Did y'all know The Captain never actually gets a proper name in the show? Not according to the wiki, anyway, and my own memory. Poor dude never got a name even though I'm fairly certain he comes back later lol! Him and his crew! This poor lug is just "The Captain" forever, and his crew member Mr. Horseface will always be Mr. Horseface. What wonderful times lmao
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Water Bending Scroll; Part 2
Katara pointed to one of the Water Bending forms after spending some time scrutinizing the scroll. "I just want to try this one move first, and then it's all yours. Here, hold it open for me."
Aang held it up, watching her figure out the moves as she studied the scroll. She tried the move, slowly at first. Her lacking confidence in the stances was evident, particularly with the water being so uneven and unsteady. She bent back for the whip, the water lashing up and whipping her square on the forehead.
"Ow!" Katara held her forehead, rubbing at the red mark. The water fell instantly back onto the bank and into the river. Sokka started to laugh at her from his rock, almost falling backward off of it.
"Sorry, but you deserved that." Sokka says. He glanced at Zuko, who gave a single nod. He couldn't say Katara hadn't deserved it for stealing the scroll in the first place. Finding the owner was definitely not an option; but Zuko was still more than a little salty that she'd done it at all. Sokka turned to Aang next. "You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself."
"Aang will get his turn once I figure out the Water Whip," Katara says defiantly. She tried again, the water keeping away from her, looking less unstable but still shaky, and she aimed for the right. The water went the opposite direction, whipping Momo on the back, sending the lemur dashing away with a yowl. "AUGH! Why can't I get this stupid move?!"
Aang set the scroll down. "You'll get it," he assured her, moving towards the water and starting to work with it. Katara scowled in his direction. "You just have to shift your weight through the stances… There. See? The key to Bending is—"
"Would you please shut your air hole?!" Katara screamed, storming up to him. "Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted?!"
Katara caught Sokka standing and shot her glare his way. He looked at her disapprovingly, crossing his arms. He almost looked like a disappointed father. Katara held his stare for about a second before she looked at Zuko next, who (to her dismay) was mimicking Sokka. Zuko saw her fists clench a little.
"What?!" she screamed. She looked back at Aang finally, catching sight of his quivering lip. She deflated instantly. "Oh, my gosh, Aang. I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
Katara looked away ashamedly. She walked up to the scroll, rolling it up.
"But you know what? It won't happen again." She handed it off to Aang. "Here. This is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it, anymore."
"It's okay, Katara." Aang says.
Zuko didn't believe it—even with being as monk-ly saintly as Aang was—he doubted Aang got over it that quickly. He'd move on and be fine, for sure, and Zuko had to give him props for his ability to stay calm, but he could see it was still bothering him. As Sokka was prompting Katara to apologize to Momo next, and then push his luck with himself, Zuko watched Katara. He could tell something was… off. If Zuko knew one thing well it was the spectrums of anger and shame.
Once she told Sokka off Zuko stood. It got her attention and he jerked his head, walking down the bank. Katara paused before following him. A nervous knot was in her gut at the prospect. One glance to Sokka, who jerked his head in Zuko's direction, and she was following Zuko down the bank. Once they were far enough away Zuko turned back to her. She crossed her arms, feeling like she should just turn and run back right then. But, that'd just upset him more.
"What?" she asks.
"You're angry. I get it. It's frustrating seeing Aang have no problems when you're struggling, and have been struggling, for a long time." Zuko starts. Katara's hand clenched a little and she sighed, releasing her fist. She wanted to make a jab at him. She wanted to, but she couldn't. He was completely right and it felt more than a little embarrassing to have someone read her so well despite knowing her for such a short time.
"My uncle would tell me that anger wouldn't help anything. Fire Benders need to learn to control their anger so we can Bend properly. If we don't, we lose control of our Bending and end up hurting people we don't mean to hurt."
"What's that have to do with me?" Katara asks, sounding impatient, but her voice had already grown softer.
"Calm down, and you'll be able to Bend easier," Zuko says. "Stay focused and your chakra will flow easier, too. It's not for the same reason, but the lesson should still apply. Anger clouds concentration."
"Oh… is that how you learned to Fire Bend?" Katara asks.
"It's how my Uncle taught me. Isn't that how you learned to Water Bend?"
"Well… I don't know. By the time I was learning to Bend, there weren't any other Benders in our tribe. I had to teach myself," Katara admits. She rubbed at her neck. "I… struggled for months for one move and Aang figured it out almost instantly."
"Well, water and air seem pretty similar. I'm not surprised he caught on so fast," Zuko says, starting back. Katara followed him, watching the water flow in the river.
"What do you mean similar?" she asks.
"Lots of circles."
Kata had no idea what he meant by that, but she let it go. "So, it's not that he's just better than me?" she asks quietly. Zuko stopped and turned to her.
"No. Like you said, you had to figure it out alone. Plus, he has the ebb and flow of Air Bending to draw from. Watching you two Bend, I can tell he's copying you to get the moves down, but the shifting of weight is something he already knew. You didn't have a teacher who could show you small things like that."
"Yeah, but I'm still not that good of a Bender," Katara mumbles. Zuko smirked, scoffing.
"You're self-taught; and you can fight. That counts for something," he says. He paused, thinking. "I don't think Earth or Fire Benders can teach themselves so easily."
"What do you mean?"
"Fire is hard to control. Earth is hard to move. According to Uncle Iroh, anyway. He's been all over the world, so, I don't have any reason to think he doesn't know what he's talking about."
"He's been to all the Nations?"
"Probably."
Zuko started back again. Katara paused a moment longer before running up to his side. "Hey!"
Zuko turned to her curiously but didn't stop walking.
"I'm… sorry about snapping at you earlier," she says. "I didn't mean it."
"…It's okay."
Katara stared at the fire. It had been dark for a few hours already and the fire was at half of its previous height. She flicked her gaze up to where Sokka and Aang were sleeping. Aang had pulled together a mass of leaves to sleep on—Katara wasn't sure how he never seemed to get cold, but it was impressive. Zuko was laying on a blanket, draped in the poncho again, between her and Aang. She was less curious how he didn't get cold—he was a Fire Bender, so she was sure he had some sort of technique he could use if ever did get too cold. As far as she could tell, they were all sound asleep. She shimmied out of her sleeping bag, tip toeing to Sokka's bag. She slipped the scroll out, backing away from the fire. She turned, stopping short of screaming at Momo's wide eyes filling her sight. He cooed at her, tilting his head.
"Shh, Momo, go back to sleep," Katara whispers. She walked past him and into the forest, towards the river.
Zuko opened his eyes. He sat up, catching sight of Katara making her way to the river. He walked past Momo, patting his head on his way by. He found Katara along the water's edge with the scroll unrolled on a rock. She was struggling to keep the water up, much less form the whip. The water collapsed into the river again and Katara stomped her foot.
"Oh! C'mon, water! Work with me!"
"Remember what I said about being calm?" Zuko asks. Katara shrieked, taking up a fighting stance. She glowered at him, sighing heavily.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she says.
"You're one to talk about sneaking," he says. Katara turned away to hide her embarrassment. "Having some midnight practice?"
"Maybe. What of it?"
"Try breathing," Zuko says, sitting against the rock. Katara paused a moment before taking a deep breath. He watched her try the move again. The water made it further in the air, even arching a little with her body before collapsing again. She held back a scream.
"Okay, Katara… shift your weight through the stances…" she mumbled to herself, trying once again.
The water vibrated before collapsing. Katara fumed, clenching her fist and shaking. Zuko watched a moment before looking over the scroll. He had no base of reference for Water Bending stances, but he knew control.
"Okay, try—"
There was a familiar sound of metal scraping against sand and Zuko fell silent. Katara paused, looking towards the wall of bushes where the noise had come from. Zuko rolled the scroll up and slid it up his sleeve as Katara peered through the bush. She backed up just as quickly. Zuko tried to stand, only for a heavy pair of hands to pin him down beside the rock. One of the larger pirates rounded the bushes, catching Katara off guard. She pulled some water into his face, getting herself free from his grasp, only to run right into two others.
"Let us go," Katara started. The larger pirate came up behind her, grabbing her by the arms. "Hey!"
"Try Bending like this, huh?"
The hands pulled Zuko to his feet, bringing him back towards Katara. He shook them off, twisting to glare at Mr. Horseface. "Well. 'Ello again."
"Eat dirt."
The pirates bunched behind Mr. Horseface laughed. He whirled around to glare at them, quieting most of them down. The ones that could feasibly take him in a fight didn't back down, however. The Captain came from around the bushes, looking smug.
"Good work, boys. You found our thieves."
"You're calling us thieves?" Katara asks incredulously. "You stole that Water Bending scroll first!"
"Stealing is stealing, girlie."
Zuko sighed. He flexed his hand, feeling the heat building up under his skin. He was, by and large, incredibly outnumbered. His best shot would be to blast Mr. Horseface and free Katara. He'd have to do that with hand to hand combat, or threaten to burn the man's face, if he didn't want to burn Katara along with him. After that their chances would improve, but it wouldn't be nearly as good as he'd like them to be. Two on possibly a dozen or more was not exactly what he considered a great set of odds.
"Zuko!"
Zuko whirled around. Iroh stood at the end of the bushes along the river, absolutely beaming.
"Uncle?"
"Uncle?" The Captain parroted. "You're this thief's uncle?"
"My nephew is no thief," Iroh says confidently. Katara gave Zuko a guilty look. Zuko pinched his brow.
"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Zuko asks.
"Looking for you. You never came back from The Crescent Island and after General Zhao came looking for you, I was worried something had happened," Iroh explains. He looked between Zuko and Katara, spying the poncho draped over Zuko in place of his armor and the distinctly different hair style. "I see something did."
"Stop that," Zuko warns.
"Enough. You promised us the scroll," The Captain says with a threatening edge to his voice. Iroh smiled warmly at him—but with the same smile Zuko had learned meant 'make me angry, I dare you' that had started popping up after his banishment.
"I believe I said we had a similar person to find," Iroh says. "I didn't promise any particular scroll's return."
The Captain glared him down, his hand resting on his blade's hilt. "Listen here, old man…"
Zuko slid the scroll from his shirt sleeve, holding it up and igniting a flame beneath it.
"You mean this?" he asks. The Captain and Iroh both looked back at him, surprised.
"Don't!" The Captain shouts.
"Worth a lot of money, then? Let her go and I won't burn it," Zuko says, letting the flame lick the decorative metal of the scroll's end. The Captain grimaced. He snapped his fingers. Zuko watched Katara's arms be freed and she rubbed at her wrists. "Go."
"But—"
"I won't be repeating myself," Zuko says sternly. Katara hesitated a moment before running into the trees. Iroh watched her go, humming. Zuko let the flame die, holding the scroll out for The Captain to take. The Captain stepped forward, clutching the other end of the scroll, but Zuko didn't let go.
"I'm surprised you let her go," Iroh says. Zuko's mouth formed a line. The Captain turned to Iroh curiously and then smirked.
"Oh, I didn't," he says. Zuko gripped the scroll tighter.
"Excuse me?"
The Captain pulled the scroll closer, pulling Zuko along with it. "One of my men is following her now. Didn't think I'd let three other thieves off scott-free, did you?"
Zuko bared his teeth at him. He kicked out, catching The Captain in the gut, yanking the scroll from his hands. He ignited the flame under it again, halting The Captain from drawing his sword.
"That wasn't the deal! Call your men back right now." Zuko demanded. The Captain grimaced, keeping his sword sheathed, but his hand was on the handle. Iroh looked between the two. He laughed nervously, stepping within their lines of sight.
"Now, now, let's not fight about this," he says. He turned his back on The Captain, whispering to Zuko. "I am confused as to what you are doing."
"I'm doing what I want to do," Zuko says plainly. Iroh blinked at him, unimpressed and unconvinced.
"That doesn't explain anything."
"Uncle, I can't really explain right now," Zuko says. "Get back onto the boat."
"And let you disappear again? I don't think so," Iroh says with a chuckle. The Captain dropped his hand from the sword.
"Give me the scroll and I'll really let her go," he says. Zuko narrowed his eyes at him. He let the flame dance, the tip of the flame grazing the edge of the scroll, watching The Captain's reaction. He caught the slight twitch of his arm reaching back for his blade.
"I think I'll wait until your men come back empty-handed," Zuko says.
Sokka groaned, turning over and stretching. He laid on his stomach, expecting to see Katara in her sleeping bag only to find it empty.
"Huh? Where did she go?" Sokka crawled from his sleeping bag, sifting through his pouch. "I don't believe it."
Aang yawned, sitting up. "What's wrong?" He looked to his other side, noticing Zuko was missing as well.
"She took the scroll. She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep—"
"Sokka!"
Sokka shot up, spying Katara racing through the trees. "Katara! There you are… where's Zuk—whoa!"
The whip that shot out from behind Katara wrapped around Sokka's wrists, pulling him down and away from the camp. Katara stomped on the whip, stopping its pull. Aang shot up, twisting around to where more of the pirates had flanked the camp. Sokka wriggled his hands free, rushing back to grab his club. Katara turned, taking up her stance instinctively before pausing. The pirate chuckled, twirling his blades as he advanced. Katara heard Sokka yelling behind her and dodged the swing of his club.
"What the heck happened?" Sokka asks.
"I was just practicing at the river and then they showed up!" Katara says.
"Where's Zuko?"
"He was with me, but—" Katara stopped, catching sight of Aang sliding past them in a net, and another pirate snatched the ends up and dragged him away. "Aang!"
"I got him! C'mon!"
"Hey! Bring him back!" Katara shouted after them. She threw a rock, beaming one in the head.
"Yeah, we're not good enough to kidnap?" Sokka shouts.
"Sokka—augh!" Katara's feet left the ground, a net wrapping around the two of them and bringing them to the ground. As they were dragged, Katara glared at him. "You had to say something."
"What? We're good enough to kidnap."
Katara sighed, pinching her brow. She couldn't Bend anything around them until they got to the river, and even then, she wasn't going to be able to Bend in the confines of the net.
"I'm sorry. I led them straight to you both."
"It's okay. We'll be fine," Sokka assured her. Katara wasn't too certain about that. Once they'd gotten close to the shore, one of the men stopped them, pulling out rope.
"Better to tie them up so they can't Bend their way free," he says.
By the time they'd reached the shoreline, all hands tied with Katara's behind her back, Iroh had been joined by several of the ship's soldiers. Zuko caught sight of them. Sokka gaped, looking at all the pirates in disbelief.
"Seriously? You're going to trade the Avatar for a piece of parchment?" he asks incredulously.
"Avatar?" The Captain asks. Zuko glared Sokka down.
"Don't listen to him. He's an idiot."
"Hey!"
"Let them go and you can have the scroll," Zuko says, holding it out, flame gone. The Captain took a few steps towards his men, deliberating. He smiled, turning away from Zuko.
"I think anyone I call the Avatar will fetch for much more money than that one scroll…"
Zuko growled. He sent off a kick of flame, two soldiers behind him following suit quickly. The blasts hit the ground, dispersing the pirates. Mr. Horseface flipped out of range, rushing back towards them while he volleyed smoke bombs. Even after Zuko had sent another volley of flame and Mr. Horseface had dodged it, he had to give the man credit for the amount of enthusiasm he had when he jumped right in with them in the smoke.
Zuko could hear everyone else fighting—the sounds of blades on blades and the grunts of the men was enough to tell him that—but he couldn't see anything. He stashed the scroll at his back in his belt and stumbled backward out of the smoke. He heard the faint swoosh of a blade through air before he glanced back and saw it. He ducked, coming back up into a stance facing The Captain. Personally, Zuko would rather just leave, but something told him The Captain was one to hold a grudge.
Zuko was first to try and attack, each blast of fire or kick parried by The Captain's blade. The blade came up to his face and Zuko was inches from missing a block with his arm guard. He thanked his own past self for at least thinking of keeping those one when he removed his armor. It had just been out of convenience more than anything—the arm guards were annoying to mess with. They'd been easy to hide under the large poncho Sokka had given him. The Captain spun him around when he tried to counter, holding his hands. The only saving grace of that being the sword was just as unusable for the moment as Zuko's hands for Bending.
He felt the scroll leave his belt and looked back to see Momo soaring away with it. That was one problem out of the way, at least. Right up until The Captain's own pet knocked it from Momo's grasp and back into the smoke cloud. Zuko didn't pay it any mind. He was much more occupied with The Captain at the moment. His kicked out at him, getting his hands free in The Captain's lapse of focus, and shot off another pillar of flame.
He was struggling with the fight—The Captain was more experienced and despite not being a Bender, he knew how to throw off one's aim well with the length of his blades. Zuko couldn't see any of the trio. That wasn't ideal, but it did mean that he wasn't risking hitting one of them with his flames. All he knew for certain was that Iroh was somewhere behind him, well out of range. Getting back was a good habit when a Fire Bender started a fight—particularly when someone was as old and uninterested in battle as Iroh was.
Zuko got a good kick in at The Captain's gut, forcing him to stumble back to regain his own footing. He heard Sokka shouting over the noise of the battle and caught sight of him at the bank, waving frantically past the smoke.
"Zuko! C'mon!"
"Just leave!" Zuko shouted back, shooting another pillar of flame when The Captain tried to turn and look Sokka's way. "I'm a little busy!"
Sokka's shoulders deflated, but he disappeared back behind the smoke regardless. Zuko kept his focus on The Captain. He forced himself forward after another twist. The Captain dodged to the side and Zuko felt a hand at his head, pushing him away. He stumbled one step when the voice came next.
"Are you so busy fighting that you cannot see that your own ship has set sail?" Iroh asks impatiently. Zuko turned, rubbing at his head where Iroh had shoved him.
"This isn't the time for one of your proverbs, Uncle."
"It's no proverb," Iroh says, pointing down the river. The ship was indeed sailing off without them. Zuko noted that none of the trio were in sight on the shoreline.
"Bleeding Hog Monkeys!"
The Captain ran down the bank, completely abandoning Zuko and Iroh. Zuko laughed at him right up until the Fire Nation steamer sailed past, full of pirates.
"What the—Hey!"
"Maybe it should be a proverb…" Iroh muses.
"Uncle, that's our boat!" Zuko shouts, running down the bank himself. Iroh was close behind.
Zuko could see the pirates boarding the ship not long afterward. Momo was busy with the iguana parrot. While the flying chase was interesting to watch, Zuko was more concerned with what might have been happening on the ship.
"Prince Zuko! I have some questions!" Iroh shouts at him. He really had to get back into shape if this was going to be a regular endeavor.
"Uncle, now is not the time," Zuko says. He caught sight of a massive wave pulling itself over the deck, taking a few pirates overboard. No doubt that was Aang's doing.
"Why were you with The Avatar and so willing to let them go?" Iroh asks. "That is not what I expected when I would find you."
"It's… hard to explain," Zuko says. He looked down the bank, spying no tree remotely close enough that he could feasibly jump onto either ship. What he did see was Aang blowing into that whistle again in the face of Mr. Horseface. Sokka kicked him off the boat—Zuko would have to teach him how to fight better if he was going to be caught in things like this.
"Find a way!"
Zuko stopped along the bank. The ship had started to turn around, facing parallel to the massive waterfall. He spotted the two whirlpools holding it in place against the current. It was a clever idea; but it left them sitting ducks until they ran out of stamina. He looked down the river to where the Fire Nation steamer was sailing right for them. As he thought, it collided with the ship.
Zuko sprinted to the edge, watching the ship fall. A gust of air flew past him, along with a familiar wall of fur. Appa dived down, dipping back up moments later with three figures on his back. Zuko sighed, collapsing on the edge of the cliff. Iroh came up from behind, panting. Iroh sat next to him, wheezing a moment before he caught his breath.
"Zuko… what happened these last few days?" he asks tentatively. Zuko sighed, falling back into the dirt to stare at the clouds. Clouds he wasn't sure he'd been soaring over again.
"…A lot."
"Begin… ugh, I need to get in shape… at The Crescent Island," Iroh prompts.
"…Uncle… what my father did to me…"
"Ah, yes, what about my foolish brother?" Iroh asks. Zuko could tell by his tone he didn't want to discuss Ozai. He rarely wanted to discuss Ozai, now that Zuko thought of it.
"I was in a cell with Katara and Sokka on the island. They didn't know I was banished and I let it slip." Zuko admitted. Iroh looked shocked to hear it—Zuko was expecting that. "I was panicking, Uncle."
"I'm sure you were. But why were you traveling with them?"
"It wasn't by choice," Zuko says quickly. "They kidnapped me."
"They kidnapped you?! Why?"
"Something about not letting me go back to my Father. I can't, anyway, but that didn't seem to matter."
Iroh was silent. He hummed, spying Appa gliding nearby as he made a turn back to them. "I see… and you are conflicted, yes?"
"Incredibly!" Zuko shouts, sitting up quickly. "I don't understand why they care. I don't understand why I care that they care!"
"Because it is something you are missing, Prince Zuko," Iroh says softly. He stood up, waving the bison over. "And I believe that it is best that you stay with them."
Zuko jerked around to face him. "What?!"
Iroh wasn't surprised that Zuko was confused—possibly more confused that he had been before—but an undeniable warmth had sunk itself in Iroh's core when he had heard about the other kids' care for Zuko. He was happy to see Zuko was safe. He was overjoyed that he wasn't anywhere near General Zhao's hands.
"It would be good for you," Iroh says confidently. He set a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "And you need friends, Prince Zuko."
Zuko swatted his hand away, getting a laugh from Iroh. Zuko stood suddenly, bending down to whisper to Iroh. "Actually, I need to pack a bag from the ship."
Iroh hummed before he nodded. "Of course, Prince Zuko."
The ship creaked familiarly around Zuko when he walked the corridors. He hadn't even realized how much he had missed the sounds of the metal hull. It was practically constant, the metal shifting along with the waves even as it sat in the port. Iroh had sent most of the crew off the ship and into the town—under the guise of a shopping trip—leaving Zuko with the ship largely to himself. He'd grabbed a duffel bag and started filling it mostly with clothes.
Zuko paused at the dresser bolted to the floor. The Fire Nation insignia was hanging above it. Zuko tore it down, laying it out on the bed. He threw the duffel bag on top, obscuring the insignia. He wasn't sure what to grab aside from clothing, looking around his room aimlessly.
He pulled open the dresser drawer, spying Katara's necklace inside. He grabbed it, slipping it into his pocket before he zipped the duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. He walked past the rows of rooms, passing by one before stopping. He turned back around, looking at the door a moment before he slipped inside. A wall of masks were across the doorway.
Zuko walked up to it, gently lifting The Blue Spirit mask away from the wall's hanger. The wall itself had been his mother's—Iroh had taken the wall from the palace when they'd left. Zuko could remember the play the mask was from. The character that had worn the mask hadn't been his favorite, but the mask's design had been. He stuffed it into the duffel bag.
Zuko made his way up to the deck quickly, hanging off the side of the ship once he was sure it was clear of any soldiers or sailors. The Steamer was waiting below him, bobbing on the water. The trip down the river had taken little time itself. Appa and the Gaang were waiting no far from the port itself. Once Zuko spotted Appa downriver he pulled the Steamer to the side and walked the remainder of the way. Aang was laughing, sitting with Iroh around a small fire where tea was brewing. Zuko wasn't surprised to see that Iroh had started some tea while he waited—the man drank it near religiously. Zuko threw his duffel bag up onto Appa's saddle.
"Zuko! You didn't mention your Uncle was so wise!" Aang shouted over to him. Zuko hadn't thought it necessary to mention anything, if he were honest.
"You two make friends, then?" he asks. Aang was already nodding vigorously before he'd finished his sentence. Zuko turned to Katara, pulling out the necklace. "Here."
Katara stared at it a moment before taking it and clutching it in her hands. "My mother's necklace! …Why do you have it?"
"I didn't steal it," Zuko clarifies quickly. "I found it."
"But… why did you keep it?" Katara asks. Judging by the way she was clutching it, Zuko was happy he hadn't tossed it. He shrugged.
"I had been saving it; but… I want you to have it back," Zuko says. Katara looked down at the necklace. She fitted it back onto her neck, taking a moment to just rest her finger on the pendant.
"Thanks, Zuko."
Iroh hummed contently, sipping the last of his tea. He stood with a grunt, patting his belly and sighing. "I had better get back to the ship. Prince Zuko."
Zuko hesitated to meet Iroh's eyes. When he did look up at him Iroh was just smiling down at him. He set a hand on Zuko's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.
"I'll see you soon, Prince Zuko."
Iroh waved as Appa took flight. Aang had given him a rough area he could travel to for their next meeting. Under the guise of tracking Zuko, Iroh could justify still following the group. Zuko sighed, leaning over the saddle and watching Iroh slowly disappear under the clouds as they broke through them. Katara and Sokka exchanged a look. Sokka crawled over Appa's shoulders, and Katara held his feet, as he leaned over to speak to Aang.
"Hey. Thanks for keeping him," Sokka says. Aang smiled up at him, readjusting the reigns.
"No problem. If he and I knew each other 100 years ago, I think we'd be friends," Aang says confidently.
"Really?"
"Call it a feeling," Aang says.