The place was packed, briefly giving Zuko anxiety; forgetting how many attendees there would be. His royal robes were modified with the new armor, having more room to use his legs in case of needing them. His swords were being carried one by Karina and the other one by Mai.
He couldn't help himself to try and search in the crowd Suki, hidden very well as he struggled to find her. There she was, close to the stand of food with her bag in front of her stomach.
He smiled, hiding behind the curtain to meet the Avatar with Electra and Sokka, the last two looking nervous as they reached him.
"Everything is set, ready to open the festival?" Aang asked Sokka, who nodded absent minded "Because is now"
"It's a very large crowd" Sokka whispered "let's try to move this!" he smiled, getting his cheery persona up to talk.
Zuko and Aang shared a look with each other and smiled
"Just remember that Aang and Zuko have to make a speech too" Electra caressed his back "ready?"
"Here we go" Sokka clapped as they drew the curtains open on the main stage, the light pointing towards him. "Good night Republic city! For those who don't recognize me yet, my name is Sokka -with an okka at the end- the Southern water tribe chairman"
The crowd cheered with enthusiasm as he smiled brightly, putting on the performance of his life as he walked around the stage.
"My equals gave me the opportunity to open up this night, to your pleasure," he made a sleepy face pointing towards Zuko and Aang, earning laughs "and mine to inaugurate the festival of the foundation of Republic City!"
The crowd clapped and whistled, he waited for the momentum to die looking at random faces in the public, the same tactic he used to inspire trust and a closer feeling to them.
"We have all prepared entertainment, food and shows to commemorate the four great cultures that integrate our city, our republic," He continued pacing around the stage, looking at the public "our home: where we can all learn and be closer to everyone with respect and tolerance. This project at first was pretty difficult, the thought of it all began after I met my wonderful group of friends, now, my family, from all around the world"
He stopped walking as he found a familiar face in the crowd, her violet-blue eyes fixed on him. His mouth-agape, memories flashing rapidly on how much he wished her for years to come and watch him speaking.
"A muse from an island grounded the idea, blessing it with a name. Today, we can talk and celebrate it, innovating and looking forward to creating balance," He glanced, smiling widely after seeing her smile and going back to her duty "with the help of my brother in law, Avatar Aang. Please welcome him like you always do!"
A roar of applause and screams echoed as Aang stepped forward, he walked right to where Electra stood proudly, her face neutral as always. He on the other hand, could not contain his excitement and blush, slightly going up and down on his feet.
"What's going on with you?" Electra leaned on to whisper, trying to contain her worry
"I'm…I know I should not be focusing on anything else right now," he whispered back, grinning wildly "but a long dream of mine came true today"
"I am guessing this has to do with the gorgeous warrior?" a chuckle escaped Electra's lips "congratulations then"
The couple went on to hear Zuko's and Aang's speech and updates, looking at the crowd to see any type of weird attitude as cautious as they could. Sokka decided to leave his plan to roll out and focused on the speech, waiting for the first unagui horn to be blown.
There it was , the crowd cheered as they festivities officially began, the people quickly running to the different stands, dispersing with laughter and murmurs. Sokka grabbed Electra's arm, clinging to her as they walked down the scenario with Zuko and Aang who had already a circle of fans waiting to meet them
Electra and Sokka waited for them to finish, smiling as they saw people gathering to meet them.
To Sokka was still absurd the thought of people eager to know him, of course he was a ton of very interesting adjectives but not to the point of having followers, it weirded him out
To Electra was easy, she rejoiced with the attention and kind words people spoke to her, shaking hands with calculated words. She was afraid of people knowing her real self, that's why she curated everything around her life
She made two mistakes that were proving to be fatal: Being a public couple with Sokka and sentencing that girl.
Maybe she can work out something with Zuko and move her prisoners to the boiling rock where they couldn't bend
Sokka discretely moved his hand to the shaft of his sword, smiling as the people geeked out and talked pretty quickly
"We are so happy you are lounging with us!"
"Please accept this gifts! The moment we knew you would be here we worked hard to buy them"
"When are you getting married?"
Electra giggled at the last question while Sokka blushed, he chuckled nervously as he kept listening to the people
It was hard to listen, his peripheral vision on high alert since there were a lot of people around them. Even if they had Aang and Zuko, an ambush could leave irreparable collateral damage
"The music set is about to start! Please let them reach their places, thank you!" Katara extendend her arms to push people out of the way that didn't want to comply with her.
She huffed, feeling the heat rising the more she struggled to move people out of the way, out of her comfortable and fresh clothes
They walked to their places and the couple sat sighing, Aang and Zuko close behind them with similar exhausted sighs.
"I don't love customer service" he breathes exhausted, his shoulders slumping down in defeat
"They were pretty mild, I thought at the palace people were more...enthusiastic?" Aang failed to describe the eagerness of the people, making Katara laugh heartily
"They are but I get to call for a break or take the day off" The firelord whispered leaning his head backwards as the couples giggled "it is a hard job"
"I'm sure it is," Sokka snickered at him. His gaze fixed on the stage below them "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes"
A hint of pain lingered when Sokka as he focused on the show, searching again in the crowd the red hair. There were a lot more redheaded people he could count, a hand taking him back again at the stage where they danced and sang.
"Are you okay?" Electra asks earnestly, preoccupied by the sudden coldness. She tapped his finger, gesturing a camera and flashing the greatest smile he had seen.
"I will after this is over" He admitted with a matching face, taking her hand on his. "Electra…"
She knew by the way his eyes posed on her. He closed them, sighing sadly, opening them with a renewed respect.
"It will all be over" She reassured, grabbing his other hand as they gazed into each other, a wave of sadness and regret rained on them.
"I love you" the words she secured so much and used like money in their relationship. This time, the vomit tasted sweet and sour, a shaky sigh showed him how unsure she was of saying them out loud.
In front of their friends.
He arched an eyebrow, surprised, at the sudden gesture of love from the woman. Considering the cycle they tried to break, move on and go back to, he smiled.
"I love you too"
It was a welcomed sensation, to have someone love you unconditionally, Electra was unfamiliar with it. It was taken so soon from her; Sokka was never his, even if his heart was always away from the city, he took care of her.
She would treasure it forever.
"Are you guys done saying your goodbyes? The pictures will look super cute, I'm sure," Katara playfully reminded them they were in public, pointing towards a set of cameras that clicked "it is rude to keep talking when there are events on stage"
"We didn't even talk" Sokka expressed slightly annoyed "I call that commentary on the road"
"Why would you call it like that? They are not even moving" Katara asked confused, judging her brother
"I liked you better when you bodyguarded my girlfriend in silence" Sokka smirked as Katara frowned, grabbing her fan and smacking him on the head "Ouch! What was that for?"
"Oh! Did I hit you? My slippery hands, my bad councilman Sokka" the sarcasm in the apology made Aang chuckle, indicating he had heard all the exchange.
"I'll make my friend fire you" Sokka grinned, receiving another hit on the head "Hey!"
Zuko hushed them, glaring at them. Electra placed a hand above her mouth to hide her smile, always having fun with the shenanigans that issued by the siblings quarrels.
She would miss those evenings.
Suki was used to being invisible in the crowds, the density and movement in the area making it easier for her to look for suspicious activity. According to Toph's reports, the benders were randomly picked up and taken away from their houses.
They would probably be close to food stands or relaxing zones, trying to camouflage themselves as normal citizens. One of the suspects was a waterbender with medium brown hair.
That could be anyone in the city; Suki picked up some sweetbuns, walking alongside a family. It was good to walk unnoticed, she didn't envy at all the life of her friends. They were vastly recognized in their everyday clothing, she would just put the armor in her closet and walk around the streets without anyone batting an eye.
Kyoshi island was another story, according to Karina. The squad even had their own statues and plaques placed in the mainland. She was the only one that didn't sign it as she hadn't visited in years.
She probably should as soon as the mission is over, eating fresh fish would fit her nicely.
She saw a twirl in the corner of her eyes, walking alongside two teenagers that were searching for her older sister. The pace of her steps matched theirs, an useful skill in the palace.
She entered the tunnel by the air nation shrine, the sound of labored breathing and shuffling made her rush to it.
"Bombshell, we found this little-"
"spy," Aimi interrupted. "He was about to signal their friends and Toph sensed him."
Suki immediately chi blocked the man, his limbs failing. Toph enclosed him in a rock cage, helping him to look up to Suki who was about to have the time of her life.
"It's a lovely event, have you eaten something?" Suki warmly asked, her lips slowly curving upwards as she offered a piece of her own sweet bun. The man refused to address her, looking at the floor.
"Answer it!" Toph demanded, pointing at him aggressively "You wouldn't like me to beat the reply out of your mouth"
The man looked up with rage at Suki, her smile faded matching his energy without the movement of her facial expressions.
"I haven't eaten anything" He said in between teeth "Do it"
"Do what?" She asked with the same kind and calm demeanor, her face didn't match her tone, terrifying Ami. "My name is Dai, what is yours?"
"I don't care about you! You are a bender, you should be with us!" The man screamed at Toph who snickered
"You have no power, how dare you talk to a Beifong like this?" Toph mocked with a wicked smile, sensing the pulse of the man dying for a second.
"Okay, we will finish this faster" Suki took out her fan, startling the man until she fanned herself with it. "Just tell me where your friends are or else-"
"I will NEVER betray them" he hissed, trying and failing to move
Suki's lips finally moved into a smile, the words seemed to bring a new joy as shown in her eyes. She pulled out of her bag a bottle of water, handing it to Aimi who nodded. Without warning Suki jerked his head backwards, forcing him to open his mouth as the girl poured it into his mouth.
"First is water" Suki said slamming his head forwards "From here it gets worse"
The man looked around the room, coughing and panting heavily from the treatment. The wicked smile in Toph startled him more than the vicious smile on the apparent leader of them.
"They are everywhere, you wouldn't even notice from how many we are. We will attack before the big event drops. You made a mistake placing all of our objectives in the same place"
Toph ran to the other side of the tunnel with her thumb down, Suki pointed as Aimi followed Toph, her hands immediately igniting fire as she caught up to Toph.
"You failed. You couldn't distract us long enough to infiltrate '' Suki patted the man's head, breaking the glass on his nose. His head fell, unconscious.
She walked out of the tunnel, signaling the team to drag the prisoner out as she walked towards the way Toph and Aimi ran minutes ago.
"I didn't know they accepted non benders! Kyoshi warriors are supposed to be non benders" The woman groaned against the fire dagger Aimi held to her throat, screaming at the earthbender shackled by Toph.
"You really failed the only goddamn task we asked you for!" he shouted angrily, doing his best to remove the metal shackles.
"Shut up!" Toph threw dirt at them, making the pair cough. Suki immediately tapped them, the pair complaining as Toph let them hit the floor.
"I'm glaring at you," Suki scolded Toph, who rolled her eyes, smirking. "And no, your friend…what's your name?"
"Tori" Tori replied saddened, Suki smiled fondly at Tori, seeing the waterbender looks, she couldn't be past fifteen years old. Yikes
"Don't tell her!" The older man yelled at her. Suki was pretty annoyed at this moment, kicking the man in the stomach.
"You will tell me everything, unless you fancy the deep waters and the volcano" She threatened, crossing her arms at the pair who had a mixed reaction of fear and rage.
"No lying either, I am here" Toph smirked, sitting on the ground with both hands on the floor.
Mai kept getting compliments about their armors, some earth citizens wanting to take pictures with the trio. She turned them down before Ty Lee could say anything, dragging her at times by how distracted her friend could be in the streets.
They were beautifully decorated, she noticed. Thousands of lights with different colors that made it contrast, each zone beautifully shone. Everything else in the area complimented it and lifted the multicultural zone the festival was supposed to represent.
Aang and Electra did a wonderful job, the fire nation area was tasteful and still elegant. Something that could be overdone far too easily in the hands of non nationals.
Ty Lee geeked out, dragging Mai towards a group of boys. Tanya ran with them as she looked around the area, dragging an annoyed sighed towards Mai, who looked at Ty Lee chatting with the group.
"Is she always like this, unserious?" Tanya crossed her arms annoyed, Mai shrugged, used to her antics. The metalbender walked behind Mai towards a food stand nearby, mumbling under her breath how annoying is a girl without a sense of duty.
Mai snickered, walking towards Ty Lee.
"Mai! This is Noburu! The guy I told you we…got close in the Avatar's wedding" She introduced him, Noburu gulped and stretched his hand to shake Mai's, she forced herself to strecht it.
"Uh…I didn't expect you to be here…on duty" Noburu said unsure, his eyes wandering around as the group of boys watched them. "Is Suki here too?"
"Yes, she should be patrolling somewhere" she pointed somewhere else where Suki wouldn't be even close to. "Why?"
"I…I wanted to talk to Toph," He whispered, Ty Lee smiled heartily. "I…wanted to…uh…"
"You shouldn't have, remember this woman is not usually interested in gifts" Mai snickered, looking at the man who scrambled in his bag to pull out something, he stopped and sighed.
"It's more personal than that, I thought she would be with Suki as she is part of Team Avatar, right?" He asked unsure, Toph really never talked about her other friends and it showed.
Mai turned around rolling her eyes, focusing on patrolling as Tanya was already eating and chatting with more citizens. She saw someone quickly run towards a designated tunnel and it set her alarms off. She walked as fast as she could without running, dragging a complaining Ty Lee towards Tanya.
Tanya noticed Mai reaching for her knives and she excused herself, catching up to the pair who needed to catch up with whatever Mai had seen. In a spot closer to where the end of the tunnel could be, Tanya worked on her localization, sprinting soon after.
Mai smiled genuinely, ready for a good fight.
The bell rang, indicating two hours had already passed, mingling time again. The group walked towards the area where the games would start, crossing around the main halls where people circled them. Katara did her best to be by Electra and Aang, who were almost in the middle of their tiny circle.
"Hey Aang! Where is your wife Katara?" A girl asked, Aang giggled trying to not be obvious she was behind him.
"She is in my heart, as always" He patted the little girl's head, sighing in love. Sokka rolled his eyes and tugged his robes, making him move. "Hey Sokka! Don't be jealous, we are family now!"
"Oogies!" He jokingly said, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Katara suppressed the urge to slap his head, as she was acting as a fellow Kyoshi warrior
"Maybe he is jealous because he is not married," Another girl screamed "Marry me Sokka!"
"Pick your poison" Electra joked with a soft smile, Sokka glared at his friend, smiling back at the girl.
"I like your ideas" Zuko listened to some of the people that got near him, wondering if he should be moving or keep mingling with the crowd around them. His friends seemed to have very light questioning and topics. He in the other hand…
Was still receiving the short end of the stick, people semi insulting him or praising him. Constantly.
"Nephew! I'm so glad I found you here!"
"Uncle?" Zuko speaks loudly and clear, a small smile appearing as he sees his uncle with beverages and food, making his way towards him. He hugs him warmly, ignoring the flashes he could see. "You were supposed to come with my friends a day before"
"I still had some business to take care of, nothing major. We couldn't just leave the palace alone," He explained, hugging the best he could with all the food and beverages he was carrying "look! I bought you some fresh tea"
"Tea? That is fresh?" He questioned suspiciously, glancing at one of the cups
"Believe me, this will be a hit in a few years" he winked, laughing heartily at the confusion on his face
"Iroh?" Aang and Sokka looked at the scene, smiling and chatting before calling his name "Come sit with us!"
"Yeah pops, we need to chat and inspect very seriously those packages on your hands" Sokka walked faster and hugged him, happy to have him sitting by them
"Of course!" He laughed, making their way into their seats.
Electra stalled behind for a moment,bumping into Katara, apologizing fast to avoid being left alone in the big crowd. If Katara had to retaliate she would bend and the plan might be discovered.
"Don't run!" Katara yelled catching up to the ambassador, who sat out of breath in the seat "Are you alright?"
"I panicked for a moment" She replied huffing, Iroh glanced at the woman and offered his drink, she turned it down with a smile "Thanks Iroh, I'm only out of shape"
"Really?"Sokka asked incredulously, looking up and down at his friend. Electra smiled annoyed and Katara took this moment to take revenge from earlier in the little meeting. "Ouch! Katara! Stop it!"
"Guys" Zuko emphasized annoyed, glaring at the siblings
"Relax firelord Zuko" Iroh brushed a fire flake in his lips. Giggles from the group intensified at them.
Sokka was actually having a blast, happy that his plan with Suki was actually being successful. He watched around to try and find her, stopping short at Karina looking at him, he froze for some seconds at being caught then immediately returned to look at the games
Karina walked to him, her fan in hand. She poked him and left the fan press his shoulder, leaning forwards to speak
"She is by the fruit stand" she whispered, suppressing her distrust "I suggest you to do something after the mission, if you mind"
"Of course" Sokka gulped, his eyes trailing to the fruit stand where he saw a group of familiar Kyoshi warriors and the gorgeous red hair.
Suki ran in the direction of the twirl, Mai, Ty Lee and Tanya waiting for her at the fruit stand, looking around. She brought some pineapple and strawberries from the earth kingdom, nicely decorated with mangoes.
"A lot of people have tried it" Tanya said to Suki, buying apples with oranges "we questioned them and they are not willing to talk"
"We don't need them to, I had help and I got the info. Send them to the jails paralyzed" She indicated walking away from the stand, continuing her rollout as Tanya nodded along and glanced at Mai.
"Good thing we have Ty" Tanya admitted biting the apple slice "This people are ruthless"
"I wonder why," Mai asked disinterestedly, gazing at the group in the balcony, where she was supposed to be seated. Zuko seemed so into the games, probably thinking about something his uncle said moments before the game began
What caught her eyes was Sokka's lovestruck face, following Suki's trail to wherever she was going.
"He is so obvious, I wonder why is he still with Electra" Ty Lee spoke, spotting Mai's gaze as she bites the popsicle Noburu bought for her
"Sokka?" Noburu asked aloud, people around them gathered to look at the balcony, Mai glared somberly at the boy "Toph should be there!"
"Right! Where is Toph Beifong?" A boy asked excitedly, "I thought she would be here!"
"Toph right now is working hard for our security" Tanya explained at the boy who seemed more excited by that idea "She doesn't have much time to be in parties"
"Can you say hi to her?" He asked, "I made this with my own hands!"
The boy pulled out of his pocket a precious stone, an emerald. The girls looked amazed -specially Ty Lee who squeezed excited at the shining- and Tanya took the jewel.
"Thank you sweet boy, what's your name?" Tanya asked, ruffling his hair. The boy frowned and reorganized it.
"Name's Toro" He winked at Ty Lee and Mai "For miss Toph Beifong I'm Electric Toro, the crystal maker"
Mai had to turn around to avoid laughing at the boy's introduction, coughing as she bit a slice of apple from the stand. Now that was a way to be mocked restlessly by Toph. She glanced back at the balcony where the group focused on the spectacle, the corner of her upper lip lifting slightly at his golden eyes meeting.
Everything seemed to be under control, they deserved to relax for a few minutes.
Or hours, in a perfect world that was not the one she was currently living in.
Suki kept getting in trouble fighting and paralyzing people in the tunnels. It was a bad idea for her to be patrolling alone, as this was the second time she came face to face with pairs of terrorists.
She was getting tired, but there was no way she could be seen by others with the Kyoshi warriors, otherwise they would be busted. She needed one of Toph's student's in the balcony to help her geolocalize.
The third bell was heard, meaning that the event was over. She ran over to the exit of the tunnels -praying silently to Kyoshi that nobody was following her- that would take her where Karina and Katara patrolled.
Sokka would not be useful patrolling, easily ambushed as the benders were doing their everything to take her down, she needed more benders in disguise.
Running upstairs she found Penga and snatched her immediately
"Suki? What's going on?" She asked confused, meanwhile, Suki threw her the kimono and hakama, Penga barely caught it waiting for instructions.
"You will patrol with me, I need someone who can geolocalize," She explained opening the armor for her, the girl in no time put on the clothes and waited for Suki to finish the layering "they are really bloodthirsty and the risk it's increasing"
"What?!" She squealed scared "Suki I'm not-"
She gripped her shoulders, gesturing her to breathe in and breathe out. The girl followed her lead and relaxed for a moment while Suki quickly applied the makeup on her face.
"Nothing will happen to you, you have my word. I just need you to focus on seeing if there are intruders wherever we walk" Suki smiled as she finished the make up, fanning the girl's face for it to dry quickly.
Sokka stepped in the scene and blinked surprised at seeing Penga in his armor.
"How did she fit in it?" He asked surprised that the girl was wearing his armor
"Lots of tying and knots in the uniform," Suki smiled at him, patting the girl on the back as Penga exhaled nervously
"Was there a change of plans? Another one?" He asked incredulous "I would very much like to be informed"
"I was about to but you keep talking," the sassiness in her tone made Sokka grin, leaning on the wall to listen "This is more violent than we thought. We have been cleaning the tunnels with a lot of benders"
"Toph's students are a godsend," Sokka whispered worriedly, "wait, why are you grabbing Penga then?"
"For me," Suki pointed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "and you. We can't keep patrolling alone, I was close several times to be-"
"fried?buried?drowned?" Penga interrupted worried, Sokka glanced surprised at Suki.
"Yes, Penga. But I know how to chi block, so your friends and colleagues help me to take them to jail. I need you for the element of surprise" Suki lied to calm down Penga, who seemed content enough with the reply. "Now, can you help us?"
"Yes, where do we go first?" Sokka asked Suki, following her finger "Are we going to be in the tunnels?"
"I can't let you go out, people will gather immediately and see where did you came out of" Suki explained tapping his shoulder, urging him to move
"Okay, let's go Penga! We need to teach some children several lessons" Sokka encouraged cheerfully, the teenager running behind him. He glanced at Suki with a soft smile before continuing walking.
She wanted to wish him luck, to hug him. She snapped out of it and ran to meet Karina and Katara upstairs again, who were searching for Sokka. Upon seeing her arrive the girls eased, looking out for Mai and Ty Lee.
"Is he already patrolling?" Katara asked, worried at seeing Suki there "With whom?"
"Penga, you both need to keep your eyes open and at a close distance with Electra and Zuko" She informed quickly, returning to the tunnel and running outside towards the multitude of people, hoping she wasn't noticed.
Ty Lee and Mai already changed and returned their uniforms, leaving under their clothing the new armor. Suki barely caught them in the room, stopping to retrieve the uniform.
Maybe she should have waited for them so Sokka could have some disguise, there was a reason for everything. She hoped it would be calmer to patrol now that they had jailed a lot of spies and cronies.
"Here is it! It was fun to…use the uniform again" Ty Lee's eyes dropped for a moment, resuming their sparkle as soon as Suki took it with a slight bow.
"You are always welcome in o-the team. You made an impact in the way we fight now, and frankly, without you, we would not be able to keep up" She corrected herself, thanking whole heartily Ty Lee's support
Her gray eyes glistened, touched by her fellow friend's words. Mai coughed, interrupting Ty Lee's will to rekindle their friendship.
"Here it is, what's next for us?" Mai waited for instructions, Suki pointed upwards to where the firelord would be.
"Go with your husband, we still need him guarded. Be ready in case you need to fight" She commanded leaving soon after, not wanting to keep Tanya waiting.
Ty Lee smiled happily at 'husband' but Mai seemed embarrassed, her cheeks with a pink hue that disappeared immediately as they walked upstairs.
The fireworks were soon to start and Electra was nervous being alone with Katara, not that she would ever betray her, but the two of them without Sokka's antics made the silence awkward.
"So…how are you fairing with marriage? Is it different?" Electra tried to rekindle a conversation, looking at the area where the lights would begin shortly to shine. Katara sighed, annoyed.
"I am doing amazing, thank you. Only difference is that I'm the Avatar's wife" She explained standing behind her, doing her task. Electra noticed the coldness and nodded along, eyeing Sokka's empty seat.
"Can we move next to Zuko and Iroh?" Electra asked, seeing the opportunity to scheme against the firelords relationship. Katara denied the petition patting her shoulder and sneakily pointed at Mai and Ty Lee walking upstairs. "What are they doing here?"
"Remember Mai is the firelady," she reminded the ambassador "Ty Lee, her best friend. They serve to protect them in case anything happens"
Aang swooped from next to Iroh to Sokka's empty seat, smiling at Electra.
"Miss Electra, may I have some time alone with the chief of the Southern water tribe?" He asked playfully, she nodded and took the chance to sit at least next to Iroh, close enough.
Katara wanted to walk alongside and Karina stopped her, winking at the woman. Katara smiled and positioned herself behind Aang, hiding her smile.
"I am no chief Aang" she clarified with a giggle "What happened?"
"I just wanted to be sitting close to you," He sighed dreamily, "especially with the fireworks about to begin."
"That's so considerate of you" She thanked with a half bow "to be romantic with your warriors"
"Only the master, not any kind of warrior," Aang specified with a pointed tone "and you are the chief, you ran everything with your dad when you lived in the south!"
"Hush darling" Katara posed a hand on his shoulder "We have eyes everywhere"
"I know I know" Aang smiled enamored at Katara in her uniform "I didn't have the chance until know to tell you how beautiful you look tonight"
Katara opened her fan to hide her blush, the crease on her eyes signaling Aang that his chivalry was well received.
"Thank you" She said, putting down her fan, controlling her blush. "Now, we must watch the fireworks"
The air blew guided by the staff putting off the candles and lights in the city. Everybody gathered excited for the fireworks to start. The mayor of the republic began his speech, thanking everybody present at the ceremony and of course, the founding fathers of the city.
Suki and Tanya finished the attack, a bit tired from all the sudden movement during the speech. The girl seemed sure enough that nobody else was around anymore, Taiji coming out of his hiding spot too, tired.
"This was a good idea, we will need more room in the cells" Tanya laughed as they dragged the bodies towards the yuyan archers.
"We will leave that work to Toph," She grinned, "have you talked to any of your friends?"
"I have but they haven't reported any movement, do you think that's all of them?" Tanya asked, relieved, Suki nodded thoughtfully, worrying the couple.
"We still haven't caught the big fish," Suki explained leaning on the wall "Usually in events like this they send their cronies first, then they appear"
"It's been fifteen minutes since we dragged them out, we should go inside the tunnels again" Taiji walked away from the group hurriedly, Suki and Tanya right on his heels as they stood in the tunnel, waiting for any movement.
"Are all the watch groups struggling as we do?" Taiji whispered upset "It seemed more laid down on paper"
"Yes, they all are," Suki cooled herself down with a sigh, envying their innocence and lack of flexibility, things she learned roughly at war "usually in this type of events we need to be flexible. That's why the objectives and final plan are discussed with you, so in case you use your judgment it is correctly applied"
Taiji nodded along, comprehending Suki's words at how serious the mission actually was, contrary to what Master Beifong described to them as a "child's play"
Toph stood inside the tunnels fidgeting with the rocks in her hands, annoyed by the noise of the fireworks going off. It had been already forty minutes and the coast was clear, Aimi feeling bored at standing in the tunnel, losing the show.
"Can't we peek outside for a few seconds? Nobody has come inside in hours!" Aimi pleaded to Toph, who groaned at the girl constantly nagging.
"I hope you can see why the fireworks don't appeal to me for the same reason I don't find loud noises amazing or romantic, like you say" Toph reasoned to the woman who thought about it too long for Toph's liking "I'M BLIND!"
"You don't…you fight amazingly, that's why I forget you are blind. Sorry" She apologized with a bow, Toph smirked at the similarities to Zuko. Fire nation academies were another breed of interesting weirdos obsessed with honor.
"Appreciate the compliment, nothing I haven't heard before. Let's keep focusing on guarding here, it is about time to go home" Toph accepted the apology, laying down on the floor to rest.
"It is weird that no one has attacked us in almost an hour…" Aimi reasoned out loud "Don't you think they noticed we are all here and are trying to lure us inside so they can attack from the outside?"
"Aimi" Toph sighed, annoyed "You really want to see those fireworks don't you?"
"I do! But thinking strategically, it's unusual that suddenly all of them stopped coming. So either they are watching the fireworks or they will attack outside first, infiltrating because someone told them the tunnels are not safe for use" Aimi explained as Toph digested the idea.
It checked
"Okay, go and tell Suki that then" She sent her away nonchalantly, upsetting the girl. "Why don't I hear you thanking me?"
"Why am I going to tell her? Is that my reward for my idea?" the sarcasm tingled Toph's ears, rolling her eyes in reply.
"I guess then I'll walk OUTSIDE and SEE the fireworks on my way to telling Suki your idea" Toph pointed out, making the girl get up and bolt out of the tunnel.
Girls after war are another breed, she corrected her previous thought..
Sokka and Penga walked around to do something and not be taken by surprise, although an hour had already passed and nothing was happening.
Maybe Suki and him exaggerated the violence or they got the hint that the tunnels were a trap designed for them. He inclined to the latter.
"Can we stop? This armor feels like dead weight on me" Penga complained leaning on the wall of the tunnel, gasping,
"Sure, do you need me to loosen the ties a bit?" He asked concerned as the girl nodded, thanking the help "I thought Toph trained you with armor"
"She does, it is not as tight as this one" She explained, taking a big gasp of air, sighing comfortably as she caught up. "This was also supposed to be yours?"
"Yes, maybe Suki did your knots a bit too tight so it wouldn't fall off in case we fought" Sokka reasoned with a smile, squatting to weigh his options on going out with Penga from the tunnels or keep patrolling.
He could take the risk of having too many eyes on him, then again, it would make them a target including the people around him.
"I am glad there is no one in these tunnels, Suki did scare me a little bit with her chat and sudden change of plans" Penga admitted with a small smile, standing still waiting for an instruction.
"Well there is no motive for us to stay here and miss the last moments of the fireworks" He smiled back as Penga clung to his arm excitedly, dragging him out of the tunnel quicker than he expected.
The light show was amazing to watch, numerous shapes and colors that included all the nations in the city. Sokka couldn't help himself and drift his mind away to think about Suki, wishing he was with her instead looking at the fireworks.
Aimi reached the entrance of the tunnel but didn't enter it, staying on the wall to look at the fireworks that enchanted her, dreamily staring at it until a familiar voice called her out.
"What are you doing there?" Taiji asked reaching closer to her, signaling Suki and Tanya that it was a friend. "You made me lose a bet!"
"I was a bet?" Aimi replied angered "Let me watch in peace"
Suki and Tanya snickered, getting also out of the tunnel to see the last of the firework show. Suki liked to imagine that the aurora looked similar to the fireworks, the first time she saw them in Ba Sing Se it made her smile.
It reminded her of him, hugging each other as they held on the saddle.
"What are you doing here? Something happened?" Suki asked snapping out of her thoughts, worried
"No, actually…nothing has happened and I have a theory on why," Aimi explained absent minded "If you let me tell you"
"I'm all ears" Suki tried her best to get her attention, but the girl was so lost in the lights that she let her. If it was really important, she wouldn't stay there in the entrance, wasting their time. Toph and her probably drew the same conclusion.
She looked at the sky and then to the people around her, trying to find any suspicious activity, anyone moving. All of the people focused on one thing only. She wandered off the moment and into Karina's last words to her.
Doing whatever made her happy. She was happy on duty, working, and loving. She loved being loved and being pampered, but also respected. She would gladly die in battle if needed.
She wanted to love being relaxed, the sun hitting her face as she laid down in her hometown, at the side of the beach. She wouldn't paint that image alone, she always dreamed of it with a certain boy that recently loved the beaches.
And it was not Zuko. It would never be Zuko. As much as he was gentle and everything she should love about a man. The knowledge that he shifted himself to be what she wanted was too hurtful, deemed to her as untruthful.
She would never love Zuko like she loves Sokka and that was good. She needed someone who loved her a little more than her. What wouldn't fit in her mind was the idea of officially sharing Zuko.
The blue sparks reminded her again of why she was abstaining so much from letting Mai marry Zuko. Perhaps it was that she would be alone or that she would need to face her emotions, recognizing what Sokka told her.
What Karina has been trying to drill in her brain.
"It's over" Aang sighed a little bit disappointed, watching the last of the people go. The -new- kyoshi warriors rounded him, waiting for Suki to arrive.
"We captured a lot of spies, so it's not a bad thing" Karina reassured him
"Yeah, we did get to test how well our armor could hold against bender attacks, it helped a lot" Ty Lee also cheered him up. Sokka grabbed his chin, still suspicious that nothing major happened.
"I thought they would be hiding with the other attendees but nothing happened after the fireworks" Aimi explained to Toph, who kept on edge trying to see if there was someone close to them hiding. She felt Suki´s steps and turned to the woman whose heartbeat seemed jumpy and excited.
"We got the information that leads us directly to their headquarters, we got the second chief of the association in this mission." She exclaimed excitedly as the girls high fived, Electra let out a breath of relief, closing her eyes as she relaxed her body into Zuko, who barely held her. Sokka was still unsure of the announcement, putting both hands on his hips as he overthinked the situation.
"Is the leader there? In the bunker?" Sokka asked as Suki passed him a scroll with the info the Yuyan archers wrote to her. The motive was what they were expecting, the different groups scouted across the city.
But there was no leader there in the mix of prisoners; the headquarters were even drawn to show exactly what place it was.
"This is useful" Sokka smiled, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment "We couldn't have made it without you"
"It was teamwork, no one is better than the other" She quietly replied with a light in her eyes, turning away to give further instructions to Karina and the other girls.
Sokka sighed happily, he would not give her up. He walked towards Electra with open arms and a wide smile, raising his eyebrows as she got closer to him, hugging him happily.
"Well, this calls for a celebration, why don't we go back-"
Aang was cut short by his staff swinging away the dart as he quickly searched for the attacker. There was no one in sight.
Suki immediately looked at Sokka and he nodded, dragging Electra with him as they ran away towards the nearby tunnels, Katara let them take an offensive stand with Toph.
Mai was quick enough to cover Zuko as the dart went towards Karina, the warrior falling down to her face with the firelord and the leader kneeling down to check her.
Suki opened her fan and shield to cover them, as she tried to locate where the darts were coming from.
Zuko cursed, exchanging an angry glare with Katara who knew this was bound to happen. She whipped out another dart that tried to hit Aang,stopping him from gliding,as Toph and Tanya tried their best to locate them.
"They are not on the ground!" Toph screamed and soon Ty Lee started jumping the building and investigating why the Yuyan archers were not responding as expected.
She barely dodged the two darts pointed towards her, immobilizing the woman as she inspected the small camouflaged balloon, searching on guard for the pilot. The man tried to jump her but Ty Lee deflected and used his force to throw him out of the balloon and to his death, the woman screaming in anger.
"Oops, Sorry" Ty Lee apologized looking away as the body cracked at the floor below them, barely dodging another dart. She jumped out to a nearby building and ran towards the balloon until she heard Katara scream.
Glancing below she saw the horde of benders attacking them, prompting her to move faster as she took a mental note of the body count in the ceilings. She saw another balloon and jumped towards it, knocking the man out of his limbs and dodging his acquaintance who tried really hard to land a hit on her.
"You should already give up" Ty Lee toyed as she tapped the arm, the man smiled and dodged her, pointing at Zuko who was unprotected. The dart landed on his neck and her hand on his shoulder, clenching her teeth as she looked back at Suki who mouthed something to her.
Bring the other archers!
She jumped out again and ran to the east side of the buildings, where she hoped there were archers alive.
Suki struggled to cover Zuko and Karina, with everybody already fighting the benders who seemed to come in groups of three from every side. Mai wasn't being considerate, upset that Zuko was already asleep but thankful it wasn´t venomous what the dart carried.
"It's hard to just keep them pinned down" Mai shouted at Suki, who knocked down a firebender. Suki sighed and then nodded, letting her use full force against the benders.
This time they wouldn't be so lucky. Her hands went to her shurikens and the bloodbath began, leaving Aang horrified as he heard the gurgles of the benders.
"No!" Aang grabbed Mai´s hand, stopping the throw and angering her further, pushing him away as she threw it to someone behind him. "Mai stop it! We need to-"
"Aang, Zuko is on the ground unconscious. I won't take any risks" Mai angrily replied, her eyes widening at the dart headed towards the monk, she deflected it with the knife. What she didn´t foresight was the second one that hit him on the back, his weight falling towards her as Suki cursed loudly.
Katara´s hands immediately glowed trying to reach him but another waterbender tried to restrain her, gaining her attention.
"This is not going to be a match" Katara roared as she pinned the woman to the other side of the building with icicles, running to Mai´s side of the battlefield as the women now protected three unconscious bodies on the ground.
"When did all of these people appear?" Tanya grumbled annoyed as she battled several firebenders, one of them lightly burning her arm.
"We just need to push through," Aimi replied, seeing an opportunity to use her fresh knowledge "Master Katara, we need your assistance!" she screamed as Katara looked confused.
"We'll keep covering them" Suki replied as she bended more fire out of her glove, liking the ability to draw enough space between the benders without leaving Karina alone. Katara ran towards Aimi and Tanya waiting for instructions.
"I need a wave or something that makes a puddle deep enough under them" Aimi explained as she covered Katara's back. The waterbender began snatching the sweat from all of them, making a cloud above the benders who kept attacking.
The other waterbenders prepared attacks but lowered their guard as it just rained above them.
"That was your idea?" Tanya mocked as she stopped them with the fresh mud under the benders, light catching her eye as the metalbender looked shocked at the loud noise and sudden collapse of bodies in front of them.
"What have you done?!" Katara asked as she ran towards the benders, covered by Tanya who was on guard looking at the other side of the battlefield, who looked shocked and retreated at the lighting strike Aimi had delivered. "There are…there are dead people. I can't save them all"
"You don't have to" Mai shouted annoyed "They would have killed us without a doubt, let's focus on bringing back Zuko and Aang, quickly, before they attack again"
"These are people! We don't know if they were fighting against their will…" Katara drowned a sob, hating to follow Mai's orders as she walked towards Aang with light on her hands, kneeling besides him.
"This shouldn't have happened, what went wrong?" Mai scolded Suki, as the woman kept her gaze in the sky, looking everywhere. "Suki!"
"We still haven't found the camper" Suki whispered, trying to see something without the lights burning her eyes "We are not sure if they'll attack again the moment Aang or Zuko wakes up"
"There is no one nearby on the ground" Toph reminded her, Suki nodded along, ignoring that she could not see her. "What use is of us down here if we are getting ambushed from the skies"
"That means someone knew the plan," Suki said, shielding Katara as she worked on Aang. The waterbender rested as Aang slept peacefully, looking at Zuko with a frown. "There was-"
"A whistleblower" Katara finished the sentence as she scooted close to Zuko, beginning to heal the drug "Zuko and I tried to find it before this took place. We read it on Electra scrolls to the north"
"What?!" Suki turned to the bender with rage, deeming the information vital "Why did you keep it to yourself Katara?"
"We didn't have any lead," Katara calmly replied as Suki's frown deepened, looking around to protect Aang as she replaned everything, cracking a scoff as she saw Ty Lee running back with some archers. "We didn't want to ruin the plan in case it was a bluff"
Ty Lee jumped down with them as the group waited for further instructions from Suki, who counted her archers and took a chance on going towards the group who just ran out.
Freezing for a second before blinking rapidly, Suki gulped. Sokka and Electra were alone in the tunnels, waiting to be jumped.
"Shit, Electra" Suki muttered outloud to Toph whose ears perked up, Ty Lee shrugged as Mai sighed in relief watching Katara finishing Zuko, who after a short break began working on Karina.
"So?" Aimi broke the silence as she waited for anything to be said, Suki recollected her words.
"We need two benders to go quickly and escort Sokka and Electra. They are alone in the tunnels" Suki grabbed Tanya and wanted to pick Katara, seeing her healing Karina made her curse loudly. "Fuck"
"Easy there" Ty Lee spoke, slapping her gauntlet with a tense smile. "What are we going to do?"
"We need to take them to a safe space before they come back," Suki ordered as Toph prepared the moving devices, lifting Aang and Zuko from the ground while Mai watched like a hawk on her surroundings, not trusting the archers. "Tanya, please tell me, where are they?"
Tanya focused, pointing quickly to the other side of the buildings "North, probably heading towards the bunker"
"Ty Lee, someone turned the plan in, I need you to keep an eye on the skies with Mai. You'll both escort them where Iroh is" Suki instructed, Ty Lee gulped
"I know. There are…downs, on the roofs" She explained "It was somebody from the fire nation"
"On La, you give yourselves a bad reputation" Katara whispered as she finished Karina "An archer?"
"Yes" Suki replied thoughtfully "or a deserter" Remembering Electra, Suki signaled two of them to follow Tanya and her, tapping the metalbenders arm. Toph wanted to be included in the plan but Katara tapped her shoulder so they would both move with the provisional beds.
"Let's go" Suki signaled as they jumped below and ran towards a tunnel, Tanya quickly closing it behind them and rushing to protect Electra.
Sokka and Electra walked rapidly, his hand always on the shaft of his sword in case they were ambushed. Someone betrayed them so they probably had the layout of the tunnels and it was a matter of time before they were killed or captured
Electra had her shield opened, hyper aware that her knees buckled in the short seconds they stopped before crossing a large intersection.
Their breathing was too loud to her ears, gripping Sokka's arm tighter as she struggled to keep calm in the tunnels, aware that her life was at risk
She had sensed something could go wrong, she hoped she was wrong. Feeling helpless and the urgency to flee, she began picking up speed, taking out her heels and running.
"Electra!" Sokka shouted behind her, forcefully grabbing her arm and throwing her to the wall behind him, putting a hand on her mouth, muffling the sobs and labored breathing.
Her violet eyes looked back terrified, he tried to calm her down, mouthing comforting words as she trembled, hearing people near them.
Sokka turned behind him and unsheathed his boomerang, ready to use the design to his full capacity with the closed space. Determined, he threw the boomerang, not waiting to be ambushed.
On guard, he waited for the boomerang to return, coming back to him without a grunt. That was not the direction they took.
"Run" he whispered, grabbing her arm, running towards one of the exits, afraid they would be trapped he figured he could scream for help and be seen more easily.
They managed to get out, not stopping for a while until Electra's knees buckled, tripping and holding into Sokka.
"Careful" Sokka lifted her up effortlessly and continued jogging towards another hidden pathway, putting her down to inspect her. "Careful" he repeated, the adrenaline rushing down a bit as he grabbed her shoulders.
"I am scared" she confessed immediately, teary eyed.
"It's normal, don't let it control you. I'll be dead first before anyone lays a hand on you. That's a promise" he remarked, kissing her forehead. Electra gulped, nodding as she cleaned her eyes "we need to keep moving, we are not far from the intersection, there we could reach Iroh and leave"
She nodded and walked with him, his senses maximized to notice any new sound or shadow casted in the tunnels. They had been doing fairly well, looking at the signals they were now pretty close to the bunker.
A wave of steps rushed at them and he threw the boomerang behind Electra, a loud groan and icicle flying at them
Sokka cut it with his sword, pushing Electra behind him
"Cover me" He whispered, Electra immediately unsheathed her shield, her eyes open with fear as she looked at the waterbender and firebender who glared.
"Looks like the boss will be happy" The firebender smiled eerily, his hands already on fire
"Put down that sword Mr Sokka, your boomerang was a good start to this fight, but there won't be any if you try to fight us with that" The boy mocked as he formed a water whip
"Just Sokka, I'm still not that old for that title" Sokka jokes, earning a pointed look from Electra "I would reconsider your fight with us as you are attempting a kidnapping against the Avatar's protegee"
"Oh really? I am scared" The firebender mocked walking closer, his hands growing with fire "unless it's the fallen monk. If that's the Avatar you are talking bout then I'll take the risk of fighting with his little side piece"
"Watch your words" Sokka warned, upset, making the boy giggle.
"Watch your life" He replied back, throwing fire against him. Electra jumped in front, shielding him as he ran to the side, dodging the other shot.
The waterbender tried to grab Electra's arm but she cut the whip with her own shield, backing down as the boy frowned
"Lady, I'm trying to be courteous with you" He said, annoyed, pulling more water, stepping in her view of Sokka and the firebender.
"L-leave us!" She stuttered, a loud -aww- shouted from the firebender who dodged Sokka's close slash to his arm
"Not so brave now huh!" The bender mocked until Sokka stopped the sword mere inches from his throat, frowning as the tip touched his throat.
Sokka chuckled, ordering him to surrender. The waterbender tried to attack Sokka, until he pushed further the blade on the firebenders throat
"Let us leave and your friend will get to tell your boss you failed" Sokka demanded, intimidating the boy, who looked conflicted as the firebender ordered him to comply.
Electra walked away from the scene where she knew the bunker would be, halting as she saw a dead end. She touched the wall desperately, cursing under her breath.
Hearing steps behind her she turned to face Sokka somberly, who looked back shocked, turning around to see how he could stall them and bypass the two benders who looked at the couple maliciously.
"Seems the path is closed" the firebender smiled, Electra calmed herself and stood beside Sokka's side, ready to shield him from the fire and to an extent, from the water
Her armor was designed to withstand most of the bending styles, so she was confident in placing herself as a shield the more fire he threw at them.
"You can't keep using a woman as a shield! Where is your honor?" The firebender mocked, throwing several fireballs that Electra barely could withstand
They had been sitting ducks, the benders clearly toying with them as they took turns in how to attack them, the firebender doing it more violently as he tried his best to burn Sokka
"It has been a while," Sokka whispered breathlessly, making a realization. The constant fire he had on his hand was stealing oxygen from the tunnel.
"More than a while" Electra coughed, that was Sokka's signal he had to kill them or they would pass out and be captured.
Sokka launched himself towards the boys, slicing and slashing his way towards them until a knuckle almost made contact with his chest.
It was pure stone, close to fatal had it hit him. He was clearly outnumbered and now in the middle of the circle
"You are the moron who threw that boomerang" the girl groaned "I was this close to making you sleep well"
"I am not tired yet, thank you for being so considerate" as the sarcasm slid down his throat another firetrail interrupted them, quickly catching the earthbender who was now enclosed in a metal vest
"Suki" he absentmindedly mumbled, amazed at seeing her in action with his creation. Getting out of his shock as the benders faced off, the firebender immediately ran to gut him, Suki's firm grip on his shoulder pushed him backwards.
The three taps were enough to send him to the ground, in shock of being chi blocked. The waterbender went feral, water whippin Suki and Tanya who effortlessly dodged it.
Suki ran close to him and tapped the pressure points, the boy fainting from the experience
"Are you okay?" Suki asked Electra who was trembling uncontrollably, barely nodding. "Why are you here? You were supposed to go with Iroh"
Suki scolded Sokka, who shrugged and then pointed at the wall behind them. "The layout is not-"
"You took another route, you got lost" Suki continued scolding him "You almost got killed"
Sokka´s lips gently turned up, seeing through her worry. "I was toying with them until you came here"
"Like Agni you were" the firebender mocked, earning a glare from him and a giggle from Tanya.
"We were betrayed" Suki confirmed his suspicion "We need to change the route outside this tunnel or we might be ambushed again"
"We?" He asked as Tanya nodded "That's why you are so angry huh?"
Suki glared and took out her fan, tapping the firebenders back. "Get up"
The man complied and walked out of the hole Tanya had made, flying away with the Yuyan archers who sedated them. Sokka walked behind Electra, with Suki and Tanya on the front.
Being in the open was eerie to him, their steps were silent and gentle, even if they had the eyes of the yuyan archers above them, he couldn't help but feel something was very wrong. To add insult to the injury, he couldn't talk as Suki instructed him to be quiet before getting out of the tunnel.
Tanya signaled them to walk around the corner before a dart landed on her neck, Suki immediately turned to the direction with her hands in the air, signaling the other archers to aid her. The traitor had been in this small group after all.
Sokka had his eyes everywhere, now that Tanya was another person he had to protect. Even if he worried to an extent about Suki, he knew better than anyone that she could put down someone easily.
He glanced at her as Suki cursed, handing him the gauntlet and taking some speed before climbing the buildings. Reaching the roof, two archers had the traitor with both shoulders already broken, a small punishment in comparison to what was about to come.
"Why?" She interrogated with apathy, her gestures unbothered as the archer grinned.
"No whore from the earth kingdom, and a bendless one, will dictate who and when I serve" the archer laughed as Suki landed a sucker punch on his nose, blood gushing out like falls.
"You are working for the Avatar, that's who you are betraying. He is merciful," Suki smirked, eerily similar to her master, as she pushed her feet deep on his chest, slightly cracking his rib "We are not. You made a vow to the crown before taking this mission"
Suki signaled them to finish the job, not letting the man talk as they stuffed his mouth with his own hands, gag sounds and muffled screams heard as they burnt his face off, dying some minutes later.
She was halfway down before catching the frightful stare of Electra, who gripped Sokka's back tightly.
"Your armor?" Suki whispered lightheadedly, pointing at him, Sokka pointed back at her. She sighed frustrated, unclasping hers as fast as she could. "Electra, give me yours" she ordered.
"It's all worn out" Electra whispered back as Suki had already hers open to be put on the ambassador.
"I know" Suki reassured with a gentle smile, turning Electra around nonchalantly as she saw Sokka carrying Tanya in his arms already. "I will be okay, I would worry more about Sokka who is just in his normal southern water tribe armor"
"Looking cool and good, something you don't look like" He quickly defended himself, his tone playful as he checked Tanya's pulse. "It's not venom, is it?"
"It's a sleep dart, we need Katara to help us control the side effects only, she will wake up in an hour," Suki explained, positioning Electra between Sokka and her. "Let's go"
She signaled again the yuyan archers who nodded, hiding and moving through the roofs to clear the coast.
Sokka was not scared of Suki dealing punishments to traitors, he was quite proud of how she imposed her respect, tasting it firsthand when she disrespected her island and beliefs back at Kyoshi.
But he was uneased at how emotionless she sounded talking to him, how she didn't even defended herself after being called a whore -thing that infuriated him-
She didn't have a spark after all the adrenaline rush from moments ago
After minutes walking and having a clear coast, they crossed the path towards the refuge where Katara immediately opened the door.
Sokka hurried with Tanya, as they had walked some time and he was unsure when she would wake up.
"You were ambushed?" Toph asked as they entered, Penga already handing back Sokka's armor and helping him put it on
"Yes, then we found out the traitor" He said struggling to close his vest alone, Ty Lee rushed to aid him as Mai sat with Zuko on her lap, who still slept peacefully.
Suki groaned as she checked Karina who was drowsy and disoriented "They used those goddamned darts, fuck" she cursed. Iroh walked towards her with a cup of mint tea, offering it to her. Suki took it out of respect but she wasn't thirsty.
"I did my best, Toph helped me heal them as the dart contained some, drug, inside" Katara explained, watching Karina benevolently and then at Suki, who brainstormed another safe spot for them.
"We need to move right now" Suki said to Iroh and then Katara "Toph!"
"What?" her annoyance was visible as she pulled out the drug from Tanya's body, taking some seconds to check the area again and be sure no one was close to them. "What do you want?"
"Take them to the tunnels, underground, not the ones that were on the planning" Suki walked towards Toph, Sokka moved Electra right next to Toph, whose frustration increased at the petition.
"You know that the earthbenders can just kill us there more easily you dumbfuck?" Toph cursed at how exposed she -and Electra- would be. Suki's face was unphased, while Sokka and Katara frowned at the girl's treatment.
"Toph" Sokka's tone was calm but firm, trying to support Suki, he continued talking "That was a possibility Suki already checked"
"Of course she did, now go and brainstorm with her loudly so we can actually make a good escape plan" Toph calmed herself, leaving her wanting to curse them and prioritizing Aang and Electra, who were the targets.
"This is an order Toph" Suki spoke calmly, bringing back her acquired role from the fire nation, Electra tugged Toph's arm to walk but the woman was hesitant to move.
"And I'm telling you that is another shit decision you are making for all of us" hateful and resented by the danger they were in, Toph finished her stance "If you had stopped your shit show earlier we wouldn't be in this situation"
"Do you have another valuable and useful opinion or are you going to keep treating me as if I was your help?" Suki took a step forward and crossed her arms behind her back "Know your place in this mission. Or are you afraid of some rookies ambushing you Miss I'm the best bender in the whole world?"
"We are wasting time" Mai interrupted them annoyed "Just follow the orders Toph"
"No! Why are you all acting as if Suki is god's deliverance from the heavens to guide us and help us? One plan failed by infiltration, something that should have been looked upon in the planning that was halted because a stupid wedding-"
"Toph!" Sokka screamed angry "What the fuck is your problem?"
"Your ineptitude is my problem!" Toph screamed back, throwing a punch at Sokka, which was diverted by Suki who glared back.
"Miss Beifong, I'm sure the planning included this scenario. For leaking and security reasons it was not known to anyone else but mr Sokka, miss Suki, me and you," Iroh tried to reason with Toph who was unsure of why she lashed out on them. She focused on Electra's terrified heartbeat and she punched herself mentally. "Your experience and ability underground is an asset we all talked about is useful in closed spaces"
Toph immediately bended the slide down the hole in the middle of the room, moving Mai and Zuko who were close to her.
Suki walked out with Sokka, patrolling as Toph helped those who couldn't walk properly.
The sound of an arrow being thrown put both on high alert, walking away from the house to lure them to another direction. Suki signaled help and from the corner of her eye she could see an archer above her. She walked with precaution, before the archer cleared the area.
Sokka waited too for someone to come out, hating to admit he was a little bit disappointed when the area was cleared.
Walking back to the building where they would need to replan something. They couldn't just hang out underground and cower, it left the city exposed. Unless that's what they had wanted, to lure them all in a place to do their mischiefs.
Seeing the redhead waiting for him, he fastened his walk and stopped her for a brief moment. Suki gestured him to talk
"Where are we headed?" He asked clumsily as Suki sighed and opened the door to explain the plan to him again, closing it behind him. "Are we going to take a connection and hope no one is follow us from above?"
"That's why we have the archers actually, to lure them and trap them. What are we going to do is split into two teams so we can go and capture the leader" Suki quickly explained sliding down the hole, Sokka followed unsure.
"Okay, then what?" He asked as they jogged to meet the rest of the team who where far ahead from them "Are we going to interrogate them and hope to diffuse the situation?"
"I will just capture them, that was our deal" Suki reminded him, meeting up with the rest of the team "I would had finished my job"
Sokka wanted to say something but nodded as he rushed to help Iroh with Aang who was drowsy. Suki and Zuko had only come to help them capture them, it would be in Aang's hands what to do afterwards.
"Hey buddy" Aang was dizzy, his head going forwards and backwards continuously as he tried to stabilize himself. Katara kept working but her face was growing tired. "Katara?"
"Yes?" She asked with half a smile, taken by surprise of the sudden kiss on her cheek "Oh"
"Are we back at home? Did I drink cactus juice or why is my head so…" His knees wobbled and Sokka straightened him with a grin.
"We are almost there" He chuckled as Katara continued sighing tired.
Suki carried Karina in her arms, thankful the new armor was lighter than her traditional. Karina kept a smile on her face, which would be hard for Suki to not imitate it if it wasn't the fact that they were still on the mission.
She glanced at Ty Lee and Mai who carried Zuko, who was also babbling incoherently. She briefly jogged towards Katara to offer her water
"Hey Kat, do you want water?" Suki offered the flask gently, Katara stopped to drink a little bit from it. Instead using it to splash herself a little bit on her face "I could have done it too, you could have asked"
Katara giggled, grabbing the water and directing it to her hands to heal Karina. Karina shot her eyes open and tried to attack Suki who dropped her.
"Ouch!" She moaned in pain, rubbing her back "Sorry" both girls said it unanimously, prompting the siblings to giggle.
"Why did she recover faster than Aang and Zuko?" Sokka asked as Iroh helped Karina to his feet with a smile, the girl accepting it as Suki jogged back to where Zuko was being carried.
"She was shot first, the effect was already on its way out. I could tell from the way she was keeping her energy in a light sleep" Katara explained as Aang kept trying to hug her. "In contrast in how Aang and Zuko are acting"
"They should have been shot first" Sokka complained, earning a slap from his sister "Ouch! I meant it in a way that now we would have all the team back up"
"Do you want some wine to keep discussing your moron thoughts or will you actually walk?" Toph interrupted, annoyed, Electra fidgeted with her fingers nervously as the team walked again.
"Toph? Why are you so grumpy? That was Zuko's nickname" Aang asked, confused as the siblings busted out laughing, unable to contain themselves and infecting Electra too.
"Shut up twinkle toes, drown at the bay or something so you can fight" Toph cursed and made Sokka drop his jaw open excitedly
"We should!" He agreed enthusiastically, "Lead us there! This place is not too far from Yue Bay!"
"Uh? Is the sweetest bitch agreeing with this change of plans?" Toph mocked Suki who passed Zuko to Iroh and scooted closer, rolling her eyes at her nickname.
"Yes, now guide us! It will be easier to heal them in the water, just like us in the morning" He briefly explained to Suki who nodded, tapping his shoulder as she ran backwards to carry Zuko.
"Alright, I'll do the passage" Toph grinned, breaking the pathway "Who is going and who will stay?"
"Toph you need to come with me, we are splitting to do another mission" Suki said as Iroh and Mai walked with Zuko towards Katara, who was already discussing with Iroh how to lay down the three people.
"Who will take my student to the bay?" She imposed it first as Suki motioned to Sokka.
"No, I will be on this mission too," Sokka disagreed, signaling to Electra. "Can you take her?"
"Yes of course" Electra rounded her arms around the girl and did her best to drag her away, Iroh noticed and asked Karina to help Electra, who quickly did.
"Are we leaving her with three fallen people? Are you nuts?" Toph scolded preoccupied
"She is of no use here, we will infiltrate to their base Toph, bringing her with us is a death wish on her" Suki calmly explained as Toph huffed, tapping her foot impatiently as Suki and Sokka glanced at each other suspiciously.
Was Toph angered that they weren't guarding Electra? Sokka shrugged, Ty Lee smirked and coughed a bit.
"I think we can have her out as bait for them, otherwise they will ambush Aang and uncle" Toph tried to keep her close, Suki took note of it. It was risky but they had protection from the yuyan archers after all.
"Then let's all wait for Aang and Zuko to get refreshed, there is no use of us fighting against a crowd of benders" She agreed with Toph and began walking towards the bay, Sokka knew Suki better than that.
She was already plotting something, he gently bumped her arm so she would share her plan.
"What 's next?" He asked with a grin, liking how Suki had to slightly lift up her head to look at him.