Wandering Firebender
Fifty Three: Tour of the North
Elio's eyes slowly fluttered open. He rubbed his eyes and looked outside. The sun was high up in the sky. It took him a little while to realize it, but when it dawned on him, he quickly got up and rushed to grab his clothes.
"Aw crap, I overslept! The master's gonna be pissed!" Elio groaned as he got dressed, throwing on his parka and his boots.
Elio hurried out the front door of his lodge. As soon as he stepped out, he ran right into a guard who had been posted outside of his door. They both fell onto the snow and Elio rolled to the side with a grunt, "Sorry! I didn't know you were there!" He quickly apologized as he sat up.
"It's alright," The guard said, clearly a little annoyed as he got back to his feet. "Where are you going in such a rush?" He asked Elio curiously.
"To training. I overslept." Elio answered, getting to his feet. He started to turn around so he could hurry off.
"Hold on!" The guard stopped him, holding his hand out, "You aren't required to show up to waterbending training today." He said. Elio gave him an odd look.
"What do you mean?"
"Your friend vouched for you. I'm not sure what happened yesterday, but the chief gave permission for you to rest today." The guard explained. Elio's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, I see...that's very kind of him." He said, not expecting that.
"Oh, also, your friend? She's been trying to see you. Visitors aren't allowed on the palace grounds without special permission, so she's been waiting outside for you." He informed him.
"Cindra's waiting for me? Got it! I'll go see her right now! Thanks for letting me know!" Elio said, waving to the guard before turning around and hurrying off.
"Please don't run on the palace grounds!" The guard shouted to him.
Elio quickly made his way to the stairs that led down from the palace grounds to the training grounds. Sure enough, he saw Cindra sitting on the steps watching as Master Hazo led a waterbending class. All of the students were children.
"Good morning, Cindra!" Elio greeted her pleasantly, coming down the steps and sitting next to her. Cindra quickly looked over.
"Elio? Hey, you're finally awake! How're you feeling?" She asked right away, looking him over.
"I'm okay. Feeling a lot better after sleeping it off. You didn't get in too much trouble, did you?" Elio asked. Cindra waved it off.
"It's not a big deal. There's no way I wasn't gonna step in. Anyways, Ansel and I were only forced to do a few extra drills. I don't really care. But I'm glad that you're feeling better." Cindra said with a smile.
"Much better now, thank you. I appreciate you helping me out. Because of you, the chief has given me the day off from training today." He informed her with a chuckle.
"Ooh, really?! You know what we should do then?"
"What?"
"I can give you a tour of the tribe! There's so much here that you gotta see!" Cindra brought up excitedly. Elio nodded in agreement.
"That sounds like fun. Let's do it!"
"Great! Come on, there's no time to waste! It's already almost lunchtime!" She said as she stood up. Elio chuckled and stood up as well.
The two of them made their way around the ongoing class so they could enter into town. As they walked around, Master Hazo gave Elio a glare. Elio stared back with a neutral expression for a couple seconds before directing his attention forward again.
"I actually haven't eaten yet, so why don't we start by getting some food?" Elio suggested.
"Sure! Oh, I know this one little shop that you're gonna love." Cindra said, grinning and gesturing for him to follow behind her as she quickened her pace a little. Elio shook his head and smiled as he followed behind her.
As Elio and Cindra made their way through the streets to get to the shop, Elio looked around curiously at everything. Since all of the structures were mainly made of solid, carved ice, the whole town shined brightly in the sun. It almost hurt his eyes sometimes to look directly at the light reflecting off the houses and bridges.
"So I assume that the waterbenders here are the ones mainly in charge of construction?" Elio asked curiously.
"Oh yeah. Carving ice like this is actually its own special waterbending skill. It's something that I've been trying to get better at, actually." She explained.
"Oh, really? How's that coming along?"
"Uhh...let me get back to you on that." Cindra giggled, rubbing the back of her head. She was embarrassed to admit that she had just started and hadn't even begun to get good at it yet. Elio laughed, understanding what she meant.
The two of them reached the little food shop. At Cindra's insistence, Elio allowed her to choose what they would eat. Once they had their food, they walked onto a bridge and leaned over the railing as they ate.
"Mmm...oh yeah, this is good. I probably would've chosen this myself." Elio nodded approvingly as he sank his teeth into his food.
"Yep! I had a feeling, since I know you like meat," She giggled. "Gosh, I can't believe that you're actually here! It feels so unreal!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.
"Yeah, I still can't believe I'm here." He agreed.
"How did you find out that the Fire Nation was going to attack?" Cindra asked. Elio swallowed his food and hummed.
"Mm, Azula told me." He answered. Cindra's eyes widened.
"What?! Really?! How?!" She asked three questions in rapid succession. Elio nodded.
"Yeah. I was in Ba Sing Se and she captured me and took me back to the Fire Nation. Later on, she told me about the attack." Elio explained.
"She captured you?! Were you in prison?!" Cindra continued to question him loudly. Elio chuckled, realizing just how much Cindra wasn't aware of. It was going to take awhile to catch her up on everything.
"Yeah, I was in prison, but-"
"Cindra!" Another girl about Cindra's age called out to her with a wave. She ran over to join them on the bridge, "There you are!"
"Hey, Tara! I didn't know you were looking for me." Cindra giggled, greeting her friend with a hug. Tara hugged back. Her eyes drifted over to Elio, and she looked him over curiously.
"Is this your friend? The one from the Fire Nation?" She asked.
"Yep! Elio, this is my friend, Tara. Tara, this is Elio." Cindra introduced them.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Elio! Cindra's told me so much about you," Tara greeted him, enthusiastically shaking his hand. "Your story is amazing!"
"Oh, heheh, thank you," Elio chuckled awkwardly as he shook her hand in return. "It's nice to meet you too, Tara." He said with a polite smile.
"Whatcha guys doing?" Tara asked Cindra.
"I'm showing Elio around our home! Obviously he's never seen it before, but he has the day off! So I want him to see everything!" Cindra answered.
"Ooh, sounds like fun! Mind if I tag along?" Tara requested.
"Sure!" Cindra answered.
"Ooh, I know the perfect place for us to start! Come on!" Tara grabbed their hands and pulled them along.
"But I'm not done with my food!" Elio pointed out.
"You can eat on the way, dummy!" Cindra giggled.
So with Cindra and Tara serving as his tour guides, Elio was able to see more of the Northern Water Tribe. They showed him where the healing classes were held, they brought him to various shops and structures around town, and they introduced Elio to some of the townsfolk.
What jumped out to Elio right away was how closely knit everyone was. Despite their reservations about him, the people were all friendly to each other. They all knew where they lived and where to go to find whatever they needed.
There was such a pleasant, inviting atmosphere surrounding this place. Elio liked it a lot...
"Oh, look who it is! Hey, Ansel!" Cindra called out to her younger brother, who was walking across the same bridge as them. He was walking in the opposite direction, but as soon as they got his attention, he walked over to join them.
"Afternoon," Ansel greeted them. "Where have you been all day, Cindra?" He asked curiously.
"We've been giving Elio a full tour since it's his day off!" She answered.
"I see. Well don't forget, we still have waterbending lessons. But I'll take care of grocery shopping for you today." Ansel said.
"Thanks, bro! You're the best!" Cindra hugged him appreciatively. Ansel rolled his eyes and smiled a little.
"Yes, yes, you're welcome. Elio, you seem to be doing much better. How're you feeling?" Ansel asked him.
"Much better. Thanks, Ansel, for sticking up for me yesterday. I appreciate it." Elio thanked him, offering a handshake. Ansel nodded and shook his hand respectfully.
"Of course. I should be thanking you for coming all this way to help us. I feel the master was acting inappropriately. And besides, Cindra was the one who acted on your behalf first, so I was just backing her up too." He said, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Well either way, it helped." Elio smiled.
"Good. I'm glad. Well, since you don't have any plans for today, perhaps you would like to join us for family dinner tonight?" Ansel suggested, "I'm sure that Cindra's discussed that with you already." He presumed.
"She's mentioned it before, yeah. If that's alright with your folks, I'd be honored to join you." Elio answered. Ansel and Cindra exchanged a glance before he nodded. Cindra looked delighted.
"Great, then I'll be sure that there's enough food. And I'll be sure to get clear permission before you come." Ansel said.
"Thanks, Ansel! You're the best!" Cindra said cheerfully.
"You said that already," Ansel pointed out with a chuckle. "Well, I should be going then. I will see you tonight for dinner, Elio." He nodded and continued on his way.
"Looking forward to it!" Elio replied with a wave.
"Come to think of it, I should probably check and see if my folks need anything too. I'll catch up with you later! It was nice meeting you, Elio." Tara smiled brightly at him as they shook hands again.
"You too, Tara." He smiled back.
"See you soon, Cindra," Tara smiled and gave her a hug. "He's cute. You two look cute together." She whispered to Cindra before letting her go.
"Tara!" Cindra exclaimed, blushing a little. Tara simply giggled mischievously and went on her way. Elio's eyebrows furrowed strangely.
"What did she say?" He asked.
"Nothing! Let's just keep going!" Cindra answered quickly. Elio shrugged at this.
The two turned to continue walking, but before they could make it to the other side of the bridge, they were interrupted by three guys coming up the other side of the bridge. Elio quickly recognized them as some of the other waterbending students in Cindra's class.
"Hey there! Elio, right?" One of them greeted him. The one in the middle seemed to be hiding something behind his back.
"That's right." Elio answered.
"What's up guys?" Cindra asked.
"We brought you a little something." The guy standing on the left said.
"Consider it a welcome gift." The one on the right added.
The guy in the middle revealed what he had been holding behind his back. He held up a water tribe parka. He then turned it around, revealing that the three of them had painted a large black flame resembling the Fire Nation flag on the back.
"Aww, you guys!" Cindra said, thinking that this was a cool, friendly gesture. However, Elio, who had gotten used to being singled out for his nationality, saw this for what it was. Still, he couldn't help but chuckle at Cindra's reaction.
"I think this is meant to be an insult, Cindra." He said.
Cindra didn't get it at first, but then it clicked for her once Elio said something. The flame was meant to be like a target on his back; it was meant to instill hatred for him because he was from the Fire Nation. Once she saw the hidden meaning behind this gesture, she immediately jumped to Elio's defense.
"You guys should be ashamed of yourselves! If Elio hadn't come here, we wouldn't even know that the Fire Nation was coming! Apologize right now!" She demanded. Elio chuckled again and held his hand up, stepping forward.
"It's alright, Cindra. Let me see if it's my size," Elio said. He removed his parka that he'd bought in the Earth Kingdom and put on the water tribe parka. Sure enough, it fit him well. He adjusted the neck and smiled at the three guys who had given it to him.
"I'm not ashamed of where I'm from." He stated clearly.
Cindra, as well as the other three guys, were astonished by this reaction. The guys had nothing more to say, so they left without another word. They only started grumbling among themselves once they were out of Elio's range of hearing.
"Jeez, those jerks. Sorry about that, Elio." Cindra said, feeling the need to apologize on their behalf. Elio shook his head and smiled.
"It's alright. It's to be expected. I meant what I said. And I'm definitely keeping this," Elio adjusted his new parka with a laugh. "How does it look?" He asked. Cindra looked him over. Seeing Elio wearing the clothes of her tribe made her smile.
"It looks very nice." She answered.
"Thanks. Well, shall we keep going?" He asked.
"Yep! I know the perfect place to go to next. We can't go inside, but I can show you the door." She answered, taking his hand and leading him on again...
Elio and Cindra made their way back towards the palace grounds. Cindra was being suspiciously cautious as they made their way past the guards. Eventually, they were able to get to where Cindra wanted them to be. Elio looked behind him towards the backside of the chief's palace before looking forward again.
Elio's eyebrows furrowed curiously as they approached what Cindra wanted to show him: a small wooden hatch door etched into a stone wall. It was strangely out of place in comparison to all of the ice structures Elio had seen, but he was yet to see what the significance was.
"You wanted to show me a door?" Elio asked. Cindra giggled.
"It's not just any door. This is the door to the spiritual oasis that our entire tribe is built around. Through this door is a real spiritual pathway between our world and the Spirit World." Cindra explained. Elio's eyes widened a little bit.
"You mean, this is a door to the Spirit World?" Elio asked. Cindra shook her head.
"Not exactly, but through it is a place that can get you closer to the Spirit World than most places. If you have enough spirituality, you could cross over into the Spirit World. And that's not all. The ocean and moon spirits live in there." Cindra continued.
"The ocean and moon spirits? Didn't one of those guys teach you waterbending in the swamp?" Elio recalled. Cindra smiled and nodded.
"Yeah! Tui, the moon spirit, taught me! He used to live through there along with La, the ocean spirit."
"Have you ever seen them?" Elio asked, still unsure of whether or not to believe in the existence of spirits and the Spirit World. Cindra nodded.
"Once, when I was a little girl. Their physical forms are black and white koi fish."
"Koi fish?" Elio repeated with an apparently doubtful expression.
"Come on, Elio. I think we've seen enough for you to be a little less skeptical." She teased him. Elio nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that's true. It's just...hard to understand, you know? There's no spirituality in the Fire Nation. It's a new concept for me." He admitted.
"I understand," Cindra nodded, walking up to him and taking his hand. "Maybe I can teach you a little bit? We have some information about it that I can share with you." She offered.
"I think I'd like that." Elio smiled, holding her hand. Cindra smiled and blushed a little.
"I'm really glad that you're here with us, Elio. I was worried that we might never get the chance to see each other again." She admitted.
"Yeah, me too." Elio said.
"Hey! You kids get out of here!" A guard yelled at them from the palace wall. Cindra and Elio flinched.
"Time to go!" Cindra said, grabbing Elio's hand. They quickly ran off, making their way around to Elio's lodge. He was fully aware that she wasn't supposed to be on the palace grounds without permission, so they kept the conversation brief.
"This was a lot of fun, Cindra. I learned a lot more about your home. And this was nice." He said with a smile.
"It really was," She agreed with a big smile. "I'll see you tonight for dinner, alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be there!" Elio agreed.
"Great. I better get to training now..." Cindra hesitated before stepping in and quickly kissing Elio on the cheek. "Bye for now." She blushed and waved before turning away and hurrying off.
"Bye for now..." Elio smiled to himself and went back into his lodge, where he laid in bed and relaxed for awhile.
Admittedly, he was nervous to meet Cindra's family. Regardless of how much she had told them about him, he would still need to make a good impression. They would no doubt have many questions for him, especially since he was from the Fire Nation...
As the sun started to go down, Elio got ready to go. He had a pit in his stomach the entire walk to Cindra's house. As he got close, he found Cindra waiting outside for him. She waved him over with a big smile. Elio smiled back anxiously and quickened his pace to reach her.
"Hey! How'd your classes go?" He asked.
"Eh, Master Hazo's still being a stick in the mud, but at least he didn't try to make us stay later. Dinner's already almost done! You ready to meet my family?" She asked.
"Yeah...heheh, yeah." Elio answered with a nervous chuckle.
"Aww, it'll be alright. I promise." Cindra smiled, putting a hand on his arm.
She opened the front door and Elio walked inside. He wiped his boots at the door and removed them, then he took off his parka. To his right, there was a small living room. The kitchen and dining room were a short walk directly ahead. There he saw Cindra's mom preparing dinner.
"Mom! Elio's here!" Cindra announced. Cindra's mother looked over at him and gave him a quick, welcoming smile.
"Hi! I'd come over and shake your hand, but I'm finishing up over here. You already took your boots off, perfect! Come and have a seat!" She invited.
"Yes, ma'am." Elio said, walking to the dining room table and pulling a chair for himself.
"You need any help, mom?" Cindra asked.
"Yeah, can you help me serve the plates, dear?" She requested. Cindra quickly went to assist her mother.
"Elio. Glad you could make it," Ansel said, joining Elio at the table. He shook his hand again. "Did you enjoy your tour?" He asked.
"Yeah, this place is beautiful. I like it a lot already." Elio answered with a smile.
"I heard some talking. Is our special guest here?" Another unfamiliar voice asked from the other room. Elio assumed that it was Cindra's father coming over to join them.
"Yes, honey! He's already at the table. We're just about to start serving the food." Cindra's mom informed him.
"Oh! Well in that case," Cindra's dad walked into the dining room. He eyed Elio and walked up to him, offering a handshake. "You must be Elio. Welcome."
"Hi," Elio shook his hand. "Thank you for having me here in your home." He said slowly, stumbling over his words a little bit.
"Of course. My name is Kawan, and this is my wife, Cari. And of course, you already know Cindra and Ansel." Kawan formally introduced Elio to the family.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. How would you prefer that I refer to you?" Elio asked.
"Just Kawan is fine," He answered with a smile. "Have a seat! It's time to eat!" He invited.
So Elio sat down in his chair. Kawan sat at the end of the table directly at Elio's right side. Ansel sat down across from Elio, on the other side of his father. Once Cindra and Cari had served everyone's food and drink, they sat down too. Cari sat down next to Ansel, and Cindra sat down next to Elio.
Everyone began to eat. At first, there was a bit of an awkward silence. It seemed no one was sure how to get the conversation started, or what to even talk about. Elio decided to simply start by continuing to be a good house guest.
"The food is really good, ma'am, thank you." Elio said.
"Thank you, dear. I apologize if it isn't like what you're used to." Cari replied.
"It isn't, but it's still great." Elio said with a chuckle.
"Tell me, Elio, what do they usually eat in the Fire Nation?" Kawan asked curiously.
"Oh, uh, lots of meats. Tender cuts of meat are typically considered to be middle to high-class dining, depending on the animal and how it's cooked and seasoned." Elio answered.
"Elio's a total carnivore," Cindra commented with a giggle. "When we were traveling together, he would go for meat any chance he got." She recalled humorously.
"Cindra told us a lot about when you two were traveling together. That must've been difficult, going through all that." Cari commented.
"It was. But I appreciated it when Cindra had my back. She saved my life more than once." Elio said.
"Hey, I was just returning the favor." Cindra said, smiling at him.
"Why did you choose to run away from the Fire Nation, Elio? Didn't you know how hard it would be, living a life of exile in the Earth Kingdom?" Ansel asked. Cari was quick to shush him, but Elio didn't mind answering the question.
"I could only imagine back then. But still...I never wanted to fight or take sides in this war. I...I came to realize on my own what the Fire Nation was doing to the rest of the world, and while I couldn't say it, I didn't want any part of it. My hand was kinda forced, so..."
"Why was your hand forced?" Kawan asked.
"Well...my father is a high-ranking general. He actually is an advisor at the Fire Lord's table...I knew he wouldn't accept his son choosing to be some...circus performer rather than actually fighting in the war. I didn't have the courage to face him, so that's why I ran." Elio summarized regretfully.
"I didn't know it was like that. I'm sorry, Elio." Cindra said. This new piece of information about Elio's father put things more into perspective for her.
"Circus performer? Why do you say that?" Kawan asked.
"Oh yeah, because Elio wanted to be a performer!" Cindra remembered.
"Honey, I'm sure Elio can tell us about it himself." Her mother said.
"Sorry." Cindra blushed and shrank a little in her seat, feeling embarrassed.
"Haha, it's alright. Yeah, I originally wanted to be in the firebending performing arts. I've always been more into the technicals of firebending, and it's really fun to push my limits like that." Elio said.
"They have firebending performances?" Ansel asked with a surprised expression.
"Oh yeah! At Fire Festivals and stuff like that, there's always firebending performers there that can do complex tricks. One trick that pretty much all of them learn is called 'Taming The Dragon', where basically you create a dragon out of fire and then make a lasso and pretend to catch the dragon with it." Elio explained, moving his hands through the air to demonstrate the motions of the trick.
"Can you do that trick?" Ansel asked.
"Yep! It took me awhile to learn it, but I can do it! One time, I even did two dragons at once." Elio chuckled.
"What?! No way! I wanna see it! Can we see it?!" Cindra excitedly requested.
"Perhaps some other time, honey." Kawan said.
"Right, yeah." Cindra nodded.
"I wonder if it looks anything like the waterbending demonstrations that we do." Ansel wondered aloud.
"It would be fun to see both! And compare the two." Cari giggled.
"I'd love to see that." Cindra said with a smile.
"If you know all of that, you must be quite the skilled firebender, Elio. Tell me, how good are you with your firebending as a fighter?" Kawan asked curiously, slightly shifting the trajectory of the conversation.
"I consider myself to be pretty good," Elio answered. "Knowing the technicals does help me out quite a bit. I've been fortunate to have a few different teachers that have all helped me gain wisdom and experience."
"Pretty good? Elio is an incredible fighter too!" Cindra butted in, "I've seen him take on tons of guys! He can beat people bigger and stronger than him in just a few hits! Only the best firebenders can make him sweat!" She praised him.
"Cindra, it's not that drastic." Elio chuckled awkwardly.
"Yes it is!" She argued with a giggle.
"Heheh, well, it sounds like we're lucky to have you by our side then, Elio." Kawan said approvingly.
"I'm glad to be here." Elio replied with a smile...
After dinner came to a close, everyone said their goodbyes to Elio and thanked him for joining them. Elio gave his thanks for the meal before Cindra walked him outside.
"Your family is really nice." He commented with a smile.
"They are. I'm glad things worked out now. I felt bad running away like I did, but now it feels like things are as they should be, you know?" Cindra described. Elio gave her a pained smile. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy pulling at his heart.
"I'm happy for you, Cindra...well, I guess it's back to more training tomorrow, right?" He chuckled.
"Yep! You should get your rest. I'm glad you could eat with us. I really wanted everyone to meet you so they could see who it was that helped me with my journey. I really can't thank you enough for everything, Elio." Cindra said appreciatively, hugging him tightly.
"Haha, getting all sentimental on me now?" Elio teased lightly as he returned the hug.
"Shut up." Cindra chuckled and smiled. The two of them held each other a little longer before he let her go.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Cindra! Goodnight!" He waved to her and went on his way.
"Goodnight, Elio." Cindra waved back to him, smiling to herself as she watched him go. She waited until he was out of her sight before going back inside...