosen. They were both clearly too big, but would work.
She piled her dirty clothes and set them aside for when she would be able to wash them.
The shirt she was now wearing left her arms mostly exposed, displaying the wound that had scabbed over from the day before.
Katara caught Zuko staring at her arm, and quickly moved to turn it away from him.
She was unable to pull it back fast enough to prevent her wrist from being locked in his strong hand.
The force of his grip may have made her a little uncomfortable, but Katara was much too focused on the distance that separated them. Or, distance that didn't separate them.
Zuko tried to ignore the gasp that escaped her as he perused the wound. It wasn't the worst she had endured since being brought here, but the weight of guilt that he caused it lay heavy in his gut.
He let his fingers dance over her hand in what he hoped was an apologetic gesture.
"I'm so sorry," he murmured quietly before releasing her hand.
Katara focused her eyes on the water in the pail beside her, deliberately avoiding looking into his intense gaze. "You did what you had to do."
"I wish I didn't have to-"
"I know," she cut him off. She slowly leveled her gaze to him, then forced an awkward smile.
Zuko nodded, wiping his hands on his pants before questioning "Can you still fix it?"
"It's already started healing, but I can speed the process a bit. It usually works better right as it happens," she explained while beginning to pull water from the pail.
Once again, Zuko was mesmerized with the graceful way she lay the water over her skin. The glowing was unlike anything he'd ever seen, and it surprised him even after seeing it many times before. The process was over in a few minutes, and the cut was all but gone, only leaving a thin mark.
.
The guard room was bustling with the usual early-evening activity when Sherik walked in. Other than the morning and evening checks, there really wasn't much to do as a guard. Most of the day was spent lounging around, occasionally checking to be sure the prisoners' tasks were being done.
The senior guard cleared his throat to get the attention of the dozen or so men gathered at various tables. Most looked up from their reading or pai sho games to acknowledge him.
"As most of you know, a very important prisoner has arrived a few days ago. A waterbending girl from the tribes." He was interrupted by a few hoots at the mention of a girl in the facility, an unusual occurrence.
When the men quieted down, Sherik continued. "While she unfortunately does not have the information the General had hopped, she will remain here until he finds a reason not to hold her."
As he continued, Red shifted his focus back to his writing. He had, of course, already been briefed on the situation, and didn't care to hear it a second time. A few words like "opportunity" and "usefulness" still got through, and he huffed quietly at Sherik's choice of words.
When he finally ended his spiel, Red looked up distastefully to watch a handful of his fellow guards raise their hands, eagerly volunteering their services. Sherik exited the room with two other men, leaving the rest to go back to their activities.
Moments after returning to his letter, he felt a new presence as someone sat across from him.
He looked up and relaxed to see a man older than Sherik settle down in the seat.
Yiram had been at the facility longer than anyone else, even Zogen. He was the only guard to remain after the transition from Azulon to Ozai, and, generally didn't speak much. He shuffled a pile of cards in his hands as he waited for Red's attention.
The ginger-haired man set his quill down, cocking his head slightly in question.
Yiram just shook his disgustedly, pausing his shuffling for a moment to point with his thumb in the direction Sherik and the others had just exited.
He gestured to the parchment, and Red carefully slid his note across the table, mindful of the still-wet ink. He wouldn't usually be so willing to share his personal letters, but he respected Yiram more than most, and therefore allowed him an in on his personal life.
As the older man read through the page leisurely, setting down his cards once finished.
"Like the sun misses the flower, eh?" he commented, smirking at Red.
"I haven't seen her in almost three years," he said. "I ought to miss her a fair amount."
Yiram just grunted, handing the letter back before shifting through his cards once more.
Red watched for a moment in silence before speaking. "He wants to break her."
"Mmm."
"I don't know why."
Grunt.
"I think she's getting along with the prince."
That caught his attention. Yiram looked up from the cards, a small smile ghosting his face as he waited for Red to say more.
"She's strong, as of now anyways. And he needs allies. I think it's a good thing," he said.
The old man pursed his lips.
"I know it's going to get a lot worse," Red started, "But if she can hold on to herself, she could be good for him."
Yiram nodded thoughtfully before rising. "Finish that," he pointed at the letter.
Red was already dipping his quill by the time the old man moved away from the table.
Once finished, Red sent it using his messenger hawk before heading back to his position in the hallway outside of the waterbender's cell.
He left to get supper just a few minutes later to escape from the noises coming from inside.