Chapter 7 - The Plains Village
This new routine continued for the next several days. Katara would wake to the smell of a simple breakfast of rice porridge cooking over a fire as Zuko would be quietly meditating nearby under the glow of the morning sun.
The rest of the mornings would usually proceed at a comfortable traveling pace. Katara had taken to regularly walking alongside Zuko instead of riding upon Biscuit. She would say that she wanted to stretch her legs or that she was relieving the burden on the ostrich horse. She had been feeling sorry for the animal; having to carry all of their gear as well as her all the time.
Further, Katara seemed to have developed a knack for locating sources of water. Zuko figured that the waterbender was starting to make herself a bit more useful. At least they could remain hydrated as they traveled across the vast open fields of the Earth Kingdom. And with reliable water sources, finding good camping sites became simpler as well.
The afternoons became devoted to training. Katara would work on her waterbending under Zuko's occasional tutorage. There were plenty of mistakes of course and she would usually end up splashing both herself and the Fire Prince with the stray wave or odd column of water. However, even the firebender agreed that she was steadily improving. The water answered her call easier. The connection that she felt with her element only continued to grow.
Sometimes, when he was absolutely sure that they were out of sight of any other possible travelers, even Zuko would step away to practice his own firebending forms. Katara found herself pausing as she watched him. His movements were so different from hers. But even with the precision of a punch or the sharpness of a kick, she saw how he seemed to flow from one motion to another. Ten years of practice were clearly paying strong dividends.
He would pretend to ignore her, but every now and then their eyes would catch and Katara would quickly turn away to refocus on her own waterbending forms. She told herself that she was just observing his practice to try and see if she could apply his firebending forms to her own training. There was just something so mesmerizing about how he moved... how the firebending forms moved, how he moved while performing the firebending forms. Yeah, that was it. It was the firebending forms that were mesmerizing. It had to be.
Something strange did occur during the fourth evening. The sun had just set and the moon was slowing rising overhead. Katara returned to the water's edge after dinner because she thought she was close to developing a new move. However, when she started to waterbend, she felt a surge of power rush through her as the water just sort of instantly reacted to her call.
Zuko had been tending to the campfire when he heard her soaked shout and watched her come running back to the campsite. He didn't seem too surprised when she told him about the more powerful connection that she felt with her element all of a sudden. He told her that firebenders had a close connection with the sun and that firebending tended to be stronger during the day. Since fire and water were opposite elements, it made sense that water probably had a connection with the moon and waterbending was probably stronger at night.
She was a little annoyed at him for keeping that piece of information to himself. However, he merely shrugged and said that he thought she already knew. He reminded her about the ice storm she pelted him with the first night they traveled together. She sheepishly mumbled an apology about that again and returned to the lake to practice some more before bedtime. Maybe it was because she had only recently, truly connected with her element that she was starting to notice the strength that she felt waterbending under the light of the moon.
After another half hour or so of practice at the lake, just as she was about to call it a night and return to the campsite, Katara thought she felt the presence of someone else nearby. Looking around however, she didn't see anyone else; no other travelers, no other campfires, no wild animals. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Turning to look at the water's surface, Katara gasped as she saw what she swore was the reflection of a silvery, feminine figure standing right behind her. Spinning around in a waterbending stance, Katara came face-to-face with... nothing. There was no one or nothing behind her. In a panic, she looked back at the lake, but whatever she thought she had seen was gone. Suddenly, she felt more than just a little nervous, standing there all by herself. The waterbender rushed back to the campsite hastily after that.
"The sign says there's a town over in that direction," stated Katara as she read the wooden post as she sat atop the ostrich horse behind Zuko. "We're almost out of feed for Biscuit and they might have something to eat other than rice porridge."
Zuko would have preferred to keep moving along without stopping at a little no name village off and away from the main throughfare; however, the waterbender was right. They did need to restock soon as their supplies were starting to run low. And this time they could afford to purchase their supplies since they did have the money they took off the bandits the other week. He steered the ostrich horse down the branching road.
Entering the village, Katara quickly started to wonder if this might have actually been a bad idea after all. Perhaps it would be better to try their luck with the next town along their path. This place here was appearing completely unwelcoming as she could feel the eyes of people staring at them from behind closed wooden shutters; peoples' shadows moving within the windows to indicate they were being watched as they entered the village proper on top of Biscuit.
The single road down the center of town was dusty and was barely filled with any people despite it only being about mid-afternoon. Modest, mostly single-story, earthen buildings lined either side of the road, each with a run down, crumbling feel to them.
She felt Zuko tense his muscles, becoming more alert, as she held onto his waist in the saddle. Further, she saw him harden his gaze as the pair continued down the road. The relaxed temperament that he had gradually assumed over the last week with her disappeared rapidly with each step into the nameless town until it was gone completely. It was as if he had abruptly reverted back to when she had first met him on the pier in front of the slave ship without any warning. Zuko's increased hypervigilance did little to reassure her of the safety of this small village. He kept his head straight forward, but she observed him scanning the windows and rooftops with a wary, calculating eye. Biscuit neighed uncomfortably, but continued walking forward at the firebender's prompting.
As they reached about halfway down the road into town, a loud, deep sounding guffaw echoed from across a nearby alley. Zuko bristled immediately as he turned to face the noise, but didn't reach for the swords on his back just yet. Katara clenched her waterskin closer to herself, clearly startled at the unexpected laughter.
A group of four men were loitering in the alleyway wearing various pieces of Earth Kingdom armor. A couple of spears leaned haphazardly against a building wall behind them. They were tossing dice.
"Come on, spidersnake eyes!" cheered one of the men as he rolled the dice only to groan loudly as a two and a five settled. With his apparent loss, two of the other men took turns giving him a single punch in the stomach each as he grit his teeth.
As the two benders continued to ride pass, the most intimidating one of the lot, a large brute of a man with a short beard and a pair of warhammers on his belt, looked at them inquisitively for a moment before settling into a glare. Zuko just glared back as Katara shifted her eyes away. The man was giving her very uncomfortable flashbacks to the warden from the prison rig.
Eventually, they happened upon what appeared to be a sleepy shop stall. Zuko slid off the ostrich horse, but indicated to the waterbender to remain mounted for now. He wanted to be ready to make a quick exit if it was warranted. She nodded in return and moved up in the saddle to take the reins. He gave Biscuit a reassuring couple of pats as he stood alongside the horse.
Approaching the large open shop window, he frowned at the light layer of dust on the counter. It could probably be attributed to dustiness of the town. Everything seemed to have a layer of dust around here. However, given the emptiness of the street, it was also likely a sign of the tiny amount of business that had been done today. Not a great start.
He knocked on the empty counter. "Hey! Anyone here? I'm looking for service," he called out.
It took a couple of minutes and an additional knock or two for a tired looking man to emerge from the back rooms. He was wearing an apron and gave off the appearance of possibly a merchant or an innkeep. The man's worn face deepened into a suspicious stare as he walked up to the counter. "What'cha want?" he said curtly.
The man's sharp tone had no effect on Zuko. Instead, the firebender pulled three coins out his pocket and slid them onto the counter. "Two hot meals and a bag of feed."
The shopkeep's gaze shifted up to the girl on the ostrich horse, then returned to the scarred boy in front of him. "Ain't got no hot meals." Zuko placed another coin on the counter. "Mo' munny ain't go'in to change what I gots in stock."
Zuko pulled back two of the coins with a small scowl. "Fine, then just two bags of feed." His scowl deepened as the shopkeep picked up a coin and bit down on it to test its authenticity or perhaps just to taste it. Zuko actually wasn't exactly sure given how the man didn't seem any food available to sell.
The man scooped up the other coin and disappeared back into the shop.
At the intermission of Zuko's interaction with the shopkeeper, Katara caught a small blur of movement behind a nearby stack of boxes. Two young Earth Kingdom boys crept closer as they dashed underneath the far side of the shop counter.
The waterbender's eyes flashed to Zuko, but the firebender seemed to already be well aware of the two young interlopers. However, the Fire Prince was making an effort of pointedly ignoring the two kids and their muffled laughter as the roofs of their heads bopped up and down just slightly over the counter.
Suddenly, Zuko shifted abruptly as he caught a small hand tightly by the wrist that was reaching out for his pockets. 'Where did he come from?!' wondered Katara with a start as she realized the two boys were actually a distraction for the third boy to sneak up from the other direction in an attempt to pick Zuko's pocket.
Zuko said nothing. He merely growled lowly at the young pickpocket before he released the lad and the boy scrambled away. Unfortunately for the boy, he ran directly into the group of Earth Kingdom soldiers that had started to approach the newcomers in town.
"Hey! Let me go!" shouted the boy as one of the soldiers held his arm and lifted up him slightly off the ground.
"You up to your old tricks again, aint'cha brat?" accused the boy's captor.
"I ain't up to no'hing!" refused the boy as he started to flail about in the air in a futile effort to free himself.
Katara watched as the boy's supposed friends darted away from the shop counter and slinked back into the relative safety of a far alleyway. She glanced back at the firebender, but he appeared to be disinterested as he kept his back to the interaction going on behind him, feigning his focus forward as he awaited the shopkeep's return. Katara gripped her waterskin tighter as the boy's thrashing foot found purchase in his captor's kneecap.
The man howled in pain as he dropped the boy. The kid made it about two steps before his left leg was encased in a crude rise of earth that had ensnared it. The large brute of a man stepped forward and Katara's noticed some kind of badge pinned to his chest. "You know the punishment for stealing is to lose a hand."
The boy's eyes grew about three times their size in fright as he attempted to pull his foot from the earthen grip that held it fast as the brute slowly approached. "I ain't steal no'hing! Honest!"
"You're right," mused the brute. "I just watched you fail spectacularly. I guess the punishment for attempted stealing can only be a finger or two."
Katara's body moved before her mind was fully conscious of her taking any action as she slid down from the ostrich horse and took a step closer to the injustice going on around her. Her thumb flicked the cap of her waterskin off. "Hey! Leave him alone!"
Cruel green eyes shifted towards her clear blue ones and Katara felt herself freeze in place, stunned. She had seen that cold harsh glare that promised to inflict pain so many times before. Suddenly, she wasn't in some no name Earth Kingdom village. She was back in her prison rig cell, the fire warden looming over her, holding a club to beat her with and a sinister sneer on his face. She couldn't move, couldn't breath.
The waterbender almost didn't hear the brute's ominous snide, "And what are you going to do about it lass?"
Katara took an involuntarily step backwards as any words she had caught in her throat. Her open waterskin tilted downwards as she lost her grip on it, water rushing freely to the ground as it emptied rapidly. Nightmares of the beatings that she had suffered on the prison rig came surging right back, full force, at the sight of the towering Earth Kingdom brute in front of her. She couldn't move, couldn't think as panic seized her. She had been naive again. So naive. There was no reason to think that the Fire Nation should hold sole ownership over all the evil in the world. It appeared Earth Kingdom inhabitants were just as capable.
She wanted to speak up again. Demand that the man release the boy. That the kid hadn't done any harm. That her traveling companion clearly didn't care about the attempt at thievery and had already let the kid go. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, she only saw the Earth Kingdom brute's face blur together with the prison rig warden's face as she began to see the shadows of burnt bodies litter the street, hear the pained cries, smell the singed flesh. She started to shake without answering him. She felt small as her trauma returned unbidden.
The Earth Kingdom brute grinned contemptuously as he started to lumber forward. As he opened his mouth to spew out another cruel line, an egg collided loudly with the side of his temple as the sound of the cracking shell echoed loudly down the mostly vacant street. The brute's enraged look scanned the entirety of the area as he wiped the yolk from his face with a look of disgust. His eyes settled in on the scarred faced boy standing at the counter with his back to the scene still. "You throw'in eggs stranger?"
Zuko didn't turn around. "No."
"You see who threw it?"
"No."
Another Earth Kingdom soldier spoke up. "That the only word you know?"
"No."
The firebender felt a giant hand place itself roughly on his shoulder as it forced him to turn around. He brushed the offending hand off as he narrowed his eyes into a glare at the man trying to intimidate him. The earthbender spoke through clenched teeth, "That egg had to come from somewhere."
"Maybe a chicken flew over," Zuko deadpanned.
The ridiculously absurd response had been delivered with such deadpan sincerity that it managed to allow Katara to return to the present. By his tone alone, she honestly couldn't tell if Zuko was trying to provoke the Earth Kingdom brute further or if he was genuinely trying to present a possibility of what had happened.
Two of the Earth Kingdom soldiers looked skyward in an attempt to spot the wayward foul. Another soldier behind the brute laughed freely at what he figured was a joke until a furious glare from the brute silenced him. A murderous expression spread across the leader's face as the glares between the earthbender and the firebender only intensified.
The sound of two heavy sacks being placed onto the shop countertop interrupted the two benders before any further action or inciting comment could occur. A quick hand signal from the brute and the Earth Kingdom soldiers rushed forward to grab the feed bags from the counter.
"The Army appreciates your support and contribution to the cause," chuckled the brute.
Zuko did not say anything in return. Katara found her ability to walk again and moved closer to the Fire Prince. Her movement caught the brute's eye as he recalled her presence.
His cruel green eyes gave her a calculating look, as if reevaluating her, before he settled on a lecherous smile. "You know miss, the Army is always willing to offer food and shelter to those who provide us with some entertainment." Katara bristled once more at Zuko's side as her skin crawled in response to the filth the brute had insinuated towards her. She felt Zuko's arm wrap around her waist protectively as he drew her closer to him.
"She's not interested," the firebender answered for her. His eyes narrowed dangerously as his other free hand rested on the hilt of his Dao broadswords.
The soldiers behind the brute tensed as they raised their weapons. One of them realized that he had left his spear behind and awkwardly raised his empty fists instead. The air was charged, primed for a fight, when the Earth Kingdom brute snorted indignantly. "You better leave town. Penalty for stay'in might be a lot steeper than you could afford. Trust me." The man patted the warhammers on his belt as he turned and stalked off with his men following behind him.
"Thos' soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation. But they're just a bunch of thugs," commented the shopkeep from behind the traveling pair.
Zuko pulled out another set of coins. "Do you have anymore ostrich horse feed?"
The man gripped the shutter at the top of his shop window. "You crazy stranger? I ain't gett'in on Gow's bad side for sell'in you anything else." He pulled down the shutter with a slam as Zuko heard the shop door locking as well.
Katara was still entrenched where she stood. That encounter had returned her to a dark place that she had thought she was moving on from. Cruelty knew no borders it seemed. She thought she was getting stronger. She was getting better with her waterbending. But when the situation called for action, she simply froze up. Belatedly, she realized that her waterskin was overturned on her belt loop and was most definitely empty. A hand waved in front of her face.
Returning from her thoughts, she noticed Zuko seated atop Biscuit, his arm outstretched to lift her up. Apparently, he had been trying to get her attention. "I said, we'll try the next town. Come on."
Her ears burning at not hearing him the first time, she took his hand as he helped her up. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned into his back, his warmth reassuring to her. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly. The waterbender didn't actually know what she was apologizing for or even to who, but she felt she needed to say it.
Zuko didn't say anything else as he turned the ostrich horse towards the road out of town. He was stopped as the young thief from earlier popped back out from underneath the shop counter. "Thanks for not ratting me out mistah! That was awesome! None of the grown ups 'round here ev'a stand up to those idiots! Were ya scared? Were ya go'in to use dem swords?"
Katara blinked as she realized the boy must have freed himself sometime during the exchange and had ducked out of the way when the soldiers' attention was diverted. Before Zuko could say something scathing, she interrupted the line of questioning, "You shouldn't have tried to steal."
To his credit, the boy looked sorrowful at his dishonest actions that had led up to the situation in the first place. It lasted about five seconds. Then, flashing a toothy smile, the young boy changed the topic, "Hey, ya hungry? Come to mah house! I can feed your ostrich horse too. Let's go, I owe ya."
At the promise of food, Zuko's stomach grumbled. Any reservations Katara might have had about trusting the young thief faded away. "That would be wonderful." Before Zuko could protest, she whispered to him, "You're hungry. I am too. And we still don't have anything for Biscuit."
With a grunt, Zuko allowed the young boy to escort them back towards his house.
A short walk from the edge of town delivered the group onto a winding trail that seemed to lead towards a run-down farm. There were sections of wooden fencing scattered here and there with some larger gaps in parts that appeared to scavenged to repair other, more-used pens and fields.
As the group approached closer, several groupings of moo-sows rushed to the fence line, squealing and snorting at the strangers to their fields. Biscuit reared up involuntarily at the stampede of smaller animals and Katara gave a yelp in surprise, holding tighter onto the firebender's waist as Zuko pulled up on the reins and attempted to calm his mount.
"Sorry 'bout that," apologized the young thief as he tried to shoo away the farm animals. Then, he explained with a large smile, "We're pig ranchers! We've got all kinds here!"
"Oh!" commented Katara. Racking her brain for something more to say, she added lamely, "So that's what those creatures are." She had never seen a pig before as the South Pole didn't have any animals like them. Even the ostrich horse, Biscuit, had been a new sight for her.
Zuko turned up his nose in disgust at the fresh scent of manure permeated the air, "That explains the smell."
"That wasn't very nice," scolded Katara. She didn't care for the smell either, but she wasn't about to say something impolite about it.
The young thief didn't seem to take offense. He simply shrugged like that was just a normal reaction from other people. "Ya get used to it. 'sides, ya'll change ya tune after a bite of picken."
Zuko didn't seem to agree, but said nothing further.
As the group drew closer to the farm house, even more types of pigs squealed to announce their arrival. The young thief was speaking a mile a minute as he took pride in explaining each one of them in turn. "That there's a bull pig. They can be a bit ornery. Pa don't let me get near 'em. They're quite protective of the moo-sows. Ya saw those on the ways in. We's got some deer-pig over in that pen over yonder. Oh, and over there's the pen for the wooly-pigs. Those ain't for eating. We use the wool to make clothes and blankets and such. Ah, here come the pickens I was tell'in ya about, and a pigster!"
A bunch of pickens rushed out of a nearby coop as the group walked by and clucked around them. A pigster leapt up onto a wooden post, ruffling its wings and puffing out its chest territorially. It scratched against the post with its claws as it crowed loudly and attempted to fluff out its feathers to appear bigger.
Katara stared in fascination at each of the hybrid pigs that they came across. Each was intriguing in its own way.
Rubbing his hand against the back of his head at the level of noise the pigs were all making, the young boy added, "No one can ever sneak up on us."
"No kidding," came Zuko's crisp reply, which earned him a quick pitch to the skin at his side from the waterbender behind him. He hissed lowly, but didn't say anything else.
Then, as if to prove the young boy's point, the front door to the farm house flew open as a plain, homely looking woman burst forth. Her skirts swayed against her ankles, sweeping up a flurry of dust and giving off an impression of even greater speed as she rushed towards their group. Her facial expression appeared to just be barely containing the promise of a righteous scolding. Katara instinctively imagined a similar look that her Gran-Gran had whenever Sokka had done something exceedingly foolish. The young boy retreated behind their ostrich horse as if in a poor attempt to hide himself. "Oh, no..."
The woman seemed to cover the hundred meter distance between them in the blink of an eye. Even Zuko felt himself flinch at her tone despite not being the recipient of her attention. "And just where did you disappear to?!"
"No-wheres, just around the farm," weakly lied the boy nervously.
"Now I know I didn't just hear my boy lie to me," condemned the Mother as she placed her hands on her hips.
Zuko noticed a man appear from within the barn at the sounds of the scolding. The older man wiped his hands off with a rag, then began to leisurely make his way closer to the newcomers on the farm with an interested expression.
"I was in town playing with mah friends," started the young boy.
The woman's breath seemed to catch in her throat. "You know the town's dangerous! I've told you time and time again not to go there without me or your Father."
"But nothing happened, Ma!" whined the boy.
"No buts!" she countered. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you." She knelt down and wrapped him up in a fierce hug. "Anything could have happened in town. Especially nowadays."
The man had finally reached the group as he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Honey, the boy's fine. Besides, we appear to have guests."
The woman stood back up blinking as if just realizing that there were two teenagers riding an ostrich horse next to her son for the first time. She offered an apologetic smile as she quickly wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry about that. This boy is always getting himself and others into trouble. I don't know what to do with him sometimes. But enough about that. Where are my manners? My name is Sela and this is my husband Gansu. And you have already met Lee it seems."
Zuko dismounted from the ostrich horse before offering a hand to assist Katara with the step down. Sela seemed to give an approving smile at the action. Gansu seemed to remain a bit more calculating as he scrutinized the pair further.
Katara traced Gansu's frown back to their state of attire. She hadn't thought about it before when it was just her and Zuko, but she would be the first to admit that their appearances were definitely disheveled. Their clothing was fraying at the edges and there were noticeable blotches of mud all over. She was starting to feel a bit anxious when Gansu asked, "You met Lee in town?"
Both either traveler could say anything, Lee jumped in front of them. "Ya should a seen it Pa! These two stood up to Gow and his goons! This guy here didn't even flinch when Gow got in his face! And he made a joke about chickens when Gow got hit with an egg."
"Oh? And were did this egg come from?" asked Sela a bit too kindly, with a tone that promised that they would definitely talk about this further, out of sight and earshot of company.
Lee laughed nervously before he waved his hands and decidedly left out the part where he quite nearly lost either his fingers or his whole hand. Instead, he launched into a fictitious battle between Zuko and Gow that involved swords and hammers. Gansu placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder to quiet the excited boy as he noticed that Sela was juggling a mix of apprehension of Lee's proximity to danger from Gow and appreciation at the two travelers for keeping the boy safe. He nodded in approval. "Thank you for keeping our son out of trouble."
"Do your saviors have names, Lee?" asked Sela.
Zuko nervously mumbled, "I'm... we're... uh..."
Gansu took a step closer to his wife. "They don't have to say who they are if they don't want to Sela. It's okay. Anyone who can hold their own against those bullies is welcomed here."
Zuko shifted uneasily at the attention. He just wanted to leave. Nothing good ever happened when others got involved with him.
His discomfort gave Katara pause. She wondered to herself just how unfamiliar he was at receiving kind words of appreciation from strangers. Then another thought gave her further pause. He might have been worried about being revealed as Fire Nation. He had mentioned that worry of his to her before. Would Sela's and Gansu's words of thanks change if they knew Zuko's background? Hoping to move the focus off of her friend, the waterbender adjusted the topic. "Who were those men in town?"
"Officially, they're Earth Kingdom soldiers," answered Gansu. His gaze darkened. "In reality, they just a bunch of thugs lording over our village. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."
"All the real soldiers are off fighting in the war," added Sela. She pulled Lee closer to her. "Like Lee's big brother, Sensu."
The pigster crowed a second time from a different wooden post. Sela smiled to Katara and Zuko. "Once again, welcome to our home. We may not have much, but you are quite welcome to stay for supper."
Surprise flashed in Zuko's eyes at the unexpected invitation. He looked back at the open road for a moment and then at Katara, his face appearing a bit torn. Eventually, he said, "We don't want to be a bother. We... we should be moving on." Somewhere, far off in the distance under the setting sun, a wolf jackal howled forebodingly.
"You'll do no such thing," replied Sela as she made a sweeping motion with her hand as if to brush off Zuko's rejection of her invitation. "Why this young lady here looks in desperate need of a good night's rest and a hot meal." She looked him over again. "You both do. Besides, if you feel like you're putting us out, then I'll let you know that Gansu could use some help with the barn. His bad leg is acting up again."
Katara gave a small bow of thanks when Zuko said nothing further. "Thank you for your kindness."
Lee gave a small whoop of cheer, but before he could say anything, Sela gripped him powerfully by his shoulder to hold him in place with the strength only known to a Mother scolding their child. With a deceptive smile thinly hiding the displeased tone in her voice, Sela noted, "And you were supposed to feed the animals this afternoon. Your chores are still waiting." Lee laughed nervously under her expression that would clearly suffer no argument. "And take their ostrich horse into the barn as you go," she added, handing him the reins.
Lee had a difficult time sitting still during supper. He kept switching his unbridled attention between Katara and Zuko, peppering them with endless questions. More often than not, he would launch into a new line of questioning before he had even received a response to a previous question. His mother lost count of how many times she had to tell him to settle down and let their guests eat in peace.
Katara was the very picture of amiability, humoring the young Lee and trying to answer as many questions as she could whenever he took breath or paused to shovel food into his mouth. She told Sela and Gansu tales of the Water Tribes and Lee about the funny accidents her brother Sokka usually ended up causing to himself. Periodically, she would glance over to Zuko, who was trying to remain unnoticed at the corner of the table as he only provided simple, one-word answers when prompted. Katara attempted to keep the table conversation on herself to deflect the attention away from her reserved traveling companion.
Despite not saying much, Zuko didn't refuse to raise his plate when Sela offered seconds, then later thirds. He tried to ignore Lee's happy grin after the firebender took a bite of picken and quickly wolfed down the rest of the yard bird on his plate.
Eventually, the night settled down as Gansu led Zuko to the barn to set up some sleeping arrangements for the traveling pair. Katara offered to help wash the dishes. Sela shooed her off to the barn after that chore was complete, handing her several thick blankets and two fluffy feather pillows and telling her to get some rest. She passed by Gansu on the way to the barn as he wished her a good night.
The interior of the barn was mostly dark as the sun had almost completely set in the distance; however, a couple of lanterns on wooden wall pillars emitted enough of a glow for her to make her way around without issue. Biscuit was inspecting her stall off in the corner and poking around at the fresh hay that had been offered. Zuko was kneeling down next to the luggage bags as he sorted their gear.
"At least this will be a nice change of pace, sleeping in a barn instead of camping again," the waterbender offered cheerfully.
She received a grunt in response from the Fire Prince as he kept his back to her, maintaining his focus on the luggage bags. Undeterred, Katara tried again, "It was kind of Sela and Gansu to put us up for the night. They at least seem better than those townspeople earlier today."
Another grunt was the only reply she received. Taking a step closer, the Water Tribe girl asked, "Is everything alright? I don't think anyone's caught on to your background. It's probably safe to stay here tonight."
This time, Zuko mumbled something under his breath far too quietly for Katara understand. "I didn't hear you. What did you say?"
The Fire Prince stopped rummaging through the saddlebags. It was clear at this point that he wasn't really unpacking or doing anything in particular. He had just been trying to appear busy. Turning towards the Water Tribe girl, his face slightly flustered, he stated flatly, "They think... we're married."
That gave Katara a start as a blush rushed to her face. She held up the blankets and pillows in her arms to mask her features. "What gives you that idea?"
"Because Gansu said as much just a few minutes ago before he left," the firebender returned swiftly.
The waterbender noticed a frown on Zuko's face as he talked. He seemed to have one there ever since they entered the village earlier today. "Zuko-" she started.
"This is all your fault!" he blurted out hastily.
She wheeled back on her heels, feeling slightly indignant. Any sentiment that had been her previous sentence faded away. "My fault? What is my fault?" She didn't understand how he could be blaming her for what Sela and Gansu thought. It wasn't like she could control what conclusions others came too. "Is the mighty Zuko afraid of people thinking that he might actually care for someone other than himself?"
"I can't afford to!" he returned, keeping his voice measured as to ensure it didn't carry too far.
Katara was a little taken back by Zuko's behavior. "Why? Is it so bad to help others and be helped in return?" It wasn't like they had suddenly become lifelong friends over the last few days, but from her perspective, the two of them had at least been able to talk somewhat comfortably to each other as they traversed the Earth Kingdom. Now that they had finally encountered other people, it was like the firebender withdrew himself back within his turtle duck shell and refused to come out. Almost like she was starting from scratch with him all over again.
Zuko turned away from her. She almost didn't hear his next retort. "I can't afford any more weaknesses." He sounded far more dejected than she had heard him before. She got the feeling his sour mood had far more to do with something other than Gansu's comment about them. What that was however, she did not know.
Setting the blankets and pillows off to the side, Katara approached the Fire Prince slowly. Resting the front of her head on his back as she gave him a small hug from behind, Katara felt him stiffen at her touch and frowned to herself. "Letting people care about you and caring for them back isn't a weakness, Zuko."
The firebender was silent for a moment, until he said despairingly, "It is when they leave you."
His voice sounded so melancholy and far away, almost as if he was caught up in a distant memory from his past. Katara felt a twinge of pain of her own. She still recalled the pain of lost when her Mother was taken from her, killed in a Fire Nation raid. She felt the anguish of when her Father departed the village with his warriors almost three years ago now to fight in a far off war instead of staying with her and her Brother. She could picture the torment on her Brother's face when he was forced to leave her behind on the prison rig, her fate unknown to him.
"I'm not going anywhere," the waterbender proclaimed resolutely.
"You will. No one stays with me by choice."
"I won't."
"You-"
"I won't," she replied with a firmer tone.
The Fire Prince said nothing further as the pair stood there for a while longer, the Water Tribe girl still maintaining her hug from around his back as Zuko stood there unmoving without returning any acknowledgement of the embrace. His thoughts lingered on the shadow of his Mother saying goodbye to him and rushing down the royal hallway corridor into the night, never to be seen or heard about again.
Katara awoke to the sound of Zuko's steady breathing next to her as she opened her eyes. It was one of the rare times that she found herself awake first, before the firebender, who almost always seemed to rise with the sun in the mornings. He must have been more exhausted from all the traveling on the road than he had let on.
She lay there watching him for a moment, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady tandem. He always acted like he had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, that he had to treat everything as a challenge that must be beaten into submission. It was as if he thought the world would think less of him if he couldn't prove that he could accomplish something on his own. And yet he always put in the effort. Regardless of when he stumbled, he always seemed to reapply himself to the task at hand with renewed effort and determination.
Katara thought back to yesterday in town. She had been so shell-shocked when that man, Gow if she recalled Gansu's description of the man, looked at her with eyes that promised cruelty. She thought that she was getting stronger, that she had been working to overcome the trauma of the prison rig. And all it took was a single reminder of cruelty to send her right back into that prison cell. If Zuko hadn't been right there beside her, she shuttered to think of what might have happened. The firebender might not admit it in so many words, or any words actually, but she suspected he did, in fact, care about the people around him.
Katara was brought out of her ponderings by the sound of the barn door creaking open carefully as sunlight spilled onto the floor. She spied the curious eyes of a young boy peeking his head in, his face beaming when he saw her moving to sit up on the blankets. "Ya're awakes!"
The waterbender smiled at his early morning energy. She noticed Zuko beginning to stir. "Good morning, Lee."
"Mum said not to wake ya two, but see'in how yas awakes already, do ya wants to come sees the farm?" asked Lee as he bounced into the room and hopped on top of pile of hay near Biscuit. The ostrich horse neighed at the young boy sitting on what she had deemed as her breakfast.
Zuko pulled the blanket over his head in a shallow attempt to ignore the enthusiastic farm boy. Lee was not deterred as he tugged at the bottom of the sheet. "Come on! If we head up to the loft, we can sees the whole farm! Then I can shows ya how to milk the moo-sows! And I can shows ya how well I can ride a deer pig!"
Katara smiled apologetically to the firebender when he stared at her in exasperation. Then, she turned to farm boy. "Sorry Lee, but I think we have to help your parents with some work around the farm first."
As wind left the young boy's sails, the barn door opened a second time as Sela poked her head in. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned when she saw Lee. "Did you wake them up after I clearly forbid it?"
Lee backed away from the two benders with a sheepish grin. "O-Of course not Ma! They was awake already when I checked."
Sela walked in and took Lee by the arm. "Well, give them some time to get ready for the day before you start hounding them. The last thing young couples want to see in the morning is a rude boy getting in-between them." Then as she led her protesting son out of the barn, she called over her shoulder. "There's breakfast in the kitchen, come get it when you're ready!"
Both Zuko and Katara flushed red at Sela's casual comment as they exchanged embarrassed looks. Zuko got out of bed immediately as he attempted to smooth out his tunic and slipped into his boots. With a quick, self-conscious good morning to the waterbender, he ducked out of the barn.
Katara moved a little slower as she threw aside her end of the blanket and stood up, straightening her clothes and attempting to fix her tangled hair. She certainly didn't want the older woman to assume that they had been doing anything... well, anything that required privacy. Folding the bedding and setting it off to the side, the waterbender gave Biscuit a couple of pats and placed some hay in the trough. Then she made her way out of the barn and towards the farm house proper.
Sela was fussing with some old trunks when Katara walked inside. "There you are. There's some eggs and hash on the table. The menfolk have already eaten and are getting a start on the day's chores."
After Katara finished the meal in short order, Sela took her by the hand and led her to the bathhouse with some soap and a brush. "Now, you look like you haven't seen a good washing in weeks. Take your time and wash up. I'll have a fresh set of clothes for you afterwards."
With an embarrassed thank you, Katara made her way into the bathhouse. As she removed her clothing, she noticed the Fire Nation slave brand on her left shoulder. She grimaced at the sight of it. She had attempted several times before to use her waterbending healing to remove the mark, but had only managed to make it fade slightly. Maybe her healing wasn't strong enough. Or maybe the slave brand was too deeply burned into her skin. Whatever the reason, Katara decided to hurry up and only take a short bath in case Sela came by. It would be an awkward conversation if the slave brand on her left shoulder was seen after all.
A short time later, Katara found herself helping Sela to carry out a bin of laundry to the well over near the barn. On top of the rest of the clothes were hers and Zuko's travel clothes. "I gave your husband a pair of Sensu's old overalls to wear while we get some laundry done. You've got on one of my old dresses from my earlier days. The thing doesn't fit me anymore and I don't think I'll have a daughter or daughter in-law anytime soon, so you're welcome to it when you go."
The Water Tribe girl barely managed a quick thank you in response to Sela's rapid fire statements, especially after the part of Sela's casual use of the word husband to describe Zuko. Katara abruptly realized that she and Zuko didn't exactly talk about what to do about that little misunderstanding. Not that Sela really gave the Water Tribe girl much time to think about it. Katara could easily see who young Lee got his speedy way of talking from.
Sela frowned as they approached the well. The rope holding the bucket was heavily frayed and didn't look like it would support too many more loads of water back up before breaking. "I told Lee to run a new rope yesterday. I should have checked up on him earlier."
Looking into the well to see the water settled at the bottom, Katara said, "Please, allow me." Before Sela could ask what the teenage girl was up to, the waterbender settled into a stance and, with a look of concentration and a focused swaying of her arms, bent a column of water up, out of the well, and into the large wooden wash bucket on the ground.
"Well I'll be. You're a waterbender!" exclaimed Sela. "That'd be a mighty helpful ability to have on a farm. You wouldn't happen to have a sister or female friend waterbender for my Sensu, would you?"
"N-No," answered Katara, slightly embarrassed for some reason.
"A pity. I guess my boys will just have to keep searching on their own," sighed Sela as she picked up a piece of laundry.
The two fell into a comfortable rhythm of scrubbing and rinsing as they worked on the pile of dirty clothes. After a time, Katara could almost hear her Gran-Gran's voice over top of Sela's whenever the woman would complain about some stain or smudge that Lee had somehow managed to dirty his clothes with. The waterbender could just as easily imagine Sokka causing the exact same issue.
A lost, homesick feeling gripped at the Water Tribe girl's heart. Up until just very recently, each day had been a flurry of activity that had allowed her to keep her thoughts of home at bay. And back when she had been imprisoned, she had eventually lost all hope of ever seeing her family again. Now, as she worked side-by-side with a woman who was starting to remind her of her Gran-Gran, the tears welled up in her eyes unbidden. As Sela looked at her, Katara splashed some water in her own face, but Sela wasn't fooled in the slightest. "You're a long way from home, aren't you?"
It wasn't a question, not really. More of a statement seeking confirmation. Katara attempted to dry her eyes with her sleeve. "How did you know?"
Sela gave a motherly smile. "We don't see too many waterbenders here in the Earth Kingdom, especially this far inland. It's been about two decades since I can last remember even hearing about one passing through our neighboring town." She looked over at the barn where Gansu and Lee were stacking piles of roofing shingles while Zuko was struggling to set-up a ladder next to them. "You both look as though you have traveled a long way."
"I'm from the South Pole," Katara decided to tell the older woman after a moment, while notably leaving out Zuko's origins.
Sela blinked as if not completely expecting that answer. "You are a long way from home."
Then picking up a pair of Lee's pants, the older woman frowned as her finger caught on a growing hole where the knee was supposed to go. "I swear, this boy wears down clothes faster than I can stitch them back up. Sensu was the exact same way. Let that be a piece of advice for your dearie, whenever you have children of your own, don't spend too much on clothes. Especially for boys. Those clothes will just end up in the rubbish faster than you can imagine."
At Katara's quite noticeable red hue on her cheeks, Sela smiled knowingly. "I don't know if I'll ever have children. There's just so much fighting in the world," stated the waterbender after a pause.
Sela's smile waned a little at the mention of the war. "You're young. There'll be time for that much, much later anyway. And besides, I have heard rumor that the Avatar has returned. This war may finally be coming to an end soon."
Katara's ears perked up at the remark about Aang and possibly her Brother. This was the first mention she had heard of them since her imprisonment. However, Sela didn't seem to have much more to say on the topic at the moment as she looked back over to her husband who was assisting Zuko with positioning the ladder against the barn wall. Gansu lifted a muscular arm in greeting with a bright smile on his face when he realized his wife was watching. In comparison, Katara's blue eyes met Zuko's golden ones, but he merely refocused back on the task at hand when she waved slightly at him.
Sela laughed at the Fire Prince's reaction. "Quite the serious young man you have there. You haven't told me yet. How did the two of you ever end up together?"
The waterbender gave a sad smile. "I guess you could say... he saved me from pirates." It was true enough, she supposed. Zuko had saved her on the docks in that port town from evil men who had kept her prisoner out at sea, locked away in a metal construct over the waves. Sela didn't need to know the actual story and Katara didn't feel entirely ready to talk about her time as a prisoner or almost becoming a slave girl.
"Now that sounds like a rather an interesting tale, but I won't pry if you don't want to talk about it," noted Sela as she observed the shift in Katara's expression.
"He offered to escort me home, you know? But I told him I wanted to travel with him," stated Katara as she trailed off towards the end, still watching Zuko work.
Sela put down her laundry and brought Katara in for a hug. "It sounds like you've had a difficult time of it." The waterbender accepted the human contact gratefully. "But it also sounds like it wasn't all bad. You met your prince charming after all."
Katara flushed again, a little anxious at how close to the mark Sela was with her 'prince' comment to Zuko's actual origins. Looking to try and change the subject as the hug ended, the waterbender asked, "You mentioned Sensu before. Who is he?"
"My eldest son. He's a couple of years older than you two. When the draft reached our village, all the able-bodied men of age marched off to join the conflict. With Gansu's bad knee, Sensu felt obligated to answer the summons in his Father's place. I worry about him every day and every night. And Lee misses his big Brother greatly." She gave a happy laugh. "That's probably why he has been sticking so closely to your husband all day long."
They looked over to the menfolk again. Lee was rushing all around Zuko, chatting happily and climbing onto things. On the other hand, the Fire Prince remained stoic, taking a hammer out of Lee's hands when the young boy began to swing it wildly in the air and placing a steadying hand on the ladder when the younger boy climbed up and swung from one of the ladder rungs. Sela raised an eyebrow in discernment. "Your husband does seem surprisingly good with children."
Katara felt the blush return to her cheeks as the conversation shifted back once more to a subject she was trying to steer away from.
Zuko glared at the hammer in his hand as if he could intimidate the tool to function better. In front of him were several misshaped shingles with various nails haphazardly sticking out in different directions and bent at just as many angles. And despite the numerous nails he did use, Zuko was confident his handiwork would blow away in the first good breeze to come along.
The firebender shifted his gaze over to Gansu sitting a little higher up on the barn roof. Out of the corner of his eye, he tried to be as discrete as he possibly could be as he tried to see how the older man placed the nails and hammered them into the shingles. His attempts to remain inconspicuous must have been just as good as his carpentry skills because Gansu soon noticed him.
The old farmer observed Zuko's handiwork with a hearty chuckle. "I apologize there lad. That one's on me. I should have demonstrated the proper technique earlier." He waved the firebender over as he picked up another shingle. "Now you see, first you want to..." Zuko nodded along with the man as he explained and demonstrated the technique of how to hammer in the nails without breaking the shingle or bending the nail.
Feeling a little more knowledgeable, Zuko returned to his area of the roof and began again. A couple of roofing shingles later, and he felt a bit more confident that he was at least going to do a passable job with this task.
Gansu nodded in approval at the firebender's work. "You learn fast. If you have any further questions, don't be afraid to ask. There is nothing wrong with not knowing something. Problems only arise when ignorance joins hands with hubris. Why, I know next to nothing about boats and ships." At Zuko's confused expression, he added, "At least, that's how I assume you met your wife? Out on the sea or near a port town?"
Zuko felt a strange, unknown feeling stirring within him as Gansu referred to the waterbender as 'his wife'. The unfamiliar feeling vexed him greatly. He readied another roofing shingle. "It was a port town." He offered nothing further as he continued to work. Gansu simply shrugged, satisfied with the answer and not feeling the need to pry anymore himself.
They worked for a couple more hours as the older shingles on the barn roof were steadily replaced. Eventually, Lee finished his own chores with the barn animals and he scrambled up the ladder, resting against the wooden top rungs as he poked his head over the barn roof. His eyes zeroed in on Zuko, who had his back to the boy on the ladder. He watched as Zuko hammered in a couple more shingles slowly, albeit improving with each one. "Ya not from 'round here, aint'cha?"
Zuko's hammer faltered mid-swing as he realized the young boy was back. "No."
"Where ya from?"
"Far away." Another ping of metal on metal.
"Where ya go'in?"
"East." Zuko reached for another shingle.
"All the way to Ba Sing Se?"
"Probably not." A swing of the hammer.
"I wanta get to Ba Sing Se someday."
"Good for you." Another shingle.
"What'chas favorite food?"
A swing of the hammer was the only response.
"Sensu hunted an elk caribou once with his friends. We hads meat for days!"
A second swing of the hammer.
"Ya any goods at hunt'in?"
"I manage." More roofing shingles.
"I'd bet. Travel'in everywhere. Ya'd have to be good at hunt'in. What's your greatest catch?"
"Probably his wife," bantered Gansu, entering the conversation with a mischievous grin.
Zuko faltered immediately as he slammed his hammer directly onto his thumb and tensed in pain as he bit back a curse. Gansu merely chuckled to himself, paying no heed to the annoyed scowl Zuko shot his way.
Lee didn't seem to understand his Father's meaning and just continued on with his own series of questions. "That's a real winner of a ostrich horse ya gots there. It's so cool. I want one myself one day. Where'd ya get yours?"
Zuko shook his hand once more before he picked the hammer back up. He cringed inwardly at how the ostrich horse was obtained through his thievery. "A... friend." After a pause, he added, "I still owe them."
"Ya gots any Brothers or Sisters?"
Zuko sighed as he picked up another shingle. "A Sister."
"Do ya teach her stuff? Or do she teach ya? Sensu is always show'in me new things."
"I never have to teach her anything."
"Why?"
"She's a prodigy."
"What's a prodigy?"
"A genius."
"Oh." A slight pause, then, "What's a genius?"
Zuko started to get the feeling that either Lee messing with him or the young boy needed more school lessons. Either way, the firebender didn't answer.
Gansu gave the moody teenager an understanding nod. To the older farmer, that little admission about his estranged relationship with his Sister just might explain why the young man was so serious and diligent all the time. It was as if the young man was trying to prove himself just as capable as his Sister. Probably why he was traveling too. To expand his horizons.
Lee spied the young waterbender walking towards the barn and a smirk crossed his face. "When's the first time ya kissed ya wifey?"
Another crushing sound of a solid hammer impacting the soft flesh of an unprotected thumb resounded off the rooftop as Zuko dropped the tool to hold his injured hand. Gansu sighed as he watched appreciatively at the patience of the young man as the firebender struggled to hold back a string of curses and instead settled on quietly putting pressure on his wounded hand.
Lee didn't seem done with his questions despite the clear pain he was causing to his surrogate brother. "What'cha name?"
"Lee."
Both Lee and Zuko looked down from the roof of the barn in surprise. Katara was standing there, looking up with a smile on her face. Lee's face twisted into confusion. "Huh?"
Katara pointed to Zuko. "That's his name."
Zuko grimaced slightly as he witnessed an impossibly huge toothy grin spread across the young boy's face. "Ya gots the same names as me! That's amaz'in!"
Katara laughed at the silent, 'Thanks a lot for that,' that Zuko mouthed to her in annoyance. "Sela says to come wash up for supper. Food will be ready soon."
Gansu and Lee made their way down from the roof. Zuko followed, albeit more slowly, cradling his injured hand and thumb. "He's a good man," commented Gansu as he reached the waterbender. "A bit serious, not too talkative, definitely not great with a hammer, but he has a good heart."
"I know," said Katara with a smile. Gansu gave her a knowing smile and turned to walk to the farm house when he heard her say to the firebender, "Here, let me see your hand."
Zuko was hesitant to show his injury to Katara, but she simply reached for his hand and examined the damage. There was a trace of blood pooling under his thumbnail and a lump developing on the back of his hand from a different hammer strike. "It's alright." She pulled the cap off her waterskin and bent a small bubble of water out that began to glow a brilliant blue hue as she encased hers and Zuko's hands together in the radiant water.
There was an audible gasp of surprise from Lee as he and his Father watched the waterbender work. For his part, Zuko stopped trying to pull his hand away and remained silent as Katara concentrated. The blood washed away, the swelling on the back of the hand receded, and the cracked nail mended itself. Then water slipped to the ground as Katara finished her healing session.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Lee in amazement as he stood closer to observe Zuko's fully healed hand.
"You have quite the gift there little lady," stated Gansu, clearly impressed himself. Then to Zuko. "You're one incredibility lucky guy."
Fighting back his immediate reaction to point out to Gansu that he was, in fact, usually luck's scapegoat, Zuko instead whispered a "Thank you" to Katara and moved to head toward the farm house.
The Fire Prince stumbled as soon as Lee decided to ask, "So, how'd ya get that scar?"
Zuko enjoyed a quick wash in the bath house after dinner. He rather not admit it to anyone, but he was incredibility glad to scrub away all the dirt and grime that he had built up since his last proper wash. He enjoyed being clean. It was soothing. Especially this evening, as the bathwater was refreshingly cool after the long sweaty day in the sun as he dumped the final bucket over his head to rinse away the last of the soap with a serene sigh.
He managed to return to the barn before the waterbender, who had offered to help Sela tidy up some more in the farm house after supper. Patting Biscuit's neck as he walked by, he spread out the bedding and ducked under the covers as his exhaustion was starting to overwhelm him.
The Fire Prince had just about nodded off when he heard the wooden door creak open and he observed the lithe form of the waterbender step into the barn. Even in the lambent light of the lanterns on the wall, he could make out her brooding expression as she seemed focused on something as she paced back and forth across the barn. Whatever it was, it signaled something that would deny him the sleep he craved. He covered his head with the blanket.
His movement appeared to catch Katara's attention as she focused on him and decided to make her thoughts known, "Why doesn't anyone do anything about Gow and his cronies?"
Zuko groaned inwardly. He would likely not be getting any sleep just yet. With the blanket still over his head, he answered through the heavy sheet, "This town is comprised of nothing but kids, elderly, and people too injured to fight."
Katara sighed as she climbed into the bedding next to him. She pulled the blanket off his head. "But there are still more of them than there are of Gow and his men."
Zuko rubbed his temple as he fought off a yawn. "Gow's goons may all be pushovers and weaklings, but Gow himself is dangerous. The man's an earthbender and I get the impression he knows how to use those warhammers of his. That, and I did not notice a single other bender in town. They probably all got drafted into the Earth Kingdom army. So there is no one to match him on equal ground."
Katara was surprised that Zuko could identify benders just by sight alone. How could he do that? Was there an obvious sign that people could see who was a bender and who was not? She was about to ask him, when she paused and decided to remain on topic. "Is there nothing that can be done then?"
Zuko groaned to himself again. He really just wanted to go to sleep. Working up on the barn roof all day had been exhausting. Answering Lee's questions all day had been exhausting. He just wanted the day to end. However, Katara was getting dangerously close to suggesting something that he much rather avoid. "They haven't asked for help. They don't want our help. It's not our problem."
When Katara didn't respond, Zuko figured that was the end of the conversation and he turned his back to her as he settled in to sleep. "Gow reminds me of the prison warden," admitted the waterbender. Zuko looked back over his shoulder. "His eyes. You can just see the cruelty in his eyes. It was as if I was right back in my prison cell when Gow looked at me. I felt small and insignificant. Like I couldn't do anything. Helpless. It only took a look to remind me."
The firebender tried to say something to comfort her, but could not find the right words. Instead, Katara continued, "I know it's not our problem. We can just pick up and leave and not look back. These people can't. They live here. I know that trying to fight every little injustice is foolish. It's gotten me into trouble time and time again. But it just keeps gnawing away at me. I feel their pain. I know they need help." She looked at Zuko. "And we can help them. So why is that so hard to do?" With that she turned her back to him as she lay on her side.
Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but realized that he didn't have an answer for her. Thinking for a minute, the Fire Prince was no closer to a clever retort or an actual answer. With a restless shift, he turned to face away from her in their shared bedding as well. The firebender's face settled into a familiar brooding expression as he lay there for a long while before eventually falling asleep.