(A/N Hello, hello! So, you may notice that I have a lot of random names of random people. I'm not really planning on exploring any OCs in this piece, but I do jump to the perspective of Zuko's crew every now and then to show the events of the story from that view-point. It just felt right that way. Also, I like distinguishing between talking characters, even if those characters are 'nobodies' so that it creates a better flow of events/conversations. So, I have a lot of rando names strewn about [both in previous chapter and next] that you really don't have to worry about.
Another note, I'm trying to keep this from being a full on retelling of the series, so I'm really only including highlighted scenes.
I always appreciate reviews! Whether positive or negative it helps me become a better writer!)
Hello There
"The Jasmine Dragon? Huh." Sokka examined the next ship over as Aang and Katara followed Oh onto the pirate ship. Ambiance of light conversation and chinking of china fell from the deck above. Glancing at his sister and friend, Sokka figured they'd be alright and made his way up the ramp.
A number of seafarers paced a deck covered in tables. Most tables held at least two people enjoying steaming teas and fancy sweet cakes. The smells alone were calming.
An elderly man smiled and made his way to each table in turn before noticing Sokka loitering at the rail.
"Hello, young man. How are you?"
Sokka shrank for a moment, wishing he hadn't been noticed, but then straightened and pulled up all his confidence for his persona.
"I'm good. I was just looking around."
"Please come. Enjoy a cup of tea."
"That's nice, but my sister has all of our money."
"That is fine. One of life's greatest joys is sharing a cup of tea with a stranger." The old man smiled and led him to a table. Sokka instantly felt this man was trustworthy, which was weird because he never trusted anyone.
"Do you usually just not charge people?"
"Most of the teas are on the house," answered a kid with a wicked scar on his face partially hidden by long black hair and a sword on his hip at the table Sokka was being led to. "Uncle just enjoys brewing it so much that it's pointless to try to monetize it. The cakes are where the profits come in."
"Nephew! Where is your guest?"
Sokka sat at the table by the nephew and started to fidget.
"He hasn't shown up yet. He better have a good reason for keeping me waiting." The kid huffed and sat back, grabbing his tea and taking a long swig of it. Looking at Sokka he inclined his head. "So, where are you from?"
"Water Tribe," Sokka replied instantly. He recognized how stiff he was and tried to copy the other's relaxed stance. A cup of tea was sat before him before he'd even finished sitting back. "You?"
The kid gestured around.
"You live on this boat?"
"Sometimes. I stay with Uncle pretty often, but usually I have other things going on."
Sokka wondered at that, but then his eyes landed on the hilt at his belt again. "You know how to use that?"
"Yeah, I learned young. What's your weapon of choice?"
"Usually my boomerang. I love the versatility. In a pinch I use my whale bone club. It doesn't really have any finesse, but gets the job done."
"That's the important part," the kid said with a half smile.
"By the way, I'm-" he was cut off by a shrill 'Run!' ringing through the air. He recognized his sister's voice and was dashing down the ramp before he even really registered that he'd left his seat. By the time he reached the dock, the kid had already hurtled the rail and was in the action.
.
Young girl, younger boy. The girl was dressed in the same blues as the kid he'd just been having tea with.
And Meno and his crew were giving chase. Great.
Zuko made sure to land in front of the two trying to flee. The girl was the one acting suspicious, so he grabbed her wrists before she could react to his appearance.
"Ahh!" she startled and tried to wrench out of his grip.
"I'll save you from the pirates," he said conspiratally. She gasped and thrashed again, trying to bite him, but he just spun her around so that he had her arm pinned behind her and she stayed between him and the younger boy.
"What did you steal?" he asked in an even, albeit annoyed, voice while she struggled, the boy dropped into an unfamiliar offensive stance and Meno's crew closed in.
"Let her go," the kid's voice was steely, and he heard his tea companion yell something that sounded like a name from behind the pirates.
He dramatically dropped her wrists so that she fell forward a step, then palmed what was at the top of the bag at her hip while she was still regaining her balance.
"Get them!" Meno shouted.
"Is this what you're looking for?" Zuko brandished his prize, a scroll. Meno's crew halted at the sight. Both the girl and the boy gasped. Her with a look of fear and him with one of shock.
"Ah, I see you've recovered my property, Captain." Zuko visibly tried not to bristle. Meno always made the title 'captain' sound like an insult. Like he was a child playing dress up games and stories.
"And I see why you're late to our meeting, Captain." He tried to match the disdain and patronizing tone in Meno's voice, but felt he fell short of success.
"It's not his property!" the girl spoke out harshly. She seemed equal parts angry and frightened. His tea partner had caught up to them, awkwardly making his way through Meno's crew to his friends. "He stole it from my people!"
Zuko looked at this girl and admired her fire. But he had to withstand a working relationship with Meno.
"Kid, hand over the scroll so we can start unloading supplies."
Zuko rolled his eyes. No respect…
He twirled the scroll in his hands, a thoughtful look theatrically placed on his face, until he gripped it by one end and lit a fire under it with his other hand. The three kids immediately took a step back from him. He even got to see the boomerang the kid had mentioned.
"How I see it, Captain," he was pleased with the sneer he'd managed to put behind the word this time, "time is money and you owe me over an hour of sitting and waiting for you." The flame grew in his palm and Meno twitched. "What is the price of the scroll?"
"300 gold," he growled.
"He said 200!" The girl spoke quickly, still frightened, still angry, eyes only leaving the fire in his palm for a moment to bounce between the bartering captains. "In the cabin he said an Earth Kingdom noble was paying 200."
Meno growled again, but did not move.
Zuko smothered his flame and twirled the scroll distractedly again.
"So, I get the teas, sugars, and wood we had agreed on, you get the fruit, map, and insignia. All according to plan. I owed you, oh, 50 gold at the end of the transaction? Between your keeping me waiting and my keeping this scroll, we'll make that 100 gold and all is even." Zuko stopped his theatrical fidgeting and stayed completely still, waiting for Meno's reply.
"You expect me to lose 150 gold so easily?"
"It's one less trip for you to make, so factor that in. I don't know where your buyer is, so you'll have to do the math yourself. I can sell you an abacus if you need it." Meno scoffed and growled indignantly and Zuko smirked. "And like I said, I don't like being kept waiting, so you're paying for that too." Meno hesitated again. "Or we can simply withdraw our partnership."
Meno did not need to respond to that particular threat, because his crew did for him. Their crew consisted of just the lot of them on their single ship. Zuko captained a fleet. Their lives were on the water, but they caused a lot of problems for the Fire Nation and even had several secret alcoves and bays that they cultivated and harvested to feed so many people. Meno often hired out one of Zuko's crew with jobs that could lead to all out battles with the Fire Nation.
The crew knew that, and they valued the partnership appropriately.
"Make it 150 gold," Meno glared. Zuko considered it, flipping the scroll around a few more times.
"150," Zuko agreed with a nod.
The atmosphere was still tense, everyone had been ready for a chase and a fight. Meno gave a curt yell for them to begin unloading and the crew scampered off. Zuko just tilted his head and caught Jee's eye over the railing above. A single nod from Zuko and Jee started barking orders to get the goods out from below deck.
The three kids eyed each other, wondering what to do next.
"Uncle will serve you tea if you head up the ramp. We can barter when I'm done here." He nodded to the ramp and stalked off to oversee the exchange, not even bothering to see if they complied.
.
"We can't just stroll on into the ship! It's a firebender's ship."
"Didn't I see you coming off of it?" Katara pointed out. She wasn't exactly keen on the idea, but Aang was pretty much already on board, so the siblings didn't have much of a choice.
Sokka sputtered as he followed them and ultimately hung his head and muttered to himself as he led the two to a table.
A kindly old man greeted them and made a joke about seeing Sokka again so soon, saying he didn't realize his tea was quite that good. Aang laughed, Katara forced a kind smile, and Sokka sulked.
"I've never seen a floating tea shop before!" Aang chirped. The man chuckled and took a seat with them.
"Yes. Many consider this my ship, but make no mistake, my nephew is the captain. It was even his idea to convert the deck to a cafe! I have always loved brewing tea for the crew, and more than once I welcomed strangers aboard to share in a cup and a conversation. So, he set up a supplier and we built the furniture and commissioned several sturdy tea sets. Now, the Jasmine Dragon is a welcome place for people to rest and meet when we are in port."
"Not to mention," the unexpected voice made the three jump, "it's a good place to do business."
"A friendly atmosphere to get people to let down their guards, but you are still surrounded by your own crew," Sokka said with a scowl. His voice betrayed that he was unwillingly impressed by the idea.
"Exactly," the scarred captain smiled and sat down. "And now," he placed the scroll on the table, "we can do business."
Katara wanted to squirm. It made her physically ill to sit and smile and act like nothing was wrong when a firebender sat across from her. Aang didn't seem to have any issues. She knew it was better to be calm, and the captain didn't seem to be with the Fire Nation. But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared.
"You stole it, so I know you don't have 200 gold," he continued when the three didn't speak. "What will you trade for it?"
Katara ducked her head. They really didn't have anything to trade. They shouldn't be here.
"I'm sure we can think of something," Aang said brightly. She cringed. "I just got this really cool sky bison whistle!" Aang smiled hopefully, brandishing the hollow figurine.
The captain's eyes narrowed on Aang for a moment, his one brow furrowed.
"Are you from the Shadow?"
"The Shadow? Like, the Djinn's Shadow? No. I've actually never been there. But Gyatso used to tell me the greatest stories." Aang got a wistful look on his face and Katara studied the captain.
"What's the Shadow?"
"I assumed he was an acolyte…" He seemed confused for a moment and then scowled in thought again before looking at Sokka who had been glaring at everything around the deck. "That," the captain pointed, "is the man you are looking for. He's the one who will have the crew attack if I give the signal or if he thinks things are dicey."
Katara stared at him with wide eyes, wondering just how much trouble they'd found aboard this ship.
"But if you're wondering who the biggest threat is," he continued telling Sokka, "it's Uncle. Don't let his girth fool you, he's a master firebender and an expert tactician."
"Oh, I do enjoy my food," he chuckled. "Can you blame me for being so happy?"
The captain laughed lightly and shook his head before leaning back in his chair.
"So, those are the obvious threats. Is there anything else you need to know before we continue?" He eyed Aang again, but then looked at Sokka.
"Are you with the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked point blank.
"No," was the simple answer.
A tense silence hung in the air for a moment before Katara spoke up in a small voice.
"I honestly don't think there is anything for us to trade."
He eyed her and she willed herself to stay still under his gaze.
"Information then," he said after a pause.
"What kind of information?" Aang asked.
"About you. All of you."
"Why?" Katara asked suspiciously.
"I like knowing who I'm dealing with. It makes it easier to predict people. Take Meno for instance. Above everything else, he wants gold. His crew knows this too. He's taken more than one job he shouldn't have because of this and he now owes me more than one favor."
"And… What do you want?" she asked.
"Respect."
"You mean power," Sokka snorted.
"They often go hand in hand," the uncle nodded sagely with a calm voice.
"Uncle, can you bring us a handful of tarts?"
The man made a disapproving face at the captain and left the table.
"If a person cannot respect me, when I am standing in front of them being an active threat, what are the chances they will respect those who they hold power over?"
"And you're so kind to those under your power?" He looked at Katara with cold eyes at her words.
"Meno wants you. He acknowledges the scroll is mine. 'High risk trading.' I got it off you and paid him for it, it's mine. But he wants you. To make an example of? To use? To sell? All of the above? I don't know, but I can imagine." Katara's blood ran cold at his words, but he wasn't done yet. "You're on my ship. Surrounded by my crew. I'm sure between the three of you you could surprise me somehow, but all circumstances considered, who has the power in this situation?" They exchanged glances and tensed for a fight. "And even without Meno's prodding, I have this," he indicated the scroll still on the table, "and am holding an open, willing negotiation. I have the power in our situation. Instead of manipulating everything to my best outcome I've told you where the threats are in an effort to put your mind at ease and smooth negotiations." He scowled at them and stood. "But if you're not interested, I suggest you leave."
Katara bit her lip as she fiddled her hands in her lap.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She meant it, but it was difficult to reconcile this captain to the firebenders she had encountered in the past. She forced herself to meet his gaze, but she couldn't hold it. Slowly, he sat back down.
"Do you still want to trade for information?" Aang asked hopefully.
She saw his nod from her peripheral.
"Well, I'm Aang, this is Sokka and Katara. They're from the South Pole." Aang bit his lip and they all shared glances. What could they tell this guy that would both be worthwhile and still not endanger Aang?
"Where are you from?" he asked Aang, making everyone flinch. "You said you don't know the acolytes."
"Who are the acolytes?" Katara asked, both curious and hoping to deter him from asking too much about Aang.
Instead of distracting him from Aang, he scrutinized him more. Mainly his tattoos.
"You're not…commemorating…?" He let out a hum of concentration. "Take the scroll and leave," he finally said with a huff.
Katara and Aang were shocked. Sokka grunted, grabbed the scroll and stood, ready to put distance between them and the firebenders.
"But..?" she began, but she didn't really have words.
"The only thing that does make sense doesn't make sense, and I don't need that on my ship or with my crew. Go. Consider leaving me alone payment."
She gaped at him while Aang rubbed his neck and Sokka tried to usher them to the ramp.
"But…?" she tried again.
"You know I'm the Avatar."
Everyone flinched at his words.
The captain took a deep calming breath, and Katara waited for the crew to attack.
"Just go," he sighed.
Katara couldn't help looking back at him when she made it to the ramp, watching as he touched a hand to over the scar on his face.
She, Sokka, and Aang all began talking at the same time, wondering just who that firebender was.
.
Dusk approached swiftly and the crew had preparations under way to set sail with the tide come morning. Usually Zuko helped, but today he kept a weather eye on the port and their surroundings.
Specifically Meno's ship. He hadn't been happy about Zuko dealing with the girl, but that was fine. Meno would never dare attack the Jasmine Dragon or any of Zuko's ships. But Zuko was sure Meno would have no qualms about following the girl, and if the boy really was the Avatar…
"Uncle," Zuko caught the man's attention and sighed at the fading sun.
"What is it Nephew? You should be below deck. You know a man needs his rest."
Zuko smiled at the repeated words. If he had a coin for every time he'd heard them in the past three years their fleet would never need to take a job again.
"Not tonight, Uncle. I'm going to do some reconnaissance. Send the Lantern to pick me up at the fishing village north of here. At the mouth of the river."
"Zuko, I do hope you are not planning anything too rash or foolish. Be sure to think things through to their end."
"I know, Uncle. I'll be careful. I just… I need to know."
"I understand. And what will you do when you do know?"
"I'm not sure. I have no intentions of returning, but if he's here…" Zuko sighed and ran his hand down his face. Find the Avatar to prove your worth and regain your honor. He rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes as fire flashed in his memory.
He would not succumb to the memory. It'd taken him over a year to firebend again after that and he would not lose what little progress he had made. Uncle praised his technique, but he knew he was still rudimentarily in the basics. It was still progress, though.
Finally, he sighed and got back to the matter at hand. The Avatar.
"I have people I am responsible for. I need information so they can make informed decisions and I can support them."
"And what kinds of decisions are you anticipating?"
Zuko bristled at his uncle's calm demeanor. They might as well be discussing the weather for all the general showed. He knew Zuko didn't want to think about it, was avoiding thinking about it, yet here he was gently asking leading questions.
"The Ebony, Snow Squall, and Foxhole all enjoy openly opposing the Fire Nation. They might… want to make contact," the watered down words were sour to Zuko. The Lantern's crew also enjoyed annoying the Fire Navy, but not with the zeal the other three did. The Jasmine Dragon and Mi'Lady were decidedly more docile, while the Scaled Spider simply enjoyed causing havoc of any kind.
Zuko pursed his lips and briefly remembered Jeong Jeong, alone and disdainful of his own element. Jeong Jeong was always welcome to join Zuko's crew, but he did not. Whether he didn't wish to serve under a child (a child of Ozai), or he didn't want to be surrounded by other deserters, he always kept his distance.
Zuko was happy just keeping his people safe. Safe and fed. Sure, they took risks; they were pirates! But he could think of countless reasons to avoid declaring war on the Fire Nation. Least of all was size. They were a sizable fleet for piracy, seven ships strong, but the Fire Nation dwarfed them. And sure, it was true that every time they faced the Imperials their numbers grew; leading by fear would eventually be Ozai's downfall. That was no reason to court disaster.
That's all the Avatar could be…disaster. Especially if the child was the Avatar.
How could Zuko place the weight of the world's future on a child's shoulders? How could he lead his people to despair by giving them the hope the Avatar inspired only for that hope to fall through on the whims of a child.
"And what happens if they wish to make contact?" Uncle cut off Zuko's mental tirade.
He pursed his lips again and considered the future.
"If they wish to make contact, we will host a collected vote…"
"And then?"
Zuko sighed. "Then, we will prepare for war. If it comes to it we'll launch our own offensive in coordination with the Avatar. But I will not have him marking a target on my ships with his presence."
"Hmm. You are becoming very wise, Nephew."
Zuko smiled at him. "I had a good teacher," he bowed with the flame, a tie to their heritage, and Uncle enveloped him in a hug as they shared a small laugh.
Most of the light had left the town by then, and when they parted Zuko sighed again.
.
The Blue Spirit slipped from house to house, out of sight and in shadows. Once through the treeline he vaulted to the higher branches and followed the river East. When true darkness had settled Meno's ship quietly hoisted anchor and left port. Thus, the Blue Spirit had shifted his course to the east instead of his intended north.
And he'd been right.
He could hear the waterfall not too far off, and there was Meno's ship anchored at the shore. More to the point, Meno's crew was on the beach with a girl whose hands were tied behind her back.
Zuko considered his options. It was unlikely Meno or his crew would recognize him as the Blue Spirit. He made a point of never using his dao outside of his disguise and he'd been terrorizing and spying on the Fire Nation as the Blue Spirit for three years now with no one making the connection. But Zuko had just aided this girl from Meno, and if the Blue Spirit did so in the same day…
He scowled. It was either risk detection, or risk the girl's safety.
His gaze swept over the ship, looking for an access point. Then he studied the sky, finding a dying smoke cloud.
Judging distance and speed with some quick calculations, Zuko jumped through the treetops to the ashy campfire.
The Avatar and the Water Tribe boy lay sleeping peacefully beside…
Whoa. That was one big animal.
Zuko crept in and studied them for a breath before his eyes landed on the pendant around Aang's neck.
It was a whistle, styled to match the beast that slumbered beside them.
Zuko's grin matched that of his mask's as he deftly took the whistle and retraced his path through the branches.
Katara had made it onto the ship's deck and was struggling fiercely, the water under the ship matching her every twist and turn. He watched in morbid fascination for a moment before a crack filled the air and the girl fell to the deck. He could see the murder in her glare from the distance, and wondered idly if she'd sink the very ship she was on.
Silently dipping into the water, under the shadow of the ship, Zuko made his way to the anchor and climbed its chain. Pausing near the top, he wished he could discard the extra water clinging to his clothes, weighing him down. In a fast paced fight, even that little resistance could spell life and death. Uncle knew how to flash heat his clothes quickly enough to evaporate all the water without setting them on fire. Zuko had only tried the technique twice. The first time he'd failed he ended up half-dressed atop the Lantern's deck. The second he had known to try it behind closed doors, but had reached the same outcome.
With a silent sigh, he slipped over the rail and followed the ring of barrels lining the rail. He listened as Meno gave a rather nasty threat and Katara screamed in rage. He didn't even touch her this time, but the idea alone was enough for her to surge to her feet and ram her shoulder into his sternum, an enormous wave towered over the ship behind her and slammed into them, threatening to make them capsize. At least three crew members were washed overboard, but Meno just grabbed Katara by her braid and threw her into the mast.
Zuko heard an ugly thud when her head connected and then she slumped to the deck. He grit his teeth as Meno jeered at her prone body and encouraged his men to think barbaric thoughts for the coming day. As the crew lifted anchor he seethed, glaring his hatred for this man when he spotted a scroll with a blue end peeking out of his belt.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. It just couldn't be easy.
.
Katara gasped at the cold water, and then tried to cough as it engulfed her body and slid into her lungs. Instinctively kicking, she realized she was in the river. Breaking the water's surface she tread for a moment and caught her bearings. A ship was towering above her, frantic shouts sounding from the deck. She almost called out to them, before remembering what had happened. She froze for a moment, recalling her bound hands, but looking down at them she tried to remember when they'd untied her. Her shoulders ached from how her hands had been behind her back too long and there were brush burns at her wrists from the rope, so she hadn't imagined being tied.
Looking back up at the ship she noticed a figure balanced atop the backmost part of the rail, crouched so he was seated on his heels. She could only make out his silhouette, seeing two hilts coming over his shoulders and what looked like horns framing his broad face. He tilted his head, obviously studying her in the water.
Then he flipped off the rail and grabbed a port window. Bracing himself against the boat's hull he kicked off and soared over her in an arc through the air to land in the sand on the bank just a little ways away.
Finally coming to her senses and looking around she noticed that while the river was fairly deep, it wasn't very wide at all here.
Pulling the water around her she quickly and quietly made her way to the bank where she found two items: her waterbending scroll and Aang's sky bison whistle. There was no rescuer and no footsteps to indicate where he may have gone.
She shivered and fled into the trees where the pirates would be sure not to see her. Finding an alcove in the roots of a large tree, she collapsed and cried. She didn't know how long she sat huddled there, but she'd been scared and she refused to go back to the boys without processing it on her own a little first. Dawn hadn't broken yet, but she could feel it coming, so she slowed her sobs and breathed purposefully.
Disentangling herself from the roots, she looked for a clearing that Appa would be able to get to. Assuming he'd come when she blew the whistle.
The longer she walked, the more she felt like she was being watched. More than once she stopped to study the trees around her. She couldn't bring herself to call out. Finally, she found an adequate clearing, took a deep breath, and blew into the whistle all that she was worth.
.
It took the rest of the night, but Zuko was happy when the girl was finally safe with her friends again. He took note of the fact she lied when they asked where she'd been.
Stretching in the large branches of his chosen tree, Zuko considered the night a success. She was safe, he was near a foot path that would lead directly to Fong's base, and nobody aboard Meno's ship had seen the Blue Spirit.
Settling into where the branch formed a 'Y' with the trunk Zuko decided he needed a nap before continuing on his journey north.
