[EDIT: 4/12/2021]
About ten minutes later, Maikera and Ozai's group were still walking in the foggy town. They were walking on a street, where Maikera, who was lighting the way with the flame in his hand, was leading them to the hotel while the group followed. Ozai, Azula, and the four escapees were silent as they looked around their surroundings at some of the buildings, the structures close to each other as they have small alleyways. The town was also surrounded by a wall circumference barrier that seemed to keep the animals away from town...which is odd since they haven't heard any wildlife when they got here.
As Ozai's group glanced at these buildings, they can see a good amount of homes, shops, and restaurants, all lined up on each side of the street. The architecture resembled an old-world Fire Nation motif, with curved roof-edges, red shingles, and pointed rooftops. The foundation of the buildings was actually built with a mixture of stone and wood, instead of the metal structures of modern Fire Nation towns and cities. They all look very old, but they look like they were still intact...which is also strange. The people here must take good care of the town, as none of the structures looked dilapidated or worn from weather conditions. They were still standing, never refusing to topple. Still, it all amounted to one noticeable thing about these buildings...
There were no customers or residents inside any of them.
The group, minus Maikera, all find this increasingly disturbing. The silence wasn't making it any better as well.
"Man, what happened to this place? Nobody is here," Edi wondered out loud.
"Yeah, it's...kind of weird," Jemusu added.
Maikera answered, "As Waten said, it got too popular. Many shady business deals were made here, along with murders happening around every corner."
"Hmm...what kind of business deals?" Meira asked in curiosity.
"Just certain illegal drug deal activity, putting out hits on people, prostitution, the works, " Maikera answered.
Meira's eyes widened at that last one, while Anjera glanced at her to see her reaction. Jemusu winced at the last one as well, thinking about Meira and her past occupation.
"Well...this place looked like it would've been a really nice town at one point," Jemusu gave out his thoughts.
Maikera nodded as he hummed, "That it would."
Azula listening to the conversations, decided to ask a question, "How old is this town?"
Glancing at the princess, Maikera answered, "As of tomorrow, about one-hundred sixty-five years old."
"As of tomorrow?" Ozai spoke up in question.
"Yes, Your Highness. Tomorrow is the day the town has been founded by the people who built it on this island. It will be...the town's birthday, per se," Maikera said.
"One-hundred and sixty-five years old? Man, how come we haven't heard anything about this?" Edi asked intrigued.
"Fire Nation historians wish to...forget this town ever existed," Maikera said with distaste.
Ozai and Azula looked at him in interest, waiting for him to continue.
"...As Waten said, we wish to change that," Maikera muttered solemnly.
The princess was curious about that statement, but she decided not to ask any further questions on the matter. The less she asked about these things, the less obvious she'll make herself look like she has suspicions about this whole rescue.
She was just being skeptical...she wasn't afraid...uncomfortable with all of this, maybe, but she wasn't afraid.
Ozai, however, decided to ask one thing, "You said there were six of you on this island. We've only met five of you..." he said, letting Maikera finish the rest of the sentence.
Maikera's face suddenly turned into a disgruntled scowl. Silent for a moment, he muttered, "Yes...there is another woman here in this town...my...other daughter...she is trying to prove herself."
Ozai raised an eyebrow, "How so? What is she proving?"
The princess looked on at the exchange in interest.
The flame that was in the older man's hand rose, indicating that he was feeling some sort of strong emotion inside...
It could mean anything. But it was then when he spoke, it was clear.
"If she is even worth existing..." Maikera said in a cold tone.
Azula blinked at the statement, while Ozai only hummed in understanding, "I know the feeling..."
Glancing at her father, the princess suddenly felt...pity for Zuko.
But it was only brief. She looked ahead at the path they were taking. 'No. Zuko chose his path. You shouldn't feel sorry for that idiot. If he wants to defy father, then fine. So be it.'
And with that, everyone quietly trekked their way to the hotel.
The hotel was pretty grand looking, to say the least.
Four stories tall and wide with many rooms, it was made with the same materials as the other buildings, except this time it has metal touches to the hotel's exterior. In front of the hotel, there was an intricate stone plaque with gold metal lettering that says 'Lakeview Hotel' on it, welcoming visitors to the establishment. Lastly, as its name implies, the hotel was situated near the central lake of the whole island, which the body of water was gated around its perimeter, letting the tourists look out at the majestic view of the island's lake.
The group had been walking for what felt like twenty minutes. From what they observed, Silent Hills seemed to be a very nice-sized town. Some would even say it's more like a city, as they maneuvered through the streets and alleyways to pass more buildings, such as the jail and the police station. As soon as they successfully found the hotel, some made their relief and exhaustion known.
"Ugh! Finally. I'm getting really tired of walking," griped Edi.
Meira humphed, "I would make a crack at that, but I'm gonna have to agree. This town is bigger than I thought."
Edi scowled at Meira, "Gee, thanks on both accounts."
Azula quietly agrees with Edi on their trek over here. She doesn't want to admit it, but she wished she had some form of transportation to at least get her and her father here to their destination. Not only that, but she had to agree with Meira as well. This resort town was perhaps even larger than the town on Ember Island. In fact, this island seemed a lot bigger than Ember Island. How come she hasn't heard about this place before? Was this whole island really a stain to the Fire Nation and the history scrolls?
"Well, here we are," Maikera said, stopping in front of them and turning to face them. "Sorry for the long walk, everyone. All of you can rest now."
"I got to say, this hotel looks really nice," complimented Jemusu, "Is, um...anyone working there?"
"Sadly, no," Maikera answered, "But you can find some room keys at the reception desk. Choose which one you would like to stay and enjoy yourselves for now. I'll be going back to Mother Daria and the rest."
Azula can't help but ask the question, "Why do you all call her Mother Daria? I heard she was a high priestess?"
Ozai glanced at his daughter for a moment and back at Maikera. He was also curious to know what the woman's position was.
Maikera was silent for a second until he said, "She has...a gift that Agni granted to her."
"A gift?" Ozai wondered, arching an eyebrow, "Would it happen to be her knowing what goes on beyond this island?"
"...In a way," Maikera answered cryptically, "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer a lot of questions at this moment. As of now, I must head back to Mother Daria, her sons, and my daughter. We will start a plan tomorrow since it is close to the evening."
Maikera passed the group as he made his way back to Daria and the others.
"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm ready to get some actual sleep!" Jemusu said with a smile.
Edi turned to Jemusu with a nod and a smile. "I agree. I also can't wait to eat some actual food!"
Meira scoffed, "Obviously."
Edi frowned at the remark and turned to Meira with a scowl, "What is with you? So I like to eat, okay?! It doesn't make me a disgusting sheep-pig or anything! I have some manners, unlike you!"
"I find that hard to believe." Meira droned.
"Okay, that's enough already!" Jemusu said in a stern tone to Meira.
Meanwhile, Ozai told Azula, "Come, Azula. Let's go inside the hotel. I rather not listen to criminals arguing with each other." he then walked over tho the front entrance of the hotel.
Azula hummed as he looked at the arguing group, "Although it would be entertaining, I am tired...coming, Father."
And she followed her father to the Lakeview Hotel.
"Why are you always making fun of Edi? What has he ever done to you?" Jemusu asked Meira.
"Yeah! Why are you so harsh on me, lady?" Edi said in frustration.
Meira glared at both Jemusu and Edi...until she pursed her lips, sighed, and muttered, "Okay...you're both right. I haven't really been bearable lately."
"That's apparent," Edi muttered.
"Hey, I'm trying to apologize, you hip-" Meira grimaced and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Sorry, sorry..." she looked at Edi before collecting herself, "Look, you just...remind me of someone, okay?"
"Like who?" Edi asked, now curious.
Anjera looked at Meira in surprise. She might have an idea of who that someone could be.
"Just...someone that I used to know," Meira answered flippantly.
"A client?" Jemusu said with a frown.
Meira turned to Jemusu with wide shocked eyes, while Anjera looked at him with equal shock.
"A client? What do you mean by that?" Edi asked in curiosity.
Meira then scowled at Jemusu, "You overheard us? You know, that was none of your business!"
Jemusu looked at the ground in slight shame. "I know...but it is about a client, right?"
"Wait, I'm kind of confused," Edi interrupted, "What are you all talking about?"
"Nothing, okay!" Meira exclaimed at Edi.
"Is that person," Anjera hesitated, but she pushed through, "the one you worked for, or is he the client that made you go to prison? Is that who Edi reminds you of?"
Meira turned to Anjera with the same shock on her face.
Meanwhile, Edi was connecting the dots. "Wait...are you like...a prosti-"
"Don't call me that! I'm not that anymore, you hear me!?" Meira hissed her voice sternly at Edi.
Edi's eyes widened in surprise.
"And since you all want to know so much, then...Edi just reminded me of that...that client that made me go to prison...and maybe a little bit of my...my pimp." Meira scowled as she looked down, "...He...They were portly-looking. My pimp and the client...they knew each other, I guess...that client wanted an easy one to let him have his way with, so my pimp made me go...I didn't kill him because he wanted to have sex with me or anything..." her scowl then turned into a poignant frown. "...It's just that he was almost trying to kill me...for his own...freaking sick pleasure," she shuddered. She then glanced up at Edi with a sad look on her face, "I'm...I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have put out all my anger toward you. It was just...they were kind of the same size as you and...it brought back bad memories." She looked away, now looking ashamed. "I...I hope you're nothing like my last client as well as the person I worked for."
All four stood there in silence. Edi looked at her, his expression changing into one of sorrowful pity.
"...I'm going inside," Meira said as she walked past the group and into the hotel.
Now all three of them stood there, with Jemusu and Anjera having a look of empathy on their faces as they watched Meira go inside. Edi looked back at her retreating figure and frowned, "Man...and I called her a 'bitch'."
"You didn't know, Edi," Jemusu reassured him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't say anything about it because...well, you know."
Edi nodded, still frowning, "Yeah..."
Anjera nervously glanced at the two men for a moment, looked down and mumbled, "I'm...going to see if Meira needs any company," with that, she walked over to the hotel's entrance as well.
That leaves Jemusu and Edi the only ones left that stood out in the middle of the town.
"...You know...it still doesn't justify her attitude towards me...but...I guess I should probably apologize as well, just because I insulted her a while back...and just because it seems like the right thing to do," Edi muttered.
Jemusu nodded with a hum.
Edi turned his head to Jemusu and said with a slight smile, "Thanks for sticking up for me though, man."
Jemusu smiled back, "Hey, anytime."
After that moment, they started to walk over to the entrance to the hotel.
As soon as they entered the lodging establishment, everything was quiet in the foggy town...
...Everything was quiet.
…Too quiet.
Azula was in front of her hotel room door with the key that she selected in her hand. Her room was on the top fourth floor where all the suites were, which she preferred. Her father is also on the fourth floor and he chose a key that was a little way to the right hall wing. The others probably chose the third or second-floor rooms to reside in for now.
She raised the key and read the number. Hers was on the left wing and it was a suite with a window.
"402," Azula murmured as she inserted the metal key into the lock of the hard wooden door. She opened it to see that it was a moderately nice-sized old room. Closing the door behind her, she observed where she was staying. The room has a bathroom to her left, a couch at the right side of the wall, a kitchenette further ahead, and two beds on the left side, along with a large window, was straight ahead.
As said before, it was old looking, and perhaps a little dusty, but honestly, she didn't care as long there was a made-up bed for her. An actual bed.
Sighing, she went and claimed the left bed and plopped down face-first on it. She can smell the musty dust on the covers, but that didn't matter. She wants to rest after all the traveling she endured...
She still wondered what these people have in store for them tomorrow...
She doesn't trust this Daria character one bit. She doesn't know if she can trust any of these people that reside on this island.
All she knows is that they've been given a way to escape a little too easily here. Why would they even bother saving them in the first place anyway? Didn't they say they basically lived on this island their whole lives? But if that's true, then how did they know about recent events in the Fire Nation? From this...Mother Daria? How can that be? She has to have been on the mainland before, right?
...This really feels off.
And she doesn't like it one bit.
For now, she'll be on her guard from anything...
A small nap, however, was in order.
Azula closed her eyes as she drifted off to a night of peaceful sleep...
For now, the silence welcomes her...
...Heh-heh-heh...
Sweet dreams...
Cause tomorrow, I'm bringing in some new TOYS for me to play with...
Finally...I was dying of boredom here...
Heh-heh-heeeeh...
They arrived at the Fire Nation Palace in the seventh hour. It was nighttime, and Appa landed at the front entrance of the Palace, letting them all get off of the air bison one by one. The lit exterior of the Palace glowed in the night and guards outside of the front entrance stood side by side from each other to guard the intricate dragon-laced double mahogany doors.
"Man, I can never get used to flying all day with no ground to walk on!" Toph made her statement known as she landed on her two feet. "No offense, Hairball."
Appa groaned in appreciation.
"It does get tiring after a while." Suki agreed as she was helped down by Sokka.
"Well, we're here on time. That's all that matters," Katara said as she slid down off of Appa.
Aang floated on the ground using his air-bending, while meanwhile Momo flew over to him and landed on one of his shoulders, "Yeah. Now we get to see what the situation is with Zuko."
"Well, I'll tell you one thing, I hope they have food there waiting for us. I am honestly hungry enough to eat a whole ostrich-horse," Sokka half-joked as he grabbed his growling stomach.
"I can see it. And I can't even see." Toph dryly joked.
Aang chuckled, "I'm sure there's food waiting for us, Sokka. Come on, we need to get inside."
As they all passed the guards, who welcomed them into the Palace, they ventured forth inside to find Zuko, While they walked inside, they met with a familiar face in the main hall.
"Iroh!" Toph exclaimed with a grin. She dashed over to the old fire-bender and gave him a big hug, which Iroh returned with a warm laugh.
"Lady Bei Fong! How are you?" Iroh asked with a smile as they let go of their hug.
"Doing good, ya old badger-mole!" Toph answered, still grinning.
"Iroh! Hey!" Aang called out as he went over to him as well, while Momo flew off of Aang and onto Toph's shoulders. Sokka, Suki, and Katara rushed behind them expressing their delighted surprise to see him there.
"Ah, young Avatar! Lady Katara and Suki! And as well as Warrior Sokka! Good of you all to come at such short notice!" Iroh said to them all in a jovial matter.
"Man, it's always good to see you, Iroh. Especially when you call me by that title," Sokka said with a boastful smirk.
"Sokka, don't be getting yourself a big ego right now," Suki rolled her eyes as she pulled his left ear with her fingers.
"Ow!" Sokka cried out as he rubbed his ear from the pain.
"Tch, some warrior," Katara now rolled her eyes with a smirk while Toph snickered. She then directed her attention to Iroh and said with a genuine smile, "It is really great to see you again though, Iroh."
Iroh chuckled, "Same to you all. It's good to have more company in the Palace," he frowned, "Zuko needs all the help he can get."
"Well, we'll be there for him. Where is he now?" Aang asked.
"In the dining hall. He has a meal prepared for you all, so you all came just in time," Iroh told them with a smile.
"Say no more!" Sokka said enthusiastically with a grin, "Come on guys, let's see Zuko and get to the food!" he proclaimed as he points his hand in the main hall's direction.
"Sokka, you don't even know where the dining hall is," Katara said to him dryly with her hands on her hips, while Suki shook her head at her boyfriend's one track mind.
"He can probably track it with his nose," Aang joke-suggested, which made Toph laugh at it.
"Haha! Hey, that's a good one, Twinkles!" she complimented her friend with a smirk.
"Thanks!" Aang smiled.
"Hey, come on!" Sokka pouted.
"Why not I show you all to the dining hall?" Iroh suggested peacefully.
"I actually know where it is, but I'll let you lead, Iroh," Katara said with a kind smile.
Iroh chuckled, "Why thank you, Katara."
Aang looked at Katara with a confused frown, "You know where the dining hall to the Fire Nation Palace is?"
"Wait! You know where the dining hall is?" Sokka asked in shock.
"Uh, Sokka, that's what Aang basically said," Suki said in a monotone.
Katara blinked, "Well, yeah. I was in the Palace at the time to see if the lightning bolt to his chest by Azula would heal over time. I've been walking around the Palace for a while and knowing the layout around here until it was time for another healing session," she then muttered, "This place is really big though."
"Oh..." Aang doesn't know why, but that bothered him a bit. He shook his head slightly to rid the thought.
Unknown to him, Toph noticed his tense posture. She chose to ignore it for now and proclaimed, "Well, let's get going and meet up with Zuko already!"
"Absolutely, Little Lady! Follow me," Iroh said cheerfully as he led the Gaang to where Zuko is.
Zuko took a bite of a strip of chicken-pork with his chopsticks. Sitting in the dining hall and at the top side of the table, he contemplated his decision on sending the special ops team immediately in the late morning. As he wrote the letter and stamp a seal of approval, thus handing it to Hari to give to the Fire Nation Military Base in the southern part of the Nation to send through via messenger hawk. Later on, at the last hour, he received a letter from a messenger hawk that came from the base, telling him that they will get prepared to fly to the island.
These soldiers were said to be strong fire-benders from what he heard and were experts in stealth. Each base consists of a special ops team of five expert fire-benders, and next to the Capital City's base, the southern base is said to hold the more experienced soldiers. He had to admit, sending five soldiers to take care of who knows how many were on the island is a risky move, but he has to capture his father and Azula as fast as he can. He just hopes that they proceed with caution as he said.
He sighed...
"Your friends have arrived, my Nephew!" called out Iroh's happy voice.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Zuko smiled and stood up to see that his friends have indeed arrived. "Everyone! You all came!"
"Of course, Zuko!" Aang said with a cheerful smile.
"What's up, Sparky?" said Toph with a smirk.
"Hey, Zuko!" Suki chimed in.
"Zuko my man, how are ya? Nice selection of food you got here!" Sokka greeted.
Katara smiled at Zuko, "Hey Zuko! It's been a while."
Zuko smiled at them all, and let his gaze wander a bit at Katara. He then chuckled and said, "It's great to see you all again. Please, help yourselves to the food."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sokka said as he looked to have already gotten some food off the table and onto his plate.
Katara and Suki facepalmed their foreheads.
"You got one heck of a boyfriend there," Katara told Suki in a dry joking matter.
"Heh, thanks," Suki smiled, "He's one of a kind. Couldn't have it any other way."
"Hey, Katara! I saved you a place next to me!" Aang said as he motioned to the seat next to his, which was pulled out and was next to Zuko's seat.
Zuko raised a brow, "Aang, you're supposed to pull the chair out for the lady."
Aang blinked, "Oh! Um...right! Of course!" he got up and pulled out Katara's chair for her.
Katara smiled, "Thank you both."
Aang frowned slightly but thought nothing of it when he remembered that she thanked him too. Katara went over to her seat that Aang pulled out and sits on it.
"Ah, very good Zuko. Always be courtly to a young woman," Iroh stated.
Sokka upon seeing and hearing that began to go to the other side of the table and pull out Suki's chair while holding his plate in one hand. "For you, madam."
Suki giggled and went over to sit on the chair, "Thank you, Sokka."
Iroh pulled out a chair next to Katara, "Would you like to sit here, Lady Bei Fong?"
"Eh, why not? Thanks, Iroh," Toph said with a smile as she sat on the chair pulled out by Iroh.
"Will you be also joining us, Iroh?" Aang asked as he sat on his seat next to Katara's other side and next to Zuko.
"Of course! I haven't eaten any supper either," he looked at Toph, "Would it be alright if I sit next to you?"
Toph snickered, "Come on, Iroh, you know you don't have to ask! Tell me some juicy details on Zuko while you're at it!"
"Toph!" Katara scolded.
"Aw come on, Sugar Queen, you know you want some dirt on Zuko," Toph said with a smirk at Katara.
Katara crossed her arms and pouted as her face flushed. Aang on the other hand, frowned once more, feeling somewhat bothered by Toph's comment as well as Katara's reaction.
"Oh, I have plenty of stories about Zuko in his younger years," Iroh said with a chuckle.
"Awesome! What's the most embarrassing one?" Toph asked in glee.
"Uncle, no. Please don't tell them anything about my younger years!" Zuko facepalmed in embarrassment.
"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea! Dinner and a show!" Sokka joked.
"Guys, don't make fun of Zuko, he's our host," Katara gently reprimanded.
"Thank you," Zuko said with a grateful smile toward Katara.
"No problem," Katara said with a smile towards him as well.
Aang cleared his throat, "Well, um, let's stop making fun of Zuko and get to eating then, shall we?"
"You know what? As much as I like to see an embarrassed Zuko, I agree with that notion! Let's eat!" Sokka proclaimed.
"Sokka, we got more important things at hand besides eating," Suki reminded him.
"That's right," Katara nodded, "We need to know where Ozai, Azula, and these escaped prisoners went off to."
"Oh...well, yeah, but, can't we eat and discuss it later?" Sokka suggested.
"Sokka, they could be plotting to overthrow Zuko right now, and all you could think is about your stomach?" Katara exclaimed in frustration.
Sokka winced, "Okay, okay! I mean...I just don't want it to get cold. I mean, I care about ol' Hothead here as well! I just don't want to let this food go to waste!"
"Thanks, Sokka," Zuko said with rolled eyes. "But how about we discuss the matter while we eat?"
"Whatever rocks all your boats. I'm getting hungry myself," Toph put her two pieces in.
"Um...that's fine," Aang said, feeling a little awkward all of a sudden.
"So...where do you think Ozai, Azula, and the rest of these prisoners went off to?" asked Suki.
"My intel told me that my father, sister, and the rest of the escapees were heading towards an island...they think," Zuko explained.
"An island?" Katara wondered.
"It is called Sairento Hiruzu. It means in the old language, 'Silent Hills', which there's a resort town that goes by that name," Iroh elaborates.
"Another resort town in the Fire Nation? Man, Zuko, your people are living it up." Sokka said with a grin and a thumbs up.
"I actually didn't know it existed until now," Zuko said honestly.
"You didn't? Why's that?" Aang asked curiously.
"I just...didn't. Uncle heard of it, though." Zuko said as they direct their attention to Iroh.
"Well, I've never actually been to it, but I heard it's beautiful...however, it soon became an attraction for criminals. Thus, it became uninhabitable...at least that's what I heard last time."
"So there have to be people living on this island since they're going that way, right?" Toph asked questionably.
"We think. I sent a special ops team of one of my country's military bases in the south to go over to the island to retrieve them." Zuko informed.
"Is that a good idea?" Katara asked with uncertainty.
"Don't worry, these men are very loyal to whoever is Fire Lord. They won't be swayed by my father's words," Zuko reassured.
"Well, we're gonna go down to this island and beat some heads in, right?" Toph asked planting a fist into her tiny hand.
"Tomorrow, yes. But for now, the team is probably on their way to the island." Zuko told everyone.
"So, basically a 'retrieve former Jerk Lord' mission? Sounds good enough for me!" Sokka said with a shrug.
"However..." Iroh said, earning everyone to look at him again, "It is said that Sairento Hiruzu is a sacred place."
"A sacred place?" Katara asked in interest.
"What kind of sacred place?" Suki also asked.
"Well...they say that it's a beautiful and quiet island," Iroh answered with a shrug as well.
"That it?" Toph blew her bangs upward. "Doesn't sound too sacred to me. Although it does sound like a nice vacation. Well, the quiet part for me, that is."
"Hmm...perhaps there are spirits there that cursed the land because people have been getting too rowdy." Iroh stroked his beard in thought.
"Uncle, there's no such thing as curses," Zuko said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, that's like totally ridiculous," Sokka said, "It's probably that way because it got too popular or something."
"I'm not one for believing in curses either, as I don't have any eyesight to see it," commented Toph.
"Well...you never know," Katara said a little uneasy.
"Oh come on Sugar Queen, you don't believe in that stuff, do you?" Toph asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"No!" Katara said with a blush, "...But it's good to be always cautious," she said a shrug of her own.
"Look, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sokka's right on his part," Zuko said.
"I am?" Sokka asked in a slight shock. He grinned, "Well well, even the Fire Lord agrees with me!"
"Anyways, the island may have gotten too popular at one point and it got too seedy. Even Ember Island has it's own skeletons in its closets," explained Zuko.
"But you may never know as Katara said," Iroh pointed out.
"Ugh," Zuko facepalmed.
"A sacred place, huh?" Aang lowered his head to think, "Well, I'm no stranger to sacred places, so maybe I can talk to any spirits and negotiate with them?"
"Yeah! We have the Avatar here! Problem solved!" smiled Sokka as he gestured to Aang.
"Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let's eat!" Toph said as she dug in with her chopsticks.
"Yes, I am quite famished," Iroh said as he picked up his chopsticks.
"Finally! Something we can all agree on!" Sokka said as he dug in, eating rapidly.
"Sokka, don't eat so fast," Suki scold gently.
While Aang was about to dig into his vegetable plate, he heard Zuko tell Katara, "Don't worry, Katara. There's no curse or anything on this island. It's just rumors and speculation. There may be spirits on the island, so maybe we just need to respect the land as best as we can."
Katara smiled warmly with a nod at the Fire Lord, "Thanks, Zuko."
Aang then piped up, "Besides, I'm the Avatar! I can speak to any spirits if things go awry. I'll protect you, Katara, no worries!"
Katara looked at Aang with a smile that wasn't like the one she aimed at Zuko. "Thank you, Aang." She then began eating.
Aang frowned, but he smiled back forcefully at her, even though she couldn't see it. He then began eating his food as well.
Zuko looked at them in question but thought nothing of it as he dug in the rest of his chicken-pork.
However, Aang was thinking about Katara and Zuko's interaction...
It meant nothing...it meant nothing at all...they're friends...Katara and I are together... Aang thought as he ate another green string bean.
...But then...why would she not...do that with me? I mean...I get that I'm young, but...
Aang shook his head and went back to eating his food.
Tomorrow, they go to Sairento Hiruzu.
End of Chapter 5
Okay then! Chapter 5(or 4. Either one.) is done! I got nothing to say here, except tell me how it is! :D Leave me a fave, follow, and/or a review! I love to know what you think of it! X)
Next chapter...some stuff happens. You'll have to wait and see. ;D
Thank you all for reading and keep on rocking everybody! ^_^
-TSP