Wandering Firebender
Twenty Six: Gentle Stone
Elio slowed his ostrich horse to a stop within the woods half a day's journey away from where he had clashed with Azula. He dismounted the animal and tied it to the nearest tree, removing his things and taking a little time to feed it.
"I think we've finally put enough distance to get some rest." He said to it, stroking its neck soothingly. It chirped in response and simply sat down, laying its head on the ground.
Elio turned and crouched down to open up his pack and begin pitching his tent. But then he heard a rustling in the bushes. He quickly turned and raised his fists, ready to shoot a fire blast...
But it was just the wind.
"You're getting paranoid now." He said to himself, shaking his head and turning back to his pack. He opened it up and started to unpack.
Something scampered across the grass nearby. Elio quickly turned and shot an arcing fire shot towards the noise. The nearby brush caught on fire, showing that whatever had passed was gone now. He looked around in different hiding spots but found nothing. He quickly put the fire out before it spread too much.
"Jeez... You know what? I'm just gonna...lay against this tree." He decided. He closed his pack up again and sat on the ground with his back against the tree, right next to his ostrich horse. It glanced at him and cooed before laying its head back down again.
Elio took in a few breaths to calm himself again, resting a hand atop the head of his ostrich horse. It flinched at first before relaxing into his touch. He looked around cautiously before closing his eyes. He could feel the cold seeping within his eyelids, making closing them uncomfortable.
He forced himself to keep his eyes closed, so he could slowly drift to sleep...
Something was touching his leg!
Elio quickly opened his eyes and threw a fire punch forward. A nocturnal bird that had perched itself on his leg shrieked from the flames and flew away. The shriek of the bird woke up his ostrich horse too. It quickly raised its head up.
Elio grunted from the shock as well as his sleepiness. He brushed his nappy hair back out of his eyes, "This isn't gonna work." He said with a shake of his head before getting up to his feet.
Elio proceeded to untie his ostrich horse from the tree and urge it to stand. It chirped irritably as he put his pack back on its saddle. He mounted it again, "Come on, let's go." He said to it, urging it to go.
He rode it out of the woods and back onto the trail. It was nighttime now. No one was on the road. Elio rubbed his eyes to stay awake and quietly talked to his ostrich horse to help keep himself awake.
"I guess now that we're traveling together, I should give you a name, huh? What would be a good name for an ostrich horse...? How about La? Can I call you La?" He asked.
It didn't respond.
"Yeah, I'mma go with La." He decided with a nod.
Elio's ride continued in relative silence. He ran into no travelers along the way, and no attacks came his way either. So as he continued his ride, he continued to tiredly ramble to his ostrich horse, venting his idle thoughts.
"...I don't know whether or not I should believe what she said. I know when we talked before, she said that we were a lot alike and part of me believes that she might've been willing to pardon me if I had joined her. Perhaps any other man in the Fire Nation would have agreed to it. Perhaps I'm a fool that I didn't." He sighed.
La grunted quietly as it continued trekking down the path.
"You know, La, you're a good listener..." Elio yawned tiredly, leaning forward and resting his head on its neck. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again and slipped off the saddle, landing on his arm.
"Ow! Ohh...this sucks..." Elio whined...
Needless to say, it was a restless night for him. He was just too wound up and stressed from recent events to calmly relax and rest. When the morning came, he could feel his eyes getting heavier. His body felt tight; constantly staying on his guard was rapidly draining him of his energy.
He rode into the next town. He recognized that this town was the last settlement that he would ride through before entering into the final stretch towards Ba Sing Se. So whatever supplies the town had to offer, that's what would be available to him.
"Good morning there, good sir! What can I do for ya?" A man running a fruit cart greeted Elio as he rode up towards it. Elio slowly dismounted the ostrich horse and nodded as he approached the stand.
"Whatcha got here that's good?" Elio asked in a low voice.
"All that you see before ya," He answered with a chuckle. "If you don't mind my saying, buddy, you don't look so good." He observed.
"Oh really? Is it that obvious?" Elio asked with a sigh, brushing his hand back through his hair. The man nodded, his lip tugging to one side.
"Yeah. Let me guess...can't sleep, weary bones from making the journey to Ba Sing Se?" He asked.
"Uh, yeah, that's pretty spot on actually. How did you know?" Elio asked, mildly surprised.
"Haha oh we've seen hundreds of travelers come through this little town of ours just absolutely swamped by the perilous trek to the impenetrable city. Thankfully, I know exactly what you need!" He said with a smile.
"I'm guessing it's this fruit?" Elio asked, assuming that this guy was just trying to talk him into a purchase. However, the man just laughed and shook his head.
"Oh no, but feel free to do that too. No, you should go and see Anisa, my sister!" He suggested, pointing towards a small home on the other side of town. Elio looked at it then turned his gaze back towards the man.
"Anisa?" Elio asked with a raised eyebrow, not really interested.
"Yep! She's one of the finest masseuses in the Earth Kingdom! I guarantee you she could loosen your body up, let you get that rest you need!"
"A masseuse?" Elio repeated, pondering this over, "Well, I don't know... I really need to conserve my money." He thought aloud.
"Oh trust me, it isn't that much! My sis wants her services to be available to all! She's a sweetheart, I tell ya. Just do me a favor, go and see her, scope it out, and if you like the look, book something! It'd help her out a lot." He requested.
"Ugh... Fine. I will go and look." He reluctantly agreed.
"Great! Oh hey hey, get a fruit first though bud. Here." The man reminded him, holding out a melon for him to purchase.
"Whatever." Elio tiredly sighed, forking over the money and putting it into his pack.
"Thanks a ton, kind stranger! And good luck on your journey!" The man waved at him. Elio tapped two fingers on his temple and turned them outwards to signal his goodbye. He then urged the ostrich horse away from the stand towards where the man had pointed.
"I can't believe I let myself get talked into going and getting a massage... I don't need a massage." Elio grumbled to himself, slumping over in his saddle as his ostrich horse trudged across town to the home of Anisa.
Once he reached the small home, he dismounted the ostrich horse and tied it to the wooden fencing of the porch. He then fixed his clothing and entered into the modest home.
When he entered in, he was immediately greeted by a gentle, flowery scent. The atmosphere of the reception desk was quiet, but also warm and inviting. Elio immediately felt himself being lulled and pulled inside, but he was resolved not to spend money unless he felt it could actually benefit him.
"Hello," A woman came out from a back room to greet him, smiling politely. She seemed to be older than him by about 5-10 years. She had long, dark hair that was neatly brushed, a round face and brown eyes. She looked really nice to him.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"Um... I'm looking for Anisa?"
"I am she," She smiled pleasantly. "Are you here for a massage?"
"Just here to get an idea first," He answered. "Your brother sent me." He added.
"I figured as much," She chuckled. "He always tries to send potential customers over to me. Not all accept, but I'm happy to provide my services. You seem like you could use them." She observed.
"Yeah, that's what he said," Elio rolled his eyes. "I've been... Well, if I'm being honest, I've been under a lot of stress. My journey to Ba Sing Se has been...challenging. Which is fine in and of itself, that's to be expected, but I also couldn't sleep last night after a particularly dangerous encounter I had." He explained.
"I'm sorry to hear that," She said sympathetically. "I would like to enter into Ba Sing Se myself one day, but I must admit that it makes me nervous. So many men and women have expressed to me how hard their journeys have been."
"Yeah. Well, I know I'll be alright once I'm there. But until then, you know?" He expressed.
"I understand. You must be tired," She acknowledged. "I would be happy to assist you with my services. It's only 15 silver pieces." She gave him a price.
"15 silver pieces?" Elio eyes widened a bit, "That's...not a lot."
"Mhmm. Many travelers with little means come through here. I wish to help them, so I only ask for a modest exchange. Have I piqued your interest a little more?" She asked with a cheeky giggle.
"Heheh, actually yes, you have. So what does your massage...routine consist of?" Elio asked, unable to find the right words.
"Hahaha! Well, I have a special technique that I like to use. You tell me where you want to be loosened up, and I'll make it happen. It's as simple as that." She answered.
"Really? Well alright... Sure then. I'll give it a try." He agreed.
"Great. I've just finished cleaning up. Come with me," She gestured for him to follow and led him into the room that she had come out of.
They stepped into the massage room: a small converted bedroom with a padded table to lay on in the center. Elio glanced around and noticed smooth stones of different sizes and shapes placed on a table against the wall.
"I didn't get your name before. What might I call you?" Anisa asked him.
"My name is Elio. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Elio. If you would be so kind, please remove your cloak and your extra belongings and set them off to the side. You don't have to remove your shirt and shoes, but if you are comfortable, it would make my process much easier." Anisa instructed.
"And what exactly is your process...?" Elio asked, worriedly eyeing the stones on the table.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. You see..." Anisa began her explanation, bending one of the smooth stones towards her. She was about to continue explaining, but as soon as Elio saw her earthbending, he retreated back.
"You're an earthbender!" He exclaimed.
"Yes... I am." She answered slowly, surprised by his defensive reaction. Elio took a breath and relaxed a little.
"Sorry, I've just...had a handful of bad experiences with earthbenders. I wasn't expecting you to be one." He admitted. Anisa nodded in understanding.
"I'm very sorry to hear that. I guess it was presumptuous of me to assume that you would be aware. If you would like to change your mind, I understand." She said, folding her hands in front of her. Elio started to feel a little guilty.
"No, uh... I'll try it. I just...need to brace myself." Elio said slowly.
"If you wish, I will allow you time to prepare." She said, folding her hands in front of her and waiting patiently.
Elio took a few slow breaths and turned away from her. He was trying to muster up the courage to allow this earthbending lady to work on him. Up until this point, earthbenders had brought him almost exclusively trouble and strife, so trusting one now was no easy request.
However, he had already gone this far. If she could help him relieve his heavy burden of stress, it was worth a shot.
"Okay," Elio finally agreed, removing his upper clothing and his boots. "I'm ready."
"Good. Please, lay down for me and tell me where your pain is." She instructed in a calm voice, gesturing to the padded table with her hand.
"It's mostly my back down in the lower region." Elio said, rubbing his lower back as he sat on the table.
"I see. That is common in men, since they tend to carry their heavy belongings in big packs. Lay flat on your stomach for me, and I will begin." She instructed, gesturing to the end of the table where there was an opening for Elio to stick his face through.
"O-Okay." Elio nodded, nervously getting into position. He laid his head through the opening and breathed in sharply through his nose as he tried to settle on the table.
"Alright, Elio, I need you to relax your body as much as possible for me." She urged him gently. Elio took in another breath and relaxed a little more, but his nervousness prevented him from truly settling...
However, there was a knock at the door. Elio lifted his head up to look. Anisa sighed, seemingly in slight annoyance, before turning and calling to the person on the other side.
"You may come in!"
The door opened, and another woman with blonde hair and green eyes came in. Her eyes glanced over Elio briefly before she turned her attention to Anisa; her expression was apologetic.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Anisa, but something has happened to Jona. He hasn't come back from his hunting trip. I'm worried about him." The woman expressed her worries.
"When did he leave?" Anisa asked.
"Before sunrise. It's been too long."
"I see..." Anisa sighed, "I will look into it right away then, Zena." She said. The woman, apparently named Zena, nodded and stepped out of the room.
"I apologize, Elio, but I'm afraid that I will have to end this session before its begun. Forgive me for wasting your time." She said respectively. Elio got up and sat up normally on the table.
"What's the matter? Who is Jona?" Elio asked.
"My soon-to-be husband," She answered. "He goes into the forest every day and brings back game for us to eat or to sell. However, it seems that he has yet to return. He may have gotten into an accident." Anisa guessed.
"So I'm guessing you're gonna go looking for him?" Elio presumed.
"Yes, of course. Again, my apologies." She said.
"It's no problem. If you need help, I'd be happy to help you look for your fiance." He offered.
"Really?" Anisa looked at him in surprise, "There's no need for you to go out of your way. I know that you have an important journey ahead of you."
"I do, but I can help. We can take my ostrich horse." He offered.
"That would save up time. Thank you, Elio. I greatly appreciate it." She said with a thankful smile.
"You're welcome."
Elio got dressed again and walked with Anisa out to his ostrich horse. She gave him permission to remove his extra belongings and leave them in a secure place inside of her home. With the extra weight removed, they both mounted the ostrich horse and rode into the forest.
"Thank you again, Elio, for offering yourself to help me find Jona. It's very kind of you." She thanked him again.
"Oh, you're welcome. Glad I could help. It's really the least I could do. I honestly wasn't feeling that up for traveling anyways." Elio said honestly.
"You do look very tired," She stated again. "I hope that your circumstances improve and that the rest of your journey to Ba Sing Se is safe."
"Yeah, me too. Thank you," Elio said with a sigh. "According to my map, I still have some distance to travel."
"Yes, the port is still a couple days' walking distance away from here. With your ostrich horse though, you should be able to cut down on some of that time." She pointed out.
"Right... Port?" Elio asked, glancing back at her. She realized that he didn't know what she was talking about.
"The port. It's where the refugees all go to take the ferry to Ba Sing Se. Since that is where you're going, I'm surprised you hadn't heard about it." She said honestly.
"No one ever told me about that," He said. "So this port; if I take the main road up towards Ba Sing Se, am I still going the right way?" He asked.
"Yes, you are. If you follow the path long enough, I'm sure you'll run into some other refugees that can point you in the right direction." Anisa said confidently.
"Gotcha. Well, thank you for letting me know that, you just saved me some trouble." He thanked her with a laugh.
"You're quite welcome!" She smiled, "You likely would've encountered some kind of disaster otherwise." She chuckled.
The two of them continued their search for Jona, traversing under low-hanging branches and over shallow creeks. However, their search was yielding no results. The longer the fruitless search went on, the more worried Anisa became.
"Zena was right, something is definitely wrong. We should've run into Jona by now otherwise." She said.
"Does he usually go deep into the forest to hunt?" Elio asked.
"I don't know. But I wouldn't imagine so. He always returns before the afternoon, so I doubt he would go much further than it would take for him to walk back with whatever he could take with him." Anisa reasoned, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.
"We'll go a little further and see if maybe we catch him. Maybe he got lost." Elio reasoned.
"That would be a relief, all things considered..." Anisa said, her mind beginning to consider all of the unpleasant possible reasons why Jona wouldn't have returned yet. Elio picked up on this and decided to try and lighten the conversation to keep her spirits up.
"So...how long have you and Jona been engaged?" Elio asked.
"Nearly a year now," She answered. "He wants to make things official in Ba Sing Se. Once we have enough money to afford the ferry, we'll have our ceremony and settle down in whatever district we're assigned to."
"That sounds really nice," Elio said. "So Ba Sing Se is where you'll be planting your roots?"
"Yes," She nodded. "I'm sure at some point, my brother and my sister-in-law will wish to join us in the great city, but until then, that is the dream that he has painted for us, and I for one can't wait until that day finally comes." She said with a smile.
"Sounds like a beautiful thing," Elio said with a smile. "I hope that day comes soon for you both."
"Thank you, Elio. And what about you? What are your plans when you reach Ba Sing Se?" She asked. Elio's eyes drifted downwards. He'd never considered this question before.
"I'm not sure... I just wanted to get to Ba Sing Se so that I could be safe from the Fire Nation. I never thought about what I'll do when I actually get there." He admitted. Anisa giggled at this.
"Perhaps you should start thinking about that now. Ba Sing Se is not an end goal, but rather a new beginning. It is a place where you are free to decide what life you want to live, and all that you need to pursue your goals is right within the walls." She described.
"That sounds...almost too good to be true." He commented with a breathy chuckle.
"It does, but if you're willing to work for it, you can make it a reality." She said with an encouraging smile.
"I guess I'll have to think hard about that..." Elio said.
"Wait, Elio, stop for a moment." Anisa said suddenly. Elio quickly pulled on the reins, urging his ostrich horse to a stop. He turned back to look at her, but she held her hand up for him to be quiet and listen.
Remaining silent, they both could hear a group of voices talking in the distance. Elio and Anisa looked at each other and quickly dismounted the ostrich horse. Elio motioned for it to stay where it was and wait for him. Then they both quietly sneaked towards the group.
They crouched down low and peeked through the bushes. What they found was a group of Fire Nation men dwelling in tents. They were roasting meat over a fire and talking casually as the food cooked. Elio's eyes scanned their faces and he groaned unhappily.
"Oh great, Fire Nation." He grumbled.
"Oh no. Elio, look..." Anisa pointed. Elio looked and saw a bald man had been tied up and bound to a nearby tree, "That's Jona." She said.
"No way," Elio swallowed. "Anisa... I know these guys. I got into a run-in with them not too long ago. These guys are bandits. They were probably planning on raiding your town and stealing from everybody." He informed her.
"That's terrible!" Anisa said in a whisper, "Are you willing to help me fight these men, Elio? I have to save Jona; I will be forced to face them head-on. I'm not sure if I can do this alone..." She admitted.
"I got your back. I beat all these guys by myself; we can beat them together." He said with a nod.
"I will follow your lead." Anisa nodded back.
Elio signaled for Anisa to hang back and wait for his cue. He backed away from the bushes and began to sneak around to the side of the camp so he could approach them at an awkward angle. As he made his way there, he debated in his head on how to handle these men.
Unfortunately for him, his firebending was going to be the easiest way for him to drive these men out. However, there was no guaranteeing that Anisa wouldn't turn on him if he revealed his bending. But considering what he was about to do, he was gonna have to take the risk.
"Did you hear about the Fire Nation division in the area? Seems like they're heading north. We'll probably have to change directions to avoid them." One of them said to the other before Elio made his move.
Elio shot a few fireballs at their tents, setting them on fire. The men all turned in surprise, shouting in alarm as they turned to put out their tents. As they ran, Elio jumped out from his spot and shot two to the ground with a single arcing fire kick.
"What? Oh shoot, it's the kid again!"
"Yeah, it's me again. Kidnapping, guys? Really? I'd say that's a new low for you, but it's probably not." Elio said, pulling out his staff and getting into his fighting stance.
"Stop following us already!" One of them growled. There were five men standing. They all shot fire at Elio at the same time. Elio was prepared to spin his staff to keep the fire off of him, but he didn't have to.
Anisa created a wall of earth at that moment, separating Elio from the other men. They all stumbled back in surprise as she stepped out with an angered expression, "Let my husband go!" She growled.
"You gotta be kidding! We gotta deal with the kid and an earthbender?!"
"Quit your whining and get to it already!" They bickered among themselves.
Two of the men, the ones closest to Anisa, shot heavy fire at her. She raised up another wall to block the attack. She extended her right hand outwards, causing the wall to tip forward and fall. The men stumbled back to avoid being crushed. She simultaneously extended her left hand out to the side to remove the wall in front of Elio.
"Your turn, firebender!" She said to Elio.
Elio advanced forward, using his staff to block the fire being shot at him. He spun around and swung his staff, shooting an arcing blast at all of them. Only one of them was hit by it and knocked out. One of the men jumped up to strike down Elio, but he was taken out by a boulder from Anisa.
Anisa advanced now, pulling several boulders out of the ground and punching to send them forward one by one. The four remaining men all dodged the attacks, but while they were distracted, Elio was able to take out one more with a fireball.
"This isn't working! We need to up the ante!"
The three men all began to create fire and swirl it around themselves, creating a ferocious swirling vortex. Elio tried to shoot fireballs through it, but his attacks were simply absorbed into the vortex. Anisa brought up a protective shield over both of them just before fire was about to come down on them.
"Ah! Elio, what do we do?!" She asked him.
"They didn't use this on me last time! Uhh..." Elio scrambled to come up with something, "Shoot a few rocks at them! See if you can throw them off balance with your earthbending!"
Anisa nodded and swallowed nervously. She rubbed her hands together and balled her fists again, throwing a few small stones out of her shield wall. As they flew out, they were able to see the men were still shooting fire. The earth above them began to crumble apart.
"Come on, Anisa! You got this! Knock their feet out!" He encouraged her.
"I'm trying!" She panted, starting to run out of breath. As the opening got bigger, she reached her hand out and desperately tried to bend the earth under their feet. She twisted her hand at the wrist, causing the ground to shift slightly.
"That's it!" Elio shouted. Anisa gasped, realizing she had it. She pulled her hand back, and the earth rose up in a slanted way, causing the three to fall and the fire to fade.
"I got them! Haha, I got them!"
"Good work! Now it's our turn!" Elio said to her, jumping out of the hole in the shield and rushing forward. He slid his staff back into its sleeve and jumped between the three men.
He flipped forward in the air and brought a fire kick down on the first man, taking him out before he could get up. The first of the final two men to get up threw a fireball at Elio. Elio stepped sideways to dodge it and incapacitated him with a few quick chi-blocking jabs.
The final man threw a wild fire punch at Elio. Elio nearly was hit with the heat of the flames. As he stumbled back, the man punched him in the side hard, searing his clothing slightly. Elio yelped in pain, stepping away and raising his fists.
The man threw a few rapid fire punches; a strategy Elio wasn't used to. He stepped back cautiously and threw a fire kick at the man's head. Elio's opponent ducked underneath it and quickly kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.
As Elio fell onto his back, the man raised his hand to bring down a fireball on Elio. But before he could do it, Anisa stepped in again by quickly bringing her hands downwards. This created a pit under the man that he fell down into, leaving him completely buried except for his head.
"Elio! Are you alright?" Anisa asked quickly.
"Yeah, I'm good." Elio nodded, still a little dazed. He quickly got up to his feet. Anisa ran over to Jona, kissing him on the head and working to untie him.
"This ain't over, kid. Next time we see ya, you're dead." The man buried in the ground warned him.
"I sincerely doubt that. But you're welcome to try. Third time's a charm, right?" Elio scoffed, walking past him and helping Anisa to untie Jona.
"Are you okay, my love? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?" Anisa asked.
"Here, let me." Elio said, stepping in and carefully using his firebending to burn through the ropes.
"I'm okay. But am I glad to see you, sweetie. You came at a good time. These men were plotting to raid the village tonight." Jona told her.
"Well, I doubt they'll be doing much of anything now." Elio commented.
"Jona, this is Elio. He offered to help me find you. And he was clearly instrumental in saving you." Anisa added, looking intently at Elio's hands as he burnt through the ropes. Now free, Jona stretched his arms out and got to his feet.
"A firebender with a conscience? Just when I'd thought I'd seen everything." He said.
"Jona..." Anisa gave him a look. However, Elio held up his hand.
"It's alright. He's not totally wrong. We'll take you back home on my ostrich horse." He said.
It was a silent ride back into town. Since the men were no longer a threat, they left them where they were. Once they were back at Anisa's home, she helped walk him back into the house. Elio followed behind them, and that's when Jona spoke up again.
"You said your name was Elio?" He asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you for saving me...you and Anisa." He said.
"You're very welcome." Elio replied with a nod and a smile.
"I'll take you to your room so you can get some rest, dear." Anisa said.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Jona said tiredly.
Anisa began to help Jona back to his room. Elio watched for a few moments with a smile before turning away. He went to grab his things so that he could leave. However, before he could, Anisa turned back towards him.
"Don't go anywhere, Elio. Once I have Jona situated, I'd like to provide you with that massage that you came for, free of charge. It's the least I can do for you helping me save my love." She said.
"Oh, um, that's okay. You need to focus on Jona." Elio tried to protest.
"Accept something good when it comes to ya, Elio. You're not gonna talk her out of it." Jona recommended.
"Oh...alright. I'll just be waiting in the room then." Elio said, pointing to the massage room.
"Good. I'll join you shortly." Anisa smiled at him before taking Jona into his room.
Elio took his stuff with him into the massage room and waited queitly for awhile. Anisa returned into the room with a pleasant smile and clean hands.
"Jona seems to have taken quite an interest in you. He's very grateful, as am I." She expressed again, closing the door behind her.
"Haha, well I'm flattered, I guess. And I'm glad to have helped. It turned out for the best actually."
"Indeed it did. Now I understand why your journey to Ba Sing Se has been so treacherous. Being on the run from the Fire Nation is not easy." She commented.
"No it is not," Elio sighed. "But I would really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone. I just want to live quietly." He requested. Anisa smiled softly.
"My lips are sealed," She promised. "Now, if you are ready, I'll be happy to loosen up your back now."
"Right, yeah. After the little adventure we just had, I think I really need it." Elio said, removing his upper clothing again and laying on the table.
"I agree. I'll likely rest too when I'm done... So you simply run from the Fire Nation; you do not fight against them?" She asked curiously.
"Not usually," Elio answered honestly. "I've come at odds with them a few times, but I don't want to get into this war. That's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se; it's one of the only places where the Fire Nation can't reach me." He explained.
"As is the same for numerous people," Anisa commented. "I wish you a safe journey, Elio, and a peaceful life once you arrive there." She said sincerely.
"Thank you. I hope that's what I get." Elio said hopefully.
"Ba Sing Se offers that chance to all who enter into it," She said before changing the subject. "I have a few smooth stones in the shape of spheres. I'm going to press them into various parts of your back to help loosen up the tension. Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am," Elio answered with a sigh, relaxing and easing up. "So what does it feel like? Do you just press or- Ohhh! Ahh!" He groaned loudly as the stones were pushed into his back and rolled around firmly, causing his back to crack in several places.
"It feels like that," Anisa giggled. "It can be a bit of a shock at first, but soon you'll be feeling fresh and a lot freer." She said with a smile...