Fight 52: The Runaways
"But you're mean. You didn't come back to get me. If you did I wouldn't have had this scary welcome." The young master of the Wang clan hugged Chenlian and complained like a kid demanding attention, embarrassing the others.
"I don't think they'd want to hear that from you of all people." The firebender pushed the obnoxious guy away. "Anyway, don't take him too seriously, and don't trust him too much either. He's got his foolish act down pat."
"I don't think they should trust you too much either. You're quite good at acting like you're fine when you're not." Linshen turned her and raised her shirt, showing them the burn scar from Azula's lightning before she could protest or break free. "I did my best with what balms I had. Her abilities also helped. But she's still not fully healed. After all she nearly died there... no, she did die. And although she was able to come back, she was very difficult about treatment, and lacked truly skilled personel too-"
"Linshen, enough." The wounded girl glared threateningly at him. She didn't want her friends to feel needlessly guilty when she was the one who stayed and screwed up. What more, she didn't want to risk them becoming all nagging and overprotective.
"So please make sure to take good care of her now." The green-eyed man grinned innocently.
After this, the men and Toph stayed at the camp to discuss the invasion. Since the firebender had assured them that although he wasn't going to travel with them, Linshen was going to help them. Given his occupation, he had developed an extensive network of informers and various acquaintances... Meanwhile, Katara took Chenlian down to the river to heal her. The waterbender also wanted to know why... why Zuko? What she was doing with him? Why keep clinging to him despite everything he had done, and how much he had hurt her.
"That's because he was my childhood friend." The Fire Nation noble replied. "We fell in love before we noticed. He's naïve and simple-minded, that's why he rushes head first without thinking, and gets tricked. But he had always been kind. Even though he was weak himself, he always tried to defend those lower than him... as a child, he tried to protect the weaker animals from being eaten by predators. Then he tried to protect his people, he spoke against a tactic meant to use an entire division of new recruits as diversion and sacrifice them, that's why his father gave him that scar on his face. He tried to save Zhao despite having been betrayed and almost killed by him. Even as he was starving, he refused to steal the food of a couple with a pregnant woman during his trip in the wilderness, and he also saved a village from thugs. Because he was like this, I wanted to help him, to protect him, to save him. I really tried to... even though he kept rejecting me... when he thought my family had betrayed the Fire Nation, and when Azula tried to take him afer the North Pole... in the Earth Kingdom, even after Ba Sing Se when Azula gave me that wound and he found another girlfriend... I still tried to believe, I tried to hold on... I really tried... but..." Chenlian was stunned when Katara suddenly and tightly hugged her. It was only then that she noticed the burning in her eyes, and how close she was to crying. The wounded girl clutched her companion's back, shut her eyes, bit back the tears and smiled. "Thank you Katara, but I'm alright. I won't cry for that guy anymore. He doesn't deserve it, right?"
"No, you should cry, cry and let it all go, not for that guy, but everything! " The Water Tribe girl begged.
"You're really kind Katara. I really like you. But I'm fine. I've... already wasted enough tears on him." Chenlian insisted with a soft smile. But it couldn't be true. If she had truly cried enough that everything had been washed away, she wouldn't look this sad! The firebender didn't say it but she was really envious of Aang and Katara who shared the same justice. If possible, she would have wanted to spend her life at Zuko's side... but her justice and her loved one's justice had misaligned. And this time, she would have to stop him no matter what, even if she had to kill... not because she had come to hate him and resent him since she still loved him so much (although she would strongly deny it)... but for the sake of the Fire Nation and this world, because he didn't qualify to be a good Fire Lord, because he intended to follow his father's footsteps.
Katara tightly hugged her friend again and started to cry. It hurt her that Chenlian would smile even though she wanted to cry... that she'd keep this act even before her, and wouldn't let her comfort her. She felt that normally, by now, Chenlian would have cried and let go before her... if only Zuko hadn't broken her trust in people and in herself. And Katara raised her eyes full of hate for Zuko. It was his fault! It was his fault that she refused to open to others again... even to them, to her! And... it was also their fault...
"Chenlian... I'm sorry, I'm really... I should have never left you alone back then..." The blue-eyed girl was very contrite.
"No, you made the right choice." Chenlian reassured her. "If you had stayed it's likely you and Aang would have been captured too, and that was the one thing that had to be avoided no matter what."
"But-"
"I was the one who chose to stay even though I should have escaped and joined you after stalling a little. It was my mistake, not yours. And you were able to get by even without me, right? It doesn't matter what happens to me. Aang's safety is topmost priority." She reasoned. Katara argued that she was important... irreplaceable to them too. She looked and sounded really desperate to convey her feelings. "...Thank you. But you should get your priorities right. It's not just about us, but about the world. There are other firebenders who could serve as Aang's teacher, but Aang, the Avatar, is truly irreplaceable." She was smiling, but it didn't reach her cold adamantine eyes. And Katara felt depressed, guilty. They no longer connected. It was because she had left Chenlian alone. Zuko had abandoned her, and she had abandoned her too... even though that was a time when she definitely must not be left alone... Even if Chenlian knew how much they cared about her, it didn't change anything. Because she had been alone, because she had been in prison, because the circumstances were so similar to that time, because she was too used to being alone to truly change in just a few months, she had reverted back to how she was before. And because no one had been here to stop her and take her hand, she had gone beyond reach. All she had ever truly needed was someone who'd stay at her side.
Then it was time for Linshen to leave. He had some more people to reach out to and things to organize. But before that, Katara needed to talk to him and took him apart. Since it seemed they hadn't talked about it with the guys, she wanted to know about his relationship with Chenlian, when they met, how, and how their relation evolved, what was it that he did for her... everything. Of course she would later ask her about it too but she wanted to hear it from his mouth. So he told her about their meeting, the fact that he had known about her true identity from the start (as well as that of her then traveling companions), how she came to work for him and quit, the feelings he had developed for her, and their time in Ba Sing Se, and how he had freed her from the prison in the Fire Nation capital. She asked if he knew Azula was staging a coup d'état in Ba Sing Se. And he did know.
"Then why didn't you stop it?! Then Chenlian and Aang wouldn't have gone through all that, and the Earth King would still be on the throne and on our side!"
"Because it was needed to shock them all awake, all those complacent and incompetent fools. And because it was time for Zuko and Chenlian to move forward and make a choice, decide on what they really wanted, above anything else. Azula provided the perfect opportunity. Each of us made a choice back then, including you, and me. And the current situation is the consequence. You're upset and guilty about Chenlian, but you know, given her strength, and what she had already gone through, she SHOULD have been fine... had she been able to retain her presence of mind and objectivity... she would have been able to retain them if she hadn't gotten herself so deeply involved... After all there are only two reasons why people change... because someone opened your heart, or because someone broke it. And surely I don't need to tell you who did what..."
"Zuko..." Katara glared fiercely, hatefully, in direction of the Fire Nation Capital. But then she looked down, sad, frustrated, and sighed. "Why did it have to be Zuko? Why did she have to fall in love with him of all people? Why did she cling to him even after he hurt her and rejected her so many times..." She had heard Chenlian's answer, but she was still not convinced.
"No matter how foolish or incomprehensible, some love cannot be discarded. Unable to forgive herself she may try to stop her heart, but there will be times when she loses hope as her heart is moved again. No matter how much she's hated or how many times she's betrayed, she cannot help but love. However, she knows that as long as she keeps on loving him, she'll keep suffering, and that there's only so much she can bear. That's why she does her best to throw it all away. She made a choice. But a fire so strong cannot be quenched that easily. She doesn't want to be healed. She wants the accomplishment of her goal. So I will do everything I can to help her do that. And that's why I can't always be by her side, I can't protect her, and I can't heal her. But YOU can. Heal her, let her forget, and make sure those embers are never fanned. For her sake, that fire must never be rekindled." He advised.
"Oh, believe me I won't let it. I'll redeem myself. This time, I'll be the one to protect her." The waterbender replied with ferocious resoluteness. "Wait... you mean there's a possibility that he'd still try and come back to her? He would dare be so shameless, even after causing all the damage he could?"
"The problem with a wildfire like Zuko is how abruptly he changes directions. He can be easily swayed by certain things while others make him stronger and incredibly persistent... all while unaware or uncaring about all the damage done to his surroundings or the efforts of the people to stop him. But Chenlian's at fault too. She's unnecessarily enduring. When a person, a relation manages to grow like this, even if everything above ground burns, if the roots are deep enough, then new buds can sprout. But in that state, she's extremely fragile. For her to recover, she must be given proper care and time. Of course, she can't be smothered, but if she's hurt again..."
"Don't you worry about that... I'll definitely remove any element that will try to harm her... and I'll nip any toxic relationship in the bud... I'm talking about Zuko of course, but just so you know, that goes for you too..." Katara menacingly glared at the man who had not revealed Azula's presence to Chenlian in Ba Sing Se... allowing the City's, Chenlian's and the Avatar's downfall.
"It's fine." The young man smirked, satisfied. As usual, everything was going well. He had spoken in all honesty... and in the same time fanned her flames of hate and maneuvered to gain an ally in his own war in case that prince still managed to pick himself up and attempt something. Katara's intuition was quite sharp when it concerned her friend. She had seen through his nature. If he ever got bored, or became so obsessed with Chenlian that he'd hurt her, Katara would protect her. If it was her, surely she could heal Chenlian's physical and emotional wounds. If Chenlian stayed with those people, surely, they'll be able to open her up again, even if it took time. His assessement had been correct.
After Linshen's departure, there was a lot of talking and catching up. Time passed without their noticing. Between their separation at the North Pole to their reunion just now, many things had happened. At first they were worried about the Fire Nation investigating her death, and find out the truth but she reassured them. Those people weren't the type to care about how or why things came to be, only about results. All that mattered was that her death had been confirmed. Knowing the details wouldn't change a thing. Losing a tool might hurt but it wasn't like she was that valuable that they'd bother doing a proper investigation. They were going to blame the supervisor who didn't properly monitor her and that was it. Then she also told them about her time in the Earth Kingdom and what happened after her capture in the Cristal Catacombs.
And again, the Avatar and the siblings noted the interest with which Chenlian listened to them, and her detachment when talking about herself... even when she was talking about her time with Zuko or in the Fire Nation Capital prison. Of course, they all deeply resented Zuko but tacitly chose to avoid bringing him up as to not reawaken the pain they knew she must feel. It would be best if a bastard like him completely disappeared from her life, her memories, her mind, her heart... And then she also told them who had hired this assassin who came after them. They were shocked at first before their expressions grew hard and exclamations of anger flew thick and fast. However, in Aang's eyes there was also disappointment. He was disappointed because he had hoped. Chenlian silently wondered what expression she was making, if there was disappointment in her eyes too.
They decided to change the subject and questioned her about her new haircut. She just replied that if she had the time to take care of her hair, she'd rather spend it training... which didn't surprise them much. Then, at their understandable request, the firebender told them about Linshen... their meeting, their interactions, and his involvement in the coup d'état in Ba Sing Se... as well as how he took care of her in the Fire Nation and helped her escape. Her comrades were shocked that she could still trust him after all that. He was dangerous! She didn't deny it and understood their fears. Of course she didn't fully trust him. But he had done all that for her. She was responsible too. He had warned her, and she hadn't listened. So she couldn't blame him. And he was giving her what she needed. He had brought her back on her path. And now he was going to actively help them accomplish their objective. She couldn't say anything about the future but as long as their interests aligned, he wasn't going to betray them. He might not always say the whole truth, but at least he had never made false statements before her. Still, it seemed Chenlian really had a knack for attracting twisted, troublesome guys who seemed to be missing something...
The next morning everyone was there. Chenlian wanted to ascertain a number of things... how stronger her friends had got during their time apart, how strong Toph was... and especially how far she was from her own peak condition and how well she could fight in her current condition. And in the same time, they could try out their teamwork with their newly added member. As usual, it started with one-on-ones before they all 'ganged on' the firebender. Although Chenlian still wasn't satisfied, she could still fight. Her focus and fierceness had increased. Her reflexes and combat sense were returning with every battle. Some of her agility, brute strength and stamina had been lost but she clearly intended to get them back, and quick. But even in her state, she could hold her own against those skilled benders. She could still fight! Although by order of the master healer, the bouts stayed within reason. Although Chenlian was healing well (although not as well as Katara had hoped), that didn't mean she could overdo it and disrupt the process!
The afternoon, the firebender stayed at the camp with the waterbender. She would alternate healing sessions, rest, and moderate training under strict supervision. She had been thinking about the family with whom she had stayed in Fire Fountain City after her previous escape, when she was traveling to meet the Avatar for the first time. She hoped they were doing well, and that Hansu hadn't gotten back to gambling... She wanted to see them, but couldn't. The children would be scared of her current appearance, and she didn't want to face the adults' worry, sadness, pity and questioning.
Meanwhile, (worthless) "Avatar promises" notwithstanding, Toph kept misusing her abilities to win a strongman competition, rig a dice game, extort a merchant after faking a 'traffic accident'... to Aang's and Sokka's delight. So back at the camp, Katara rebuked them. These scams had gone far enough. If they kept doing them, something bad was gonna happen. Exasperated, Toph told her to stop being such a sourpuss and lighten up . They were traveling around the world, making easy money, having fun, with no parents to tell them what to do. They had it great! Now the waterbender understood her friend's behavior. Because her parents had been controlling her, she ran away, and now acted like her parents didn't exist. She acted like she hated them, but she didn't. She just felt guilty, missed them, and because she didn't want to deal with that, she acted like a crazy person, a wild child.
"Look. I ran away to help Aang!" The blind kid suddenly burst out.
"You know what ? It doesn't matter. These scams put us all at risk, and we don't need that. We've already got some third-eyed freak after us." Katara returned to the heart of the matter. Speaking of that third-eyed freak, her brother had the idea of calling him 'Sparky-Sparky Boom Man'. They all ignored him though. "We have enough money. You need to stop this!"
"I'll stop when I want to stop, and not when you tell me!" Toph retorted childishly. She started walking away... or rather running away from the truth in Katara's words...
"So you're just throwing a tantrum like a toddler?" Chenlian intervened disdainfully. She had thought about keeping quiet but something had really angered her. "You don't even know that freedom comes with responsibility? You said you ran away for Aang yet you don't even realize that your repeated misdeeds attract attention and put him in danger? You think you can afford to be so careless with an assassin after you? Don't you know that there's a time for fun and a time for discretion? You're not just some kid who can only think about having fun... you have a responsibility towards the Avatar as his earthbending teacher. And when someone advises caution, you just walk away on them? How long will you keep running away?" She challenged.
"I don't want to hear that from you of all people! You're the one who abandoned Aang!"
"What?! No she didn't! Back then-" Aang was going to defend Chenlian. He knew how much she had cared about Zuko, so he was the one who had let her go. He knew she had gone partly for his sake too, to contain Zuko, and maybe change him for the better. He knew how much she had suffered, so if possible, he had really hoped with all his heart that Chenlian could find happiness. But Zuko betrayed her... and if she stayed in Ba Sing Se, it was to allow Katara to escape with him. She had sacrificed herself for him... But Chenlian stopped him.
"You're right Toph, I did abandon Aang for a time. I forsook my responsibilities. I thought I wanted to try having fun and being happy. Even though there was still war, I was lulled into a false sense of peace and got complacent. And then, I was in for a rude awakening. Even if you try to forget, the enemies will never forget, they'll never let up. They'll come to get you wherever you are. That's why I just can't stand seeing you make the same mistakes I did."
"...But... you know what? I am not you. And I won't ever think that it's wrong of me to want to have fun and be happy." Toph went to isolate herself in an earth tent. The firebender's words had really pricked her. She could not deny her, but she also still could not acknowledge her. Chenlian sighed. She also knew by experience that those who don't want to listen will not listen.
"Sokka, Aang, shouldn't you have known better? Could you tell me again who had – against someone's advice – gone to have fun at a fire festival, made a scene, and allowed Zhao to find us? Even now, you're still playing with fire. You really haven't changed at all since then." The amber-eyed girl sharply reminded the boys who looked down guiltily. They hated feeling that they had disappointed her.
About money, Sokka went off to spend some. Because of Chenlian's reproach, he had agreed to stop scamming people. And even though he would not openly admit it, he felt guilty and wanted to make up for it by using this wrongly-acquired money for something good. It had to at least be something useful. He bought a messenger hawk he called Hawky that he welcomed to Team Avatar. He also introduced himself and warned the bird that there was already a lemur in their group, so he didn't want to see any fighting. He affectionately poked 'good wittle messenger Hawky' who's got 'pwetty feathers' and was leaving when he noticed a wanted poster of Toph. It was bad! The young man returned to the campsite with the paper. As Aang and Katara were at a good distance practicing their waterbending and Chenlian was away training too, he went to Toph and showed her the poster. She had been nicknamed "The Runaway." The girl stopped counting her money. She loved that nickname, and asked if the portrait ressembled her. He admitted it looked pretty good but that was beside the point. Katara and Chenlian were right. These scams were drawing too much attention to them.
"Don't be such a worrywart like your sister. Think of it this way. Now you have plenty of money to help with the invasion plan!" She dangled a sack of coins before him. Sokka confided his idea of making armor for Appa. "Here's a little extra so you can get yourself a nice map of the Fire Nation." She handed him a few coins before changing her mind. "You know what? Make it an atlas." When you gave hush money, you had to to make sure it was enough.
"I do like expensive atlases." Blinded by greed, Sokka accepted the bribe. But, it was for the sake of the war, right?
"Of course you do. And that's why this wanted poster is going to stay our little secret." The bandit snatched the poster and hid it in her vest and walked away as Aang and Katara returned. The waterbender couldn't believe Sokka had actually bought a bird. Her brother replied it was a MESSENGER bird that could be used to send messages all over the world. Linshen had told him he had a hawk too and used it extensively. Now they could even contact Gran-Gran... even though he had no idea how it worked, and had never thought about it.
"Hawky: Gran-Gran, South Pole." He tried. Hawky shook his head in confusion. "I think he gets it." But then, Momo appeared and dashed at his new rival. They wheeled furiously about the boy's head as he attempted to calm them.
Later in the day, Sokka and Toph came back again from further hijinks in town, arms loaded with money. Aang was sitting and snacking. Chenlian was taking good care of Appa. Katara correctly guessed they had been off scamming again. Her brother replied he hadn't done any scamming and only accompanied Toph for protection in case something happened. None of them should go out alone. Then she interrogated Toph who still really did not think that what she was doing was dangerous at all. So she showed her the wanted poster.
"The Runaway. Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this ?" She questioned.
"You went through my stuff! You had no right!" The blind girl bellowed.
"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening up and I happened to stumble across it." Katara looked away. However, Toph could tell she was lying and pointed accusingly at her. "Fine! It's a lie. But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up. I knew you were hiding something, and you were." Katara swatted her hand and blamed Toph who snatched the paper and tossed it away before leaving. "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"
"Oh, really, mom ? What are you going to do? Send me to my room?"
"I wish I could."
"Well, you can't. Because you're not my mom, and you're not their mom." The earthbender pointed at the boys.
"I never said I was!"
"No, but you certainly act like it. You think it's your job to boss everyone around, but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. I can do whatever I want!"
"I don't act that way." The chagrined girl replied in a shrill and anxious voice before asking for the boys' opinion. Her alarmed brother decided that discretion was the better part of valor and stayed out of this one. Aang was stammering and nervously rubbing his eye when Katara sharply yelled at him to stop rubbing his eye and speak clearly when he talked... just like a nagging mom.
"Yes, ma'am." The chastened child straightened up.
"I can't be around you right now!" Toph marched away.
"Well, I can't be around you!" Katara stormed off too.
Some time later, Sokka, in order to reconcile the two who were sulking at each end of the campsite had the idea to send a note to his sister, making it seem like it was from Toph who wanted to apologize. That would be an opportunity to test his messenger hawk too. Aang found it brilliant. But Chenlian shot it down. Toph was blind. She couldn't read or write. They had to solve this the good old way, without Hawky. She ordered Sokka to go take Toph to that place while she was going to take care of Katara. And on these words, she walked to the blue-eyed girl.
"It isn't like you to get so heated up. A waterbender should keep a cool head. A good bath should help you chill out." Chenlian smiled and held out her hand. Katara could not help but smile too and take her hand and follow her.
Meanwhile, the Water Tribe boy, obeying the firebender, took Toph to the designated spot. They were sitting at the top of an overhanging cliff, unaware that Katara and Chenlian were bathing in the water below and could hear everything. It didn't matter what Chenlian thought, felt or what she could say about the situation. Katara needed to hear Toph's true feelings. So she had arranged for that situation where they could overhear the conversation, unknowingly to the others. The earthbender thought the boy was going to say that his sister was not as annoying as she made her out to be.
"Nah, she's pretty much a pain. She's always got to be right about everything, and she gets all bossy, and involved, and in your business." He coolly admitted, causing his sibling to scowl. Toph couldn't understand how he could deal with it. "Actually, in a way, I rely on it. When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life. Our family was a mess, but Katara, she had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."
"I guess I never thought about that."
"I'm gonna tell you something crazy. I never told anyone this before, but honestly, I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like, my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there, and now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture." He revealed. Katara was overcome with emotion.
"The truth is, sometimes Katara does act motherly, but that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate and kind, and she actually cares about me. You know, the real me. That's more than my own mom." She professed, wiping her tears. Katara lowered her head at these words. Chenlian smiled at her. She had expected this much, because she too had once been soothed by Katara's heartfelt kindness. Katara had gone past the fact that she was a firebender, and her somewhat blunt and harsh demeanor... to touch the real her. "Don't ever tell her I said any of this." The blind child punched her male friend's shoulder warningly. He said his lips were sealed, but none of them was aware that it was already too late.
At sunset, the kids reunited at the camp. Chenlian lightly and encouragingly tapped Katara's back and the waterbender awkwardly approached Toph who interrupted her, and apologized first. She had been the one being stupid. These scams were out of control, and she was done with them. But actually, Katara had hoped to pull a scam with her! The ultimate scam for their last one! The guys gaped and collapsed, the shock too great for them. Needless to say, Toph was in. Chenlian tried to stop them. But they insisted that just one more should be fine. It was really the last one. They'd escape as soon as they sensed danger, and Toph could metalbend.
"Since I can't stop you, I'll add one more level to your plan. Since those scams have already been going on for some time, I think that assassin has already caught wind of our location. I'll be watching from afar in case he's lying in wait so go ahead and get caught without fear. I'll bust you out. And it'll be my chance to smoke him out and finish him off. In other words, you'll be bait... his bait for Aang, and my bait for him... Since you're so hell-bent on going despite my warning, you should be prepared for at least this much." Chenlian was smiling, but it was a cunning, somewhat cold-hearted smile, like she had her eyes set on something and couldn't see anything else. Although she had scared them and dampened their enthusiam a bit, they still chose to go ahead with it. After all everything had been fine until now, and there was no sign of the enemy, so it should be fine this time too. And it was the last one. Then the blind girl apologized to Chenlian too for having said too much, and acknowledged having let the freedom and atmosphere get to her head. And she promised to be more careful from now on.
"Oh, I won't apologize since I was right though." The firebender replied.
"HEY!" The boys and Toph shot back simultaneously. Katara smiled, having recognized her friend's particular way of piquing people first thing, and she could guess what she was going to say too.
"But I should have phrased things differently. I let my anger and frustration get to my head too. And I understand that I may look that way to you. Since I know too well what it's like to be basking in happiness one day, and have it all destroyed the next, and the guilt you feel for not having seen it coming because you had your head in the clouds. I guess I did become afraid. Happiness and fun are all good, but now because of what happened their priority level simply dropped far down my list. Well, it is necessary to take a break from time to time too. As long as it's within reason, and we are, I don't think we have much to fear. We ARE all strong and resourceful here after all, even more so when we're together, right?" Chenlian grinned, causing the others to grin too.
The bounty on the Runaway's head was ten times more than Toph had made in all her scams. So Katara was gonna turn her in and collect the reward. Then Toph would metalbend herself out of jail, and they'd escape together. The plan seemed so simple, yet so perfect. And like this, the small evil-doer was captured at the foot of Ozai's giant fire breathing statue, cursing her friend for having betrayed her. The mayor walked up to Katara as Toph was dragged away.
"You did the right thing by turning in The Runaway."
"The right thing is its own reward." The blue-eyed girl replied sanctimoniously. The old man was happy to hear her say that, but she still wanted the actual reward after all. The mayor led her to the town jail where Toph was tossed in a cell. She groped around and was dismayed to find her 'sight' inoperative. She was in a WOODEN cell. They knew she could earthbend and metalbend! At the counter at the prison entrance, the official opened a chest before Katara but closed it when the door opened.
"That's her. That's the girl you were looking for." The mayor pointed. Katara turned to see the hulking and scary figure of the third-eye freak looming over her. She was thrown into the same cell as her friend.
At the campsite, Aang was pacing back and forth. This scam was taking too long. Even if Chenlian was with them, after all he was still worried, about her too. Sokka thought the same so they decided to go check things out. The warrior ordered Hawky and Momo to behave and left Appa in charge. As soon as the humans were out of sight, the two small animals started squabbling but a reproving roar from the bison put a quick stop to that.
The caged girls noted how everything had followed Chenlian's scenario. This was exactly why Katara had been against these scams. She knew this would happen. And Chenlian had warned them too. They should have listened. The other pointed this scam had been Katara's idea. The waterbender had just wanted to show her that she was not so motherly, that she could have fun too. Their priority should have been Aang's safety as Chenlian had insisted. The blind girl agreed, and reassured her. She was fun, if nothing else, then at least fun to argue with. Katara also felt sorry for having said what she did about her friend's relationship with her parents while knowing how complicated it was. But Toph was okay with it. If she had been so mad back then, it was certainly because those words must be true. She tried not to think about it, but she must have really hurt her parents when she left. Katara comforted the sobbing child with a hug.
Chenlian, who had watched everything from a distance, glared fiercely at the mayor and the liquidator as they left the prison and arranged for the townspeople to evacuate the area. When the shooter looked in her direction, she had already vanished.
Aang and Sokka were strolling through the strangely deserted streets of Fire Fountain City, searching for the girls. Where could they be? Where could all the villagers be? Sparky Sparky Boom Man appeared on a roof behind them. He took a deep breath, preparing his move. The Avatar heard it and alerted his companion. They were able to avoid the blast, though Sokka thought that after all, that name didn't quite fit, like it was too soft and pretty and didn't do justice to that walking disaster. The assassin leaped down and fired again.
The girls heard the noises of the fight. They had to do something but what?! They had nothing to bend here. Both the waterskin and meteor bracelet had been left at the camp. Then Katara had the idea of making her own water and started running in place. She used her sweat to cut the wooden cell bars. Toph called her a sweaty stinky genius. However, before the waterbender could fully slice through the bars, a large part of the wooden wall suddenly turned to ashes.
"Come on, we gotta help Aang and Sokka. Those idiots still came down." Chenlian said curtly, standing before the opening she had created.
The boys ran into an alley when the blast from an explosion propelled them forward. Sokka ricocheted on a cart, tipping it upward and rolled on the ground. Aang joined him and helped him up. They stayed hiding there, behind that cart in the middle of a street. This guy was too good, shooting fire from his brain! They had to split up. He couldn't chase them both. They separated just as the cart was blown up. Aang ran along the roofs. Another blast sent him right into the chest of the statue of Ozai. He fell but Chenlian caught him in midair, took him and gently put him down further away. All these crashes had left him dizzy. A bolt of ice suddenly encased the assassin's head. The whole gang had joined up. Chenlian charged the enemy with firebending-enhanced speed at the same moment he shattered the ice muzzle. He fired but she quickly dodged and retaliated simultaneously by spinning in mid-air and sending a large fire ball. He countered but it was already too close and he was blown back into a wall. Katara and Toph had joined the boys and were urging Chenlian to come with them but she wasn't listening. The female firebender was already sending a low and fast wave of fire. Unfortunately, her adversary recovered in time and jumped but she managed to melt part of his prosthetic leg. Destabilized when he landed, he fell down. Katara took advantage of that moment to grab Chenlian (who was going to attack again) by the hand and drag her away. However, the amber-eyed girl resisted, hell-bent on staying in order to end that plague for good.
"NO! I won't leave you behind ever again!" The waterbender shot back. That completely silenced Chenlian who obediently let herself be led away by the hand. But she was still looking back. Toph bended a rock at the liquidator who had managed to stand up again and was preparing to fire. He destroyed the boulder with but a piece of the rubble flew into his forehead and struck his third eye. Although it was just a pebble, it seemed to cause him extreme pain to the point of knocking him to the ground. He got up and tried to resume his attack, but instead of shooting a 'laser beam', the air around him ignited and exploded, blasting him against a wall. And none of that had escaped Chenlian's eyes.
"Hey, I got it. The perfect name for that guy! 'Combustion Man'!" Sokka exclaimed, satisfied, as he was running away with the others. Toph praised him, but they had to get out of here before 'Combustion Man' caught them. "See? It fits so well." The children returned to their camp as fast as they could, packed, and jumped on Appa who flew for a time and landed on a new site. Night had fallen. "Well, I'm exhausted. Hawky, how about you, buddy? Yeah, you're such a lazy little bird." He climbed down with Aang. Toph had a request for Katara. The blind girl wanted to send a letter to her parents and hoped Katara would write it for her. The waterbender happily obliged. Toph slipped the scroll into Hawky's dispatch tube and the bird soared into the night. "Hey, where'd Hawky go?" Sokka asked just a few seconds later.