A. N. : If it wasn't clear before, Tenuht is heavily inspired by the real-life (and unfortunately now destroyed, curse you Cortés) city of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire. I don't get into too much detail regarding the specific way Tenuht was built, but basically I took inspiration from both Tenochtitlan and the floating islands built by the Uros people of Lake Titicaca. If you're interested in the subject, I definitely recommend looking them up !
They've arrived in Tenuht.
Or, well, technically they landed yesterday in the evening, but since they didn't actually step in the city, it doesn't count.
Sokka thinks he's going to explode.
It's one thing to travel, to be on the move. It's another to be there, to have to wait, knowing that Suki might be in the same place, so close and yet so far, just out of reach. It's like a constant scream going through Sokka's mind, like pill-crabs biting his feet and urging him to run.
Judging by how fast Zuko is walking, he's feeling the same.
This city is big, especially for something built on a lake, and weirdly, it reminds Sokka of the Northern Water Tribe, what with all the canals and bridges. He prays to Tui and La that it isn't a bad omen.
If he lost Suki –
He shakes his head. No thinking about this, he has to take in as much information as he can and work up a plan. It's his responsibility. If he does this right, nothing will happen to Suki, and Sokka won't have to watch her die in front of him because he failed to protect her.
Nothing will happen.
Toph complains that the earth feels weird, the way she has been for the past ten minutes, and Katara hums. It's kind of surprising that Katara hasn't yet told off Toph, but she's been kind of soft since the big talk. Motherly. That's Sokka's sister alright. Toph will probably try to shake her off once she notices, but for now they've made peace, it seems.
That's at least one good thing, Sokka guesses.
Maybe it's the water, Katara says right as Sokka thinks more on Toph's complaints. She remembers Zuko saying Tenuht is a floating city, and since earth doesn't exactly float, something must have been done to kind of – she waves her hand – make this place.
Zuko nods. Most of the island is artificial, actually, with only the heart – he points in the direction of a weird pyramid, stair-shaped building in the distance – built on real ground. The rest of Tenuht is made of soil from the surroundings of the lake, bulrush, and rice straw, shaped into small islands, rooted in the bottom of the lake with wood pillars, and linked together with bridges of varying construction.
He looks ready to go on for an hour or so, at least, but Toph interrupts him to ask where exactly the executions will take place. She's frowning, and Sokka kind of wants to rub it in that she might turn out more useless than a nonbender here – the three people and Sokka comment still stings a little, if he's being honest – but they kind of need her power for this to work, so he really hopes she won't be.
They all look at Zuko, except for Jet, whose eyes dart from place to place, stopping on roofs and bridges for an instant before following an invisible trail. Sokka wishes he could say he regrets postponing the cueing, but having a guy who's used to planning for the worst with them is – well, it's not reassuring since, well, Jet – but it's better than not having him.
Even if it makes Sokka grind his teeth just looking at him.
Anyway, Zuko stares at the building he showed them before and grunts. Traditionally, if he remembers correctly, royal executions – he pauses, breathes out – took place on top of the old Fire Temple, closest to the sun. But that's not always been the case, and since there's an outsider mixed in – you mean Suki, Sokka interrupts, and Zuko nods – they could instead go for the military compound. There's a large courtyard in there, and since the building dates from before the Unification – whatever that is – it's possible to fit a lot more troops in it than are currently stationed anywhere in the mainland, other than the Caldera.
Perfect for a trap, then, Jet says, and Sokka can't help but agree. A closed space with a lot of men definitely fits better than the top of a weird pyramid if you want to have a chance at keeping people from literally flying away.
Toph stomps her right foot impatiently – again, where is that compound ?
And Zuko only now seems to realize what Toph really means – oh, er – and point in the same direction as before with his chin – it's just across the old Temple. On real ground, he adds. Toph grins.
Obviously, this place wasn't built to resist the assaults of an earthbender. Or a waterbender, now that Sokka thinks about it. The canals are already pretty good for Katara, but if there's a whole entire lake right under most of the city, she'll probably be able to do quite a lot. Judging by the way she looks at the floor, focused, humming and ah-ing at times, she's realized it too.
They might be walking right into a trap, on a territory controlled by the enemy, but Sokka thinks they have a chance. He has to think that, but he also actually believes it, surprisingly.
All that's left is to get a closer look at the compound, maybe buy a map of the city, and draft up a plan.
They can do this. Suki will live, Zuko's uncle will live, and Sokka will make up for his mistakes.
He believes it with all his heart.